Well what do you know? Looks like Clark really CAN'T be seen when he's at top speed.

So... Why didn't the serum revive Vince? AT the begining, he was up and running within seconds.

I really wish someone would set an official range of Kryptonite's effects so we'd know when Clark gets too close to the bomb.

Speaking of the bomb, did anyone else find the explosion at the end a little pathetic? That might have taken out ONE room maybe, and probobly started a fire, but surely Garret could have found something a little beefier, especially with those kryptonite additions.

Which reminds me, it must be getting REALLY difficult for Clark to go anywhere in Smallville, seeing how everything is made out of kryptonite these days. (I can see the Kents at the supermarket checking the sides of teh cerial boxes: "Let's see... Milled corn, sugar, corn syrup, mollassas, pyridoxine hydrochoride, D'OH! Proccessed meteor rocks. Well, back it goes then.")

And it looks like Lionel's research isn't ALL evil: he's used it to resurect The Lone Gunmen and employ them as hospital helicopter pilots! (well, Byers anyway) Good for him!

So... Why didn't the serum revive Vince? AT the begining, he was up and running within seconds.

I guess you mean the serum Clark brought from Metropolis? It got too close to the kryptonite, and the reaction to it is probably what rendered the serum ineffective. It was made from Clark's blood, after all.

I thought about that, but Clark gets better after getting close to kryptonite, so why not the serum? After all, it did go clear again after a few seconds. If the kryptoite killed it, why didn't it stay the same color it was when it was reacting (just without the bubbles)

I don't know. Maybe for the same reason a suade jacket can get ruined in the rain, but the rain won't hurt the leather while it's still on the cow. Clark's body can heal itself, but the serum cannot. But still, I don't know.

Yeah, that would explain the serum effects and all; (maybe he just replaces the burned out blood with fresh stuff really fast?) but it doesn't explain the whole color buisness. I just don't see why it would turn back to it's normal color if it was messed up by the kryptonite.

I really wish someone would set an official range of Kryptonite's effects so we'd know when Clark gets too close to the bomb.
That's a great point. Given that it's Kryptonite radiation that affects Clark, a chunk of the rock the size they typically pull on him should give off lethal doses of radiation for miles. But Clark seems to be able to get within 10 feet before weakening.

This ep established something totally ridiculous. While it was cool to see the FX of "Clarktime" in which he grabs the lead vest from the X-ray room and uses it to shield himself from the bomb, this establishes that Clark can run faster than a radio transmission. Put this in perspective- we now have cell phones that can do "walkie-talkie" transmission coast-to-coast in a matter of moments. Imagine a 6 foot tall, 160 pound man moving from New York to Los Angeles in 1 second.

If this was possible, Clark's movement would create a shockwave that would have torn the hospital apart, disrupted power, and resulted in the deaths of his father, not to mention everyone else in the area. Same result had Clark been moving at this speed through the lab in front of Lex and his scientist girlpal. They showed a few papers blowing around, when that lab should have been destroyed. For a good demonstration of how this should have looked, catch the last 5 minutes of the Matrix: Reloaded.

You know, maybe it's just me, but this whole "sniper set up" against Garrett just struck me as...poor. It was poorly planned, poorly executed, and why the HECK would there be only one sniper??

It just strikes me as dumb (well, the S word, blasted censorware) - and irresponsible - of Sheriff What's Her Face to have a sniper take out a person wearing a bomb and carrying the remote detonator. They had no idea what sort of bomb he was carrying, how it would be detonated, or anything like that. If Clark weren't there to Save The Day, Smallvilled Med Center would have been blown to bits, and Sheriff would have gone the way of Ethan. Did they even make the attempt to contact Metropolis Gen to find out if there were any livers recently donated? Did anyone explain to Garrett that even if they had a whole freezer of livers readily available, that Vince's body might have still rejected it?

And Yeager didn't bother to remove the air from that heavy duty syringe before sticking Vince? I understand that having a bomb in breathing range makes people turn into idiots, but ya know...if Vince died from an embolism, I don't think Garrett would have taken that too well, Doc.

