RedGage

Season 9 Episode 8

Review and Recap by Holli aka baudyhallee

First Smallville outing for writer Anne Cofell Saunders, who brings the impressive credentials of also working on Chuck, Eureka, Battlestar Galactica and 24.  Glen Winters’ direction is always amazing and spot on.  The man doesn’t miss a beat.

Major shoutout to Brian Peterson and Kelly Souders who are restoring hope and respecting the legend this season.  Thank you so much!

RATING: SUPER ICONIC. Again I am having trouble with accessing a plethora of superlatives.  Stellar job everyone.  Tom Welling really seems to be enjoying his role this season and so are we!  Clark has never been stronger in all aspects on the show.  Erica Durance IS Lois Lane.  Phenomenal looking episode.  All the iconic concepts were represented.  Best show of the season so far.  We’ve been saying that pretty much every episode.  Casting has always been reliably well done and this episode is no exception.

TEASER:

Hot opening. Black jeans and a black bra on a dirty floor.  A very contented Clark Kent sleeps on a mattress while a hand caresses his body. We see it disappear as Lois Lane rises from the mattress draped only in a sheet.  She is in an abandoned building and walks out to look at the sun.  There is a stained glass window covered with cloth.  It could be a blown out Talon.  It’s obvious the fourth wall is no longer there as wind is blowing Lois’ hair.  Clark with jeans on approaches her from behind.  He wraps his arms around her waist as she drops her head next to his.  “If we had more time . . .”  He has a gash on his cheek (meaning no super powers).  Lois caresses his cheek as they embrace facing one another.  There is silent speech with eyes and soft touches.  The music is incredibly beautiful.  There is tension.  They seem to be in dire circumstances but they have each other.  They kiss as we see through a window the yellow sun turning red.  Welcome to the future that Lois visited.  Their silhouette against the light of the window is breathtaking.

The visual homage to the Superman comic series FOR TOMORROW was very well done.   So this is straight out of the source material and is not shipper stuff.  Clark and Lois are THE couple. Period.  Also, great thing about this scene, it is the afterglow of a scene that will be in the following episode, PANDORA.  Watch to see the context of that!

Lois Lane with pen in hand is staring off into space at her desk in the bullpen.  Without a blink, the pen slips from her hand.  Clark looks at her from across the desk and notices her demeanor.  He tries to do something and knocks over his coffee.   With a grin, he starts to clean it up.  Lois remains silent.  This is strange, you know how much Lois likes to needle Clark.  “Earth to Lois.”  She finally blinks and looks at him.  He remarks she’s been on another planet for the last 15 minutes.  She recovers.  “This space case is buried in research.”  She has two weeks worth of work – she did miss the aliens from another planet episode last week.  Could it be about that?  He comes over and picks up her pen for her.  “It was sort of a last minute vacation, wasn’t it?”  She seems somewhat nervous around him.  Must be all those naked memories and the fact that she disappeared for 3 weeks by slipping on a ring.  “Yea, I’ve got a pretty tightly wound bolt reflex.”   Clark sees an opening.  “Is this about what happened?”  Little does he know.  But he’s talking about him kissing her in CROSSFIRE.  She gulps.  “Are you turning red?”  Lois rises to the occasion.  “Believe it or not . . . [it] wasn’t about you.”  Clark grins and nods.  He’s enjoying himself.  “We should talk about it.”   She gets a little snippy.  Apparently these memories and Clark wanting to talk about the kiss are taking their toll.  She tells him she’ll let him know when she wants to talk about it.  She gets up to leave only to be stopped by a delivery man.  He asks for a signature for a delivery at the loading dock.  Lois signs. She’s all smiles because now she has something to divert her attention.

A large wooden crate with a red bow. Clark and Lois stare at it.  Clark is skeptical.  Lois is elated.  She’s like a kid at Christmas.  [Don’t ask me why he didn’t x-ray vision it.]  She grabs a crowbar as Clark asks if she wants his help.  She refuses as she starts going to town on the crate.  Clark with hands in pockets walks around to stand beside her.  “Did I ever tell you that before Christmas I used to unwrap all my presents and then I would rewrap them while my parents were still sleeping?”  She struggles a bit and then throws down the crowbar to start yanking on the lid.  “Y’know Lois that doesn’t surprise me at all.”  He watches her while lifting the lid with ease.  Inside are four semi-nude men with duct taped mouths and bags of loose powder.  Lois is slightly surprised.  Her sarcasm kicks in as somewhat naïve Clark inquires, “Is that . . ?”  “I don’t think it’s powdered sugar, Smallville.”   Reporter goes for the scoop as Clark squints and wonders what she’s doing.  Ripping the duct tape from one man’s mouth with a jerk, she finds out that they are undercover cops whose sting went south.  Clark surmises that someone thought they were real drug dealers.  Lois is wondering who could screw up that badly.   Hearing voices outside they walk under the dock door to look at the building across the street.  It has the S-shield in office lights.  “That’s what I call a scoop,” says Lois as Clark is not pleased.

Credits. ‘C’mon, I’ve been waiting for you’ has so much meaning with this incredible season.  We’ve been waiting for Superman to develop – and he has episode by episode.

