Topic: Smallville Marathon #2

[DJ Doena]

Smallville Marathon #1

I've never read a DC comic (or Marvel for that matter) and I've only watched the four "Reeve" Supermans and Superman Returns. Thus I have no idea what does or doesn't contradict Superman mythology when I watch Smallville, which is an advantage I think.

Season 1

Disc 1

Pilot

Synopsis: A meteor shower hits a small town in Kansas: Smallville. But with that shower a spaceship arrives and it contains a small boy that is adopted by the Kents. 12 years later. Clark Kent, Lana Lang, Chloe Sullivan and Pete Ross are freshemens on the Smallville Highschool. And Lex Luthor, son of Lionel Luthor takes over the management of the Smallville fertilizer plant. But then an accident happens where Lex nearly gets killed - if it weren't for Clark. And a man awakes from a coma in which he had laid for twelve years.

My Opinion: I really liked the homage to the first Superman movie, when Clark missed his school bus and ran across the fields again. I also liked most of the cast from the start. I also thought it to be interesting that Clark didn't already possess all of his abilities. But the pilot plot also introduces the scheme of the show for at least the first season: Freak-of-the-Week. But they also have some minor arcs from the beginning.

Metamorphosis

Synopsis: The story continues on the day after the Homecoming. Lex still possesses Lana's meteor rock necklace and intends to help Clark with it. But not only Clark and Whitney are interested in Lana but also Greg. He's stalking her until he's stung by a swarm of meteor-infected bugs. Then he becomes dangerous and only Clark is strong enough to stop him.

My Opinion: An ordinary FotW episode. But also the first where Clark has to accept his fate: He may be the rescuer but often he won't be able to take the credit for it. He has to conceil who he is and that will bring him in as much trouble as facing his opponents will do.

Hothead

Synopsis: The football coach uses a sauna with meteor rocks which gives him the ability to burn things at will. He is also very ambitious and wants his team to win no matter the costs. And Clark wants to join the team even against the will of his father. Meanwhile Lex's father wants his son to fire 20% of the employees in the fertilizer plant.

My Opinion: A good father-and-son-confrontation episode but both confrontations where totally different of course. If I were to imagine Jonathan Kent's early years I can't help but to think of a certain Bo Duke (The Dukes of Hazzard). To watch Lex over the course of the years is also interesting bceause they choose to portray him as "not so bad" guy in the beginning. If he were bad from the start I don't think it would have been that interesting. There's one problem though: Lex is supposed to be 6 or 7 years older than the others (IIRC he was 10 when the meteors hit Smallville) and although Michael Rosenbaum (29 in 2001) is actually 5 years older than Tom Welling (24 in 2001) it doesn't feel that way. When they both face each other they both seem very adult, but Clark is only a 16-year-old Highschool student.

X-Ray

Synopsis: After sudden flashes of headaches, Clark is able to see through things though he can't really control it. But this new ability helps him to uncover a plot to blame Lex for a bank robbery he didn't commit. A girl who has become a bad copy of Lana has the ability to shape-shift and she can fool everybody but Clark. Meanwhile a reporter tries to blackmail Lex with knowledge about his past in Metropolis.

My Opinion: This episode starts several things. Firstly, the tradition to introduce one new ability in every season, in this case his X-Ray vision. Secondly, Lex's obsession with Clark that will presumably never end. And thirdly we see that he has both a past that is at least greyish and that he becomes ruthless when he's threatened.
I doubt I would have noticed it before Buffy but that was the second time in only four episodes that had at least one scene in a cemetery.

[DJ Doena]

Disc 2

Cool

Synopsis: After the football player Sean has fallen into the lake he comes out of it barely alive. But something has happened, he can't keep warm and he needs new sources of heat all the time. The best source seems to be the body heat of a human and Chloe has just given him her phone number. In the meantime Clark is driving to a concert - together with Lana, but "just as friends". But then he learns of the dange Chloe is in and immediately returns to Smallville.

