Episode 709 - Gemini Review




"Gemini" Review

Written by Babaluwee

DISCLAIMER - Please remember that this review does not represent the opinions/viewpoints of everyone; it is the personal opinions of the reviewer only. Thank you.

"Gemini" is about several sets of twins who aren't really twins: First there are Bizarro and Clark. They may look identical, but Bizarro is a phantom who cloned himself a body from Clark's DNA. He also "cloned" Clark's superpowers, memories, and feelings, but Bizarro has his own free will by which he chooses to do evil. Then there's Gabriel who is a clone, a genetic "twin," of Lex's deceased brother Julian. Adrian, a third "twin," is an earlier and unsuccessful clone of Julian because his aging process is acutely accelerated. Both clones had been downloaded with the same fabricated memories. Gabriel must have the worst identity crisis of all time: first, he is led to believe that he is not really Gabriel, but long-lost brother Julian (the original), and then not really Julian, but a clone of Julian with only fabricated memories and experiences.

"Gemini" leaves me with the question of what makes us who we really are. We are more than the sum of our memories and experiences. We often choose to draw upon them to guide us in our decisions. They are very important, but do not predetermine who we are. Bizarro retains the identical memories, feelings, experiences, and life lessons of Clark as Clark experienced them. But he is none the better for it; he is evil. At any given moment we are the choices we freely make and for which we must take responsibility. It's called self-determination. We determine who we are through the exercise of our free will.

The Good

Tom's Performance: Tom Welling is ever at his best portraying Clark when Clark isn't himself. Some of Tom's most exciting and memorable performances are when Clark is in some altered state of consciousness, whether it is due to the influence of red or silver kryptonite ("Red," "Rush," "Exile," "Unsafe, "Crimson," "Splinter"), or to some form of mind control ("Crusade," "Hypnotic," "Labyrinth"), or to amnesia ("Blank"), or whether Clark isn't really Clark at all ("Transference," "Bizarro").

In "Gemini" Tom's performance was outstanding and marked by a delicious subtlety. I suspected that Clark wasn't quite himself, but I couldn't put my finger on why. When did I first notice it? Was it his explanation that his overdue return from the Fortress was because "time is different" there? That's strange, why is this the first time we're hearing of it? Was it when he told Lana that he accepted the fact that Kara was gone and he intended to move on? Move on? What if she's in trouble and needs help? That's not like Clark. Was it when he didn't express his disapproval when Lana confessed her nefarious activities with ISIS?

No, I tended to ignore those clues during the episode. What intrigued me more were Clark's fleeting looks, his subtle facial reactions, like when Lana disclosed all the information she had on Project Scion. There was an indiscernible look on his face, something just short of triumph; he had an abbreviated smirk on his lips and a gleam in his eye. And the camera remained on his face for just a second longer than it needed to. Throughout the episode Tom was able to convey all the information he wanted (and no more) through the subtlest movements of his facial features. Now that is great acting! I was delighted to have my suspicions confirmed when it was revealed to the audience that Bizarro had been impersonating Clark.

Chloe: It's great that Chloe and Jimmy are back together. Too bad it took a serious bomb scare to reunite them, and for Chloe to share her secret of being a meteor empowered person. She called herself "meteor infected," rather than seeing her power to heal as a wondrous gift. Jimmy's response to learning her secret was perfect: a loving kiss.

Best Lines: Gabriel to Lex: "If you want to play God, you might want to remember his greatest gift: free will! Let me live my life!"

Gabriel to Lois: "If you want to bury the truth, buy the media." That was a subtle reminder of what Superman stands for: "truth, justice, and the American way," and of why Clark Kent fights for the truth through the free press. I just wish Clark would start taking an interest in journalism.

Lois to Gabriel: "Whoever he is, we sure as hell aren't gonna work together," referring to her future true love.

The Bad

Lois: In "Gemini" we see yet again writing that does a serious disservice to the iconic figure of Lois Lane. The episode opens with Lois making out with Gabriel, her boss, in a storage closet. This is an excusable peccadillo for adolescents in high school, but not for adults in a professional setting. This is highly inappropriate behavior between a professional superior and a subordinate, because we are dealing with power relationships here. There is the very real potential for abuse, exploitation, manipulation, and criminal coercion from the superior. For the subordinate, there is the foregone conclusion of favoritism, unearned advantage, unmerited promotion, connivance, and a lack of professional credibility.

Deception is consciousness of guilt, and even Lois was concerned about the appearance of impropriety when she told Gabriel, "If I'm going to keep our ...this a secret," (she couldn't even bring herself to call it a relationship) "I need to be sure the only part of my body earning these stories is my nose." Is that indelicately phrased request illustrative of what passes for Lois Lane's professional ethics these days? Her professional credibility is even further compromised by her plunging neckline and heave-up bra, completely unacceptable attire for the office. Smallville is trashing Lois Lane's professional integrity and cheapening her image!

Gabriel tried to reassure Lois that her exposé on Lex hadn't been in exchange for anything, because he did not give her the assignment. Lex had requested her. Apart from the fact that Lois has no degree, no journalistic experience, and no credentials to write an exposé, she also has no idea what the word "exposé" means. That would normally be deadly to a career in investigative journalism. The subject of an "exposé" does not cooperate with an investigation, let alone determine who exposes his crimes (in this case, they would be crimes against humanity). Why doesn't this tell her that she has no credibility and is clearly being exploited?

In the 1930s and 40s, Lois Lane stood out as model of an independent and professional woman in the best tradition of hard-hitting journalism. She was just as concerned about truth and justice as Superman. Is the Smallville version of this icon trying to reverse the arduous, and yet incomplete, gains women have made in earning credibility and respect, both as professionals and as human beings?

Rating: I give "Gemini" four out of five stars.

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