2011 Emmy Nominees Snap Reactions

The nominees for the 2011 Emmy Awards were announced today, and as both a self-proclaimed pop culture tastemaker and person who watches television, it is my obligation to now offer some fairly off-the-cuff commentary on said nominees.

OUTSTANDING DRAMA
I feel like for Friday Night Lights, just finally getting a nomination here for their fifth and final season is a victory, but I’m greedy and want more; it’s probably my favorite television show I’ve watched since Arrested Development went off the air, and I don’t think you’ll find a more heartfelt, compelling body of work near anywhere else. On the flipside, while FNL is a triumph of heart and performances, Game of Thrones is about the best example of craft I’ve seen in years, with every technical aspect being honed and perfected for a world that looks, feels and plays gorgeous (and the acting ain’t too shabby either). I’d be happy to see either of those shows take home the win—more for FNL—but I think Mad Men has a better shot coming off a solid season where they reinvented just about every dynamic and had that incredible Don-Peggy episode in the middle. I don’t watch any of the other shows nominated, but I feel like Boardwalk Empire has perhaps the best odds of getting the statue. I’ll also say Grey’s Anatomy brought itself back from life support this year and should have gotten some love here.

OUTSTANDING COMEDY
30 Rock had its worst season to date—Matt Damon aside—with tired plots and a seeming lack of effort to keep pushing forward; the background bits were consistently funnier than the A-plots. I reached my breaking point with The Office—a show I never loved but tolerated because my wife liked it—and jumped off as the characters just kept getting more and more unlikable. I don’t even want to get started on Glee. I’m catching up with both Modern Family and The Big Bang Theory on DVD, and presuming the stuff from this past season is up to what I’m watching now, they both deserve to be up there. Contrary to its Thursday night NBC brethren, Parks and Recreation just kept getting better, with no weak links in the cast, the tremendous additions of Adam Scott and Rob Lowe, plus heartfelt character arcs that make you care—it deserves to win. I’m a bit surprised and disappointed that How I Met Your Mother—which bounced back from an off year with a terrific blend of comedy and drama—and Community—the most boundary-pushing comedy on TV (that I watch)—both got snubbed. Heart says Parks and Rec, head says it may be Modern Family.

OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA
I can’t really root against Connie Britton here, who has been brilliant since the first moment she appeared on Friday Night Lights and carried it all the way to the end with her family vs career plot this year; she is so charming and pulls off conflicted just as easily. Elisabeth Moss had that aforementioned great episode of Mad Men, but wasn’t consistently utilized. I don’t watch any of the other shows the nominated actresses work on, but based on hearsay and buzz, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Mireille Enos or Julianna Marguiles win, the latter being the safer bet.

OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY
You can take everything I said about 30 Rock, Parks and Recreation as well as How I Met Your Mother and Community and apply it here. From what little I’ve seen, Melissa McCarthy is great on Mike & Molly, but I don’t think she’ll win her first time out; I’m expecting—and hoping for—an Amy Poehler victory.

OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A DRAMA
Last time on this broken record, but I’d of course be ecstatic to see Kyle Chandler honored for his Friday Night Lights work here; the dude hardwires himself to the role of Coach Taylor so well that when I see him in other stuff or doing interviews I’m legit taken aback that it’s not his actual personality. I don’t think anybody else could pull off five seasons of being perpetually pissed off yet still manage to give an inspirational speech once an episode and portray a loving family man and father figure to his team so brilliantly. Jon Hamm had a pretty good season on Mad Men, exploring the even darker side of a single Don Draper and I enjoyed him opening up the character to show what it’s like when he’s not charming 24/7; I’m not sure he deserves it, but I have a feeling this could be his. Again, I don’t watch any of the other shows, but I’m sure Kiel is pulling for Timothy Olyphant and Steve Buscemi could jump in pretty easily; the removal of Bryan Cranstron certainly changes the game.

OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A COMEDY
I wish I watched Louie, because I feel like I’d be rooting for Louis C.K. here. Alec Baldwin phoned it in more than anybody on 30 Rock and I’ve never liked Steve Carell on The Office. I’ve never seen Episodes and am pretty surprised to see Matt LeBlanc’s name on an Emmy ballot in 2011. Like I mentioned, I’m not up to date on The Big Bang Theory, so I’m not sure who out of Johnny Galecki and Jim Parsons had a better year, but whoever did, I guess that’s my pick. I expect Charlie Sheen to rush the stage and steal the statue anyhow.

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA
I want to say this is Peter Dinklage’s to lose—and I want him to win—but I feel like I’m quite handicapped by not watching The Good Wife. John Slattery is brilliant, but he was not at his best on Mad Men this year. Neither Walton Goggins nor Andre Braugher strike me as a spoiler.

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY
As a recent convert to the show, it’s really cool to see Modern Family grab four of the six spots here, but it also makes me nervous they’ll split the vote and Chris Colfer will win. I respect the performances Colfer turns in on Glee and his real life commitment to his craft and character, but my disdain for the show and in particular the two-faced stance I feel they take on subjects like bullying means I have no desire to see him get this. With all the Two and a Half Men madness, I don’t think it’s Jon Cryer’s year. This is a tough one to call.

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA
I don’t watch any of these shows except Mad Men and I don’t think Christina Hendricks did enough to win (or deserve to win). I’ll blind pick Kelly Macdonald from Boardwalk Empire because I think that’s going to win several awards.

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY
Sofia Vergara is hysterical on what I’ve seen of Modern Family—and unfortunately for the also talented Julie Bowen, on the same show as her—so assuming she’s kept it up, she’s my pick. Cool to see Jane Krakowski make it as she was the best part of the waning 30 Rock. Jane Lynch is the best part of Glee most weeks, but that’s not saying much. This has got to be some sort of lifetime achievement nomination for Kristen Wiig, who has completely run out of steam on Saturday Night Live and should be focusing on her burgeoning film career full time.

OUTSTANDING GUEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA
When Beau Bridges’ turn on Brothers & Sisters is the performance I best recall here, that’s a sign to skip this category and move on.

OUTSTANDING GUEST ACTOR ON A COMEDY
Forcing me to choose between Matt Damon on 30 Rock and Justin Timberlake on SNL is just cruel. Since Damon had the more sustained role and brought the only real spark to that show this year, he deserves it more.

OUTSTANDING GUEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA
I would love to see Loretta Devine win for Grey’s Anatomy; she’s an extremely talented and chronically overlooked actress who did great work this year.

OUTSTANDING GUEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY
A Glee trifecta, Tina Fey getting nominated for a subpar SNL hosting gig and the waste of Elizabeth Banks on 30 Rock being recognized (in the wrong way) combines to form a giant “STAY AWAY” sign for me here.

OUTSTANDING REALITY SHOW COMPETITION
Top Chef.

Sean & Megan Watch Game of Thrones: Fire and Blood

From the blog that brought you "Lynn Phegley Watches Lost," get ready for another experience that redefines the art of recapping TV shows!

Sean T. Collins is a friend to the Cool Kids and avid devotee of George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Fire and Ice" series of books, upon which the HBO television show Game of Thrones is based; he is currently chronicling the series on two separate blogs, one with book spoilers and one without.

Megan Morse is Ben's wife who has never read the Martin books and does not typically go in for the fantasy genre but loves Game of Thrones for reasons she doesn't even fully understand.

