Lois gets a glimpse of a superhero's burden...

"Prophecy"

Join us this week for a very special Smallville, when Clark has his Kryptonian powers stripped and given to a human. Wait…what? Come on, Smallville writers, we saw this happen twice already. Once with the kid who was played by Jimmy Olsen’s twin, and once with Lana. What’s that, this time it will be different because you have a fresh take on this particular scenario? This time it’s Lois that gains his powers? Oh, well, that is new and exciting! Tell us your story.

Actually, this was a pretty good take on said scenario, and a very good story, once again proving that sometime you have to look beneath the surface to get the real meat of the tale. Clark takes Lois up to the Fortress to receive Jor-El’s blessing for their upcoming nuptials, and in turn, Jor-El bestows them with a gift. That’s right, walking a mile in each other’s shoes, at least until sundown. While Clark has walked the boring mortal path several times before, he hasn’t had as much at stake. And while he had his hands full trying to defeat a sociopath who had his powers and trying to keep Lana under control with them, Lois is a completely different animal. The headstrong go-getter is using her new found powers to get work caught up so that their schedules will be free for the wedding and honeymoon. Of course, there’s also the fact that minor details all seem to be getting cancelled by retailers who are all being bought up by the mysterious Marionette Ventures (more on this later).

When it comes time to investigate the last retailer to hold out on selling out, Clark tells Lois to use her super-hearing. She tries at first to concentrate on the storefront, but is distracted by multiple cries for help. This is where Lois truly has her eyes opened to what it is to be Clark Kent. She looks at him, and emotionally asks how he can ignore so many people that need help. He explains that he doesn’t ignore them, but prioritizes, helping those that are in immediate danger with no chance of help. To him, it’s business as usual, but Lois realizes how important he really is to the world. Erica Durance shows us once again why she was born for this role, by bringing such depth and emotion to scenes like this, where she gets that inside view of the life of a super-being that none of us see or could possibly fathom.

Oliver is on a quest to find the legendary Bow of Orion the hunter, which will help save him from the darkness that has infected him. But when he gets to the cave, he finds Kara trapped there. After releasing her, he comes to the realization that Orion was Darkseid’s son, and that he escaped his father’s dark ways by embracing the light. Just as they figure out the puzzle and are ready to retrieve the bow, Kara is called back to the Fortress, as her destiny now lies along a different path. Ollie claims the bow, but it’s taken by Granny Goodness, who destroys the only weapon that could stand in Darkseid’s path. She then takes control of Oliver, who is last seen digging up Gold Kryptonite (I told you it would come back into play; you didn’t doubt me, did you?).

And of course, we have the multiple buyouts of various businesses in Metropolis by Marionette Ventures. The businesses all have one thing in common: They lie over the underground reservoir, which provides Metropolis with all of its drinking water. The company has a hired thug getting the business owners to sell in the form of Courtney Whitmore, AKA Stargirl. It seems she’s been fitted with a mind-control device, and has no idea that she’d been a part of the plot. The mastermind of the whole scheme is Winslow Schott, the Toyman, who has been sitting in jail and gathering other evildoers to form their own little club. Chris Gauthier returns in the role of Toyman, and he’s always a delight. He seems to relish the chance to be a little over-the-top and evil, and he blends villainy and comedic charm quite well while looking like he should be hanging out at a Phish concert. Lois goes to talk to him, and is coerced into wearing one of the mind control devices in order to save Clark’s life. Instead, she is given the order to kill Clark. It’s when she tries to do this that Clark helps her realize just how strong she is without the powers. Sundown happens, and Clark rids her of the device, and Lois is shown just how great and horrible having his abilities can be.

Clark confronts Toyman, which is a wonderful little scene. Welling and Gauthier work well off of each other, and give real depth to their conversation. Toyman asks Clark what makes him think that he won’t tell everyone who he really is. Clark responds that it would mean that their little games would be over, and they couldn’t play together again. You see Toyman’s face go blank when he accepts this fact, that to give up a true adversary would make the games less fun. It’s somewhat reminiscent to the scene in The Dark Knight when The Joker explains that he needs Batman. Sure, these purveyors of evil could just up and destroy their adversaries, but as any comic reader will tell you, a good villain needs more than the act, otherwise their plots would be less generic and small-scaled. They need the interaction with that one person who understands them, and can give them the challenge they crave. And my teachers said all those years of reading comics wouldn’t lead anywhere.

Clark goes back to the Fortress to tell Jor-El he no longer needs him, and unplugs dear old dad. He is ready to accept his destiny, and to start his new life with Lois. Unfortunately, he leaves without the suit, so I guess we’ll get one more lesson from Jor-El. Lois, however, has a new perspective, and tells Clark that she saw Clark as a weakness when she was super-powered, and that he must see her the same way. He tries in vain to explain that she’s no weakness, but instead she strengthens him and his resolve. In the end, she tells him tearfully that she can’t marry him, because she feels selfish. Every minute she has him to herself is time he could be saving those who really need him. Clark is taken aback, and rightly so. This couldn’t have happened at a worse time, either. Kara has taken off for the future to join the Legion, Oliver’s under Darkseid’s control, and the trailer for next week shows a resurrected Lex Luthor ready to join Darkseid in his endeavors. It’s Clark’s darkest hour, and he’s going to need someone in his corner.

This isn’t the first time in the long history of Superman that Lois has been granted his powers. It has been used as a plot device several times before, most recently in Grant Morrison’s run on All-Star Superman. But never have they really delved into the deeper psychological aspect of it. They typically just show how the average person would use those powers. Lois feels the true weight of Clark’s responsibilities, and it’s too much for her to take. She wants to be able to save everyone, and she feels that she’s hindering Clark. I hope the two star-crossed lovers can work this out.

An excellent story this week and one hell of a build-up for the finale. This story has been ten years in the making, and from how the previews look, I would say we are in for a real treat, as Smallville seems to be looking to go out with a bang.

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