And lastly, WHY did we need a flippin' zoom into Lana after Clark walked away in the Talon? WHAT POSSIBLE value did that ADD to the plot? NYAAAAAAAARGH! I wish Stompy the Horse had KILLED her now!

I feel better now that I've had my Lana Rant.

And lastly, WHY did we need a flippin' zoom into Lana after Clark walked away in the Talon? WHAT POSSIBLE value did that ADD to the plot? NYAAAAAAAARGH! I wish Stompy the Horse had KILLED her now!

Okay, now the once reasonable Anti-Lana movement is just getting petty. (but I love the "Stompy the Horse" bit")

Said Obi-Juan:

This ep established something totally ridiculous. While it was cool to see the FX of "Clarktime" in which he grabs the lead vest from the X-ray room and uses it to shield himself from the bomb, this establishes that Clark can run faster than a radio transmission. Put this in perspective- we now have cell phones that can do "walkie-talkie" transmission coast-to-coast in a matter of moments. Imagine a 6 foot tall, 160 pound man moving from New York to Los Angeles in 1 second.

I don't normally post to the Smallville boards, but I feel the need to point out that the problem is actually worse than Obi-Juan makes it out to be. Radio transmissions are electromagnetic waves. Electromagnetic waves move at the speed of light. To move faster than an EM wave is to move faster than the speed of light. Clark may be pretty super, but I think Einstein would agree with me when I say that *nobody* is *that* super.

I'm starting to wonder about Jonathan's heart condition. The official reason they gave us was that the human body simply could not handle the powers that Jor-El bestowed upon him, and that his heart weakened as a result. But what about Eric Summers? Twice he has leeched Clark's powers, and as far as we know, has suffered no ill affects. What's the difference? Age? Maybe youth can handle it better? Or did Jonathan already have a weak heart and the powers only made it worse?

"I don't normally post to the Smallville boards, but I feel the need to point out that the problem is actually worse than Obi-Juan makes it out to be. Radio transmissions are electromagnetic waves. Electromagnetic waves move at the speed of light. To move faster than an EM wave is to move faster than the speed of light. Clark may be pretty super, but I think Einstein would agree with me when I say that *nobody* is *that* super." -- Mpatterson

Perhaps Clark is not faster than the transmission of the signal from the trigger to the bomb; however, perhaps he IS faster than any mechanisms that have to activate in the bomb itself before it can explode. (For a similar situation, see Die Hard: With a Vengeance. In that movie, the bomb was triggered, but it took time for the two chemicals to mix in order to create the explosion.

I have to wonder why, when Garrett had his back to him, Clark didn't just race into the room and grab the vest then and rip the bomb off of him before he even had time to press the trigger.

TUE

Perhaps Clark is not faster than the transmission of the signal from the trigger to the bomb; however, perhaps he IS faster than any mechanisms that have to activate in the bomb itself before it can explode. (For a similar situation, see Die Hard: With a Vengeance. In that movie, the bomb was triggered, but it took time for the two chemicals to mix in order to create the explosion.

However, that bomb looked like a much more complicated mechanism than Garrett's (except for the kryptonite). Then again, I don't really know that much about explosive devices, so I can't say for sure. Any bomb fanatics out there to explain how stuff blows up?

yrd, i a m one, unortunately ia m midding modt of my finggers

Maybe next week they’ll do a riff on American Pie or Porky’s, and we’ll get to see Lana and Chloe naked
In Velocity, they ripped off The Fast and the Furious. In Obsession, they did a Fatal Attraction. Now in this episode, they do a version of John Q.

Did anyone else notice that the name of the actor playing Garrett was James Kirk?

Interestingly, whereas Shawn Ashmore, who appeared as Eric Summers in Leech and Asylum, played Bobby Drake in X-Men, Kirk played Bobby’s brother Ronny, who called the cops on him and his friends in X2.

Clark tells Ben Powell to take him where he took Vince Davis’ body, and Powell complies. So Powell can just go flying off to wherever he wants without the knowledge or clearance by his superiors? How’d he do this? It would’ve made more sense for him to drive Clark there. It’s not like Powell owns the helicopter, does he?

