I'll go into this episode with an open mind, but IMHO, the whole body swap idea has been done to death in sci-fi, particularly on television.

I'm sure Lionel will make the classic mistakes of a) leaving Clark alive, b) not even trying to act like Clark, and c) leaving himself vulnerable for a reverse transference.

Next!

Was the working title of this one "Turnabout Intruder"?

In a classic case of VCR incompetence, the last few moments of the episode got cut off. Does anything important occur at the end in the Clark/Lana conversation or afterwards?

It seems to me that Jonathan was a tad too cavalier about asking "Clark" to lift the tractor up over his head, you know, out in broad daylight where anyone and everyone could walk on by.

Dude, Lionel is one cold MFer. Of course, we knew this before and it is definitely the kind of thing he'd do to Ms. Sullivan. Poor Chloe. I loved it.

I'm glad Lionel's not going to die now. But has he had an epiphany. Is he going to be a good person now? Is he going to go to the light while his son heads down the dark path?

But couldn't Clark try to explain the rock thing to her? I mean, she's the one that knows weird stuff happens in Smallville all the time. Can't he just tell her the truth?

I wonder how long after the Clark/Lex that final scene takes place. How fast could they get the guy out of jail? I guess Lex is pretty powerful though.

Duke: In a classic case of VCR incompetence, the last few moments of the episode got cut off. Does anything important occur at the end in the Clark/Lana conversation or afterwards?
SPOILER WARNING!!!!

Let's see, after he finds out Lana and Jason are an item, he goes to Lex's, Lex tests Clark and they kiss and make up, Clark asks Lex's help in getting the crazy math guy out of jail, and in the final scene we see the wacky guy head into a limo. Margot Kidder's limo. She takes the magic rock.

And I can't remember, was Lionel's scene with his doctor before or after Clark's conversation with Lana? Because his liver's no longer diseased. He's gonna live.

Thanks, Josh. I did see Lionel's doctor scene, but not the Lex scene or the crazy math guy getting out of jail. It's good to know what happened with the artifact, though.

Lionel didn't strike me as being particularly clever in this episode, at least not up to his usual standard. For example, wouldn't he have realized his bank account required voice verification? It seems that information caught him off guard. Also, after Martha gets the drop on him with kryptonite, he seems completely flumoxed as to what happened. Did he bolt out of there so fast that he just failed to see the big, glowing hunk of green meteor rock in her hand that he should have been intimately familiar with after keeping a safe full of the stuff? Lastly, he fails to react in time when Clark slaps the artifact on his hand and reverses the body transfer. The old man's losing his touch.

When "Lionel" goes to kill "Clark," he could have saved himself a lot of trouble if he had simply used his heat vision to kill "Clark" from a distance.

TUE

Lionel plays the tape recording over the phone to get access to his accounts. When it gives him the balance, he then starts talking to the operator in Clark's voice, and she doesn't question it???

Given the worn-out cliché of mind-transfer, I was worriedly expecting cheese, but the creators pulled this episode off with a modicum of suspense. The premise served to advance the Lionel arc, since he now knows most of Clark’s secrets, and also served to advance the Clark-Lana-Jason triangle (not that that triangle is that original or involving to begin with). And while Clark’s friendship with Chloe seems to have been irreparably damaged, I doubt it’ll be long before they patch things up, especially after Clark’s been able to do so with her and Lana after RedK episodes like Red. I especially liked how Lex tested Clark at the end of the episode, and then gave him a hug when he was convinced.

The ringing that led Clark to the artifact in the teaser reminded me of how Lex Luthor summoned Superman in the first Chris Reeves movie.

Clark speeds into the prison, but the guard to the visiting room actually has to open the door to let him in. How’d Clark manage this? Wouldn’t he have to get clearance?

How can Lionel/Clark lift that tractor over his head when he’s holding it from the very front end of it with his palms flat against its underside?

Lex understands from his confrontation with Lionel/Clark that Lionel somehow transferred his mind into Clark, and that the process was reversed by the end of the episode. But then he asks Clark about the strength Lionel had, and Clark suggests it was a side effect of the transference. Given the freakiness of such a thing, why wouldn’t Lex have assumed the same thing? How did he intuit that the two were somehow separate things? (Because the creators know this. But Lex shouldn’t have.)

Wow, Terrence Kelly (that was his name, right?) sure seemed to get out quick! Just how much time passed between the second-to-last scene of the episode, and the very last?

Also, Lex supposedly helped out Kelly because he had the resources to prove his innocence. But then we find out he’s in cahoots with Swann. Wouldn’t Swann have the resources to do this too?

Duke: In a classic case of VCR incompetence, the last few moments of the episode got cut off. Does anything important occur at the end in the Clark/Lana conversation or afterwards?
Luigi Novi: Clark asks Lex to use his resources to help prove Terrence Kelly’s innocence. In the final scene, we see Kelly walking out of the prison and getting into a car (limo?). Inside is Bridgette Crosby, and Kelly reveals that he retrieved the artifact that Clark and Lex dropped on the floor during the riot.