Each week, Megan will provide her analysis of the show from a neophyte's standpoint and then Sean will interject with his informed reactions and insights, answering her questions and commenting on her observations.

Whether you're a nerd or a newcomer, if you're watching Game of Thrones this is the recap for you!

Megan: Have to be honest, feeling a little disappointed as I write this, but that's just because this was the season finale, which of course carries with it certain expectations, and for me, those were not met. It was not the worst episode, it wasn't even a bad episode, but it was not in my top three, and since it was the climax of a 10-episode season I really enjoyed, that's a let-down for me. I was hoping for a more intense conclusion to make the next nine months unbearable. I'll still miss the show until it comes back, but it didn't leave me with too many burning questions I need answered right away--some, but not many.

Sean: Here's a question for you, then: How much experience do you have with the big HBO genre-revisionist dramas?

Megan: None.

Sean: An interesting thing about The Sopranos, Deadwood, and The Wire is that they all tended to save the biggest fireworks for the penultimate episode. Unlike even really good network or basic-cable shows, where the goal with the finale is to knock you flat on your ass, those shows always took a more novelistic approach, holding the climax back for the second-to-last episode and leaving the finale for aftermath -- the tone usually a sort of "okay, what have we learned this season?" one, ruminative and reflective, while the story sort of ties things off and leaves them in the shape you'll find them next season. So the way Game of Thrones handled ending Season One didn't surprise me. I mean, it obviously wouldn't have, since I read the book and that's how it works there too.

Did you have anything particular in mind for the "more intense conclusion" you were hoping for? Were there any events you were expecting to see? Since so much of the story is about subverting reader/audience expectations, I'm really curious what your expectations were!

Megan: Y'know, when you pose it right to me like that and put me on the spot, I can't think of much specifically. I was expecting a "bigger bang," but nothing in particular really, so perhaps saying I was let down is a bit inaccurate so much as I was surprised. I guess I thought more time would be devoted to Daenerys' labor as opposed to her waking up with the baby gone, but I didn't mind how it was handled. I assumed we'd get more reaction to Ned's death, but as we'll get into, I don't mind that there wasn't. In the end I suppose it wasn't so much that my expectations weren't met, just that I don't have the experience with these types of shows you mentioned above so the idea that the season finale isn't the game changer is not one I'm used to, and my immediate reaction was disappointment. Upon reflection, it's more just something that will take some getting used to.

Quick note on the very first shot of the show: It did jump out at me that there wasn't just blood on the sword that beheaded Ned, but skin, tissue, etc. Normally when you see something like this on TV or in the movies, they just use blood, and most people don't think anything of it, but this was more accurate and attentive to detail, which I appreciated.

Sean: And what a great way to open the episode and convey the finality of what had just happened. I also like how much of that aftermath scene, with Yoren spiriting Arya away while chaos reigns on the steps of Baelor's Sept, happened in the background, out of focus, in brief snippets, inaudibly to our vantage point in the crowd. It's like shit goes on whether you want it to or not.

Megan: Refresh my memory: Do we know Yoren? He's shown up before right? I feel like I should know him and his ties to Ned and the Starks but I can't place him.

Sean: He's from the Night's Watch. We first saw him drinking and joking around with Tyrion during his visit to the Wall when he accompanied Jon. He came south with Tyrion in order to go to King's Landing for recruits, and was there at the Inn when Catelyn had Tyrion arrested. Subsequently we saw him at King's Landing, where he told Ned that out of respect for Ned's brother and his fellow Night's Watchman Benjen Stark, he rode as fast as he could to warn him about what had happened. That's when he first met Arya -- I think he mistook her for a boy. I think I may have mentioned this last week, but in the book he doesn't have that brief encounter with Ned on the way to the execution, where Ned tells him where to find Arya -- it's mostly luck that he finds her, although he did at least know where to look, if I recall correctly. The implication with both Arya and later Gendry is that Varys tipped Yoren off to help them escape, thinking that the newly powerful Queen Cersei would not be kindly disposed to Eddard Stark's daughter and Robert Baratheon's bastard.

Megan: Ok, confession time: After he hasn't been on the show for weeks, I found myself not hating Bran so much when he showed up. This is certainly a good thing since characters are dropping left and right and even though I know they'll introduce new ones, it's nice that some I had an intense dislike for are growing on me. And I forgot there was another Stark kid! Has Rickon ever even had a line to this point? Nothing really more to say about Winterfell since it was so brief and I'm not quite sure what it was meant to set up if anything.

Sean: Rickon appeared a couple episodes ago, I believe, in the episode where Ned was betrayed and captured. He showed up in Bran's bedroom, and Bran told him that the family would come home eventually, and Rickon just looked sad and said "No they won't" and left. I like how they're using him as this pessimistic but accurate oracle figure.

Bran is a much bigger deal in the book than he is in this first season, mostly because there's a lot more to his dream sequences than there is here. I won't say more than that to avoid spoiling anything, but I will say I'm kind of anxious to see if they pick up any of that slack in season two. I think right now many viewers probably are wondering why we're spending time with him.

Megan: Well didn't Joffrey develop into a nice little villain in record time? They kept him somewhat off to the side for so much of the season that his emergence in the last few episodes, obviously pushed into overdrive last time with Ned's execution, has been something of a pleasant surprise. I remember thinking he was an annoying little punk in the beginning, but didn't foresee him being able to step into the shoes of a true big bad so seamlessly. When he ordered the minstrel to have his tongue cut out, it seemed perfectly natural and like he has been doing stuff like that the whole time. However, that said, I think one of the things that makes him a good villain is he's erratic and unpredictable; when he does something awful it totally makes sense, but I'm still guessing right up until whether he'll follow through or not.

Sean: He's a terrific little sociopath, isn't he? Kudos to Jack Gleeson for selling that character as well as he has, not just with a sociopath's cruelty, but with his bafflement and rage anytime things don't go exactly his way. I love watching his face anytime Sansa defies him in even the most minor way; he's not just pissed, he's confused and scared. How could anyone not do exactly as he says? Oh yeah, Grand Maester Pycelle, he'll make a terrific king.

Megan: He's also got a face that was just made for punching.

Sean: Yes, there's that too.

Megan: I badly wanted Sansa to push him off the bridge; it would have deprived the show of a tremendous emerging bad guy, but I enjoy immediate gratification. Sansa's retort about Robb maybe bringing her Joffrey's head was a nice little bit of snark too. I'm looking forward to their developing relationship in season two.

Sean: That scene was wonderfully done. It's one of my favorites in the books -- Joffrey making Sansa stare at the severed head of her father is like George R.R. Martin's entire view of power in a nutshell -- and the interplay between Joffrey, Sansa, the odious yes-man Ser Meryn Trant, and the Hound, who is brutal but not cruel, is a bleak joy. And kudos to Sophie Turner as Sansa, too. She looked so damaged and devastated in that scene that when she made her move toward Joffrey, I found myself hoping she'd go over the edge with him and end her own misery too.

Megan: Cersei is really making it hard to justify her incest when she's sleeping with her scrawny cousin. Hot brother? Ok, you can almost brush aside the grossness and buy into her "it keeps the blood line strong" routine--but that kid? Now she's just oddly kinky.

