I liked the resolution of this episode. It was clever to point out that Jacob and his father had tried to prevent some of the deaths Jacob had envisioned without success, and even more clever that Clark's success in preventing Mr. Altman's death would have such drastic consequences. Clark learns a good lesson that everyone will face a hardship, danger, or death at some point, and we can't all be protected or saved.

This ep starts with the Smallville High track squad running into the athletic field. The cheerleading squad was practicing, and football players were on the field. To this point the show mirrored the true month of the year, so I'd assume it was January or early February in show time (and far too cold in Kansas to be training for outdoor sports). The football team puts this episode in the fall. Did anyone have a fall track team in their high school? Mine did not, and I don't recall any schools in my area having fall track competitions.

If the most casual contact is made between Jacob and another person, not even by skin touching, and it causes Jacob to wince and cringe, I wonder what made him decide to go to a public school?

It was odd that Jacob's visions of someone's accidental death should come within hours of the event that kills them, and not days or weeks earlier.

Nice visuals of the visions Jacob experiences, especially his vision of Clark.

Clark displays his abilities in front of about 50 students in saving Mr. Altman from being run over. No one noticed, not even Jacob and his father, who were standing right in front of Clark.

Clark tells Lana in the hospital that Mr. Altman was "heavily sedated". Why was Clark hanging around if Mr. Altman was sedated?

Jacob tells Clark that he's tried to prevent some of the deaths with no success. Maybe he should work on his approach. Getting hysterical with Megan in front of the school didn't do much good.

Why was Lana charging the damage done by Adam on the Talon's expense report? What kind of lease did Adam sign that does not hold him financially responsible for damages to the premises or the property owned by the landlord?

Chloe catches Adam using a hypodermic needle in a science lab in the high school. I didn't think Adam was a student there, so what was he doing there? More crack security at Smallville High.

Anyone having to self-administer prescription injections is instructed in how to dispose of used hypodermic needles. Leaving them uncapped and in public trash cans, especially in the reach of children, is ridiculous.

Do all of Lex' visitors get unsupervised access to his office before Lex makes his fashionably-late entrances?

The Kent truck is fully repaired from last episode. Or they bought one that looks just like the old one.

Why did the house explode?

Surprise ending! But why was Clark screaming for his mother? In the time it took him to scream for mommy 3 times he could have picked Jonathan up and run him to the hospital.

So it's looking like Adam isn't Bruce Wayne. I'm glad, I didn't think he fit too well with that theory.

The ending makes me want to see how they'll handle Jonathan's, what, heart attack?: Out of commission for a few episodes or brief recovery scene and back to normal? The trailer, however, looks terrible. 2 Fast 2 Furious, as perfomed by the Smallville cast!

Obi-Juan, the kid's name was Jordan Cross, not Jacob.

And yeah, it does seem the hints about Adam being Bruce may have been red herrings. He tells Lex his parents would've killed for a piano like the one he was playing on, but that he had to learn on a second-hand junker. For him to be Bruce would mean that he's either lying, or that his wealth was acquired on his own in the Smallville continuity, and not inherited from his folks.

In addition, Jordan's feeling that what he saw when he touched Adam felt like Adam had died can be viewed either as additional evidence that he's not Bruce, but some other character with an entirely different story, or that if Adam is eventually revealed to be Bruce, that Jordan's feelings were metaphorical, in that Bruce essentially "died" when his parents were murdered, and Batman was born.

First season cliche alerts. Smallville has a high school coach who turns into an arsonist (Hothead) and a person who can see the future as a result of the meteor shower (Hourglass).

EXCELLENT VISION OF THE WEEK:
That little tidbit of Superman flying into a... star or something... was fantastic! I believe that was our first look of a grown Superman on Smallville.

MYSTERY OF THE WEEK:
Anyone familiar with the comic books want to guess who that guy is with old Lana when she dies?

MOVIE CONTINUITY OF THE WEEK:
The final scene where Clark discovers his dad keeled over on the ground is quite similar to how his dad died in the movies. In the movie, they were headed out of the barn and Jonathan keeled over from causes unknown.

REALLY LAME PLOT DEVELOPMENT OF THE WEEK:
That whole plot with Coach Altman trying to kill Lana and Megan in the fire was pretty lame. Does everyone in Smallville deal with trauma by becoming a psychotic killer?

UNDERSTATEMENT OF THE WEEK:
Shortly after saving Coach Altman, Clark tells Jordan that crazy stuff doesn't happen a lot in Smallville. What planet is he from? (Oh yeah, Krypton. Never mind. )

BAT-MUSINGS OF THE WEEK:
It seems like every week adds more to both sides of the fence. This time we find out that Adam did very well in school (Bat-plus). Then it sounds like his teachers are being forced to say that (bat-negative). He seems to live a very dark existance and is haunted by his parents' deaths (bat-plus). But he apparently takes drugs and couldn't afford a piano (bat-negative). I don't know what to expect regarding Adam but I have faith in TPTB so I look forward to seeing what happens.

BLIND STUDENTS OF THE WEEK:
After Jordan tells Clark that he doesn't like to be touched, 5 or 6 people bump into him hard without even noticing. Are the people in Smallville really that inconsiderate or are they not paying the slightest bit of attention. Even in a crowded room I can get around without knocking everyone over.

NEXT WEEK:
Looks really lame. But then again, Previews are always lousy.

TUE

The trailer, however, looks terrible. 2 Fast 2 Furious, as perfomed by the Smallville cast!

