SV (Scare), The OC (The New Era)
Smallville. Scare.
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Lana: Actually, I think you're exactly who I should be talking to. I've been thinking about it. The way we met, the way he followed me here, the way he got a job at my school. I think that everything that Jason has told has been a lie. I'm starting to wonder if there's another reason that he came to Smallville besides me.
Clark: Like what?
Lana: I don't know. But he's really starting to scare me.
Clark: Don't worry, Lana. I'd never let anything happen to you.
Lana: I know and it's made one thing very clear. I never should have given up on us. I can lie to myself as much as I want but I've always been in love with you.
Clark: Haven't you hurt her enough already?
Lana: Jason!
Jason: Clark can't protect you from me. Nobody can.
Ahh. It's like really, really bad CLana fic. Jason as evil doer. Clark as protector. Lana who cheats because Clark's her true love. And she slaughters for him, too!
So apparently Jason's wondering about the manipulations it took to get him to Smallville for his mother's scheme and how it might look to Lana. He's afraid of scaring her? Hurting her? Does he think there's a side of him that could? I can't believe if he's paid any attention to Lana how he could think she's in love with Clark. But that's a wary boyfriend for you.
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Chloe: How's he doing?
Lana: The doctor don't know. His hearts beating a mile a minute and they can't get his blood pressure down. They said he's in some sort of a panic mode. Like he's having a severe nightmare... He's been -- he's been perfectly healthy, but the doctors say if they can't get his heart rate down, that he could have a heart attack.
Clark: They must have some idea what caused this.
Lana: I wish I could help them, but he was just studying all morning before he came to the apartment. The first time I saw him, he was lying on the Talon floor.
Chloe: Well, let us know if there's anything we can do to help, okay?
I think KK did pretty well as an anguishing Lana at Jason's bedside. It was obvious how much Lana cared for him. So much that Clark couldn't take his eyes off from the display. But cry me a river, Clark. And look! Despite the lack of Chlana scenes apparently they still are on friendly terms. Except Lana hasn't been allowed to show support and concern for Chloe, apparently. Though this episode had a bit of an improvement in that area.
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Chloe: Clark, I don't mean to go all Dr. Phil on you, but don't you think you should admit they're in a relationship?
Clark: C'mon, Chloe. I'm passed that.
Chloe: Yeah, I should've known by that crippling stare on your face since you walked in the apartment.
Clark: I just could have used more time to ease into it.
Chloe: Clark, you were in love with her. That's not something you could ease out of.
Clark: It's just by the time that I found out they were already this ... serious thing.
Chloe: Yeah, but we all keep secrets for our own reasons. I don't think I have to tell *you* that.
Clark: I don't think going through Jason's personal things falls under your snoop jurisdiction.
Chloe: I'll take my chances with the jury on this one. I think maybe if we back track through Jason's last couple of days it might help. Woah. Jason had a meeting at LuthorCorp this morning.
Clark: Why didn't Lana say something?
Chloe: Maybe she didn't know.
And here begins Chloe behaving in a manner I admire in this episode. Instead of resorting to snarkiness about Clark not letting go, she's gentle and understanding. Go Chloe. She isn't irritated by him having difficulty with the transition. She knows how he feels. Because she feels the same way about him but she doesn't make it into a pity party for herself.
And I have a little sympathy for Clark here. Lana's in a relationship. A real relationship that if he looks at truly for one second he should be able to tell surpasses anything he shared with Lana, imo. Serious thing.
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Lex: Clark! How the *hell* did you get in here?
Clark: The gate was open. Your security seems a little MIA lately.
Lex: That's obvious, but this is a restricted area.
Clark: This will only take a second.
Lex: I need someone to escort a guest out. Look, Clark, I'm sorry but I just got in from Metropolis. I got a lot to do.
Clark: Just now? I thought you had a meeting with Jason this morning.
Lex: Not with me. He was meeting the head of my H.R. department.
Clark: Giving him a job?
Lex: Just some leads. I felt guilty for getting Jason fired from the school. He didn't even want Lana to know about it. I'm surprised he told you.
Clark: He didn't. Jason is lying unconscious in the hospital. Some sort of neurological stress.
Lex: Clark, there could be a lot of reasons for Jason's condition.
Clark: Could also be a lot of reason this place is deserted half way through Saturday's shift.
Lex: I'll call in a specialist from Metropolis to take a look at him. Assure Lana I'm doing everything I can for him.
So Chloe's dad wasn't rehired by Lex. Maybe Gabe's had enough entanglements with the Luthors but then again beggars can't be choosers. But *did* Lex offer? And if not, why? He seems into correcting his and his father's mistakes in this episode especially.
Yay! Lex is down to business and doesn't let Clark waste his time with more "ask your buddy billionaire a favor" requests, instead showing him the door.
Guilty for getting Jason fired, Lex, or feeling like you're in the dog house?
I half expected Lex to say "Assure Lana I'm doing everything I can for *her*"
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Chloe stumbles across a room at LuthorCorp. There's someone sitting in the middle of a deserted room, chair faced away from the doorway.
Crazy!Chloe: I've been waiting for you, Chloe.
Chloe: Mom?
Crazy!Chloe:You can't escape this, Chloe. None of the women in our family ever have.
::hesitantly Chloe touches her shoulder, person turns around. It's Crazy!Chloe in a straight jacket, hair askew, eyes black, mouth black and bruised. Opens mouth. Suddenly Chloe is the one in straight jacket.
What is up with the Clark reaction shots in this episode? Esp. after someone faints in his arms. TW has this weird oscillating cheekbone thing going on. Seriously. TW really wasn't on his A game for this episode, I thought.
And oooh to Crazy!Chloe. I wasn't expecting that.
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Lex: How the hell does a lab explode?
Dr. Ford: Well, when you're dealing with meteor rocks it's very difficult to predict how our chemicals will react. Mr. Luthor, we're doing everything we can. After the alarm sounded we sealed the room. All affected personnel have been quarantined and we're trying to fix the damaged pipes.
