Smallville“Prey”
Original Air Date: Oct 23, 2008
Charles - TwoCents Reviewer
charles@thetwocentscorp.com
With each episode this season, long-time (and sometimes long-suffering) Smallville fans are at last beginning to see progress toward fulfillment of the Superman legend. This week’s episode features a couple of pivotal moments toward that end. We see Clark engaged in regularly rescuing ordinary citizens; an ability to leap up, if not over, tall buildings in a single bound; and Clark rushing to the aid of . . . Jimmy Olsen? Let’s see if this week’s story is in need of rescue itself!
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[photo: Michael Courtney/The CW]
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Smallville
ReplyDelete“Prey”
Original Air Date: Oct 23, 2008
Charles - TwoCents Reviewer
charles@thetwocentscorp.com
With each episode this season, long-time (and sometimes long-suffering) Smallville fans are at last beginning to see progress toward fulfillment of the Superman legend. This week’s episode features a couple of pivotal moments toward that end. We see Clark engaged in regularly rescuing ordinary citizens; an ability to leap up, if not over, tall buildings in a single bound; and Clark rushing to the aid of . . . Jimmy Olsen? Let’s see if this week’s story is in need of rescue itself!
We begin with a meeting of Meteor Freaks Anonymous. Chole’s Isis group is now in session as a support mechanism for those with “special gifts” and/or X-Men wannabes. Everyone seems to be getting something out of the session, except Mary, a raven-haired woman who can control electronic devices with her mind. I’d like to take her to the movies! After the meeting breaks up, Mary proceeds to walk back to her car in the dark. After activating what must be the brightest street light in Metropolis to illuminate her way, Mary is suddenly dragged back into a dark alley, screaming her way into oblivion. Cue opening credits!
Clark these days is hanging out after work at the Daily Planet, monitoring police band reports and dashing off to save those most in need of a hero. During his rounds, Clark overhears screams of panic coming from the top floor of a skyscraper. With a single bound that looks a lot like a pre-flight shakedown, he leaps to the top of the building to find what looks like a nasty roof collapse. Among the victims is our old friend Davis, with a guilty look on his face. Also on the scene is Martian Manhunter, now working as a detective named—wait for it—John Jones (or J’onn J’onzz, if you prefer). Manhunter tells Clark that even though he’s still powerless, he wants to be in Metropolis to assist Clark when he can. Clark is upset that he didn’t arrive sooner at the building to save more people, but Manhunter reminds him that he “can’t save everybody.” Clark’s response? “The moment I believe that is the moment I stop trying.” Ooh, he’s heroic!
Later, back at the Planet, Jimmy tells Clark that he’s been hearing reports of a mystery hero. Clark dismisses these stories as part of some urban myth, while still feeling guilty about not saving everyone. Were the Kents Catholics? Clark did manage to grab someone’s video from the roof collapse, which might turn up again in Cloverfield 2. Clark reasons that only a meteor freak could have caused such damage. He meets up with Chloe and disavows her self-help program for the freaks, while also trying to get the roster of attendees from her. Chloe won’t relinquish the roster or the trust the freaks have placed in her, so Clark scans the list with his, er, speed-reading ability. Davis, whom everyone seems to have forgotten, is seen in the shower, trying to wash all the blood from his body, very little of which, it seems, is his own.
Risking confusion with an episode of ER, Davis sneaks off into an empty hospital room to draw his own blood. Jimmy shows up looking for a scoop, and asks Davis if he can ride shotgun on the next EMT call, hoping to catch a glimpse of the mystery hero. Davis lets Jimmy guilt him with warm thoughts of Chloe’s gratitude. Back at the Planet, Manhunter thinks Clark is becoming too obsessive, but points out that Davis is consistently among the first (other than Clark) to appear at an accident scene. Cut to Davis at the coroner’s office, taking nail samples from Mary’s corpse. Chloe stops by to pay her respects, leading Davis to confess that he might be Mary’s killer. Chloe protests that Davis just doesn’t have the murdering gene, and David is soothed by Chloe’s trust in him.
The meteor freaks stage an impromptu memorial to Mary. When Chloe shows up to try to calm their anxiety about being hunted down, the freaks point out that the police have lately been asking them a lot of questions. The freaks think someone has super-betrayed them and want to blame Chloe. Meanwhile, Clark finds a file Davis has been keeping of recent murder victims and confronts the EMT. Davis argues that he wants to do more with his life than just clean up messes, but Clark thinks there’s only room for one hero in Metropolis. But Davis has noticed Clark showing up in the background of a lot of pictures taken at the city’s accident scenes.
Later, Jimmy is riding with Davis, who apparently has never heard of “down time” and has the remarkable ability to park his ambulance directly in front of a set of blood-stained keys on the road. Davis goes off to investigate. Jimmy, always the ambulance maid, hears a struggle. Chloe reluctantly admits to Clark that Davis’ recent behavior seems suspect, when she and Clark hear Jimmy using the ambulance radio to call for help. Clark rushes to the scene to find Davis being grabbed by some kind of smoke monster, who is moonlighting until Lost comes back on the air. Clark knocks out Smokey with his super staredown, causing the beast to transform back into one of Chloe’s group members. Davis walks out of the rubble, seemingly cleared from suspicion.
Clark apologizes to Chloe, saying his obsession with rescuing everyone pushed him over the line. Clark is afraid, however, that Chloe is too trusting and will someday trust in the wrong person. Foreshadow much, Clark? The very next scene shows Chloe meeting Davis for a lunch date. Davis is smitten (and really, who isn’t) with the charming Chloe and her helping hands, and he wants to know if her feelings are more personal. Chloe, ever faithful to Jimmy, backs away. Meanwhile, Manhunter tells Clark he’s tired of running interference for him and that Clark needs to be more careful about not being identified. After all, we’re not in (Smallville,) Kansas anymore! Right on cue, in rushes Jimmy with more mystery hero reports. Manhunter plays the “give-me-some-hard-evidence” card, but Jimmy is determined to prove the hero exists. (Maybe a watch would help, Jimmy!) Finally, Tess Mercer’s lovely assistant visits Smokey in jail, and tries to trap him into admitting he didn’t kill a group of nuns and take an onyx crucifix from them. But—surprise!—the crucifix is hanging off the rearview mirror in Davis’ ambulance!
So what do you think? Does Clark have the time-management skills to maximize his rescues? Will Jimmy uncover Clark’s secret identity before he has one? Will the meteor freaks decide to accept Clark as a higher power? Why doesn’t Manhunter just build a satellite to monitor Clark’s location? Set out your bait in the comments!