My Opinion: This will also be a recurring theme that Clark has to walk out on someone to save another and of course he can't explain why. I thought it a bit too convenient that Whitney would find Lana in that café when he was supposed to watch a game on a Pay-TV channel, but then again, Clark's and Lana's relationship is as complicated as it gets, it's even worse than the one of Ross and Rachel (Friends).
I also liked the remark when Chloe asked Clark if he comes from an ice planet - considering the movie and the place of his Fortress of Solitude that wasn't far from the truth.

Hourglass

Synopsis: Clark does community work in a retirement home where he reads stories to an old, blind lady who claims to be able to foretell the future. But then one of the elders "gets lost" and instead a young man appears in Smallville and he has a score to settle.

My Opinion: I wonder if this old woman Cassandra (what an unimaginative name for a person that can see the future) has seen Clark as himself or as Superman when she looked into other people's future. I also "liked" how they presented Lex's future, they way that sunflower field turned into a wasteland covered with bones. It seemed fitting for the character.
What I didn't understand was Harry's motive to kill the descendants. He said he wanted to destroy the future of that teacher und thus he killed his son. He wanted to hurt the teacher, otherwise he would have killed him, too. So why now kill the children of the original jury when they jury members themselves are already dead and can't feel any pain anymore? He simply could have left Smallville and started a new life. Mabye I don't understand because I am not a homicidal lunatic.

Craving

Synopsis: Jodi is obsessed with diets because she is an overweight teenager. But then she finds the perfect shake: vegetables grown in meteor soil. She slims down to a perfect body, but this diet has side-effects: she needs huge portions of fat to survive. And she gets it from wherever she can.

My Opinion: People who are unhappy the way they look are very exhausting, it's no fun to be around them. But one shouldn't define oneself by the looks. But then again I was never a female teenager.
Once again Clark can't be with Lana because he has to save a friend and I can understand that she's disappointed. She said a funny thing in a previous episode, that Whitney would always be there when she would need him. Clark will also always be there when she needs him, just not in the way she meant it or expects it.

Jitters

Synopsis: A man claims to have worked on "Level 3" in the Smallville fertilizer plant and he got somehow sick there. Now he demands answers and takes hostages at the plant. Among them: A group of Highschool students. Among them: Lana, Chloe, Pete and Clark. The problem is: This plant has no "Level 3" - at least not official.

My Opinion: This was the first hint, that LuthorCorp conducts research on the meteor rocks and that it isn't entirely legal. And it also showed that Lex isn't involved in his father's plans - at least until now. I also liked the closing scene where Lionel and Lex hugged for the cameras while the Kents hugged as a family. One could see that Lex envied them.

[DJ Doena]

Disc 3

Rogue

Synopsis: A corrupt cop who witnessed Clark's powers is now blackmailing him. When Clark refuses he frames Jonathan for a murder. Meanwhile principle Kwan fires Chloe as editor of the school paper "Torch" and installs Lana as her successor.

My Opinion: The frame was so obviously fake I don't believe anyone could have really fallen for it. They get an anonymous tip and then they find a body in the middle of the barn, on the ground, unhidden?!? But apart from that I liked the stunts Clark pulled to get back at the dirty cop.

Shimmer

Synopsis: Lex' castle is haunted. A ghost lives there that can move without being seen. But there's also Amy, the daughter of an employee in the mansion. She has a crush on Lex and dislikes his new girlfriend. When the new girlfriend is attacked by the "ghost", Clark and Chloe put one and one together and get three.

My Opinion: The cool thing about this episode is that I always forget that it is the brother and not Amy herself. It was an ok episode.

Hug

Synopsis: A very persuasive business man comes to Smallville and plans to open a new plant. But for that he would have to buy the Kent farm. There's also a hermit in the woods who wants to be left alone but also doesn't want to have this business man in his town. But Clark's alliance with Kyle the hermit causes a riff between Clark and Lana who suspects to have been attacked by Kyle.

