Veritas

S07E15

This recap is brought to you by a generous grant from the Central Kansas Gay Men's Veritas Astronomy Club, which promises to continue to keep an eye out for Uranus.

Someone on the show really wanted to get all artsy this week. We open on a shop of some very Un-Kansas trees and a daytime moon looming behind them. O Vancouver, I do love you, so. We see a hawk take off from a barn perch. It goes, "Caw!" This is really hilarious to me, because it looks just like that SNL sketch, "The Falconer." Oh, Donald! We have no food and I am trapped under this boulder! Go and find us sustenance! What do you mean you're making an appearance on a CW show and can't fetch me some help? I'm dying, Donald! And then Donald the falcon goes off and snorts cocaine off a stripper's ass. That's my kind of falcon. Anyhoo, the falcon, er, I mean, hawk, flies across the verdant woods. We see Kent Farm, where it's a little sunnier. Kara is doing some chores for once in her goddamned life. Gloved, she unties some bales of hay. We see the bird up in the tree. Wait, is it an owl now? I can't tell these damned flying things apart. It watches Kara. And caws again. Kara starts feeding the horses. The bird soars into the barn. Kara hears Shelby barking in there. Even though she has her memory back and her powers are restored, she walks like she's an 80-year-old woman, so slowly that the dog will probably be dead by the time she moves her slow ass over there. As she walks (slowly), she sees other birds flying by. Shelby continues to bark, saying in dog language, "Bitch, get your ASS in here! Now! I know you can whoosh and zip and blur yourself! I am a dog in need of assistance!" The music has ample time to build until Kara finally opens a door to the barn. Shelby barks again. Kara looks around. She tries to follow the sound and it just takes ages. She finally spots Shelby barking at a passing shadow. It moves behind Kara. "Quiet morning," a voice says, "it's cold. Still. Bleak." Underwritten. A face emerges from the shadows. Hey, it's Braniac! Welcome back, dude. So, were you the bird just then? You're a smart guy -- were you just an owl? Or a falcon? Or some sort of owl-hawk? Would that technically be a flying robot? Braniac tells Kara that it must remind her of Krypton when it's all still and bleak like this. I thought Krypton was supposed to be awesome. It's starting to sound like...well...rural Kansas. Kara doesn't know who this is. Braniac, wearing a cool leather jacket, says he's the answer to many of Kara's questions. She says he must have the wrong farmhouse. Braniac says he expected the girl raised by "Such a stoic race" to be better at lying. That stops her. He says she's just as transparent as Kal-El, whom he's been watching. Kara asks what he wants. Braniac says she can't return to Krypton, but that she would if she could. He thinks she must have been disappointed when she got her memory back. Kara says she's very happy here. Untying hay bales. Getting lectured by an owl-falcon-hawk-robot. Kara says Braniac should leave. Braniac doesn't think she really means it. He asks what she'd think about being able to go back and save the people she loved. Kara, skeptical, says he's not the first person to use those memories against her. But is he the first bird/robot to do it? She says it won't work. Braniac notices her silver Kryptonian bracelet. "That's unfortunate," he says. He says he needs her. She starts to walk past him, a little too closely, and he grabs her roughly. He says that at least she can't say he didn't ask nicely. We hear a very long whoosh that is a prelude to Clark coming into the barn. He grabs Braniac and pulls him back, launching him through the barn, past some fence and into some sort of piping that breaks and launches water into the air. Nice one, Clark. Ruin your own farm, why don't you? The water continues to gush and I keep waiting for Daniel Plainview to jump out and yell, "I have abandoned my Superman canon!" Clark and Kara zip into view to see what happened and...yeah. It doesn't look so hot. Poor Braniac emerges from the gusher with his hair and clothes all wet. He's actually got water dribbling out of his mouth as he says that if they'd done this his way, nobody would have gotten hurt. Now was that really necessary? Do we really need to see Braniac looking ridiculous and wet? Braniac launches himself forward and knocks over Clark and Kara like they're bowling pins and he just split 'em. They watch Braniac sail off into the sky. Kara stares at Clark, accusingly. Clark completely fails to move. Wanna get some bagels or something? It's still pretty early in the day. I think breakfast would be all right.

By Omar G

This recap is brought to you by a generous grant from the Central Kansas Gay Men's Veritas Astronomy Club, which promises to continue to keep an eye out for Uranus.