Sean: Well, someone had to make sure Robert drank all that wine...

Megan: I didn't like how the scene with Catelyn and Robb following the news of Ned's death went down, specifically how Catelyn was played. I'm not sure if it was down to Michelle Fairley, whoever was giving her direction or some combination of the two, but I didn't feel it was clear enough for the viewer--me--how she was processing her husband's death or what her next move was. I'm going to be an acting snob here for a second: Her verbal communication and non-verbal communication were not at all congruent. With her words, she was trying to convey that she was sad and wanted revenge, but pretty much everything in her body language told me she didn't care and was pushing past the situation. Either one of these would have been an acceptable choice--she can be upset or she can be soldiering on for her children's sake--but trying to do both at once was just confusing and gave me no indication where her emotions were. If she was meant to be going for conflicted, she didn't pull it off.

Sean: I'm not nuts about Fairley either, honestly. I think the idea here was that she was devastated herself, but quickly pulled herself together to set a good example when she saw that her newly minted Lord of Winterfell son had totally fucking lost it. "You've ruined your sword" is the key line -- he needs to keep it together if he's going to lead his forces to victory in war, where swords are what matter. That said, you're right, I didn't feel like the emotional throughline in that sequence was clear, even though it was beautifully shot.

Megan: On the contrary, Catelyn's scene with Jaime was much better. She wore her anger much more blatantly, so maybe she was trying to keep it in check and put on a brave face for Robb? I get it, but again, I don't think she conveyed it properly. We've seen Jaime so sporadically that it's always a bit of a treat trying to figure him out. Small doses of him have been nice as it makes you ponder how much of his act is legitimate and how much is posturing.

Sean: He has one of the best lines in the whole series here. "There are no men like me. There is only me." In the book it comes across like braggadocio, and it is, but the way they shot this scene shows that it's also self-condemnation and self-pity. There's only one kingslaying sisterfucking would-be child murderer. He may be handsome and rich and famous and a god with a sword in his hand, but he carries a lot on his back.

Megan: As a general choice, I like that pretty much every character received the news about Ned off-camera and we didn't have to get five different variations of Robb and Catelyn vowing revenge. It would have eaten up the whole episode and you get the gist after the first time: All the good guys loved Ned and they're going to go kill the bad guys. Cool. Next.

Sean: Agreed.

Megan: Not as much Tyrion as I would have liked, but I suppose that was to be expected given how much focus he got last episode. I did like his appointment as Hand of the King and thought Peter Dinklage really handled well the bit where Tywin told him "Because you're my son"--it certainly felt like that was the first time he had ever heard that and he sold it.

Sean: Yes. I'm such a sucker for any time two characters in fiction treat one another with respect. Tywin's a shit, but I'm happy for Tyrion here nonetheless.

Megan: Put Shae down as another character I'm eager to get to know better in season two; glad she's coming along to King's Landing. Tyrion also used my absolute favorite word in the English language during his scene with Shae, but I can't repeat it, because my in-laws read this blog.

Sean: "Father"?

Megan: Moving on...Daenerys had a gross stillborn dragon baby with grey worms in the middle! Tremendous! So gross. Then she has to wake up and find out her husband is a celery stick. Poor girl. At first I was a little let down by Dany's failing to really chew Mirri Maz Duur out when she learned the witch basically set her up, but the later payoff was more than worth it as Daenerys evolved yet again, this time from kick ass warrior princess to calculating warlord who makes an example of her enemies.

Sean: Huh, I never thought of it that way, because I've read the book and knew what was coming. But yeah, you totally think she's being Ms. Nice Guy even after this woman killed her husband and son, only to discover that she's just biding her time until she can light her on fire. Yikes.

Megan: I totally screamed when Dany smothered Drogo with the pillow, 100% legit, Ben can back me up. [EDITOR'S NOTE: It's true] He grew on me more than just about any other character this season and as I've said I loved their romance, so it was very sad. She committed euthanasia in the same bed they made their dragon baby in. No more Sun and Stars...well, at least we hopefully don't need to hear that pet name again. [EDITOR'S NOTE: For the record, if this had been Smallville, Dany's speech about loving Drogo would have been enough to revive him with a single tear running down his cheek so he could go destroy Darkseid]

Sean: It's a weird love story for the ages, definitely.

Megan: I have this to say about the Wall stuff: In my disdain for Jon Snow and all scenes involving him, I have neglected far too often to say how awesome Sam is and how he is the only thing making all that tolerable. Sam is the unsung hero of Game of Thrones.

Sean: He's a strong character, totally unsuited to life in the Night's Watch yet trying to make a go of it in his own way regardless. Admirable.

Megan: The scene with Pycell rambling on lost me, but I totally picked up when he got up and was doing his stretching exercises. I immediately jumped on the fact that his feeble old man bit was an act while my husband was like "Huh?" Score one for Megan!

Sean: I also feel like that scene was kind of the show spoofing itself and its "sexposition" technique. So you've got the naked lady walking around while a guy rambles on about history, she can barely keep her eyes open pretending to be interested, the story goes nowhere like he's Rose Nylund talking about St. Olaf, and in the end it's revealed that half of his doddering old geezer routine is bullshit anyway. Funny stuff.

Megan: I was pretty confused by the stuff with Arya. I'm going to ask you a bit about that later. It's possible I just zoned out. I do love her spunk and how she threatened the bully. "I like killing fat boys" is a great line. I was not a fan of her hair which was clearly a wig. I was a fan of Chris from Skins finally showing up again as Robert's blacksmith bastard and hope we get to see much more of him in season two.

Sean: I'm hoping they'll actually cut her hair rather than stick a wig on her, yeah.

Megan: I was absolutely terrified that the season was going to end on a shot of Jon Snow riding off to the other side of the wall. That could potentially have killed every bit of goodwill I have built up over the past three months. I probably would have had to write an angry letter.

Sean: Hahahaha! Now that's an anticlimax. I wonder if Jon will grow on you more now that he's finally and firmly committed to living life as a man of the Night's Watch. What do you think? Is it just his emo/Hamlet indecision that makes you dislike him?

Megan: I wouldn't hold your breath. It was never his indecision that bothered me--at least not entirely--but more how angsty and whiny he was. I don't see that changing and don't anticipate him being any less emo just because he made up his mind, now he'll just bitch about how he could be off doing the other thing. Loser. [Megan makes an "L" with her fingers]

Needless to say I was thoroughly pleased with how the season really ended instead. If there's one way to get on my good side if you're Game of Thrones, it's making the big finish centered around the khaleesi. In fact, she got a lot of attention this episode, more than she has in awhile, so perhaps I liked it more than I thought. I knew there would be dragons! I mean, it's not a huge shock since they were pretty heavy on the foreshadowing, but it was still very very cool.

Sean: I kind of wished they hadn't included that "The dragons are dead, khaleesi" line in the "Previously on Game of Thrones" montage at the beginning. They might has well have added someone saying "DOT...DOT...DOT..." at the end of it. That said, I'm reasonably sure newcomers couldn't predict that the dragons would hatch from Drogo's funeral pyre/Mirri Maz Duur's execution, and that Dany would stride into the fire to reach them and be found buck naked with the dragons crawling on her as her people bow before her. That's tough to foreshadow.

Megan: I just did an adorable imitation of the baby dragon shrieking that unfortunately cannot translate to e-mail, but trust me.

