Cure

Overall

In the weeks leading up to “Cure” it seemed there was only one tagline – “Dean Cain comes to Smallville.” It wasn’t the CW’s marketing…it was just that somehow, we had only a vague idea of what to expect for this episode other than Dean Cain. And with such a noteworthy guest star, it was feared that the episode might rely too much on the strength of that guest star. So I came to this episode very tentatively…hoping for a “Perry” but fearing an "Aqua".

Not as good as I'd hoped, but better than I'd expected.

The Guest Star

Dean Cain was not Michael McKean. His style of acting felt distinctly out of place, and the way he chose to deliver his lines felt awkward and, at times, somewhat campy. However, the weakness of his character wasn’t entirely his fault. The script was loaded with MOCEs (Moments of Contrived Exposition) and melodramatic declarations: it would have been difficult for any actor to redeem some of the lines. Moreover, the vague history of his character, a confusing backstory without any real explanation for his immortality, must have made it difficult for Dean Cain to interpret Knox as it was for the viewers. Fortunately, the writers did an admirable job of curbing his plotline. While his story presented a compelling parallel to Clark’s, forcing Clark to look at his own immortality, his story never intruded on or overshadowed the key stories, Clark’s and Chloe’s. His plot was an appropriate complement to the theme of the episode.

The Themes

To be more precise, the episode acually had two themes – the loneliness of immortality, and secrets. As for the loneliness of immortality, the writers continued to struggle to find the tenuous balance of Clark experiencing the loneliness of immortality while almost constantly surrounded by fellow immortals. They succeeded for the most part, but the plot still felt crowded. (My solution to that difficulty is in “Martian Manhunter”.) Surprisingly, the theme of secrets finished a close second to immortality. As overloaded as we’ve been on secrets, the writers managed to bring a new twist to the concept. Possibly aware of Smallville’s penchant for secrets and lies, they approached the idea with irony: an episode that opened with Lana assuring Kara that secrets are “a Clark thing” involved almost every character on the show harboring a secret.

Jimmy tried to subdue growing feelings for Kara. Chloe hid her meteor infection. Lana, with disturbing earnestness, lied about her ten million dollars, then lied about lying. Either Kara or the Martian Manhunter was revealed to be a liar, or at least deeply mistaken. Even more ironically, Lex’s secret – that he is searching for cures for the meteor freaks and releasing the cured – was the most harmless secret to be unveiled.

As soapy as it sounds when all the secrets and lies are listed together, it worked. This has always been the world of Smallville - a world of hidden agendas and secret identities. The secret theme worked here.

The Promise of the Premise

For those who couldn't bring themselves to appreciate either Clark's loneliness or the multiplicity of secrets, there was still virtue to the episode, in that it explored “the promise of the premise” – namely the Clark-Lana premise and the Chloe premise.

Lana knows Clark’s secret. Now they can enjoy domesticity in the Kent home, Clark can do everyday things like superspeed to the store for syrup and toast bread with his eyes (although the writers passed on this one), and Lana can be in the loop when the Martian Manhunter races into the kitchen.

Chloe is infected. Now she can experience the stigma she placed on other meteor freaks, feel the pressure of hiding her secret and choosing whom to tell, and grapple with a crippling fear of the future, wondering whether she will “crack” someday.

Both premises were introduced with scenes like these in mind. This episode got the chance to show why these plots were introduced in the first place.

The Mysteries

In a surprisingly bold move, the writers courageously left some mysteries unsolved. The whereabouts of Lionel are still unknown. Whether or not Kara poses a threat to Clark is undetermined. The motives of Lex are still unclear. In fact, Lex's behavior this week sparked some fascinating discussions on his goals, his methods, and his ethics - particularly in reference to his releasing meteor freaks and his shooting Knox repeatedly in the chest. I'll offer some observations later, but suffice it to say that Lex's ambiguity and complexity indescribably enhanced the episode. It is uncharacteristic of the writers to leave mysteries unsolved for so long, and I applaud them for breaking the mould.

