Isis

DVD, Smallville S10 (Isis)

If you get past the mythical Egyptian nonsense this takes the crown of Best Episode so far this season, juuuust topping previous contender 'Homecoming,' and not solely for the obvious great moment the series has been awaiting since Season 4, but also for the positive developing friendships that cause Clark, Oliver and Tess to bounce off each other in cause of saving Lois (and the world from encroaching destruction, like most weeks, making it less important), and doing it in their stylish way. There's just something about seeing the three of them standing around discussing things heroically without the bickering, distrust and mixed motives we used to get rammed down our throats so often in this series' history. Yes, there's the question over Tess' motivation for becoming a surrogate Mother to the young, but quickly advancing intellect and size of young Alexander - is she really doing it just for his good, a mix of that and her own wish for parenthood, or a devious ulterior reasoning that will ultimately pit Clark against his personal nemesis, as if it were ordained? She seems filled with emotion when Queen and Clark invite her to take over Chloe's role in Watchtower, but she always has a way of giving this sinister grin as if she sees some distant endgame that no one else does. And yet so often she has proved to be an ally, and she's wanted Clark to fulfil his destiny, but there's this streak in her that you just don't fathom and I could easily see the season build towards Lex and Superman facing off, except for the fact that I know Michael Rosenbaum, the only real Lex, doesn't return to the series.

Elsewhere, the big day arrives, and simultaneously in the minds of both Clark and Lois. She's decided to admit she knows he's The Blur, and he's decided to tell her, they both gear up for it, and it's full of the delightful screwball comedy that gives this version of the famous pairing its ring of authenticity, and just when they're about to reach that point… the Cat comes back. Ugh! Yes, the blonde reporter who dotes on Clark and is snide with Lois, pops up at exactly the wrong moment, and if it weren't for the fact that we actually get what we wanted to see by the end of the episode, I'm sure she'd be universally hated. But in the seemingly increasing quality of the writing, they manage to call back even to her good qualities by her assumption the photo she sees of Alexander is Tess' son, as well as actually saving Clark's life by causing a disturbance when Lois, possessed by the ancient spirit of Isis (yes, it's utterly ridiculous), is going to sacrifice him so Osiris can be reborn (or something like that), then she bumps into Green Arrow and blurts out what's happening instead of recoiling in fear (since she's always been so full of distaste and disgust for the anarchic heroes populating the city). She's promptly picked up and placed out of harm's way in an empty sarcophagus - I just hope it wasn't shut too tight or she'd have suffocated, though I couldn't help an ambivalence for both ways while I was watching the episode, in reality you don't want to see her out of it, you want to see her come around to the view that Clark and his Super-Friends are the good guys we know them as.

Tess gets used well, Oliver's reacting to his newfound celebrity, Cat gets used quite well, Lois… gets to act like an imperial queen, and Erica Durance does this sort of thing well - she should do, the number of times she's had to play it! I've never liked the idea that 'only Kryptonite can hurt Superman… oh, and magic, by the way.' It's harder to accept this than alien physics and geology, or maybe I just don't like seeing it and it's the ultimate writer's lazy get-out clause to put Clark in danger. The mundane way they react to this supposition of the world's ending and Lois' body being a vessel for something tells you how often this stuff has happened, and I noted that this is the first episode of the season not to feature a returning character from a previous season (aside from the main cast, of course). The series was still tasked with banging out twenty-odd episodes, so it remained a production line, and that's why you're going to get the occasional episode like this where something barmy happens, even more on a series like this where they've done just about every barmy plot you can think of. What is telling is that despite that, the Egyptian artefact device falling into place, or more like squished in to fill out the story, the episode still holds the attention and pleases the viewer. What we really care about is Lois and Clark finally being honest and responding to the grand revelation of his Secret, because although it leaves less for the season to aim for, no big reveal I can think of, it worked so well and now we can explore them in a new way for the rest of the remaining time the series has left.

The episode is full of good moments with some cool effects that really do impress - the one that didn't was Lois as Isis, flying off in a blast of yellow flame, but other than that they did very well: the simple, but so effective scene of Clark saving Cat from Lois' fiery blast (one minute she's taking a photo, the next she's staring at a cup of coffee and sitting outside a cafe), was understated, but brilliant. Little things like Clark pulling the crumpled metal shutter back into place, or Tess' incredulous line in response to Cat's vehement assertion that Lois is The Blur under the cover of being a reporter ('you mean be around people that expose secrets for a living?'), gave me a big smile, because if you think about it, it really is true that Clark's position could be pretty dangerous! Tess' reading of the emotive opening of 'Peter Pan,' Clark catching Lois' clenched fist before she can batter Cat in the face… There's just so much good stuff. Then there's the superb moment where Arrow and Clark work together to save Lois, an arrow whipping the amulet away from Isis' hands, Clark using heat vision to activate it again, sends the creature back into its prison, just as it tries to kill Lois by stabbing her in the heart. Actually, when Isis was about to stab a huge dagger into Clark I was waiting for it to splinter or glance away, perhaps even breaking Isis' wrist, but maybe the 'magic' side of it would have meant the blow would have done damage? Unfortunate Daniel Jackson (aka Michael Shanks, aka Hawkman), of 'SG-1' wasn't around since he'd have been ideal for dealing with false Egyptian gods and goddesses - that's what his most famous role was all about!

Oliver's subplot about finding that his revealing as the Green Arrow to the public has actually done him a world of good, made him accepted and loved, was something we've seen before, especially the part about groupies not giving real love, or his self-pitying stance and inability to deal with his dual role, but it was much softer in this story, didn't take up much time and was generally a positive message - once again he recognises his friends and has their support. And now Lois and Clark have each other's full support too, so it's all happy endings and it's almost a shame for the season to continue since you know it's all got to go bad again before it will be good. It's that roller-coaster of life, as Steve Martin experienced in 'Parenthood,' making things worthwhile, and this episode certainly made watching this season worthwhile, and hopefully it will continue to be so because I'd rather leave the series thinking that actually they could have continued because the characterisations had improved so much, than to end with the knowledge that it wasn't going to get any better and it was a mercy it was killed off, something I could have said about some points in previous years.

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