I guess I should start the recap by explaining that, while I used to watch Smallville last season, I have only watched one episode this season. So I apologize in advance if I make mistakes in terms of character motivation, names, places, and suchlike, but from what Omar tells me, the writing hasn't been so great this year, so maybe I'm not the one with the problem. Anyway, regular recap readers, I appreciate your patience and I promise that once Omar is all married and honeymooned, he'll be back!
Excelsior Academy, which, from the looks of it, is a learning place for Goths-in-training, and is surrounded by some sort of weather dome that makes it thunder and lightning all of the time. Papa Luthor uses a flashlight to enter a dark classroom, and asks his guide, one Mr. Woodruff, where Lex is. Hey, Woodruff is my mom's maiden name. Shout out? Woodruff says that Lex is out there, and that if anyone approaches, Lex becomes hysterical and claims he's protecting his brother Julian. Papa Luthor is like, "Okay, get lost, loser." Woodruff gets lost. Papa Luthor walks over to the window, through which he sees Lex outside on a rooftop, sitting in the pouring rain, singing a lullaby to a blanketed bundle. Hey, why is Lex all young and shit? This is a flashback! I'm a little slow sometimes. Anyway, Papa Luthor thinks that Lex is acting all freaky to get himself expelled. Younger Lex (who looks nothing like Michael Rosenbaum) claims that he found the baby crying in his dorm room. Papa Luthor seriously intones, "Julian is dead, Lex. We both know why. You have to come to terms with that!" As Papa Luthor approaches him, Lex jumps up and stands on the ledge, ordering his father to stay away. Papa Luthor orders Lex to get down, and Lex keeps saying that Julian needs him. Lex gets all worked up and ends up tossing the empty blanket off the roof, although in his mind, he has just killed his brother. Papa Luthor holds Lex back as he screams, "Juliaaaaan! Juliaaaan!" This fades into present-day Lex screaming the same thing while standing on a rooftop in his house. Lana runs out and grabs Lex, pulling him backwards onto a balcony. Lex falls and totally conks his head on the wall. Lana helps him sit up and asks what he was doing. Lex is all, "Who am I? Who are you? Who's Jerry Lewis?" In other words, he's dazed and confused. Smash to credits.
Kent Farm. Sunrise. Clark is doing chores in the barn. And by "doing chores," I mean...well, doing chores, unfortunately. Lana walks in, and Clark explains that Pa Kent had to go to Metropolis for medical tests, so Clark is getting his farm on. Lana thought Pa was getting better, which allows Clark to deliver the groan-inducing "When your heart's been through something like that, the scars don't just magically disappear." Get it? DO YOU GET IT? Okay. Clark says that Lana obviously didn't come out to "admire [his] stall-mucking abilities," which seems like a guilt trip, and could Clark be any more passive-aggressive? Lana awkwardly says that she was delivering payroll to Lex (why can every line on this show be taken as a double entendre?), and she thinks something is wrong with Lex, because she found him "out on the ledge, screaming for someone named Julian." Gee, what would ever have made her think something might be wrong? Lana is a rocket scientist. Clark explains who Julian is, and that he died of SIDS when Lex was a kid. Lana looks pained and says that Lex claimed he was just having a bad dream. Clark explains that the last time Lex had a breakdown, he was singing to Julian. Lana thinks for about ten minutes and then suggests, "Maybe he's had a relapse." Clark suggests that Lana steer clear of Lex for a while, since they last time he lost it, Lana got trampled by Meteor the Stompy Horse. Lana doesn't think that's relevant, but Clark asks her please to stay away, and offers to talk to Lex. And then they stare at each other for, like, fifteen minutes and in the hands of better actors I might have a clue what they were supposed to be thinking or feeling, but in reality, I have no idea.
Clark goes to Lex's pad and finds Lex doing some sort of business on the phone. Lex giggles with delight when he discovers Clark totally eavesdropping. Lex continues the double entendre-ville when he says that he's sure Lana told Clark about Lex's "nocturnal adventure." Who doesn't hear "nocturnal" and think that the word should be "emission"? Clark asks Lex if he's okay. Lex says he hasn't lost his mind, and that he was just sleepwalking. Clark says that Lex could have killed himself, and Lex says that when he found Clark asleep in the road last year, he didn't question Clark's mental health. Clark has no comeback to that, so Lex smirks and walks away. Clark turns and says that he's not the one who just got out of the loony bin. Lex says that his doctors think he's cured, so why doesn't Clark? Lex walks out, and Clark stifles a belch. That's what it looked like to me.
