Voice of Reason: Season Five: Mercy

Mercy

Overall

It's easy to come up with a good first act, ending with a cliffhanger. The difficulty is keeping it up after that first commercial break. After introducing the premise there are a host of setbacks (lagging pace, unmotivated behavior, awkward exposition, uncharacteristic behavior) that can attack a story at any moment.

All these setbacks were beaten back with absolute success in tonight's episode.

Ladies and gentlemen, Steven S. DeKnight has done it again. Not only has he consistently delivered the best dialogue of the season, but tonight he gave us a season first: a technically flawless episode.

This was a night of chess games, a night of tactical maneuvers, and a night where life and destiny were hinged on the moves the characters made. And we knew it. Every decision was played up to the fullest. I haven't been so captured by Smallville since Season Three. We viewers actually managed to empathize with four characters at once, friends and enemies – Lionel racing to save Martha; Lionel making the decision to put the gun in Martha's hand; Martha making the decision not to fire it even for Clark; Clark making the decision to stop the elevator and thus confront Lionel with his secret; Lex left out of the loop, looking on and watching his father demonstrate loyalty to Clark.

As the choices were intense, so the confrontations were heated. Lionel's desperation to save Martha, the tension between Lex and Clark as Clark restrained himself and rode in Lex's Porsche instead of racing to the rescue, the further tension as they watched the television screen and heard Lionel's words, the intense moment as Clark and Lionel locked eyes through the elevator floor, the secret laid bare, and the deeply moving dialogue from Clark as he confronted Lionel: "…son." "You don't call me that. Jonathan Kent was my father." "I'm not trying to take your father's place – " "You couldn't." It was so intense that I couldn't bring myself to say "Wow" out loud – I was saying it internally, until the credits rolled. Then I said it out loud.

Not only were the plot and relationships unstoppable, but the characters were complex. In a plot with almost no time to spare, Steven S. DeKnight still managed to convey the desires, needs, and fears of all the characters. Including the most mangled character this season, Lex.

Lex was magic in this episode. In previous episodes this season, the writers have often painted him as shallow and stereotypical, The Villain, seemingly with the idea of having him "become" Lionel. In this episode, he did not become Lionel: he transcended Lionel. Lex and Lionel have always been opposites, as fathers and sons often are – one was insensitive, the other ultrasensitive – one killed his parents, the other craved love from his parents – they came from different places and were different people. This episode was believable because Lex did not become Lionel. He was Lex: a vulnerable, messed-up, angry kid who had the potential to be good and the motivation to be evil. He took on Lionel's teaching and acted on it relentlessly, but his heart was in a very different place. "Why would I want to kill you?...You're a valuable asset to the company," "I'm not playing to win. I'm playing to instruct." The idea that he was passing on knowledge, evaluating his father in business terms, and playing his chess games showed that he was very much his father's son – as did the way he looked at Clark when he heard Lionel lauding him, and the way he said, half-plaintive and half-jealous, "I heard what you said over the video…about what a special boy he is. What did you mean by that?" His vulnerability and compulsive neediness (the abused child syndrome) was just as much a part of his character as his name and parentage. Suddenly Lex was the complex, self-contradictory bundle of desires and needs that make up the best characters, be they villains or heroes.

Steven S. DeKnight just saved Smallville.