ACT ONE

Daily Planet. The hallway walk.  Lois is talking and striding in front of Clark.  S-Shield Save = the Blur, right?  The Blur hasn’t contacted her in weeks and now he’s delivering presents?  “Of course he’s probably tailspinning into the stratosphere because he doesn’t have his go-to girl to keep him grounded.”  That is so true in the comics.  Clark is adamant that the box save is not the Blur’s MO (modis operandi – not what he usually does).  Lois reasons that the 20 story calling card was unmistakable.  Clark is not liking this.  Lois doesn’t want to say it but she may be losing faith in the hero.  Randall Brady comes in snapping at Lois about getting a story about the Blur’s questionable tactics.  Clark can see this is getting out of control.  “You don’t really think that this is big news, do you?”  Adrian Pope, crime boss, is loose because of the Blur’s bungle.  The DA is out for blood.  Clark winces realizing the ramifications.  Lois comes out verbally punching the DA.  “He’s just trying to cover up his dirty connections.  Listen, I am not your Blur girl on this one.”  Brady tells her to run with it as he hands her a paper which she tosses to the desk.  “Listen, see this as an opportunity to investigate both sides of the story,” pleads Clark.  Lois is putting on a trench coat with the collar up.  She tells her partner as she picks up her purse and scarf that Mr. Blur will have to take five minutes to call her.  Clark follows her as she wraps the scarf around her head.  “What’s with the disguise?”  She snarks that her flannel is at the dry cleaners.  “Lois!”  She’s going for the elevator with a outstretched hand to ward him off.  She makes an Inspector Gadget reference (does that make her Brain?) and tells him she has an exclusive interview that is very hush hush.  While inside the elevator, she puts on ginormous sunglasses as the doors close.  “So don’t follow me.”

Lois in a big comfy chair. She’s telling a psychiatrist that she wants all their meetings ‘off the record.’  The doctor wants her to be comfortable but we see she is everything but.  Pulling on her skirt, clenching her fists and trying to avoid eye contact.  The delightful female shrink asks Lois to describe her dreams.  She tells her that they are real to her, as real as the present, and despite some NC-17 violence, the situation involves clothes . . . coming off.  “Y’know, Naked.  Skin. Skin. just  . . .”  She clears her throat.  “Lots of skin.”  So Dr. Evans just comes out and says, “So it’s a sex dream?”  Apparently Lois has mentioned Clark Kent before.  Lois defensively jumps up from the chair with quips ablazing.  “Oh right, yes.  I’m doing the virtual Karma Sutra with Clark Kent.  My desk is Softcore Central.”  (Fans all over the world are doing the fist pump and saying, YES!)  The doctor reminds her that she wants to get to the bottom of these dreams and that they do not have to be taken literally.  Spoil Sport.  She tells her nudity may mean trying to uncover something hidden.  (well, yea)  “Y’know sometimes I do think that Clark is hiding something?”  She walks back to the chair.  Letting her defenses down, she admits.  “It sounds crazy, but the closer I get to him the more. . . I feel like he’s going to disappear.”  You can see Lois wants anything but that.  The doctor asks her if it might have something to do with her three weeks of blocked memory.  “Maybe you’re trying to protect yourself, Lois.”  Which we all know to be true.  Apparently Lois told her about the ‘mysterious caller’ vanishing.

Strains of ‘I Need a Hero’ ringtone fill the air.  Lois’ phone indicates it’s The Blur.  Lois has just gotten vulnerable and now the one sound she’s been wanting to hear for months goes off when she is reminded how the Blur abandoned her.  She goes straight to snark as she goes to retrieve the phone.  After an uncomfortable chuckle, she snaps the reject button.  “Sayonara, Superstud.”  The shrink is not convinced and calls her on her strong feelings for this guy.  Lois gives denial a good shot including disparaging psychiatry.  “You have projected so much on this ‘mystery caller.’  Maybe you should concentrate on the man that is right in front of you.”

Watchtower. Clark with voice modulated phone.  “I can’t believe she’s not picking up.”  Blondie has two banners going over a group of her monitors.  They say SCANNING EMAILS and SCANNING CELL.  Clark needs to read more.  Blondie is back to being snippy, arrogant, and full of herself.  She tells Clark that he left Lois cold so she’s giving him the cold shoulder.  He’s perturbed by that.  “After what happened with Corben, I quit calling her as the Blur for her own protection.”  Modified version of the hall walk done on the spiral steps.  Blondie is ragging on her cousin.  “This is a really bad time for your PR Queen to go MIA.”  Clark defends her.  “She’s the only one who can tell the world the truth.  Lois has to know the Blur is not responsible for the failed drug bust or the crime boss getting away.”  Blondie thinks Clark should get himself a better spin doctor because the Impostor Blur has great self promotion.  She’s all atwitter (literally and figuratively) about the Blur having a brand.  “I’m not a brand.”  So some techno geek somewhere has gotten the Blur all over the social networks that sponsor the show.  “The Blur has a blog?”  Clark is dumbfounded.  “You’ve come quite a ways from being scarecrowed in high school.”  Yea, having someone steal your secret identity is such a step up!  Is she kidding?  “Why would someone spend so much time to discredit me?”  Well, blondie has an angle on that – she thinks it’s the opposite.  That ‘he’ is a fan of Clark’s.  “Whether this person means well or not, they need to be stopped before someone gets hurt.”  Clark takes his responsibilities seriously.