Sean: Of course.

Megan: As I said earlier, the way she handled Mirri Maz Duur here was far more satisfying than if she had just yelled at her and pushed her off a cliff earlier.

Sean: True. She doesn't fuck around.

Megan: I said early on the thing that made Daenerys my favorite character was that she evolved and changed with each episode--even each scene--and this final transformation--for now--showed it once again. At the same time, there a somewhat neat symmetry in that when we first met her she was staring vacantly off into space practically nude and that's basically how she ended up here as well; also in that very first scene, I remember her going into that hot water and being unscathed, and lo and behold, she ends the season walking into fire and emerging unharmed and with dragon babies!

Sean: I honestly didn't pick up on this symmetry until I saw you point it out. Very smart.

Megan: I am so impressed by Emilia Clarke and particularly that she is this good at only 23--it's going to be crazy how good she'll be by the end of this show!

Sean: Oh man, she is great! And this role...for a young inexperienced actor -- this is her very first film work! -- this is like getting thrown right into the deep end in order to learn to swim. There's no filter between you and the audience, basically -- it's like "Okay, go stand here naked while people bow before your awesome power, and at the same time be a teenage girl and try to own that." It's a highwire act and she pulled it off.

Megan: Overall, it was a great first season. I absolutely did not expect to like this show and to be honest wasn't even going to give it a chance, but I'm glad I did. It's hard to pin down exactly what hooked me, but I think it's mostly that this is so different from pretty much anything else I'm into and along those lines the characters stood out to me more than most would. I'm very excited for season two--and can't believe it's not going to be on for like a year! I just made the dragon baby noise again, but this time I'm angry!

Sean: Just don't burn anyone alive, okay? Anyway, I like that the show's selling point is that it's not actually selling anything you'd usually buy, so you're more interested in taking a look at the wares. I'd be perfectly happy for this to be people's "I'm not into fantasy, except..."

[And with that, Sean and Megan will see you in Spring 2012, folks!]

Sean & Megan Watch Game of Thrones: Baelor

From the blog that brought you "Lynn Phegley Watches Lost," get ready for another experience that redefines the art of recapping TV shows!

Sean T. Collins is a friend to the Cool Kids and avid devotee of George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Fire and Ice" series of books, upon which the HBO television show Game of Thrones is based; he is currently chronicling the series on two separate blogs, one with book spoilers and one without.

Megan Morse is Ben's wife who has never read the Martin books and does not typically go in for the fantasy genre but loves Game of Thrones for reasons she doesn't even fully understand.

Each week, Megan will provide her analysis of the show from a neophyte's standpoint and then Sean will interject with his informed reactions and insights, answering her questions and commenting on her observations.

Whether you're a nerd or a newcomer, if you're watching Game of Thrones this is the recap for you!

Megan: This was one of my favorite episodes. I don't think it's hard to tell from some of my criticisms in the past that I don't have a terribly long attention span sometimes--sometimes if just one character talks for more than a minute, I'll zone out and make a note to have Ben pause it after the scene and tell me what happened, which he loves--so I loved how packed this was with a variety of different things. I loved the action, I loved the cliffhangers, but I also loved the character development with Tyrion and the drama with Daenerys and Drogo. This episode had it all--and it ended with a beheading!

Sean: "I'll take 'Things People Never Say About Army Wives' for $200, Alex."

Megan: Let's start with the stuff at the stuff at the Twins and Robb's campaign. First and foremost, I was excited that Lord Frey was played by Filch from Harry Potter! Frankly I've been disappointed to this point that we've only had one other Harry Potter alum--that I know of--so this was nice. More actors from Skins also please! There are lots of out of work British actors who I actually know. I have never seen Lord of the Rings, so that doesn't help me.

Sean: Game of Thrones is certainly shaping up to be for UK character actors what Law & Order was for New York theater veterans.

Megan: Where was I...right, the Twins. I appreciated Lord Frey; he was very snarky and quippy--that may be a made up word--much like my husband. I like that nobody will marry his kids; it actually made me think of friends from big families where not all the siblings are married and the parents can't get them out of the house, so this is not a problem limited to Game of Thrones--very sympathetic issue.

Sean: Ha, I'd never thought of it that way before, but it makes sense. In the books, the characters say that Lord Frey is the only lord in Westeros who could field an army out of his breeches -- that's how many children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren and in-laws and bastards and grandbastards he has. Add that drain on his resources to his festering resentment for the greater Houses like Tully and Stark and Lannister, who he feels (correctly!) only use him for his bridge, and you've got the recipe for a cantankerous old shit.

Megan: It is interesting how Robb agreeing to marry himself and Arya off to essentially cross a bridge was not that big a deal in the larger scheme; interesting in the sense that I felt bad for him for a second, but then much like he did, just kind of brushed it off as "That's just the way it goes."

Sean: Perhaps this is what maturity looks like in Westeros: coming to terms with the fact that your life is not yours to control. I wouldn't trade being a lord for being one of the smallfolk for anything, but even the highborn are basically puppets to genealogy and politics.

Megan: Robb's whole progression has fallen into kind of a grey area for me. He's really growing on Ben because he's into honor and all that junk, but I just want to be entertained. There are certain story lines I crave and want to get more of; there are others I actively dislike because they are keeping me from the good ones; then there are the ones I don't actively dislike, but I'm still not counting the minutes until they get back to them. Up until this point, the Stark-Lannister war on the whole was in that last category, but now I'm getting more into the Lannister side, while the Stark end is ok, but not great.

Sean: I think that's understandable. With the exception of Arya, who's not exactly a shotcaller for the Starks, none of them have the spunk that Tyrion or even Jaime have displayed.

Megan: As to why I'm enjoying the Lannister camp scenes more, that's mainly for the great Tyrion stuff. I was actually souring on him a bit last few week because I didn't find him as interesting at the camp as I did in his previous situations, but this may have been his best episode yet--yeah, I think it was. Obviously he's funny, obviously he's charming in his own way, but aside from little glimpses, we haven't gotten to see his more serious sympathetic side until this week and he gained a whole new endearing dimension as a result. The story he told of his marriage was crushing and I think Peter Dinklage earned his eventual Emmy by showing he can do the heartfelt stuff with this character as well as make people laugh.

Sean: My favorite detail about that sequence was when he starts losing to Shae in the game of "I Never" they're playing: After being forced to take a few drinks after whiffing on several guesses, he kind of stammers and says "We went over the importance of not lying, didn't we?" or something like that. He's having a really, really hard time dealing with not being the smartest guy in the room. But what separates him from his siblings and father is that you never get the impression that placing second would make him want to kill the person in first place. You know what I mean? That's Tyrion's charm in a nutshell: He's smart, he's funny, he's ruthlessly cunning but not actually ruthless, at least not that we've seen. Chalk that up to the years of psychological abuse he endured at his father's hands, I suppose, and to the horrible fate of his wife. I'm guessing that when you're exposed to something like that, ruthlessness either loses a lot of its luster or, as was the case for the Hound after his abuse by the Mountain, it becomes the only language you speak.

Megan: Kudos also to Bronn, who is one of the unsung stars of the show for me; his facial expressions reacting to other people are gold. I'm very intrigued by Shae as well--definitely want to know her story.