Summerholt. Lex pulls up and parks right in front, like he's a diplomat or something. As soon as Lex enters the building, Clark super-speeds up to the door. What great timing! Inside, Lex meets with Dr. Garner, who informs Lex that what he's experiencing are memories, not hallucinations. And Dr. Garner knows this because he has a video screen that displays an image of Lex's brain, which has been filled with a watercolor painting. Garner explains that the electroshock therapy is causing Lex to have brain spasms, and they show that the treatment is working. Hey, I just realized that Garner is played by Martin Cummins, who was White on Dark Angel. I loved that guy! He was the only character I really enjoyed in the whole series. Lex says that he didn't come to Garner to relive repressed childhood memories. Garner says that they can stop at any time, although his delivery suggests that he knows that Lex will do anything to recover his lost weeks.
Lex is immersed in a vat of green liquid while Dr. Garner feeds him instructions via a headset. He tells Lex to open his mind and think about his father. Is that anything like lying back and thinking of England? We go through Lex's eyeball and right into a memory. Younger Lex kind of looks like a bald Corey Feldman. Lex is remembering his twelfth birthday party, which apparently featured him crying while sitting at the head of a table piled with junk food, and no guests. Papa Luthor walks in and says he's sorry that none of Lex's friends was able to see the party that Mama Luthor planned. Lex sobs that everybody hates him, and his father insists that's not true. Lex storms off and sits on a window seat piled with gifts, which I guess are all from his parents, although it's weird that they (or the hired help) took the time to wrap all of the gifts in different wrapping paper. Papa Luthor says that everyone is just jealous of Lex. Papa Luthor gives Lex a gift that he claims is from Mama Luthor, who is "resting." Lex wonders if his mother is okay, because she seems so sad. Papa Luthor says that his wife is just tired, due to a difficult pregnancy. He wipes Lex's tears away and hands over the present. Lex opens the lid (because the gift is wrapped in that fake TV way where the lid and the bottom are wrapped separately), and finds a small chest inside. Lex thinks it's "just an old box," but Papa Luthor weaves a tale about how it's made from the armor of St. George, the dragon-slayer, who placed all his fears and doubts inside the box, and was only then able to kill the dragon. Papa Luthor suggests that Lex can also place his fears and doubts inside, and will find his own strength as a result. It's weird to see a scene where Papa Luthor isn't really evil and actually cares about his son, and Lex doesn't hate his father. Anyway, that happy memory is over, and Garner ends the session. Cut to Clark spying on the whole operation while perched on a rafter to see what's going on.
Lex walks out to his car. Clark confronts him and asks what's going on with Garner. Lex tells Clark to stay out of it. Clark reminds Lex of Garner's spotty medical record. Lex says he doesn't have to explain himself, but Clark reminds Lex that Dr. Phil says that honesty is important in loving relationships. Lex asks Clark what he would do if he lost seven weeks of his life, and that Lex only wants to recover those memories. Clark thinks Garner's methods are too experimental, and might actually harm Lex in the end. That's a chance Lex is willing to take, because he wants to "remember everything." Clark realizes that "everything" would include Clark's true identity, and gets a look on his face like, "Oh, shit." Lex gets in his car and drives away, and Clark walks up the steps of Summerholt and stares inside.
Clark goes to see Papa Luthor, who is shocked that Clark wanted to meet. Clark explains what Lex is doing, and adds that Papa Luthor is "the only one powerful enough to shut Summerholt down." Papa Luthor wonders why Lex thinks he would "resort to behaving like a thug." Clark doesn't think Papa Luthor wants Lex to recover his memories. Papa Luthor claims that he cares, but that it's not his problem. Clark asks what will happen if Lex remembers the truth about his grandparents' death. Papa Luthor says that he thought Clark was influenced by his parents' "cornfed hokum," but now he realizes that Clark has a dark side. Clark claims he's just trying to help Lex, but Papa Luthor totally knows that Clark has his own motivations for preventing Lex from recovering his memory. Clark denies it, and Papa Luthor starts up a looped tape of Lex saying, "I know your secret, Clark." Papa Luthor thinks that Clark should start telling the truth.