My Opinion: That episode I really liked because I liked Kyle. I like grumpy people because in the end they always have their heart in the right place. While the fight between Lana and Clark felt a bit constructed I really liked the end scene again when Clark (or was it Lex?) claims that the story their friendship will be the stuff for legends. One regrets that it won't end so well.
They also used the "forgetfulness plot device" for the first time to make Lex forget that he saw Clark's powers.

Leech

Synopsis: When Clark tries to rescue to a fellow student both are struck by lightning and through the meteor rocks his powers are transfered to Eric. From now on, Clark is normal and Eric becomes "Superboy". But then he begins to abuse his abilities and Clark has to stop him.

My Opinion: "With great powers comes great responsibility" (Ben Parker, Spider-Man) I really liked it that Clark's nature didn't change just because he had no powers anymore. He still tried to help even when that caused him a few broken rips. Episodes where Clark is incapacitated or otherwise limited are always interesting, yet it conveniently happens always when Lex doubts Clark. I also liked Shawn Ashmore (Iceman, X-Men trilogy) in the role of Eric.

[DJ Doena]

Disc 4

Kinetic

Synopsis: There's a series of break-ins and no one can explain how the thieves did it. But they run into Clark and Chloe when they try to rob Lex. Clark can't prevent that Chloe falls out of a window and gets seriously hurt. Now Clark does anything in his power to find and stop these guys and he has help from the inside.

My Opinion: I am sure that there are people asking and complaining that Clark didn't save the bad guy, too. From the looks of it it would have been possible to pull both of them out. But from my POV there is s strict order: Good guys first, bad guys later if there's time. And maybe Clark didn't know that the tattoo had worn off. After all he was standing there on his own free will, so: Shit happens.

Zero

Synopsis: Lex's past catches up to him: Three years ago there was an incident at the Club Zero in Metropolis. A man was killed and now this man wants to find out what really happened. But he also endangers the people around Lex. Meanwhile there's a school project going on and this project threatens the secret of the Kent family.

My Opinion: Now Chloe has begun to research Clark's past, that makes the second person around him. I liked this episode because it showed pieces of Lex's past and it didn't reveal too soon the secret of this dead guy. With Chloe's digging another side-story has started which means the stories will become more and more arc-y and less FotW-y. I don't know if it was planned from the beginning but over the last episodes they have scattered a few bread crumps like the mystery of his adoption that will become relevant in later episodes. I like that.

Nicodemus

Synopsis: A man smashes into Jonathan's car and then overturns his own. When Jonathan tries to rescue him he comes in contact with a flower that makes him act out of character. But then he slips into a coma. When Clark, Chloe, Lana and Pete investigate the case, Lana and Pete get also infected and they are going to die if a cure isn't found.

My Opinion: Two words: Lana. Hot. *must concentrate now* I believe that was the first time that Lex lied directly into Clark's faces because he has secrets of his own. I don't count Zero because he bluntly told Clark to stay out of it but here he held back informations because this doctor secretly works for him. It's a long road he has started to go down.

Stray

Synopsis: A young boy called Ryan jumps in front of Martha's car in the middle of the night. When he wakes up he claims to have amnesia. But he has also a secret: He can read minds and that's the reason he is hunted by his stepparents who use him for robberies. But for a while he is save on the Kent farm and he bonds with Clark and through his ability he learns about Clark's secret.

My Opinion: I found it funny to see super-hero comics in a series based on a super-hero comic. I liked this episode because I liked Ryan. I think it would be hard to hear other peoples thoughts. It might sound cool in the beginning but I think one can handle only so much honesty and I think such a person would eventually leave all the people to give the mind some rest.

[DJ Doena]

Disc 5

Reaper

Synopsis: Tyler's mother wants to die but when her son tries to grant her that wish he is caught and falls out of a window, breaking his neck. But during the autopsy he re-awakes from the death - a meteor rock around his wrist saved him. From now on he has the ability to turn people into ashes and he uses that to help people die. But then he kills someone accidentally and Clark has to stop him.