Lex: You mean the bacteria is still leaking out?
Dr. Ford: Only in that room.
Lex: Once the situation is under control, I want the project dismantled.
Dr. Ford: Mr. Luthor, your father negotiated this contract with the military, and we stand to make a lot if we can ever market the compound.
Lex: And exactly what is the market for toxins that evoke a person's worst nightmare before they fall unconscious, Dr. Ford?
Dr. Ford: Well, think of the good I mean we could. Think of the good. We could disable the enemy without ever using violence. i mean, we have statistics to prove --
Lex: Statistics aren't lying in those beds. My employees. I'm afraid they're not the only ones.
Dr. Ford: What do you mean?
Lex: Someone who was visiting the plant this morning is at the hospital right now with the same symptoms. Is he contagious?
Dr. Ford: Oh no sir. The bacteria can't be transmitted from one person to another. It has to be inhaled directly.
Lesson #2304 on why you shouldn't experiment with meteor rocks. Smallville really has a slow learning curve, doesn't it?
Interesting move on the writers part. Perhaps if they are trying to paint us a picture of Lex's gray side it shouldn't be of him having one night stands, and instead should be him being responsible for projects like this. But what do we get? Lex dismantling projects like this that are his father's creation.
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Lana: Sorry to show up like this. I just didn't know where else to go
Martha: Clark told us about Jason. Has something happened?
Lana: One of the other infected people just died.
Jonathan: Lana, do the doctors have an idea at all what's going on?
Lana: Just that a person's body can sustain a level of pain for so long before their heart gives out. I just can't sit in that hospital anymore just watching Chloe and Jason die. I want to help.
For god sakes, Martha! Hug the girl. Chloe and Jason are lying in their hospital beds. Even if she was on speaking terms with Lex he's too busy trying to find a solution. Clark's hung up on Jason/Lana. And there's no one else! So much for your bonding at the Talon. Good for Lana wanting to be proactive. Although her last line makes it sound like she wants to help Chloe and Jason to die.
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Lionel: I understand your cynicism, Warden Stone, but I assure you I truly am a changed man.
Warden: Oh, or just a smart one.
Lionel: I want only to be a help to others. What is the value of my sinful life unless I use it as an example to shepherd fellow sinners, lead them away from the allure of hedonism, mistrust, and greed, to find a better way?
Warden: The appellate court overturned your conviction.
Lionel: You know, I've done everything to work this system I hired the best lawyers in the world. I tried to pay off everyone from the bailiff to the President of the United States and I was told categorically I was never going to see life outside these walls again.
Lionel: I'm guilty. Not of the crime I've been imprisoned for but so many other crimes that should have landed me here years ago. This is where I belong. Where I can do the most good.
Warden: You want to stay in prison?
Lionel: Yes. I do. I've found my -- my mission in life.
Warden: Someone did you a favor by getting you out of this place. I'd say be grateful.
Lionel: But who -- Who could do that?
Warden: Obviously, someone more powerful than you. As soon as this paperwork is finished, you're a free man.
So much for Redeemed!Lionel. aelora brought up the point that the one thing Lionel claims he didn't do is the one thing that could keep him in prison. And it's the crime he *confessed* to in Chloe's recording. Also, ingrid_m pointed out that if Lionel wanted to stay in prison for real he could have changed his plea to guilty.
As for who picks him up, I'm thinking Mrs. Teague or someone with Swann. Who else is there really?
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Lana: I just don't understand why Jason wouldn't tell me he had a meeting at LuthorCorp.
Clark: Might have been a blow to his pride, accepting Lex's offer.
Lana: Well, maybe that's what this has been all about. I've been getting this feeling lately that there is something he hasn't been telling me.
Clark: Maybe he thought you'd see him differently if you found out.
Lana: Do you really think that I'm that shallow, Clark?
Clark: It might take him a while to get to know you as well as I do.
Riiight. Granted I think Clark knows Lana in a way Jason doesn't. In a day to day, year to year, sort of way. But other than that I think Jason knows who Lana is more than Clark. He has less things to taint his view, like Clark's adoration of Lana since God knows when, like having the guilt of being responsible for her parents death, etc.
And Clark and Lana trying to do the investigative reporter thing on their own. That's... different.
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Lana's sequence. She finds herself on a morgue slab. Beside her, more slabs. She gets up, first one uncovered. Mom! Knocks the wind right out of her. She touches her mom's face. Second. Dad! Third. Chloe! Lana gasps even harder. This is a new loss. Next, Jason! Even more horrified. She goes to him, practically feels up his face. "Lana. Lana." A slab in the distance calls to her. She goes to it and the body on the slab grabs her hand and gets up. It's Zombie!Lana. "They're all going to leave you and there's nothing you can do about it."
Despite, Lana losing her parents at such a young age most people don't give a damn. Esp. w/ S1 Lana mentioning them so much. The nerve! But well it's hard to feel the tragedy when she's talking cheerfully to a headstone. But this is different. Lana's seeing her dead mother and father on cold, unforgiving steel. It's pure loss and horror and shock. It's old pain, but it feels like new. But it isn't. We see what fresh pain is with the way she reacts to Chloe and Jason.
I half expected to see Lex and Clark on there. I guess because I thought it would be more shocking to see the two people who seem so invulnerable to her. I also half-expected to see Whitney. That would have kicked ass.
I think seeing her self dead was great. With the aftermath of Tempest we find out that she always felt she was going to die young. That it was just a matter of time until Fate found her. And the way she's lived most of her life has been in the shadow of her tragedy. Something she hasn't been sure she could escape. Or maybe even really cared to. And here she's brought back with her parents. Turned into them. Trapped in death. Or something...
"They're all going to leave you and there's nothing you can do about it." Yup. That's Lana's fear. This sense of abandonment that Clark and Lex share. Like there's this pervasive wrongness in them that others won't accept if they knew the truth. With Clark it's being an alien. With Lex, his dark side. With Lana, them truly seeing her and not the fairy tale princess. Chloe has abandonment/inferiority complex thing going for her but to me it always seemed less striking in comparison to the other three's issues, ymmv.