Opening credits. Commercials. You know what might ruin The Ruins? All these behind-the-scenes commercials. I want to be so scared at this movie that my balls fly off my body and go hide in the theater lobby. Don't take that away from me, movie marketers. ["What he said." -- Joe R]

Kent home. Clark is sulking as he walks toward the kitchen. Kara asks why Clark didn't tell her there was another Kryptonian on Earth. Whups! I thought Clark had filled her in on these important details. I guess he was too busy explaining to her how to feed the damn horses. "He's not a guy. He's a machine," Clark says. You should be a poet. If he's a machine, then maybe he'll get rusty from all that water. What kind of machine did you say? Clark says he's a computer. Does he have a Wi-Fi router? Because Kara really needs to check her Hotmail. "Braniac," Kara says. Clark, palms on the kitchen counter, says that last time he went up against Braniac, he wanted to release Zod. Kara asks if Clark destroyed Zod. Er, sorta. Who knows? Clark asks what Braniac wants now. To be upgraded to Windows Vista: Ultimate Kryptonian Edition? That's a sure way to cripple him! Kara says she's what he wants. "Your father," Clark says. No, Braniac wants Kara. Her father's gone. Clark is really bad with the listening sometimes. Clark says her dad made a lot of bad choices toward the end; he asks if Zor-El might have been allies with Zod. Kara says no way. She tells Clark that Zor-El and Jor-El both hated Zod and it was one of the few things on which they agreed. Kara doesn't know why Braniac wants her. Kara says that the time they go up against him, it would be nice if they were all on the same playing field. Clark goes, "Whuh?" Kara says, "Or should I say, 'Sky?' " Clark still doesn't get it. You want him to build a field...in the sky? To play on? Like in Field of Dreams? Woman, you make no sense. Where would the bases go?

Daily Planet. Instead of seeing what Chloe's up to, we're at that other reporter's desk. Lois Lane stares at her screen, which has, in giant sans serif, "BIG COOL HEADLINE HERE." (By Lois Lane.) Oh my God. My eyes. My fucking eyeballs are bleeding. Could someone please hand me a moist towlette? PAIN! First of all, reporters don't write headlines, especially not at a giant, well-staffed newspaper. Secondly, I don't think Lois is capable of stringing a coherent sentence together, much less writing a pithy headline for that collection of brain turds. Every copy editor on staff must want to strangle her with her own bra strap. Speaking of that, we cut to a shot of Lois playing with a small rubber ball, painted like a globe. The camera is full-on framed at her chest. She's wearing a tight pink top with her cleavage hanging out and a red sweater opened up to show it off. The camera starts there and, as an afterthought, pans up slowly to her frustrated face. That's right. The producers have officially made Lois's breasts a talking point for Smallville. Again. Jimmy, camera strap around his neck, is standing nearby. "Aren't articles supposed to have words?" Jimmy asks. Yes, but when Lois writes them, the words don't have to make sense. Lois says she just starts with the best part and works backward. Uh huh. Wouldn't the mean writing the last sentence of the story first, not the headline? Also, I am completely unconvinced that stories by Lois have a "Best part." Jimmy says his camera memory card is equally blank and he's wondering if Lois needs eye candy to "complement those pros." "Prose?" What the fuck, Jimmy, you're turning into Lois! Lois asks if Jimmy doesn't get photo assignments. Jimmy says that under Lex's management, he's only getting little assignments. He wants a big story to so he'll stay off the gallows. Lois says that Lex couldn't hate Jimmy as much as he hates her. "So why not give him a double whammy?" Jimmy asks. Dirty! "Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen in their big debut," Jimmy pitches. Debut? How long have you been working there, man? And I think Lois would argue that she's already had some big stories in the paper. "What about Chloe?" Lois asks. Jimmy says that she got a call from Clark and ran off on some secret project. While the cat's away, the mousy dude will make awful journalistic decisions. Lois and Jimmy make strange faces at each other. Lois hears a little sound indicating she has a new e-mail. She checks it and sees a coroner's photo of Patricia Swann. Dead Patty has a bullet hole in her head. And she looks a bit like Laura Palmer. Yeah, I'm not thinking the coroner's department just randomly releases photos of dead bodies to the press. Lois smiles. Death is awesome! Lois says Jimmy better make sure his camera is loaded with "Ammo" because she's got tomorrow's headline. "Daughter of winning Nobel astronomer murdered," says Lois. Wouldn't they assign that story to a real reporter? Jimmy asks if it's the Swann woman they fished out of the lake last night. "Yeah," Lois says lustily. Jimmy thought she drowned. Lois says it's hard to swim when you've been shot. Indeed. Jimmy looks at Lois and then, swear to God, lowers his eyes and stares at her tits. Then he raises them back to her face. Lois sees him looking and doesn't seem to mind. It must happen all the damn time. Jimmy has been boobified.