Sean: Bronn is terrific -- Jerome Flynn's a real MVP. Fun fact about Shae: In the books, she's a native of Westeros with the same roughly English vibe as everyone else, but the filmmakers and George R.R. Martin were so impressed by Sibel Kikelli's audition that they rewrote the part around her.

Megan: Still don't like the Wall, but at least there was stuff going on there this week. I wouldn't have known that the Lord Commander was Jorah's dad unless Ben pointed it out to me, but that's just because I semi-intentionally stop paying attention whenever Jon Snow comes onscreen.

Sean: The Old Bear's a good dude. And convincingly cast, I thought -- he looks like he could be Jorah's dad, sure.

Megan: How does the he have a son if guys on the Wall aren't supposed to take a wife or have kids?

Sean: Jeor took the Black well after Jorah was born, in order to allow his son to take over his lordship. Pretty selfless when compared to the likes of Walder Frey. It didn't work out, since Jorah disgraced himself by selling some poachers he'd captured into slavery, but that was the idea.

Megan: Similarly, I was splitting my focus between the laundry on my living room floor and that Keeping Up With The Kardashians had just started taping when we learned that Aemon is a Targaryen, but Ben caught me up; I do think that's cool and hope there's some payoff ahead since we thought there was only one left in Daenerys, but now we know that not to be the case.

Sean: If you've still got this thing on a DVR someplace [EDITOR'S NOTE: Nope, just unwatched episodes of Hellcats], watch that speech again. I like how this sudden agony and fury suddenly comes out of this frail old man. He still has some dragon left in him, it would seem, yet tempered with a hard-earned wisdom and kindness that I don't think too many Targaryens shared by the time of the Mad King.

Megan: With Aemon alive, does he technically have a more legitimate claim to the crown than Daenerys if the Targaryens were to regain control?

Sean: No, because Maesters forsake their House names and are sworn to serve for life. It was easy to miss, but he mentions that he was actually offered the crown during a shaky period of succession decades and decades ago -- I believe the High Septon, basically the Westerosi pope, can release people from their vows -- but refused. The fact that Robert let him live speaks volumes about how secure people are that men on the Wall stay on the Wall.

Megan: I liked the other guys passing around Jon's new sword like it was a toy; I guess that's their equivalent of the iPad or the Wii coming out and their buddy getting one.

Sean: Ha! That's brilliant.

Megan: The stuff across the Narrow Sea was well done from the start. From the very first shot and the way Drogo was hunched over on his horse, I wasn't even sure it was actually him, as they did a great job making him sickly and Jason Momoa really altered his physicality; he's obviously a huge guy, so when they take the time to diminish him, it's striking. When Daenerys was standing over him, both in the road and later in his tent, I'm not sure if it was the way the scenes were staged or the way she was carrying herself, but she honestly seemed bigger than him.

Sean: The bigger they come, the harder they fall. Last time we saw him he killed an armed man with his bare hands; this time he can't even sit up. I loved how ominously matter-of-fact his bloodrider was: "He fell from his horse." Right then and there you know the jig's up.

Megan: I liked getting the contrast between how the Dothraki society works and how things are done in Westeros, as explained by Jorah; as opposed to over in King's Landing where it's all about manipulation and bloodlines to secure you and your children's positioning, with the Dothraki, they're just going to fight amongst themselves and whoever wins is king, so if Drogo dies, Daenerys has no claim whatsoever.

Sean: Although you do start to wonder how much the Westerosi concepts of lineage are just a pretty lace covering they drape over the same might-makes-right system the Dothraki don't bullshit themselves about.

Megan: I guess this speaks to the strength of how they've portrayed Daenerys and Drogo's relationship as I've said in past weeks, but it never really occured to me that her mounting desperation to save his life was from anything other than caring deeply about him. If she was truly concerned about the life of herself or her son, she could have just escaped with Jorah, so I didn't feel like she wanted Drogo to live just so the Dothraki wouldn't kill her or her baby. Is it possible she was just concerned that if Drogo dies the Dothraki wouldn't cross the Narrow Sea and she wouldn't get her throne? Maybe, but I'm sticking with the idea she loves him and would do anything to save his life.

Sean: Since I've read the books I know there's really no question here: She stayed because she loves Drogo and wants to save him. But you raise an excellent point about the quality of this storyline in the show. Viewers have no recourse to Dany's interior monologue and thus have no idea if she's sticking around out of love, or in hopes that reviving him will simply save her bacon and allow her to continue the march to Westeros, which would be quite an understandable conclusion to reach. They must rely on the cues given by the writing and performances, and those cues leave little doubt why she's doing what she's doing. She's for real.

Megan: Final thoughts on the Narrow Sea stuff: Who do they hate horses so much? Is that three that they've killed?

Sean: Yes, horses have not fared well on Game of Thrones. And they actually cut a gory horse death: In the books, Tyrion makes it into that battle, and ends up surviving in part by accidentally disembowling a horse with the spike on his helmet when he stands up off the ground. Forget the Night's Watch: Westeros needs a Sworn Brotherhood of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Megan: Also, Mirri Maz Duur is creepy, so good casting. I really have no thoughts on Jorah at the moment, even though he finally took some action; I'm mainly interested in him for exposition.

Sean: I thought it was cool to see the contrasting fighting styles of him and Drogo's bloodrider. You can see the advantages and disadvantages of both, though in the end it was obviously unfamiliarity with fighting in armor that did whatsisname in--a contrast with the trial by combat between Bronn and Ser Vardis in the Eyrie, where Bronn knew he needed to tire his armored opponent out first before going in for the kill.

Megan: Was I surprised that Ned got beheaded? I was, but not entirely. Ben was sure he would somehow survive and I was pretty steadfast that it was not certain. Clearly nobody is safe on this show. I'm glad for that. Everything feels more important and every moment is more tense when anybody could go at any time. There are a lot of shows that are framed in such a way that certain characters are never at risk. At first, I thought this was one of those shows, but clearly I was wrong.

Sean: That's for damn sure. What surprised me most is how intense this was for me, even though I've read the book twice (and actually had it accidentally spoiled for me beforehand!) and knew everything that was going to happen. The filmmakers used every trick at their disposal to make that scene as intense as possible. I can only imagine how it felt for newbies. I've read some articles that say that this was one of the most narratively audacious moves ever made by a TV drama -- killing off its main character and biggest star in the first season. You're right, it's crystal clear that no one is safe...though that's a lesson that stings every new time we learn it, I can promise you that.

Megan: I'm starting to get a feel for how you described the way the book is structured in terms of its narrative and how it translates to the show. Ned was the focal point at the beginning, but they've been moving around lately where he has been featured less and it doesn't feel like the show is fundamentally shattered even if he's gone. Those were his chapters and now we've "read" them, so onto the next set.

Sean: That's what the network's counting on, certainly.

Megan: Hey, one last question: did they steal the crow mail system from Harry Potter and the owls?

Sean: Ha! No, A Game of Thrones came out first. You can see its influence on Potter in several ways--the owls are the most obvious, but there's also the whole Ron/Ginny incest storyline, and the part where Neville decapitates a horse.

Sayonara, Smallville: "Booster"

Incredible but true: This year, The CW's "Smallville" embarks on its tenth and final season, making it not just the longest-running Superman TV show ever but the longest-running comic book TV show ever produced. Bananas, right?

