Patriot

I don't know if I was dying to have Aqua Man back. In my opinion he was the weakest Justice League character portrayed on Smallville, mostly due to the actor's lack of personality. Thankfully it's not an Aqua Man story, but a story about the Vigilante Registration Act where Aqua Man, his wife Mera and Oliver Queen all share the story with Clark. AC and Mera's presence is mostly in place as an example to move Lois and Clark's relationship forward, and in that I guess it succeeded.

The VRA plot was far from original, but I have to give the writers credit here in making it a little more interesting than "ambush" did. Slade was a good villain to introduce, even if he was a little over the top. The main action plot with Slade and the VRA is more or less an exact remake of the plot from season 6's "Justice" with even the action coming across as strikingly similar. Still "Patriot" has its exciting moments, and like many episodes this season, Slade as a villain brought a lot to a generic story. I can't say I love this episode, but it accomplishes what it intends to.

Lois and Tess. Tess and Lois. After their inspiring drive in Abandoned I was curious about what would be their next pitstop. Lois & Clark love story is both captivating and atypical. Tess destiny has never been so intriguing now it has been revealed that she was a Luthor. This time she only had a supportive role and the episode focused more on our odd couple. Yes because as much as we care about them one can only admit that Clark is super when Lois is only human. But past episodes proved that she had become her own hero so it never really mattered, until now. Indeed Patriot covered a new aspect of their relationship. What's behind Clark's shadow ? Lois ? How can you become who you are when your boyfriend is The Blur ? To help answer these questions Aquaman was back, with his wife. Alan Ritchson and Elena Satine performance was fishastic and the chemistry of their couple boneless. The first is charismatic, athletic and was definitely a match to Clark. As for the second she was as gorgeous as the undersea creature we call siren. One scene with Lois should definitely raise the heartbeat of the male audience ! Using them to better comprehend Lois & Clark was a bright idea. What a challenge to convince us that Lois is not useless ! And like if it wasn't enough other characters weaknesses were also covered, from only human Green Arrow to waterproof Aquaman. The enemy they had to fight wasn't exciting nor original but as it was more about character development so it was only be a minor disappointment. Moreover the prophets arc is shaping up and I can't see anyone who wouldn't agree about the darkness being one of the best nemesis to transform The Blur into Superman. Even his new red and blue suit is convincing now. It's so sophisticated ! You should also enjoy the usual comics references. They definitely make the dialogs and scenes more interesting and episodes entertaining as watching them is almost like a live quiz. Is Clark made out of steel ? Too slow ! Despite these pros a few elements cooled off the waterfalling experience. For example the last scene at the Watch Tower revealed how much the cast is skinny. Even the guests weren't featured so it made the speech less convincing. It was almost like watching a spin-off of Pinky and the Brain. What's the plan today ? Protect the world of course ! Seriously their team could really use new members. The last time it seemed so cheap was probably at the end of Absolute Justice as most characters were only displayed on screens. And we want the Martian Manhunter back because the show desperately needs mature and talented performers like Phil Morris ! Let's also not forget that the cliffhanger wasn't surprising and that the story could have been less predictable. Still the aquatic theme was refreshing, from the dolphins to the few seascapes, the production immersive enough and fans should remember Aquaman & Mera appearance for quite some time.