SMALLVILLE: Echo

I have to say I honestly didn’t enjoy last night’s episode of Smallville’s Echo all that much. I am not a fan of the Toyman and the supposed date between Clark and Lois ended quickly. I really thought the writers would give us a little more to go on but instead they pulled the plug before the night even began. Disappointing, but the mind reading throughout the episode was pretty funny along with her desire to go to the Monster Truck rally! Hearing Lois’ thoughts (about wearing the right underwear and Clark’s handsome stature) was interesting. She comes off so tough but really has a softer side this season.

Definitely a good way to ease fans into the Clark/Lois love storyline. Otherwise I don’t think they could have pulled it off with Lois’ normal pit bull attitude. They should make her a tad more suspicious though. Lois isn’t dumb but they make her completely blind to Clark’s super lightning speed arrivals and the fact that he seems to disappear all the time. Yes, she does question some of his actions but not enough in my opinion. Instead she’s reading him all wrong and misinterpreting his true feelings by thinking he is only out to get the scoop on a story before her. The opposite of the historical Lois Lane who is not only beautiful but brainy.

One of the highlights of Echo that redeemed itself for me was the Oliver/Tess twist. Tess actually showed a caring side before quickly snapping back into her evil self. Out to collect Oliver for an appearance in front of the shareholders, Tess rescues the drunken Green Arrow in a Spanish bar after he insults someone’s wife. The guy is really down on himself lately after the death of Jimmy. He’s also feeling pretty bad for himself when it comes to the death of his parents and who he has become. The Queen name and money is the only thing he has going for himself and after one of his companies is blown u by the Toyman he doesn’t even bat an eye. Instead he takes off in an effort to drink himself into a fog before Tess comes to his rescue. I have a feeling that Clark will be saving the Green Arrow a lot this season.

And while all of this is going down Chloe (in strange fashion) is standing by on the sidelines keeping an eye on everyone from the Watchtower. She is mad at Clark and doesn’t want him to break Lois’ heart, angry that he tricked Lois into dating him. When Chloe finds out that Winslow is out for Oliver and Clark is only standing Lois up to keep her safe they end up working together again. A little more Chloe would be nice.

Lois shows up in a monster truck to the Gala, forcing Clark to hurt her feelings and send her home. With Chloe on hand Clark watches Oliver make his speech as he stands on a pressure plate that will blow the place up. While all of this is going down Clark’s mind reading abilities disappear, leaving Oliver to act as The Toyman’s puppet in front of al the shareholders. Oliver’s speech really eats at him to the point where he steps off the pressure plate, ready to commit suicide. This makes Clark realize that he has been ignoring all the danger right in front of him while he’s out searching for it.

The end did pull me back in. Clark’s apology, Oliver’s (possibly delusional) sighting of Lex and Tess’ new scheme with the Toyman will keep me watching. If only they could focus a little more on Chloe, who seems to be fading into the background, I would be one happy Smallville fan!

Don’t miss next week when Clark must save Oliver from a dangerous game of Roulette!

Sarah is from Massachusetts and currently writes for several TV and music websites. She loves Smallville, Heroes, Everwood, and of course Californication.