Smallville (Season 1, Ep 10): Shimmer

Welcome to Smallville. I am doing an episode-by-episode watch, recap, and reaction and blogging about it here. There will be no spoilers for the series beyond the current episode. You can find my prior recaps HERE.

For those of you that don’t want to read the long plot recap, I provide a quick episode summary here at the top. You can read that and just scroll down to the “REACTION” heading below.

THE QUICK AND CLEAN SUMMARY:

Amy, the daughter of some Luthor family servants who live on the mansion’s grounds develops an unhealthy crush on Lex and a strong aversion for Victoria. When an invisible person begins to stage attacks on Victoria, Amy becomes the prime suspect. After Lex and Clark discover a shrine she has made to Lex, and Lex’s stolen watch among her possessions, Lex sends her family away to Metropolis while she gets counseling. He offers to pay the bill as he is fond of her family.

However, after Clark and Chloe examine some blood found on glass at one of the attacks, they determine that Amy’s brother Jeff is the real culprit. Clark realizes that Lex will be at the mansion with Jeff, alone, as their family packs up to move. Clark is able to get to the mansion in time to save Lex from being killed by Jeff in retaliation for Lex sending his family away. During his confrontation with Jeff, Clark learns that he developed a plant oil – from a plant on the grounds – that renders him invisible.

THE EXTRA DUSTY RECAP:

The show opens as Clark and Lana discuss how she got out of gym class. Lana explains that she was given permission to miss because she is working the school’s blood drive. Clark asks Lana if she is not the girl who, in seventh grade, skinned her knee and then passed out at the sight of the blood. She says she had hoped she had lived that one down. Pete calls Clark away and they say goodbye to each other.

A pretty blonde haired girl is writing feverishly in a notebook. A boy named Troy yanks the book away from her. When she tells him to give it back, he says that he just wants to find out if she wrote anything about him. Another boy walks up, Jeff, and Troy tells him that the girl is writing a ‘psycho love letter’ to Lex Luthor. Very intensely, Jeff tells him to give it back to her. Troy replies that it is not his fault that Jeff has a weirdo for a sister. The girl suddenly tells Troy that he is a child and she says that childish like his is why girls prefer a man like Lex. Troy tells her to keep dreaming and he says that her and Jeff’s parents clean Lex’s bathrooms. Jeff again intensely tells Troy to give the notebook back. Troy finally complies and calls them both losers.

Coming out of the showers, Pete asks Clark when he will be donating blood. When Clark says that he does not know, Pete replies that girls love selfless giving to help others. Suddenly Clark looks ill. Pete asks if he is alright and Clark says yes though it does not appear to be true. Troy is dressed and alone next to a group of lockers. A locker door appears to move on its own. Next a pair of shoes seem to levitate into the air and then fly across the room. Next a locker slams into his head and then a dumbbell flies across the room, hitting him in the chest. It hits him again and again. Troy yells out ‘stop it’ which causes Clark to overhear and asks if he is okay. The attack suddenly stops. Clark asks what happened and Troy replies that a ghost attacked him. As a shirtless towel wearing Clark and Pete look around, we see what looks like a shape leaving the room through the fog of their shower.

♫Somebody saaaaaaavvee meeeee♫

At the local coffee shop, The Beanery, Clark relays the story to Chloe. She asks if he saw nothing and Clark says that by the time he got around the corner Troy was on the floor. She asks about a voice that Troy said he heard and Clark asks her if she thinks the locker room is haunted.

Chloe: Not unless the meteor rocks can conjure up the ghosts of dearly departed jockstraps which I seriously doubt.
Clark: Well it’s nice to see you still have your standards.

On the other side of the coffee shop, they overhear Lana arguing with Whitney. She is asking him to tell her outright if he does not want to help her with the blood drive. He replies that it is not that he does not want to help, it is that he does not have the time. Chloe comments to Clark that their argument does not look pretty. The argument goes on and Lana says that Whitney has been avoiding her for a week. She adds that every time she has asked him what is wrong, he has pushed her away. She says she is worried about him. He tells her, roughly, not to be worried and he says that he needs some space.

Lana: If that’s what you want, find, but if you can’t even confide in me I don’t know why we’re going out in the first place.