The Problems

Unfortunately, not all of the details that characterized the episode enhanced it in the same way. There were several problems that simply could not go ignored.

Time Lapse

Clearly a significant amount of time had passed since the last episode. First, Lana had divorced Lex. Second, several relationships had been established during the gap.

While I appreciate that the writers didn’t feel the need to fill in the gap with filler, this left several important events unmentioned.

First, when Chloe learned of Lana’s death, she had a deeply emotional reaction. She watched videos of them having good times on her laptop and cried buckets of tears. She was broken. Last we saw, she still did not know that Lana was alive. In this episode, Clark casually asked Lana, “Lana, has [Chloe] opened up to you about anything?” They have clearly been reunited…and we did not see it. This made me feel cheated, to see Chloe’s grief without seeing her joy.

Second, Kara appeared to have met Lois, judging by the familiar way she entered the Daily Planet and told Jimmy that she’d been looking everywhere for Lois. If indeed she has met Lois – and this is not yet clear – this is another significant meeting that we needed to see and didn’t.

Third, nothing was said of what happened between Kara and Lex during the gap. Surely it must have been awkward for her to work at the Talon, where the owner might stop by at any time.

Fourth, not to be coarse, but the issue of Clark and Lana’s love life used to be a significant one for Lana. They have apparently been living together for some weeks, but this issue didn’t seem to have come up.

In each of these instances, we expected something to be shown or told that was not shown or told. It felt as if something had been skipped; the episode felt incomplete.

Spell-it-out Dialogue

There are countless examples of spell-it-out dialogue in the episode. I can’t begin to enumerate them, but the most jarring incidents were:

I have mentioned previously my dislike of the Martian Manhunter character. First, his role is that of a mentor. The reason Jonathan was killed off was because Clark needed to grow on his own. Second, his role is that of a protector. If Clark is in any trouble, the Martian Manhunter will rescue him. If the Martian Manhunter does not rescue him, then he watches from afar and monitors Clark handling the situation. This takes away any concept of real jeopardy for Clark. Third, he is dispensable. Anything that he can do, Jor-El can do better.

All three problems were exemplified in this episode. The Martian Manhunter offered unnecessary counsel about Clark’s higher calling, when Clark should have been having these insights himself. The Martian Manhunter whisked Knox away to a safe place, even keeping the location secret from Clark, which made Clark look less capable of handling such difficulties. And the Martian Manhunter planted seeds of discord between Clark and Kara, forcing Clark to choose between the Martian Manhunter and Kara. Which was good…but only imagine if Jor-El had played that role. If Jor-el had summoned Clark with a high-pitched noise while Clark was eating blueberry pancakes. If Clark had then raced to the Fortress of Solitude and Jor-El had told him the story of Zor-El’s attempt to assassinate him. The choice between Jor-El and Kara would have been far more compelling than the choice between the Martian Manhunter and Kara.

In short, everything that the Martian Manhunter has done this season should have been done by Clark or Jor-El.

Back to Overall

In the end, the episode was entertaining but flawed. Nevertheless, I appreciated the relevance of the episode to the overall story, and the emotional resonance, as
1) Clark faces the prospect of immortality,
2) Chloe discovers that she has a life apart from being Clark’s Little Helper,
3) Clark can’t decide whether to trust the Martian Manhunter or Kara,
4) Kara furiously walks out on the Kent Farm life,
5) Chloe and Jimmy, after a roller coaster of emotions guaranteed to bring tears even to the eyes of Jimmy-haters, break up,
6) We learn that a cure is possible,
7) We learn that Lex is honestly trying to help the infected,
8) We learn that Lana is spying on Lex and lying to Clark about it,
9) We get some footage from the warehouse that will hopefully come into play in later episodes,
10) And we get some great scenes, like Lana meeting the Martian Manhunter, and Kara telling Jimmy, “Martians use infrared, silly!”

Not a perfect episode, but, at last, an episode that I will gladly watch again.

