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Reviews
Doctor Who: Vincent and the Doctor (2010)
Thoroughly enjoyable episode
I found this episode of Doctor Who to be very enjoyable, and I feel that perhaps the point of the monster of the week may have been lost on some. Aside from being a plot device to get the Doctor and Amy to visit Vincent Van Gogh, the Doctor's complete failure to comprehend the situation was, I believe, a sign of things to come. I believe Steve Moffat is setting up a grand reveal for the finale, and as in seasons past, there will be relevant tie in to much of what has come before. The crack in reality, from which the Doctor pulled a busted-up piece of the TARDIS at the end of "Cold Blood", combined with the loss of Rory, all the way back to the mysterious mockery of Prisoner Zero in "The Eleventh Hour" and with select moments from each ep in between, will, I hope, be pulled together into a cohesive vision in the next few episodes.
I agree that the ending of this episode was the cherry on the sundae, as it were, and I've been watching it again and again. Great performances by all the players, and hopefully we'll see that continue for the foreseeable future.
Smallville: Power (2009)
This caused a flicker of recognition from way back...
I know a lot of people found this ep to be poorly crafted, or over-the-top, or otherwise less than enjoyable. I personally enjoyed it, I've always like Lana and if anything found Clark to be wanting in the realm of their relationship.
In "Power" we see Lana acquire Kryptonian abilities via a nanosuit crafted by LutherCorp and originally intended for Lex. Lana manages to acquire the suit instead, with both the intention of using its powers for good and (apparently) because she can then be more of an equal for Clark.
I agree with the reviews that bemoan this apparent backslide. We were so close to finally getting into the Lois and Clark relationship and then we have to revisit the tired, used-up Lana/Clark thing. Add in another super-powered being and it's a wonder the world isn't a utopian paradise.
But something tickled the back of my mind as we reached the end of this ep. It was obvious from the moment Lana got super that she wouldn't be around long, but at the end I remembered the words of Imra Ardeen (Saturn Girl) to Lana, that she is famous in the future for the great things she'd done, which were far more than simply being associated with Kal-El.
The thing that flickered in my mind was a vague memory of reading something in a Legion of Superheroes comic book way back when I was a kid (just a short while after paper was invented). I almost recall a situation in which Lana Lang (and Pete Ross, I think) were actually part of the Legion and living in the future. If this is the last season of Smallville, then there's really no reason to pursue such a storyline and fritter away precious episodes when there's so much more development to do for the main characters. But if there's a ninth season, then I wouldn't mind seeing a happy ending for Lana, and Pete, and Chloe as well - especially since Imra and the rest of the Legion were baffled about Chloe and had no idea who she was. Although, it sounds more like she'll meet a bad end and it would be something Clark wouldn't ever want to talk about.
All in all though, I liked this ep.