She walks away and toward Clark and Chloe. Chloe whispers to pretend that they were not watching. When Lana reaches their table, Clark asks how it is going. She smiles, says it is not going great, and thanks them for the courtesy cluelessness. Chloe asks if it would cheer her up if they volunteer to offer her a pint the following day. Lana tells Chloe that she has 9:45 open and Chloe agrees. Clark, on the other side of the table, looks panicked. Lana asks Clark what time she can put him down and he says that he is not sure. He asks if he can get back to her. Lana looks both confused and a little hurt as she tells him that it is not a problem. Clark recovers and says that he thinks he can help with getting people to sign up and with passing out milk and cookies. Lana smiles and leaves.

After she goes, Chloe congratulates him on his recovery before asking him if his offer to help includes ulterior motives. Clark obliquely says that he is just being a good friend.

At the Luthor mansion, Victoria is on the phone with her father, as Lex plays pool in the room listening. She tells her dad that Lex is playing hard to get but that she is sure she can make him come around. After she gets off the phone, Victoria tells Lex that her father wants to know if Lex will sell the castle after he sells out his father.

Lex: Why? Does he want to ship it back over to Scotland?

Just then, the girl who was writing the love letter in a notebook to Lex, earlier, coughs and enters the room. Lex asks her, Amy, where her mother is. She replies that her mom has the flue and asked her to fill in for the afternoon. Lex asks Amy if she has met Victoria. Amy can barely hide her disdain as she says no. Lex tells her that Victoria will be staying with them. Amy glares. Amy spills the water glasses she is holding on a tray, onto the floor, and begins apologizing profusely. Amy gets up to go find something to clean things up.

Victoria: She spilled that on purpose.
Lex: That was a mistake, wasn’t it Amy?
Amy: Sure.

After Amy goes, Victoria points out that Amy clearly has a thing for Lex. He smiles and says that he never took Victoria for the jealous type. Lex then tells her that Amy’s parents are a fixture at the mansion and that he brought them to Smallville with him from Metropolis. Victoria tells him to send them back.

We see Amy marching across the mansion’s grounds. A woman doing yardwork, presumably her mother, asks if she was just inside the house. Amy does not answer. Her mother follows Amy inside their servant’s quarters and calls out to Amy again. Inside, Jeff asks what is going on. Their mother tells him that Amy was bothering Mr. Luthor. Amy replies that if anyone was bothering him it was the tramp. Amy adds that Victoria is ruining everything and that she wants Lex all to herself. Her mother reminds Amy that they live on the Luthor Estate but are not part of the Luthor’s world. Her mother tells both Amy and Jeff that they need to know and remember their place. Jeff tells her not to worry and says that they know exactly where their place is. Amy’s mother and brother leave the room. After they are gone, she kisses a watch that she pulls from a desk drawer. She then puts it around her wrist. The clock face depicts a man crowned in laurel leaves.

At the Kent House, Martha asks Clark about some paperwork. He tells her, and Jonathan who is there also, that there is a blood drive at school being organized by Lana. Jonathan tells Clark that he cannot donate. Clark says that he knows but does not know what he is supposed to tell Lana.

Martha: That you have a problem with needles, which you technically do.
Clark: Great. Not only do I like but I look like a wuss.

Jonathan tells Clark, while adding first that he cannot believe he is about to say this, that he cannot always be honest with people. He tells Clark that this is one of the prices that he pays for his abilities. Clark tells his dad that this is why he volunteered.

Martha: I’m sure it had nothing to do with the fact that Lana is running it.
Clark: Whitney dropped out.
Martha: So you thought you’d move in.

Clark pauses for a long while and then tells his parents that if he doesn’t see how great she is that he doesn’t deserve her. Martha and Jonathan both smile at each other, somewhat impressed with Clark’s new assertiveness.

At the Luthor Castle, Lex is alone in a room when the door to that room opens on its own. Lex is face down on the rug, looking under the couch, when he senses a presence standing over him. He turns to find Clark holding a bouquet of white tulips.

Clark: Looking for something?
Lex: My watch.

Lex tells Clark that the tulips look great and Clark replies that he cleaned them out. He tells Lex that his mom said if he wanted more, he would have to call Holland. Lex smiles and tells Clark that they are Victoria’s favorite. Suddenly, the tulips fly across the room and onto the floor. Both men look completely alarmed as Lex asks Clark what that was.

We see someone’s fingers typing on a laptop, accessing the Luthor security system.