My Opinion: Euthanasia is always a complicated topic but even if one isn't opposed to the idea in general no one has the right to make that decision for another person. I liked it that Tyler saw the error in his way and ended it his way. It would become boring if Clark always had to put down the bad guy himself.

Drone

Synopsis: Pete convinces Clark to run for class presidency. But then his competitors are attacked by bees one after the other. Clark has a pretty good idea who is behind this. Additionally he has an argument with Chloe who supports another candidate.

My Opinion: There are some parts of the american culture I will probably never understand. This was just a class presidency election, yet there were banners and buttons and flags and flyers and  ... all over town. Some villages around here wouldn't put that much effort to it when it comes to the election of the next mayor. I also wonder who would fund such an election since Clark didn't seem to have asked Lex.

Crush

Synopsis: Justin has just come out of recovery. He was injured in a hit-and-run accident the previous year. He lost the ability to use his fingers properly and thus the ability to draw. But instead he can move objects with his mind. He still tries to find that driver and Chloe helps him with that. Clark - who had a major run-in with Chloe - is sceptical about Justin because freak accidents happen around him.

My Opinion: The writers managed to put Clark in a lose-lose situation. Everytime he socializes with either of the girls he has to run off to save the other. And that won't change for quite some time. On the one hand it's understandable that both are disappointed by this behaviour but on the other hand they both should have learned by now that Clark only runs off when he has a very good reason to do so. Before I started this marathon I thought about making a list of people who know about Clark's secret and have "forgotten" it again. Maybe I should make a list of how often he saves Lana's and/or Chloe's life.

Obscura

Synopsis: Lana is knocked out by an explosion on a field. When she awakes she is somehow mentally connected to a kidnapper. She sees that he keeps Chloe as prisoner but nobody believes her because Chloe is supposed to be in Metropolis. Clark - who has experienced stranger things - goes onto a search for Chloe.

My Opinion: Two more notches. This time he had to save both, first Chloe and then Lana. I liked the episode because he finally asked Chloe out for the spring ball. If I were him, I would have gone for Chloe a long time ago. Yes, I admit it, I belong to the Chlark (Chloe + Clark) fraction.
It was practically just a side-remark but the discovery of the octagon disc will set many things in motion. It will become one of the most important items of the show.

[DJ Doena]

Disc 6

Tempest

Synopsis: Clark goes to the spring formal with Chloe and Lana brings her boyfriend to the bus station because he decided to join the US Marine Corps. But before that happens the reporter that was hired by Lex some time ago blows up the Kent's truck with Clark in it. And he is right, Clark survives without a scratch. After that he learns both about the octagonal disc and the ship in the storm cellar. This will be a stormy day in Smallville.

My Opinion: Great finale. Smallville is a series that uses cliffhangers at the end of each season and the first parts are often great. But sometimes they fail to give it a good resultion in the next season.
I never had much interest in Whitney but he was a good reason why Clark couldn't be with Lana. I am not sure if it was a good idea to take him out of the show that early.

The Season - My Opinion: As I said, I've never read a Superman comic, but I liked this show from the beginning. The cast is great and several arcs are set in motion. It wasn't the best of all seasons but that rarely happens and in the league of first seasons it was a good one.

[addicted2dvd]

Wow Karsten... you got through the first season really quick! Great job! 

Smallville is definitely a great series... but not one I think I will revisit myself just yet. Though I have been having some urges to try to do a marathon again... just not quite sure what I am in the mood for yet.

[DJ Doena]

Though I have been having some urges to try to do a marathon again... just not quite sure what I am in the mood for yet.

You could do a "I watch all the stuff I got for my birthday" marathon when your birthday is actually over. 

[addicted2dvd]

LOL... nah... don't think so... couldn't watch all those classic monster movies over again so soon! 