Metropolis at night. Adrian Pope in his limo examining a diamonds.  “Pull over by the power station, these ladies and I have a date with destiny.”  Who could he be meeting at a power station?  Zod or Tess?  A cougar with a collar jumps on the limo’s hood as it’s moving.  Pope tells the driver to gun it.  Ice forms beneath the car’s wheels sending it into a spin.  It crashes through a gate and into a substation.  Crime boss and driver are knocked out.  The cougar walks over the

limo and changes into the Wonder Twin, Jayna.  She walks towards her transforming brother (the ice) Zan.  Excited by their plan working successfully, they approach the vehicle while admitting Zan had the cops in a box idea.  After determining their latest quarry is out cold, they decide to take some proof of win shots.  Jayna pulls out her cell phone, blinged out with Gleek’s face and takes some pics.  She chastises Zan for being in the shot as he spray paints the S-shield on the roof.  The Blur idolizers have done it again.  The power substation blows up crashing it down on the limo and wiping out power throughout Metropolis.  “Whoa!”

ACT TWO

“Two hours to get here with the monorail down.” So Clark and Lois were in Smallville when this happened?  Lois is walking backwards as there is still another variation of the hall walk – this one in an alley and parking lot.  “Chalk another up to the blundering Blur.”  Clark is worried about all of Metropolis without power.  “And the scavengers are already circling.”  Apparently the District Attorney Ray Sachs is a pet project of Lois’.  He’s there giving a press op.  First words out of Clark.  “Since when is a veteran DA newsworthy?”  Lois has a great nose for news.  The ‘good’ DA has crime connections.  Lois calls him saxophone.  “Because he likes to blow his own horn,” she yells as they walk by.

Sachs is running for mayor and thinks it’s a tragedy that the city has been brought down by the Blur.  Bet his crime buddies are loving this PR.

Clark and Lois at the limo.  Lois’ jaw is dropped as she sees the S-shield.  “Lois, I can’t help but think that there is more to this story than people are seeing.”  Lois thinks its obvious.  “Either the Blur is hitting a quarter life crisis or his ego has gotten really supersized.”  It’s Clark’s turn to get snippy.  “Are you sure he didn’t try to call you and explain himself?”  Lois tells him the Blur called but she didn’t pick up.  She’s got a smirk on her face.  “Since when did you become the Blur’s big defender?”  Clark defends the Blur, which is hysterical.  “He just doesn’t deserve the silent treatment just because he’s been out there saving people.”  It’s male vs female time – no matter what species.  “Of course you’d say that, Clark, you’re a guy!  The Blur can’t expect me to be his Beckon Call Girl after weeks of no contact.”  Clark doesn’t argue.  Lois spies a promising witness and takes off.  Clark hears monkey noises, lifts up a steel beam, and finds Jayna’s cell phone with Gleek bling.

Big makeshift S-Shield on a wall of the Wonder Twins lair. They’ve blown it again and Jayna bemoans losing her phone at the power plant.  Zan apologizes for bringing his sister into this and wonders if they are hero material.  His phone rings with the Gleek ringtone.  Someone is using his sister’s phone to call them.  They panic and decide to run.  “Powers activate.”  Before they can complete the fist bump Clark speeds in and puts his hand between them.  The force of it sends them to different parts of the room unconscious.  A very heroic shot of Clark in the shadows.  Awesome Wonder Twin power effect.

Watchtower is running on auxillary power. The twins awaken on the floor.  Zan thinks it’s the Blur’s lair.  Jayna seems to be the more sensible of the two.  He is mondo rocked about the techno and is about to tweet everyone about it.  School marm blondie appears, looking somewhat fascist, and barks, “That’s not going to happen.  Welcome to Watchtower.”  She tells them, like a prison matron, that she will vaporize their Twitter accounts and Facebook pages.  (blondie is a schill.)  “Every bit of your virtual existence will be obliterated.”  They promise not to tell.  They wonder who she is.  Zan says she’s a sidekick.  Blondie says not exactly.  “I’m doing pro bono work for the Blur.”  (On Ollie’s dollar since organic farmers and struggling copy boys don’t make the moolah.)  And she also has babysitting duties for these two.  They explain they just wanted to help the Blur.  She gets where they are coming from since she’s been there.  “But you are single handedly destroying what the Blur stands for.”  (She should take her own advice.)  They want to redeem themselves.  They want to know if the Blur trusts her and how does one know the right thing to do.  “You don’t.  And neither does he.  But you stick around a hero enough, you get your share at saving him.”  And with a smug smirk.  “Sometimes even from himself.”  They smile at that notion.  Notice blondie never said that SHE didn’t know what was the right thing to do.  She always does . . . in her mind.

