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Wednesday 6 June 2012

Smallville - 10.16: "Scion" Review


Tess brings Alexander, now known as Connor, over to the Kent farm to hide out from Lionel Luthor. before she ousts Lionel from LuthorCorp. Nothing's that easy.

Tess (Cassidy Freeman) lets herself in at the farm to ask Clark (Tom Welling) to look after Alexander (Lucas Grabeel).   Now going as Connor; which stands for Congenita Neuroplastic Replicant.   Claiming she and Clark haven't caught up in a while.   Alexander's  been rebooted and is in need of guidance from Clark.   Who states he's "a genetically, engineered version of Lex." He needs a family.   Here be the beginnings of Superboy.   Connor, meanwhile in the barn, lifts a tractor - he's got half of Clark's DNA, which wasn't the only hole in this story.    As later Tess and Clark will talk about Connor, seemingly in private, did they forget about his super-charged hearing.   Clark suggests Oliver (Justin Hartley) but he's in Star City with Chloe.  (Allison Mack)

Lionel (Julian Glover) searches for Alexander but Tess tells him he's dead, hoping to throw him off the scent.   That he should check his DNA in the ashes, did she think he wouldn't.   Dumb move on her part.   She says that Lex killed Lionel in her world, which Lionel explains is the sign of a true Luthor.   Something Tess will never be.   He regrets trusting Clark over Lex in his world.   The Luthor legacy will end with Lionel.   Lionel then giving Tess  a huge clue when he mentions adoption papers, for later, which she doesn't get and tells her if he was Lionel in this world, he'd have signed the adoption papers too.   She's inferior.

Clark speaks with Connor explaining Tess is trying to protect him.   It doesn't matter what he is after people get to know him.   Connor can't recall anything from the past, which is good news in some ways.   But he needs to know where he's from.   He then sees Clark has powers too, or abilities, as they call them here.   Clark prefers being called a brother to dad.   He also finds out Clark is the Blur and he's read about him .   Clark says he needs to learn to control his abilities and needs to practise on the farm.   Until he sees Lois (Erica Durance).   He clearly demonstrates he's not in control when he watches her with his X-ray vision.

Clark explains about taking Connor under his wing but she doesn't receive the news well.   She expected some hitches with Clark being the Blur but Clark pleads for her help.   His blood was stolen by Lex from Helen Bryce's office and prevented the accelerated mitosis within Connor.   She calls Clark Chicken Little.   She didn't see what it was like to grow up, feeling like a freak.  It "never goes away - it's always in there."  Only Lois has made him feel normal.  So what about his parents, though this could have been a clever ploy on his part to subtly coax Lois into going along with him.   Which works.

Lois tells Tess there are other ways of making Lionel go away and he knows what can hurt Clark and she was right, as he used the Kryptonite on Clark and a gun on Lois, almost.   She comments Elliott Ness used tax evasion to nab Al Capone, so Tess finally gets that an overlooked detail on his part will prove he's a fake.   He already told Tess about this overlooked detail, wake up Tess! Dr Lammel is named but not shown, but Lexia Doig was credited as a guest star.   So what was the point.   The resultant tests on Lex's remains, show the DNA doesn't match him.

Clark informs Connor about how his parents were there for him, his dad taught him the power of hard work and was a means to control his powers.   He'll be there for Connor, who burns Clark's shirt when he uses his heat vision.   Tess tells Clark that Lionel is aware of Connor's whereabouts and Connor hears every word they say about him being a Luthor.   Lois is taken hostage by Lionel after she breaks into his office, but comes up empty.   Lionel finds Connor at the remains of the Luthor mansion, he was tracked from the farm.   Lionel wants to answer his questions and tricks Connor into wearing a red Kryptonite ring, knowing full well the effect it will have on him.   Connor is part Lex and part Clark.   Lionel tries to convince him Clark considers Connor a threat as he's a Luthor.  "Embrace your future."  What's Lionel's future going to entail?  He convinces Connor the ring is his birthright. "Now the journey begins."  Hence the title, Scion meaning descendant, heir.

