Episode Report Card Omar G: C- | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Pudding Out
By Omar G | Season 4 | Episode 21 | Aired on 05.10.2005
First off, thanks to Cyb for the recaplet assist. You saved a man's sanity this week.
Alt-rock crap (oh, alt-rock crap, how I've missed you; that's how much of a bummer this season has been) plays, loudly, as we're zoomed in on a close-up of the front page of the Smallville High Torch on a computer monitor. The page-one headline reads, "School's out forever!" The freshmen, sophomores, and juniors read it and cry, "hells yes!" The newspaper also reads, "Last edition." It's shutting down forever without Chloe? That would make sense, since she's been its only consistent employee for four years (and was already running the place freshman year). Chloe is signing a very glamorous photo of herself in a high-school yearbook. I can't quite make out what she writes, but it's short enough to be of the "Have a great summer!" sentiment. She hands it to a floppy-haired dude who just had to have an autograph from the Chloe Sullivan. Hey, Chloe, is it true that you once dated Superman? And you let him crush your spirit for a few seasons after that? Because this yearbook's gonna be a collector's item someday! The guy does me a favor by reading what Chloe wrote: "To Brandon, a photographer who could always capture the moment." From Chloe, one-woman media conglomerate. She and Brandon have a Nescafe moment. He says, "Thanks." She says, "Sure." Brandon -- who will later turn out to be a PhotoJerkalist -- stuffs his yearbook into his backpack and says he's gotta run. He'll see her at lunch. Chloe sips on the biggest coffee container I've ever seen that isn't made of advanced plastics and gets back to work. A bell rings as she begins to type. And here's where things get a little weird: her computer makes weird little beeps as Chloe looks up and notices that the clock says 8:30. She looks toward the hall and notices that nobody's walking by.
Cut to Chloe walking into the high-school hallway. We see her from a bird's-eye view. Everything is dim and empty. But enough about the script. Ah ha ha! I kid the script. Seriously, script, I'm sorry. I know you're a scrappy little guy, trying to make it in the world as one of the runts of the late-season litter. Buck up, little partner. Omar's got your back. The camera whooshes down rather nicely as Chloe walks down the hall. It cranes down and pursues her (saaay. Nice, uh, jeans there, Chloe) around a corner. Things look spooky and overlit. "hello?" she calls out. There's a sign on the wall that reads, "Patricia Taylor for Secretary." There are also signs, randomly, opposed to alcohol abuse and in favor of hot dogs. My brain can't quite reconcile the two. Maybe there's a brats and beer epidemic at Smallville High. Chloe dares to walk past the hot dog sign and next to another set of lockers, still calling out. The camera does a 720-degree turn around Chloe. We hear a spooky wind sound. There's a shower running. Chloe walks toward it.