Question: How does a virtual techno geek survive in a future world with no power, electrical or otherwise?  Answer: They don’t.

Candles, a glow stick and a manual typewriter. Lois at the DP is getting the job done without techno or power.  She keeps making mistakes but presses on.  She wonders how old school journalists did it.  The power comes back on and she appreciates her immediately active desktop.  No bootup is that fast.  Her cell rings the hero tune.  “I suppose it was you who gave us that little reboot.”  Clark standing on the gargoyle overlooking the city.  We can see the newly lighted Daily Planet.  “In a way the city going dark was my fault.  The least I could do was put things right.”  (remember that for next week)  Clark has a smile on his face.  “Y’know, just because you threw a few switches doesn’t make up for your bonehead moves lately.”  Clark’s jaw drops because she’s not all fangirl.  She doesn’t idolize him.  “Lois, I wasn’t the one behind the saves.”  Lois is confused by the thought that the Blur has an impostor.  “How did you let that happen?”  Lois always makes Clark think.  “It’s not that simple.  They were just misguided fans.  I’m not turning them over to the DA.”  Lois reasons that without proof, nobody is going to believe the copycat story.  “You’re risking a lot to protect some feckless meteor freaks.”  Which is what Clark does.  “Maybe,” he grins.  “But doesn’t everyone deserve a second chance?”

Okay, boyfriend just hit girlfriend’s hot button.  With a firm mouth, she rises from the chair.  “Oh, you want to go there?  Let me tell you about second chances, Buddy.  There’s a way you treat a woman.  It’s called . . . respect!”

We interrupt this great banter between our hero and his soulmate to bring you blondie and the Wonder Twins.  They’ve been living on the streets.  “Nobody really bought us as transfer students from Sweden.”  Super Friends comic reference.  Zan likes the shiny techno and hits a button on a screen that says CK  Cell.  Frau Blondie tells him not to touch anything.  So blondie is spying on Clark’s house, barn, and now his phone.  Niiiiice.  Blondie thinks she’s Brother Eye now.  She’s not Batman and neither is Ollie.  She’s not Mary Magdalene; she’s going for the Supreme Being.  She’s perfect in her own sight.

Back to smiling Clark while Lois reads him the riot act.  He’s tickled she’s so ticked.  “So just because you’re some fancy hero . . .”  Clark interrupts.  “Lois, I tried.”  She’s pacing.  “There is no try, Skywalker.”  (He’s not walking the skies yet.)  “You have super powers.  Why don’t you pick up a phone?”  Clark trying to get a word in edgewise and calm her.  “Lois, you’re just have to do something you’ve been having trouble with . . . “  There’s crackling and then the voice modulator goes out.  “You’re going to have to trust me,” says Clark Kent (not the Blur) as he hangs up.  Big eyed Lois whispers.  “Smallville.”

ACT THREE

Kent farm. The morning news talks about Metropolis’ Blur bringing the city out of darkness and into the light.  Which is what Clark does.  Clark goes to get the paper and there is Lois Lane standing with it in her hands.  He’s wondering why she’s filling in for the paperboy.  “You’re looking pretty chipper.  Busy Night?  My story about the Blur made it above the fold.  I think he’d be pretty happy that I included his side of the story.”  Clark looks from the paper to questioning her.  “So you heard from him?”  She says yes as she walks around him.  He shuts the door as she tells him she wants to car pool.  “I thought, y’know, the ride would give us a chance to get past the whole kiss and run of it all and get to know each other better.”  Clark walks towards her.  “Better?  You tell me the color of the underpants you wear every day.  What else is there to know?”  Man, Clark is a man of few needs.  And like he never x-ray visions to find out.  She gives him a smile and an apology for the Blur bashing.  “Deep down I never doubted him.”   Clark nods and reiterates her statement of faith.  Lois looking Clark in the eye steps in front of him.  “Of course, he never explained why he didn’t call me back.”    Clark sees she’s sincere and staring at him.  “Lois, what’s going on?”

Lois does an eye roll and tries again.  She’s putting her cards on the table.  “Okay, look.  I woke up this morning and I saw things clearly for the first time.”  She starts to continue when the news commentator tells of the DA calling out the Blur.  The DA states that no one is above the law.  Clark is watching intently.  Because of the damage to the city, the DA wants the Blur to come out of the shadows, to stop his vigilante behavior and to agree to work with law enforcement.  (This is the problem with Clark working in the shadows – he sounds more like Batman than Superman.)  The DA will be holding a press conference where he wants the Blur to show up and take responsibility for his actions.   Clark has something to think about.  “Big news day.  I’ll have to take a raincheck on the carpooling.”  She nods and says a little, “’Kay,” with a smile.  She’s going to let him tell her in his time.  How refreshing!

