Ep 4.10 - Scare

[Arbar]

I think it was on purpose. The audience was supposed to feel that there is no future to the Clark/Lana ship. I got the same impression with the Ollie/Lois relationship - something was not right even while they both thought they were meant for each other.

I hope it was on purpose With the Clana, I felt I was watching two people seeing how miserable they could make each other (I think there are about four happy scenes of them as an actual couple....remind me, why did they want to date each other?)

I am not so sure. His hate was very deep and he just never got power.

I don't agree on that, but since we never saw the right circumstances,we can't tell either way He did have power in Exile, and he was only motivated by getting Clark back. I know it's not a perfect example, but it's one that occurs to me.

Re-watched it very recently. Edgar comes out of prison and when seeing the limo goes straight to it as if expecting it. When he sees Bridget inside he looks surprised and shakes his head in denial and tries to get away at first as if he had expected somebody else. Then he steps into it after all and Bridget askes him if he has what "we" asked him for. He gives her the stone as she expected.

Edgar clearly did expect someone, but not Bridget. Only after she made clear that she knew about the stone and that there was a "we" he gave it to her. If it had been Dr. Swann instead of Lex who got him out of prison in exchange for the stone he would have expected Bridget - as it would have been her to make the deal in the first place. Lex knew about it all because he was personally involved and because Clark asked him to help Edgar.

Good point. My way of reading it is that everyone assumed Lex got Edgar out of prison (and he did plan on doing it), but he was actually too slow and someone else got to Edgar first (Swann). But why Edgar wouldn't know who got him out of prison...I don't know. Would they tell him that information in real life?

[Freawaru]

I hope it was on purpose With the Clana, I felt I was watching two people seeing how miserable they could make each other (I think there are about four happy scenes of them as an actual couple....remind me, why did they want to date each other?)

Yeah, let's see. Lana wanted powerful Clark because he saved her all the time she was in danger. And Clark wanted Lana because he felt like shooting fire out of his eyes whenever he thought of her. Maybe he also enjoyed his mind going into the Lanalanalana state of not needing to use his brain but thinking with other parts of his body. Not exactly the best circumstances for a relationship.

I don't agree on that, but since we never saw the right circumstances,we can't tell either way

I agree. And he also had his good sides. Especially, I liked it when he told Clark that Clark should choose his fate himself.

He did have power in Exile, and he was only motivated by getting Clark back. I know it's not a perfect example, but it's one that occurs to me.

Yes. But he had a priority here. And a deal with Jor El! Other examples are him almost killing the reporter, him attacking Lionel in the cave, all his evil advice to Clark regarding Lex, him not telling Clark about his deal with Jor El (with all his "we discuss everything and decide everything as a family" this really came across as hypocritical).

Good point. My way of reading it is that everyone assumed Lex got Edgar out of prison (and he did plan on doing it), but he was actually too slow and someone else got to Edgar first (Swann). But why Edgar wouldn't know who got him out of prison...I don't know. Would they tell him that information in real life?

I would expect that he knows who pays his lawyer, yes. Also, someone must have talked to him personally and told him he wanted the stone in return for his freedom.

It seems there are (at least) two possible scenarios:

Clark asks Lex to free Edgar. Lex complies and uses the opportunity to get some real answers from Edgar. Edgar's priority always was to leave prison, he had no own agenda regarding the stones. So he would have told Lex everything he knew (and that was quite a lot). Their deal is Lex gets him out of prison and receives the stone.

1) Dr. Swann, who pays close attention to what happens in Smallville and the Luthors in general, finds out about this deal. He either delayed Lex's car or he manages to get Edward out earlier but without Edward being aware of it. Thus it is Bridget who waits for Edgar. She lies about her being the one on the receiving end of Edgar's deal with Lex. Of course, Lex finds out who has the stone but it unable to get it back from Dr. Swann. Instead, Edward Teaque kills Dr. Swann and Bridget Crosby goes into hiding with the stone.

2) Lex decides that the stone would not be save with him - after all he has already lost one stone in the middle of a flight, and he also knows that his father and Genevieve Teaque have been searching for them for a long time. He contacts Dr. Swann, whom he knows to protect Clark (Lionel knew about the e-mails between Clark and Dr. Swann, surely so would Lex.) He does not inform Edgar for security reasons (you never know who listens in a prison). Bridget is there at the appointed time to meet Edgar. Edward finds out that Dr. Swann has the stone and kills him for he fears that Dr. Swann will give the stone to The Traveller and because the family of his wife had been searching for it for centuries.