Duke: It seems to me that Jonathan was a tad too cavalier about asking "Clark" to lift the tractor up over his head, you know, out in broad daylight where anyone and everyone could walk on by.
Luigi Novi: My understanding is that the farm is fairly secluded.

When "Lionel" goes to kill "Clark," he could have saved himself a lot of trouble if he had simply used his heat vision to kill "Clark" from a distance.
Luigi Novi: Lionel hasn’t mastered it yet. Remember? When Clark first exhibited it, it manifested itself every time he became horny. That’s what happens with Lex/Clark is hugging Martha. It took Clark time to master it. Lionel probably hasn’t done so yet by that point.

"Terrence Kelly (that was his name, right?)" -- Luigi Novi

I thought the guy's name was Edgar?

Or are you referring to the actor?

TUE

Duke: It seems to me that Jonathan was a tad too cavalier about asking "Clark" to lift the tractor up over his head, you know, out in broad daylight where anyone and everyone could walk on by.
Luigi Novi: My understanding is that the farm is fairly secluded.

That doesn't stop someone from dropping by unexpectedly about once per episode to visit Clark there, be it Lex, Chloe, Lana, Jason, etc. It just seemed to me a little out of character for uptight-about-keeping-Clark's-secret Mr. Kent to not take a little more caution. But point taken, nevertheless.

Also, Lex supposedly helped out Kelly because he had the resources to prove his innocence. But then we find out he’s in cahoots with Swann. Wouldn’t Swann have the resources to do this too? LUIGI NOVI

Since I didn't see this part I obviously don't know the details, but do we know that this Kelly guy got out due to Lex, or was that just implied? Maybe it was indeed Swann that arranged it...

Well, alot of "freaky" things happened to alot of Smallvilles people all caused by kryptonite
and its ok but when its somethings with Clark nobody believes him that something extraeordinary happened to him.

So, Clark is supposed to put the fire out with his hands? Even with beeing burnproof that would be really hard to do considering the size of that fire. Also he would get his hands VERY dirty.

Also, why didn't Clark try to explain some meteorrock trick when Lex asks how Lionel did it?

I think it would have been better to have 2 episondes dealing with Clark and Lionel switched.
There are so many related things with Clark powers and Lionel knowing and be able to use them
the conclusion was a little bit rushed.

I thought in the end it was Swann who got this weirdo out of jail to get hands on the artifact.

What I don't understand is that Clark was not able to find it in the prison. Maybe he was still a little out of head to look for it?

I wonder what caused Lionels body to heal.
Was it Clarks good soul?

I am sure we won't see Dr. Swann again,
since C.Reeve died (R.I.P.)
but what is up with that woman? (Kidder)

She works for Swann. I've also read that since Reeve has passed on SPOILER WARNING:


They're going to kill Swann off (offsceen I'm assuming) and have Kidder's character take over his role.

Duke: Since I didn't see this part I obviously don't know the details, but do we know that this Kelly guy got out due to Lex, or was that just implied? Maybe it was indeed Swann that arranged it...
Luigi Novi: Clark asked Lex to help the guy out because he was innocent, and Lex figured that since he put a guilty guy like his dad in jail, he could help set free an innocent one. This scene cuts directly into the shot of the guy walking out of the prison. The scenes are juxtaposed in such a way to indicate that Lex was successful. If it was Swann, why even include the dialogue between Clark and Lex about Lex doing it?

Luigi: Maybe we're not supposed to KNOW (at least not yet) who relaly got him out. Granted, sucha thing would probably work better ina novel than on a TV show, but I still thought it was a nice touch. Also, it's possible that it was meant to look (and failed to look) like the Lex/Clark conversation and Kelly's relaese were happening at roughly the same time.

I have to agree that Clark could have told Chloe (and probably Lana, too) about what happened. Weird stuff happens in Smallville all the time. Besides, Lex figured it out, and since Chloe and Lana both trust Lex, he could back Clark up and they'd have to believe it. This is starting to remind me of the Wheel of Time where no one is communicating with each other!

Great moment when Lex hugged Clark to welcome him back.

Just though of something interesting. According to "Crusade", Lex has to get his system purged every day (or so) as a result of the poison Lionel slipped him at the end of "Covenant." Is that REALLY the sort of body Lionel wants to stick his soul in?

Blitz: Just though of something interesting. According to "Crusade", Lex has to get his system purged every day (or so) as a result of the poison Lionel slipped him at the end of "Covenant." Is that REALLY the sort of body Lionel wants to stick his soul in?
Did Lionel know that Lex has to do that?

Considering that Lionel was dying anyway, daily blood cleanings would be a small price to pay.

See, that's one of the funny things about that. What if Lionel DOESN'T know? He could have hopped into Lex's body, gone out to have some fun in celibration, and died within a day! (accually, the truth is that the writters seem to have completely forgoten about that little tidbit)