Lois Lane bursts into Dr. Evans office. There’s a woman in there.  Lois needs to see the doctor like NOW.  “I’m going to save you a lot of time and money, okay?”  She says walking across the room like a dutch uncle.  She gets in the woman’s face.  “It’s all your parents’ fault.”  (total gold!)  The woman runs out of the office crying as Lois paces.  She impatiently sits on the couch.  The doctor appears and Lois tells her the patient had family issues.  Lois is about to burst and she tells her shrink so.  She doesn’t know what to do.  “I focused on the man of my dreams and now I found out that my mystery caller and Clark are the same person.”  Lois is beside herself with this new information.  “Up until today he couldn’t lie his way out of a speeding ticket.  And now he can hold down an alter ego?”  The shrink tries to reason it out for her.  “What is more likely that your mysterious caller and Clark are the same man OR you’re trying to make them one person in order to create your dream man?” (Welcome to the Silver Age.)  Lois thinks on that a moment and then says that mystery man and Clark are both selfless and brave.  “I can’t believe how difficult this must have been for him to carry his secret all this time.  I just want to tell him that it doesn’t matter to me.”  (Welcome to the Modern Age.)  “But maybe coming clean isn’t the best idea either.  Right now Clark has this really big decision to make.  And more than anything, I just want to help, but I’m not sure how.”  She gets a giant grin.  “Wait.  I know what I have to do.”  She leaves the office after hugging the doctor and giving therapy a slight thumbs up.

Lois Lane lets Clark Kent make his own decisions.  She doesn’t try to control him.  She helps by giving of herself and doing the best she can.  Clark Kent will tell Lois Lane his secret without badgering or trickery because it is easier to tell a secret to someone who lets you tell them in your own time and when you think it is the right time.

Near the Metro Coffee Shop. Clark is waiting for the press conference to begin.    Chloe speak that essentially says that the twins are at the Watchtower and are taking down the Blur’s blog.  Clark is more concerned with today’s news.  Blondie sloughs it off with snickering laughter.  Clark is as serious as Pa Kent’s heart attack.  She reminds him that his last coming out party was a disaster.  “What changed?”  Clark spells it out for her.  “I’ve changed.  I’m wearing my father’s shield now.  And I’ve worked hard to give people a symbol of hope.  Something for them to believe in, that will inspire them.  I am the shield.”  Blondie, who can never let go, tells him if he sacrifices himself, there is no shield.  “I can’t just do nothing while the DA drags out my father’s crest and everything that it stands for.”  Blondie tells him that’s exactly what he has to do.  The DA is going to call him a menace and a coward and probably a threat to the city.  “And you have to let people believe his lies.”  That is just so wrong.  She needs to move to Gotham City.  How can Clark be about truth and justice if people believe lies about him?   Yes, Jor-El does live through Clark, but the family crest is a sense of honor and pride – and a symbol of hope.  If the DA tarnishes it, he tarnishes all of Clark’s work.  BLONDIE GETS IT WRONG.

A lady bug crawls on a near by mail box and flies off.

At the press conference, the DA is introduced in front of a crowd of people including Clark.  He invites the Blur to take his place at the podium and be a role model to Metropolis, a true hero would not hide, he would show himself and he would take responsibility for the mistakes he’s made.  Clark goes to say something when we hear Lois Lane making her way through the crowd.  She gets up on the stage.  “Zip it, counselor.”  Clark gets his ‘Lois?’ look on his face.  Lois introduces herself and says she knows the Blur.  That draws a reaction from the crowd and also one of the DA’s thugs on stage.  “The DA says that a true hero would come forward.  Well, the Blur can’t.  It’s because he knows the best way to protect you and me is to steer clear of all this political hoopla and remain the one thing that you and I need most. . . a light in the darkness.”  Clark watches intently.  “A symbol for us to believe in when all other hope is lost.  I’ve looked into the Blur’s heart and I can tell you that his intentions are good.”  The DA watches his little power play crash and burn.  “Let the Blur be the hero he needs to be.”  Clark Kent is smiling in admiration at Lois Lane.  She gets him, understands what he’s trying to do and what he needs to be.  LOIS LANE GETS IT RIGHT.

Lois Lane at the DP. Sees a red rose on her desk with a note.  ‘Thank You.  Meet me on the roof.’  She smiles.  Opening the door roof smiling, her face soon drops.  The rose falls from her hand.  It’s the DA waiting for her.  He tells her of his reason for being there.  “When you said you had looked into the Blur’s heart.  I didn’t realize how close of a relationship you had.”  Lois glares at him.  “Not that it is any of your business.”  He claims the safety of the city is always his business.  If she tells him the true identity of the Blur, he’ll ignore her antics.  She knows he doesn’t believe what he’s saying.  “All your shady deals with organized crime have just come home to roost.”  She already has a title for her expose’.  He has another headline in mind.  She looks down and there’s a chalked S-shield.  “The Blur murders Lois Lane.”   Lois tells him that nobody will ever believe him.  “I can make him whomever I want him to be.  It just takes a little doubt.”  (Blondie’s strategy just got tanked again.)  “You don’t give people enough credit.  Why would the Blur suddenly turn into a murderer?”  The DA laughs and reminds her she announced to millions of people that she is the only person who knows the Blurs true identity.  Lois makes a break for the roof door when two of his thugs grab her and drag her to the side of the roof.  “You’re the one hiding in the shadows, not the Blur.  You coward!”  fights Lois Lane to the bitter end.  The DA looks at his watch as the two thugs throw struggling Lois off the roof into the air.  The DA adjusts his tie and walks off.