NICE depiction of Clark’s superspeed when he steals the vial of the blood platelet formula from the lab right in front of Lex and Dr. Teng!! My mom didn’t even understand what had happened. Personally, I think this is a better depiction of the speed than the “blurry Clark” shtick, in part because we get to see things as those around Clark sees them. I also liked the “displaced air” effect when he uses his speed at the end to get rid of the bomb. It wouldn’t work in real life, but it was COOL!

Okay, yet ANOTHER use for kryptonite! The list so far: It can used to give humans super powers, as a coating on bullets, in class rings, in snowglobes, and as a propulsion booster in cars. Now it can be used as an explosive! This stuff is the Smallville equivalent of anaprovaline in Star Trek!

But when the hell did Garrett have time to build a bomb, let alone one that used kryptonite? Why not make one with conventional materials? I mean, think about it: Is kryptonite really that much easier to find than diesel fuel and tropical fertilizer?

You know what’s weird? I imagined how far Garrett would go to save his brother. I imagined that Clark could point blank ask Garrett how much Vince deserved to live, whether he was willing to take away a liver from another prospective donor, or whether he would be willing to even put Clark and his father in danger. I actually imagined Garrett trying to steal Jonathan’s liver. But I never thought it was something that would happen in the story. Guess what? I was wrong!

Okay, so Vince’s doctor injects Vince with a substance he doesn’t know, and without knowing how much to inject, and then when Garrett orders him to take Jonathan’s liver, the doctor tells Clark that he has no choice, even though Vince’s body will in all likely reject it?

The sequence where Clark gets rid of the kryptobomb was EXCELLENT! My mom was particularly impressed that Clark ducked into the radiology lab to retrieve the radiology apron to shield him from the kryptonite in the bomb (I missed the sign on the lab door because I was saying something to her). Personally, I think Clark is REALLY lucky that there was a radiology lab right there where he and Garrett were, and not on a different floor, which meant he didn’t have to race around the hospital to look for it.


Blitz: Well what do you know? Looks like Clark really CAN'T be seen when he's at top speed.
Luigi Novi: Exodus established that he can.

Blitz: I really wish someone would set an official range of Kryptonite's effects so we'd know when Clark gets too close to the bomb.
Luigi Novi: It’s easier for the writers to keep from painting themselves into a corner if they keep it unclear.

Blitz: So... Why didn't the serum revive Vince?

Duke of Earl Grey: It got too close to the kryptonite, and the reaction to it is probably what rendered the serum ineffective. It was made from Clark's blood, after all.

Blitz: But Clark gets better after getting close to kryptonite, so why not the serum?

Duke of Earl Grey: Maybe for the same reason a suede jacket can get ruined in the rain, but the rain won't hurt the leather while it's still on the cow. Clark's body can heal itself, but the serum cannot. But still, I don't know.
Luigi Novi: Blitz, when I cut my finger, the platelets of the blood will clot, and the skin will eventually regenerate in order to seal up the wound and heal the cut. But if I put drops of blood or skin samples in a Petri dish, they won’t. Healing is a function of a body’s systems working in concert with one another, not a property exhibited by cells or fluids isolated in an artificial container.

Blitz: But it doesn't explain the whole color buisness. I just don't see why it would turn back to it's normal color if it was messed up by the kryptonite.
Luigi Novi: Who knows how extraterrestrial blood works?

Obi-Juan: This establishes that Clark can run faster than a radio transmission. If this was possible, Clark's movement would create a shockwave that would have torn the hospital apart…
Luigi Novi: Agreed. I pointed out this problem in the first post on the Exodus board for when Clark ran into the cave to steal the key, and again later in that same thread.

Machiko Jenkins: You know, maybe it's just me, but this whole "sniper set up" against Garrett just struck me as...poor. It was poorly planned, poorly executed, and why the HECK would there be only one sniper??
Luigi Novi: Because Garrett may only been able to be seen from one window or so. Even so, it’s possible there were other snipers, but that we didn’t see them in the shot of that one who shot him.

