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.

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6:05 Reunion

by Zoomway

Yeah, the topic says it all...

The episode opened at Hogwarts ... uh ... at Excelsior, an exclusive prep school. The flashback date was given as October 26, 1996.

We have young Lex Luthor wearing a baseball cap to hide his baldness, but he also has a comic book, which will tend to get you beaten up in school even with a full head of hair.

Lex and a dweebish looking companion were walking along discussing the finer points of a battle between Warrior Angel and Black Diamond when young Oliver Queen snatched the comic out of Lex's hand. Two fellow bullies (they travel in packs) walked up behind Oliver.

"Look who it is, boys," Oliver said. "Weirdo Angel and his trusty sidekick Grease Spot."

"Give it back, Ollie," Lex said.

"That's 'Mr. Queen' to you, little man."

"It's okay, Lex, I'll just get another one," the sidekick said.

"Yeah, Duncan'll just get another one," a blond bully minion said. "Oh, wait, he can't."

"Oh, yeah, that's right," said the brunette bully minion. "His mommy doesn't have any money, that's why he's on scholarship."

"Shut up, Geoffrey (brunette). Shut up Alden (blond)," Lex snapped. "Give it back ... Mr. Queen."

"Sure, you know what? Let's make this a two parter," Oliver said and tore the comic book in half.

Lex charged forward angrily, but Alden pushed him down, causing his cap to fall off. "Nice haircut, cueball," Alden said.

"Come on," Oliver said. "These girls aren't even worth it."

Alden couldn't resist getting in Lex's face and calling him a loser before departing.

"One day I'm gonna get those guys," Lex said and then the scene switched to the present.

Lex stared up at a statue at Excelsior as Lana walked up. "We had a stuffed crow at Smallville High," she said. "Two different worlds, huh?"

"In this case, I think I prefer yours."

"If that's how you feel, why come to this thing?" Lana asked.

"Well, Lana," he said in a mentoring tone. "Some of the deepest pockets in the country went to Excelsior. These alumni socials are good for business."

"Then let's be social so we can get the hell out of here," she replied. How the pink one has changed.

"Lana," Lois said as she approached the couple. "Your billionaire drag you to this thing, too?"

I thought that was funny. Instead of pretending there's nothing odd about both of them dating billionaires, Lois just stated the obvious.

Lex's smile vanished. "Oliver's here?"

"I don't get it," Lois said. "You put a bunch of pubescent boys in silly jackets and cram them full of pomp and circumstance, you're just asking for a round of Lord of the Flies."

"I don't know," Oliver said as he joined Lois. "We turned out all right, didn't we?"

Suddenly Geoffrey and Alden, his shadows from Excelsior returned. Lex asked them "how's business" and Alden said, "Not as good as you, but hey."

"And you guys were all friends?" Lois asked.

Lex seemed amused by the question. "Something like that."

"Man, after ten years, the gang's all here," Geoffrey said.

"Except for Duncan," Alden added and took a sip of booze.

Lana looked up at Lex. "Who's Duncan?"

Oliver snatched the glass away from Alden. "You know what, maybe you better lay off."

"What? Like you all weren't thinking about ..."

"Alden!" Oliver said sharply to shut him up.

"Yeah, whatever," Alden said and began to leave, but leered at Lana a moment. "You did all right for yourself."

He walked up the nearby steps and grabbed another drink from a passing tray. He help up his glass. "Duncan, if you were here, you'd still be a loser."

That instant a large piece of the cornice near the rooftop statue fell and shattered near Alden's feet. The others ran up to him.

Still saturated by the alcohol, he smiled. "Must be my lucky day."

Then the sword from the statue fell and center punched Alden, who didn't live long enough to say "or not."

After the opening credits, Lex sat alone in the darkened study looking at an Excelsior pocket patch, still attached to the pocket.

Lionel entered. "I heard what happened. Are you all right, son?"

"Nothing a little dry-cleaning won't cure."

Lionel became angry. "That's distasteful, Lex, even for you."

"What can I say?" Lex asked. "It's a nice suit."

"You weren't Alden's close friend, Lex, but still..."

"I should muster up some tears anyway? Thanks, but I'll save them for someone who deserves it."

