An okay conclusion. I could've done without the obviously telegraphed use of the reset button regarding Clark and Lana's relationship, but I guess here they're falling out would seem to be permanent.

So supposedly, Morgan Edge had a gunmen each on Martha and Jonathan, but this doesn't given him an advantage over Clark, but merely puts him at a standoff, as I see it. When one of thugs pistol-whipped Jonathan, Clark could've just smacked Morgan, knocking him out. My friend Chris Lopez suggested that he heat up the gun of one of the goons with heat vision (which is invisible, after all), and then used his speed to physically take out the other one.

In addition, in giving another blood sample to Morgan, Clark ended up revealing his weakness to kryptonite to him. Really, smart, Clark. I knew kryptonite made you weak. I didn't know it made you stupid too.

I really like that song by Dido, and I'm glad they put it into the closing scene of the episode. The tone of fit really well with the scene

Oh, and that doctor sitting in the car could analyze the second blood sample from Clark and determine it was identical to the first one is just seconds? Yeah. Right. Sure.

The Good:
- Clark smashes the red Kryptonite ring. Was it intentional or accidental? Hmmm...
- The scar fades from Clark's chest in such a way that it forms an "S" just before it completely fades.
- Lex's visible injuries.
- Chloe seems to have accepted that she won't win Clark's heart.
- Clark retains some of his temper and attitude, even without the influence of the red Kryptonite.

The Bad:
- Apparently there is no security at Luthorcorp, as Lex manages to sneak up on Lionel in his office. Say, isn't that the boss' dead son walking in? Well I'll be, I think you're right. Should we call the boss and let him know? Nah, I hate to be the one to ruin the surprise. Mr. Luthor, could you please sign in and take a visitor's badge?
- The Kents keep a chunk of green Kryptonite in the barn. Sure, son, we love you. Really.
- Clark makes his first peace overture to Lana at the Talon. No problem Clark, I'll just not work for as long as it takes for you to try to mend fences with me. Heck, I can take a hysterical crying break if we need it.
- Lionel claims that he doesn't know the origin of the blood sample, yet he is highly suspicious that Clark is much more than he seems. That's a real cool customer, he really doesn't want to jump to conclusions.
- Edge thinks he has Clark over a barrel by holding his parents at gunpoint. So much so that he comments that Clark can't save them both. OK, he's seen Clark get shot repeatedly, move at lightning speed, and rip the door off his Lincoln. Just what makes him think Clark can't handle this situation?
- Nice of the hitman with the neck tatoo to drive off with Clark and leave his partner behind.
- Just what was Lex planning to do with Helen aboard the plane? Does he really want to be the focus of a missing person investigation at this point?
- The Talon must have turned a nice profit in the past day or so. Little Orphan Lana is tooling around in a new Jeep Liberty.

The Ugly:
- Clark loses his jacket and shirt in the fight with his father, but he manages to hang onto that silver box from Lionel's vault.
- Clark left Metropolis without finishing his business with Edge. And led Edge right to his parents.
- Lana takes care of that hitman without breaking much of a sweat. It's hard to find good help these days.
- As Helen and Lex struggle with the gun, the view from the cockpit shows a bullet hole in the cockpit door. Had the bullet gone through the door at that height, it would have gone through the windscreen. Yet the pilot is clearly shot in the chest. It's highly unlikely that a round from a semi-automatic could pass through the cockpit wall, the back of the pilot's seat, and kill the pilot in this manner.
- I guess Louis gave Lex piloting lessons, too.
- Lionel should fire all of his security staff. His corporate HQ has no security, and his personal bodyguard hustled Lionel into his car during the gunfight, then left him sitting next to the open window while the guard ran around to the protected side of the car. Smooth move.

So it's was Lionel's relentles tests that equiped Lex for surviving three months on a desert island? Come on, all Lionel taught him was the art of suspision and manipulation. How did that help him survive on an island all by himself? Did Lex trick a pile of sticks into catching fire? Did he eat by taking advantage of the local fish through shady buisness deals?