Damn.  My heart stopped watching Lois Lane’s body drop down from the DP roof.  It reminded of the HUSH series.  And then millions screamed, “Why can’t Clark fly?”  Now would be a good time.

Lois Lane hanging on a flagpole.  Clarkie has to save her, right?

Clark Kent enters the bullpen all smiles because his girl just saved his secret and his family honor.  She totally gets what he’s trying to do.   Assistant Jeff, Jeph, Geoff runs up the stairs telling him he has to see what’s outside and to grab a camera.  Clark walks outside and looks up.  Lois is screaming for help.  “Lois!” and then he blurs from sight to the roof.  He leans over to see Lois hanging there.  “Lois!”  Too bad Lois isn’t in snark mode.  She could have asked him if he saw anyone else hanging there.  Clark sees all the people in the street with flashing cameras.  “Hold on, I’m coming.”  He puts a leg over the side and drops down to the next ledge.  “Clark!  Help me.”  He kneels down and stretches out his arm.  “Lois, grab my hand.”  She tells him she can’t.  He tells her to hold on as he tries to crawl down closer.  His foot slips but he catches himself.  Again he reaches out to her and she tries to grab his hand.  “C’mon, stretch.  You can reach.”  She tells him its too far.  Their fingers barely touch when Lois loses her grip and nearly falls.  “Lois!”  The agony and fear in Clark’s voice and on his face is compelling.  One of Lois’ shoes falls to the street.

The lady bug enters the Watchtower and transforms into Jayna.  She tells her twin that the Blur is in more trouble and its all their fault.  Zan convinces her to break out of Frau Blondie’s compound and help him.  “Dad always used to say we were stronger if we stick together.”  The fist bump is cool.  “Powers activate.”

Clark Kent lying on the edge of a ledge with the spinning Daily Planet globe overhead.  GREAT SHOT!  Lois is still hanging there one handed.  She must have pulled her arm out of the socket.  “Lois, hold on.”  Lois looks up at him.  Her eyes look dead.  “Let me go.”  He’s not hearing none of that.  “That’s insane, Lois.”  She reasons.  She knows why he won’t just supersave her.  “You can’t reveal yourself to the cameras.  You mean too much to the city . . . to the world.”  Clark can’t believe she’s saying this.  “Clark, I know that you’ve been living two lives and having to lie about it to me every day.”  Clark is still trying to keep her without her knowing his secret.  “Lois, you’re not making any sense.”   A huge fog (Zan) descends between the street and the roof.  “It’s going to be okay.  Just hold on.”  He’s smiling at her.  She doesn’t want him to expose himself.  She’s willing to make the sacrifice for his secret and his heroism.  “I’ve always known deep down that you were a hero.”  Her tired grip gives way from the pole and she looks in shock at it as she falls.  Arms and legs flailing.  (not laying back like she’s in a hammock)  “LOIS!”  Clark superspeeds off.  Lois with her eyes closed.  Her body parallel to the ground is eased onto the sidewalk.  We hear a swoosh.  She opens her eyes.  She is alone.  She gets up, looks around, and then looks up to the sky.  (Why?  He’s not flying yet – unless she remembers CRIMSON night, too.)

A limo pulls up through the fog and the DA gets in.  He is greeted by a vicious Rottweiler (Jayna).

Lois Lane walks the foggy streets of Metropolis. Clark Kent comes up behind her calling out her name.  He’s all smiles.  “You’re alive!”  She grabs him into a hug.  “Thank you.”  For a moment he has it all.  Lois in his arms and she knows who he truly is.  But he’s not ready yet.  “I’m flattered, Lois.  I wish I could have been the one to rescue you.  I’m not that fast.  I took the elevator.”  She studies him.  “Even after this, you still can’t tell me.”  There’s silent talk much as there was in the first scene of this episode.  A phone is ringing.  Yep, they are standing in front of their phone booth.  After some mutual staring, Lois tells Clark to stay there.  She goes to answer it.  “Next time you go to take on the DA of Metropolis.  Remember to watch your step.”  Lois is confused probably because the Blur has never been this snippy snidely before.  “But that was just . . .”  The fake Blur interrupts.  “Hope I made up for not calling.”  In other words, the blur on the phone has paid a debt – when Lois saved the Blur’s identity at the press conference.  So we all know it’s not Clark – so it has to be that cockblocking cockroach, blondie.  Nice cuz.

Clark asks her who it was.  He has to have an idea.  She tells him, “the Blur.”  Clark does not look happy about this.  Someone is still impersonating and ruining a very important part of his life.  Lois was the reason he left being Clark Kent when she went missing and she was the reason he returned to being Clark Kent when she returned.  Even defying Jor-El once again by doing so.  Big Daddy J didn’t seem to mind much because Clark continues his training.  But for some reason blondie seems to have a problem with Lois knowing the secret to the point that she gives Clark very bad advice.