As Clark unloads a truck filled with white tulips, he notes that Lex and Victoria seem to be getting pretty close. Lex tells Clark that he sounds surprised. Clark replies that she does not seem like his type. Lex smiles and tells Clark that relationships aren’t always about love. He says tat sometimes they are about mutual goals.

Lex: Not every girl is Lana Lang.

Clark apologizes and says that it’s none of his business anyway. Lex tells him that it’s okay and that he admires his standards. He tells Clark not to lose that. Lex resumes his search for the watch. As he stoops, Clark tells him that he decided to take teh advice from a friend and fight for Lana. Lex seems happy about that. Cark asks him if he has another watch. Lex says that he has hundreds but that this one is special because his mother gave it to him just before she died. Clark scans the room with his X-Ray vision and tells Lex that he does not see it. Lex asks if he is part blood hound.

Clark: No, I live on a farm.
[Lex looks visibly confused.]
Clark: I’m pretty good at finding needles in haystacks.

Clark offers to go look in the library. Inside, he finds Victoria on a laptop with “Cadmus Labs” displayed prominently on the screen. She quickly logs off. Clark hears a banging sound from upstairs and runs out of the room. He meets Lex at the staircase. Both of them run up the stairs ot investigate the sound. Upstairs, they see a door banging open and shut, shrouded by a blinding bright light behind it. Victoria joins them by the door and asks what is going on. Lex walks over toward the door, places his hand on the doorknob, and all of the commotion stops. The door is still and the light is gone.

When Lex places his hand on the doorknob to turn it, we see the bright light still behind the keyhole. Suddenly the door is thrown open and Lex is thrown back into Clark. Lex and Clark next enter the room. The room glows with black light and we see “go” and “leave” scrawled on the walls. Lex and Clark both stare at each other in great alarm.

Later, Chloe looks at pictures Clark took of the room. She says it does not leave much room for interpretation. Clark says in agreement that it was pretty weird. He then tells her more of what happened. Clark tells Chloe that after the door burst open, Lex said he felt something brush past him.

Chloe: Maybe the Scottish castle comes complete with poltergeists.
Clark: Well teh police say it’s vandals. They don’t know many ghosts who write in spray paint and own a black light.

Chloe changes the subject and asks about the blood rive. Clark tells her that he and Lana are getting together tonight. Chloe says that sounds very romantic. SHe then give him the advice that once he crosses the romance line with Lana, he can no longer hide behind the cloak of friendship any longer.

At the Luthor mansion, as Lex kisses Victoria on a couch, Lionel marches in.

Lionel: Lex… you have disappointed me.
Lex: [smiling broadly] Hi dad. It’s good to see you too.

Lionel asks Lex if he minds telling him what Victoria is doing here. Lex replies that right now she is working on his neck. Lex adds that knowing her, though, that’s just the start. Lionel laughs and asks if this is a ploy to get his attention. Lionel tells him well done and that it worked. Lex tells his father that while it may come as a shock, not everything in his life revolves around his father.

Lionel: I understand. So you’re simply being swindled.

He then asks Victoria to excuse them while he and Lex have a chat about family loyalty. Victoria says that is alright and adds that she will run herself and Lex a bath. Then she kisses him vigorously one more time for good measure before going. On her way out, Victoria tells Lionel that she will send Sir Harry his regards. Lionel answers “swell.” After she goes, Lex tells his father that this is hardly business. Lionel replies that generations of Luthors would beg to differ.

Lionel: It’s always business – especially where the Hardwickes are concerned.

Lionel yells at Lex that Victoria was sent to distract him and adds that Sir Harry has been nippin gaway at LuthorCorp for months. Lex replies that LuthorCorp is his father’s company. Lex goes further and says that he is just one of its many expendable employees.

Lex: As you made abundantly clear when you exiled me to this charming cow town.
Lionel: Empires are not brought down by outside forces. They are destroyed by weaknesses from within!

Lionel tells Lex, and he says that it is not for the first time, that Smallville is his test. He adds that right now Lex is failing that test. Lex tells his father that he knows what he is doing and Lionel yells back that no, he does not, and says that Victoria is playing the only card she has and right now Lex is fallin gfor it hook, line, and sinker. Lex walks away and says that his personal life is his business. Lionel tells him that hwen his personal life effects his company, it is not his own business.

Lionel: Lex, listen to this. If you sell out your family, then you will truly be alone in the world.

Elsewhere, Amy walks up on Victoria listening to the conversation from the other side of the door. She apologizes for surprising her. When she walks away she says aloud that she does not deserve him. Amy leaves the house and runs into her brother outside on the Estate grounds. He asks her what is wrong. She replies “her.”