Lionel acknowledged that he had a rough time at Excelsior and that everyone can be plagued by a haunting memory, "But the best way to deal with them is to leave them behind us. Bury them where they belong -- in the past."

"Along with everything else, right, Dad?"

Lionel nodded. "I'm glad you're all right. If you need anything ..."

"I won't."

Lionel began to leave, but turned around. "Perhaps Ms. Lang will have better luck comforting you. Will you give her my regards?"

Lex saluted an acknowledgment with his booze glass, which seems to be a popular signaling device among the rich.

After Lionel left, Lex pulled the patch out of his pocket. In better lighting it was clear the patch was covered in drops of dried blood.

In another flashback of the bad old days at Excelsior, Lex and Duncan were walking down a school corridor after hours. Duncan asked what plans Lex had after Excelsior and he replied that he'd go to college and that Lionel wanted him to take over the family business.

"Are you going to do it?" Duncan asked.

"Hell no, I can't stand that old bastard. What about you? What are you gonna do?"

Duncan said he wanted to help people, just like his hero Warrior Angel.

"Then you better hit the gym," Lex joked. "That spandex is tough to pull off."

Duncan seemed to take Lex literally and explained that he didn't mean the cape and stuff, that he wanted to become a doctor or lawyer and work pro bono for the poor.

Lex suggested that he and Duncan become law partners in the future. Of course Lex's motive was not altruistic. He simply liked the idea of how much it would piss off Lionel if he worked for the poor.

The boys continued up the corridor, but ducked into a nearby room when they heard voices. Oliver and Geoffrey exited an office while Alden waited outside as the lookout. "Did you get it?" he asked.

"I got it," Oliver whispered and showed him several papers stapled together.

Duncan and Lex exited their hiding place. "What are they doing?" Duncan asked.

"Stealing answers to the midterms."

Lex came out of the flashback, still staring at the patch.

The scene switched to Kent farm where Chloe had been invited to dinner. "You know you didn't have to go to all this trouble, Mrs. Kent."

"You can't live on coffee three meals a day, Chloe."

"I mix it up with the occasional blueberry muffin," she replied. "What? That has a food group in it."

"Barely," Clark said and then got down to the exposition point. "Did you find anything new?"

"Tons. There have been reports of unusual occurrences happening all over the world. It's like the Wall of Weird went global," she said and handed Clark a folder. "The worst attack was on a small village in the Kashmir region of India. The entire village was nearly destroyed."

Clark looked at the folder. "Villagers said they saw something fall from the sky the night before. That's the same time I escaped from the Phantom Zone."

"Do you think whatever it was got out when you escaped?" Martha asked.

"Like that park ranger," Chloe added. "How about a trip to the ice castle? Maybe Jor-El can help track down the Zoners before they can do any more damage."

"Zoners?"

"Escaped super criminals from the Phantom Zone is a bit of a mouthful." Maybe this is an evolution for Chloe. Generally she's the poster child for maximum verbosity.

"The fortress is dead. There's no way to ask for his help," Clark said, forgoing the pot roast for a can of worms. "I should have just listened to him."

"And done what, Clark? Kill Lex to keep Zod from taking over his body?" Chloe asked.

"You're not a murderer, Clark," Martha said.

"What about all those people in the village, Mom? They might have died because of my actions. I need to know for sure."

Then Chloe suggested that she could search satellite images for impact craters similar to the one Clark made when he returned from the Phantom Zone. The one problem is that the only satellites working that fateful day were owned by Queen Industries.

"Oliver Queen still owes me one." Clark said. "Maybe it's time to collect."

Meanwhile Lois, Ollie and Geoffrey exited the hospital where, needless to say, Alden didn't make it and so it was time for regrets.

"Alden called me a month ago," Ollie said. "And I told him I was busy. Said I'd catch up with him later."

"You couldn't have known something like this was going to happen," Lois said, but in a firm tone to stave off worm-eating rather than a 'poor baby' tone.

"All the more reason to live for today," Geoffrey said. "Keep in touch with old friends."

"Why don't you all get together while you're here," Lois suggested. "What about that Duncan guy? Does he live in Metropolis?"