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Dr. Ford: Mr. Luthor, we have never tested this antidote. I urge you to try it on one of our lab animals first.
Lex: One of my employees is about to die. Do you see any other options for us right now?
Dr. Ford: No sir, I don't, but please remember this is like a flu inoculation. It contains traces of the infectious elements.
Lex: Is that your way of telling me the patient is going to get worse before he gets better?
Dr: Ford: Assuming it works. Mr. Luthor, you can't go in there. You must keep the exposure to the toxins to a minimum.
Lex: I'm responsible for this plant and everyone who works here. I'm going with you.
Even Lex can't get away with looking good in an EV suit.
I'm glad Lex is taking full responsibility and not shying away from seeing the consequences straight in the eye. So much for gray Lex, eh?
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Dr. Scaler: We're watching Mr. Teague along with the others in his condition.
Lex: The others? Are you telling me all these people have the same symptoms?
Dr. Scaler: Unfortunately. We have no idea what we're dealing with.
Lex: It's a synthetic toxin. A pressure tank exploded this morning at my plant. We thought we had it contained but the toxin release must have escaped the atmosphere. It's possible all these people were exposed at the time.
Dr. Scaler: And you're just telling me this now? I have to call the Center for Disease Control.
Lex steps up to the plate. He confesses all. And he didn't know about the others beforehand.
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Clark: Did you know about this when I talked to you earlier today?
Lex: Clark, other than Jason I had no idea anyone outside of LuthorCorp was exposed. You have to believe me.
I'm tired of this ride. Can I get off?
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Lana: It all makes sense.
Clark: Lana. Help me.
Lana: The meteor shower. You came the same day. How could I be so stupid?
Clark: The meteor shower is the reason I'm here. I'm from the planet called Krypton. Lana, I wanted to tell you, but I didn't think you'd accept me.
Lana: You're not even human.
Clark: Please. That stuff makes me sick.
Lana: My parents are gone because of you. I'm never going to see them again. You killed my parents. :: stabs him with kryptonite fragment::
You think not equating the meteor shower with Clark's arrival is stupid? Just wait for the glasses.
I can only stomach Clark's fear vision if it's not truly about Lana, but his fear of how everyone and anyone would react. He wants from her what he wants from everybody: understanding and acceptance. And if even Lana can't give him that, if even she is overpowered by her fear and anger, then who would react differently?
rhiannonhero noted that she would have preferred to have had the fear vision be of Clark as "Alien Overlod." Oh, how that would have been tastier than his acceptance issues but I don't think it would have fit in with this episode and his end scene with Chloe nearly as well.
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Clark: Lex. You're running out of time.
Lex: I don't understand. I left you in the hospital. What happened?
Clark: My parents are in there now. Lana, Chloe, Jason, they're all going to die if you don't do something now.
Lex: What do you suggest I do?
Clark: Use me. I want you to use me. Look, I came out of this panic state maybe there's something in me that can help. I'll give you whatever samples you need.
Dr. Ford: Even if your immune system could offer us some sort of inside. I don't know. Those tests take months, years, to analyze no, no.
Lex: He's right, Clark. We have a new antidote we can test in a few hours.
Clark: There's no time.
Lex: The antidote needs to be heated to 1000 degree Kelvins until it clears otherwise it's useless.
Dr. Ford: This time we're going to test it first.
Lex: Peoples lives are at stake. We're running out of time
Dr. Ford: Look at them, Mr. Luthor. You look at them. Are you going to point the finger and decide which one of them is going to take the potentially lethal injection? Whoever it is you could be killing them.
Clark steps up to the plate, willing to expose his secret. There's the guy I love. I expected Lex to start salivating when Clark offered up blood samples. The chance to uncover the mystery? I don't think I could blame him. But he doesn't take the chance. He risks his own life rather than playing God. Woobie!
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Lex's fear vision. Its Cassandra!Vision part deux. He's in the White House being all presidential in his white suit and nifty black glove. In the farmland we see missiles shooting into the sky. Strikes worldwide. Has a very Terminator 2 feel to it. Lex in the field of bones and ash. Apocalypse now!
Lex: Clark.
Clark: Lex, you're going to be okay ::smiles::
Clark's proud of his boyfriend! Oh ye of little faith.
I've heard some complaints of using the Cassandra vision again. But I liked it. It went well with last episode's Lex who thought the world would be better off without him and then getting a second chance. It went with redeeming himself moments before by using the injection on himself. Showing that continuing struggle for goodness but feeling deep inside he has darkness inside him that will overpower him someday.
And it's times like these that I'm glad not spoiled because I would have probably been pissed that they edited out the Lex/Lana fear vision (no comments from the peanut gallery). Anticipation is a cruel mistress. Once again it seems the writers are holding off on Lex/Lana. *Not* because I think they are rethinking it, imo (to think like that is to think like the TWoPers who think everything is a shout out to them), but because they've already hinted their motives so it when it hits it'll hit. And for that to happen in a induced nightmare isn't what I would hope for at all.
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Martha: Clark you walked right into Lex's office and almost gave up your secret. Who knows what they would have done to you.
Clark: I didn't see any other choice. It's funny because lately I've been thinking I've gotten closer to being able to tell somebody the truth about me. Now I'm convinced more than ever that I can't tell anyone. Especially, not Lana.
Martha: I know how much it would mean to you to be able to share your secret with her.
Clark: As far apart as we've grown I think about it everyday.
Martha: I hope our own fears haven't gotten in your way. I would hate for you to look back and reget not telling the people closest to you. I mean, there is a chance Lana would understand.
Clark: There is. But what if she didn't?
Jonathon: Clark, look I'm not sure that it's Lana but I am sure someday there will be somebody you can tell.
"As far apart as we've grown I think about it everyday." Wow. That's the best line Clark's ever giving in relation to CLana.
