In Brief: Now THAT'S more like it. It's about time Smallville returns to form.

Ruminations: I was a bit skeptical about this episode when I first heard about it. Amnesia has been done to death. I was also a little concerned when I called the last line of the teaser a day in advance.
My reservations were unfounded. This is easily one of the best episodes of the season. Everything just clicked this time.
Two notable regulars are Chloe and Lex. Lex just pulls off sneaky and manipulative so well. His scenes involving tricking Clark were very well played. I am really interested to see where all that leads.
Chloe is once again the best person in Smallville. Everyone else seems to be completely absorbed with his or her own problems, but not Chloe. I feel sorry for her. I've been saying for years that Chloe and Clark belong together. Lana's an airhead hypocrite who demands that her boyfriends have absolutely no secrets. (This episode pretty much confirms that Clark's attraction to her is purely physical)
I really appreciated that the FOTW was not some deranged psychopath. I was actually intrigued by his storyline. Of course, Somerholt is just a fun place to be. Plenty of crazy krap happening there.
Finally, that conclusion was perfect. You trusted me, indeed! If they don't follow up on that next week, I will be ROYALLY PISSED!

And why am I wearing flannel?
After Clark is hit by the memory beam, Chloe comes up and asks, "Clark are you all right?" And Clark says (as everyone with memory loss does), "Who's Clark?"
First of all, as I said, I called it a day in advance. Second, is that really what a person with amnesia would say? Wouldn't he or she say something along the lines of, "So my name is Clark? I don't remember."
I mean, there's no one else around. This woman comes up to you and, looking right at you, calls you Clark. You don't remember who you are, and you don't know your name. Wouldn't you assume that your name is Clark? I don't see how "Who's Clark?" is the appropriate answer to that question. (I know, I'm going way overboard with this. )

Maybe he'll think he set it on fire while looking at pictures of Lana
Lex steals Clark's map while in the loft. Doesn't he think that Clark will wonder what happened to it?

Probably not one of the stranger things that has happened in Smallville.
Why does everyone accept Clark's amnesia as though he has a cold? The general reaction is, "Oh yeah, Clark. I heard about your amnesia thing. Tough break." WTF? Wouldn't people wonder why he wasn't in the hospital?

Maybe Clark usually just spaces out in class anyway
So Clark can just go to school with amnesia? I understand that he says he came to see Lana, but he would have to go to class as well. What did he think he was going to do?

I'm really glad this episode was good. This show has been in a slow decline for a number of episodes. The season finale better be really good.

NEXT WEEK: PAL, of course, but next week doesn't look to promising.

TUE

"His mind's a void. It seems, Admiral, that I've got all his marbles."

My only question about this episode was how Sheriff Adams could have jurisdiction at Somerholt. Previous episodes established that Somerholt was in Metropolis, far outside of her authority. How come we didn't see Metropolis PD instead?

Pretty good episode. A time-worn soap opera cliché was elevated by the twist of Chloe being the one with the knowledge, Clark’s poignant reacquaintance with Lana, and an interesting mystery about a past tragedy that makes the episode’s guest star more than just a typical Meteor Freak of the Week.

When Lois confronts Kevin Grady in the teaser after he robs the Talon register, why doesn’t anyone else in that crowd of customers notice either the theft or the mindwipe?

Chloe tells Clark to be careful after she leaves Lex’s office, knowing Clark will hear her. When did she discover his super-hearing? For that matter, when did he re-discover it following his mindwipe? Or were we made to understand that it was just another thing they happened upon off-camera?

The absence of Clark’s parents felt contrived and I was annoyed by it.

Clark’s idea that the site of the accident is an ideal spot to find Kevin Grady is silly. Why would he think Kevin would be there? That Kevin actually ends up being there is purely serendipitous.

With all the mindwipes by the end of the episode, I feel I need a special computer to keep track of who knows what. Now if I understand correctly, Kevin’s mindwipes, as he told Clark at the Clearing, only go back a few minutes, right? So Chloe is only missing the knowledge of Clark saving her from those two pylons that nearly crushed her, but still has all the knowledge up until then, including knowledge of Clark’s secret, and everything she learned during that day when he had amnesia, right?