We've been off as it's been off, but to celebrate its final year, we're teaming up our collective powers of dumb DCU trivia, long experience watching and writing about the show and general obsession with serial TV to bring you "Sayonara, Smallville" – a semi-regular feature where we'll review the most notable episodes of the season whenever we can. Everyone is invited to play along.


Kiel: Booster!

Ben: I gotta be honest, I didn't think Booster was the cat's pajamas quite the way a lot of other people seem to think it was from reaction I've been reading. I thought it was a solid episode and there were aspects I liked – Booster himself in particular, who I don't think could have been better – but it certainly didn't strike me as one of the best ever or even this season. And I'm still a bit thrown that it got the placement it did so late in the season from a story perspective. From a business and fandom perspective, I get that Geoff as writer, Welling as director and Booster/Beetle as guest stars are all draws, but it really took things off course as far as contuining that final march. To me this episode belonged back in January maybe.

Kiel: It's odd. I think that there are two ways to look at this episode: as the annual "Geoff Johns introduces a DC character" ep or as a part of the bigger Season 10 mythology. I thought it worked as the best example of the former category but a way weaker one of the latter, but I'm not sure how I felt about it overall.

I DO think that the "Let's nerd up Clark stuff" was done all right and fit well enough for this time in the season, but even though it was tied to the Booster stuff, that stuff made it seem really secondary. Maybe that was the problem? That the stuff that should have taken prescedence didn't?

Ben: Well, the other problem there was that it was really a retread of what was already more or less dealt with a few episode back in Masquerade. Clark already realized he needed the secret identity and started working at it there, but flip ahead to Booster and he's back pushing against Lois and struggling to be nerdy Clark like that episode never happened. I've read that was in part because Booster was originally slotted for earlier in the season and they moved it for whatever reason, but it still messed with the chronology for me and threw off the episode. Like you said, standalone it's a very different episode than when you try and reconcile it with the rest of the season.


Kiel: Well, let's look at the stand alone elements first then, and we can move on to bigger issues later: like I said, I thought this was the best Geoff episode yet. It's no real fault of his own, but I really think Geoff's reliance on the classic dialogue nods and other tropes from the comics has made for some super awkward on screen moments. The "Long Live The Legion" thing in particular was super lame. But Booster as a character is meant to be that corny and off-putting (owning it while he goes, but still), so this one had a much more natural feel to it overall. And duder did a great job with both halves of Booster – the crazy showboat and the tortured fallen superstar – which went a long way to carrying the crazier moments.

Ben: I'll both agree and disagree with you. And on pretty much the same grounds I've been going on. It was a strong single episode in the sense that he nailed the character of Booster Gold. If this were a backdoor pilot for a Booster Gold series coming next fall, I'd sign up.

However…Despite whatever criticisms you may have of the Legion and/or JSA episodes, I don't think you can deny as part of the serialized story that is Smallville and Clark Kent's journey to being Superman, both were far more important better integrated into the bigger picture.

I guess what I'm saying is this late in the game I'm looking for some advancement in Clark's character and build towards the final act in every episode. In both the Legion and JSA episodes, Clark learned important lessons and you could see him inching towards Superman. Here he was pretty much just a guest star in a pitch for The Booster Gold Show (featuring Blue Beetle) recycling through a subplot on his secret identity he already went through a few weeks earlier. Again, if you remove the episode from the rest of the series, it plays stronger. If you look at it as part of the whole, I don't think it is in fact Geoff's greatest contribution to the show. And also once again, had this episode aired in late January or something, I'd be far more forgiving.

Kiel: Sure, and I agree that this last less to do with the here and now of the show, but I think my negatives on "Smallville" far more often have to do with the moment to moment performances in each episode than I do the big mythological stuff, so that's where I fall in my early criticisms.

I will say though...not to just take the word of the creative talent of the show, but I did speak to Eric Martsolf, the actor playing Booster, and aside from being a real nice guy who seemed to really put in his homework for the character, he made the argument for why Booster was in at this point in the show: to be the guy who shows Clark Kent what showmanship can offer to being a hero. I think that case makes sense even though Booster has no historical place in Superman's development. Not sure they really nailed that point in the actual ep, but still...interesting idea. I think that some folks who know zip about the comics may have been way more likely to go along here than folks like us.

Ben: But did you walk away from the episode feeling like Clark learned any sort of lesson from Booster? I'm not saying that was not what they were going for, but did you feel like it came across?

Kiel: I feel like that seed was planted...

Ben: I felt like Booster learned a lesson from Clark, which was a nice moment and if anything actually showed he can be inspirational rather than the way we're always told he can be, but as far as the showmanship bit, I would never have gotten that had you not just said anything.

Kiel: If Clark comes out by the end of the series wearing the suit and having to "play" hero in front of the public, I think they can complete that thread. But if they don't honestly follow up on that idea by series end, big dropped ball.

Ben: Well, agree to disagree. I did not see that.

Kiel: Totally fair.


Ben: I think the thing we can agree on is that Eric Martsolf was absolutely brilliant as Booster. They could not have cast better. And Geoff wrote the hell out of that character. Something about Booster Gold really seems to motivate Geoff to step up his game, whether it's in comics or here. Maybe it's because he's nowhere near an A-list character and he goes the extra mile to make him not just entertaining but have some depth. Mission accomplished on thats score. Again: I'd watch a Booster Gold series starring Eric Martsolf in a heartbeat.

Kiel: Me too! I even asked him in the interview whether he'd be in for that very reason.


Kiel: I will say on the other hand that Jaime Reyes got short-shrift here through what I assume was mostly a timing issue.

Ben: That was kinda where I was going to go from there: I think just how well Booster came off as written and performed could maybe make you overlook where the episode was lacking in other areas on initial viewing. When the big shiny thing up front looks awesome, you don't necessarily notice the other stuff.

Jaime and Blue Beetle were both misses for me. The Jaime character certainly didn't resemble the kid from the comics, which shouldn't be requisite, but I'd much rather have seen him than the pushover teenager cliche. I also didn't really understand the bigger Blue Beetle plot, as far as why Beetle went after Booster aside from they needed a big fight scene.

Kiel: Yeah, I feel like they had to go with the "out of his depth nerd" because what else can you fit in as the third plotline of the episode. And again, I may just be more willing to chalk this up on episode-to-episode basis, but I just figured the Beetle's "Threat Assesment" mode targeted Booster's tech first.

The plot point thing that bothered me...well, I guess there were two of them: 1 - I never understood or saw what it was that made Jaime the person who could survive the Scarab when supposed super bad ass corporate type Dan Garret got killed.


2 - Speaking of which, I don't need Dan Garret and Ted Kord shoe-horned in to every Blue Beetle story forever after this, really. They did it in "Batman: The Brave & The Bold" too, and I think it just drags the good things about the Jaime character down

Ben: On the first hole, I got nothing. On the second, I didn't really mind it because they were non-factors. Garret didn't appear and Kord was just a means to an ends plot advancement character. Both were winks to the geek crowd, but I'm sure non-comics fans didn't bat an eyelash (I was watching with one and know she certainly didn't). Those are the Easter eggs I expect and appreciate from a Geoff-written episode. I'd also argue their inclusion had nothing to do with dragging the Jaime character down here so much as the fact that this was not Jaime did.