Verdict: 10

Good Moments

Nice transition to Lex, moving chess pieces. The whole premise of the episode was an elaborate chess game, forcing people to make decisions; and showing Lex symbolically teaching Lana the game helped reinforce the theme.
"What about a game of Hangman? That's always fun." Lionel was playing little chess games of his own in that conversation, and the probing and challenging, moves and countermoves under the surface, reminded me of the fascinatingly intelligent Season Three conversations. Steven S. DeKnight delivers the best dialogue – intelligent, with subtext.
"Please. Seeing you fail miserably was retribution enough." Very characteristic of Lex. This was not pettiness – this was matching wits in a verbal battle, and, like "It's not that. I just don't like you," his unflinching honesty and his carelessness about what Lionel thinks of him scored.
Interesting…as Lionel says, "So it wasn't you," he rubs his temples.
I found the Clark-Martha scene to be endearing, as they revealed that they had been protecting each other. In the vulnerability that follows a traumatic death like that, it's natural that they would feel more responsibility for each other and take on more burdens. This was the beginning of the payoff from Jonathan's death.
Nice transition as Martha left the house, saying she could take care of Lionel, then the camera panned the lights of Metropolis. The music was different: I don't think they've used it before.
"How does it feel to be helpless?" "I'll let you know if it ever happens." The way Lionel took on the killer was intense…and believable. He's played games before. His cool-headedness in the beginning 1) made you want him to succeed as badly as he wanted it, and 2) made the contrast as he became desperate all the more violent and disturbing.
"Just another one of the faceless people your greed has destroyed." "Oh, that narrows it down, doesn't it?"
"I don't want anyone to know my father's missing." Interesting line. Are we to assume that this was a red herring from the writers and that he simply meant that he didn't want his father's captor to gain an advantage from widespread knowledge (use it to help collect a ransom, blackmail Lex, etc.)? Or is it indicating that Lex was indirectly involved somehow in all the activities?
Good dialogue between Lex and Lana. Last episode's ending was so uncharacteristic of both of them that they needed this to normalize it. Lana's double-question, "Lex, what are we doing?" indicating confusion and regret, her underlying message in "After all that talk about friendship and not wanting to ruin what we have…we really don't listen very well, do we?" and Lex's pinpointing of that message, "Are you asking me to forget what happened? Because, short of a serious blow to the head, I think it's a memory that's going to linger for quite a while," all worked out for an indirect, shy, yet open dialogue that fit the relationship perfectly. This was Lex being open and vulnerable, Lana connecting to his vulnerability, a shyness and hesitancy because they're so different, but an underlying understanding of each other. This was the relationship foreshadowed in Season Three.
"Yeah. You talk too much. Shut up." And Lionel tackles the challenge. I never thought there was anything the writers could do that would make me think, "Yeah! Go Lionel!" but at this point I was unreservedly cheering him on. This episode showed the qualities that Martha really could appreciate in him – showed the fighter in him. We really haven't seen that in a while, and it was good to get back to the survivor in him.
"Lex. Has this always been chipped like that?" "My father wouldn't tolerate a flaw in his prized collection." Looks at Clark. "Nice catch." Smashes statue. Good touch, that they both knew Lionel well enough for Clark to ask the right question and Lex to have the right answer.
Lana tells Lex she'll call him later. She calls him a few hours later, and he cuts it short so that he can get back to Clark and the hostage situation. It happened offscreen, but it was a nice touch nonetheless – revealing his priorities. What the significance of these priorities are is still unknown...they could be what's on the surface (he wants to rescue Lionel and Martha, he wants to work with Clark, and so he doesn't have time to talk to Lana) or something more.
Lex raising his eyebrows. "You want to wait for the security team?" Clark, bluntly: "No." Lex pulls out gun. "Me neither." This was another "Yeah!" moment – we were all exulting as they charged in side by side. This scene was fluent in underlying language. Eleven words, that's all, but Clark's bluntness and Lex's humor interacted perfectly. This reminded us why they had been friends in the first place. They do have the same instincts, the same recklessness, and they're a forceful team when they work together. Showing how great this friendship could be makes it all the more powerful that it breaks irrevocably. This moment gave the whole relationship an epic feel.
