Triplet's "Fragile" Review

[KryptonSite]

http://www.kryptonsite.com/fragilereview.htm

Talk about Triplet's review here!

[MBCorp]

I pretty much agreed with the majority of the review, especially about the terrific chemistry between Clark and Maddie and Welling doing a good job with the directing. What I found interesting was this:

However, what I found more chilling was that Naomi used to work for Lionel. So, just how involved has Lionel gotten with Martha? His former employee working for her reveals more of his machinations. Although we didn't see the Magnificent Bastard in this episode, that one line of Martha's made it clear that Lionel has gotten himself more involved with Martha than we've known before.

Good catch! I didn't really think about it at the time, but it is pretty creepy that Martha is hiring Lionel's old employees.

[Miss L]

Triplet:

Lana kissing Lex was an attention-grabbing moment. Is it a rebound thing or does she have some kind of agenda? I look forward to finding out more about that...

Hmmm. It never occured to me that Lana could have an agenda...Food for thought.

Thanks for your review. I always look forward to reading about the stuff I miss. Then I can go back and look at the episodes with new eyes.

[pags3223]

I agree with every aspect of this review. I thought it was overall a very good episode, not the typical filler episode. Certainly not the best they've ever done, but this is not an episode I would find hard to watch again. I give it a 4/5, too.

[smallvillefan26]

Sorry to be a downer here, but I didn't really agree with the review. I think the episode left a lot to be desired (and I normally stand up for SV and these "filler" episodes). I wish that Tom Welling had had a better script to work with. The shortcomings of the episode were clearly not his fault. In fact, I thought the episode looked very nice (with the exception of the shot with Clark and Martha as Maddie's leaving - another point I disagree on). And if TW was behind the camera work during the Lex/Lana kiss, hats off to him. As Lana was kissing Lex, I loved how their figures were dark and they were standing in front of the fire. And then, when Lana pulled away and left Lex standing there, the camera didn't follow Lana's movement, but stayed on Lex. I thought that was a very well-shot scene, probably the best part of the episode for me.

I do love reading Triplett's reviews, however. Thanks for the work you put into to writing them up each week!

[triplet]

You don't need to apologize for not agreeing with me, smallvillefan26.

Just because I'm the site reviewer doesn't mean my opinion has more value or is more weighted than yours...

You actually didn't like the high angle shot of Maddie riding off into the sunset?

I'd like to find out why...

I thought it was a beautiful shot.

Yeah, the scene in the mansion was also very well done too... I probably shoud have mentioned it. I agree it was an interesting choice to stay with Lex there. The reaction shot was very nice for MR...

[Chloe fan1988]

Triplet, I'm curious to know what you thought about the scene between Chloe and Lex, and Chloe and Lana for that matter.

[triplet]

Originally posted by Chloe fan1988
Triplet, I'm curious to know what you thought about the scene between Chloe and Lex, and Chloe and Lana for that matter.

I thought they were really good, actually.

I especially loved the scene between Lex and Chloe... I laughed when he ridiculed her but I loved how she held her own against him. Her resolve to protect her friend was awesome and Allison played it so well.

I probably shoulda mentioned that scene with Lex because I did love it....

[myankskent]

Originally posted by triplet
I thought they were really good, actually.

I especially loved the scene between Lex and Chloe... I laughed when he ridiculed her but I loved how she held her own against him. Her resolve to protect her friend was awesome and Allison played it so well.

I probably shoulda mentioned that scene with Lex because I did love it....

Tom did a great job directing. I hope he can do it again next year.

I liked the Chloe/Lex scene, but I did not care for Chloe threatening Lex. To me, it makes Lex a weaker character to be threatened by a girl like Chloe, who also got the best of him in the cave when she slammed him into the wall. That was a little much for me.

[triplet]

I didn't think it made Lex a weaker character, he laughed it off - he obviously didn't take her seriously, but it showed how fearless Chloe can be when it comes to protecting those she loves...

I have a feeling that the exchange may have been a setup for a confrontation between them later in the season.

Things are definitely building up toward the finale, so who knows?

It could mean nothing or it could be foreshadowing...

[smallvillefan26]

Originally posted by triplet
You actually didn't like the high angle shot of Maddie riding off into the sunset?

I'd like to find out why...

I thought it was a beautiful shot.

Yeah, the scene in the mansion was also very well done too... I probably shoud have mentioned it. I agree it was an interesting choice to stay with Lex there. The reaction shot was very nice for MR...

I rewatched the scene of Maddie riding off with her grandmother and I think my distaste for the scene affected the way I felt about everything in it, including the shots. The shot was very pretty, I liked the sunset. But I think the scene, for me, was just too sugar-coated to be enjoyable. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy when SV does happy stories that wrap up nicely. However (and I may be going off on a tangent), I think that SV is at its best when the episodes are a bit darker. I also think that it's too close to the end of the season for as "sweet" an episode as I felt Fragile was.

