Loved it? hate it? what did you think of Hydro?

[Simba_Muffy]

The beginning of our "collective" Clois obsession.

I've been pro Clois since S4:E1

[Bally]

8.

Very good episode and well directed by Tom. Perhaps because of that, his acting in some scenes looks a little off. Only a minor thing but noticeable all the same.

That said, he played Clark as much more decisive. Sure he did the usual thing after getting bad news of getting mad at various people, but he was also sharp enough to realise that he needs to cover for Oliver and throw Lois off the scent. Oliver knows his secret but has always kept it a private matter so Clark knows he can trust him on that account. Clark deserved to have Chloe yell at him for his attitude towards her and he was swiftly apologetic because he knew he hadn't been fair. Same with Lois although his comment to her was more sarcastic than laced with a little venom.

I don't like Tori Spelling because she seems very substandard as an actress and has a public profile and narcissistic tendencies that do not make her very endearing. It's fortunate that Linda Lake is meant to be very extremely unlikeable so the casting choice is perhaps spot on. As long as nobody else acts like a daytime soap character, you can allow for one-offs where such a thing fits the role.

Chloe was thrown into a situation not of her own making, and ended up at loggerheads briefly with both Clark and Lana. She rightly had a go at Clark and perhaps should have given Lana a bit of a b****cking for her holier-than-thou attitude. She held her own against Linda both verbally and physically, and she had a blast at the end as she toyed with Clark over his Green Arrow escapades.

Oliver didn't have much to do besides be shirtless (the ladies all love that) and concoct a double-cross on Lois with Clark. You could tell he enjoyed playing on Lois' confusion in the alleyway. As they were a couple at this time, he took it all in good humour. When the incident gets brought up in later episodes, he's slightly more miffed about it.

Jimmy was just Jimmy. The scene by the Talon alleyway with Lois played on their dynamic really well. She doesn't think he's all that while he's the nerd who thinks he's got all the tricks and contacts to be a hotshot. It gives the impression that the two of them working together will get the job done by bumbling their way through it. He was so excited about his Green Arrow scoop but stunned when he didn't capture the money shot he thought he had.

Lex is clearly done with trying to placate Clark and trying to be a friend, he just outright tells him what he doesn't want to hear. He's also still interested in the mystery of Clark so the manipulative side of Lex is still on display. He's manipulating Lana too by showing patience with her.

Lana's attitude in this one should have had Clark, Lex and Chloe tell her to hit the road. Sure she was upset about a private conversation hitting the gossip pages but she was cold towards Chloe throughout and refused to accept when Chloe didn't want to divulge Clark's secret. It's not for her to know and she doesn't have a right to know, never mind find out from somebody else - a bit like her private conversation with Chloe that Linda splashed on the gossip page wasn't something the public needed to or had a right to know, wouldn't you say, eh Lana? She wanted to take her time with providing Lex with an answer. Fair enough as it's an important question, but you know she'd be less than thrilled if anybody wasn't immediately forthcoming with her. She clearly went to see Clark to find out if he still loved her even though he'd told her previously that he no longer did, and maybe to see if he was going to open up about whatever he was hiding from her, only to turn it around when he told her that his attempt to speak to her earlier that day was no longer important. Was she hoping he'd talk her out of saying yes to Lex? If so, she didn't get what she wanted so went back to Lex and said yes to him. Lex is a clear second choice and the scenario provides another example where she needs a man in her life to define who she is.

Despite all the above woes, there was still some fun to be had in the episode. Clark double-crossing Lois led to 2 excellent scenes - the superb alleyway rescue and then the Talon apartment scene where Chloe is clearly having too much fun teasing Clark. These scenes were directed with some nice little details such as Clark fumbling for an arrow, his face after he speeds away from the scene (clearly Lois gives him an endorphin rush like Maxima!), and Lois looking up at him while sipping from her big cup after telling him the Green Arrow is a better kisser than Oliver. His face after hearing that is great - one of surprise yet somewhat proud of himself, followed by a sheepish grin realising that Chloe knows exactly what happened.