Clark is with Lana at her house organizing the donations schedule. Abruptly Clark tells her that they are done. She is surprised and asks if he is kidding. He answers by saying that they own this town. Lana brings up that they do not have a time for Clark to donate yet. He tells her that he has a confession to make. He says that he has a thing about needles and tht it is kind of embarrassing. She tells him not to worry about it and that his secret is safe with her. Clark seems relieved at how well she takes that answer. She stands and tells him that he is a lifesaver.

Clark: It’s amazing you do all these different things.
Lana: I’m just trying to find my place in the world.

She thanks him again and starts to talk about how she does not know where Whitney has been lately. Clark uncomfortably tells her that if she really wants to hank him, she should not talk about Whitney. She seems to understand his meaning and says that is fair enough. Clark abruptly changes the subject and asks Lana if she ever thinks it’s strange that his dad and her aunt used to date. Lana says that Nell does not talk about it much and adds that whatever it was that happened, she took it pretty hard. Clark says that he is glad the two of them are so close. Lana smiles and says that she feels the same way.

Lana: That’s the thing about Clark Kent. He’s not always there when you want him. But he’s always there when you need him.

Clark tells her that’s a fine distinction. He sits next to her. She smiles up at him and says that he is the one helping her with the blood drive. Their faces get closer together as Lana adds that he is also the one who listens. Just as they are about to kiss, Nell comes out onto the porch and asks Lana if she is still at it. She notices that Clark is out there and apprises the situation. She asks him if he knows the time and he sheepishly tells her no but that he is guessing it is late. She smiles and tells him he is a smart kid. She then goes back inside. With the moment ruined, Lana and Clark stand up. Lana tells Clark she will see him tomorrow. Clark tries to salvage things.

Clark: Lana, you ever see the sunset from my loft?
Lana: Yes. [pauses while Clark’s face deflates] But that’s the great thing about sunsets. They’re unique.

Clark asks if she wants to come over tomorrow. Lana smiles and says she would love to. She tells him goodnight and goes inside.

Later at school, Pete is making fun of Clark’s “sunset from my loft” line. He then advises Clark to start scripting his lines now. When Clark says he will play it by ear and fly by the seat of his pants, Pete tells him he is not the flying type. Pete offers to make him some notes. Pete goes and Clark overhears the school counselor talking to Whitney. She is tellin gWhitney that hsi mother called and is concerned. Whitney tells her tht his mom should not have called. The counselor tells him that she is just concerned. She offers to talk to Whitney and tells him that her office is just down the hall. Whitney drops his books. Clark bends down to help him pick them up. Whitney roughly rejects Clark’s help and quickly gathers his things. As he walks away down the hallway, Clark uses X-Ray vision to peak into Whitney’s backpack. He sees inside a bottle of Amlodipine. Later, as Clark is reading about the drug on a computer, Amy approaches him.

Clark: Is everything okay?
Amy: Yeah, it’s just, um, all the weirdness at the mansion. Everything was fine untli Victoria got there. Oh, well, you’re Lex’s friend. What do you think of her?

Clark says that he does not know her that well. Amy offers to him that she knows why Victoria is sticking around. She says that she saw Victoria in Lex’s bedroom going through his things. Clark asks her why she was in Lex’s bedroom. She answers that she was helping her mom. Clark asks if Victoria saw her and she says no. Amy shares with Clark that Lex is the only person who ever treated her like she was there.

That night, we see Victoria drawing a bath and getting in. She looks around the room nervously. In another room, Lex has a laptop open and sees the same Cadmus information that Victoria was looing at earlier. Clark enters the room where Lex is working and Lex asks hm why he has come over so late. Lex asks him if he is here to do ghost hunting. Clark tells him no and that he came to talk to him about Victoria. Clark looks around and asks where she is. Lex says she is taking a bath. Clark comes closer and tells Lex that last night when he was n here, he saw Victoria going through the files on his computer. Lex tells Clark that he knows.

Clark: Yeah, how’d you know?
Lex: Very little happens in this house without my knowledge.

Clark tells him that he does not seem very upset and Lex replies that he and Victoria are playing chess. He reminds Clark and he and Victoria have known each other for a long time.

Clark: You don’t love her. She goes behind your back. WHy do you want to keep her around?
Lex: It’s complicated. Thanks for the heads up.