Papa Luthor stalks into Lex's house. Lex asks why his father is in Smallville. Papa Luthor says that he knows about Lex's "excursions to the Summerholt Institute." Despite the fact that it appears to be lovely and sunny outside, there is the most roaring fire I've ever seen raging away in the fireplace. Lex wonders how his father knows, and Papa Luthor admits that Clark told him. Man, do the Luthors love stained glass, or what? And why does everyone on this show hate overhead lights? Anyway, Lex says that Summerholt is a respected institution, which Papa Luthor laughs off. He says very seriously that Lex's mind is still fragile, so why should Lex risk his sanity? Lex knows that his father couldn't possibly have personal concern for Lex's health. Papa Luthor says that the treatment could trigger another psychotic break. This sends Lex into another memory. Little Lex eavesdrops on his parents. His mother drops a teacup, and his father sends the maid to clean it up. Papa Luthor coos over Julian and tries to get Mama Luthor to hold the baby, but she refuses. She thinks that Papa Luthor inflicts psychological damage on his children, and has chipped away at Lex's spirit. Papa Luthor says that she has made Lex weak. Mama Luthor thinks Lionel will pit the boys against each other and make them compete for his affections, and she wants a divorce. Papa Luthor says that he let Lex come home for her sake, so she needs to try to be a mother. She reluctantly takes Julian as Papa Luthor says that they will try to be a family, and that she should take the night to be alone with Julian and bond. Then, Papa Luthor spots Lex spying. Lex runs into the room and stares at Julian, who is crying. Back in the present, Lex tells his father that it was an accident, as the camera goes around and around and around.
Another memory. In this one, Lex stands over Julian's crib. Apparently, someone put a blue light in Julian's crib, which seems like it would hurt the baby's eyes. Papa Luthor walks in and asks what his boys are up to. Lex turns around and weeps that Julian wouldn't stop crying. Papa Luthor asks Lex what he's done, and walks to the crib. He looks inside and asks Lex again what he's done. Papa Luthor starts crying, but then gets a creepy look on his face and turns around, snarling at Lex, "What have yoooooou dooooooonne?" And then he punches Lex in the face! Awesome. Back in the present, Lex falls to the floor. Papa Luthor wakes Lex up and says that he's going to call a doctor. Lex insists that he's fine, and swigs some water. Papa Luthor asks if this is a side effect of the treatment, and that Lex is playing with fire. Lex still thinks his father just doesn't want him to remember those seven weeks. Papa Luthor says that isn't it, and that it's always been Lex's weakness that he dwells in the past. Lex yells at his father to get out, and Papa Luthor leaves.
Clark walks into his house, where Ma Kent is just getting off the phone with Pa Kent. She explains that Pa Kent has to stay in Metropolis for another day, and that she didn't tell him about Lex yet. Suddenly, Papa Luthor is standing there! Whoa. Creepy. Ma Kent asks why he's there. Papa Luthor is mock surprised that Clark didn't tell her about their meeting. Clark asks for a moment alone with Papa Luthor, and Ma Kent starts to go upstairs. Papa Luthor stops her and says insincerely that he's thinking of Pa Kent struggling to take care of the farm. Ma Kent is like, "Fuck off. My husband is a good person and you are evil." Or at least, that was the subtext. She starts up the stairs again while Papa Luthor smiles to himself and then says that he misses her advice, and offers her employment. Ma Kent just shakes her head and walks away. Papa Luthor tells Clark that he talked to Lex, and that he fears that their meddling has only increased Lex's desire to continue treatment. Clark is worried that Lex will hurt himself, and Papa Luthor replies that Lex is an adult and has to make his own mistakes in life. Clark points out that Lex could become a vegetable, and Papa Luthor says that he'll just have to have Lex committed permanently. Clark asks where Lex is now.
Clark shows up in Garner's lab and asks where Lex is. Garner tells Clark to fuck off, but when Clark walks near the tank of green liquid, he clutches his stomach and looks ill. Garner notices. Clark tells Garner to stop the treatments, and Garner nods for a thug to clock Clark in the head with a nightstick. Clark, weakened, falls to the floor. Garner overdramatically intones, "You've always been intrigued with my research. Now you're going to have the opportunity to be a part of it." Man, Cummins's acting ability hasn't really grown since he was on Dark Angel. A bunch of lackeys toss Clark onto an examination table. Clark's t-shirt rides up, and then one of the lackeys grabs Clark's upper thigh in a very suggestive manner. And then another lackey starts unbuckling Clark's belt. What in the Sam Hill is going on here? Another lackey cuts Clark's shirt off. Garner gets on the horn and calls Papa Luthor to tell him that Clark took the bait. Papa Luthor says that he's done his part, so now Garner has to keep the bargain. Garner agrees that Lex won't undergo any more treatments. Papa Luthor wants them to begin studying Clark Kent immediately. And then there's fifteen minutes of people staring into the middle distance while ominous music plays. They are really padding out this episode. Not that I'm complaining.