Another Kryptonian next week? And a baby? Hmm………I wonder if Clark will decide to name him “Connor”…

TUE: In Brief:...
Luigi Novi: Hey, no fair! You can't swipe that from me! I swiped fair and square from Jamahl Epsicokhan first!

Yeah, I got sick of my own "OF THE WEEK" format. It was pretty dumb.

So I figure, why create my own new idea when I can steal someone else's?

TUE

"It has always been easier to destroy than to create."

Luigi, when they are at that guys house, looking for the mind sweep boy, Clark says that he can hear a motorcycle, and Chloe asks if that is other power. I know that hardly jumps out as him having super hearing, but it did show that he could hear something that she couldn't.

Some thoughts...

When blanked Clark enters the cellar with Kevin
and he encouters the Kryptonite in the bottles.
Why does he know whats wrong and whats causing his pain? He thinks he is a "Kryptofreak".
He should have asked Kevin to help him along.

When those two pillars fall down and Clark catches them, Lois and the Sheriff are very surprised.
But why aren't they scared that he might get crushed before he catches them???

My first thought was, when Chloe comes along with the crowbar, that she hits him with it ;)

Another thing about the nature of Clarks superhuman powers.
(also thought concerning the series Lois & Clark)

Clark is no human, he has different DNA, different blood, ect. He just looks human.

But in some episodes its seems that he is just human and the powers are an extra thing, because he forgets about them when his memory is lost. (Same with Superman in Lois & Clark when he hits the asteroid) his powers get transfered and copied, but how can this be? How can a genetic feature can be tranfered instantanously?

Thanks, John-Boy, I forgot about that.

Maybe Clark usually just spaces out in class anyway
So Clark can just go to school with amnesia? I understand that he says he came to see Lana, but he would have to go to class as well. What did he think he was going to do?

Just hang out, like always. He's been to class, what, once ever? Hey, Lois hangs out there and she doesn't even go there anymore.

My only question about this episode was how Sheriff Adams could have jurisdiction at Somerholt. Previous episodes established that Somerholt was in Metropolis, far outside of her authority. How come we didn't see Metropolis PD instead?

Sheriffs typically have jurisdiction over a county, not a city. Apparently Smallville and Metropolis are in the same county on this show. At least it'd be consistant with how close the two have been portrayed in the past on the show.

Speaking of how close they are, Jonathan was in the hospital in Metropolis. SO FREAKIN WHAT? Why couldn't Chloe just drive Clark there? It's only a few miles away. Hell, I don't see why Martha didn't drive back. Jonathan only needed her for support, Clark could have actually used her help.

The absence of Clark’s parents felt contrived and I was annoyed by it

Me too.

With all the mindwipes by the end of the episode, I feel I need a special computer to keep track of who knows what. Now if I understand correctly, Kevin’s mindwipes, as he told Clark at the Clearing, only go back a few minutes, right? So Chloe is only missing the knowledge of Clark saving her from those two pylons that nearly crushed her, but still has all the knowledge up until then, including knowledge of Clark’s secret, and everything she learned during that day when he had amnesia, right?

That's how I took it.

When blanked Clark enters the cellar with Kevin
and he encouters the Kryptonite in the bottles.
Why does he know whats wrong and whats causing his pain? He thinks he is a "Kryptofreak".
He should have asked Kevin to help him along.

Yeah, that was a VERY contrived moment. "you go on ahead, I'm just gonna sit here and be all in pain for no reason I know of" *time passes* "oh I'll smash the green glowy jars now, boy I hope the evil science dad hasn't gotten the upper hand while I've waited here for no reason!"

But in some episodes its seems that he is just human and the powers are an extra thing, because he forgets about them when his memory is lost. (Same with Superman in Lois & Clark when he hits the asteroid) his powers get transfered and copied, but how can this be? How can a genetic feature can be tranfered instantanously?

