A great episode, to keep us hanging until April...

"Scion"

There are moments throughout the run of Smallville that seem to have jumped right from the comics onto the screen. While it’s not always a literal translation, the spirit of the books is there. In “Scion”, we get a lot of those moments. We also get to see Clark play the big brother role again, which is always nice to see, whether on the show or in the books. His world is about to get a lot more complicated, and as always, Clark is up for the challenge. And then there’s Tess, and her own struggle with her Luthor lineage. It’s all making for truly engaging television.

Tess decides the safest place for Alexander – now going by Conner – is with Clark at the Kent Farm. C.K. is more than a little confused as to why he’s the one for the task, until he sees Conner lift a tractor in the barn. That’s where Tess drops the bombshell on him, that Conner is half Lex, half Clark. Suddenly, he’s back in the big brother position, and Conner needs all the help he can get. Not only to harness and control his powers, but because Lionel is hell bent on getting him back, to have a new version of Lex to stand at his side. And he has a secret weapon to get Conner to take his side.

Clark has always been protective of those he cares about, but when it comes to family – especially his Kryptonian kin – he will stop at nothing to keep them from harm. We saw it with the way he looked out for Kara for so long, and we get to see that again in his new relationship with Conner. Tom Welling really conveys a father’s patience in scenes with his onscreen brother, as he teaches him how to control his powers. In turn, Lucas Grabeel brings Conner to life, giving us the impulsiveness that we have seen in the comics. And then there’s the bond we see between the two characters. Clark explains that he has always felt like an outsider, and so we see that driving him to latch onto his new brother, again, much as he did with Kara. To know that you’re not alone in the world, it’s been a major theme of the series, but no matter how good his human friends are, Clark has still felt different, and with good reason. Combine that with his constant desire to find the good in people and his eternal optimism, and it can make for great friendships or terrible disasters. And as much as Clark needs Conner, Conner needs Clark that much more, because he’s already gone through everything that Conner is dealing with now.

Unfortunately, good feelings go awry when Conner thinks Clark is lying to him, and he runs off to find Lionel. With the help of a Red Kryptonite ring, Lionel brings his inner Lex to the surface, and we get to go back the “Dark Clark” episodes, but even worse. He takes Lois and decides that he will take Clark’s place in her life. And always the manipulator, Lionel tries in vain to keep Conner all to himself. But once the effects of the ring are no longer there, we see that he and Clark share more than DNA. They both share an inner desire to do the right thing. He saves Clark, and then struggles with the fact that the part of him that is Lex could lead him down the wrong path. But Clark tells him that he will always be there, and that Conner can defeat the darkness. The scenes with these two are brilliantly written and performed, and I hope we see more with the two of them.

Tess, on the other hand, looks like she might give in to the darkness, as she asks Lois’ help in a very serious matter: Getting Clark to do away with Lionel once and for all. Lois shows that Clark has been a major influence on her, and tells Tess there could be another way. Together, they yank the Luthorcorp Empire back out from under Lionel. When Lionel asks Tess why she didn’t just kill him, she merely responds, “That’s not who I am”. She may be a Luthor by blood, but once again, we see that Clark has saved another soul.

There are also some great moments of levity that hearken back to earlier seasons of Smallville. One moment is where Clark and Conner are working out in the barn, and Lois comes out to talk to them. Conner is immediately smitten, and nearly blasts her with heat vision before Clark turns him around. Another scene is where Clark shows Conner that they’re alike, and Conner asks him if he’s his father. Clark says “I prefer ‘brother’”. And then Lois refers to Conner as the lovechild of Lex and Clark, which he asks her not to say again. There is also that terrific moment when Conner shows Clark the Superboy shirt, telling him that while he knows he’s not ready, we will be when he’s finally called up for duty. The look of pride that Clark flashes says more than words can. And the moment when Clark tells Conner that he’s enrolled him in school, and hands him the forms, made out for “Conner Kent”. Gabreel’s performance in “Scion” leaves little doubt in my mind that they could have a successful series with him, or even a Superboy movie (I am still hopeful there will be a Smallville movie in the future, but I won’t hold my breath).

“Scion” is a top notch episode, giving us some wonderful emotion as we see that newly developing relationship between Clark and Conner. There’s also a parting scene with Lionel in a graveyard standing before a marker with Lex’s name on it. As he laments the death of his son, smoke billows around him, and turns into a menacing, familiar form. What plan does Darkseid have with the most evil man in Metropolis?

Only five more episodes until we say goodbye to Smallville, and each one getting better than the last. Unfortunately, there’s not another new episode until April 15. But when a show gets this good, it’s worth the wait.

IF YOU ENJOYED THIS ARTICLE, PLEASE HELP SUPPORT OUR SITE, AT NO COST WITH ONE CLICK ON THE FACEBOOK 'LIKE' BUTTON BELOW: