"Come sail away, come sail away, come sail away with me..."

Wow.

Incredible season finale. A nice follow-up to the deal struck between Jonathan and Jor-El in the season premiere, excellent developments between Clark and Lex (that I hope are not undone by the season four premiere), as well as with Clark and Lana (ditto), a final sequence that perfectly intercut four different vignettes showing the fates of Clark and Jonathan, Chloe and the FBI, Lex, and Lionel, set to some pretty powerful music. Well-done. That final shot of a bare Clark being whisked away in an energy cocoon shaped like the Superman shield was nicely reminiscent of the journey Clark took after he first encountered the image of his father in the Fortress of Solitude in the first Superman movie, except that this time, instead of a shot from Clark’s POV, we got to actually see Clark as it occurred to him.


A question I forgot to ask after seeing the Next Week Preview last week was if the blonde girl in the preview was by any chance Kara Zor-El. Listening to a promo for tonight’s episode on my walkman today, I see I was right.

---NITS & NOTES:
And apparently a pervert
Interesting how Kara was recently re-introduced in Superman/Batman #8 last month, walking around stark naked, and now the same thing happens in this episode. (Not that it’s a coincidence, or anything, since Jeph Loeb, one of the producers of Smallville, is the writer on Superman/Batman.)
Tune in next week, when Krypto shows up, and just before Clark can buy a super-strength pooper scooper, it turns out to be Max from The Bionic Woman
Wow, so “Kara” killed a motorist in the teaser. And she apparently can vaporize objects by touch, which she uses to kill an FBI agent? Given how bad that would’ve been for her reputation as a superhero, this pretty much tipped me off that it wasn’t really Kara Zor-El.
This is your heart. This is your heart on kryptonite. Any questions?
What exactly was that object encased in glass in Lex’s secret room? I assume it was kryptonite, but it was oddly shaped, almost like a dissected heart or some other type of biological organ, and there were parts underneath the green top that were red.
Wow, a judge that makes Judge Judy look like Lance Ito
Why does the judge threaten to set bail for Lionel if Clark doesn’t show up? Aren’t Lex’s and Chloe’s testimony enough? Does the case against Lionel really hinge entirely on Clark.

What exactly was that object encased in glass in Lex’s secret room? I assume it was kryptonite, but it was oddly shaped, almost like a dissected heart or some other type of biological organ, and there were parts underneath the green top that were red.

It would have to be kryptonite. The fact that some was red isn't a problem, since, as we've seen in many other episodes, there is such a thing as red kryptonite. I imagine traces of the red could easily be found among the green. And of course, the second Clark sees it, he backs away.

Not a nit, but it's interesting that Jor-El is willing to be quite the hypocrite. Through "Kara", he tries to convince Clark to come along by saying that all these humans will eventually lie to him and betray him, while all the time, Jor-El's manipulation of this human girl is one big fat lie he's telling Clark.

For me, the name Kara didn't finally tip me off to who she was supposed to be until Clark tried to cover by telling Lana she was his "cousin." And suddenly the lights went on in my head. "Supergirl!" I thought. "Neat..." Too bad it wasn't really...

Among the collection in Lex's room, I also noticed the parasite that Lionel's team uncovered from the Kawachi caves in the 2nd season episode "Rush."

Yeah, that's the container Lex touches as he walks into the room, right?

That brings up another nit I hadn't thought of. Are those glass/plexiglass containers capable of blocking radiation like lead? I ask, because it occurs to me that Clark wasn't weakened by the "kryptonite."

Hmm, good point. If it was kryptonite, then, maybe he wasn't close enough to be weakened by it.

Actually, before he backed away from the glass case, he did stumble a bit.

Another thing I forgot to mention: Clark never tries breaking the energy tendril Jor-El uses to hold his dad by the throat, nor just grab Jonathan and haul ass out of there. It might not have worked, but Clark doesn't even try.

In addition, what was that object perched on that pedestal between the portal and Jonthan? I ask, because the energy tendril seemed to be threaded through it. Why didn't Clark try destroying it?

I a little intrugued that Clark is actually agreeing to testify against Lionel. I mean, think about it, how far would Lionel's legal lackies have to dig to find out that there is a LOT of stuff in Clark's past that is either unknown or has been covered up? Plus, to admit to hearing Lionel order Lex's treatment, he has to admit to trespassing and breaking and entering! Aren't these just the sorts of things that could be used to undermine his crediblity as a witness? (never mind the threat to his own privacy)

Also, I don't usualy like to speculate on future plot developments, but who else thinks that Chloe's encounter with the exploding house was set up by Lex to make Lionel think she was dead?

Wow, a judge that makes Judge Judy look like Lance Ito Why does the judge threaten to set bail for Lionel if Clark doesn’t show up? Aren’t Lex’s and Chloe’s testimony enough? Does the case against Lionel really hinge entirely on Clark. - Luigi Novi
If this is a hearing to determine whether Lionel can bond out of jail, it's a pretrial hearing or an arraignment. There is no testimony presented at any pretrial hearing, only depositions are presented for the judge to consider.

I mean, think about it, how far would Lionel's legal lackies have to dig to find out that there is a LOT of stuff in Clark's past that is either unknown or has been covered up? -Blitz
As Clark is a witness and not on trial for a crime, exposing his abilities would have little value to Lionel's defense. And the prosecution could subpoena the Smallville Sheriff to testify that Clark is inevitably helpful when he's involved.

I was very disappointed in the end of this episode. The events of the last season finale/opener and the heart-to-heart talks between Clark and his parents all this season got blown off. I can understand that Clark feels like he is endangering the people that he loves, but why does he choose to go with Kara without telling anyone? Last season he tore his parents and friends up by disappearing. By doing this again they show no character development at all. This makes absolutely no sense.

What was the deal with Clark not saying goodbye to Lana? He made his choice to keep his secret from her. Why does seeing Lex giving her a very platonic goodbye cause him to leave?

Clark watches Kara kill the crooked FBI agent. He's shocked and dismayed. 1 day later he's pledging his life to her and lip-locked with her. So, no character development, jealous of Lex with Lana, and his morality went out the window.

Season 4 Predictions:
Clark will come to terms with Jor-El and get him to return Clark to Earth, and to agree to leave Jonathan and Martha alone. But Jor-El will continue to influence Clark. Clark will identify the classic Superman shield as his personal symbol.

Jonathan will be slowed by his health and this will cause more financial troubles for the Kents. It will also influence Clark to stick around the farm when he has an opportunity to leave on an internship.

Martha will re-enter the business world because of their financial situation, possibly as an assistant to Lex.

Lex will be dismayed at his father's acquital of the charges against him and he will take the fight to Lionel's level. Lex will spend the entire season seemingly stymied in plotting Lionel's demise, but will succeed in the finale and achieve the takeover of Lionel's empire.

The newly-shaved "Stone Cold Lionel Luthor" (or "Captain Jean-Juc Lionel Luthor", whichever the board prefers) will stop treating Lex like a son and have the upper hand on Lex all season, always 1 step ahead, until the season finale reveals that Lex was 3 steps ahead, and Lionel will be dead. Much to my dismay.

Lana will miss Martha's cooking and come back to Smallville within 3 episodes. Clark will tell her his secret in season 4, possibly unintentionally. She'll be driving at least 2 new cars in season 4.

Chloe will survive the explosion, and be an orphan just like Lana! She'll use the life insurance proceeds from her father's death to buy the Talon and Chloe and Lana willl move into the upstairs apartment. Chloe will begin to chronicle Lionel's demise for a future book that will make her millions.

Pete will never be heard from again. They won't mention him and he won't visit. Ever. Spooky, huh?

Well, that makes sense. It's in keeping with the tradition of Presidents of the United States having suddenly disappeared for no reason and being unaccounted for at some point during their youth.

Much as I don't want Chloe to die (next to Clark she's my fave character on the show; if I had kids I'd want them to be like Chloe from this show and Rory from Gilmore Girls), if she survives that explosion, it'd be one huge nit because we SAW the fireball consume her and her father before we saw the whole house go up in the next frame.

The only way I see for Chloe to possibly survive is if Clark learns to fly, then flies around the world so fast he spins it backwards and it somehow causes time to reverse. I really hope that doesn't happen. Stay dead, Chloe, please! You're no Lois, and you never will be!!!

Clark superzips away in public yet again (in Metropolis behind the bus) without anyone noticing.

Also, just before Clark receives the key from Lionel, he stumbles as if there was Kryptonite around. This was never explained, was it?

I believe I saw a flower from the 'Nicodemus' episode in Lex's stalker room.

Clark superzips away in public yet again (in Metropolis behind the bus) without anyone noticing.

Hey, that's big city life for you./ Even in Denver, you can walk down the 16th street mall with a bloody nose, and nobody will have the common fukcing deceny to even ask if you're OK, if you were mugged or something, even though all it really was was the abrupt weather change and...

Sorry, sorry.

it showed him flash away at the airport? I must've missed that. I thought he just walked away before Lana looked.

Why did Clark seem jealous of Lex's goodbye to Lana? so, because he and Lex are at odds, Lex can't wish a friend goodbye? WTF?

Why did the fire form a Krypton symbol in the field?
Was the explosion of the house caused by Jor-El rather than Lionel as it would seem at first?

Could Jor-El be controlling Lionel too?
Perhaps Lionel was controlled by Jor-El when he killed his parents, in retalation for Lionel's father trying to shoot Jor-El in 1961.

If Jor-El was the cause of the fireball, he could have transported Chloe away if he wanted to. But why would he do that?