Lair of Lex. Lex's Lady Assistant, who is really trying hard to rock the Tina Fey look, comes in through the double doors. You know, you really only need to open one. I know it looks cooler to open both and then close them behind you, like you're in a rock video, but...this isn't shot in slow-motion, so let's just save some energy, shall we? She tells Lex, who has his back to her and is staring at the stained-glass window, that all the tracks have been covered linking Lex to the locket. Lex insists on secrecy. She tells him that after all these years, he should trust her to know the magnitude of this moment. Lex says it's funny. In fact, I'm laughing right now. Ha ha. Oh, that was a good one, Lex. He says that after all those jaunts all over the world and cave explorations, the secret of Veritas was so much closer than he thought. Lady Fey steps forward toward the desk and says that it's almost poetic. She says sometimes what we're searching for is right in front of us. Uh...hello? You want Lex. Badly. Is this the part where she takes off the glasses, tosses her hair around and starts unbuttoning her blouse so Lex can ravish her on the desk? It sure looks like it. She says she's confused about one thing. She thought Lex just found out about Veritas. Why was he searching for it his whole life? Lex explains that he always knew his dad was covering some sort of secret involving symbols and secret stones. "I just didn't know it had a name," Lex says. She asks what the final piece was. "My own memory," Lex says. He tells her that ever since the meteor shower, there were years that were blocked out. But ever since he got shot in Detroit (you have to be really specific since Lex has been shot about 100 times), he's been having flashbacks. "And that's how you remembered that," Lady Fey says. Helpful. Lex just stares at her, thinking, "That was a really dumb sentence." She was actually referring to the locket, which we now see in close-up. We flash over to a Lex memory.

Oh, childhood! It's all gauzy and soft-focus. We see the Luthor crest mounted on a wall. A young girl in a dress (Patty Swann) walks past it. We see three boys. One of them is Li'l Lex. Another one is young Ollie. The third is presumably Jason Teague. They tell the girl to go again. She's reluctant, but goes ahead and counts to 10 in a game of Hide and Seek. The boys scramble. She peeks at around "3." Cheater! Ollie hides behind a grandfather clock. Jason jumps in a giant chest. Li'l Lex looks around, searching for some hiding. He goes through a closet door and ducks down. He sucks on an aspirator. He hears men talking through a grate near the floor. One of the voices is Papa Luthor. They're talking about Patricia's vivid imaginings and something about the death of Virgil Swann. Papa Luthor is telling the other two men that if they don't open an envelope, Dr. Swann's findings could be "as mythical as Mt. Olympus." Papa is rocking the retro avant-garde turtleneck. One of the other men holding a Veritas envelope says that Virgil will be here any minute. Edward Teague says that Veritas is the greatest secret the world will ever know. Then it won't be a secret, will it? The other guy, Robert Queen, says that they were supposed to use their money and power to protect the secret, not expose it. Papa is trying to persuade them not to blindly follow Dr. Swann. Papa thinks that just because Swann made the discovery doesn't give him the right to keep it to himself. Silly astronomer! Papa wants the envelope. Queen's not handing it over. He says they're supposed to meet The Traveler first before they decide how to control him. Papa, paranoid, thinks that Queen has been working with Swann in secret and that Edward and his wife, Genevieve, have been "Galavanting" around the world looking for the Power Stones. Edward says that this is bigger than the Teagues or the Queens or the Luthors. This is Trump-level, baby! Robert says that Veritas has been around for a long time and that Edward's family has been protecting the secret with sacrifices for centuries. Papa says that The Traveler is coming now and that they have to act. He thinks that what's in the envelope will give them ultimate power. He doesn't think the other men trust themselves with that power. They both tell Papa that they agreed not to open the envelope unless The Traveler became a threat. Robert is planning on flying to Zurich with Dr. Swann to lock the secret away. Nice giving away the location, Bob. He thinks that power should be left in the hands of the Gods. A door opens. Li'l Lex is watching this whole scene. Edward takes a necklace from a table and opens it. There's a key inside. As Li'l Lex watches, a wheelchair holding a silent Dr. Swann passes in front of him.