Verdict: 6.8

Good/Bad Moments

1. Chloe sits morosely, then passes on the chocolate muffin, a sign that she is brooding. This was a nice moment, but it would have been even better if we’d had a hint over the past six years that she was a “chocaholic”. Last we heard of her food preferences, she was living off coffee and blueberry muffins. An alternative would have been for her to turn down coffee, which she’s expressed a preference for (or addiction to) many times before.
2. As Chloe exclaims over the tickets, Allison Mack’s expressions are cartoonish. She seems detached. (If you don’t believe me, witness…)
   
3. In the background, Sasha inquires, “Do you have any honey?” Nice humorous touch.
4. Sasha’s explanation about her powers felt like a MOCE (Moment of Contrived Exposition). I found it hard to believe that, despite having amnesia, she was completely off her guard, sharing her life story with a perfect stranger, showing her scar. Her half of the conversation needed to be more justification and less explanation. She needed to be quickly and repeatedly emphasizing that she didn’t remember anything, rather than getting around to that after saying happily, “Curtis Knox. He changed my life.”
5. The shot of Dean Cain was actually nine full seconds long. It felt like they were never going to cut away. This made me feel like I was being force fed the guest star (not to sound cannibalistic).
6. Lana explains to Kara that the reason she and Clark never lived together before was all Clark’s fault. “Well, as long as Clark kept his secret, it was impossible.” Justifiable as her case may be, this felt too self-righteous. After her weird insistence on sex, her constant nagging accusations, and her habit of complaining about Clark to each new boyfriend, she should be feeling, if anything, a little guilty.
7. “So is it like a human thing, to be so secretive and cautious, or what?” “No, I think it’s just a Clark thing.” See above. Moreover, considering the events of the episode, this was almost intolerably hypocritical.
8. “But he’s only that way because he cares so much about protecting people.” As grateful as I am that Lana added this qualifier to what could be construed as Clark-demeaning comments, I had a hard time figuring out Kristin Kreuk’s delivery. Spoken with a happy smile and a high childish voice like she used six years ago, this was either condescending (to Kara, who’s only two years younger) or, as one discussion board poster put it, a little “Stepford”.
9. Kara, intensely: “You may have been able to bully me on Krypton, but not on this planet.” Her fist flies toward the Martian Manhunter’s face. Clark blocks her punch, then says calmly, “You two know each other?” I appreciated Clark’s level reaction here, playing the mediator. It wouldn’t have been unprecedented for him to have been annoyed with one or both of them. Instead, while the Martian Manhunter and Kara both tend to dramatize everything to the point of absurdity, Clark looked like the mature leader of the three.
10. Lana, pleasantly: “Let me guess. You’re from Krypton as well?” Pause. Clark: “Mars, actually.” Lana looks dazed. Her mouth starts to form words but nothing comes out. At last she pulls herself together. “Well…I’ll let you two catch up.” This was a fun moment, excellently acted by Kristin Kreuk.
11. Lana kisses Clark goodbye on the cheek. I find it interesting that the writers have carefully avoided showing any girlfriend-boyfriend intimacy between Lana and Clark. Since Lana’s return, we haven’t seen them kiss on the lips – only hugs and and this peck on the cheek. They also didn’t show Lana getting out of bed in Clark’s bedroom. And, to be honest, I liked this approach to their relationship. Most television writers, when placing two characters together, include gratuitous detail about the signs and tokens of their being together. The problem with the Clark-Lana S5 relationship was (among other problems) that it was about emphasizing these outward signs, like sex and kissing and rubbing sunscreen on each other. This time around, the writers are emphasizing their fundamental connection, the way Lana surprises Clark with his favorite pancakes, the way Clark runs out for the syrup. I appreciated the cautious, tasteful touch.
12. As Kara eavesdropped, the background disappeared, the sunlight bleached her face, and the Martian Manhunter’s voice echoed, as if the world around her fell away and she was engrossed with what she heard. I liked the new superhearing effects.
13. “And she could use your longing for family against you. She’s dangerous. Her father tried to assassinate Jor-El.” It was unclear if we were supposed to buy into the MM’s urgent claims here. The MM is always urgent, so perhaps the fact that I completely brushed his claims aside is due to the Law of Diminishing Returns. Whatever the case, I suspect that Kara will be justified.
14. “If she gets hold of that crystal, everything you hold dear in this world could be lost.” That was vague. Very vague. He definitely needed to elaborate; as it was, his argument wasn’t very compelling.