The camera pans lovingly down Tom Welling's nearly-naked body as Garner's goons prepare Clark to receive treatment. Wow, that was quite a shot of Clark's unit in his red boxer-briefs. Clark's bed is raised into the air in preparation for lowering into the green liquid, which we now know is probably Kryptonite. Papa Luthor shows up and tells Garner that he wants to know where Clark comes from.
Meanwhile, Lex walks into Summerholt and tells the receptionist that he's there to see Garner. The receptionist says that their session has been cancelled. Lex knows, and he wants to speak to Garner about it in person. The receptionist claims that Garner is away. Lex thanks her and walks away while pulling out his cell phone.
Papa Luthor watches as Clark is prepared for treatment, and then his phone rings. Papa Luthor answers and tells Lex that he's in a meeting. Lex asks if his father is at Summerholt, and whether that's why Garner cancelled the session. Papa Luthor says he doesn't have time for this, and Lex claims that his treatment worked, and that he remembers everything. A trombone blats on the soundtrack, and some strings start going, "Plunk plunk plunk." Papa Luthor asks where Lex is, and Lex says that his father knows where he is, and hangs up. Papa Luthor tells Garner that he has to solve a problem, and that Garner should wait for his return to begin the treatment. Garner barely waits for Papa Luthor to leave the room before ordering Clark to be lowered into the tank. Clark is lowered into the tank, and promptly begins having a seizure. No one seems concerned. Garner tells Clark to relax and take him back to his earliest memory. Clark remembers being put into the spaceship by his parents. His mother worries that the people of Earth won't love Clark, but his father says that Clark's destiny is set, and so is theirs. Baby Clark is sealed into the spacecraft as his mother says goodbye and we return to the present, where Clark is screaming, "La-ra! Laaa-ra!" Garner asks who Lara is, then asks a lackey why Clark isn't responding. The lackey says that Clark is having a reaction to the solution. Clark starts shaking uncontrollably, which somehow causes the electricity to short out. The lackey thinks they should get Clark out, but Garner refuses to remove Clark until they find out what they need to know.
Papa Luthor meets Lex in the lobby and asks what's so urgent. Lex says that since Papa Luthor went to great lengths to stop the treatments, he knows that his father is scared of his potentially recovered memories.
Cut back to Clark's freakout, as Garner orders the system to be shut down. Sparks fly everywhere as Clark shakes as if he's either having a seizure, or being electrocuted, or both. The lobby shakes, and plaster dust rains down. Look out, Omarosa! An alarm goes off. The receptionist tells Papa Luthor that the alarm in the memory well has been triggered. Lex realizes that his father was in the lab, and takes off.
Lex enters the lab. He finds one lackey, who has been crushed by a fallen metal beam, and takes his pulse. Apparently, the guy is dead, but Lex totally doesn't care. He walks up to the tank, where he finds Clark's submerged and lifeless body. Mouth-to-mouth! Mouth-to-mouth! Lex uses a nearby crowbar to bust open the tank so that all the liquid pours to the floor. Clark wakes up and asks for Lex's help, and Lex promises to get him out of there. But first, I think he needs mouth-to-mouth resuscitation! That's just a missed opportunity. And then Lex peers in at Clark for twenty minutes. The editors on this show really need to learn when to cut a scene.