By Omar G

Kent Farm. Clark is staring out of the big barn window. We hear whooshing all around. Clark turns to see Kara flying in through the window on the opposite end of the barn. She lands easily. "Easy as pie!" she says. Even summoning the power of pie doesn't excite Clark. He turns back toward the window. Kara says she knows Clark sent Lana off to the Isis Foundation so she wouldn't see his "Maiden voyage," but she wants to know when he'll stop stalling. Clark looks really scared and nervous. He takes a deep breath. Kara tries to give him a little push in the elbows. Clark turns and uses that as an excuse not to jump. "Not helping," he says. Kara steps back and says it's really easy. "Up, up, and away!" she says. Clark squints into the distance. He finally says, "I don't have time for this!" Dude, you've had seven seasons! Kara says that Braniac flew away. She asks how Clark intends to catch him. Surface-to-air eyejaculation? Clark says they have to find him first. He thinks they're wasting time with abilities he doesn't have. Clark doesn't think it'll be so easy to find him. He says even Chloe hasn't been able to track him. Clark wonders how they might do it. "Power," Kara says. She goes on to say that everyone has to be fueled by something. Quick, hit every place that serves food in the world! Clark says Braniac isn't affected by the sun the way they are. He asks what Braniac runs on. Super unleaded? "Maybe energy," Kara says. "He's a computer," Clark throws out there. This is like watching two people without sticks try to start a fire in the woods.

Lana is alone at Isis. She's looking over some folders when the lights and computer monitors start to flicker. Lana walks deeper into her computer lair. She tries to get the computers back online, but they shut off. As they do, Lana can see in a monitor's reflection that Braniac is behind her. She turns. He knows her name. She tries to run, but he whooshes in front of her and grabs her shoulders. He raises a hand and turns it into a finger-pick. It pierces Lana's forehead. Little spikes come out of it and go in through Lana's eyes. All three points come back out. The hole in Lana's head disappears, but her eye is bleeding. Branaic is very proud of his work. Hey, so am I!

Commercials. Gossip Girl. I heard a rumor that this show is fairly entertaining.

Daily Planet. I sure hope we're about to see Jimmy and Lois returning their press badges in disgrace. Aw, no such luck. Instead, we see Clark picking up a copy of the paper. The bottom half of the front page (newspapers never design a front page in perfect halves, but whatever, show) is a story about Patricia Swann. Instead of a photo of the murder scene or mourners, we see a giant head shot of her. The ugly headline says, "Prominent Metropolis citizen dies a suspicious death." Was she really a Metropolis citizen? Hadn't she been in Europe for years and years? Can we get a name up in this headline to go with that ginormous mug shot? I have decided that everyone is just pretending The Daily Planet is a great newspaper and that outside its walls, everyone makes fun of it and wonders how they stay in business. Also, I wonder what news was so important that it took up the top half of the front page. Probably a giant coupon. Clark picks up the paper (it burnnnnns!) and asks Chloe about it just as she's walking in. Clark is allowed in the building when Chloe's not there? What the FUCK!? Clark asks why Chloe didn't tell him they found Patricia Swann the night before. She says she just walked through the door. Chloe glances at the paper and sighs. "Another member of the Veritas clan is silenced." Clark asks if she thinks Papa Luthor was behind the murder. Chloe says that he was trying to throw suspicion on Lex, but that she's found no link between Lex and Veritas other than his relation to Papa Luthor. She says all roads lead to Papa Luthor. "What if she died protecting me? Protecting my secret?" Clark asks. Well, she was in Metropolis because of you so...yeah. I'd say she died for you. Tough one, Clark. Chloe says they don't have time for guilt right now. Chloe says she's been sweet-talking a guy at the department of water and power to "Fast-track" her password so she can see if there are any unusual power grid surges. She sees surges in Brazil, Honduras, and Florida. She says Braniac really gets around. ¡Olé! Chloe spots something on the computer. It's a big power surge in Metropolis, right near the Isis Foundation. Ruh-oh! "Lana," Clark says. Oh yeah. Her.

