Tess (Cassidy Freeman) receives a box, which turns out to be some sort of a Kryptonian relic with a symbol, but one with powers. Clark (Tom Welling) calls her for help and meets Tess at Cadmus Labs. Apparently the Lex clone has escaped from the lab, but how did Clark know this; as it's not explained. He opens the lead lined door, only to find it empty. Clark realizes Tess was harbouring Lex (Alexander) as he's left a note behind for her. Tess drops her bag and Clark asks why Tess lied to him and Oliver (Justin Hartley) after everything they did for her. Tess admits she was going to come clean about the Kryptonian symbol artifact. Clark twists the box and disappears to find himself in a parallel/alternate reality; waking up with two bimbos.
He's Clark Luthor and Lionel (Julian Glover) quotes Marcus Aurelius, calling Clark "son." Just like he used to call Lex. Clark's alter ego in this reality is "Ultraman," with his symbol being inverted (obviously since he's in a parallel universe, the mirror image is reversed.) Lionel raised him in his image and he was lucky Luthor was the one who came across the traveller (referring to Clark) than the first farmer that came along; putting down to the Kent's. Clark high tails it to the farm to find an auction notice and the farm deserted, aside from Tess, who has been waiting for him. She and Clark have a thing. Knew she had the hots for Clarkie, only it comes true here. Clark finds out in this reality that Tess is Lionel's daughter and she admits freely she's his "bastard" child. Why did Lionel choose to call him Clark and not some name beginning with 'L'.
Clark tells her he's not who she thinks he is and he used the "mirror box." Assuming Tess knows all about the box, which she does. Clark thinks he can return to his own reality, where Clark/Ultraman now resides. Lois (Erica Durance) drives into Clark and he bends her fender, but fixes it before she's out of the car. She and Oliver hate Clark and they're engaged. In this reality Ultraman kills anyone who lays eyes on him. Clark: "Lionel's turned me into a murderer."
The camera spins the symbols over and we get back to Clark's reality, where Ultraman has been transported. Neat trick with the symbols as if to show Clark is in hell in that reality but this one will soon be that way if he can't get back. Clark/Ultraman kisses Tess, who obliges, showing she does harbour some romantic notions for Clarkie. Then she notices the scar on his arm with an 'L' realizing he's not really Clark. Presumably no one noticed this Clark dons a ring. He wants the box and he likes this world, which marks a refreshing change from Lionel not being here. If he can destroy the box then he can't return. She tells him Lex killed Lionel. (In the episode Descent.) Clark says he did something right then. He's not used to not having blood on his hands before lunch.
Lois ignores Tess's call Lois' credit card is refused at the coffee shop and the man in the queue passes his phone to her. Tess is calling for a reason from Watchtower. She can see anything anywhere with all the surveillance cameras around. Tess is unable to round up the others. Lois is safe from Clark at Watchtower. Clark apparently knows about Watchtower too, we'll see later on how and tosses Lois aside. Demands the box from Tess and threatens to kill her. The other world belongs to Lionel but "this world will be mine."
Funnily enough as Clark is bad in this reality, he should be vulnerable to the Darkness taking him over, but no signs in this episode. Tess in the alternate bad reality, breaks into Lionel's office and tears the page from the journal which contains info on the box. Lionel sees through her and takes the page back. He's aware of the coup she and Clark are planning and accuses Tess of corrupting Clark. Tess replies he should look in the mirror. Lionel calls her a half-breed tramp with a Magdalene complex and has her removed, before which she smashes the frame with Clark and Lionel's photo.
Clark arrives at the Fortress to speak with Jor-El but he and Lionel have silenced him. This time Lionel talks King Lear and his three children. How two lavished gifts upon him and the third one said he loved him. This child he hated because of this and this third child was meant to signify Lex. Clark killed him. Clark defends Tess saying she was looking for the box for him; whereas probably the bad Clark of this world would have turned her in and stabbed her in the back. Lionel says the Queens had the box when Veritas was dissolved.
