Episode Report Card Tippi Blevins: D | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Ready... Aim... Misfire!
By Tippi Blevins | Season 9 | Episode 10 | Aired on 01.29.2010
Kent farm. Clark whooshes into the house to find Zod standing there, with an apple perched on the tips of his fingers. "The apple is such a plain yet fascinating fruit," Zod says. That's what Lex used to say about Clark. Clark wonders what Zod's doing there. Zod blathers about apples starting the Trojan war and the tree of knowledge and the fall of Man and how humans hoard knowledge while Kryptonians share it. How long do you suppose Zod was in there with that apple, waiting for Clark to find him poised just so? I bet he practiced a bunch of different poses, trying to strike just the right balance between casual and philosophical. You don't want to come across too needy when fondling a man's fruit. Clark still wants to know what Zod wants. Zod reminds him about how the Kryptonians kneeled before him and accepted him as one of their own. "But some of us feel our favor has not been returned," Zod says. Clark says the Kryptonians don't need his help as much as the humans do, but Zod says they need more help. They expect Clark to help them get their powers. They want him to be a leader and mentor. Clark doesn't know how to give them his powers, but Zod invites him to solve the mystery with him. Zod's being sort of quiet and slinky with Clark in this scene, but Clark is too hetero these days to be moved. Clark doesn't want Earth to become another Krypton and thinks it would be dangerous to try. Zod threatens, in a casual sort of way, that his people don't want to conquer but they will do whatever it takes to get what they want. Zod whispers about needing to protect themselves against the brutal humans who would hunt them down like animals. "I won't let that happen," Clark says with genuine concern. Zod looks like he's going to cry. He knows Clark doesn't trust him because he thinks he killed Jor-El. He tries to convince Clark by saying he lost a son of his own and would never deprive someone of his father. "You must believe me," he says. Just then, Clark's cell phone rings, and he answers it without excusing himself, which earns him a spot on my etiquette shit list. He finds out about Lois and superzips away without saying anything to Zod. Zod glares after him. Clark is on Zod's etiquette shit list, too.
Hospital, our home away from home. Lois sits in her hospital bed, her left arm in a sling, trying to get comfortable. Clark bursts in, all apologies about leaving her the night before. "This never would have happened," he says. So, what, you plan to stay with her 24 hours a day? Because let me tell you, the romance starts to fade once you get familiar with someone's bathroom habits, and I bet Lois loves the chili dogs at those monster truck rallies of hers. Lois sensibly tells him it's not his fault. Some psycho just wanted a spot on the front page of The Daily Planet and decided to shoot its ace reporter. Clark asks her if she got a look at the attacker. "Yeah, he was dressed up like Green Arrow," she says. They frown at each other for a while and Clark tenderly sits on the bed beside her. Oliver appears in the window behind them, looking sad. He walks away without going in and encounters Chloe in the hall. Oh dear crap, the outfit she has on. It's a long colorful tunic with a short jacket buttoned over it and flared pants. It's like she got lost on her way to 1971. She notes that Oliver doesn't look so great, which she also notes is unusual for him. Oliver's sad because Clark is already in Lois's room. Chloe gently chastises him: "It's been years since you and Lois steamed up any elevator glass." Luckily, they move on from that line of conversation and on to the matter of the attacker who shares Oliver's leather fetish. Oliver is shocked. Chloe shows him an X-ray of Lois's wound and the arrow that caused it. "If it had been just one centimeter to the left or the right, her artery would have been ceviche." Because Lois is made of raw fish and lime juice...? Chloe thinks the attacker must have been a bad shot, but Oliver begs to differ. "That's a shot specifically designed to take down your enemy without killing them," he says, studying the X-ray. Chloe shows him a picture of the arrow. The shrill, discordant music of recognition plays. He whispers that he doesn't recognize it, but in a totally unconvincing way. Chloe frowns after him as he leaves.