By Omar G

Commercials. Applebee's. Yes, we really believe you'll come and pay to eat here.

LuthorCorp. We visit the hallway leading to Papa Luthor's office. Someone decided that there was too much blue neon and industrial coldness, so there's a humongous plant there now, being tended to by two workers in green shirts. One of them, a lady, is on her knees and has her long hair sticking out of the back of a baseball cap. My wife, as I've mentioned before, never watches the show. As she's walking through the living room she looks at the TV and says, I kid you not, "Is that Lois?" My wife can spot NoTalent McBooberton from a mile away, yet Papa Luthor walks right past her in her amazing disguise. Jimmy is also there, hiding cleverly behind the plant. Lois pops her head up into the frame, her lips pulled back and her eyes all squinty. This is the face I make when I turn into an ace reporter from having been a mere plant waterer. As ridiculously stealthy music plays, Jimmy grabs his camera. The two of them follow Papa Luthor into his office and Jimmy starts taking flash photos as Lois asks if he has any comment on the death of Patricia Swann. Papa Luthor raises a hand in defense and says, "Put the camera down!" Then again: "PUT it down!" he barks. Jimmy takes another picture. He keeps looking to Lois for approval. She's got a T-shirt on now, Jimmy. Too late to see any more cleavage. Papa Luthor says, a third time, "Put it down." Did they tape the rehearsal for this scene by accident? Can we see them stretch and do breathing exercises, too? Lois looks like she's about to say something, but the camera goes to Papa Luthor as he says they're pretty resourceful. Yeah, those disguises were awesome. That whole bit was edited by an evil bird/robot, I think. Papa says that a press conference or interview would just be too conventional for "Miss Lane." Lois says Papa wouldn't take an interview with her if his life depended on it. He asks why she'd think he'd respond to an ambush. "This is your chance to tell the truth," Jimmy says. Lois says he can tell it before he's hauled away for murder. Worst. Reporter. Ever. Lois is one of those people who would go to jail to a protect a source and all of us other journalists would be like, "Could you keep her there, please? I think we'd all be better off." Papa Luthor chuckles and asks if it's boundless courage she has or incorrigible stupidity. Jimmy makes a face like he wants to laugh or comment, but wisely chooses to do neither. Can I pick? Pretty please? "Potato, po-tah-to," Lois says. Yeah. Bad answer. You just called yourself a courageous dumbass. Lois says that Papa was the last person to speak to Patricia Swann before she ended up "Sucking pond water." So compassionate, this crusader for truth and justice. Papa looks as disgusted as I am. He says this "Clever conversation" is now over. Lois and Jimmy follow him to his desk and keep badgering him. Jimmy says Papa Luthor had five calls from the woman the day she died. Papa says they were business calls. Jimmy pulls out a stack of printed photos (again, the paper must have an unlimited budget for giant glossy photo prints). He says that Patricia was always wearing a swan locket in every picture that was taken of her. Jimmy says that the locket was missing and was forcibly removed. He shows the autopsy photo where we can see a mark on the side of her neck. Is it really ethical to go around showing a photo of a dead person you're not really supposed to have access to in the first place? Maybe Lex should fire them. Also, why was it forcibly removed if she was already dead? Isn't that just calling attention to the theft? Papa stares at the photo of Patricia. He says it's very sad. "My heart goes out to her family," he tells them. Papa says that if that's all from the "Dynamic duo," that security will escort them out. Two beefy men in suits enter the room. The two lamest journalists on TV (and I'm counting morning television) are led out of the room. Papa loosens his tie and reaches into his collar. He pulls a necklace out. It looks like the locket that Li'l Lex saw earlier. The key is still inside. It bears a tiny Veritas logo.

Kent home. Clark is calling out for Lana. He leaves the front door wide open. Were you raised in a barn? Oh. I guess you kind of were. Clark finds her in the kitchen. She's standing at the stove with her back to Clark. She's completely still. Clark goes to her. She's holding the handle of a boiling pot of water. The pot has a metal handle and she's still holding it even though the water is boiling over and it's muy caliente. Clark takes her hand. It's all scarred up. Ouchie. Her eyes are closed. She opens them to face Clark. The pupils are all blue and clouded over. Kara comes in at that moment and grouses, "So much for teamwork. Why'd you disappear on me?" She turns and sees something's wrong. She asks what happened. We see the burned hand again as Clark holds it gently. Lana walks slowly toward the counter. "It's Braniac. He's done something," Clark says. Kara thinks it should have been her. Lanabot 5000 uses a Sharpie to write a message on a nearby pad of paper. Without looking down, she writes a bunch of Kryptonian symbols. It says, "Buy oven mitts." Also: "Deliver Kara, Daily Planet." Are you sure it's not, "Kara, deliver The Daily Planet?" It could be a whole new career path for her. Kara takes the pad so she can closely examine the four words herself. Clark tries to talk to Lanabot. She just stares at him more blankly than usual. Kara zips out of there because this is creeping her out, man. "Lana, please," Clark says. Lana's not here, dude! I am Lanabot 5000 and I'm no longer under warranty!

