NEXT ON SMALLVILLE 7x20 Artic - May 15, 2008 8/7c LEX DISCOVERS CLARK'S SECRET — Kara (Laura Vandervoort) tells Lex (Michael Rosenbaum) he is destined to defeat the Traveler and offers to take him to the Fortress to learn how. Clark (Tom Welling) is stunned that Kara would go to Lex but it is revealed that Brainiac is impersonating Kara and she's actually trapped in the Phantom Zone. Chloe is arrested by the Department of Domestic Security and Lana awakens from her comatose state. Meanwhile, in an epic turn of events, Clark and Lex face off in the Fortress and Lex learns Clark's secret. Erica Durance and Aaron Ashmore also star. QUICK LINKS DI on MySpace: / ZodCast on MySpace: / Fans Around the World / Lois Lane's Daily Journal / Redboots / The Clois Fanfic Archive / Christopher Reeve Foundation / Guestbook FEATURED CLIP TOP AFFILIATES { All Affiliates } BANTER LOG Lois: Clark. Look, I'm not great at this so just keep your mouth shut and listen up. Even though I was kicking butt on the helicopter, it was really nice to have backup, and you didn't have to come after me but you always do, so I wanted to say thank you. You're a really good friend. Oh, and about the Lap dance. If you decide to tell anyone about it, your Elmer Fud nightlight will make a very public apperance. Clark: Aye Aye, Sailor. { All Quotes } SEARCH FOR SMALLVILLE @ Amazon.com @ eBay.com @ AllPosters.com SITE STATS Clois fans online You are visitor # Since 11/27/04 CONTACT US For any news and information or to contact HappyEnding.Org Staff, you can e-mail one of the following: Webmaster: Jerilee Co-Webmasters Nautica7mk, ZodCast and Arwen DISCLAIMER We are in no way affiliated with Tom Welling, Erica Durance, Smallville or The WB. This site is strictly a fansite and nothing monetary is gained. SUPERMAN and all related elements are the property of DC Comics.

Reviews

4:13 Recruit Review

By Zoomway

Wow, this review is so late that it's about to overlap tonight's new episode. I had other stuff to do ... okay, I had other stuff I preferred to do

We open in Nepal where Marion Ravenwood downs shot after shot of whiskey and then overturns the empty glasses as bets pass feverishly back in forth around her. Oh, sorry, that was Raiders of the Lost Ark.

We open in either an off campus bar that caters to the Met U students judging by the school mascot decor, or we're in a frat house with lots of space and glowing neon martini glasses on the wall. Either way, Lois was doing the Marion bit. As she downed another drink she informed her opponent that she's had vodka with a Russian general and black and tans with British battalion troops. The image of an officer and a 'gentleman' drinking with a teen girl is not a pleasant one.

It's clear Lois can hold her liquor as yet another male opponent folds. However, that usually indicates someone with an alcohol problem if they can outdrink someone bigger and heavier. Trivial matters like alcoholism aside, I want to know why Lois was in her pajamas. No one else was, so it obviously wasn't a party theme. I looked at the scene twice. She's definitely in pajamas during the drinking contest.

Oh, well, Lois strolled into the street trying to clear her head, but her last worthy opponent, Coop, had recovered and ran after her. He suggested they play a game where they both win. "Come on, give me some." Lois reminded him he had a girlfriend, but he persisted, so Lois gave him a kick in the gut and moved on.

The next morning the police hammered at Lois' dorm room door and informed her she was under arrest for assault because she had allegedly paralyzed Coop. Okay, that's basically the main plot setup. The subplot dealt with Clark being recruited by Met U and their shady recruitment practices such as offering new cars and having the local 'ho' squad sorority girls make recruits feel really welcome.

In short order we find out that Coop's paralysis was caused by a former Smallville jock named Jeff, AKA "the Teflon Tailback." Being from Smallville, of course, he had a mutant power. He was able to temporarily stun his opponents, or if using more power, paralyze them.

Jeff visited Coop in the hospital as the paralysis was wearing off, re-jolted him and then smothered him with a pillow because Coop had found out that Jeff had 'enhanced' abilities and was going to tell a reporter. Naturally the Smallville mutant solution is murder. However, that upgraded the charges against Lois to manslaughter.

The only redeeming thing about this episode is that Lois did feel remorse for what happened even though she was certain she didn't cause Coop's paralysis. She also swore off drinking. Other than that, this was a shrug fest.

As if things weren't slow enough, the mind-numbingly dull Lex/Lana/Jason story line was added to further bog things down. It is officially the 'Adam' story arc of this season.

Jason went to Lex about the job offer from last week. More of the same circular conversations that lead nowhere took place. Lex wanted Jason to spy on his mother Genevieve to get information about Countess Isobel (Lana witch) Thereaux. Jason told Lana that while Lex was trying to use him for information, he'd be using Lex for information. Lana said she was sick of the secrets and lies. I think the words 'secrets and lies' have a circle-slash over them on a plaque above Lana's bed of perpetual virginity.