Kiel: Well, I think when you spend a lot of time (or relatively a lot of time compared to Jaime's on screen moments) establishing this corporate background and this failed lab test and stuff, you've got less time to build up something original about Jaime.

Ben: True.

Kiel: I guess what I'm saying is that in general, it seems very important for DC to present a Blue Beetle that incorporates all this weird comic book past than it is to present a stand alone teen hero...not exclusively, mind you. But that feeling is there for me, and it bothers a wee bit.

Ben: Do you feel at the end of the day like including Blue Beetle at all was a mistake? Could this have been a stronger episode with Clark and Booster against a freak of the week? Or at the very least, was Beetle unnecessary? Like, for every hardcore fan who loved that these characters were paired, do you think there were more casual viewers who just wanted more Booster or am I overthinking it?

Kiel: Yeah, I think so. I mean, the beetle stuff allowed to get Lois in the episode, which is a requisite when the other 3/5ths of the regular cast are out of commission, but I think there could have been another way to get her involved.

Ben: You could have had Lois simply from the angle that Booster wanted her to interview him though

Kiel: You are right there. HOWEVER…I don't think that including the Beetle hurt the Booster story very much at all, so really what we're arguing here is that they put in a plotline for fans that was handicapped from the start.

Ben: Yeah, I didn't so much feel like we needed more Booster as, like you just said, his story was fine. I don't know what I would have done with the extra time and space freed up from dropping Beetle. Ultimately it probably didn't hurt things for anybody but us as people who don't follow the comics likely just saw Beetle as a freak of the week anyhow. More than anything you probably had some people like us who felt like Blue Beetle was not done justice. So again, it's just a matter of who the audience is.

Kiel: For sure, and when presented with more exposure for established characters versus weird one offs, I'll go with the comics guys all the way.

Ben: Good point. It's certainly more fun to see a Blue Beetle I didn't love than some guy who got generic armor.



Ben: I'd assume that was the last we will see of Cat Grant on this show. How did you feel like she finished up?

Kiel: Aside from my stupid crush (which was in full effect during the Booster-ette scene), I'm honestly surprised they stuck with this character long enough to give her a full arc of sorts. I thought for sure she was going to be a one-off. And really, not a bad little story all things considered.

Ben: I thought Cat Grant was used well. Every time we needed to see the POV of the average Smallville Universe jane who didn't necessarily think The Blur was all that, we got her. If anything, her conversion to Blur fan at the end may have been the most significant moment as that bigger arc I keep nagging on. It is pretty hilarious how many times he had to save her for her not to hate him though. She was a funny little character.



Kiel: For sure. The only other thing that pops into my head to wrap is whether Tom W pulls off nerdy Clark...I think he does!

Ben: Tom Welling is brilliant as nerdy Clark. One of this series' great crimes--and there are many--is that we won't get to see more of him as nerdy Clark.

Kiel: I know they're pushin the character back towards the pre-Crisis "Clark is the mask" version, and we can argue the specific merits of that idea on another day (and I will hit on it a bit in another "Smallville Week" post), but yeah...overall it's an element that works well for this universe and for that actor. It's a real shame that they won't be able to do more with that, and I think a failing of the producers that they didn't push him into full out Superman earlier in the show.

Ben: The idea that after a decade as publicly visible dreamy hunk Clark Kent anybody is not going to recognize him as Superman of course remains ridiculous, but it's a necessary conceit of the show that you just gotta hold your tongue on.

Kiel: Yeah...as Todd MacFarlane once said to me "Why does that happen? Because it's Spawn and he's in a comic book." Same idea.

Ben: We should have him on to talk "Smallville" this week. I would love to see a Todd McFarlane-written episode of "Smallville."

Kiel: I'm sure Todd's opinions on this show would be INSANE and totally entertaining. Still, I think we'll have to hit big later this week in what we want to see in the finale in terms of what has and hasn't been on the show yet. But that's all for now.

Ben: Heck, that's a whole other post to go along with my "Characters We Never Saw": "Creators Who Should Have Written Smallville." Overall, I want to couch my commentary for Booster with the fact that I did actually like this episode and in particular though Booster himself was one of the best guest stars in terms of being both true to his comics version and plain awesome.

Kiel: Agree! I think people who read this column will think we hated this episode, but it completely passes my "Final run of episodes should feel awesome" litmus test.


Ben: I also thought--and didn't really get to go into this – that another benefit of having Geoff write this episode was that he knows perfectly how to portray the heroism and inspirational qualities of Clark Kent/Superman, seen perfectly in his final pep talk to Booster, which was something that fit nicely in this run of final episodes.

Kiel: Yeah, Geoff is the all-time master at externalizing the one sentence metaphor pitch for any superhero, and since Superman is the greatest superhero that's no shocker.

Ben: Well, again, I'm not sure I'd put it in my "awesome" column as there was still too much I just didn't dig--Blue Beetle wasn't great, the plot driving the action didn't work, the Clark secret identity stuff was a retread--but I did enjoy it far more than may be evident from here as it is always of course easier to criticize than praise. Again, were this episode placed earlier in the season, I think I'd have been easier on it. But even so, it had a lot going for it that I'm underselling because I need to counter your starstruck bias after getting to interview Eric Martsolf. Who, by the way, could also easily play Justin Hartley's older brother on anything

Kiel: Yeah, they got that soap actor pretty boy gene that science has been trying to distill for years.

Ben: I wish science good luck with that.

Sayonara, Smallville: "Kent"

Incredible but true: This year, The CW's "Smallville" embarks on its tenth and final season, making it not just the longest-running Superman TV show ever but the longest-running comic book TV show ever produced. Bananas, right?

We've been off as it's been off, but to celebrate its final year, we're teaming up our collective powers of dumb DCU trivia, long experience watching and writing about the show and general obsession with serial TV to bring you "Sayonara, Smallville" – a semi-regular feature where we'll review the most notable episodes of the season whenever we can. Everyone is invited to play along.


Kiel: I'm actually excited for this as so far my "every final episode should move the needle" paid off this time!

Ben: I took notes!

Kiel: OK, so you get the ball rolling. First note...

Ben: Do you want to start off big picture or details?

Kiel: Details...let's not blow it just yet.

Ben: OK. Let's start from the start with Lois and Clark getting the deed to the farm.


Kiel: Weird plot thread, but I liked it because I actually had no idea where they were going with it. I thought they wouldn't write the farm out of the show, but they've blown up so many other locations lately, I couldn't be sure.

Ben: I'll start with a nitpick, since that is how I roll: Didn't Clark just enroll Conner in Smallville High last episode and then he shipped him off to Washington DC, in the process sticking his powerless mother with a teenage demigod with half Lex Luthor DNA? And who's to say we didn't see Lionel this week because he was in Washington DC stealing back his "son" from the woman he spent years lusting over? Bad move, Kent. The floods in Bangkok have nothing on your own lack of longterm planning.

Kiel: Yeah, you wished they either tried a little harder to make the disappearance of certain characters make sense or just ignored their existence completely like they've done with Kara.

Ben: Back to the deed, we'll get more into the larger implications as we go, I'm sure, but like you said, it was another step in moving the needle from Clark to Superman. He can't be Superman if he's living anywhere but in the heart of the people, which is certainly not Smallville. It was a nice touch having Ma be the one to get the ball rolling on this bit of maturation and then Pa in a way finish it off as it allows the Kents to impart one finale lesson before we finish the show.