After some awkward glances Ollie said, "Not anymore."

Suddenly eager to depart, Geoffrey said he had to be getting back to Gotham. "You got a great girl there, Ollie. Don't screw it up," he said and winked.

Geoffrey headed for his limo and the chauffeur hastily tossed his cigarette and opened the door. After Geoffrey entered, the camera panned down to a stream of leaking gasoline.

Lois and Ollie had turned and were walking away. "Smart guy," she said. "You should listen to him."

Ollie smiled. "I'm all ears."

The cigarette suddenly rolled into the gasoline stream. KABLAM! Ollie and Lois were thrown to the ground by the force of the blast. I liked how they fell. It looked like they were literally pushed down.

Ollie rolled over and looked at the burning car. Nice look of horror on his face. It wasn't just the horror of what happened, but the fear that whatever took out Alden and Geoffrey was probably coming after him, too.

The next day in the clock tower apartment, Ollie was trying to hit a target with his eyes closed. He let the arrow fly, but Clark whooshed in and snagged it.

"Clark," Ollie said, not terribly surprised. "I was wondering if my security system would keep someone like you out."

"Looks like you need an upgrade."

"Or you need to learn how to knock," he joked and waved off the arrow Clark tried to return. "You know what, you can keep that arrow. I've got a new one."

He opened a box and removed the arrow. "I was thinking about developing a boxing glove arrow," he said, making a comic book and animated series reference. "And then I thought I'd come up with something a little fancier."

He affixed the arrow to the bow and fired. It hit a shelf a few feet away and killed the power without having to hit a circuit box as was the case in Wither. "Contained electromagnetic pulse. Knocks out everything electrical within an 8 foot radius. Cameras, laser systems, pacemakers," he said and glanced at Clark as he walked past. "That last one was a joke, Clark."

"I'm laughing on the inside."

"Maybe we'll get lucky one day and it'll bubble to the surface," he said. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I need to talk to you about Queen Industries. Their satellite grid."

There's a nice rapport between Clark and Ollie despite how different they are. A lot of times this comes down to the serendipity of the casting and Justin Hartley was a lucky choice, but also the writing here plays off both characters' strengths admirably.

Clark then explained that Chloe wanted to do a story on the global effects of Dark Thursday, but he was the only one with working satellites that day. Ollie agreed to give Chloe the access codes if Clark did a favor in return. "Help me find out how Lex caused the accidental death of two of my friends."

"You think Lex killed them?"

"I've known Lex a lot longer than you, Clark. I've seen who he really is."

And there's the cue for a segue ...

Back, way back at Excelsior, Lex and Duncan exited the building. Lex was urging Duncan to rethink turning in Ollie, Geoffrey and Alden.

"We have something on Queen now," Lex gloated. "No way is he ever going to try anything again. We can use this. Force him to act like our friend so we can have some respect in this place."

Duncan almost looked ill at the suggestion. "You don't pretend to be friends with somebody, Lex. You either are or you aren't. I'm gonna turn them in," he said, but stopped in his tracks when the terrible trio stood in his path.

Oliver looked past Duncan to Lex. "I thought you said you were going to handle this."

Duncan turned back to Lex. "You told them?"

"This is our chance, Duncan," Lex said and moved to the side closer to the bullies. "We don't have to be on the outside anymore."

"I ... I never felt that way. Not when you were my friend," he said and began to move forward again, but Lex pulled him back. He broke away and then Ollie pushed him back.

Lex grabbed Duncan. "Just keep your mouth shut and everything will be okay."

"Get off of me!" Duncan shouted and pushed Lex, who came roaring back completely out of control.

Lex pushed Duncan into a tree and then threw the dazed boy to the ground and got on top of him and began slugging him. "Why do you have to be such a loser? Why can't you be like everybody else?" he asked, each word punctuated by a smash to Duncan's face.

Lex, in the present, awoke from a chair in the study gasping for air. Lana, who was sitting nearby reading a book asked if he was okay.

"Yeah, just a bad dream," he said, hurrying for the booze.

"What was it about?"

"I don't remember," he lied.

"Lex, it's normal to be upset. Alden died right in front of you."

