“Smallville” – My Two Dads

Show: Smallville
Episode: “Descent”
First Aired: 4/17/08

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD

A couple of weeks ago, I spotted actor John Glover in the South Pasadena farmers market. There he was - Lionel Luthor in the flesh, father of evil mastermind Lex - and he was shopping for produce. No one else seemed to notice, either due to Southern Californians being used to celebrities walking amongst us or because he was so unlike the character he plays. The actor and a friend were deciding which grapefruits were ripe enough to buy - not exactly a Luthor trait. In the moment I wondered, “Shouldn’t he be in Vancouver shooting ‘Smallville?' ” Now I know why he wasn’t.

To review this episode without revealing a major surprise is impossible. The surprise is the sudden death of Lionel, which is especially startling given that it occurs in the opening scene as opposed to the final one where things like this tend to happen. Like watching “Psycho” after the shower scene, this death doesn’t seem real - the audience keeps waiting for the surprise reveal that it was faked through a clone or doppelganger. Maybe Chloe will resurrect him with her powers, maybe it’s a dream sequence. None of these prove to be true as the reality sets in that the showrunners have now done away with every adult character in the series (Lionel’s departure is of course preceded by Martha and Jonathan Kent). What follows is a long night of grief, madness, and suspicion.

The audience knows the truth from the beginning – that Lex pushed his own father out of his Luthorcorp penthouse window. The cast suspects this and sets out to prove it, which proves to be more difficult than they thought. The new investigative team of Lois and Jimmy try to clear up a grainy photo of the moment of murder, in hopes of identifying the culprit. Chloe aims to do the same but both efforts are foiled by Lex’s overly devoted assistant, Gina.

Elsewhere, Clark finally gets confirmation that Lionel’s mysterious actions have been noble attempts to protect our hero, AKA the Traveler. This comes courtesy of Lionel’s “if you’re listening to this, I must be dead” message embedded in a Kryptonian artifact. The message also discloses that a safety deposit box in Zurich holds the secret to Clark’s alien identity as well as a means to control his powers. Lex killed his dad for a key to this box and once he opens it, he’ll finally have the answers he’s been seeking.

The fact that 90% of this episode takes place at night is only one reason why it’s so dark. The confrontation between Clark and Lex is especially bleak when both men discuss their deceased fathers. Clark feels guilty for Lionel dying to protect him and Lex tries to make him feel guilt for Jonathan’s fatal heart attack as well. Both fathers loved Clark and neither loved Lex, which contributed heavily to his descent into madness (hence the episode’s title).

Tormented by his younger pre-bald self, whom we’ve seen before, Lex is reassured by the kid version that he can still be saved. What the kid learns the hard way is that Lex no longer wants to be saved. If Michael Rosenbaum does indeed leave the series after this season, then this is the way to go out.

UP NEXT: Kara and Brainiac drop into town and we learn what’s in that safety deposit box. To quote Brad Pitt from “Se7en” - “What’s in the box? What’s in the box?!”

- Steve D’Arcangelo

Comments

[Kobe]

Couldn't you have thought of a better title? Does that mean Superman's two dads were homosexuals?

[Where's Lana]

So, where was she during this episode? Eye infection caused by those blurry ocntact lenses? And what about the most important revalation...Chloe is now unemployed (and should be for her lame job at hiding the key). Really, she ould keep Clark's secret for three years and hide her own powers from the world...but when it comes to hiding the all important key - she stores it with her pens and white out?

Cool grave scene though. Later, J

[Misty]

I believe John Glover is still doing some play and will doing another one soon in July, I think.

[Waldo Smudge]

Wasn't Paul Reiser on My Two Dads back in the day? Him and the real dad of the chick from Step Up 2 The Streets. She's hot