Kiel: Yeah, I REALLY like the stuff with Pa Kent this time out. Not only was it a solid performance, but it was one of the few things we've gotten this season from Smallville that was based in real situational drama and not just beating you over the head with a simple metaphor. I also really liked that they went back to a final scene for him and alterna-verse Martha. No reason to put that in but emotional impact, and they nailed it.

Ben: It was a nice capper. And the whole Earth 2 (can we call it that?) section showing that really Clark did as much for the Kents as they did for him was a nice touch. Whether it's intentional or not--let's choose to believe it is--I've really enjoyed how the last episode and this one have upped the ante on presenting Clark as a mature adult finally, first as the older brother/father to Conner and then here as the son who has grown enough to actually guide his dad as opposed to only being guided.

Kiel: 1 - Yes, Earth-2 really is the only way to refer to this. 2 - Agreed on Clark. And it's not just that the character has matured up...Welling has really brought it of late. In particular, Ultraman Clark was GREAT this episode. Very restrained and smarmy and evil in a believable way.

Ben: Well, this is probably the last time we'll get to say this, but as we always note, Tom Welling plays a decent good guy, but a way better bad guy. I hope he gets an opportunity to play some full-on villains in his post-Smallville work aka next season on "Hellcats."

Kiel: HOLY SHIT SIDE CONVO: Did you see the promos for the zombie episode of "Hellcats"? In my mind, that show is "Community" for cheerleaders, but I can't bring myself to watch it and be disappointed.

Ben: At the beginning of this TV season, myself, Megan and our friends Jordan and Chloe looked over the fall schedule for a show we could watch together knowing it would be so bad it's good and we wouldn't mind talking over. We picked "Hellcats" and have not once regretted that decision. I can't wait to watch the zombies episode. If you're looking for a show you can enjoy making fun of, I highly recommend Hellcats. But don't watch it alone, it's only good with a group.


Kiel: Noted! But back to the episode: another thing I thought was winning about Evil Clark was that this wasn't a one-off episode the way a classic meteor freak bit could be. It actually worked to be relevant to who our Clark is now and did it nicely.

Ben: Ultraman is a great adversary for Clark and I be they're kicking themselves for not introducing him earlier on (or they should be). If you look at him and at Earth-2 Pa Kent, both shared the thread of being cautionary tales to Clark about how he could turn out, and in both cases he not only righted himself but helped them in the process, which felt far more like Superman than Smallville Clark. I did feel a bit cheated out of a full-on Superman vs Ultraman fist fight though.

Kiel: Yeah, the one real knock on this outing is that I'm ACHING for some full-on superhero action. I really hope the finale isn't all close-ups and tearful farewells.

Ben: It can't be. It CAN'T be.

Kiel: Although after this week, if that's what happens with Tess, I'm IN.


Ben: How has she kept that cleavage hidden for three seasons?!

Kiel: I KNOW!

Ben: I brought it up way too many times for a show I was watching with my wife, but COME ON.

Kiel: But also in less "hubba hubba" terms, this was the best they've done in playing up that "Are you a Luthor? tension. I felt she could have gone either way up until the end, and again...it's because they didn't beat us over the head with it.

Ben: I'll be honest, I never bought her turning. Not because of any great flaw in the acting or script, they've just made such a big deal of that character running from that past that I couldn't see her doing a 180 in one episode, even though that's pretty much Smallville protocol. I never got the sense that she wasn't just terrified and telling Ultraman what he needed to hear.

Kiel: True that I didn't think she'd turn flat out, but the reality of the situation made it feel like self-preservation might kick in for me.

Ben: I was actually a bit disappointed by the revelation that she's apparently crushing on Clark if only because it seems such an obvious route to go down and one they had nicely avoided up until now.

Kiel: But the chemistry worked there...you have to admit it!

Ben: With Ultraman? Sure. With our Clark? I have my doubts. Plus it's a weird revelation so close to the finale and with Clark and Lois so set in stone. If it's just setting her up to sacrifice herself to save Clark in the final moments, that will feel unearned to me.

Kiel: I really hope they find a few ways to twist the finale around with characters like her and Chloe and other "non-canon" folks. To me, the more complicated this thing goes out, the more entertaining it'll be.

Ben: We've said often that the non-canon folks will just be cannon fodder in the finale (see what I did there?) but I think I'd be more interested to see some less obvious endings to their stories.


Kiel: For sure! But yeah, the only other thing that I wanted to note from this week – and it's another pet topic of ours – is how much Erica Durance crushed it in her brief dual role this week. When Ultraman was like, "Let's get rid of this star gazer crap" I LOST it, man. Her face was so perfect.

Ben: That scene was awesome! She was great in it. And I like that after ten seasons characters on Smallville are finally catching on that if a friend or loved one is acting weird, they are most likely possessed or an interdimensional doppleganger or something. It happens weekly to all of them, so you think they'd be more paranoid, thus I liked that both Lois and Tess realized what was up more or less immediately.

Kiel: Yeah! It's weird. I was talking with Nick Spencer (oh I'm so cool on CBR) about his influences on "Morning Glories," and he mentioned the influence of "Scream" and how characters in situations like this should just KNOW what the tropes are in some ways. "Smallville" wins that idea through long term development more than pop culture, but the idea is the same. You have to acknowledge the ongoing plot tropes in a show like this at some point, otherwise you lose credibility.

Ben: We'll see if it was just a one episode deal or not since even with only a few weeks left I'm confident there will be at least one more case of identity theft before the series ends. How long did it take for Clark to figure out something was up when Lois was Isis again?

Kiel: At least 15 more lines of dialogue than he should have.

Ben: Maybe it's more that Lois and Tess are just smarter than Clark, Lana and Chloe, all of whom were consistently clueless when something was up. I remember there was some point during the middle seasons where Lana was possessed for some reason one week and was a total bitch but never apologized for it and then Clark was a dick because he was on Red K or whatever the next week and when he did apologize she didn't accept. Drove me nuts, Kiel. I'm glad she's not coming back for the finale. I said it.

Kiel: Yeah! It's so funny how no one is crying out for her return in fan circles either.

Ben: They got their Lex fix, they're fine

Kiel: I can't tell if it's the performance people don't want back or if it's the tabloid take on KK that has turned everyone off.

Ben: All of the above. Lana Lang was always meant to be a placeholder. At this point Erica Durance has blown her out of the water in every conceivable way. There's no need for her. Lex never got replaced, thus the void remains and demands to be filled.

Kiel: Totally.

Ben: It's the same way Ollie is 100x cooler than Pete so there's no outcry for the producers to pay Sam Jones III's bail to get him on work release for the finale.

Kiel: HAHAHAHA! I always forget about him in general and his crazy conviction, but I love how you're always there with it.

Ben: It's my crowd pleaser. So to wrap things up, I actually didn't mind that they did beat us over the head with the moral this week as it was a good one, that being that Clark needed to learn that people matter more than places/things, obviously another key lesson on the road to becoming Superman.

Kiel: Yeah, the tail end was a nice emotional capper to what was really a crazy sci-fi episode. A good solid start to the final five. I'm just wondering where the bottom will fall out in this run. Fingers crossed!