There was such a blantant vibe that Lana isn't the one to tell which I disagree with. I don't want Clark and Lana together but I think Lana would be capable of understanding and being trustworthy. I don't see why she wouldn't be. If they brought up her previous friendship to Lex I would understand. Or bringing up the issue of her parents. But they didn't.
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Lana: Egg fu yung to the rescue. So... if I'd waited for the peking duck you would have, what, been gone?
Jason: No, I would have been here trying to figure out what to say.
Lana: I - I don't understand. Is this because of your mom? You've been different ever since I met her.
Jason: No, I've been different ever since I came to Smallville. Least six months ago I would never have gone to someone like Lex and groveled for a job I don't even want. Of course, the worst part is I was too embarassed to tell you about it.
Lana: Since when have you ever been embarassed around me?
Jason: Exactly. I don't like this person I'm becoming, Lana. And I don't want to wait around for you to resent me as much as I resent myself so...
Lana: That's not why you're leaving. The one thing I learned from my relationship with Clark is when somebody isn't being honest with me. Jason, just tell me the truth.
Jason: Be careful.
And it's Lana's fault that you decided to go to Lex? You're the one who followed her. You're the one who got the job at her school. And suddenly you've "becoming" this person? A person who asks for a job and gets embarrassed. How abnormal. The only honest remark is Jason not wanting Lana to resent him. No doubt for what his Mom is up to. He leaves her with telling her to be careful. So apparently you think she's in danger whether you stay or go and yet you still decide to go and let her fend for herself? Huh?
And, dude, writers! There's a really simple equation to lessening the Lana hate if that's truly what you want. I've mentioned this before. No, it doesn't involve getting guest stars ito be in awe of Lana. It involves stripping the words 'honesty' and 'trust' from Lana's vocabulary when it comes to Clark. It's really that simple! Try it.
Man, oh man. She completely gives him the opportunity to tell her what's really going on. She even has this moment of hope he'll give in but he won't be honest with her. And to top it off he leaves after her fear vision of abandonment.
I bet like he assured her she truly believes he saw who she was inside and still he left so she must be thinking it's her. It must be something about her that makes people not care enough to stay. She'll always be the one left behind. People act like they think she's this wonderful, "beautiful" person. But Lana knows it's all lies. And oh, how this has me itching to write some Lana fic ::strains:: Must. Not. Pollute. Fandom. With. Writing ::heavy sigh::
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Chloe: I found my mom, Clark.
Clark: Wow. That's -- Chloe, that's great.
Chloe: Yeah. I put my feelers out for years and something three months ago finally came through so as it turns out she's not exactly M.I.A. so to speak. She's in a mental institution.
Clark: I'm sorry.
Chloe: The real kicker is that it's heriditary.
Clark: Listen, hey, if there's one thing that I've learned is that you aren't destined to follow in your parents footsteps.
Chloe: Thanks. So the popular question of the day: What is Clark Kent's worst nightmare?
Clark: When I woke up everyone that I knew was gone. I was completely alone.
Chloe: I wish I could say that I'll always be there for you, but somehow I get the feeling that may not be a promise I can keep. You were the only one that came out of it, Clark, and I don't think it's because you've been taking your vitamins.
Clark: Chloe --
Chloe: Look you know what you dont have to tell me. I know I gave you my word that I was going to stop all this prying, but these last few months I've really gotten a taste of what it was like to keep my mom's secret and I've never felt more alone.
Clark: It's weird when people think they are so close to you, but have no idea what you're really going through.
Chloe: Yeah. I'd hate to live my whole life like this but after fessing up it's amazing how quickly that feeling of loneliness disappears. I mean if you can't tell your best friend who can you tell. Right, Clark?
I think this is the closest I've ever connected to Chloe. What I don't like about Chloe is that she's always digging at other people's dirt, looking for the truth that no one else will acknowledge. It's her way of avoiding having to look inside herself. Seeing what she hates and what everyone else can never love. But this time instead of prying into Clark's secrets she shares one with him. That's pure vulnerability. It's not a move fueled by bitterness or desperation. It's not passive-aggressive. It's not her trying to get something out of Clark that he won't give up on his own. And I love it. (Plus, she has the Mental Illness card now. I'm so easy.)
I love that she doesn't pry into his secret even though she knows that there's something up. That's not what this is about. There was no pretense, no pushing. It was really about him, not her. She was setting things at his pace and letting him know she was there. It doesn't give me any allusions to romance to Clark/Chloe, though. Like I've said countless times I don't see it. And though I think the last scene forecasts a healthier friendship between them I don't see Clark's feelings for her changing.
Also, I hope I don't see comparisons to Lana and prying for the secret. Because Lana has come to accept that he's not going to tell her. She knows now what it's like to keep a secret what with Isobel and the tattoo. The difference is Clark keeps dangling the revelation at her every other week when his ephipany is that he *should* tell her. She's frustrated and over it as well she should be. As for asking Jason to be honest, she deserves it and it's directly affecting their relationship.
"I wish I could say that I'll always be there for you, but somehow I get the feeling that may not be a promise I can keep."
Dude, Chloe is so going to die. *Look* at that! Another possibility, aelora mentioned seeing it as "a sign of her learning the truth and getting locked away because of it." Which is kickass in partnership with Chloe's fear vision.
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The O.C. The New Era.
Seth continues to annoy me. A lot. And it's funny because my opinion morphed into this when I *wasn't* watching the show. But turns out I was right on the money.
Ryan is actually beginning to look attractive. Who knew? And I like him with Lindsay which is not what I expected after last week.
I love Julie. And I love her scenes with Jimmy.
Summer. Stop with the Seth obsession and appreciate the guy you have now. Although I just now you won't heed my advice. Possibly because you aren't real and can't actually hear me. Either, or.
MB's odd body type will never cease distracting me from what is actually going on with Marissa. But if it wasn't that it'd be the horrific outfits.
New icons tomorrow, dammit. No, this time I mean it! If not all, then some at least will be posted.
