Episode Report Card Tippi Blevins: B+ | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Son of "Secrets and Lies"
By Tippi Blevins | Season 10 | Episode 16 | Aired on 03.04.2011
In a hurry? Read the recaplet for a nutshell description! Finished? Click here to close.Remember when it seemed like "secrets and lies" figured into every episode? Possibly more than once per episode? There's been a nice, long break since the phrase reared its ugly head, but it's back in this episode. Things start off with Tess bringing Alexander to the Kent farm (he's been being studied in a lab off-screen) and asking Clark to hang out with him for a while. She tells him that the boy has lost all of his Lex memories. With some hesitation, Tess also tells him that Alexander is only half Lex, because the other half of his DNA comes from Clark. That explains the kid's nascent super powers as well as his affinity for plaid. Lois calls the boy, now known as "Conner," the "lovechild" of Lex and Clark, although Clark prefers to think of himself as Conner's brother. Clark teaches Conner about farm chores and using one's powers responsibly. This includes having to show Conner how to tame his heat vision after it's activated for the first time by the sight of Lois's shapely figure.
Alas, Conner overhears Clark and Lois talking about the Luthor half of him that Clark has decided to keep secret. This sends Conner zipping off in an emo tizzy, right into Lionel Luthor's paternal clutches. Lionel slips a red-K ring onto Conner's finger, telling the gullible young thing that it's his "birthright." This is where the B-plot of the episode intersects: Lois and Tess have been trying to dig up something that will expose Lionel as a fraud, which leads Lois to sneaking around Lionel's office, which leads to Lionel trying to kill her. A smitten Conner not only rescues her, but steals furs and jewels and a car for her. Lionel laughs it off as the "Luthor libido," which is just... ugh. When Lois doesn't return his affections, Conner beats her for what seems like a gratuitously long time. Clark confronts Lionel, all, "I won't let you screw him up like you did my best friend Lex!" and Lionel's like, "It was your secrets and lies that messed him up, jerkface!" Clark eventually rescues Lois and shatters Conner's red-K ring, realizing for the nth time that maybe honesty really is the best policy.
In the end, Tess proves that Lionel's a fake and gets LuthorCorp back. Clark enrolls Conner at Smallville High and gives him the Kent name. Lionel visits Lex's grave and boo-hoos about wanting his son back. That's when Darkseid materializes and fills us with dread as to just how Lex will be returning for the finale.
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Want more? The full recap starts right below!The episode opens with a scenic view of Smallville farmland. Everything is sunny and green as Clark's distinctively low-budget blur zips along the perpetually empty roads leading home. He walks in through the kitchen door, wearing his red leather super-jacket, and finds Tess enjoying a cup of coffee at the table. How many times is this guy going to walk into his unprotected home wearing that outfit before some outsider sees him? Tess fumbles with her coffee cup, obviously nervous about something. Clark seems surprised to see her, so she must not be living there after the fall of the House of Luthor. Her loose-fitting, side-tied blouse looks kind of like a dressing gown, so this scene was kind of confusing on first watching. When he asks what she's doing there, she stammers something about not having much time to catch up lately. Makes sense. "So how are you?" Clark asks. "Good, good!" she says brightly. "How are you?" "I'm fine, thanks," he says, narrowing his eyes. He glances around like he's waiting for the other shoe to drop. Under his suspicious gaze, Tess stammers some more and moves around to the far side of the table. She haltingly tells him that there's been an incident with their "little project." Clark, unable to hear the light, comical tone of the music in the soundtrack, grows worried. Tess explains: "Ever since Alexander's reboot, he's been totally glitch-free and ready to enter the real world." Man, she's not only working Chloe's old job at Watchtower now, she's also starting to talk like her. She goes on to say that Alexander needs someone to guide him. She wants that person to be Clark, but Clark isn't sold on the idea. He points out that Alexander is Lex's clone. Given their history, maybe Clark isn't the best person for the job.
Tess pours herself another cup of coffee. She stutters so much it's surprising she doesn't spill it. She goes on about how quickly Alexander is learning. "He just needs someone there for him, like family," she says. Clark reminds Tess that she's Alexander's sister, but Tess is insistent that Clark is the one to bring out the best in him. She tells him that Alexander is outside waiting in the car. Clark makes a series of apoplectic faces. He's worried that Alexander will remember something about him, but Tess reassures him that the kid doesn't remember anything. She says he's going through some kind of metamorphosis. "Ever since he's been changing, we've been learning new things about him, like things about his, um, genetic origin." She can barely look Clark in the eye as she says the last. Before she can go on, there's a loud crash from the barn. She and Clark go to investigate and find Alexander holding up a tractor by its front axle. He's all grins. "Hey, Tess, check it out!" His once-ginger hair is black now. Tess turns to Clark and lowers her voice to a whisper. "He doesn't just have Lex's genes; half of his DNA came from you." Clark gapes at her. Clark gapes at Alexander. Somebody save him!