"And we both know that he…what a special boy he is." Lex, in the shadows, looks at Clark. This was such a speaking moment…and neither Lex nor Clark had to say a word. The acting here was dead-on.
"Do it, and go home to your son."
The see-through elevator floor was perfect – it made Clark and Lionel staring at each other, inches away from each other, Clark holding up the elevator, one of the most epic images in Smallville.
Another good image, as Clark stood crouched at the elevator door, looking up at Lionel guardedly.
The music during all the elevator action and aftermath was very Superman-ish – the ethereal voices, the ominous deep tones as Lionel looked at him.
Lionel wanders out of the elevator, amazed and almost proud. "That was…miraculous." Wanders to the smashed wall. "Thank you…Son." This moment was loaded with significance, and we felt it.
"We can't trust him." "If we want to protect your secret, we might not have a choice." This was a good summing-up of the situation, without requiring a ponderous concluding evaluation while walking through the Daily Planet. It was good for Clark to have this conversation with Martha instead of with Chloe. Martha needs to become involved again…and Chloe has become something of a generic fill-in recently. ("Clark needs to express his concerns to someone. Mm, Chloe.")
Ditto for the conversation between Lex and Lionel. It didn't feel like a blah writer's wrap-up ("Well, all's well that ends well. So and So is in jail, Small Child is going to live with her grandmother, and Villain is leaving us alone once and for all. The only thing that troubles me is…") Instead it felt like Lex was confronting Lionel with the consequences of his actions. It was powerful and speaking, and the dialogue was filled with tension.
"It wasn't insanity that drove him to that, Dad. It was you." This was such a great line.
"Well, I'm just thankful the elevator safety brake slowed us down enough to survive the fall." "Yeah. You should be. Especially since Cole disabled it."
"That's enough to make a man believe in the miraculous. Isn't it. Son." The awkward way he said "son" brought up a thousand and one questions. It's little things like diction that make up the drama of the best stories.
"I heard what you said over the video…about what a special boy he is. What did you mean by that?" Lex is haunted, twisted, hurt. "I meant that…he's the kind of son a father could be proud of." Lex's jaw tightens. Lionel avoids answering the question, giving instead the answer that would (whether he knew it or not) hurt Lex the most, make him the most resentful toward Clark and jealous of his father's affection…and raise the most questions in our minds. "A father could be proud of"? This dialogue accomplished so many things, in its conflicting motives and hidden emotions and double meanings.
Clark finally became pro-active. He didn't shy away from discussing it, he didn't wait and hope for the best. He went to Lionel. He confronted him and asked him straight out about it. "I've been expecting you, Kal-El." "How long have you known?" And it wasn't with the pouting belligerence with which he confronted Lex. He was erect, serious, manly. (Wow. Manly. I haven't seen manly Clark in a while.) He wasn't raging out of control, like in "Vengeance", and he wasn't angrily antagonistic or childishly resentful – no glares or speaking through clenched teeth. He simply knew what he would not tolerate. He was "running with the big dogs" and he knew it. "But I hope eventually you will come to trust me. I only want what's best for you and your mother…son." Clark steps forward, speaks evenly. "You don't call me that." Lionel looks at him. Clark meets his gaze. We all mouth the word "Wow". "Jonathan Kent was my father." "I'm not trying to take your father's place – " "You couldn't." Pause. "My mother seems to think there may be some good in you. I'm not so sure." "Next, time, Clark, maybe you will be." "Or maybe you'll just show your true colors." Pause. "Secret or no secret, you stay away from my mother, or you'll wish I'd never saved your life." This was more intimidating than Kal. Kal was startlingly violent; this was anger cloaked with quietness. He was making himself very clear with his delivery, with his words, with his eyes. Wow. Wow.
Clark, warily: "You've known my secret for almost a year? Why haven't you done something?" "What, expose you to the world? Some strange visitor from another planet?"
"To reveal your secret would change your destiny…and it would harm someone I care about very deeply."
Lionel holds his temples, scrambles for the pen and paper, starts writing. Credits. This was like the Season Three ending where he held the gun to his head, except better. Anything can happen.