By bad writing. On both shows' parts.

Anyway, while there were problems, this wasn't that bad of an episode.

And that Chloe, wow, she really made the episode. The only reason for Clark to want Lana over her is that he's just a big doody head. But then again, I've been thinking that for 4 seasons.

And what a week this was for Chloes! You had Smallville Chloe being all awesome here, and 24 Chloe being all shooty there. Wow.

Oh, did they ever address why the dad killed the other son? Was it just an accident, or was it murder? Seems odd he'd go to so much trouble to pin it on his other son if it was just an accident, but if he had a motive to kill his son it seems odd they never brought it up. Not a big deal, just something that started nagging on me as I was remembering the ep. I didn't even think of how they didn't explain it while watching the show.

Not too bad. Especially for a plot that's been done so many times. Maybe it's because there was more to the story than just the main character's amnesia, maybe it was because of the interesting guest character. Maybe it's because we see again that Chloe would be perfect for Clark. Alas, it's all about Lana.

Luigi Novi: Now if I understand correctly, Kevin’s mindwipes, as he told Clark at the Clearing, only go back a few minutes, right? So Chloe is only missing the knowledge of Clark saving her from those two pylons that nearly crushed her, but still has all the knowledge up until then, including knowledge of Clark’s secret, and everything she learned during that day when he had amnesia, right?
I was a little confused by that too. My guess is that she remembers everything up to being captured and strapped down to the table. Next thing she knows, Clark is standing over her. And since she knows about Kevin's ablilities, she would probably assume that any missing time is due to him.

elwood: My first thought was, when Chloe comes along with the crowbar, that she hits him with it
Does she know that he's invulnerable?

anon: Oh, did they ever address why the dad killed the other son? Was it just an accident, or was it murder?
I assumed that it was an accident. He just didn't want others to believe that he'd killed his son, accidentally or otherwise.

My mom caught this one: Clark seems to immediately know that the kryptonite on that shelf is what's causing his weakness, even though nowhere during the 24 hours that he had no memory was this revealed to him. How does he know this? Was it some instinct, or feeling that, "Hey, that stuff doesn't look kosher, so it MUST be it!"? Is because in our fiction culture, stuff that's green and glowing is known as a shorthand meme or icon for radiation? He's quite luckly not only that chain was nearby that smashed the shelf away when he pulled it, but that pushing it just a small distance away from him alleviated its effect on him enough to get away.

I tend to believe anything I see that's green and glowing is a source of radiation, given that glowing by definition is light radiation...:-)

I'm suprised that no one has mentioned this yet: why does the memory-ERASING-beam RESTORE Clark's memory? Yes, I know that Clark was affected by Kevin's mindwipe diffeently than everyone else, but it was MORE effective on him, not less. How did the big version wind up doing the opposite of what it's set up to do?

Likewise, why does Clark not remember anything in from the episode? I know it give the show an excuse to annoy us all by keeping Clark and Chloe's relationship in eternal limbo, but how exactly did the contraption restore everything else but wipe that?

Clark is no human, he has different DNA, different blood, ect. He just looks human.

But in some episodes its seems that he is just human and the powers are an extra thing, because he forgets about them when his memory is lost. -elwood

I'm no Superman scribe, so please excuse me if I'm saying someting completely stupid, but aren't his powers suposed to be a result of our sun interacting with his Kryptonian biology? I thought a Kryptonian in his normal environment wouldn't exhibit any unusual powers. If that's the case, then it wouldn't seem strange for Clark to not know about his powers.

Likewise, why does Clark not remember anything in from the episode? I know it give the show an excuse to annoy us all by keeping Clark and Chloe's relationship in eternal limbo, but how exactly did the contraption restore everything else but wipe that?

Simple. It made him forget he had amnesia!

Or not.

So I guess that means....

A WIZARD DID IT!

Well said!

Another "Dukes of Hazzard" reference. In the teaser as Lois rings up an order, the cash register reads .01