Commentary with a Co-Ed: Clark Kent vs. Brainiac

by Ashley Gouveia

Smallville’s first new episode of the New Year aired last night, and even before it started, I was excited. My excitement was not only about the members of the Legion coming back from the 31st century to help the pre-Superman. It was also for the chance to see Chloe/Brainiac wreak havoc in Metropolis. For those of us who have been watching this season, this has been a long time coming.

The episode basically started right where it left off with the repercussions of the “wedding of my nightmares” a.k.a. Jimmy and Chloe’s nuptials. The Persuader, a villain from the 31st century, traveled through time to kill Clark and to prevent the destruction of Brainiac. The members of the Legion sent his butt back pretty quickly.

I loved all the references that Legion made about how history told them about Kal-El’s life. Garth, also known as Lightning Lad, was such a fan of Superman that he was giddy with all of the “artifacts” he was finding around Clark’s barn. I loved that he was such a fan boy. It was like he was meeting his idol.

“Who’s Chloe Sullivan?” What!! That line was crazy. Clearly, the people from the future don’t have any idea who Chloe is and how she has affected Clark’s life. Even if she died wouldn’t there be some record of her? I loved that scene when Rokk was naming all the people in Supes history; Lane, Lang, even Olsen, but no Chloe (or Lex?). Garth made the suggestion that maybe Chloe’s not in history because she dies due to Brainiac. Well, Clark wasn’t hearing any of that. “Chloe Sullivan doesn’t die! Hear me?” I hear you Clark, loud and clear!

The Clark vs. Brainiac/Chloe showdown was everything I had hoped for. Allison Mack’s performance was amazing. She channeled James Marsters perfectly. The “Go on. Kill me” line was chilling and expertly delivered. I thought it was interesting that Brainiac chose Chloe to inhabit out of everyone, because he knew that Clark would never be able to hurt her. He was adamant that they had to find another way besides killing Chloe to destroy Brainiac.

Does anybody else think they know what Lana’s “destiny” is? I’m glad that this episode pointed out that Lana will accomplish more than just being Clark’s love interest. Interesting, but I really haven’t seen anything so far to support that. Maybe it has to do with the real reason she left town. I guess we’ll have to wait and see with that, since Ms. Lang is sticking around for a little bit.

I still feel bad for Davis. I don’t think that’s going to change since Sam Witwer has totally won me over. Can I get a woo-hoo for Chloe getting her memories back? One episode of Chloe not knowing was more than enough for me.

This was a great episode written by comic book writer Geoff Johns. All the little winks and nudges to the comic fans were immensely appreciated. I would say it was my favorite episode of this season.

What did you all think? Did “Legion” live up to your expectations?

Commentary with a Co-Ed is a weekly column at Tube Talk new every Friday.

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