Monsters of Television

“Alright Alice, where’s the rabbit hole outta here?”

About time this show came back. We were left with quite the cliffhanger when last we saw our fledgling heroes, mysteriously rendered unconscious at the funeral of Hawkman after his epic battle with Slade. In it’s return (albeit a week later than originally stated) Smallville gave us an episode about trust. And about TRON and The Matrix. Got your attention?

Turns out the VRA was waiting at Carter’s tomb, ready to ambush the heroes. They held them prisoner hooked up to some central computer that was projecting a virtual world. Essentially they had locked them in the Grid. But no worries, Chloe returns! — and this time she’s the one coming to the rescue.

Chloe’s abrupt departure left many (characters and fans alike) with a lot of mixed feelings and even more questions. Where did she go? Would she be coming back? Clark’s faith faltered but no one was hit harder than Oliver (except maybe myself). But she shows up at the perfect time, ready to bust her boyfriend and the others out of their virtual prison. The key: they had to trust her.

Chloe has hacked in and is trying to save them. Mind over matter she says. He can break free if he believes everything around him is just an illusion. So they’re able to bust out of Ollie’s cell but then have to deal with the “virtual cops” to look for avatars who don’t belong. Chloe had been catching up on her John Woo films and goes all dual pistols on everyone. Seems she’s picked up a few tricks while she’s been gone.

She manages to get Clark and Ollie to the top of the Daily Planet. Their escape route is jumping off of the building, falling through a door in the system that Chloe opened. Whether blinded by love or actual trust, Ollie is ready to follow her but Clark is a little more apprehensive. Chloe says he has to trust her 100% or it won’t work, he will die in the game in the  Grid in the virtual prison and then he’ll die in real life. But that’s just it, Clark doesn’t trust her anymore.

Chloe left them. There are too many questions. Where has she been? Who is she working for/with? Why did she leave them. His faith in her is shattered and so he refuses to follow her. Too bad for him because Chloe and Ollie jump an they escape. Ollie’s safe, but she has to go back in and save Clark, Dinah and the rest. And that’s not gonna be so easy.

While Clark is struggling with his trust issues, Dinah straight up doesn’t believe a word Chloe has to say. And so we are given a Chloe and Dinah fight. Awesome. Chloe, the Morpheus like master, has a pretty easy time against Neo non-believer. Dinah throws a knife at Chloe and she stops it. With her mind. Proof enough?

Lois is the one to finally break through to Clark. That is her primary role, isn’t it? She says he has to trust Chloe enough to let her have her secrets. He expected Lois and Chloe to just trust him before they knew his secret. He has to believe in her now. And so he does. And the results are something pretty unexpected. Clark flew! Granted it was in the Matrix but still. He flies around the Daily Planet and right through Chloe’s exit. What this would lead me to believe is that he’ll finally have the courage, the faith, to fly in the real world. The things that had been holding him back, things Kara had told him to let go of forever ago, will now fade away. “No tights, no flights” my ass. This is season 10. ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN!

Chloe managed to save the day amidst some bittersweet reunions. Besides Clark’s distrust and Dinah’s hostility (both resolved) another reveal seemed to raise a few eyebrows. Chloe’s now the leader of the Suicide Squad. That’s…questionable. It’s great that Flag and Deadshot were there to help out but still, they’re bad guys. But since they to want to put an end to the VRA I guess it’s an “enemy of my enemy” mentality. We’ll see how long this lasts. Either way, running the new Suicide Squad is yet another tick for the “Chloe is such a badass” column.

Ollie and Chloe’s final scene was probably the best pf the episode. Oliver was so heartbroken when Chloe left and he’s finally dealing with the whirlwind of emotions Chloe’s return has conjured. She says she did what she had to to protect everyone. The Fate Helmet showed her a future she had to try and stop. She’s sticking around now, for the team and for Oliver. Rejoice! It was great to see her name added back to the main cast in the opening credits.

The team is starting to come back together. Watchtower is going back online. Is Chloe going to take her lead position again or is Tess (absent form this episode) going to maintain control? A lot of that will probably depend on her newly discovered family lineage coming to light. When are we gonna see Doomsday take a corporeal form? Are more of the heroes going to return for episodes? WHERE THE HELL IS MICHAEL ROSENBAUM?

There’s a lot to cover in this second half of the final season. Let’s get to it.

Final Thoughts:

• Dinah had some stupid lines in this episode. Like —  a lot. And like — really stupid.
• Nice to see everyone, hero and Suicide Squad alike, show off his/her powers a bit against the VRA troops.
• Allison Mack is easily the best actor/actress on the show.