[Najemikon]

Though I have been having some urges to try to do a marathon again... just not quite sure what I am in the mood for yet.

You could do a "I watch all the stuff I got for my birthday" marathon when your birthday is actually over. 

 

[DJ Doena]

Season 2

Disc 1

Vortex

Synopsis: Lana's Truck is torn apart by the tornado but Clark is there to protect her. But on the day after the storm he has to go on a search for his father who has run after the reporter that wanted to disclose Clark's secret. While they are searching for him, Chloe makes the suggestion that they should stay "just friends".

My Opinion: This was actually a good resolution. Of course they had to find a way to silence that reporter and this way had an ironic touch. If Lex knew what secret the reporter has taken into his grave, I believe he would have killed Jonathan instead.
And when it comes to woman Clark is as sensitive as a wrecking ball.

Heat

Synopsis: The new school year has started and Lex wants to marry! And his fiancé is Clark's new biology teacher. She's so hot that Clark sets the silver screen on fire just by staring at it. But something isn't right with here. She has a strange control over all men, including Lex - but not Clark.

My Opinion: A "new ability" episode. It's always fun to see Clark learning to control it and he always can put it to good use in the same episode. But I didn't care much for the pheromone lady, maybe because I watched a similar story recently on Stargate SG-1.

Duplicity

Synopsis: Pete finds Clark's spaceship (that had been lost since the tornado) in a field and he wants Clark's help to salvage it. But then someone steals the ship and Pete suspects Clark - which isn't far from the truth because Clark and his father actually intended to steal it. Then Clark decides to reveal his secret to Pete.

My Opinion: A really good episode. I've been waiting for it. Clark simply needs someone he can confide to (apart from his parents) and his best friend Pete is the perfect choice. And Pete will prove that he's worthy of that knowledge in the very next episode.
The fact that Lionel now knows of the spaceship will also lead to very interesting storylines.

Red

Synopsis: Clark buys a ruby ring for $350. But the stone isn't ruby, it's red kryptonite (not yet) meteor rock. Clark loses all stoppages and becomes a badass guy. But just as the effect of green meteor rocks worsen his condition over time, so does the red one.

My Opinion: Great episode. Loved it. It rarely happens that Tom can play Clark out of character and the red kryptonite (sorry, it's simply easier than "meteor rock") gives him the perfect opportunity. I don't really worry about the end, he will save Lana's live once or twice and they will be friends again.
But the episode reminded me of Harley Cat:

[DJ Doena]

Disc 2

Nocturne

Synopsis: Lana has a secret admirer who sends her poems but Clark is overprotective and assumes he is a stalker. Clark and Ross finally find the young man who is held captive in the basement of the house of by his parents. But when they release him, he transforms and not even Clark is able to stop him.

My Opinion: Lana's grudge with Clark didn't even last one episode. I find it always interesting how people manage to hold helicopters on the ground just because they are strong enough - yet they aren't anchored to the ground in any way. It's one of the riddles about superpowers I probably never solve. I liked it, though and it was nice to see Richard Moll (Bull in Night Court) again although it was only a small role.

Redux

Synopsis: Two students die of old age in short succession and that can't be a coincedence. Someone seems to suck the life out of them to stay young. But the Kent family has yet another problem: They need some additional money and there's a person who could help: Martha's father. But Jonathan and he have a long, bad history that Clark tries to mend.

My Opinion: A standard FotW episode where the bad gal died a bit too fast in my opinion. But I liked to see that even the Kents can't solve all their family issues, it makes them more normal.

Lineage

Synopsis: A woman comes to town who claims to be Clark's real mother. She also claims that he is a half-brother of Lex's. Meanwhile Lana tries to find out whether a certain man is her biological father. It is also revealed, how the Kents managed to get adoption papers for Clark.

My Opinion: A "family" episode that I liked a lot. It is interesting to see how the "average television family" has changed over the decades, from the "perfect" housewife, the husband and the two children to what we've seen in recent years (the families in ER, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 24, ... and Smallville). I never noticed before that Chloe's mother has been mentioned that early in the show, although her fate hasn't been revealed yet.