I'm loving the Lex/Lana scene at the mansion more and more every time I watch it. I wasn't particularly excited about the Lex/Lana relationship at the beginning of the season, but I'm now thinking that it could be very interesting. Lana obviously has these feelings for him, but of course she feels conflicted because it's Lex. And Lex, well, we all know his motives may be a bit shady. But I love the prospect of a darker relationship between the two, kind of a "you're not good for me, but I want you."

Originally posted by triplet
I didn't think it made Lex a weaker character, he laughed it off - he obviously didn't take her seriously, but it showed how fearless Chloe can be when it comes to protecting those she loves...

I have a feeling that the exchange may have been a setup for a confrontation between them later in the season.

Things are definitely building up toward the finale, so who knows?

It could mean nothing or it could be foreshadowing...

I think it was definitely foreshadowing and it's so exciting! I just love Chloe so much and Allison played the scene with Lex so well. I think Chloe's intrusion into Lex and Lana's relationship could be the nail in the coffin in terms of Lana and Chloe's friendship. I also don't think Lex seemed weak in the scene. He was such an @$$hole to her! MR is fantastic - I hated him in that scene and loved him during the kiss scene.

[triplet]

You know, I agree with you on the sugary sweet thing at in part... When Maddie walked over to the car, Clark stood on the steps of the house and looked at her get into the car from a distance.

It was intended to be a tender moment, I guess. However, the emotional impact of that moment was diluted because Tom had a dumb grin on his face and was physically removed from Maddie.

That was one of things I thought were too touch feely about his acting this episode... I only referred to it in general...

Don't get me wrong, I loved the little chat Clark had with Maddie on the porch. Her giving him the drawing was about as sweet as can be, but the long lingering shot on Tom's fatherly/affetionate smile kinda ruined that feeling.

For me, the scene was redeemed by them driving off into the sunset moment. It was a beautiful shot.

I think Tom's problems in this episode was more a question of him not knowing when to say when.

That shot on the steps is an example. I don't think Tom needed to linger on himself on the steps... The hopeful long shot of the sunset was enough. It made the loving moment on the steps redundant....

It was nice by itself maybe but it did not add to the scene as a whole so it should have been cut.

Cutting that bit on the steps would have made that scene tighter and leaner and less sickly sweet. Maybe cutting that a little could have saved some screen time for more Lex/Lana moments... It would have been a win-win.

Hopefully Tom will look at this episode with a critical eye now that it's in the can, as it were, and will learn from the experience.

He'll only get better, just like his acting. He gets better every year.

Am I making sense? I'm tired and working on my taxes at the last minute, thank God for electronic filing!, and half brain dead from lack of sleep...

I tend to ramble when I'm tired...

Anyway, I think Tom did great overall and the photography was gorgeous in this episode... Probably one of the more dynamic eps in a while.

[All about Clark]

Actually I think we did need the sugary sweet ep before all hell breaks lose, so that didn't bother me in the slightest. We just don't get enough opportunities to see Clark smile.

Good review, Triplet, I agreed with almost everything. And yes there was some nice shots like Maddie leaving with the sun going down. I also liked the shot from above in the Talon.

[Wallis]

A kiss is just a kiss. Yet, in this episode it is being treated as seriously as the ultimate intimacy between Clark and Lana, which was a precursor to Clark's proposal of marriage. Just ridiculous on the part of the writers.

Secondly, the dumbification of Clark continues to spiral downward. Here we have an increasingly insensitive Clark basically abandoning Maddie. "It'll be okay." Even though there is a half-hearted addition of a "call me" offer, Clark lacks all the sincerity he had for other special kids that he met in previous seasons.

And, this break-up of Clark and Lana was one of the most mishandled elements of this show. There were many other ways to handle this.

And if I hear the excuse: "I didn't want to hurt you," I am going to run out into the darkness screaming madly. "I don't want to hurt you; but I'm willing to allow even worse things to happen to you because I can't be honest with myself or care enough about you to pass on some bad news."

Since when did Clark become so self-centered that he lost the ability to confide in those people who love him and care for him? So, he has a secret. Lana, who is supposed to be so lily-white and deplores secrets, holds dear to her heart her own secrets that she refuses to share. And if she is so devoted to Clark, then what the devil is she doing sharing a "secret" with Lex regarding the alien spaceship and the multi-person known as Fine? Leaving Clark and his family at the most important rally of Jonathan's career just to talk to Lex without notifying Clark (earlier episode) is just one example of Lana's infidelity not only to Clark but to herself as well.