Oliver remains despondent, even in this reality, as no one likes him. The party guests are only there for Lois. She picked him out of everyone else cos he's a good man. Oliver believes there's someone better than him out there. Clark whooshes in and takes Lois. He wants the box in exchange for her. Lois doesn't like Clark/Ultraman as we know and she also repeats that no one lives who's seen his face. Clark tells her she's brave, etc and misspells little words which she doesn't admit to when he catches her out. Which should have shown Lois that this isn't 'their' Clark, since presumably they don't work together, even though he may have the paper. Clark: "I promise I will never let this happen to us because I can't live in a world where you don't love me." Ahh hankies out, blubb, blubb. He meets Oliver for the box at their version of the Watchtower building.
Oliver has set a trap for Clark, he waited years to get him here since the Swanns died (and lo and behold the same thing was happening in his reality too.) He comments Clark Luthor is a terrible name, did he look it up. Oliver evicted farmers to mine the green Kryptonite (that's why he's disliked here) and had the trap set up. He 's sorry a little since they could have saved the world together. Lionel hits Oliver and Clark thinks he's there to rescue him, but he has an ulterior motive. He's going to prevent him from stabbing him in the back with Tess, as Tess said he would.
Lionel had the box all along. Just as Clark's about to meet his doom, Oliver turns off the Kryptonite. Oliver realizes he's the good one and Clark says they do save the world together. Oliver needs to turn on the Kryptonite as soon as the other Clark appears. Just as Clark is about to leave, Lionel rushes behind up, being transported to his reality with Clark.
Lois, Oliver and Tess hold Kryptonite weapons on Clark and he tells them it's him. He has to turn to Lois once more to convince them it's really him. Tess didn't tell them about Alexander cos she didn't want him taken from her, but he fooled her. He's much smarter than Lex ever was. Clark admits he was wrong about her and Lionel, it's not his blood that corrupts, but the man himself. Tess is lucky she grew up without him. Tess is upset he threw her away and didn't want anything to do with her.
Lionel buys a paper and mingles into the crowd with the other umbrellas. You see everyone in Metropolis carry the same black umbrellas. Not only did Clark allow the Darkness through the portal, but he now lets in Lionel too when he returns. Wonder if Lionel will change Tess now and if she'll have anything to do with him, or be influenced by him, since she regrets the way he treated her and not knowing him as a father.
One question, where was Chloe (Allison Mack) in the alternate reality - surely she should have been there; but no so much as an utterance of her name. Everything in this reality was clearly altered (should've got Dr Daniel Jackson (Michael Shanks) on the case, they had enough alternate realities in Stargate-SG1. I jest. I only said this as he returns in the next episode as Hawkman.) Notice the portrait of the Mona Lisa is also reversed, she's facing to her left and not her right, in the scene where Clark and Lionel joust.
I liked this episode as it made a change from the usual episodes we've had, where Clark's been affected by the Kryptonite (all colours) and turned bad. In this reality he's no good cos of Lionel and his upbringing. So Clark should count himself lucky he was found by the first farmer that came along. The lighting also reflected the darkness of this reality, the dismal nature of this world was cos of Lionel. Lex killed Lionel in our Clarkie's reality and in the alternate reality, Clark has killed Lex. Lionel turned Lex into a killer and here, he turns Clark into one; prompting Clark to realize Lionel the man is the sum total for all things being bad.
At least Lois and Oliver were still good in the alternate, even if she and Oliver were together, showing they were together in Clark's real world once upon a time. and Oliver wishing for one brief moment they could be once more in season 9's Roulette episode. Oliver evicting farmers to mine for Kryptonite is an allusion to Chloe stocking up on it last season, incase they had to use it on Clark, if he ever became corrupted or an uncontrollably mad Kryptonian with delusions of grandeur. (Wait that was Zod (Callum Blue). He wasn't Kryptonian though, but Kandorian.)
The 'U' was for Ultraman as Lionel explained and in the comics, the 'U' in the upside down pentagram was representative of the evil Superman from a parallel Earth. The 'U' symbolized it was all about him! Ha. Lionel tells Tess she has a Magdalene Complex, which means a woman who is attracted to beards. But Clark doesn't have a beard and surely she can't be attracted to Lionel cos that's just wrong, so why did he say that to her.
No comments:
Post a Comment