Ryan

Synopsis: Ryan calls from the Summerholt Institute where he is held as research object. Clark rescues him but that nearly lands him in prision for kidnapping. Ryan's ability to read minds is based on a brain tumor that will kill him. Clark and Lex try to prevent that.

My Opinion: A very emotional episode and a very sad one. I find it interesting how they made the comic Warrior Angel a forebode of things to come. Funny thing to say about a fantasy series but it makes it more realistic that Clark isn't able to save everyone, especially when there's nothing that he can do personally.

[DJ Doena]

Disc 3

Dichotic

Synopsis: Ian is a very ambitious student and he wants to have a scholarship from LuthorCorp. For this he kills one of the teachers after he recieved a "C" and he dates both Lana and Chloe - at the same time. Clark is not the only one with a secret. He tries to warn his friends but they misinterpret it.

My Opinion: I enjoyed that episode, Jonathan Taylor Thomas (Home Improvement) did a good job. But I especially enjoyed that Clark put a foot down. When he warns them about anything, he means it. Unfortunately they didn't really listen as one of the following episodes will show.

Skinwalker

Synopsis: During a motocross race with Pete Clark accidentally falls into the Kawatche caves. The Kawatche are an old indian native american tribe and they have legends surrounding a man coming to Earth in a rain of fire who will protect mankind. Unfortunately LuthorCorp plans to build an office tower on that very spot. Then the foreman get killed by a wolf and the thing gets mysterious.

My Opinion: The Kawatche caves will become a major story location in the future and I like the idea that someone has been on Earth long before Clark. The question remains how that person could possibly know that and how Clark would arrive on Earth. The fact that Clark has fallen in love with someone was unfortunately a dead giveaway of who would be gone by the end of this episode (one way or the other).

Visage

Synopsis: First Whitney is declared MIA then he suddenly appears in Smallville and wants to revive his relationship with Lana. Unfortunately he has lost some memories due to a war injury. Clark is suspicious because some things don't add up and he investigates on his own.

My Opinion: Déjà vu. As I said they didn't really listen (at least Lana didn't). I always like it when characters aren't forgotten and after Ryan was Tina (X-Ray) the second person who has made another appearance. Unfortunately this was the last appearance of Eric Johnson on the show, his character Whitney is now officially KIA.

Insurgence

Synopsis: Lionel has bugged Lex' office to spy on him and now Lex wants to return the favour. But the operation gets out on control, when the "bug team" takes Lionel and Martha hostage and tries to open Lionel's safe. A police squad stands ready but Clark finds his own - and very unique - way into the building.

My Opinion: When I saw this for the first time I hadn't suspected that Lionel had the octagonal disc. I think they never explained how he got his hands on it. But know we know for sure that not only Lex is experimenting with the meteor rocks, but Lionel as well. One wonders how much Lionel knows about Clark at this point.

[DJ Doena]

Disc 4

Suspect

Synopsis: Lionel Luthor gets shot twice and a drunk Jonathan Kent is the prime suspect. All evidence points to him but Clark believes in his innocence. In the end there are four people who had a motive to kill Lionel but none of them was the culprit.

My Opinion: I am not too much into crime stories and didn't like this story that much.

Rush

Synopsis: During a cave rave party a student is stung by something and in an adrenaline rush he jumps from a great height and dies. Pete is also stung and starts to behave similarly. When Clark and Chloe investigate in that matter Chloe becomes the third victim and then Pete infects Clark with red kryptonite - and the party begins.

My Opinion: This was a great episode, I liked Chloe's style. Unfortunately it's once again Clark who can't give an explanation for his behaviour. Sometimes the "relationship" of Clark and Lana is a bit annoying because the writers do everything in their power to bring them not together. But the "party" part of this episode was really great so I can overlook this annoyance. Of course they had to draw the forgetfulness card to undo Chloe's knowledge.