ACT FIVE

The Wonder Twins celebrate in their lair. They trapped the DA before he could get away.  They saved the day and Lois Lane.  We hear the zip and Clark appears as a shadow in the doorway.  “I have you to thank for that.”  They can’t believe their idol has come to call.  “I put my shield out there to inspire people to step up and be their own heroes.  And you did.”  They believe in the Blur.  “Don’t believe in me.  Believe in the shield and what it represents.”  He steps into the light.  “Most importantly, believe in yourselves.”  They tell him they’re not the hero, he is.  “That depends on you. Metropolis doesn’t need more Blur fans.  It needs people who are willing to do exactly what you did today.  You do need to be more careful.”  He grins at them.  “Heroes don’t get second chances and people need you to make life and death decisions every day.  There’s no room for mistakes.”  They ask, Ever?  “Not when the world is watching.”  He zips off.  Great Superman speech!

Dr. Evans office. The good doctor is amazed and delighted that Lois Lane is alive and well after what she saw on the news.  She knows that Lois’ mystery caller is Metropolis’ famous Blur.  “I can’t believe I was so stupid.”  I hate that crap.  Lois should never feel that way, especially after she figured out the truth.  “I must have been crazy to see Clark through blur colored glasses.”  The shrink assures her she’s not crazy and that therapy is about knowing herself.  “But just looking at the facts.  What’s easier to believe, that there was some phone glitch or the farm guy who sits across from me every day is a superpowered hero?  The shrinks tells her she projects the hero stuff of the unattainable males onto men she knows.  Which is crap in her case because she’s dated Aquaman, Green Arrow and now the Blur on this show.  And she attained them all.  “But it would be so much easier if they were the same person.”  She’s right.  It would explain a lot because it is the truth.  “When I heard the Blur’s voice again, something stirred inside of me.  But my thoughts . . .they keep going back to Clark.  That scared guy who stepped out on that ledge to save me.”  Lois Lane has tears in her eyes.  She loves Clark. Period.  Whether he has a secret identity or not.  Lois is in pain.  She’s confused thanks to her cousin’s interference – and if Clark ever realized or found out how much pain she was in, he’d move heaven and earth to make it go away.  His secret be damned.  But that’s probably for next season, but there are a lot of fans that wouldn’t complain if it were sooner.

Clark opens the doors to Watchtower. Blondie has yet another costume change.  She’s all smiles and says Clark has earned another stripe.  For what?  She never explains.  She raises a Superman cup to him.  Apparently everyone is in on the Blur craze.  There are all kind of trinkets available.  (If only they were real – would like one of those Daily Planet keyrings and the cup too.)   Unfortunately blondie does not know the proper pronunciation for swag.  Wonder Twins put Sach in the slammer.  Blondie wants the twins to be the Blur’s backup team.  Like he’s riding the hero short bus and needs a posse to bail him out?  “I guess I had more backup than I thought.  How did you pull off the whole Blur impersonation thing?”  See, Clark knew.  With a swagger, blonder approaches a keyboard spouting techno hocus pocus.  She types 3 keys.  “Hello Lois, pay no attention to the blonde behind the curtain.”  We’ve been trying for years, but the writers won’t let us.  Clark seems disturbed by this turn of events.  “Relax, Clark.”  She denies being great and powerful.  She just made up a program that spouts out Blur.  Now why would she need something like that?  And how would she know what the Blur sounded like?  He’s never called her.  “But how did you know when to make the call?  And how did you know what to say to convince Lois?”  I likes me a thinking Clark.  Thanks!  Blondie nervously taps her fingers against the cup.  And then she goes full blown arrogant.  “I hacked into the security cameras on the rooftop and I’ve been monitoring all cell communication in Metropolis.”  She is bragging with no remorse.  Clark is incredulous and indignant.  “You’ve been eavesdropping on my personal calls with Lois, haven’t you?”  She’s still smirking like she’s the smartest person in the room.  “Chloe, there’s taking a bird’s eye view and then there’s playing Big Brother with people’s PRIVATE LIVES!”    She isn’t moved at all.  “Easy on the dress down, Clark.”  Or what?  You’ll take away his cell phone?  “If I hadn’t stepped in Lois would have still been beating down the Clark-is-a-superhero-door.”  Clark goes to argue, but he’s too damn polite to interrupt.  “And believe me, once the bloodhound Lois is at your door you’d better find a better way to find to disguise your superhero scent.”  Clark doesn’t like lying to Lois.  He’s thinking about it.  Sometime he will realize Lois knowing is not a bad thing.  And hopefully he’ll tell blondie to shut the frak up.

Some people say that Lois Lane was stupid because she couldn’t tell Clark from Superman because of a pair of glasses.  Yea, well.  What about Perry White, Jimmy Olsen, every person Clark went to school with?  The point is if Clark Kent can fool Lois Lane then he doesn’t have to worry about anyone else, because she’s the only person he allows to get up close and personal on a daily basis.  If you can fool Lois Lane, you can fool anybody.  She’s a smart cookie and an investigative reporter.  So Clark does have to think about disguising himself since on this show he is just developing the dual identities.