"Yeah, well, maybe he finally got what he deserved," Lex said and took a swig of brandy.

"How can you say that about your friend?"

"I only had one friend at Excelsior and it sure as hell wasn't him."

Lana asked if he wanted to talk about it, but he assured her he was all right. "I'm the last thing you have to worry about," he said and put the bottle back on the booze cart, but it fell off. When he reached for it, the bottle rolled away from his grasp.

Lex said it was nothing to worry about, as if bottles run away from people every day. He grabbed it. "See?"

But then the lights began to flicker and a large ceiling lamp began to fall. Lex pushed Lana away with such force that she fell to the floor and smacked her head, which knocked her out. It would be interesting to count how many times each character on this series has been knocked out cold.

At the medical center (you knew that was coming), a doctor told Lex that Lana had sustained a concussion, but that the CAT scans were negative. "A couple of days rest, she should be fine."

"I'll make sure she gets it," Lex said and then confronted Clark, who was also headed towards Lana's room.

"Where's Lana?"

"She'll be fine. It's the only thing that matters."

Clark moved towards the door. "I want to talk to her."

Lex stood in the way. "You lost your visiting rights a while back, Clark."

"I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you, Lex," he said. "Since you've been with her she's had a funny habit of getting hurt."

Lex instantly recognized the Pot/Kettle statement. "And how many times did she wind up in the hospital when she was dating you?"

This was actually funny. A current and ex-suitor each thinking he is the better choice because of how many times the object of their obsession ended up in the hospital.

Lex opened the door and we could see Lana in bed with a Farewell to Arms head bandage. "Save yourself a trip next time, Clark. Just send flowers," Lex huffed and closed the door.

"Ouch," Lois said, obviously eavesdropping in the background. "That was harsh."

"It's not like he's wrong though," Clark said, reaching into his handy snack pack of worms. "I've hurt Lana more than anyone else. She wouldn't even be with Lex if it wasn't for me."

"Lana made that questionable choice on her own," Lois said, because it's about time someone did. "Stop beating yourself up, that's my job, and my other one is sniffing out a good story."

"That's why you're here?"

"I don't think Lana's chandelier run-in was an accident, or that she was the target. In the past 24 hours two of Lex and Oliver's old friends from boarding school died in violent accidents."

Clark seemed intrigued. "And you think Lex was almost the third."

"I think it has something to do with a kid named Duncan they all knew, but Oliver won't tell me anything."

"Listen, I don't want you to end up sharing a hospital room with Lana, all right? Put some distance between you and Oliver just for now."

"Or I could man-up and get to the bottom of this like a real reporter," Lois said. "Preferably before the grim reaper drops something heavy on my hot boyfriend."

Clark watched Lois leave with a combination of amusement and admiration.

The phrasing "my hot boyfriend" was an interesting choice because it pinpoints where her relationship with Ollie is at the moment. It's not deeply romantic, but she has fun with him and obviously finds him very attractive.

Clark decided to tell Ollie about Lois's hunch, that Lex wasn't the one behind the attacks.

"Unless he orchestrated this one to throw off suspicion," Ollie suggested.

"If Lex was the only one hurt, then I'd probably think the same thing."

"He loves Lana too much to risk her life."

Clark remained silent a moment not wanting to acknowledge the truth in what Ollie said. "Look, these attacks aren't random. Lois seems to think it may have something to do with a kid you went to school with back at Excelsior. Duncan?"

"It's not Duncan," Ollie said softly.

"How can you be sure?"

"Because Lex and I killed him ten years ago."

The scene immediately cut back to the beating Lex was giving Duncan. The bully trio who had actually cheered on Lex's attack initially, began yelling for him to stop. Ollie had to physically pry Lex from Duncan. "There's something seriously wrong with you." Not that there's anything right about older boys bullying younger ones.

Lex looked in his hand. He was holding the pocket torn from Duncan's jacket, blood spattered on the crest.

Duncan staggered to his feet. Lex reached for him, but he slapped his hand away. "Get away from me," he said and walked unsteadily towards an open gate. "You wanted to be one of them so badly Lex, is that it? You can't stand being a loser like me? Well, congratulations, buddy, now you're their friend," he said, backing away and then BLAM, Duncan was hit by a car.