Commercials. Superhero Movie. I think I have enough to mock with this show, thanks very much.

Isis, nighttime. Jimmy and Lois show up. The door is unlocked, leading Jimmy to say that it takes the mystery out of breaking and entering. So they did intend to break in if it was locked? I don't even care what they'll find, I just want these two fired and thrown in prison already. Jimmy wonders why Papa Luthor would be sharing his deep dark secrets with Lana. Lois says he came to Isis straight from his office. She tells Jimmy to look around. Lois finds Lana's computer room. The screens are back on. Jimmy whistles. "I'm sorry, but this is really..." he begins. Lois finishes the thought with, "Creepy." Jimmy corrects her: "Sexy." Hot monitors, baby. Lois finds the envelope that Papa Luthor left behind. Of course she opens it and reads. It's a photo of a dude with a note from Papa Luthor. Lois says it's the driver/murderer of Patricia Swann. The note says that Papa's innocent and that he needs help. Lana has to believe him. Another photo from the envelope shows Lex talking to the shady driver/killer. Lois adds one and one together and comes up with two, improbably. She says Lex is the one who hired the driver, not Papa. She smiles a little. Murder is awesome!

Daily Planet. Lex is in his newspaper office. He puts his passport atop the contents of a business briefcase. Lady Fey walks in. "They're preparing the jet. I hope you found the bank," Lex tells her. She says she did locate the bank, but there's been a roadblock. Lex tells her to pay off whoever's gumming up the works at the bank. She tells him that the bank has held off the Third Reich, the Sicilian Mafia and Al-Qaeda. She doesn't think they'll be scared of Lex Luthor. Lex says that if they need authorization, he has the key. She says they have a key. You actually need two keys to get into this safety deposit box. "Two?" Lex asks. Yes. Twice as many! Inconceivable! Lex opens his briefcase and pulls some files from it. Lex finds an old copy of The Daily Planet. The front page headline reads, "Queen Industries CEO Missing, Presumed Dead."

And we're in a flashback. Li'l Lex is playing with what looks like a Warrior Angel action figure atop the same newspaper copy. He makes flying sounds. It's cute. A man comes into the room, passing the boy. Li'l Lex is outside of his dad's office. He sees Papa Luthor talking to one of his henchmen, who is confirming details of the Queen "Accident." Papa asks if the man has their key. He does. He hands it over to Papa. A helicopter is waiting for Papa Luthor. Papa tells someone on the phone that he has the key and that now they just need Dr. Swann's. Papa is telling the person on the phone that The Traveler is useless to them unless they can control him. Papa tells the person that the answer to a question is in a deposit box in Zurich. Papa comes out and asks Li'l Lex if he's ready for an adventure. The kid, happy, is more than ready. He asks for the boy's tie. Li'l Lex hands it over. Papa Luthor fixes the boy's tie as he tells him that they're going to fly in a helicopter to a friendly little down just outside the city (not three hours away?) called Smallville. It won't end well. Li'l Lex leaves behind his copy of the newspaper as he's led away by Papa Luthor.

We come back to the present on the same newspaper. Lex tells Lady Fey that he doesn't think they'll have to go far to find the key. "Like you said, most things we're searching for are closer than we realize," Lex repeats. You do know she was talking about getting sexed up when she said that, right?

