Episode Report Card Tippi Blevins: B- | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Abandonment Issues
By Tippi Blevins | Season 10 | Episode 8 | Aired on 11.12.2010
Orphanage. Tess is still following Granny around on a grand tour instead of running the hell away. Perhaps she's too busy putting the pieces together: "In my photo album, there are no photos of me before I was five." Because she was here at the orphanage, Granny tells her. Tess realizes the nightmare was a memory. "You were chasing me," she says angrily. "You were hurting me!" Granny denies ever being able to hurt her, but Tess doesn't buy it. She demands to know the truth about who she is. Granny tells Tess about how she was training her and didn't want to let her go, but then her birth parents found her a home and forced Granny to send her away. Tess wants to know who they were, but Granny only says they were powerful people. "They would have closed us down if I fought back," she says. Granny tearfully says she's always watched over Tess. She's the one who found her in the hospital, after Zod barbecued half her face. Tess realizes Granny was the one who brought her to Cadmus. Granny beams with pride. "The scientists did a remarkable job," she says. "You can't even see the scars." She runs her fingers over Tess's face. For a moment, Tess is too lost in thought to stop her. Then she swats her hand away, angry. Granny's smile fades. She leads Tess further into the orphanage, talking bitterly about the cycle of abuse and how hard it is to break, even for strong women. "But nothing can break you," she says. She says Tess is the strongest girl she's ever chosen, her favorite. Tess keeps following her, wanting to know why she doesn't remember her birth parents. Granny waves aside such unimportant matters. "With your powers, we'll accomplish great things," Granny says. She says lines will be drawn and Tess will be on her side. Oh dear crap, they've stopped next to another hobo clown painting. I'll be fighting on whatever side doesn't have scary clowns, thanks. Granny wishes Tess had just come alone, but her "girls" will take care of Clark. Tess rushes off to find Clark, but Granny uses some telekinetic mojo and flings Tess to the floor. Tess scrambles to her feet and runs. She finds an old rotary phone and tries to call for help, but it takes eons. Granny advances on her, waving the phone out of her hands. Granny follows her to an empty bedroom. "None of my girls ever leave me," she says cheerfully. With a gesture of her hand, the shutters slam against the windows. She has plans for Tess: "You will be my most valuable soldier in the coming war, whether you want to be or not." With a cherubic smile, Granny leaves and closes the door behind her. "Nighty night!" she calls out. "It's so good to have you home, back in your old room!" She laughs maniacally. Tess leans against the wall, defeated. The words "somebody save me" have been scratched into the paint. Tess should totally sue Remy Zero when she gets out of there.