#6.13 “Crimson” Review

NOTE: This review spills major plot points, read no further if you would prefer to remain unspoiled.

This was another terrific episode! I don’t know what they’re doing right, but whatever it is I hope they don’t stop… This season has probably been, overall, the best one yet.

The script for “Crimson” maybe wasn’t as compelling as last week’s “Labyrinth” (Red kryptonite infused aphrodisiac lipstick? That’s a bit of a clunky device, even for Smallville.). However, it more than made up for it in sheer fun, character development, and major advancement of several storylines.

Clark’s not very good at sharing his feelings with anyone, not even his mother. It’s one of his biggest character flaws. He’s been a broody loner since the Pilot. He internalizes his problems.
In this episode Clark had even told Martha that he didn’t want to talk to her about his love life.

Also, it doesn’t appear from what Chloe said about Clark and Lois having chemistry like hydrogen peroxide and nitroglycerin (two things that, I guess, that shouldn’t mix) that he’s told her how his feelings about Lois have changed.

So it was very character revealing for Clark to finally act on his suppressed feelings, even at the expense of others. As shocking as Clark’s behavior might have been while he was on the Red Kryptonite, people in Smallville needed to hear what he’s been holding back. His Red K fueled tirade poured some salt on old wounds, opened up some new ones and moved several storylines forward.

Clark’s rant not only ruined the party, he ruined Chloe’s relationship… Jimmy sees her unconditional forgiveness of Clark’s misdeeds as a good reason to suspect that she’s not over her pining when I’m not sure that’s really the case. However she was stuck. Chloe couldn’t defend her reasons for sticking by Clark to Jimmy without explaining why she again gave Clark the benefit of the doubt. I mean, how do you explain to your boyfriend that your best friend is an alien and sometimes acts out of character because of the strange affects meteor rocks have on him? What lie could possibly cover that? I guess the answer is you don’t even try to think up one…

Clark’s misbehavior put her into a terrible spot. The real question is will her feelings for Clark change after this? Will she still be a loyal friend and give him unconditional support, no matter the damage it does to her relationship with Jimmy? Or will there be a strain on the relationship because how badly his actions had hurt her personally? He’s never hurt her before like this, damaging her first healthy long term relationship. He couldn’t help himself, and she knows that, but the fallout should make for good TV.

As much as Clark’s brutal honesty hurt Lana, she needed to hear what Clark had to say. She especially needed to hear what he had to say about Lex and his need to have her because she had been Clark’s first. Maybe Lex does love her, but it’s a twisted love and there is an element of one-upmanship to it too… Lex is jealous and wants what Clark has that he doesn’t. She doesn’t want to be the prize in whatever competition that Lex and Clark are in but she is. Lana being aware of that now will certainly change the dynamic of her relationships with both men.

Also, now that Lana knows that Clark still loves her, despite his earlier denials to her about that, it will probably be a very interesting wrinkle in their relationship. That combined with her piecing together bits of his secret will probably help her find her way toward having a real friendship with him. That is something that maybe was hard to envision happening with her bitterness up until now so that is also a very welcome development.

However, her knowing his secret will put her into danger, like Clark has feared it would. Stupidly, she actually went back and took evidence of the nature of Clark’s secret, the bent tool, and is keeping it hidden from Lex. Lana probably thinks she’s being sly, but Lex will probably find out. How he will react once he realizes she found out Clark’s secret and didn’t fill him in on it? She should know that keeping secrets from Lex isn’t a good idea. It will probably be very bad for her when he finds out, which again has prime dramatic potential.

It’s clear from his discussion with the doctor that Lex is somehow manipulating Lana on a very fundamental level. He’s apparently done something to her that would make her pregnancy “not typical.” That’s worse than just being manipulative.

I haven’t been in love with the whole storyline, to be honest. However, if Lex has somehow caused Lana to get pregnant by anything other than… well… the standard means without her knowing about it, what a great twist. Who the heck does that to someone they love? Yikes… If that isn’t over the top evil being that cavalier about the health of your loved one, I don’t know what else could be. No matter what happens, the resolution of this storyline should make for some very dramatic TV.

Lois and Clark getting together, even if Lois didn’t remember it later, was wonderful to see. It was an amusing situation that the writers created for them (clunky red-kryptonite-infused-lipstick plot device aside). Lois was so in love with Clark that she even found his dorky farm boy persona adorable. Clark was at first embarrassed, and yet titillated, by her inexplicable ardor and it made for some funny moments. His nervousness when she held his hand and his confusion at the importance of the mix CD was funny. I actually laughed out loud at him running away when her backed was turned…

Later, when he’d been hit with the Red Kryptonite he was actually offended that she thought he was normal and he proved how much better than normal he was. The moment he jumped or flew (or whatever) over to Oliver’s balcony, Lois was at first scared and then amazed and then in awe and more deeply in love. His special abilities made him even more special in her mind. She wasn’t grossed out or horrified.

Also, the Red K gave him a confidence that Clark rarely has and it was terrific to see Lois fall more deeply for him because of it. Its shades of who Clark will be in the future when he’s wearing tights and that heroic confidence is part of the reason she will fall for him then. It was a beautiful thing to see. What a nice reference to their future and it makes me think that this Lois and Clark, despite the prickliness of their current relationship, could be eventually be a good couple.

Even as much as Lois loved seeing the “real” Clark Kent, she was also shaken by some of his behavior. His dragging Lana off rocked her to her core. However, it was funny that she ate the leftover deserts at the party to console herself in her despair. Depressed by Clark’s rejection, her vulnerability and how she made herself feel better were both endearing.

Maybe the whole episode hinged on a somewhat lame device, but what came from it was terrific. Clark’s behavior affected everyone to some extent. So, kudos to the writers for delivering a wonderfully entertaining and storyline advancing episode!