Clark tells him that is what friends are for and adds that he shouldn’t even bring up that Amy has an obsession with him. Lex tells him it is a teenage crush and nothing more. He changes the subject to ask him how goes the new Lana initiative. Clark tells him that he found something out about Whitney. Clark tells Lex that he saw a prescription for Amlodipine in Whitney’s bag. Lex knows washout research that this is a heart medication. When Clark looks at him in surprise, Lex admits that his mother was on it before her surgery. Clark starts to ask if that is when she died but stops halfway. Lex teintuits his question and tells Clark that his mom was sick for a long time. He adds that the watch is looking for is somethin gshe gave him when she knew it was getting close.

Lex: She found a Napoleon Frank from 1806 and had it made into the face.
Clark: Why Napoleon?
Lex: You ever see teh painting of Napoleon’s Coronation by David?
Clark: No.
Lex: Napoleon’s mother couldn’t make it to his coronation. But when he commissioned it Napoleon told David to paint her in as if she were there. Right in the center. Even though she couldn’t be there physically he brought her into his life by sheer force of will. There to share in his greatness.
Clark: It’s a good story.
Lex: It’s a good watch.

In Victoria’s bath, a candle is abruptly blown out. She opens her eyes and sees that the door is now wide open. She looks again and the door is closed. She calls out for Lex and then screams when something forces her down into the water. During her struggle, she breaks some glass bath decoration with her flailing foot. Clark hears the glass break on his way out of the mansion. He speeds up the stairs and finds Victoria no longer moving in the water. He pulls her out of the water. She begins coughing. Clark tells her she will be okay. Suddenly he is flung across the room into a mirror. It shatters. He uses his X-Ray vision and sees a skeleton leaving the room. The person is invisible with his normal vision. Clark notices blood on a piece of broken glass.

Later with Chloe, he shows her the glass and says that it is definitely blood.

Chloe: Doesn’t exactly fit the Casper paradigm. Which means that whoever attacked you and Victoria in the bathroom was… invisible?

Chloe looks at the glass again and asks what the green stuff on it is. She says that it smells like roses. When she touches it, the part of her skin that touches it disappears. Clark says that if she rubbed that all over her body she would be invisible. Chleo asks what their next move is. CLark says that they cannot call the police to report an invisible person. CHloe next asks who has a problem with Lex’s British fling and Clark tells her that Amy Palmer does. Suddenly Chloe remembers that Amy gvave blood. Charl tells her that she donated at 3:45 in Station B. Chloe tells Clark that he has a freakishly good memory. Chloe tells Clark that she will test the blood sample from the broken piece of glass against’ Amy’s donated blood. Clark asks Chloe if she will call him later. She beams and tells him that he is at the top of her speed dial.

Walking through school, Clark sees Whtney sitting alone. He walks over and sits next to him. Whitney tells him that whatever it is, he is not interested. Clark asks him if he is interested in Lana. Whitney fires back and asks him what the deal is between Clark and his girlfriend. When Clark tells him that htey are ust friends, Whitney asks Clark if he thinks he does not see the way he looks at her.

Clark: Well, at least I pay attention. You’ve got the most unbelievable girlfriend in the world and you don’t even know it. What’s your problem?

Angrily, Whitney tells Clark that how he deals with his girlfriend is his own business. He gets up to walk away when Clark tells him that he saw the heart medication in his bag. Whitney stops. Clark asks him what is going on. Whitney tells him that it is his dad’s. He says that his dad has been in Metropolis all week getting tests. Clark asks if he will be okay and Whitney tells him that the doctors do not know. Clark looks at him and notes that he has not told Lana yet. Whitney says that he figured she has been through enough pain in her life, with her parents, and he says he did not want her to have to go through this with him. Clark shakes his head and tells him that he does not give Lana enough credit.

Clark: She’s strong. She’d probably understand better than anybody.

Clark gets up and leaves. Whitney looks introspective initially and then confused as to why Clark is helping him with Lana.

Clark finds Lex at The Beanery. He asks how Victoria is doing and Lex tells him that she is in Metropolis until he can find some answers about what is going on. Lex asks him about Whitney and Clark asks him if he ever got information he wished that he did not get. Lex replies that in his experience, he has never had too much information. Clark tells him that Whitney’s dad is sick. Lex infers that Clark is now worried that he is taking advantage by taking his shot at Lana now. Clark asks him what he would do an Lex says he would go for it anyway. He adds though that this is what he likes about Clark. He says Clark wouldn’t.

