Point One: Tom's great acting performance in this episode.
I love Tom Welling as Clark Kent. Great casting, and well-worth the creators' badgering him to take the role (he thought the role was too big for him and had refused the offer to play Clark once or twice (DVD commentary, Season One)). That said, sometimes throughout the series Tom doesn't show the emotional depth that I think Clark should be showing at many points. Stlll love him in the role, though. This episode, however, Tom is brilliant. He plays three characters: 1) Clark Kent, 2) alternate reality Clark Luthor, and 3) the new Clark Kent persona (for the first time), in which he acts nervous and awkward and bumbling as spectacled Clark in order to differentiate Clark from the Blur. He's fantastic in all three rolls. He successfully and distinctly changes just the right amount in his posture, voice, demeanor, and facial expressions-all subtly, but very clearly-to let you, the viewer, see instantly which one is there (even without the hint of Clark Luthor's all-black outfit). Bravo to Tom. So well done.
Point two: That alternate-reality Lois has the relational perception and depth to recognize Clark KENT in the alternate, Clark-Luthor world (that is, to see in his eyes, face, and voice that it's NOT Clark Luthor), is an exquisite touch written into this episode and wonderfully pulled off by Erica Durance in her role as Lois. Really a great moment in the Clark-and-Lois arc-really, really great-when they make that connection, and then again when "real Lois" and "real Clark" meet again in the "regular" universe.
Point Three: The subtle, unemphasized, heartwarming truths for Clark in the alternate universe. When Clark Kent gets switched into the alternate universe, he sees a number of ugly realities that would have existed in the town of Smallville had there been no HIM-no Clark Kent: 1) Oliver is dead and Lois is a grieving widow, 2) Though Jonathan Kent is still alive, he's an embarrassing, angry "town drunk," 3) Jonathan and Martha Kent are divorced, and 4) The reason Jonathan's an angry drunk and that Martha left him is because Jonathan lost the farm after the meteor shower. The reason he lost the farm? He couldn't keep up with all the work the farm required. And there, in this #4, is the unemphasized, heartwarming thing for Clark: in reality, Jonathan kept the farm because superspeed Clark got all the chores done, and Jonathan through this was able to keep up with the farm and thus keep the farm. Martha and Jonathan were not split apart because Clark was there, giving them, in the real universe, purpose, and never giving Jonathan the opportunity to lose the farm, get bitter, and drive Martha away. Since Season Five's Jonathan's death, Clark has blamed himself for his father's demise (with the exception of his "Homecoming" episode realizations earlier in this season), and here-heartwarmingly for you as the viewer, but for Clark, too-Clark gets to see that he's the reason for his dad's having such a great life, keeping the farm, being happily married till death, and getting to be a wonderful, character-causing father for Clark.
Point four: Related to point three, and perhaps this constitutes a fourth character Tom plays in the episode (referring to point one), Clark's interaction with his dad in the alternate universe in his Smallville home shows how much Clark has grown in maturity. He's not acting like a kid anymore, as he used to. His sees his dad in his dad's terrible state, and isn't worried about his (Clark's) own situation. He's only, out of love for his dad, focused on saving his alternate-universe dad. The scene is one of the best (if not THE best scene ever between Clark and his dad). The love Clark has for his dad, and Clark's maturity in understanding and then relating to his dad in a way that's effective in helping him, is truly a wonderful, wonderful thing. Jonathan walks away as a changed man. And then, to top it off: Jonathan's action at the end of the episode is heartwarming in regard to Jonathan and Martha, and it's satisfying in that it shows that Clark has saved his broken, alternate-universe dad, indeed.
Really wonderful stuff here, all very subtle, but all very satisfying.
Point two: That alternate-reality Lois has the relational perception and depth to recognize Clark KENT in the alternate, Clark-Luthor world (that is, to see in his eyes, face, and voice that it's NOT Clark Luthor), is an exquisite touch written into this episode and wonderfully pulled off by Erica Durance in her role as Lois. Really a great moment in the Clark-and-Lois arc-really, really great-when they make that connection, and then again when "real Lois" and "real Clark" meet again in the "regular" universe.
Point Three: The subtle, unemphasized, heartwarming truths for Clark in the alternate universe. When Clark Kent gets switched into the alternate universe, he sees a number of ugly realities that would have existed in the town of Smallville had there been no HIM-no Clark Kent: 1) Oliver is dead and Lois is a grieving widow, 2) Though Jonathan Kent is still alive, he's an embarrassing, angry "town drunk," 3) Jonathan and Martha Kent are divorced, and 4) The reason Jonathan's an angry drunk and that Martha left him is because Jonathan lost the farm after the meteor shower. The reason he lost the farm? He couldn't keep up with all the work the farm required. And there, in this #4, is the unemphasized, heartwarming thing for Clark: in reality, Jonathan kept the farm because superspeed Clark got all the chores done, and Jonathan through this was able to keep up with the farm and thus keep the farm. Martha and Jonathan were not split apart because Clark was there, giving them, in the real universe, purpose, and never giving Jonathan the opportunity to lose the farm, get bitter, and drive Martha away. Since Season Five's Jonathan's death, Clark has blamed himself for his father's demise (with the exception of his "Homecoming" episode realizations earlier in this season), and here-heartwarmingly for you as the viewer, but for Clark, too-Clark gets to see that he's the reason for his dad's having such a great life, keeping the farm, being happily married till death, and getting to be a wonderful, character-causing father for Clark.
Point four: Related to point three, and perhaps this constitutes a fourth character Tom plays in the episode (referring to point one), Clark's interaction with his dad in the alternate universe in his Smallville home shows how much Clark has grown in maturity. He's not acting like a kid anymore, as he used to. His sees his dad in his dad's terrible state, and isn't worried about his (Clark's) own situation. He's only, out of love for his dad, focused on saving his alternate-universe dad. The scene is one of the best (if not THE best scene ever between Clark and his dad). The love Clark has for his dad, and Clark's maturity in understanding and then relating to his dad in a way that's effective in helping him, is truly a wonderful, wonderful thing. Jonathan walks away as a changed man. And then, to top it off: Jonathan's action at the end of the episode is heartwarming in regard to Jonathan and Martha, and it's satisfying in that it shows that Clark has saved his broken, alternate-universe dad, indeed.
Really wonderful stuff here, all very subtle, but all very satisfying.