Lois claims she's not afraid of Lionel, he brought her to the slaughterhouse so no one would hear her screams.   Lois is not really a 'screamer' (!)  She was raised to protect the one you love.   Lionel is about to shoot Lois but is rescued by Connor who carries her off, Lionel telling her lesson 1 before she's whisked away, "never let anyone stand in your way," which Connor has taken to heart since he left Lionel standing.   He goes on to steal a fur coat and necklace for Lois and a car which they drive off in.

Clark believes Lionel is turning Connor into something he's not.   The red Kryptonite brings out the core of selfless freedom.   Clark won't let Lionel hurt Connor like he did Lex, calling Lex his close friend.   Lionel is adamant Clark destroyed Lex with his secrets.  Clark arrives at the mansion and Lois escapes as if she wasn't there - but Lionel already told Clark she was with Connor and he finds the coat.   Clark is trying to keep Connor safe which is what he said about Tess.   They fight and Clark manages to smash the red Kryptonite in the ring.   Connor accepts he is a Luthor.   When Clark said he's coming home with him, he sounded more like a dad than a brother.   But not before Lionel arrives with the green Kryptonite as Lois predicted, but Connor destroys it with his heat vision which he can now control, especially when it mattered.   Lionel exclaims Connor was "meant to be a god."  Connor: "I know who I am."  Gotta love Lionel and his eccentricity.

Tess hands Lionel papers to relinquish his control over LutherCorp to her.   He drank the Scotch which was laced with nano receptors, so she'll know his location.   She won't kill him, it's not in her.   However the adoption papers show his prints are reversed in this world, proving he's a fake.   See that was Lionel's big clue in the beginning.   Lionel's final words to her, deep down, she'll always be a Luthor.  Yet he just said she was inferior earlier on.   Associating being a Luthor with being inferior there,

Connor repairs the farm and Clark tells him "you decide who you really are."  There's a shadow inside him he doesn't need to embrace, that being the Luthor part of him.   Connor reveals the Blur's red 'S' on a black T shirt.   Clark's enrolled him at Smallville High and his name is Connor Kent, he figured Connor needed a last name.  "Welcome home." Lois admits she was investigating Lionel.   Clark has a new found respect for his parents, that his powers can cause harm if misused.   he didn't just realize that though.   They were responsible for raising him and the world would have been dark if Clark didn't have them.   Lois thinks he'll be a great father.

Lionel laments what could have been at Lex's grave, what could have been if he was here.   He'd give anything to have him by his side,  allowing Darkseid to emerge, with red eyes a-glowing.     Lionel is now confronted by Darkseid, but he was always susceptible to be taken over by the darkness within.

In the comics, Connor's shirt was the black shirt Superboy used to wear.   Lots of darkness going on in this episode, but it goes to show Clark and Connor both need to be under the influence of the meteor rock to undergo changes, they have the ability to do good and remain strong at all other times so they couldn't be under the influence of Darkseid, ever.   Suppose Oliver will get his money back now that Tess has taken LutherCorp back.   Most of this was just how Clark's parents raised him, which we didn't get to see, but he tells Connor and Lois about.  

Lois was wrong when she tells Connor that Clark never acted in the way he's doing for love.   Since Kryptonite does have an effect on him and he has no control over.   In the episode Crimson, Clark, kidnapped Lana in the name of love, whilst under the influence of Kryptonite and tried to strangle Lex.   So maybe Lois is oblivious to this part of Clark's past.   Clark mentions Helen Bryce (Emmanuelle Vaugier) who was a doctor and who double crossed Lex, after he married her.   Tess refers to Lionel as "Daddy Dearest" alluding to Mommie Dearest, book and movie, written by Hollywood film star Joan Crawford's daughter.    Lois says she feels like she's in a Tom Clancy novel.   As well as mentioning Lazarus, which was also the title of the first episode of season 10, as Clark got his strength back from the yellow sun, saved by Lois.

Lois mentions Don Godfather in relation to Lionel and also Romeo and Juliet.   Been referencing plenty of movies, books, this season, which they hardly ever did in past seasons.   Jonathan was mentioned in this episode in preparation of next week when he makes an appearance.

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