Blondie is wrong about Lois.  We’ve seen in this episode how Lois reacted to ‘the secret.’  We saw in INFAMOUS how she reacted.  And so has Clark.  Blondie’s arrogance, manipulation, and tyranny is going to push Clark towards Lois and her being his trusted partner, best friend, lover, and eventually wife.  Clark will no longer trust blondie because of the heinous acts she has committed.  Her arrogance, her misuse of power, and her total lack of respect for people.  Blondie does not know best.

The Daily Planet copy room. Lois is sitting in a chair with her eyes closed.  Clark peering over her shoulder.  This looks promising.  “Are you eyes still closed?”  He walks away and faces the other side of the room.  “This isn’t exactly what I had in mind when you said you wanted to meet in the copy room, but, hey, I’m open.”  Well, he did say he wanted to inspire hope.  “You said I had a secret and you were right.”  Lois still not facing him.  “I was dangling a hundred stories above the pavement.  I think I get a free pass on that one.”  She swivels the chair around.  “Let’s see what you got.”  Clark Kent turns around with the glasses on.  Excuse me while I faint!  Louis Febre’s music is iconic and has just been stellar throughout the episode.  “I’m a bit near sighted.”  Lois doesn’t know what to say to that.  “I’ve been trying not to wear them.”  Yea, we know.  Lois gets out of the chair and approaches him.  “They’re very . . .”  She takes the glasses from him and puts them on.  Her eyes go wide – there must be some kind of prescription in them.  Durance is gold.  She takes them off.  “ . . . Clark Kent.  I guess you’re not the only one who’s a little short sighted.  It’s just that sometimes I feel like I see a whole another side to you than anyone else.”  We hear the deep “Lo-is?”  “It’s okay,” she says breezily.  “It’s my hero complex to resolve,” she assures him.  “I take the nicest guy I know and weigh him down with all this shining armor.”  Clark is smiling about that.  “And it’s not fair.  Nobody can be two different people.”  She places the glasses in his shirt pocket.  He looks at her in awe. “I wish I could.”  Yea, I bet he does.  Lois gives him an inquisitive look.  He wants to know if she hates the glasses.  Lois bites her lower lip.  “Personally, I don’t mind the bump in your geek factor.”  (“Give me a nerd in glasses any day.” – CRUSADE)  She kids him about wearing contacts.  He grins.  “It means a lot that you thought I had it in me.”  Clark didn’t know that Lois considered him a hero.  He only knew that she thought of him as a geek years ago.  Lois punches his shoulder.  “Don’t worry, Smallville, I’ll only call you four eyes every once in a while.”  She grins and starts to walk off.  Realizing she just pulled her old defensive move.  She stops bolting.  She turns and gives Clark the eye.  “But just so you’re sure on one thing . . .”  She kicks a stack of newspapers between Clark’s feet.  Clark looks at her.  The tango music starts.  Lois stands on the stack and grabs Clark Kent by the back of the neck and lands a liplock on him.  It’s the CROSSFIRE kiss in reverse.  Clark shows shock and then gets into it.  Lois lifts a high heeled foot as Clark embraces the back of her neck.  This is definitely a “I want you, baby” moment.

Without warning, Lois begins to seize.  Lois’ memories of the future are returning.  We see a red lit Clark.  Lois standing in deserted city with a yellow sun turning red.  What may be the Kent barn with a Kandorian flag and people milling around it including Lois.  Clark and Lois in naked embraces.  Lois being dragged away as Clark watches from a cage.  Blondie with a crossbow and scarf mask.  The power tower that RAO Inc is constructing – a red beam shooting out of one of the towers and the other either destroyed or not completed construction.  Red sky with Kandorian flag.  Clark being dragged though a street.  Blondie looking lifeless on the pavement as fire burns.

“Lois!”  Lois goes limp in Clark’s arms.  “Lois!”  His concern and confusion are great.

TRAILER:

Two timelines for this one.  The future that Lois saw and the present timeline.  The CW trailer had the future timeline.  WELCOME TO OUR FUTURE.  Lois standing in the desolate Metropolis under a red sun.  Zod symbol in the loft.  People milling around in the Kent barn. Clark slugging Basqat.  Clark in grey shirt getting flung across the detention camp.  Lois calling out to him.  Zod pulling a sword out in front of a kneeling Clark.  The RAO tower with red beam shooting towards the sun.  One tower destroyed.  Zod followers kneeling.  Tess kneeling before Zod as he puts a dogtag on her while a shackled Lois watches. EVERYTHING HAS CHANGED.  Blondie running.  Clark imprisoned.  Zod dragging a bleeding and perhaps lifeless Clark through the street.  Clark and Lois making love.  Blondie dead on the burning pavement. Alia masked.  Zod kicking Clark.  Green Arrow shooting an arrow.  Lois running through the streets with bandaged hand and clothes she wore in SAVIOR.  An unconscious Clark on a pile of rubble.  Clark saying, “I made all the wrong choices.  A lot of people died.”  The S-shield black tee on a post flapping beneath a yellow sun turning red.

PANDORA is a must see!  It is the last episode before the winter hiatus.  New episodes begin the last week of January.