Starkville’s House of El Podcast

Smallville’s eighth season jumps by leaps and bounds with it’s fourth episode “Instinct”. Check out SHoE’s latest site review by our very own Kim J!

Click the jump to see what she thought of the introduction of DC Comics character Maxima and her confrontation of Lois’ feelings towards Clark!

You can also weigh in on the episode at our new SHoE forums or give Kim feedback directly here!

Alright, SHoEligans, here we go with my much delayed review of “Instinct”. “Instinct” featured Maxima’s introduction into the Smallville universe and the developing romantic tension between Lois and Clark. This episode also, surprisingly enough, featured the return of Dr. Groll (the scientist Lana threatened in season six). 

This was a decent Smallville episode although I will say it did not leave me in awe as other episodes this season have done. It started off with an interesting appearance by Dr. Groll who apparently went into hiding until the events of “Instinct”. Smallville’s technical aspect is always top notch, but tonight I felt that the writers did an amazing job. Granted I wasn’t too crazy about Maxima herself, but the scenes with all of our regular characters were well written and far above Smallville’s usual excellence.

Some of my favorite scenes included the scene on the farm with Clark and Shelby, the scene with Chloe and Jimmy at the Talon apartment, the scene with Lois and Clark in the alley, the scene between Chloe and Clark in the Talon apartment, both scenes between Tess and Chloe, the scene between Lois and Clark when she catches him with Maxima, the scene where Chloe finally shows Clark that famous letter, and the last scene with Lois and Clark as well.

The scene at the farm was just so refreshing. It was nice to see the farm again after three episodes without it, and it was nice to see someone actually taking care of that dog. That scene did force me to question why Clark kept Lana’s necklace in the same drawer as the can opener though. Does he often keep jewelry in his kitchen? The scene with Chloe and Jimmy was charming and touching. I loved that Chloe warned Jimmy to hide his ABBA collection from Lois. Jimmy does seem like the type to be an ABBA fan, and did anyone notice the Warrior Angel comics Jimmy had? 

The scene between Lois and Clark in the alley showcased great banter. I particular loved the line, “What kind of a friend would I be if I threw you into the deep end without a floaty?” The scene with Clark and Chloe in the apartment featured a TON of exposition that Allison Mack always handles expertly. What was different about this exposition scene to others is Clark’s reaction. Chloe even paused while informing Clark after seeing his concerned expression. I tended to agree with Chloe on the issue though. There’s not much they can do about it at the moment. So they might as well embrace it and move on. 

Both scenes between Tess and Chloe were full of resentful tension that resulted in wonderful dialogue. My favorite line of dialogue from their first scene together was, “You learned well from Lex. When you don’t get your way you just…threaten. This isn’t my first tour of duty on the Luthor battlefield so you’re going to have to come at me with a lot more fire power.” The second scene between the two of them was just as amazing. I loved Chloe threatening to press charges and I really loved that Tess took that threat seriously.

The scene where Lois walks in on Clark and Maxima was truly amazing. It was easy to see how flustered and bothered Lois was by what she had scene, and Clark’s expression as she walked away from him was priceless. His face gave away exactly what he was thinking, and it was rather hilarious. I loved the scene where Clark finally learns just how deeply Chloe felt for him, and I loved Chloe’s attitude about it. It was in the past and she knew it, but she wanted to make sure that part of her life was completely dealt with. That scene gave me yet another reason to keep Chloe on my “Top Five Television Characters” list. Although I wonder how Gabe feels about Clark giving Chloe away instead of him? The last scene in the loft with Lois and Clark was my favorite of the entire episode. The conversation about “the one” was particularly awesome. I love the look Lois gives Clark just before he turns around to talk with her. Lois is obviously feeling something a little more than platonic for Clark Kent. I felt Erica Durance was the top performer in “Instinct”. Her interactions with Clark were near perfect, and I would love to see a performance like this one more often.

Overall I’ll give this episode 3 and a half sparkly green dresses out of five.

This entry was posted on Monday, October 27th, 2008 at 12:31 am and is filed under Reviews. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.