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Lana: Actually, I think you're exactly who I should be talking to. I've been thinking about it. The way we met, the way he followed me here, the way he got a job at my school. I think that everything that Jason has told has been a lie. I'm starting to wonder if there's another reason that he came to Smallville besides me.
Clark: Like what?
Lana: I don't know. But he's really starting to scare me.
Clark: Don't worry, Lana. I'd never let anything happen to you.
Lana: I know and it's made one thing very clear. I never should have given up on us. I can lie to myself as much as I want but I've always been in love with you.
Clark: Haven't you hurt her enough already?
Lana: Jason!
Jason: Clark can't protect you from me. Nobody can.
Ahh. It's like really, really bad CLana fic. Jason as evil doer. Clark as protector. Lana who cheats because Clark's her true love. And she slaughters for him, too!
So apparently Jason's wondering about the manipulations it took to get him to Smallville for his mother's scheme and how it might look to Lana. He's afraid of scaring her? Hurting her? Does he think there's a side of him that could? I can't believe if he's paid any attention to Lana how he could think she's in love with Clark. But that's a wary boyfriend for you.
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Chloe: How's he doing?
Lana: The doctor don't know. His hearts beating a mile a minute and they can't get his blood pressure down. They said he's in some sort of a panic mode. Like he's having a severe nightmare... He's been -- he's been perfectly healthy, but the doctors say if they can't get his heart rate down, that he could have a heart attack.
Clark: They must have some idea what caused this.
Lana: I wish I could help them, but he was just studying all morning before he came to the apartment. The first time I saw him, he was lying on the Talon floor.
Chloe: Well, let us know if there's anything we can do to help, okay?
I think KK did pretty well as an anguishing Lana at Jason's bedside. It was obvious how much Lana cared for him. So much that Clark couldn't take his eyes off from the display. But cry me a river, Clark. And look! Despite the lack of Chlana scenes apparently they still are on friendly terms. Except Lana hasn't been allowed to show support and concern for Chloe, apparently. Though this episode had a bit of an improvement in that area.
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Chloe: Clark, I don't mean to go all Dr. Phil on you, but don't you think you should admit they're in a relationship?
Clark: C'mon, Chloe. I'm passed that.
Chloe: Yeah, I should've known by that crippling stare on your face since you walked in the apartment.
Clark: I just could have used more time to ease into it.
Chloe: Clark, you were in love with her. That's not something you could ease out of.
Clark: It's just by the time that I found out they were already this ... serious thing.
Chloe: Yeah, but we all keep secrets for our own reasons. I don't think I have to tell *you* that.
Clark: I don't think going through Jason's personal things falls under your snoop jurisdiction.
Chloe: I'll take my chances with the jury on this one. I think maybe if we back track through Jason's last couple of days it might help. Woah. Jason had a meeting at LuthorCorp this morning.
Clark: Why didn't Lana say something?
Chloe: Maybe she didn't know.
And here begins Chloe behaving in a manner I admire in this episode. Instead of resorting to snarkiness about Clark not letting go, she's gentle and understanding. Go Chloe. She isn't irritated by him having difficulty with the transition. She knows how he feels. Because she feels the same way about him but she doesn't make it into a pity party for herself.
And I have a little sympathy for Clark here. Lana's in a relationship. A real relationship that if he looks at truly for one second he should be able to tell surpasses anything he shared with Lana, imo. Serious thing.
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Lex: Clark! How the *hell* did you get in here?
Clark: The gate was open. Your security seems a little MIA lately.
Lex: That's obvious, but this is a restricted area.
Clark: This will only take a second.
Lex: I need someone to escort a guest out. Look, Clark, I'm sorry but I just got in from Metropolis. I got a lot to do.
Clark: Just now? I thought you had a meeting with Jason this morning.
Lex: Not with me. He was meeting the head of my H.R. department.
Clark: Giving him a job?
Lex: Just some leads. I felt guilty for getting Jason fired from the school. He didn't even want Lana to know about it. I'm surprised he told you.
Clark: He didn't. Jason is lying unconscious in the hospital. Some sort of neurological stress.
Lex: Clark, there could be a lot of reasons for Jason's condition.
Clark: Could also be a lot of reason this place is deserted half way through Saturday's shift.
Lex: I'll call in a specialist from Metropolis to take a look at him. Assure Lana I'm doing everything I can for him.
So Chloe's dad wasn't rehired by Lex. Maybe Gabe's had enough entanglements with the Luthors but then again beggars can't be choosers. But *did* Lex offer? And if not, why? He seems into correcting his and his father's mistakes in this episode especially.
Yay! Lex is down to business and doesn't let Clark waste his time with more "ask your buddy billionaire a favor" requests, instead showing him the door.
Guilty for getting Jason fired, Lex, or feeling like you're in the dog house?
I half expected Lex to say "Assure Lana I'm doing everything I can for *her*"
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Chloe stumbles across a room at LuthorCorp. There's someone sitting in the middle of a deserted room, chair faced away from the doorway.
Crazy!Chloe: I've been waiting for you, Chloe.
Chloe: Mom?
Crazy!Chloe:You can't escape this, Chloe. None of the women in our family ever have.
::hesitantly Chloe touches her shoulder, person turns around. It's Crazy!Chloe in a straight jacket, hair askew, eyes black, mouth black and bruised. Opens mouth. Suddenly Chloe is the one in straight jacket.
What is up with the Clark reaction shots in this episode? Esp. after someone faints in his arms. TW has this weird oscillating cheekbone thing going on. Seriously. TW really wasn't on his A game for this episode, I thought.
And oooh to Crazy!Chloe. I wasn't expecting that.
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Lex: How the hell does a lab explode?
Dr. Ford: Well, when you're dealing with meteor rocks it's very difficult to predict how our chemicals will react. Mr. Luthor, we're doing everything we can. After the alarm sounded we sealed the room. All affected personnel have been quarantined and we're trying to fix the damaged pipes.
