Nice try, Smallville

You almost tricked me into watching last week when you did a body switching episode (between Clark and Lionel Luthor, for those who don't know), knowing that I can't resist a good body switch. You are indeed a worthy foe, full of cunning and guile. But I resisted, and now I've learned that last night's episode featured some sort of Smallvillian version of Mr. Mxyzptlk ("Ultimate" Mxyzptlk?) and I realized I had done the right thing.

'Scuse me a moment whilst I GEEK OUT.

Man, I love body switching episodes. Farscape did it the funniest way, with everyone on the ship switching bodies with everyone else, and then doing it again, so the actors all got to play not just two, but three different characters. It was great when Crichton was in Aeryn's body and she suddenly developed an American accent. And Ben Browder does a great Rygel impression.

But what is my favorite body switching episode, you may ask? Well, of course it's on Buffy, specifically the season 4 episode "Who Are You?" written and directed by Joss Whedon. Faith switches bodies with Buffy using a magical doo-dad and runs rampant, while Buffy, in Faith's body, is pursued by a black ops splinter cell of the Watchers. Faith's experiences as Buffy are at first hilarious (as all body switching is), but it's clear that the time spent as Buffy changes Faith's outlook, putting on her path to redemption that she carries out over on Angel so she can return to be Buffy's second-in-command during the big climactic battle in Buffy's seventh season. So yes, it would probably make my top ten favorite Buffy episodes, a list which I will dutifully lay out for you once season 7 hits DVD. I know you can't wait.

I'll tackle "Avengers: Disassembled" tonight. Promise.