Maybe he did.

Juan, I'm LOL at the first two or three of your "BAD's."

Obi-Juan
is sadly very right
about this.

Parts of this episode are so unrealistically.

So Edge has his parents and two guys with pistols ready to kill them? So? Clark moves faster than a bullet. We saw that before. The bullet would have a speed of about 350 meters per second. Clark can still react if the bullet is already fired. he has done that before. So, if Edge yells to kill them,
it takes possible about 1 second till he done that and both pulled the trigger!? Clark could have all 3 of them knocked out before they even noticed.

Also, wasn't it the dumbest thing to reveal his greatest weakness. we saw before, that contact to kryptonite REALLY is bad, but this time its just making him weak. He even is still able to kick the glass in the truck, cut him free, use his heat vision AND SURVIVES the gas explosion ALL while being exposed to kryptonite.

-> Very badly written.

Testing the blood.
How can you tell (in one second or not with fancy computer or not) if that blood is the same as the blood that was stolen? Don't they need a sample to compare it in the first place?

Didn't even steal Lex that blood because he knows its from Clark and Lionel buy it because he knows it too? (<-not sure, but if, why the whole thing being interested in knowing "the source" of it.

Also the whole metropolis KAL thing.
He has a very fancy flat, robbs banks but does everything to keep the low profile.
He buys that car and just gives it away,
yeah sure. The writers fantasy about being filthy rich and powerfull is a bit too big.

Clark also seem to have no consequences in missing 3 months of school.

Well, I hope there are better scripts out there.

Elwood, as I understand it, those 3 months of school that Clark missed weren't really missed - it was his summer vacation.

After all, Chloe was in Metropolis on a summer internship at the Daily Planet (and while in Metropolis, she locates "Kal")

OK, I missed the first ep of the season, so forgive me if this souds like a $tup!d question, but why did Helen try to kill Lex?

By Blitz - Digimon Moderator (Sladd) on Wednesday, October 08, 2003 - 11:16 pm:

So it's was Lionel's relentles tests that equiped Lex for surviving three months on a desert island? Come on, all Lionel taught him was the art of suspision and manipulation. How did that help him survive on an island all by himself? Did Lex trick a pile of sticks into catching fire? Did he eat by taking advantage of the local fish through shady buisness deals?

I don't know, But I think this may be a furhter part of the Father/Son Manipulation Game we've been seeing since the Pilot.

Probobly, but it still sounds absurd when lex says it... Unless Lionel had a habit of randomly dropping Lex off in the wilderness during his childhood. "OK, son, I'll be back in a week! Hope you have fun here in the outback!"

As for Helen, she was working for Edge

Summer vacation,
i thought about that too.

Pretty good timing that was ;)

The scar on Clark's chest originally was a design shaped like an hourglass in the middle of the familiar diamond shape. When the red kryptonite ring was shattered, part of the scar faded, leaving an S instead. So, that would make the part that faded a backwards S, perhaps? I can't help but be reminded of Bizarro...

Blitz: Probobly, but it still sounds absurd when lex says it... Unless Lionel had a habit of randomly dropping Lex off in the wilderness during his childhood. "OK, son, I'll be back in a week! Hope you have fun here in the outback!"

Well, maybe Lex was speaking metaphorically.

But about what? What could his city slicker buisness man Dad have possible taught him that would come in handy on a deserted island? I guess you might suggest that Lex stayed strong" and only relied on himself, which is what Lionel was trying to press onto Lex, but LEX DIDN'T DO THAT! Instead, he went crazy and imagined there was someone there with him!

Maybe at one point Lionel told Lex "Son, when all else fails, just got off your rocker for a little bit. Then everything will turn out just fine."

Clark's sitting in the truck and triggers a chemical explosion at point blank range which throws him into the harbour. No problem there, but his shirt seems to be remarkably intact when he's climbing back out of the water - that's some very flame resistant material!