Details

This, the only drawback of the episode, is more due to production limitations than anything else, so it doesn't affect my rating. However, it still exists: the impact of Clark stopping the elevator would have killed Martha and Lionel anyway. He's a man of steel, and we've heard others comment that getting bumped by his arm feels like getting rammed by a hard metal plate. Just standing there and letting the elevator land on his hands would have caused the middle of the elevator to cave upwards around his hands. What Clark should have done was taken a giant leap up while the elevator was high, and used the friction of his feet against the walls to slow the elevator down until they reached the bottom. However, I can understand why time and money constraints would rule that feat out.

Questions

"Well, then, he's probably using your mom to get close to you." This is an interesting question. Is he? Lionel can have three motivations. A) He can be Lionel, downloaded with kryptonian information and following kryptonian commands without caring for Martha, B) he can be Lionel, downloaded with k info and following k commands but caring for Martha, still retaining his own personality and affinities, or C) he can be Jor-El, acting Lionel's part. (He could also be acting on his own motivation, but that doesn't explain the whispered, "You are safe with me, Kal-El.") Has the wooing of Martha been Jor-El after all?
Here are the arguments against Lionel's being Jor-El: 1. Lionel's affection for Martha appears to be genuine. (Yes, he is tactical in the way he goes about winning her, but he's tactical in the way he does everything.) There has been attraction on his part since Season Two. Jor-El, on the other hand, is displeased with Martha. She jerked Clark out of Kal-El. She did many things to "keep him from fulfilling his kryptonian destiny". And Clark would far rather be true to her than to Jor-El. I don't think Jor-El, especially as stoic as he is, could simulate that loving emotion. He's more likely to rebuke her than tell her she's a wonderful woman whom Clark needs. 2. Lionel seemed like he was witnessing Clark's powers for the first time. (He saw the tape, but that's different from experiencing them first-hand.) Jor-El wouldn't have that amazed, pleased reaction. 3. Why would Jor-El try to take over Luthorcorp? What interest would he have in changing Lex?
Here's the argument for Lionel's being Jor-El: The way he says "son" to Clark and the way he said "son" to Lex. Very different. Also the line, "I meant…he's the kind of boy a father could be proud of."
Lines that could go either way: "Lex is not Clark…and I'm not the father Jonathan Kent was."
Personally, I don't think he's Jor-El.
The episode ends with Lionel holding his temples, hearing the kryptonian sound, quickly writing something. There are three explanations that come to mind. A) Clark just threatened him. He's failed. Now he's useless to Jor-El and is going to be killed, and is scribbling his last words. B) He's receiving a kryptonian message, and is writing it down. C) When Jonathan's body was given kryptonian powers, he developed heart problems. Maybe Lionel's way of cracking under the strain is nerve problems or mind problems - his headache actually did begin earlier in the episode, when he was talking to Lex and rubbing his temples and wincing.