I think in theory both are plausible. But in "Spirit" Lex and Bridget exchange e-mails about "the item" and plan to meet. Why would Bridget bring Lex the stone willingly if she had stolen it from him before? Fear of the Teagues?

[Arbar]

Yes. But he had a priority here. And a deal with Jor El! Other examples are him almost killing the reporter, him attacking Lionel in the cave, all his evil advice to Clark regarding Lex, him not telling Clark about his deal with Jor El (with all his "we discuss everything and decide everything as a family" this really came across as hypocritical).

Hmm, yeah I see your point. I guess maybe I would say he's certainly capable of killing, but when he's motivated by a threat to his family (any threat, real or imagined)

I would expect that he knows who pays his lawyer, yes. Also, someone must have talked to him personally and told him he wanted the stone in return for his freedom.

It seems there are (at least) two possible scenarios:

Clark asks Lex to free Edgar. Lex complies and uses the opportunity to get some real answers from Edgar. Edgar's priority always was to leave prison, he had no own agenda regarding the stones. So he would have told Lex everything he knew (and that was quite a lot). Their deal is Lex gets him out of prison and receives the stone.

1) Dr. Swann, who pays close attention to what happens in Smallville and the Luthors in general, finds out about this deal. He either delayed Lex's car or he manages to get Edward out earlier but without Edward being aware of it. Thus it is Bridget who waits for Edgar. She lies about her being the one on the receiving end of Edgar's deal with Lex. Of course, Lex finds out who has the stone but it unable to get it back from Dr. Swann. Instead, Edward Teaque kills Dr. Swann and Bridget Crosby goes into hiding with the stone.

2) Lex decides that the stone would not be save with him - after all he has already lost one stone in the middle of a flight, and he also knows that his father and Genevieve Teaque have been searching for them for a long time. He contacts Dr. Swann, whom he knows to protect Clark (Lionel knew about the e-mails between Clark and Dr. Swann, surely so would Lex.) He does not inform Edgar for security reasons (you never know who listens in a prison). Bridget is there at the appointed time to meet Edgar. Edward finds out that Dr. Swann has the stone and kills him for he fears that Dr. Swann will give the stone to The Traveller and because the family of his wife had been searching for it for centuries.

I think in theory both are plausible. But in "Spirit" Lex and Bridget exchange e-mails about "the item" and plan to meet. Why would Bridget bring Lex the stone willingly if she had stolen it from him before? Fear of the Teagues?

Both sound good Crosby could have changed her mind about keeping the stone after Swann's death for the second scenario, like you said.

[Freawaru]

Hmm, yeah I see your point. I guess maybe I would say he's certainly capable of killing, but when he's motivated by a threat to his family (any threat, real or imagined)

Yes. When the goals justify the means. And considering that Martha was the Red Queen in season nine - and had quite a reputation considering how scared they all were of her - she was ready to do everything to protect her son, too. She threatened to kill Tess, right?

I have no problem with that. I just have a problem with those characters condemning Lionel when he did things to protect his family, while it is okay when the Kents do it to protect their family. All these double standards of the heroes.

[jon-el87]

I swear, me rewatching this now is a complete coincidence.

Jason's opening hallucination works as a teaser of him having another reason, besides being romantically linked to Lana, for being in Smallville.

Lex's hallucination re-uses Cassandra Carver's vision from "Hourglass". They shouldn't have done that. If you pay attention to the background, you might notice a few things: a Green Lantern ring, a skeleton wearing the Batsuit, another wearing metallic bracelets (with a tiara nearby), just to name a few. It was okay in "Hourglass", as that was a vision of a possible future (where Clark, apparently, haven't become Superman and wasn't there to stop him. A feat that no other superhero can do*). However, this is a non-precognative person having a nightmare... where he kills people that he doesn't even know exists.

We learn that Chloe's mom is in a mental hospital, affecting Chloe for the next few seasons.

An okay episode. With all the Kryptonite experiments at LuthorCorp, something like this was bound to happen, sooner or later. I appreciate that the project leader for the experiments was named Dr. Otis Ford (later renamed Dr. Sinclair in the episode "Onyx", for some reason), and not Jonathan Crane. I'm sure some would've liked the cameo, but it might've shrunk the universe, if this random scientist in Smallville turns out to be the guy who becomes Scarecrow. Tying his origin to Smallville and Kryptonite. Not every DC character should (and, thankfully, didn't**) pass through this one Kansas small town.

* One of many reasons why Earth-167 was so obviously not the real Smallville universe (so, just ignore it).

** Seriously. I'd say that barely 1% (just throwing a number out there. Though, there is no way that it was more than 5%) of all DC characters showed up on the show.