Then Lana paid a couple of visits to Lex with her stern mommy voice. I'm not sure what all she was saying because I was distracted by her hair. It looked like she fell asleep on a frozen cow pie and didn't notice it was stuck to the back of her head. Anyway, Lex tried to convince her that Jason was up to something, or at the very least lying to her. Despite having a comforter, Lana's bed of perpetual virginity wept softly in the distance.

This has nothing to do with the episode, but here's another one of those huge annoying ad banners, but since it was more interesting than the Lex/Lana/Jason story line, I tossed it in.

Meanwhile, back at the plot ...

At a party honoring the dear departed Coop, Jeff stepped out and zapped a guy who was bugging him for money owed for a urine sample. Ah, for the old days of swapping baseball cards. Clark observed the altercation and promptly reported it to Chloe and Lois. He said that when Jeff touched the guy he went to his knees like he'd been hit with a stun gun and so Clark suspected that Jeff had a mutant power. Lois said, "Using your powers on the field to cheat is pathetic, but it's not paralyzing anyone."

Keep Lois' line in mind because at the end Clark makes a decision about football. Not that it's hard to guess what the decision is.

Anyway, trying to wrap this up, Lois decided to question "Mr. Pee-body" (the guy who provided the urine sample). However, Jeff caught her, paralyzed her and put her in room that began filling with water.

Chloe found Lois' broken sunglasses and saw Jeff's car speeding away. Then she and Clark miraculously hacked into the 'Trip Star' (ripoff on OnStar) system in Jeff's car to track him down. Clark saved Lois, Jeff was busted and that's about it.

Clark told his parents that if he took the football scholarship he'd be in the same boat as Jeff, i.e., fake every physical, lie to pass tests, etc., to protect his secret. "I want to believe that I could go out there and play football like any other normal college kid, but the fact is, I have powers that no other athlete has."

Well, duh. However, Clark said earlier in the episode that he didn't use his abilities when he played football so what he's really saying is that once the pressure was on to play college football, he'd cave just like Jeff did and use his powers. Also, "college kids" is a phrase older people would use to describe college students, but it sounds ludicrous coming from someone younger than college 'kids'. It was like Chloe using "young Mr. Kent" a couple of weeks ago. It's as if the writers are writing from their point of view rather than the characters'.

Anyway, Clark told his parents that he had decided not to use the football scholarship to get a free ride through college. "This decision you made, son, shows integrity well beyond your years." Yeah, just last week he was still dating a girl who drugged him and used to stalk him and tried to kill him. They grow up so fast these days.

Clark also told Chloe about his decision to forego the scholarships route.

"I'm proud of you, Clark."

"Proud of me?"

"I just have a feeling that you're destined to do more in this world than just score touchdowns."

"Chloe, you've been saying a lot of weird things lately. What makes you think I'm destined to do anything?"

"Just a hunch."

This whole scenario of Chloe knowing but not telling Clark that she knows is actually a little annoying. Chloe isn't really saying anything too different from stuff she's said through the run of the series. Even in the pilot episode she commented that Clark must have found a black hole to beat the bus to school. What has changed, however, is Clark's *reaction* to what she says. He behaves as if statements she's made for years have something profound behind them now, or have hidden meaning now.

They haven't used Chloe's knowledge of the secret to a good advantage. Instead of making Chloe point out things that Clark does that most humans can't do, they should have Chloe remain quiet about it. Now *that* would make Clark suspicious.

There has to be a crisis in the future where Chloe will be forced to tell Clark she knows his secret so he'll be free to go do what he has to do and it will be out in the open between them. Until then, it could get ugly.

Lastly, Lois went to the loft and thanked Clark for saving her life. She also admitted she was punted out of college over the booze issue (underage drinking?) and that it wasn't the first time she faced the "disciplinary board kangaroo court." Her father refused to let her back in the barracks and Chloe and Gabe now live in a small one-bedroom apartment. So Lois spun a tale of living in her car and then selling it for food and perhaps living the life of a hobo riding the rails. Before Lois' story of destitution could continue, Clark suggested she stay with his family.

Lois chirped a thank you and said she needed a hot shower but promised to keep it under a half hour. Clark looked mystified. "What just happened?"

Lois looked rather striking in this scene. Just as Welling has a slightly feminine handsomeness, or did in earlier seasons, Durance has a slightly masculine beauty. That, combined with her 5'8 frame make her tough-girl attitude and fight scenes much more believable than when it's coming from petite and childlike Kristin Kreuk (Lana).

In fact, Durance being in the episode was about all it had going for it and even that didn't help much.

Next week Krypto. Yeah, the super dog, if just in name only.

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