A rooftop in Metropolis. Kara looks around. Clark whooshes there. He says that she can't do this. Kara feels guilty and says that Braniac wants her. Clark says he won't lose Lana and Kara, too. "You won't have to," Braniac says, having shown up stealthily. Clark asks what he did to Lana. "A little adjustment to the central nervous system." He says it's completely irreversible by human standards, but that he could reverse the damage. Because he's awesome. Kara asks what he wants. She doesn't want Lana to suffer. Braniac says that Lana is suffering. He says there's a part of Lana that's completely aware of what's happening, but that she has no control over her body. He smiles and says that everything she does, even every breath, is controlled by him. Clark, mad, tells him to leave Lana out of this. Braniac also mentions that Lana is in excruciating pain. He says she just can't express it. He tells Kara that she can end this. He wants her to come with him. Kara steps forward. Clark tells her not to go and that it's a trap. "You can't trust him!" he says. Kara says it's the only way to save Lana. She and Braniac fly up into the sky together. Kara goes first. Braniac gives Clark a dirty look and then follows. We get a nice visual of the camera pulling back, into the sky, away from the planet and into the cosmos. Kara follows Braniac way into the universe. We see them fly past a satellite and then they create a flashy boom way off in the distance. Supporting actors...in...space!

Commercials. I do quite like Reaper.

Daily Planet, nighttime. Papa Luthor is sitting, looking very sad. He sees Chloe coming down the stairs. He rushes to her and says that he has to talk to Clark. Chloe walks right past him, saying that it's a little late to mend that fence. "It's amazing how a couple of cold-blooded murders can come between people," she tells him. Papa tries to defend himself, saying he's taken moral responsibility for everything he's done in the past. Chloe brings up the recent murders. "I did not...DID NOT kill Patricia Swann!" he says desperately. Chloe asks why she should believe him after he killed off the rest of Veritas. He says he was given a gift. He was chosen by Jor-El to serve him, to be his emissary and his vessel. "And that changed me," he says, "that made me a different man." Chloe says, "We're not stupid." She says that Papa preyed on Clark's need to see the good in people and his forgiveness. She says he's cried wolf one time too many. Papa begs Chloe. He gets on his knees and everything, begging her to listen. Papa says that Clark has turned away from Jor-El and that's making him vulnerable. He says Clark is in terrible danger. Chloe says the danger is only coming from Papa. He grabs Chloe's arms roughly and says crazily, "No! I've repented!" He gets himself under control as Chloe shakes his hands away. Chloe mocks Papa Luthor for being spiritual. She says he amassed all the power he could until he found Clark and now Clark is the closest he'll ever get to seeing God. Papa grabs her again as she tries to walk off. He says that protecting Clark is the only way he's found to pay for his sins. He asks if that's not what they all want: to protect Clark and repent for their sins. Chloe thinks he's going a little crazy. She looks scared. Papa grits his teeth. He says none of that matters. "What's coming...is so terrible," he says. Chloe thinks it's a false warning. She walks off as Papa Luthor begs after her.

The mental hospital where Chloe's mother was staying. Clark is in the waiting room. Chloe shows up. She asks how Lana is doing. Clark looks grim. Chloe is sorry. Clark says he has to find Braniac. He asks Chloe if she has any leads. She doesn't. She says he and Kara both vanished. A door opens. An orderly says Clark can see Lana now. Where's Aunt Nell? Chloe says she'll wait for Clark. A very sad song begins to play as Clark walks down a long hallway. He sees Lana sitting by herself at the end of it. "Lana?" he says. She's staring outside a window. A stone angel is to her in case you need it hammered into your brain that Lana is a perfect angel in a state of grace. Clark kneels in front of her. She stares off with her strange eyes. Clark touches her face. He says it's Clark. She looks right past him. Clark takes her hand. "Kal-El," she whispers. "Kal-El." Clark leans in. "You're too late, Kal-El," she says. Her face is evil. Clark gets the watery-eyes. He looks into her cloudy peepers to try to find some Lana in there. It's too much. He closes her eyes with his hand. He stares at Lana and then breathes heavily. He bends down and buries his head in Lana's lap. Chloe opens the door and watches Clark from the end of the hallway. She starts to tear up, too. Clark cries in a lovely shot of shadows against the daytime outside. Let the mourning for Lana begin...now!

By Omar G

Commercials. Superhero Movie. I think I have enough to mock with this show, thanks very much.

By Omar G

Commercials. I do quite like Reaper.

By Omar G

week: I take a vacation! But we'll be back on April 17 and presumably some big stuff will be happening. It's a race to the finale.

By Omar G

week: I take a vacation! But we'll be back on April 17 and presumably some big stuff will be happening. It's a race to the finale.