Lex: You mean the bacteria is still leaking out?
Dr. Ford: Only in that room.
Lex: Once the situation is under control, I want the project dismantled.
Dr. Ford: Mr. Luthor, your father negotiated this contract with the military, and we stand to make a lot if we can ever market the compound.
Lex: And exactly what is the market for toxins that evoke a person's worst nightmare before they fall unconscious, Dr. Ford?
Dr. Ford: Well, think of the good I mean we could. Think of the good. We could disable the enemy without ever using violence. i mean, we have statistics to prove --
Lex: Statistics aren't lying in those beds. My employees. I'm afraid they're not the only ones.
Dr. Ford: What do you mean?
Lex: Someone who was visiting the plant this morning is at the hospital right now with the same symptoms. Is he contagious?
Dr. Ford: Oh no sir. The bacteria can't be transmitted from one person to another. It has to be inhaled directly.
Lesson #2304 on why you shouldn't experiment with meteor rocks. Smallville really has a slow learning curve, doesn't it?
Interesting move on the writers part. Perhaps if they are trying to paint us a picture of Lex's gray side it shouldn't be of him having one night stands, and instead should be him being responsible for projects like this. But what do we get? Lex dismantling projects like this that are his father's creation.
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Lana: Sorry to show up like this. I just didn't know where else to go
Martha: Clark told us about Jason. Has something happened?
Lana: One of the other infected people just died.
Jonathan: Lana, do the doctors have an idea at all what's going on?
Lana: Just that a person's body can sustain a level of pain for so long before their heart gives out. I just can't sit in that hospital anymore just watching Chloe and Jason die. I want to help.
For god sakes, Martha! Hug the girl. Chloe and Jason are lying in their hospital beds. Even if she was on speaking terms with Lex he's too busy trying to find a solution. Clark's hung up on Jason/Lana. And there's no one else! So much for your bonding at the Talon. Good for Lana wanting to be proactive. Although her last line makes it sound like she wants to help Chloe and Jason to die.
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Lionel: I understand your cynicism, Warden Stone, but I assure you I truly am a changed man.
Warden: Oh, or just a smart one.
Lionel: I want only to be a help to others. What is the value of my sinful life unless I use it as an example to shepherd fellow sinners, lead them away from the allure of hedonism, mistrust, and greed, to find a better way?
Warden: The appellate court overturned your conviction.
Lionel: You know, I've done everything to work this system I hired the best lawyers in the world. I tried to pay off everyone from the bailiff to the President of the United States and I was told categorically I was never going to see life outside these walls again.
Lionel: I'm guilty. Not of the crime I've been imprisoned for but so many other crimes that should have landed me here years ago. This is where I belong. Where I can do the most good.
Warden: You want to stay in prison?
Lionel: Yes. I do. I've found my -- my mission in life.
Warden: Someone did you a favor by getting you out of this place. I'd say be grateful.
Lionel: But who -- Who could do that?
Warden: Obviously, someone more powerful than you. As soon as this paperwork is finished, you're a free man.
So much for Redeemed!Lionel. aelora brought up the point that the one thing Lionel claims he didn't do is the one thing that could keep him in prison. And it's the crime he *confessed* to in Chloe's recording. Also, ingrid_m pointed out that if Lionel wanted to stay in prison for real he could have changed his plea to guilty.
As for who picks him up, I'm thinking Mrs. Teague or someone with Swann. Who else is there really?
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Lana: I just don't understand why Jason wouldn't tell me he had a meeting at LuthorCorp.
Clark: Might have been a blow to his pride, accepting Lex's offer.
Lana: Well, maybe that's what this has been all about. I've been getting this feeling lately that there is something he hasn't been telling me.
Clark: Maybe he thought you'd see him differently if you found out.
Lana: Do you really think that I'm that shallow, Clark?
Clark: It might take him a while to get to know you as well as I do.
Riiight. Granted I think Clark knows Lana in a way Jason doesn't. In a day to day, year to year, sort of way. But other than that I think Jason knows who Lana is more than Clark. He has less things to taint his view, like Clark's adoration of Lana since God knows when, like having the guilt of being responsible for her parents death, etc.
And Clark and Lana trying to do the investigative reporter thing on their own. That's... different.
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Lana's sequence. She finds herself on a morgue slab. Beside her, more slabs. She gets up, first one uncovered. Mom! Knocks the wind right out of her. She touches her mom's face. Second. Dad! Third. Chloe! Lana gasps even harder. This is a new loss. Next, Jason! Even more horrified. She goes to him, practically feels up his face. "Lana. Lana." A slab in the distance calls to her. She goes to it and the body on the slab grabs her hand and gets up. It's Zombie!Lana. "They're all going to leave you and there's nothing you can do about it."
Despite, Lana losing her parents at such a young age most people don't give a damn. Esp. w/ S1 Lana mentioning them so much. The nerve! But well it's hard to feel the tragedy when she's talking cheerfully to a headstone. But this is different. Lana's seeing her dead mother and father on cold, unforgiving steel. It's pure loss and horror and shock. It's old pain, but it feels like new. But it isn't. We see what fresh pain is with the way she reacts to Chloe and Jason.
I half expected to see Lex and Clark on there. I guess because I thought it would be more shocking to see the two people who seem so invulnerable to her. I also half-expected to see Whitney. That would have kicked ass.
I think seeing her self dead was great. With the aftermath of Tempest we find out that she always felt she was going to die young. That it was just a matter of time until Fate found her. And the way she's lived most of her life has been in the shadow of her tragedy. Something she hasn't been sure she could escape. Or maybe even really cared to. And here she's brought back with her parents. Turned into them. Trapped in death. Or something...
"They're all going to leave you and there's nothing you can do about it." Yup. That's Lana's fear. This sense of abandonment that Clark and Lex share. Like there's this pervasive wrongness in them that others won't accept if they knew the truth. With Clark it's being an alien. With Lex, his dark side. With Lana, them truly seeing her and not the fairy tale princess. Chloe has abandonment/inferiority complex thing going for her but to me it always seemed less striking in comparison to the other three's issues, ymmv.