‘Just then, Amy walks up and says hi to Lex. He tells her that it’s a surprise to see her. She explains that she saw his car outside and thought she’d stop by and say hi. As Lex tells her tht he appreciates the gesture, Clark notices that she has a bandage on her hand. He uses his X-Ray vision to see through her bandage and discovers that she is wearing Lex’s missing watch. She mentions Victoria being gone and things going back to normal and her face falls when Lex tells her that Victoria will be back in a few days. Lex tells her that Victoria is really not as bad as she thinks. Amy replies nervously that she never thought that and then says bye and leaves them. After she goes, Clark sits silently for lon nough that Lex asks him what it is.

In the next scene, Amy’s mom tells Lex that Amy has been having trouble in school but that she cannot imagine Amy would actually try to hurt Ms. Hardwicke. Lex and Clark look around Amy’s room and they find a small shrine dedicated to Lex. Lex also finds his watch. Amy’s mother seems horified and tells Lex that she had no idea. SHe asks him not to call the police .

Lex: I’m not interested in retribution or publicity but Amy needs help.

Lex tells her that he will pay the bill for whatever it is that she needs – counseling or medical treatment. He adds that even so, he thinks it might be est that they leave teh mansion for tonight. Amy’s mother says ‘of course.’

Lana visits Clark’s loft to view a sunset. She smiles and is pleased that Clark arrives on time to watch it with her. He apologizes for being late and she says that it’s just getting to the good part.

Lana: What do you think?
Clark: [looking at Lana] I think it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.

Lana tells Clark that she thought he was trying to tell her something the other night on the porch. Clarm smiles and says that he was and he adds that Nell’s timing was impeccable as always. Lana takes a step closer to Clark and tells him that she is not here now. Clark tries to say what he wanted to say the other night be eventually tells Lana that he would never do anything to hurt her.

Lana: I know that.
Clark: But if I said what I really wanted to say right now that’s what I’d do.

Lana tells him to take a shot and she says that sh eis pretty strong. Clark sighs, he says that he knows, and he says that he thinks Whitney needs to know that, too. Lana reminds Clark that he didn’t want to talk about Whitney. He hesitantly tells her that he does not. Then he walks a few feet away from her. Clark adds though that if she was his girlfriend, standing in Whitney’s loft, he would hope that Whitney would say the same thing. Clark tells Lana that she needs to talk to him and that he needs her right now. She looks at him, somewhat angrily, and asks him why he is doing this. Clark replies that after all of this time, they are finally friends, and he says he does not want to lose that. Abruptly, Lana looks over at the sun and sees that it has set. She tells Clark that they missed it. They stare at each other and then Lana leaves.

At the Luthor mansion, as Amy leaves, she apologizes and tells Lex that she just wanted to feel close to him. Lex just looks at her sympathetically. Amy’s mother tells Lex that Jeff is going to pack everything else and that her husband will be back in the morning to pick everything else up. She starts to apologize again and Lex tells her it’s okay. He asks her to drive safely. After they go, Lex tries to call Victoria. Something unseen knocks the phone from his hands. Lex asks whoever is there to come out and show themselves. Something invisible punches him in the face after.

Martha finds Clark alone and lying on a couch in his loft. She asks how it went with Lana. Clark replies that they are still friends. She asks if he is okay with that and he tells her no. He adds though that he thinks it is the right call for now. Just then, Chloe shows up with the blood test results. Martha excuses herself. Chloe tells Lex that the blood type on the glass is Type A and that Amy’s blood type is O.

Clark: Look at Jeff’s.
Chloe: her brother’s? He’s always been so quiet.
Clark: Practically invisible.

Clark jumps to his feet and tells Chloe that he will catch up with her later.

We see Lex lying on a floor, arms tied behind his back, as a male voice yells at him saying that she loved him. It asks him how he could send her away. Lex asks who he is and the voice replies, mockingly, that suddenly Master Lex with his castle cares. Lex recognizes Jeff’s voice and asks him where he is.

Jeff: I’m surprised you even know my name. Did you forget the unspoken rule? Servants are supposed to be invisible.