Mercy Overall It's easy to come up with a good first act, ending with a cliffhanger. The difficulty is keeping it up after that first commercial break. After introducing the premise there are a host of setbacks (lagging pace, unmotivated behavior, awkward exposition, uncharacteristic behavior) that can attack a story at any moment. All these setbacks were beaten back with absolute success in tonight's episode. Ladies and gentlemen, Steven S. DeKnight has done it again. Not only has he consistently delivered the best dialogue of the season, but tonight he gave us a season first: a technically flawless episode. This was a night of chess games, a night of tactical maneuvers, and a night where life and destiny were hinged on the moves the characters made. And we knew it. Every decision was played up to the fullest. I haven't been so captured by Smallville since Season Three. We viewers actually managed to empathize with four characters at once, friends and enemies – Lionel racing to save Martha; Lionel making the decision to put the gun in Martha's hand; Martha making the decision not to fire it even for Clark; Clark making the decision to stop the elevator and thus confront Lionel with his secret; Lex left out of the loop, looking on and watching his father demonstrate loyalty to Clark. As the choices were intense, so the confrontations were heated. Lionel's desperation to save Martha, the tension between Lex and Clark as Clark restrained himself and rode in Lex's Porsche instead of racing to the rescue, the further tension as they watched the television screen and heard Lionel's words, the intense moment as Clark and Lionel locked eyes through the elevator floor, the secret laid bare, and the deeply moving dialogue from Clark as he confronted Lionel: "…son." "You don't call me that. Jonathan Kent was my father." "I'm not trying to take your father's place – " "You couldn't." It was so intense that I couldn't bring myself to say "Wow" out loud – I was saying it internally, until the credits rolled. Then I said it out loud. Not only were the plot and relationships unstoppable, but the characters were complex. In a plot with almost no time to spare, Steven S. DeKnight still managed to convey the desires, needs, and fears of all the characters. Including the most mangled character this season, Lex. Lex was magic in this episode. In previous episodes this season, the writers have often painted him as shallow and stereotypical, The Villain, seemingly with the idea of having him "become" Lionel. In this episode, he did not become Lionel: he transcended Lionel. Lex and Lionel have always been opposites, as fathers and sons often are – one was insensitive, the other ultrasensitive – one killed his parents, the other craved love from his parents – they came from different places and were different people. This episode was believable because Lex did not become Lionel. He was Lex: a vulnerable, messed-up, angry kid who had the potential to be good and the motivation to be evil. He took on Lionel's teaching and acted on it relentlessly, but his heart was in a very different place. "Why would I want to kill you?...You're a valuable asset to the company," "I'm not playing to win. I'm playing to instruct." The idea that he was passing on knowledge, evaluating his father in business terms, and playing his chess games showed that he was very much his father's son – as did the way he looked at Clark when he heard Lionel lauding him, and the way he said, half-plaintive and half-jealous, "I heard what you said over the video…about what a special boy he is. What did you mean by that?" His vulnerability and compulsive neediness (the abused child syndrome) was just as much a part of his character as his name and parentage. Suddenly Lex was the complex, self-contradictory bundle of desires and needs that make up the best characters, be they villains or heroes. Steven S. DeKnight just saved Smallville. Verdict: 10 Good Moments Nice transition to Lex, moving chess pieces. The whole premise of the episode was an elaborate chess game, forcing people to make decisions; and showing Lex symbolically teaching Lana the game helped reinforce the theme. "What about a game of Hangman? That's always fun." Lionel was playing little chess games of his own in that conversation, and the probing and challenging, moves and countermoves under the surface, reminded me of the fascinatingly intelligent Season Three conversations. Steven S. DeKnight delivers the best dialogue – intelligent, with subtext. "Please. Seeing you fail miserably was retribution enough." Very characteristic of Lex. This was not pettiness – this was matching wits in a verbal battle, and, like "It's not that. I just don't like you," his unflinching honesty and his carelessness about what Lionel thinks of him scored. Interesting…as Lionel says, "So it wasn't you," he rubs his temples. I found the Clark-Martha scene to be endearing, as they revealed that they had been protecting each other. In the vulnerability that follows a traumatic death like that, it's natural that they would feel more responsibility for each other and take on more burdens. This was the beginning of the payoff from Jonathan's death. Nice transition as Martha left the house, saying she could take care of Lionel, then the camera panned the lights of Metropolis. The music was different: I don't think they've used it before. "How does it feel to be helpless?" "I'll let you know if it ever happens." The way Lionel took on the killer was intense…and believable. He's played games before. His cool-headedness in the beginning 1) made you want him to succeed as badly as he wanted it, and 2) made the contrast as he became desperate all the more violent and disturbing. "Just another one of the faceless people your greed has destroyed." "Oh, that narrows it down, doesn't it?" "I don't want anyone to know my father's missing." Interesting line. Are we to assume that this was a red herring from the writers and that he simply meant that he didn't want his father's captor to gain an advantage from widespread knowledge (use it to help collect a ransom, blackmail Lex, etc.)