The actors again did a marvelous job this week. Tom Welling was incredible as a hopped-up-on-red-k Clark. He was confident and arrogant and over the top masculine but it was a more subtle performance than the previous Red Kryptonite episodes, “Red,” “Rush,” “Exile,” and “Unsafe.”

While I’m not sure this performance topped the stellar job he did for last week’s “Labyrinth,” he again hit it out of the park. Clark’s Supermanly confidence and his rant at the party while he was on Red K were both amazing to watch. I loved him when he was off the Red K too as he was alternately amused and embarrassed by Lois’ inexplicable love for him. His chemistry with Erica Durance is terrific and their scenes together were wonderful.

Erica was terrific. She was sexy and yet vulnerable as Lois. The moment when she realized that she had made Clark a mix CD was sobering. Its importance was perhaps not completely understood by Clark until just that moment and she perfectly portrayed how important it was, as did Tom.

Kristin Kreuk must have learned something on that shoot of her new movie because she absolutely surprised me with just how good she was in this episode. It seems lately that she’s getting better and better.

The loft scene between Clark and Lana was a revelation. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her give that much to a scene ever in Smallville. The pain that Lana felt about Clark finally telling her what she had always wanted to hear (yet waiting to the night of her engagement party to tell her), was heartbreaking. Wow. That was a tough scene but she portrayed it perfectly.

Michael Rosenbaum again perfectly delivered the contradiction that is Lex Luthor lately. He’s so sweet and loving to Lana yet so evil when her back is turned. I think it would be so easy for Lex to be over the top evil with some of the things he’s been doing, but Michael’s playing that part of Lex so quietly and deliberately. He’s being manipulative with Lana’s life and body and Michael played it more like he’d just made a business deal.

Aaron Ashmore’s Jimmy hasn’t more usually been the comedic relief in Smallville storylines, while occasionally becoming a convenient conduit for a Dues Ex Machina exit strategy out of lame plot (“Static”), but he had a very important (if small) role in this story. Jimmy helped Chloe in a real way, so it was nice seeing Aaron having a larger slice of the B story pie, but he also had suffered from Clark’s behavior over in the A story. The scene where Jimmy told Chloe that they should take a break was touching and sad and Aaron did a stupendous job depicting that.
Allison Mack did an excellent job. Chloe had a tough ride in this episode. She had to be so many different things, but she hit each note with skill. Chloe’s dilemma at supporting Clark at the expense of her own heartbreak was moving and Allison played the moment flawlessly.

I think most of the success of this episode was due to the skilled directing of director/cinematographer Glen Winter. This was his third time in the director’s chair for Smallville, and this episode is proof he can do more than just shoot a pretty episode. The strong performances by all was a testament to his skill at helping his actor’s deliver what they need to in order to make an episode work. It could have easily gone over into camp territory but it didn’t. The tone was the right balance of humor and drama and yet the script’s action was kept tight so the story kept moving and I enjoyed every minute of it.

Glen also shot another beautiful episode. A camera that moves too much can be annoying, and is a pet peeve of mine when it’s overdone, but I thought what Glen did here had given the camera just the right amount of movement for the episode. I especially liked the scene in the shop between Jimmy and the mystical woman who gave Lois the lipstick. Good casting on her by the way. She didn’t have many lines but the actress delivered them well, with a slightly creepy air, which was perfect for the part.

The engagement party scene was also terrific. The tracking down the table was nice and it was good the mechanism for that was hidden in some way. How did he manage to track down the table with the candle holders down the center of the table, the drapes and candelabras above and the guests at the table to the side? Those were excellent shots.

I also loved the night scene with Clark and Lois on the roof of the Daily Planet building. The craning shot hinted at Clark’s future command of flight, even if he only jumped with Lois in this episode.

Although I must say I wasn’t wild about the scenery in parts almost completely blocking the view of Clark and Lois while they traveled across the Metropolis skyline. I don’t like it when scenery blocks the view of the main subjects instead of being used as a frame. It’s a fairly common thing to do, Robert Altman did it a lot in his films (“MASH,” “McCabe and Mrs. Miller,” “The Player”). I suppose it’s a visual counterpart of Altman’s signature of having overlapping dialogue, but I’ve always hated it… It’s too busy. Glen’s done it before, having “ice crystals” obscure parts of Clark’s body at times when he’s in the fortress. However, Lois and Clark finally soaring through the skies together shouldn’t be blocked nearly completely by anything. It pulled me out of the scene and deflated some of the impact of what should have been a very romantic moment.

Also, I’d wished that Clark’s and Lana’s kiss in the loft had more close-ups. Not because I’m that big a Clark/Lana fan, but because again I thought the emotional impact was defused somewhat by the removed feeling created by lingering on the long shots.

I loved Caroline Cranstoun’s costumes. Lois’s vamp wear was terrifically just trashy enough without being too over the top.. I loved how well the make-up Lois wore seemed to emphasize the red lipstick, which was a central plot device. The dress that Lana wore at the engagement party was wonderful. The slightly pleated front hinted at her pregnancy without hitting anyone over the head with her obviously wearing maternity wear. I also liked that Kristin’s hair is looking more grown up. She’s an expectant mother, a bride to be and a grown woman. She shouldn’t look like she’s a school girl anymore so the change is a welcome one.

All in all, clunky plot devices and scenery blocking the flight aside, this was another stellar episode. Strongly directed, superbly acted and beautifully written, I give this episode 5 romantic flights across Metropolis’s night sky out of 5.

Note: The views of Triplet don’t necessarily represent the thoughts and feelings of everyone at KryptonSite. Send her feedback.