Episode 910 - Disciple Review




"Disciple" 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.

"Disciple" was yet another Ollie-centric episode, but it was not without its redeeming qualities. The main storyline was ostensibly about Oliver's relationship with his former mentor and also about his proven moral recovery, but the subplots about Clark's budding romance with Lois and his sparring with Zod proved to be much more interesting.

Tom's Performance: Confidence emanated from Tom in every scene. Whether it was the self-assured boyfriend with Lois, or the man of moral conviction with Chloe, or the savior shielding Oliver, or the defender of Earth against Zod, Tom skillfully portrayed Clark as confident and strong, without ever sliding into arrogance or cockiness. Even his staid silences in his conversations with Zod communicated strength. Tom's performance was razor sharp and focused; he was the hero of clear conviction and courage, ready to defend his loved ones, as well as all humanity. Tom gave a truly powerful performance without ever once using his super-strength.

The Good

Clark and Lois: "Disciple" gave us a couple of snapshots of Lois and Clark's relationship as it deepens into romantic love: they attended a DP event as a couple. Lois revealed that she thinks Clark may be "the one" and she wants to "get this relationship right" by taking it slow. (It's rare for Lois to be so open!) Clark confidently revealed that he knew they would be a couple. They stared longingly into each other's eyes, unable to part, that is, until Clark heard a cry for help. The scene foreshadowed the many times that Clark will probably have "to disappear" on Lois, with either lame or no excuses, if she is going to continue to be practically the only character who doesn't know his secret. This would be a plausible issue to explore in their relationship. So far Lois seemed to be easy-going about it: she didn't complain that Clark wasn't by her side during her hospitalization, nor was he there to take her home. Another issue would be whether her relationship with Clark would put her in danger, as Zod subtly implied. By the way, Lois and Clark's kiss after the DP fundraiser was luscious and mesmerizing (if just a little too short).

Clark and Zod: It is clear that Zod is a liar through and through, but it is also clear that Clark is on to him, one of the rare times that Clark is not giving an adversary the benefit of the doubt. This is good character development. Zod prattled on about "apples," hoarding "knowledge" (read "power"), the Kryptonians "survival" (read "conquest of humans"), and even about Lois, but Clark succinctly let Zod know that he would not be fooled into empowering the Kryptonians, nor would he be intimidated by veiled threats to Lois. Clark promised to defend those whom he cares for, even if it means destroying Zod and the Kryptonians.

By the way, Zod was wrong about the apple in the Genesis story. The text does not say "apple," only "fruit." Furthermore, while he could make a valid case that the Fall of humanity was a result of the search for knowledge, for him, knowledge is nothing but power. So, of course, he missed the other point of the story, that the Fall is the result of disobedience and pride.

Clark the Hero: It was a great special effects shot to watch Clark shielding Oliver from the Dark Archer's three deadly arrows (though Ollie might have said "thank you").

The Bad

Ollie-centric Contrivance: On the one hand, it's a very good thing that Oliver has recovered his moral bearing, and that he has proven that he can deal properly with the "dark places" that lurk inside all of us. On the other hand, SV is supposed to be the story of Clark Kent's journey toward becoming a superhero, not Oliver's story. Furthermore, the main plot turned out to be so contrived: Oliver's former mentor came out of nowhere, knew everything about Oliver's life and feelings, injured innocent women, actually intended to murder Mia, and created all this meshugas, all so that his former disciple could kill him? What inconvenient timing, just when Oliver swore off murder as a problem-solving tool. How believable was it that the rite of succession in Dark Archer's secret society called for a disciple to "euthanize" his master if his reflexes become too slow? And Oliver was forced into this situation even though he renounced his membership and his vows?

This plot was contrived solely to present Oliver's journey, not Clark's journey. This is not to impugn the work of Justin Hartley, a very handsome and fine actor, but I would be more interested in the main storylines regarding Clark and Zod, or Clark and Lois, or Clark and Chloe, or Clark and crime fighting.

Oliver's jealousy? It wasn't quite clear whether Oliver was jealous of Clark and Lois' relationship, but the suggestions that he still had feelings for Lois were inescapable. There were repeated references to his behavior at seeing Clark and Lois together, whether at the DP fundraiser or Chloe's observation of him at the hospital. The looks that Oliver gave were unmistakable in the super close-ups for which SV is famous. And finally, there was his admission to Lois that, out of all those other women, she was the only one he ever really cared about. For her part, Lois was aware of Oliver's feelings, but she didn't seem to respond in kind.

I don't know where the writers are going with all this, but I sincerely hope they don't immerse Clark & Lois' relationship in the mire of a "love" triangle, or in some sort of angst. I hope this is not all the writers know how to write about when it comes to relationships, as they did with the sad, warped, and dysfunctional relationship between Clark and Lana. There are plenty of other themes and issues to explore concerning Clark and Lois' relationship, such as those mentioned above in the Clark and Lois section.

Clark and Chloe: The tension depicted between Clark and Chloe is just so unnecessary! She faulted Clark for "walking away," rather than making a difficult decision "to pull the trigger," a metaphor for doing whatever is necessary to achieve her objective. There's a term to describe her:"trigger-happy." She doesn't really think it's a "difficult" decision at all to "pull the trigger," or she wouldn't be so defensive about herself, nor fault Clark for his restraint. She thinks it's easy to pull the trigger. She has lost the sense of finality, and often, the irreversibility, of pulling the trigger in the fog of "the ends justifying the means." This is not the Chloe we used to know. Clark confidently stood his ground, and with the moral clarity of a clarion, proclaimed that he does what's right. That was one of the highlights of the episode. It was the clear, simple, decisive retort that Chloe needed to hear.

Clark and Chloe's friendship and chemistry were once one of the high points of the series. A "wonder to behold," I once called it. It was one of the saving graces of the show at a time when Clark and Lana were at their dysfunctional ebb and flow. Now the Chloe character is being written in a downward spiral, and it's terribly sad to watch. A lone consolation is that, at least, Clark is being written as a strong, sane, and moral contrast to Chloe, and not as a weak and clueless punching bag.

Rating: I give "Disciple" 3 out of 5 stars.

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