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Dr. Ford: Mr. Luthor, we have never tested this antidote. I urge you to try it on one of our lab animals first.
Lex: One of my employees is about to die. Do you see any other options for us right now?
Dr. Ford: No sir, I don't, but please remember this is like a flu inoculation. It contains traces of the infectious elements.
Lex: Is that your way of telling me the patient is going to get worse before he gets better?
Dr: Ford: Assuming it works. Mr. Luthor, you can't go in there. You must keep the exposure to the toxins to a minimum.
Lex: I'm responsible for this plant and everyone who works here. I'm going with you.
Even Lex can't get away with looking good in an EV suit.
I'm glad Lex is taking full responsibility and not shying away from seeing the consequences straight in the eye. So much for gray Lex, eh?
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Dr. Scaler: We're watching Mr. Teague along with the others in his condition.
Lex: The others? Are you telling me all these people have the same symptoms?
Dr. Scaler: Unfortunately. We have no idea what we're dealing with.
Lex: It's a synthetic toxin. A pressure tank exploded this morning at my plant. We thought we had it contained but the toxin release must have escaped the atmosphere. It's possible all these people were exposed at the time.
Dr. Scaler: And you're just telling me this now? I have to call the Center for Disease Control.
Lex steps up to the plate. He confesses all. And he didn't know about the others beforehand.
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Clark: Did you know about this when I talked to you earlier today?
Lex: Clark, other than Jason I had no idea anyone outside of LuthorCorp was exposed. You have to believe me.
I'm tired of this ride. Can I get off?
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Lana: It all makes sense.
Clark: Lana. Help me.
Lana: The meteor shower. You came the same day. How could I be so stupid?
Clark: The meteor shower is the reason I'm here. I'm from the planet called Krypton. Lana, I wanted to tell you, but I didn't think you'd accept me.
Lana: You're not even human.
Clark: Please. That stuff makes me sick.
Lana: My parents are gone because of you. I'm never going to see them again. You killed my parents. :: stabs him with kryptonite fragment::
You think not equating the meteor shower with Clark's arrival is stupid? Just wait for the glasses.
I can only stomach Clark's fear vision if it's not truly about Lana, but his fear of how everyone and anyone would react. He wants from her what he wants from everybody: understanding and acceptance. And if even Lana can't give him that, if even she is overpowered by her fear and anger, then who would react differently?
rhiannonhero noted that she would have preferred to have had the fear vision be of Clark as "Alien Overlod." Oh, how that would have been tastier than his acceptance issues but I don't think it would have fit in with this episode and his end scene with Chloe nearly as well.
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Clark: Lex. You're running out of time.
Lex: I don't understand. I left you in the hospital. What happened?
Clark: My parents are in there now. Lana, Chloe, Jason, they're all going to die if you don't do something now.
Lex: What do you suggest I do?
Clark: Use me. I want you to use me. Look, I came out of this panic state maybe there's something in me that can help. I'll give you whatever samples you need.
Dr. Ford: Even if your immune system could offer us some sort of inside. I don't know. Those tests take months, years, to analyze no, no.
Lex: He's right, Clark. We have a new antidote we can test in a few hours.
Clark: There's no time.
Lex: The antidote needs to be heated to 1000 degree Kelvins until it clears otherwise it's useless.
Dr. Ford: This time we're going to test it first.
Lex: Peoples lives are at stake. We're running out of time
Dr. Ford: Look at them, Mr. Luthor. You look at them. Are you going to point the finger and decide which one of them is going to take the potentially lethal injection? Whoever it is you could be killing them.
Clark steps up to the plate, willing to expose his secret. There's the guy I love. I expected Lex to start salivating when Clark offered up blood samples. The chance to uncover the mystery? I don't think I could blame him. But he doesn't take the chance. He risks his own life rather than playing God. Woobie!
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Lex's fear vision. Its Cassandra!Vision part deux. He's in the White House being all presidential in his white suit and nifty black glove. In the farmland we see missiles shooting into the sky. Strikes worldwide. Has a very Terminator 2 feel to it. Lex in the field of bones and ash. Apocalypse now!
Lex: Clark.
Clark: Lex, you're going to be okay ::smiles::
Clark's proud of his boyfriend! Oh ye of little faith.
I've heard some complaints of using the Cassandra vision again. But I liked it. It went well with last episode's Lex who thought the world would be better off without him and then getting a second chance. It went with redeeming himself moments before by using the injection on himself. Showing that continuing struggle for goodness but feeling deep inside he has darkness inside him that will overpower him someday.
And it's times like these that I'm glad not spoiled because I would have probably been pissed that they edited out the Lex/Lana fear vision (no comments from the peanut gallery). Anticipation is a cruel mistress. Once again it seems the writers are holding off on Lex/Lana. *Not* because I think they are rethinking it, imo (to think like that is to think like the TWoPers who think everything is a shout out to them), but because they've already hinted their motives so it when it hits it'll hit. And for that to happen in a induced nightmare isn't what I would hope for at all.
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Martha: Clark you walked right into Lex's office and almost gave up your secret. Who knows what they would have done to you.
Clark: I didn't see any other choice. It's funny because lately I've been thinking I've gotten closer to being able to tell somebody the truth about me. Now I'm convinced more than ever that I can't tell anyone. Especially, not Lana.
Martha: I know how much it would mean to you to be able to share your secret with her.
Clark: As far apart as we've grown I think about it everyday.
Martha: I hope our own fears haven't gotten in your way. I would hate for you to look back and reget not telling the people closest to you. I mean, there is a chance Lana would understand.
Clark: There is. But what if she didn't?
Jonathon: Clark, look I'm not sure that it's Lana but I am sure someday there will be somebody you can tell.
"As far apart as we've grown I think about it everyday." Wow. That's the best line Clark's ever giving in relation to CLana.
