Episode 919 - Charade Review




"Charade" 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.

"Charade" is a truly extraordinary episode; it stands head and shoulders above most (though not all) of this season's episodes. "Charade" delivered all of what we know SV is capable of offering: good writing, moving performances, the faithful presentation of its characters, the unapologetic portrayal of values, the healthy development of relationships, thought-provoking questions, twists of irony, and acts of courage and heroism. Most importantly, it focused on Clark and how he deals with his life's complexities and incongruities within his relationship with Lois, but also within his friendship with Chloe. Every major thing about this episode, including the cinematography, special effects, and the music, was perfect.

Tom's Performance: Tom's portrayal of Clark deserves the highest praise: he was brilliant as the consummate hero - proactive, protective, and strong. He delivered some of his best scenes with Chloe when he talked about Lois. He gave us a strong performance as the concerned boyfriend who was sincerely trying to figure out the right thing to do. He gave a superb and moving performance in the final scene with Lois: he was opening up to her and they were discovering that they shared a common moral vision of the world. You could see that they understood each other, even more than they realized themselves. It was also good to see Clark investigating a story and exhibiting genuine journalistic instincts.

The Good

Secrets and Confidences: The episode raised some excellent questions about keeping secrets. Clark and Lois agreed to keep secrets from each other. On the one hand, it bodes extremely well for a healthy relationship that they can talk openly about keeping secrets and arrive at an agreement about it. On the other hand, Clark believed that "a relationship with secrets can never work."

Clark has to discern the different kinds of secrets. There are professional secrets that certain professionals are obligated to keep in the strictest confidence. Then there are personal confidences that we keep for friends. Lois gave her word to the Blur, not for her own professional advancement, but because she wanted to contribute meaningfully to his good work. The Blur never asked her "to lie to the person she loves," as Chloe phrased it. It was Zod impersonating the Blur who told her not to reveal that he was phoning her.

Finally, there are personal things that an individual has a right to keep private, like Clark's secret. Only he has the right to decide whether to tell someone his secret because only he can weigh disclosing who he really is against the possible negative consequences. As their relationship deepens and becomes more committed, he will owe it to Lois to tell her who he really is, certainly before he sleeps with her or marries her, but preferably sooner and on its own terms, so that his self-disclosure doesn't seem like a mere prerequisite to sleeping with her.

Relationships or Higher Calling: One of the questions "Charade" raised was that of giving priority to the higher calling of service to humanity over one's relationships. Granted, the kind of service the Blur and the other heroes can give is very unique. Chloe and Oliver have determined that their relationship "comes second to a higher calling." It could be detrimental and counterproductive to carve that in stone and always relegate relationships to second place. Sometimes the ones you love must take priority; sometimes crime-fighting must come first, especially when there are lives at stake. You have to work it out reasonably and use good judgment. Relationships have made Clark who he essentially is. And it is relationships that continue to make him the hero who helps and saves people. As one mystic put it, "The more surely you know yourself to be loved, the easier you will find it to love. Those to whom less has been given love less."

Lois may not have been talking hyperbolically when she said that helping the Blur "is the most important part of my life." She and Clark are of one mind and heart in seeing that "there's a whole world out there that needs you," but Lois and Clark, as well as Chloe and Oliver, fall into a trap in thinking "that if you take anything for yourself, it's at someone else's expense," that it's "selfish." What they must admit is that they are finite and limited beings; they cannot help and save everyone. And most of all, they must admit that they're human, even Clark, in the sense that they need to take time for healthy, loving, life-enhancing relationships of all kinds in order to sustain their humanity. They can't give what they haven't got. They have to strike a necessary balance, a creative tension, between service to humanity and personal relationships.

Lois: Lois is being written in the most extraordinary manner this season, and especially in this episode. Lois may be the first and only one, on the potential receiving end of Clark's secret, to argue in favor of secrecy. It is a complete reversal of expectations! She seems to be the only one to understand, so profoundly and so unselfishly, the need for the Blur's secret identity.

Lois' character has never been presented more idealistically. Her conversations with the Blur were exceedingly revelatory of her own desire to dedicate herself to something good and right, something beyond herself. Even more importantly, she was able to share that part of herself with Clark at their rooftop date. In this episode, Lois was portrayed as courageous, willing to risk her life for a greater good and to protect the Blur, quick-thinking and resourceful, thoroughly honorable and trustworthy, intelligent and understanding, protective and completely unselfish. In short, we've been seeing Clark's innate goodness for years, here we see Lois' innate goodness. They are worthy of each other. Martha was so right when she assured her teenage son, "There is someone for you out there."

Chloe: The "good Chloe" showed up in this episode. This is the Chloe whom Clark can confide in. And Clark could really use a trustworthy friend right then as he "thought aloud" and sorted out whether to tell Lois his secret. This Chloe clearly cared about her friend, but that didn't mean that she didn't disagree with him. She challenged him and raised good questions about his "dual relationship" with Lois. She also helped Clark with her technological expertise. It's clear that she protects her friends and has their well-being foremost in her mind. She. In a reversal of expectations, Chloe did not blame Clark for anything, but actually told him not to be so hard on himself! She reminded him of the positive things he tried to accomplish by calling Lois as the Blur. Chloe and Clark had five scenes together that recaptured their original and healthy relationship. She also had a similar scene with Lois. The show would be greatly improved if they would continue to write Chloe's character as she was written in this episode.

Zod: Chloe referred to the huge threat that Zod poses several times, but it wasn't until the very end that Clark FINALLY realized that Zod was lying to him about everything.

Mixed Reactions

Clois Kissing Scene: The elevator scene was just too cute for words. It was clear that Clark and Lois, both sporting raincoats, were arriving at the DP for work in the morning. It was an unusually long elevator ride for just one floor down, but who cares, Tom was adorable when he asked if they could have a "sneak preview" of tonight's date. He scooped Lois in his arms, and just as he's about to plant one on her, he spins her out of camera shot, and we're left staring at the back wall of the elevator! Would it kill anyone to write a decent Clois kissing scene, for crying out loud?

On the other hand, the scene was so charming and their expressions were so cute, that it was pretty effective for what we didn't see, and for what was left to our imaginations. When the scene started, Lois' raincoat had been fully buttoned up and her belt tied in a tight knot. When the elevator doors reopened, her raincoat was completely unbuttoned and unbelted, and her bag had shifted from left shoulder to her right. Clark's hair was slightly mussed up. This sweet confection of scene was topped off by Lois' cherry of a line, "Sometimes I'd swear you have more than two hands."

The Bad

I really searched and found none.

Rating: I give "Charade" 5 huge stars out of 5. I'd give it more, if I could!

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