15. “Trust is a luxury you cannot afford.” The concept of distrusting Kara is an interesting one, and I’m glad that it came into play again in this episode. It would have been dull for Kara to hang around the house and work at the Talon all season – they needed this angle of mystery surrounding her. But one fears that Clark is just going to distrust where no distrust is due, a problem he’s had before. This will need to be handled very delicately. (Speculation: I wouldn’t be surprised if Clark’s distrust caused Kara to side with Lex.)
16. Kara turns away from eavesdropping, and the bleached effect fades away and the world of the loft returns. Her look is intense. But it struck me as more defensive and angry than dangerous.
17. “Well, hiring me is certainly a winning strategy.” I strongly disliked this delivery. I won’t go into Knox’s other lines, because I disliked his interpretation of almost every line; but this line in particular felt wrong.
18. “Well, as impressive as your results are, some of your practices deeply concern me.” Lex is concerned about the fate of the meteor freaks. He is tracking Knox’s tests, periodically checking up on the cured meteor freaks, and calling Knox on his unethical practices. If his purpose was simply to eliminate or disable meteor freaks, then these issues would not have disturbed him. The sacrifice of the “chosen few,” revealed later, would be insignificant to him. The fact that Lex is making the effort to stop Knox’s activities, unwilling to take this compromised quick and easy route, seems to indicate that his goal has changed…that he really does want the meteor freaks to be cured.
19. I won’t go into every MOCE in this conversation, as all of Knox’s lines were state-the-obvious lines; but it was particularly contrived when Knox reminded Lex that legions of scientists denied the possibility of a cure, then mentioned that he severed the cerebral wiring as part of the operation.
20. Rick Rosenthal did an excellent job of directing the murder scene. I’m sure the editing also played a large part here, establishing a creepy tone as the classical music, with pleasant precision, played behind Sasha’s murder in the elegant bedroom.
21. “I’m chasing down a hot lead on the meteor challenged.” Nice touch that Chloe now uses the term “meteor challenged” instead.
22. “I thought I could deal with this, but it’s just that everything is about meteor freaks lately!” Jimmy was just the one who announced in “Fierce” that they were going to “clean up this town”. It seemed odd that now he would refer to “dealing with this” as if her meteor freak-related pursuits were completely her own decision. A better line would have been something like, “I know I said we should go after the meteor freaks, but lately you’re obsessed!”
23. Jimmy, bitterly: “And if those freaks were locked up in Belle Reve, maybe I’d get to see you once in a while.” Chloe is hurt. This was a good moment. Jimmy spoke with actual hatred in his voice, making Chloe sink deeper into fear and shame.
24. Clark dashes in and begins to rattle off a list of details that he needs, even going straight to Chloe’s computer and acting as if he’s going to type something. Chloe stops him short, saying that her dance card is completely full. Clark, as if she doesn’t understand, tells her, “This is important.” Chloe doesn’t have time for this. “Look, I know that from Mt. Olympus the view must seem like us mere mortals have nothing better to do than help you look for your crystal, but believe it or not, I have important things to do too.” Go Chloe. It was time for Clark to meet with a polite but firm denial. There was something mildly degrading about his confident expectation that she would promptly conjure up all the answers he needed.
25. Chloe’s body language as she waits for Dr. Knox is fascinating. She’s tentative, hesitant. As she says, “I’m a meteor freak, and I want to be cured,” it sounds like a confession. If it’s this hard for her to say this in all confidentiality to a stranger she may never have to see again, her plight with Jimmy is all the more understandable.
26. “She was researching a story about a Dr. Knox.” Lana, immediately: “Curtis Knox?” Clark surprised: “You’ve heard of him?” Lana, uncomfortably: “Yeah, he’s, um, he’s a neurosurgeon. I heard a rumor that he’s working with meteor infected people.” Clark: “How do you know all this?” “Well, um, I’ve been doing my own research on the meteor infected.” First, it’s interesting that she no longer uses the term “freak,” although presumably she still doesn’t know Chloe’s secret. Did this newfound sensitivity come from her research into 33.1 (and memories of her encounter with Bronson in “Static”)? Second, she tries to explain her knowledge by saying that she hopes to help others who have been hurt by Lex. Should we buy it? Is all her research really for the sake of helping 33.1ers…or for hurting Lex? Judging by her sudden discomfort, her nervous tic of rubbing her arm, and her glances away from Clark, I’m guessing that there’s more to this story than she’s telling.
27. “Bit of an ET junkie.” “No way! You’re kidding, me too. I used to sit in the back yard and try and pick up Martian signals with my dad’s ham radio.” “Martians use infrared, silly.” Startling and delightful moment.
28. “What the heck? It’s not like I’m doing anything else tonight.” Nice moment, foreshadowing that Jimmy’s breakup with Chloe will be at least partially due to her becoming wrapped up in her secret.