There was such a blantant vibe that Lana isn't the one to tell which I disagree with. I don't want Clark and Lana together but I think Lana would be capable of understanding and being trustworthy. I don't see why she wouldn't be. If they brought up her previous friendship to Lex I would understand. Or bringing up the issue of her parents. But they didn't.
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Lana: Egg fu yung to the rescue. So... if I'd waited for the peking duck you would have, what, been gone?
Jason: No, I would have been here trying to figure out what to say.
Lana: I - I don't understand. Is this because of your mom? You've been different ever since I met her.
Jason: No, I've been different ever since I came to Smallville. Least six months ago I would never have gone to someone like Lex and groveled for a job I don't even want. Of course, the worst part is I was too embarassed to tell you about it.
Lana: Since when have you ever been embarassed around me?
Jason: Exactly. I don't like this person I'm becoming, Lana. And I don't want to wait around for you to resent me as much as I resent myself so...
Lana: That's not why you're leaving. The one thing I learned from my relationship with Clark is when somebody isn't being honest with me. Jason, just tell me the truth.
Jason: Be careful.
And it's Lana's fault that you decided to go to Lex? You're the one who followed her. You're the one who got the job at her school. And suddenly you've "becoming" this person? A person who asks for a job and gets embarrassed. How abnormal. The only honest remark is Jason not wanting Lana to resent him. No doubt for what his Mom is up to. He leaves her with telling her to be careful. So apparently you think she's in danger whether you stay or go and yet you still decide to go and let her fend for herself? Huh?
And, dude, writers! There's a really simple equation to lessening the Lana hate if that's truly what you want. I've mentioned this before. No, it doesn't involve getting guest stars ito be in awe of Lana. It involves stripping the words 'honesty' and 'trust' from Lana's vocabulary when it comes to Clark. It's really that simple! Try it.
Man, oh man. She completely gives him the opportunity to tell her what's really going on. She even has this moment of hope he'll give in but he won't be honest with her. And to top it off he leaves after her fear vision of abandonment.
I bet like he assured her she truly believes he saw who she was inside and still he left so she must be thinking it's her. It must be something about her that makes people not care enough to stay. She'll always be the one left behind. People act like they think she's this wonderful, "beautiful" person. But Lana knows it's all lies. And oh, how this has me itching to write some Lana fic ::strains:: Must. Not. Pollute. Fandom. With. Writing ::heavy sigh::
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Chloe: I found my mom, Clark.
Clark: Wow. That's -- Chloe, that's great.
Chloe: Yeah. I put my feelers out for years and something three months ago finally came through so as it turns out she's not exactly M.I.A. so to speak. She's in a mental institution.
Clark: I'm sorry.
Chloe: The real kicker is that it's heriditary.
Clark: Listen, hey, if there's one thing that I've learned is that you aren't destined to follow in your parents footsteps.
Chloe: Thanks. So the popular question of the day: What is Clark Kent's worst nightmare?
Clark: When I woke up everyone that I knew was gone. I was completely alone.
Chloe: I wish I could say that I'll always be there for you, but somehow I get the feeling that may not be a promise I can keep. You were the only one that came out of it, Clark, and I don't think it's because you've been taking your vitamins.
Clark: Chloe --
Chloe: Look you know what you dont have to tell me. I know I gave you my word that I was going to stop all this prying, but these last few months I've really gotten a taste of what it was like to keep my mom's secret and I've never felt more alone.
Clark: It's weird when people think they are so close to you, but have no idea what you're really going through.
Chloe: Yeah. I'd hate to live my whole life like this but after fessing up it's amazing how quickly that feeling of loneliness disappears. I mean if you can't tell your best friend who can you tell. Right, Clark?
I think this is the closest I've ever connected to Chloe. What I don't like about Chloe is that she's always digging at other people's dirt, looking for the truth that no one else will acknowledge. It's her way of avoiding having to look inside herself. Seeing what she hates and what everyone else can never love. But this time instead of prying into Clark's secrets she shares one with him. That's pure vulnerability. It's not a move fueled by bitterness or desperation. It's not passive-aggressive. It's not her trying to get something out of Clark that he won't give up on his own. And I love it. (Plus, she has the Mental Illness card now. I'm so easy.)
I love that she doesn't pry into his secret even though she knows that there's something up. That's not what this is about. There was no pretense, no pushing. It was really about him, not her. She was setting things at his pace and letting him know she was there. It doesn't give me any allusions to romance to Clark/Chloe, though. Like I've said countless times I don't see it. And though I think the last scene forecasts a healthier friendship between them I don't see Clark's feelings for her changing.
Also, I hope I don't see comparisons to Lana and prying for the secret. Because Lana has come to accept that he's not going to tell her. She knows now what it's like to keep a secret what with Isobel and the tattoo. The difference is Clark keeps dangling the revelation at her every other week when his ephipany is that he *should* tell her. She's frustrated and over it as well she should be. As for asking Jason to be honest, she deserves it and it's directly affecting their relationship.
"I wish I could say that I'll always be there for you, but somehow I get the feeling that may not be a promise I can keep."
Dude, Chloe is so going to die. *Look* at that! Another possibility, aelora mentioned seeing it as "a sign of her learning the truth and getting locked away because of it." Which is kickass in partnership with Chloe's fear vision.
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The O.C. The New Era.
Seth continues to annoy me. A lot. And it's funny because my opinion morphed into this when I *wasn't* watching the show. But turns out I was right on the money.
Ryan is actually beginning to look attractive. Who knew? And I like him with Lindsay which is not what I expected after last week.
I love Julie. And I love her scenes with Jimmy.
Summer. Stop with the Seth obsession and appreciate the guy you have now. Although I just now you won't heed my advice. Possibly because you aren't real and can't actually hear me. Either, or.
MB's odd body type will never cease distracting me from what is actually going on with Marissa. But if it wasn't that it'd be the horrific outfits.
New icons tomorrow, dammit. No, this time I mean it! If not all, then some at least will be posted.