Biggy: But what about Eric Summers? Twice he has leeched Clark's powers, and as far as we know, has suffered no ill affects. What's the difference? Age? Maybe youth can handle it better? Or did Jonathan already have a weak heart and the powers only made it worse?
Luigi Novi: What I understood was that Eric’s physiology was essentially turned into that of a Kryptonian (kinda like how injecting someone with alien DNA on Star Trek seems to turn you into another species). I didn’t get that sense from Jonathan’s confrontation with Jor-El, but then again, these are just impressions, nothing more. And yeah, youth and pre-existing conditions could have a lot something to do with it.

TUE: Perhaps Clark is not faster than the transmission of the signal from the trigger to the bomb; however, perhaps he IS faster than any mechanisms that have to activate in the bomb itself before it can explode.
Luigi Novi: But didn’t we see the equipment on top of that shelf Garrett was next to slowly fall on him during the super-speed sequence? Wouldn’t the mechanism have done its job during its time?

Peter David made some good points here.

As the mythos builds and builds, I’m starting to be hit with stuff I’m having a tough time believing. Clark’s an alien. Human blood is complicated stuff. One human can’t even transfer to another without killing him unless the blood’s been typed and matched. So the notion that this alien blood could interact at all with human blood and do anything else other than kill the recipient…or, if the recipient’s dead, make him even deader…is starting to push at the outer reaches of my suspension of disbelief.

Suspension of disbelief is a delicate thing. For instance, I’m willing to believe that Clark is faster than a speeding bullet. On that basis, the end fell apart for me as Clark stood there completely flat footed as a bullet cracks through the window and takes out his friend, but triggering the bomb. Clark is then fast enough to grab lead sheeting, throw it over the bomb, and get it to a safe detonation point miles away, all within seconds…but he couldn’t stop the bullet in the first place?! His superhearing didn’t pick up the gun firing? His super speed didn’t allow him to see the bullet coming? His heat vision couldn’t melt the bullet? What the hell--?!

I pointed out that they didn’t used Clark’s whole blood, just his platelets, which they used to make a serum. You can see that the serum is colorless, and we can presume that there was some synthesizing of stuff when making it, which is a bit more believable.

His webmaster, Glenn Hauman, pointed out:

Of course Clark didn't hear or see the bullet. His back was to the sniper, and most rifle bullets travel faster than the speed of sound. You might argue whether the window slowed the bullet down below Mach 1, but then Clark's only clue is hearing shattering glass behind him, not a gunshot.

Blitz: Well what do you know? Looks like Clark really CAN'T be seen when he's at top speed.
Luigi Novi: Exodus established that he can.

Of course, that's assuming that Clark was moving at the same speed both times.

But when the hell did Garrett have time to build a bomb, let alone one that used kryptonite? Why not make one with conventional materials? I mean, think about it: Is kryptonite really that much easier to find than diesel fuel and tropical fertilizer?

It's established near the begining that Vince worked with a demolition company, so I don't thnk Garret actually had to build anything. Most likely he just snuck onto a site being prepared said demolition company, stole some of the explosives and a detonator, and duct taped them onto himself. Of course, that brings up the points of what lousy security said compay has, not to mention how convenient it is that they were about to blow something up that day, since I can't imagine that they'd leave bombs ready to blow just lying around.

Luigi Novi: Blitz, when I cut my finger, the platelets of the blood will clot, and the skin will eventually regenerate in order to seal up the wound and heal the cut. But if I put drops of blood or skin samples in a Petri dish, they won’t. Healing is a function of a body’s systems working in concert with one another, not a property exhibited by cells or fluids isolated in an artificial container.

Followed closely by...

Luigi Novi: Who knows how extraterrestrial blood works?

Well, if we don't KNOW, then whay good it the paragraph above? (not to nitpick or anything)

My statement about cell regeneration pertains to knowledge that we have about human physiology, and since human cells cannot exhibit regenerative behavior when removed from the body, we can presume Kryptonian cells are just as limited, unless it is established otherwise. Could blood heal itself if a writer decided to write such a scene? Sure. But as of now, no such thing has been established.

By contrast, if a scene does establishe peculiar color behavior about Kryptonian blood in proximity to kryptonite, then who are we to say it's wrong? What contradicts it?

This episode establishes the color change. It does not establish extra-bodily regeneration.