29. Kara throwing herself at Jimmy was uncomfortable. One starts to wonder if she is a troublemaker. She’s certainly accustomed to getting what she wants.
30. The sad music as Chloe announced her intention of getting cured was perfect.
31. “You don’t understand, Clark. Going psycho or turning into a serial killer aren’t the only two things I have to worry about. When I healed Lois in that dam, it almost killed me. Who’s to say the next time I try to save someone isn’t my last?” I disliked this moment. Chloe’s fear of the first two options made sense; this fear of death didn’t need to be added into the mix. Ever since the fourth season, Chloe has worried about her sanity; her worst fear was that she would be institutionalized like her mother. Moreover, more and more people are innocently observing that meteor freaks tend to crack under the strain. Her fear of mental illness is valid. Fear of death, however, is unlike Chloe. Her power of sacrificing herself to save others was simply a physical manifestation of a gift she’s had all along. It’s who she is. This moment made it seem as if she would rather Lois and others die than risk her own life saving them, which is competely uncharacteristic.
32. “What are the side effects?” “Potentially, memory loss.” …“You’re gonna forget everything! You’re going to forget your friends, your experiences!” This moment would have been stronger if Clark hadn’t been freaking out without any proof. He clearly hasn’t looked into the procedure himself, since he’s relying on Chloe’s word; so he doesn’t know that any of this is going to happen.
33. “You’re gonna forget me.” With finality, “You’re gonna forget me.” I liked it that this is the plea that moves her the most. Even though Clark doesn’t know that she’ll forget him.
34. “Your killing spree stops right now. I’m not going to let you hurt one more person.” This moment, like Moment (r), seems to indicate that Lex’s goal was to protect the meteor freaks from being killed at Knox’s hands.
35. “You come one step closer, and I swear to God I will shoot you.” Knox scoffs, then attacks. Before Knox can get anywhere near him, Lex shoots – not once, but several times in the heart. Clearly this was not simple self-defense: he wanted Knox dead. On the other hand, Clark proceeds to supposedly kill Knox himself, even when he has much more control over his power than Lex over his gun. It’s difficult to tell whether this moment indicated Lex’s fear of Knox’s murderous ways, portrayed Lex’s desire to cover his tracks before Knox could incriminate him, painted Smallville as a Wild West anything-goes town, or was simply scripted to be gratuitous in order to show that Knox could withstand anything. (Or to explain how Knox could overpower Lex later: Lex had used all six bullets.)
36. Clark’s conversation with Lex was interesting in that there was absolutely no pretence between them. They both spoke in complete, brutal honesty…Clark’s honesty more brutal than Lex’s, of course. It was unclear whether this was meant to show that they’ve reached a point where they can level with each other, or whether this was just unlayered writing. First, Clark says matter-of-factly, “I was following that butcher you used to erase the memories of all your 33.1 victims.” No subtle threats or angry accusations; he simply states it, and Lex doesn’t argue. Second, Clark complains, “Makes me sick that I had to take a life for yours.” More on that later, but for this Moment, it’s interesting that he makes no secret of “killing” Knox to save Lex. And even though Lex was unable to fend off Knox with a gun, he shows no surprise at the fact that Clark defeated Knox. Was this oversight or was this intentional?
37. “Lana told you about Dr. Knox, didn’t she?” “Don’t bring Lana into this.” If Clark had responded in a different tone, this could have worked. But since she was divorced from Lex and living with Clark, telling Lex to back off Lana in that tone felt a little ugly.
38. “You’re just as guilty as that doctor. Makes me sick that I had to take a life for yours.” It’s perfectly acceptable for Clark to call Lex on his 33.1 misdeeds; in fact, it would have been acceptable for him to be more specific, instead of simply accusing Lex of being “guilty”. He could have made some solid accusations regarding torture, abuse, and murder. That would have made things interesting. There’s nothing wrong with his honesty here; however, it was inappropriate of him to devalue Lex’s life in the process.
39. “Knox isn’t dead, Clark.” A few lines later… “You’re saying Knox is still alive.” Yes, Clark, that’s what he’s saying. This was a "poor Clark" moment.
40. The scene between Clark and Jimmy was hilarious, as Clark tries to find out where Chloe is, and Jimmy insists on telling Clark about their fight. “Jimmy? Where’s Chloe, I’ve been looking everywhere.” “We had a major misunderstanding, CK. I need your help.” “There’s no time. Where is she?” Long pause. Then Jimmy splutters: “Well, she’s jumping to conclusions! She stormed outta here before I could explain!” “Did she say where she was going?” Maybe this wasn’t supposed to be funny, considering the intense music in the background, but it was.
