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Smallville: Prodigal

Lionel: "The boy's a sociopath."
Lex: "I wonder which side of the family tree he got that from."

Lex Luthor shoveling manure, and Superman serving coffee.

In a devious attempt to regain control of Lexcorp, Lex went looking for his supposedly dead half-brother. Lucas, an eighteen-year-old compulsive gambler with a samurai obsession, showed that he could be dark and devious like the rest of the family. But in the end, he appeared greedy, but not all that subtle. Lex was manipulating him. Maybe Lucas didn't get all of the family smarts.

I love the Luthors. Every time there's a serious episode about them, it's like the series just grows up. And there was much to love about this episode. My favorite part was probably homeless Lex as the Kents' house guest, throwing himself into the farm chores in yet another attempt to make Jonathan accept him.

Another highlight was discovering that Lionel was – surprise – no longer blind. How long has that been going on? Yes, Lionel said it was just a few weeks, but Lionel has been known to lie. Clark didn't hide his superpowers in front of Lionel three or four times, and Lionel here referred to Clark as a "very special young man." I think Lionel knows about Clark. We shall see. (So to speak.)

And yet another highlight for me was the confirmation that Lionel really does love Lex. When it came right down to it, Lionel was ready to kill Lucas – but he couldn't pull the trigger on Lex.

In other attempt to get close to Lana, Clark got a job serving coffee at the Talon. You could see the resolution of that situation coming from a mile away. At least he didn't beat Lana's record firing at the Beanery.

Bits and pieces:

— Terrific special effect sequence of Clark outrunning the bullets meant for Lucas.

— Lex said he'd been looking for Lucas for seven months. But the episode with Rachel Dunlevy wasn't that long ago, was it?

— As a child, Lex visited a family ranch in Montana and loved it. Maybe it's one reason he's so into the Kents.

Quotes:

Lex: "You know, Lucas, the Luthor gene pool is a shark tank, and my father just chummed the water."

Lionel: "You know, Lex, I'm tired of your constant attempts at mutiny."
Lex: "You didn't leave me too many options. It was either that, or the plank."

Three stars. Okay, maybe three and a half,

Billie
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Billie Doux had a love-hate relationship with Smallville, which is why some of her reviews are briefer than they should be.

4 comments:

  1. And I just discovered where I've seen Paul Wesley before. He was a Luthor! He did evil darned well.

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  2. That he did, Billie. That he did.

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  3. Oh Stefan! A bad boy twice over. Of course you were a Luthor first -- talk about a crossover opportunity!

    The highlight of this episode was Jonathan's conversation telling Lex he was welcome at the farm anytime. Add that to Lionel not being able to shoot him -- wow, Lex may even begin to feel a bit validated.

    Though, I doubt it. Too much water under the bridge.

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  4. I have to go and rewatch this one- I am usually good at remembering where I've seen an actor, but I never connected Paul Wesley with Smallville!

    ReplyDelete

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