DtS Review – Bulletproof
By: Kevin
“Clark, we aren’t fourteen anymore. The world will always be bigger than the both of us.”
~ Lana Lang
The basic premise of this episode is awesome. Clark goes undercover as a Metropolis Police officer in order to root out some evil doings that have put Detective John Jones (aka Martian Manhunter) in the hospital, critically injured. The idea of Clark as a cop is cool enough but I couldn’t help but be reminded of the time in the comics when Superman goes undercover as the bailiff in the trial of the Joker and when Mister J releases toxic gas into the courtroom, Supes hoovers it all up into his lungs. I’ve always loved that scene. Anyways, that’s just a side note from me to you. A quazi-related-to-comic-book thing. But, anyways, back to the review…
So John Jones finishes off a car chase through the back alleys of Metropolis with an arrest. The thug is carted off by two other cops who were on scene. No sooner do the cops leave than Jones is bombarded with enemy fire. It’s fast and chaotic & before he can fire off any return fire, he gets hit in the chest and is out cold. The would-be assassin is clouded in darkness but his Metropolis PD badge glimmers in the afterglow.
Cut to MetGen where Clark is looking over some medical records for some story he must be working on for the Daily Planet. Lana comes over with some coffee and small talk. Okay, I know Lana & Clark have tons & tons of history between them, but even the little smiles & stuff that their conversations are laced with just make me cringe a bit. And I know Lana has come back to have her character’s story arc wrapped up, but I liked the interaction she & Clark had in Bride & the first half of Legion a LOT better. I know it’s just friendly stuff right now, but you know it’s gonna get more into the lovey-dovey stuff later. And by now, we’ve all been there, done that, haven’t we?
Okay, enough of that. For now…
Detective Jones is brought in critically wounded, soon followed by Oliver Queen. Clark is baffled by how Oliver knows so much about Jones’ story. Turns out Jones has gotten Green Arrow out of some close calls with the cops. That’s something I’d really, really, really, REALLY like to see somewhere down the line. More of that Justice League in action is always a good thing. Oliver has brought along Dr. Emil Hamilton to help with the discreet nature of Martian Manhunter’s wound. The doctor’s been on the payroll since Ollie was poisoned back in the this season’s Toxic. Dr. Hamilton is another character from DC lore who has helped Superman out in a number of crises.
At the Luthor Mansion, Tess is busy working out with her martial arts trainer (more, please! ) and Lana appears behind them, answering the instructor’s question of “What is true victory?” with “Victory over one’s self – first principle of Aikido.” And I couldn’t help but think STREET FIGHTER!! cuz it does seem, to me at least, that Kristin’s role in that film has spilled over a bit into Lana’s personality since she’s been back. But I digress. So, here we have the two women that Lex Luthor has trusted the most in his life – his former wife & the woman that runs his empire. Naturally they are gonna be sizing each other up to see what the other is really all about. Lana’s got some friendly advice for Tess about a project called Prometheus & how she knows Lex is still alive. But, Tess ain’t havin’ any of that, and dismisses Lana & her delusions of grandeur with the same great poker face that Lex & Lionel used to wear.
At the Isis Foundation, Chloe & Clark talk about Lana’s return & Chloe gently warns Clark not to let Lois get caught in the crossfire. As Clark gives her his best B.D.A. look, she says, “Yeah, it’s THAT obvious.” Which is cool because up until now I don’t think it’s been “known” to any of the characters on the show that there’s something there between Lois & Clark – however little a thing it may be in it’s present state. There’s been Jimmy’s occasional failed match-making or some Red-K induced stuff, but it’s just good to know that someone in the show sees something there for a change.
After that, Chloe & Clark figure out there’s been some dirty deeds, done dirt cheap within the MPD. So, they hatch the plan to get Clark undercover. After a super-save on his first day as a boy in blue, there’s a barbecue at the home of Clark’s partner, Danny Turpin. Simmons & Talbert, the 2 officers that took the perp Jones arrested, are there too. Clark gets to see that while there are good & bad aspects of being a policeman, they are risking their lives for the same fight he is, only they don’t have skin of steel to protect themselves. Clark also sees that there’s something fishy Simmons & Talbert. Before the BBQ is over, Clark & the cops get paged and have to leave. They go to a seedy warehouse where a guy (who shot & killed Turpin’s partner) is being held prisoner. Turpin beats the snot out of the guy, but before the guy is done in completely, Green Arrow shows up and puts and end to it, and is surprised to see Clark, who tells him to go home.
Tess shows up at Isis where Lana has been trying to hack into Prometheus. Pretty soon they bust out the martial arts (again, STREET FIGHTER!) and it’s a pretty nice fight, I gotta say – very in your face and nasty. But, eventually, Lana gets the upper hand, grabs Tess’ gun and calls a stalemate. She takes Tess into the room with all the fancy hardware and shows Tess that she’s been Lex’s pawn all along. Tess was in an accident years before & Lex saved her and earned her devotion, but, as is always the case, Lex had a double motive. He hard-wired Tess’ optic nerve with a nano-transmitter. It’s pretty dastardly, sad & surprising news for Tess and Cassidy Freeman does a nice job giving Tess the look of a shattered little girl.
Clark & Oliver have another in a long line of ethical arguments but eventually help Danny make the right choice in arresting Simmons & Talbert. And, while it’s not The Hall of Justice – Superman, The Green Arrow & the back-on-his-feet Martian Manhunter have a pow-wow at MetGen about pride & working together. And, I gotta say it – Phil Morris is awesome. He’s not on the show a whole heckuva lot, but when he is, it’s gold. He’s got a great screen presence, lots of gravitas. I only hope there’ lots more of him in the show’s future.
As much as this episode’s title refers to the police of Metropolis, I think it refers just as much, if not more to Tess Mercer. Once she learns the truth about Lex using her, she’s no longer the same woman. Her respect & love for Lex is shattered – and she’s MAD. She jams the signal from the nano-transmitter in her eyes and then meets up with Oliver to discuss a merger of their respective companies. She’s gonna let Lex feel it, and it’s going to hurt.
The episode ends with Clark & Lana having an all too familiar moment at The Talon that ends in a kiss. Kristin Kreuk & Tom Welling have always had great chemistry between them, and I know it’s a “nice” Clana moment, but I still REALLY feel like the arc between these two could have been a lot better if they had stayed more awkward and somewhat abrasive around each other – like they were in Bride. But, introducing the romance back into it just makes the heartache of season 7′s finale, Arctic, sort of dumb and irrelevant now. Either Clark, Lana or both of them should have had their minds set from the get-go that going down this road was not an option.