? Or is it indicating that Lex was indirectly involved somehow in all the activities? Good dialogue between Lex and Lana. Last episode's ending was so uncharacteristic of both of them that they needed this to normalize it. Lana's double-question, "Lex, what are we doing?" indicating confusion and regret, her underlying message in "After all that talk about friendship and not wanting to ruin what we have…we really don't listen very well, do we?" and Lex's pinpointing of that message, "Are you asking me to forget what happened? Because, short of a serious blow to the head, I think it's a memory that's going to linger for quite a while," all worked out for an indirect, shy, yet open dialogue that fit the relationship perfectly. This was Lex being open and vulnerable, Lana connecting to his vulnerability, a shyness and hesitancy because they're so different, but an underlying understanding of each other. This was the relationship foreshadowed in Season Three. "Yeah. You talk too much. Shut up." And Lionel tackles the challenge. I never thought there was anything the writers could do that would make me think, "Yeah! Go Lionel!" but at this point I was unreservedly cheering him on. This episode showed the qualities that Martha really could appreciate in him – showed the fighter in him. We really haven't seen that in a while, and it was good to get back to the survivor in him. "Lex. Has this always been chipped like that?" "My father wouldn't tolerate a flaw in his prized collection." Looks at Clark. "Nice catch." Smashes statue. Good touch, that they both knew Lionel well enough for Clark to ask the right question and Lex to have the right answer. Lana tells Lex she'll call him later. She calls him a few hours later, and he cuts it short so that he can get back to Clark and the hostage situation. It happened offscreen, but it was a nice touch nonetheless – revealing his priorities. What the significance of these priorities are is still unknown...they could be what's on the surface (he wants to rescue Lionel and Martha, he wants to work with Clark, and so he doesn't have time to talk to Lana) or something more. Lex raising his eyebrows. "You want to wait for the security team?" Clark, bluntly: "No." Lex pulls out gun. "Me neither." This was another "Yeah!" moment – we were all exulting as they charged in side by side. This scene was fluent in underlying language. Eleven words, that's all, but Clark's bluntness and Lex's humor interacted perfectly. This reminded us why they had been friends in the first place. They do have the same instincts, the same recklessness, and they're a forceful team when they work together. Showing how great this friendship could be makes it all the more powerful that it breaks irrevocably. This moment gave the whole relationship an epic feel. "And we both know that he…what a special boy he is." Lex, in the shadows, looks at Clark. This was such a speaking moment…and neither Lex nor Clark had to say a word. The acting here was dead-on. "Do it, and go home to your son." The see-through elevator floor was perfect – it made Clark and Lionel staring at each other, inches away from each other, Clark holding up the elevator, one of the most epic images in Smallville. Another good image, as Clark stood crouched at the elevator door, looking up at Lionel guardedly. The music during all the elevator action and aftermath was very Superman-ish – the ethereal voices, the ominous deep tones as Lionel looked at him. Lionel wanders out of the elevator, amazed and almost proud. "That was…miraculous." Wanders to the smashed wall. "Thank you…Son." This moment was loaded with significance, and we felt it. "We can't trust him." "If we want to protect your secret, we might not have a choice." This was a good summing-up of the situation, without requiring a ponderous concluding evaluation while walking through the Daily Planet. It was good for Clark to have this conversation with Martha instead of with Chloe. Martha needs to become involved again…and Chloe has become something of a generic fill-in recently. ("Clark needs to express his concerns to someone. Mm, Chloe.") Ditto for the conversation between Lex and Lionel. It didn't feel like a blah writer's wrap-up ("Well, all's well that ends well. So and So is in jail, Small Child is going to live with her grandmother, and Villain is leaving us alone once and for all. The only thing that troubles me is…") Instead it felt like Lex was confronting Lionel with the consequences of his actions. It was powerful and speaking, and the dialogue was filled with tension. "It wasn't insanity that drove him to that, Dad. It was you." This was such a great line. "Well, I'm just thankful the elevator safety brake slowed us down enough to survive the fall." "Yeah. You should be. Especially since Cole disabled it." "That's enough to make a man believe in the miraculous. Isn't it. Son." The awkward way he said "son" brought up a thousand and one questions. It's little things like diction that make up the drama of the best stories. "I heard what you said over the video…about what a special boy he is. What did you mean by that?" Lex is haunted, twisted, hurt. "I meant that…he's the kind of son a father could be proud of." Lex's