Back at the Kent farm, Clark broods up in the barn loft. Lex walks up the stairs, and when Clark hears him, he quickly stands up and walks away, as if he got caught rubbing one out or something. Lex says that he wanted to see how Clark was feeling, because he "looked pretty messed up." Clark quickly says that he'll survive. Lex pauses, and then asks Clark why he was at Summerholt. Clark was trying to keep Lex from making a big mistake. Lex says that he told Clark to let it go, but that Clark kept at it, and even involved Papa Luthor. Clark says sadly that he didn't have any other options. Lex expositions that Papa Luthor got Garner to stop Lex's treatments by offering Clark up for study. Lex thinks his dad is obsessed with Clark. Isn't pretty much everyone on this show obsessed with Clark in some way? Lex thinks that if he recovered his memories, he could stop his father. Clark thinks it could have made things worse, and adds that the more Lex fights with his father, the more like his father he becomes. Lex takes three steps forward so he's nose-to-nose with Clark and says, "I love you." No, he really says, "I will never become my father. I would never sacrifice you, or anybody I cared about, to bring him down." Clark does a little dance inside, since Lex just admitted that he cares about Clark! Lex starts to walk away, and Clark asks softly why Papa Luthor hates Lex so much. Lex pauses for a minute, and then tells Clark to take care, but doesn't answer the question.
When Lex reaches the landing, he goes into another flashback. In this one, Younger Lex is carrying a tray up the stairs in his house, and on the tray are some mugs of hot chocolate and a baby bottle. We hear Julian crying in the background. Suddenly, the crying stops. Lex notices, drops the tray, and runs toward Julian's nursery. Since this is Luthor Mansion, he has to run a marathon to get there. When he arrives, he finds his mother standing over Julian's crib. He calls out to her, and she turns, revealing that she had a pillow in her hands. She drops the pillow. Lex asks what she did. Mama Luthor tells Lex that the baby is sleeping. Lex runs over to the crib and looks inside, and then turns and asks his mother what his father will think. Mama Luthor tells Lex not to worry, because Julian is happy now. She kisses Lex's bald head and walks out. Lex turns back and stares down at his dead baby brother. We return to present day, and Clark asks Lex if he's okay. Lex says he's fine and walks out. Clark, who was so concerned earlier, just lets him go.
Papa Luthor finds Lex at Luthorcorp. Lex says that his father managed "to walk away from a major debacle unscathed." Lex holds up the newspaper and shows a story about Dr. Garner being comatose after an accident. Papa Luthor says he was only at Summerholt because he was concerned for Lex's health. Lex asks if he was concerned about Clark too, and Papa Luthor lies that he was just as shocked as Lex was to learn that Clark was held against his will. Lex informs his father that he recovered a repressed memory. Papa Luthor is disgusted, but Lex says that it wasn't from his missing seven weeks -- it was about Julian. Papa Luthor thinks they "put that tragedy behind [them] years ago." Lex says simply, "I didn't kill him." Papa Luthor says he knows that Lex wants to excuse his own behavior, but that he saw Lex standing over Julian's crib. Lex walks closer to his father and says, "Mom did it." Papa Luthor turns, shocked. Lex explains that he walked in and found her. Papa Luthor doesn't want Lex to desecrate his mother's memory. Lex says that he blames Papa Luthor, who spits that Mama Luthor loved Julian and would never hurt her own child. Lex says that his mother loved Julian so much that she didn't want to "subject him to [Papa's] particular brand of parenting." Papa Luthor starts to walk out, but then asks why Lex would take the blame. Lex says that he was the sole remaining heir, and he knew his father wouldn't let anything happen to him, unlike what would have happened to his mother. Papa Luther tries to take this all in, stunned. Papa Luthor grabs Lex's coat and stammers that if he'd known, things would have been very different between them. He almost smiles, and then Lex says sadly, "You might have actually loved me." Papa Luthor struggles to respond, and Lex just pushes him aside and walks out.
Clark hangs out in the loft, staring at a mobile of the solar system. Ma Kent walks up and says that Clark hasn't really talked about what happened at Summerholt. Clark says sadly that she doesn't need to worry, because his secret's still safe. Ma Kent says she'll be in the house if he wants to talk, and starts to walk away. Clark blurts out, "Lara." Ma Kent turns around, and Clark explains that it's his biological mother's real name. Ma Kent asks how he knows. Clark tells her about his recovered memory, and how his mother was worried that no one would love him. Ma Kent says that she can't imagine sending her son out into space like that. Clark says, "Because of Jor-El, I always thought that my biological parents were monsters, but she wasn't. I just can't believe I forgot about her." Ma Kent tells Clark that he didn't, because his first word was "Lara," and that they could never figure out what it meant. Clark wishes Lara could meet Ma Kent and know what a great mom he has. Ma Kent says that Lara knows, because "a mother's love never dies," which I find a little creepy, but then again, I'm not a mother. Clark hugs Ma Kent for seventy-two minutes because the editors don't know when to cut the scene.