41. Clark, accusingly: “Where did Knox take Chloe?” “Look, Clark, I want to stop Knox as much as you do. I’ve checked every address on file. They’re all dead ends.” “He didn’t disappear into thin air, Lex.” Since he found Knox about to murder Lex, he knows they aren’t working together. Since Lex is showing up here and not at some other location, security team behind him, he knows that Lex was hoping Knox was here. His accusing tone here was unjustified. (Rather like the “Where are the iPods?” accusations in “Heroes”.)
42. Clark, as if he’s calling Lex’s bluff: “Knox wasn’t alive during WWII, Lex. He’s too young.” Oh, Clark. Oh, Clark. It was painful that he took so long to catch on here.
43. Last we saw of Clark, he and Lex and Lex’s security team figured out where Knox lives. Now Clark rushes in…alone. Since Lex was concerned enough to leave the hospital and barge into Knox’s office with a security team, did this mean that Clark evaded them and that Lex and his team will rush in later to discover dead Sophia and missing Knox and signs of a fight? Or does it mean that Lex allowed Clark to go ahead in some suitably subtle way, trusting him to handle it? My personal guess is that the writers didn’t think that far ahead; if they had, it would have been nice if they had shown something of what transpired between Clark working with Lex and Clark speeding into the mansion.
44. “Your powers may be far beyond those of mortal men, but you’ve met your match!” This was an unfortunate line.
45. It was somewhat anticlimactic that after Clark’s heroic struggle against Knox, with Chloe struggling to free herself from her bonds, with Clark dodging the axe and wrestling with Knox despite the kryptonite…the fight ended when Knox accidentally destroyed his own machine. It would have been nice if Clark and Chloe had played a bigger role in Knox’s defeat, although I understand the desire to leave Knox full of remorse and guilt.
46. Clark watches Curtis Knox weep over the body of his wife, destined to live his life without her…forever. Desperately alone. This was a strong moment, and the expression on Clark’s face as he pictured himself in Knox’s place was perfect.
47. I expected Chloe to try to heal Sophia. Just a few minutes earlier, she told Knox, “If your wife is sick, I can cure her with my abilities.” She put an idea in our heads. Once she brought up the possibility, I expected her to at least try: when she didn’t, it felt like something was missing.
48. Nice establishing shot of the farm at nighttime.
49. “What’d you do with Knox?” “Your father and I had a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy when it came to crime and punishment. I suggest we abide by the same rules.” Clark nods, but he doesn’t accept that entirely. “You didn’t kill him, did you?” He needs to know first. I was torn about this moment. I appreciated it that Clark needed to know whether or not Knox died, that he did not want to have an execution on his hands. And I appreciated it that since the Martian Manhunter was there, Clark took Jor-El’s place as leader and made arrangements with the MM in the same way. But it was disturbing that Clark did not press for any more information; he has more of a conscience than Jor-El does. And his easy acceptance of the MM’s word, particularly after Kara’s accusations earlier, made him seem like a bit of a pushover.
50. The MM sums up the episode for us and for Clark. “Knox is immortal, Kal-El. You can’t kill him. I know what it’s like to have feelings for the people here, but the truth is, you’ll outlive them all.” First, the first half of that speech and the second half have nothing to do with each other. There was no train of thought to follow. Second, viewers don’t need the episode to be spelled out for them. To have the MM say this felt patronizing. Third, less importantly but still worth noting, Clark doesn’t seem to have a problem with the MM calling him “Kal-El,” although this was a major issue between him and Kara. Why?
51. “She’s lucky to have someone like you in her life, Clark. We all are.” Clark looks sadly at Lana as she arranges flowers. Dark piano music with sad strings. Since he goes on to ask her about the ten million dollars, this look has been construed as a look of distrust. However, I saw this as Clark thinking of Knox looking at his love. This carried on the theme from “Fierce,” when Kara told Clark that he and Lana would never grow old together. Clark was looking at Lana and thinking of the day certain to come when he will lose her, and wondering if he will ever be in Knox’s desperate state of mind. These reflections led him to clear the air by asking the important question: he wanted to remove all obstacles between them. However, that’s just speculation.
52. “Clark, that money was part of the divorce settlement.” Lie. “I would never hide anything from you.” Lie. It was disturbing to see Lana lie so seamlessly, particularly with that unrestrained assertion that she would never hide anything from him. This episode had already established that Lana had been thinking about secrets and the role they played; that made this moment all the more ugly.
53. Sitting in the SuperSecret Lab, Lana looks at Lex sitting sadly at his desk, a picture of Lana on their wedding day in the background. Is that compunction in her expression?
    