NEXT WEEK:
Looks really lame. But then again, Previews are always lousy.

That's the WB for you. But you think THAT'S bad try being a Charmed fan. no matter how good the epsiodes are, the commericals always suceed in making them look like they're going to be cruddy. The only exception this season comes from the trailer for The Legend Of Slepy Halliwell.

Honestly, who's in charge of advertising at the WB now? Karl Rove?

MYSTERY OF THE WEEK: Anyone familiar with the comic books want to guess who that guy is with old Lana when she dies? - TUE
In the comics, Lana marries Pete Ross. No kidding.

You're right, Luigi, the kid's name was Jordan, not Jacob. My bad.

I actually thought they pushed Adam more toward Bat-dom in this ep...
- Powerful recurring nightmares.
- While Chloe and Lex were in his apartment, they list his impressive traits, and Chloe refers to him as a renaissance man.
- Sealed school records, bribed teachers, and vague details of his past.
- Telling Lex of his parents' poverty seemed like misdirection.
- When Lex has his intimidation sessions with most people, they quickly ask for an explanation of Lex' interest and look to make a deal. Adam seems to have a "give me your best shot" attitude.
- The "death vision" was interesting. Who knows?

TUE: After Jordan tells Clark that he doesn't like to be touched, 5 or 6 people bump into him hard without even noticing. Are the people in Smallville really that inconsiderate or are they not paying the slightest bit of attention?
Luigi Novi: Why not? They do so in New York City.

Obi-Juan: In the comics, Lana marries Pete Ross. No kidding.
Luigi Novi: So Lana becomes the Second Lady? I didn’t know that.

When confronting Adam about his school records, Lex mentions that not one of his teachers said he ever took a piano class. So what? Who said he took piano classes in grammar school or high school? Adam already said he learned to play on a second-hand junker. Perhaps he learned on his own, or even applied to take classes apart from school.

In the movie, they were headed out of the barn and Jonathan keeled over from causes unknown.

It's fairly clear Jonathan in the movie died of a sudden heart attack, given Martha's earlier mention of his "bad heart" and the fact that he grabbed his left arm just before collapsing.

A few episodes back Lana said that she needs to stay away from Clark because he's too dangerous. But people drop like flies around her. Her parents, her best friend from childhood (Emily from "Accelerate"), Whitney, the cheerleader from this episode, Tina Greer, etc. Being a friend of Lana's can be hazardous to your health!

Whitney didn't die in her presence. He died while serving in the military.

Another nit: When Clark and Jordan go looking for Lana and Megan, why does Clark allow Jordan to come with him? By doing this, Jordan is slowing Clark down.

And Tina Greer was evil. And the cheerleader in this ep (the one that wasn't already dead I mena) survived. As for her parents, she was only 4!

My point was that once you become close to Lana, somehow or another you will die. Soon.

Except for Clark, Pete, Chloe and Lex.

And Aunt Nell, and her biological father, and her horse.

Her horse, in fact, tried to correct that oversight by trying to kill her.

Failed, unfortunately, but that was a good shot!

Clark's a dunce. If I were Megan, I'd be peeved with him for a good long while. Megan is right next to the dang inferno, while Lana is a good distance away, and it's JORDAN who has to go save Megan, because Clark (like a dunce) stopped at Lana to help her, looked over at Megan, then looked back at Lana. "Eh, no big deal."

Shortly after saving Coach Altman, Clark tells Jordan that crazy stuff doesn't happen a lot in Smallville

Technically, Clark is talking about Smallville HIGH, not the town in general.

Here's my unsolicited oppinion on Adam. I don't buy the whole Batman idea for a second (aside from the numerous inconcistancies of that idea, do you really thik they would introduce Bruce Wayne, even in disguise, without pounding us over the head with some ironic forshadowing? It'd be a pretty big change of pace on the part of TPTB) If you ask me, he literally died but was brought back to life by some Shady Secret Orginazation as part of an experiment. That could explain the numerous tallents the kid has shown (either training or mental programing), the injections (could eb whatever's keeping him alive), how he wound up in the hospital (rough escape), and why he's in Smallville (to stay out of sight). But that's just me.

It was odd that Jacob's visions of someone's accidental death should come within hours of the event that kills them, and not days or weeks earlier.

Well, it's not like we've seen the full range of visions he's gotten over the years.

And yeah, it does seem the hints about Adam being Bruce may have been red herrings. He tells Lex his parents would've killed for a piano like the one he was playing on, but that he had to learn on a second-hand junker. For him to be Bruce would mean that he's either lying, or that his wealth was acquired on his own in the Smallville continuity, and not inherited from his folks.

Well, 'Obsession' pretty much kills the Adam=Bruce theory. But as I mentioned, if it was really Bruce, he would have been doing all he could to hide his identity while training for the day he becomes Batman. Which means that he's lying.

It was odd that Jacob's visions of someone's accidental death should come within hours of the event that kills them, and not days or weeks earlier.

Well, it's not like we've seen the full range of visions he's gotten over the years.

What about the first version of Lana's death? That was decades away. (and Jacob seems very suprised that Altman's time is already up)

I thought it was the Jorel thing not a heart attack.

Also, the future shown for Superman seems to be a trip through the Stargate or Sliding! It looks like the latter special effect especially!

I mean it looked like when you go through a wormhole - whether a Stargate's wormhole or Sliding wormhole...

I hope Jonathan doesn't kick the bucket... cause he's a great character not like the Jonathans from the movie or Lois and Clark.