jaw tightens. Lionel avoids answering the question, giving instead the answer that would (whether he knew it or not) hurt Lex the most, make him the most resentful toward Clark and jealous of his father's affection…and raise the most questions in our minds. "A father could be proud of"? This dialogue accomplished so many things, in its conflicting motives and hidden emotions and double meanings. Clark finally became pro-active. He didn't shy away from discussing it, he didn't wait and hope for the best. He went to Lionel. He confronted him and asked him straight out about it. "I've been expecting you, Kal-El." "How long have you known?" And it wasn't with the pouting belligerence with which he confronted Lex. He was erect, serious, manly. (Wow. Manly. I haven't seen manly Clark in a while.) He wasn't raging out of control, like in "Vengeance", and he wasn't angrily antagonistic or childishly resentful – no glares or speaking through clenched teeth. He simply knew what he would not tolerate. He was "running with the big dogs" and he knew it. "But I hope eventually you will come to trust me. I only want what's best for you and your mother…son." Clark steps forward, speaks evenly. "You don't call me that." Lionel looks at him. Clark meets his gaze. We all mouth the word "Wow". "Jonathan Kent was my father." "I'm not trying to take your father's place – " "You couldn't." Pause. "My mother seems to think there may be some good in you. I'm not so sure." "Next, time, Clark, maybe you will be." "Or maybe you'll just show your true colors." Pause. "Secret or no secret, you stay away from my mother, or you'll wish I'd never saved your life." This was more intimidating than Kal. Kal was startlingly violent; this was anger cloaked with quietness. He was making himself very clear with his delivery, with his words, with his eyes. Wow. Wow. Clark, warily: "You've known my secret for almost a year? Why haven't you done something?" "What, expose you to the world? Some strange visitor from another planet?" "To reveal your secret would change your destiny…and it would harm someone I care about very deeply." Lionel holds his temples, scrambles for the pen and paper, starts writing. Credits. This was like the Season Three ending where he held the gun to his head, except better. Anything can happen. Details This, the only drawback of the episode, is more due to production limitations than anything else, so it doesn't affect my rating. However, it still exists: the impact of Clark stopping the elevator would have killed Martha and Lionel anyway. He's a man of steel, and we've heard others comment that getting bumped by his arm feels like getting rammed by a hard metal plate. Just standing there and letting the elevator land on his hands would have caused the middle of the elevator to cave upwards around his hands. What Clark should have done was taken a giant leap up while the elevator was high, and used the friction of his feet against the walls to slow the elevator down until they reached the bottom. However, I can understand why time and money constraints would rule that feat out. Questions "Well, then, he's probably using your mom to get close to you." This is an interesting question. Is he? Lionel can have three motivations. A) He can be Lionel, downloaded with kryptonian information and following kryptonian commands without caring for Martha, B) he can be Lionel, downloaded with k info and following k commands but caring for Martha, still retaining his own personality and affinities, or C) he can be Jor-El, acting Lionel's part. (He could also be acting on his own motivation, but that doesn't explain the whispered, "You are safe with me, Kal-El.") Has the wooing of Martha been Jor-El after all? Here are the arguments against Lionel's being Jor-El: 1. Lionel's affection for Martha appears to be genuine. (Yes, he is tactical in the way he goes about winning her, but he's tactical in the way he does everything.) There has been attraction on his part since Season Two. Jor-El, on the other hand, is displeased with Martha. She jerked Clark out of Kal-El. She did many things to "keep him from fulfilling his kryptonian destiny". And Clark would far rather be true to her than to Jor-El. I don't think Jor-El, especially as stoic as he is, could simulate that loving emotion. He's more likely to rebuke her than tell her she's a wonderful woman whom Clark needs. 2. Lionel seemed like he was witnessing Clark's powers for the first time. (He saw the tape, but that's different from experiencing them first-hand.) Jor-El wouldn't have that amazed, pleased reaction. 3. Why would Jor-El try to take over Luthorcorp? What interest would he have in changing Lex? Here's the argument for Lionel's being Jor-El: The way he says "son" to Clark and the way he said "son" to Lex. Very different. Also the line, "I meant…he's the kind of boy a father could be proud of." Lines that could go either way: "Lex is not Clark…and I'm not the father Jonathan Kent was." Personally, I don't think he's Jor-El. The episode ends with Lionel holding his temples, hearing the kryptonian sound, quickly writing something. There are three explanations that come to mind. A) Clark just threatened him. He's failed. Now he's useless to Jor-El and is going to be killed, and is scribbling his last words. B) He's receiving a kryptonian message, and is writing it down. C) When Jonathan's body was given kryptonian powers, he developed heart problems. Maybe Lionel's way of cracking under the strain is nerve problems or mind problems - his headache actually did begin earlier in the episode, when he was talking to Lex and rubbing his temples and wincing. © Voice of Reason, 2007