The scene shifted back to the present. "Duncan suffered massive brain injuries."

"Is there anything else you haven't told me?" Clark asked.

"Just the denouement. Lionel Luthor sweeping in with the best doctors in the world to save Duncan."

Ollie went on to say he had thought at first it was an act of kindness, but realized later that Lionel was simply trying to cover up Lex's involvement. "Not that it mattered since Duncan died two days later."

"It was an accident. It just happened," Clark said, trying to reassure Ollie.

"No, I told myself that same lie for years. The truth is all of us might as well have pushed him out in front of that car. Alden, Geoffrey, Lex ... me, we all killed Duncan Allenmeyer."

Clark asked if Duncan had any relatives who might hold them to blame for his death. Ollie said only a mother, but she died a month ago.

"There must be someone else," Clark said. "Someone you missed."

"The only person who had contact with his family was Lionel. I'm not exactly high on his buddy list. Not a good chance of him talking to me."

Clark was the seek-and-ye-shall-find character in this episode. Lois couldn't get answers from Ollie, but Clark did. Ollie couldn't get answers from Lionel, so that was Clark's next stop.

Lionel was in his penthouse perusing photos of Kryptonian cave art when Clark entered. Lionel closed the photo album and said he was on his way to lunch and asked if Clark would like to join him. Clark informed him that it was not a social call and just as Lionel was raving about cheese soufflÈ, Clark said, "Duncan Allenmeyer."

Lionel turned around. "How do you know that name?"

"Oliver Queen filled me in."

"Ah, yes, the Queen boy. He should know better than to dig up old skeletons."

Clark stepped forward. "I'm not sure he's the only one with a shovel in his hands. These attacks, I think someone who was close to Duncan is trying to settle the score."

Lionel tried to dodge the question, but Clark mentioned that two people had died and that Lex might be next. Lionel relented and confessed that he had not only helped Duncan back when the accident happened, but had continued to help him for the past ten years.

"Duncan's alive?"

"My medical team was able to keep his heart beating, but the injuries from his accident have left him in a permanent vegetative state," he said and then explained that he had agreed to care for Duncan so that Lex wouldn't be crippled by his mistake. Duncan's mother agreed to go along with the story that Duncan had died when Lionel promised to fund research that would reverse the effects of Duncan's brain damage.

"This is still going on," Clark said.

"The best research minds in the world have tried thousands of different treatments, but ..."

"What if one of them worked?" Clark interrupted.

You could practically see the light bulb snap on over Lionel's head.

The action shifted to a hospital where Duncan was being warehoused. A nurse gave him a green liquid injection. Yeah, it's kryptonite.

Clark showed up carrying a scrap of paper. Lois, entering from another direction, spotted him. "Smallville?"

"Lois? What are you doing here?"

"I'm following a lead. I checked out Duncan's mother."

"She's dead."

"I know that, Sherlock," Lois snarked. "On a hunch I dug up all her old phone records and every day while she was still kicking, she placed a call to this facility."

"She was checking on her son."

"Duncan?" Lois asked, finally slowing her pace. "I thought he was dead."

"So did everyone else. I think he's in this room," he said, consulting his scrap of paper.

Lois snatched the paper. "How do you know all this?"

"You're not the only one with hunches."

"Nice work," she said and powered up the hallway.

"Lois," Clark called after her and then indicated she had passed up the door.

Clark reached for the doorknob, but Lois cut him off. "Uh-uh, I don't share bylines."

She tried the knob, but it wouldn't budge. "It's locked. You stay here, I'm gonna flirt us up a set of keys, all right?"

When Lois started up the hallway, Clark wrenched the door open. "Lois, it was just stuck."

"Well," she said and nodded towards Clark. "Ladies first."

That was funny. In fact this whole scene was well done. It had a very good Lois and Clark vibe.

The scene then shifted to the clock tower where Lex paid Ollie a visit. Ollie asked how Lana was doing.

"She'll be fine, not that you really care."

"No, I do care," he replied flatly. "I care that a nice girl like that ended up with a guy like you."

After a few more exchanges of un-pleasantries, Lex said, "Go back to Star City, Oliver, while you still can."