54. Chloe enters. Jimmy stands up, nervous, but loving. “There you are,” he says, gingerly. He looks at her hopefully. “Remember me?” She smiles. “Jimmy.” He smiles, relieved. “Well, that’s a good sign.” He speaks tentatively, gently, as if to an invalid. “Your letter was a bit Da Vinci Code, and I’m no cryptologist, but…I brought this. To remind you why we belong together.” He’s put so much thought and care into this. Chloe is touched. We’re touched. He pulls up a chair for her and proceeds to show her the sentimental shards that prove his love for her. This was such a sweet moment. This was probably the second or third time that we’ve understood why Jimmy and Chloe were together, and fleeting as it was, I appreciated it.
55. “We lost touch for the longest time, and the day that we bumped into each other again, the world…well, it literally shook.” See above. Sentimental, absolutely, but still earnest and authentic.
56. The turning point. “Well, let’s just agree that the future will be more normal. Deal?” Chloe, hesitantly: “You know…I don’t think I can make you that promise. I don’t think things will never be normal between the two of us.” Jimmy is distressed. He stands up, confused. “Okay…Wait a second…Is this because of Kara? Because after all the times that you left me on hold to go run off and help Clark, I’d hate to think that you – you’re gonna give me a hard time for helping Kara once.” His delivery here is perfect. It would have been so easy for this line to sound arrogant and challenging. Instead it sounded stunned, hurt. Even a little pleading. This was a pivotal moment in the conversation, and both characters managed to come across as compelling and sympathetic. We understand why Chloe can’t promise normality, and we understand why Jimmy takes her refusal to promise as rejection, and we support both of them.
57. “This is entirely me.” “What’s going on, Chloe?” She wants to answer. She does. But she’s frightened. We can feel the butterflies in her stomach. Jimmy, his voice cracking, his eyes tearful: “If you can’t say it – try some sign language or subtitles…?” But she’s already steeled herself against it. She shakes her head, blinking away the tears. “I can’t. I’m sorry.” She’s closed off from him now. Jimmy understands that there is a divide between them that can’t be crossed. “So am I. ‘Cause I’ve tried really, really hard to be the understanding boyfriend. But there’s only so much a guy can take before there’s nothing else to do but…but jump.” Chloe’s look clearly says, If that’s what you want, then so be it. All she says is, “I don’t know what to say.” “Maybe that earthquake wasn’t a sign. Maybe it was a giant fluke just like this relationship.” Chloe lifts her chin resolutely. If that’s what he thinks, then she won’t argue. “Maybe you’re right,” she says, not meaning it. Jimmy hadn’t expected that answer. But it’s final now. “I can’t do this any more, Chloe. I can’t.” As soon as Jimmy walks away, Chloe’s tears run afresh. But he’s gone. They’ve broken up, when neither one really wanted to break up. The writing was good; the interpretation by the actors was great. The most skillfully woven scene of the episode. 