Prodigal

Synopsis: Lex has finally found his half-brother Lucas and wants to ally with him against their father. But Lionel has found him first and he and Lucas manage to squeeze out Lex. Lex is broken and has to leave the mansion. There's only one place he can go: The Kent farm.

My Opinion: It was cool to see Lex do an honest job on the farm. And Lucas had a valid point when he asked how much personality of the parents is reflected in the children. Another interesting question is whether or not Lionel could already see again during Insurgence because that would mean that he has witnessed Clark's powers firsthand.

Fever

Synopsis: Martha tries to hide the key to the spaceship - the octagonal disc - in the storm cellar. But there she inhalates meteor-infested spores and gets very ill. When the Disease Control Agency wants to search the farm, Clark has to hide the spaceship at Pete's house. But Clark gets infected, too and they can't bring him to a hospital.

My Opinion: Another episode that I liked a lot, especially the part where Clark was sick and both women had to think about how they feel about him. That's one thing I find interesting about the characters: Both Lana and Chloe don't like that Clark keeps secrets from them yet both aren't totally honest to him either when it comes to their feelings.

[DJ Doena]

Disc 5

Rosetta

Synopsis: Clark dreams about putting the key into the lock in the cave wall. He finally decides to take that step and he learns all about the symbols on the wall and understands that language. The very next day he can't control his heat vision and he burns the symbol for "hope" into the barn. When Chloe publishes this he gets a message from a man in New York who claims to know his origins.

My Opinion: It was a really great that they've managed to put Christopher Reeve on the show. One generation meets the next. I also really liked it that they used the original Superman theme in that episode. That reminded me of the way they incorporated the original Battlestar Galactica theme into the Colonial Hymn of the new series. And now we know, Clark is Kal-El from the planet Krypton and Krypton doesn't exist anymore.
I also liked the appeal for funds after the show - if one can use the popularity of the show for a good cause, why not?

Visitor

Synopsis: A young student claims to come from another planet and he can set things on fire by staring at them and he can heal. Clark takes him under his wings and tries to find out whether he is really an alien or just a boy who needs help.

My Opinion: I liked that episode, one could feel Clark's loneliness and his hope that he might not be alone after all. Funny thing is, his communication tower, the lights and the place deep in the woods, it all reminded me of E.T.'s departure, though I cannot explain why. And I felt sorry for Cyrus when he mentally broke down.

Precipice

Synopsis: Three student harass Lana in the "Talon" but Clark comes to the rescue. He trows one of them directly on the hood of the new Sheriff. He has to do 40 hours of community service but also get sued by this student. He wants to have one million dollars and the Kents could lose everything. Now its Lana's turn to come to the rescue and she does very well on her own. Meanwhile Dr. Bryce is stalked by a former boyfriend and neither Clark nor Lex trust Sheriff Adams enough and they take matters into their own hands.

My Opinion: For more than one season Lanas wishes to leave her image as "fairy princess" behind but now she finally does something about it. Ok, she did re-open the "Talon" but I still had the impression that everyone around her (Chloe, Clark) were standing more on their own feet than she was.
It was an ok episode.

Witness

Synopsis: A few guys have developed a way to inhale refined Kryptonite and become super-strong. One night they try to hijack one of Lionel's secret transports and Clark tries to stop them but they match his strength and they escape. When he tries to expose them they endanger his parents, yet Clark still tries to find a way to stop them. But he has other problems as well: After an argument with Chloe he quits his job at the "Torch" and puts his friendship with her on hold. And then Lionel makes Chloe an offer she can't resist.

My Opinion: Yet another appearance from a member of the Tim Taylor family: Zachery Ty Bryan (Brad in Home Improvement). I hated it to see Clark and Chloe to break up especially because I know what Chloe is going to do. The question that remains is whether the destruction of the "Torch" was staged by Lionel (not sure they will answer that question).