"I've seen that look before," Ollie said. "When was it? Oh, yeah, when you almost beat your only friend to death back at Excelsior."

Lex turned around slowly and then slugged Ollie.

"That's good," Ollie said. "That one's free, the next one will cost you."

Then a brawl ensued. "You could never take responsibility for what happened to Duncan," Ollie said after tossing Lex to the floor.

Lex stood up. "Like your hands were clean."

"No, not even close," Ollie replied. "But ever since then I've been scrubbing them real hard. Yours just keep getting dirtier."

Before another punch could be thrown, the windows in the clock tower began to rattle. Ollie pushed Lex away just before the glass shattered. I think Smallville should have classes on how to push someone away from a dangerous situation without knocking them unconscious. Lex, just like Lana, was pushed to the floor with enough force to knock him unconscious.

Then the doors that hid his weapons slid open, and the cases holding them began to rattle. Then one of his arrows floated in the air. There was no need for a bow. The arrow shot Ollie in the shoulder and pinned him to the wall.

Back at the hospital, Lois turned from Duncan's monitor to face Clark. "I'm not a doctor, but I've seen enough Discovery Channel to know you don't have squiggly lines when you're in a vegetative state."

"Unless the new treatment is working," Clark said as he flipped through the pages on Duncan's chart. I thought that was Chloe's job.

Lois walked over to Clark and looked at the page. "What new treatment?"

"Something called 12B, it's experimental. It's derived from refined meteor rocks." Everything is, but it's like Pet Cemetery, the ground is sour.

Lois read further down the page. "Clark, they started giving him this stuff two days ago. Look at the injection times."

Clark faced Lois. "They coincide with the attacks."

"Maybe we just found our killer."

Clark stated the obvious, that the treatments might stimulate brain activity, but the suspect was confined to a wheelchair.

Lois countered that his new treatment was causing a hell of an electrical storm in Duncan's brain. "I read this article in the Inquisitor about brain waves and astral projection ..."

"Astral projection?"

"Do you have a better explanation?"

Clark thought for a moment.

"No," Lois said, slamming Clark's brain shut. "When was his last injection?"

"Twenty minutes ago."

Suddenly Duncan's body began to twitch and the brain monitor started showing bright areas of intense brain activity.

"Oh, my God," Lois said softly. "It's happening again." But when she turned to look back at Clark, he had whooshed away.

At the clocktower, the case containing the electromagnetic pulse inhibitor arrow (say that five times fast) opened and the arrow floated and aimed itself at Oliver's chest. Just as it began to reach its target, Clark whooshed in and the arrow bounced off his chest instead.

It made Duncan's projection field and the astral projected version of Duncan himself visible momentarily as the arrow did its job and knocked out the field. Lois, back in the hospital room saw Duncan die.

Lois leaned against the corridor wall as Duncan's body was wheeled out. Clark approached her. "Hey, what happened?"

Lois folded her arms. "You went AWOL as things heated up as usual."

"I went to go find a phone to warn Oliver and Lex," he lied smoothly.

"Did you get ahold of them? Are they all right?"

Clark nodded. "A little worse for wear, but Oliver said whatever happened just suddenly stopped."

"Well, Duncan went flatline, like he blew a fuse or something," Lois said. "I wonder what caused it?"

"You need that for your article?"

"It would be good, if I were still going to write one."

Clark looked surprised. "You're not?"

"It would make a juicy story for the Inquisitor," Lois conceded. "But considering the outcome -- an exploitation piece on a catatonic patient astral projecting his way to revenge might be in bad taste."

"Would you still feel the same way if Oliver wasn't involved?"

Lois shrugged. "We've all done things we're not proud of. I just wish Oliver didn't feel like he had to hide it from me," she said and began to walk away.

"You know, sometimes in order to protect the people we love, we keep secrets."

Lois smiled and shook her head. "That is ... totally retarded," she said and exited.

Clark was surprised, but then smiled and shook his head.

Some felt Lois's line was in contradiction to this one from Pariah: "I've learned the hard way that people keep secrets for a reason. Even from the people they're closest to."