Details

1. I found it hard to believe that Chloe recognized Sasha, when 1) she turned around in recognition based on Sasha’s voice alone, 2) it had been six years since their last encounter, 3) Sasha was much older, and 4) Sasha wasn’t even played by the same actress, resulting in her looking very noticeably different.
   
   
2. Chloe has been sympathetically studying Belle Reve files and identifying with the infected victims. Moreover, she knows that Belle Reve patients get systematically fed into 33.1. Would her first instinct really be to alert Belle Reve that their patient was missing?
3. “Did you just go to the store?” Yes. And he obviously didn’t stand in line and pay, either.
4. “Um, I’m going to go meet Aunt Nell in Metropolis.” I assume that this was a lie, and that she was actually looking at the location where she intended to set up her SuperSecret Lab. In which case Lana’s put-down of secrets as “a Clark thing” was followed by a lie within minutes. It’s worth watching this episode a second time so you catch these interesting ironies.
5. I liked Chloe’s new hairstyle, pulled back. She looked more mature.
6. “Mussolini went down in defeat, Doctor. I won’t accept that in what we’re undertaking.” Is this a reference to the cure or the erasure of memories?
7. “Look, I know that from Mt. Olympus the view must seem like us mere mortals have nothing better to do than help you look for your crystal, but believe it or not, I have important things to do too.” As I said before, go Chloe. But that should be “we,” not “us”.
8. Sasha’s eyes wouldn’t be open that wide, would they? The muscles around her eyes would have relaxed.
9. “I put six bullets in his chest. They didn’t leave a scratch.” How would Lex know that? Yes, Knox pulled the bullets out, but his shirt and his stomach and chest were drenched in blood. It was impossible to tell if there was still an open wound under there.
10. There’s a moment of discontinuity when Lex speaks into his Blackberry: “Send me the pictures on Knox.” In this shot, Clark is looking at Lex. In the next shot, he is looking at the Blackberry.
11. “What do you know about true love?” “I know there’s someone I want to live to see again.” Was this a reference to Jimmy or Clark? She had just walked away from Jimmy and thrown away the card; was this recognition that despite it all, she wanted to go back to him? Clark had wanted her to remember him; was this recognition that she didn’t want to lose her memory of him? If it was a reference to Jimmy, one would think that the final scene would have played out somewhat differently, with Chloe less willing to follow Jimmy’s lead. If it was a reference to Clark, there was a similar lack of follow-up.
12. “I was Jack the Ripper.” Here his motive is to preserve Sophia’s life by transplanting meteor-infected organs. What was his motive then? Presumably there had not been any meteor showers yet, since Krypton had not yet exploded; there were no meteor-infected organs to harvest.
13. Knox was defeated 31 minutes into the 41 minute episode (including opening titles). Was this plot resolved too soon?
14. Chloe joins Jimmy wearing a dress with a low neckline, but there is no sign of a bandage covering her injury on her left breast.

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