He goes on, saying that hi s parents learned to live with it but Amy wanted more. He says he is through pretending. He then strikes Lex again. Lex aks Jeff what he has ever done to him. Jeff says it is not him, it is Amy. He tells Lex that Amy loved him and that he threw her out like she was nothing. Lex says that he thought she was attacking Victoria. Jeff admits that he is the attacker and he says that he wanted to scare her. He says that he wanted her to leave so that things could go back to the way that they were before for Amy’s sake.

Jeff: But you’re not interested in love.
Lex: That kind of love could get me arrested. She’s a little young for me, Jeff.

Jeff takes a sword from Lex’s wall and tells him that he ruined Amy’s life. He then amends his statement to say Lex ruined both of their lives. He throws a sword at Lex’s head. The pointy end of the sword sticks in the floor inches from Lex’s head. Clark arrives at teh mansion and yells for Lex through the front door. LEx yells back so Clark pushes the door open. Clark cannot see Jeff but he asks him what happened. Jeff explains that it is chemestry. He says some plants do not absorb light, they regract it.

Jeff: I found a weird green rose on the grounds so I studied it. And then I used the oils to become what I’ve always been.

Jeff throws something shaped like a mace at Clark’s head. It shatters. Jeff then says that he has heard Lex talk about him like he is something special. Jeff tells Clark that he is special, too. He tries to strangle Clark but Clark elbows him roughly in his midsection. Jeff flies across the room and lands next to a scaffold holding up a paint bucket. The paint falls on him, making him visible and yellow. Jeff does not move.

Later the police arrive. Clark asks Lex what he thinks will happen to Jeff. Lex replies that he will get a lot of serious therapy. Lex says the biggest question is how he made himself invisible. Clark suggests that he supposes the secret will remain with Jeff. Clark asks Lex how his head is and Lex says that he has survived worse though he cannot say the same for his father’s antiques collection. Clark apologizes and Lex tells him not to be because his mother always hated that room.

Lex: “War is in our nature” she said. “We don’t need to put it on display.”

That night, from his barn loft and using a telescope, Clark spies on Lana talking to Whitney on her front porch. As he watches them embrace, the episode ends.

REACTION:

Another episode that I largely liked. The Lex-Victoria corporate intrigue was better this week than last and I’m sure Lionel’s visit helped to sell the subplot. It also helps that we see that Lex has no illusions about Victoria – he knows she is spying on him and he is doing the same to her in turn. Sleeping together is part of their mutual spycraft. Now that Lex seems to have things in hand with that situation, we need to see her surprise him in some way and get the upper hand in turn. I’m interested in seeing how it unfolds.

I’m probably too old for the relationship angst here but I thought it was well executed. Clark was straight forward and confident with Lana (like a younger and more awkward Christopher Reeve with Margot Kidder’s Lois) but ultimately backs off for honorable reasons. It’s funny to watch his pursuit of Lana because it almost seems like in addition to Lana, he is also trying to convince Whitney that he is the better guy for Lana, too. And he is succeeding. The ultimate triumph is getting your opponent to happily surrender without a struggle.

Lex’s relationship with his late mother is really fascinating. We get a sense that his heart is in play when he talks about her, rather than the emotion being a façade. That makes her place with him unique. He has multiple competing and yet real motivations with everyone else. I can’t say enough about how much I enjoy Rosenbaum’s take on Lex. It’s layered and it’s really good. He’s supremely confident in himself and his destiny. The Napoleon monologue here is corny but it also works because it’s Lex Luthor. He’s hungry for parental approval while simultaneously driven (REALLY driven) to outduel his father. I don’t think he’d accept anymore a Jonathan Kent style of approval from Lionel even if it was offered. Approval will be in overcoming his dad. That said, he still longs for something of that nature even if it is now out of reach due to it being years too late to accept it. I think he really does feel empathy for Amy and her parents. He also feels a big brother like affection and admiration for Clark while simultaneously holding an unhealthy obsession with him. It’s just fun to se the parts of a future monster that are not very monstrous competing against the parts of him that are monstrous.

The bad of this episode was the meteor freak of the week. The show did not exactly hide that Jeff was the *real* bad guy. His creepiness was readily apparent right away and a lot of what the invisible person was doing seemed to require more strength than what Amy possessed. Jeff’s explanation for how he developed his invisibility oil was also absurdly weak – even by the low bar standard for that kind of thing on this show. The one upside of the Jeff character is that I did immensely enjoy the way Rosenbaum delivers the line about her being a little young for him.

Weak bad guy notwithstanding, this was a pretty good episode.