But it's not a contradiction. Lois acknowledged that people keep secrets for a reason, but she didn't say the reasons were always valid, or that she'd agree with them. And in context of Pariah, Lois was responding to Chloe's question on whether she should tell a person (Clark) she learned something they'd been keeping a secret. All Lois did was point out that people keep secrets for a reason, whether those secrets are good, bad or retarded was irrelevant.

There was a brief scene at the Luthor mansion where Lex fessed up to Lana that Duncan was his only friend at Excelsior and the only person who didn't judge him.

"And I betrayed him."

"You were just a boy, Lex," Lana soothed. "What matters is the man you've become."

The irony elf was getting drunk under the booze cart.

At that moment Ollie, arm in a sling, entered the room.

Lex glanced up. "You're early."

"It's not that often I get invited into the lion's den. I didn't want you changing your mind."

Lana excused herself and left the room. Then Lex said he shouldn't be alive, but was because Ollie pushed him out of the way.

"You'd have done the same for me," Ollie said. "Right?" Not a chance.

"I wanted to say thanks and that's all I wanted to say," he replied and turned away. "I'm sure you have business to attend to."

"Lex, what happened to Duncan ... the way I treated both of you, it's not something that I'm proud of. I want you to know how much I regret it."

Lex slowly approached him. "And I regret thinking I ever needed friends like you." Ah, if only Lex had that epiphany ten years ago he might not be such a rat today. Nah.

Then later that evening Lex visited Lionel for a bit of cat and mouse about Duncan and then Lex told Lionel he wanted all the data on Duncan's last treatment. Lionel smiled like a crocodile. I guess it's the Lionel version of "that's my boy."

The next day Oliver visited Clark at the barn (not the loft) as Clark did his usual chore of moving hay bales. Oliver was still feeling wormy over Duncan.

"You know, making the wrong choices and living with the consequences is not easy, is it?" Clark asked.

"Speaking from experience, huh?"

Clark nodded. "More than I'd like."

Ollie rose from the steps and pontificated about how everyone makes bad choices and that all they can do is make the right ones in the future. It was sort of a superhero PSA.

Then Chloe entered the barn and finally met Oliver. She said she felt she already knew him because Lois talked about him all the time and he said he was just about to go see Lois. "Maybe it's time I did some talking," he said and made his farewells.

Chloe then acted a little like a teen fan who met her favorite boy band member in person. "Wow," she whispered. "In person he is really ... wow."

Clark found it amusing. "Chloe?"

She broke from her reverie.

"Were you able to pull anything off the satellites?"

She said she was able to find a handful of images that looked like the crater Clark made when he busted out of the Phantom Zone.

"Which means more Zoners on Earth. Did you find the one in India?

Chloe shook her head. "That was just a smoking hole, but I did find another one in Australia that I though you might want to take a look at," she said and handed the photos to Clark.

"Is there someone in the crater?" he asked.

"I blew it up as much as I could. It's not very clear."

Clark leafed through the photos and then squinted at one.

"What is it?"

Clark looked up from the photo. "Raya."

And that was the end of the episode.

This was another good episode (gasp) and with a couple of exceptions, they're on a roll this season and have gotten a lot of things right, including Lois backing off a story if it involves someone close to her.

In the L&C episode Requiem for a Superhero, Lois finds out that her father is involved in a story she's investigating and so she decides to drop the story, even when it lands her in Perry's doghouse. It was the first time she was officially partnered with Clark by Perry.

The partnership is broken up and Perry gives them separate punishment assignments. Lois says to Clark that it's just as well, "You don't want to be partnered with a hypocritical reporter who talks a good game but backs off the minute things hit too close to home."

Clark smiled and said, "Yes I do."

It's important that Lois has that soft center no matter how tough her exterior is and it was used to nice effect in this episode.

Also good was Justin Hartley suffering the consequences of his past as a bully, but redeeming himself. Something Lex finds impossible to do as he grows ever darker and remorseless.

Also, Clark is being very proactive lately and even coming up with better excuses for his disappearances. Of course as time passes he'll run dry and be stuck with the Cheese of the Month Club excuse.

And finally, the boxing glove arrow that Ollie mentioned, it really exists.

And I thank Georgia for the screen capture.

Zoom (still waaaay behind)

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