Abyss

Season 8, Episode 9, Aired
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Episode Summary

Brainiac strikes and replaces Chloe's memories with Kryptonian code. In order to help his best friend, Clark must ask for Jor-El's help. Meanwhile, Davis tries to get Chloe to understand that Jimmy is wrong for her.
9.0
out of 10
EPISODE RATING: Superb
536 votes
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Fan Episode Reviews (31)

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  • Incredible!! After waiting 7 and a half years, we finally see the real Father-Son relationship between Clark and Jor-El. Brainiac deletes Chloe's memories and after being removed from Chloe, he calls for Doomsday - who will be coming! AWESOME EPISODE!!moreless

    10
    "Perfect"
    By Jrayv83, Apr 28, 2011 Report Abuse
    This episode was AMAZING!! Chloe is in trouble. Brainiac is deleting all her memories piece for piece and the people she cares about. She even forgot who Jimmy is - her fiance. But the one person she still can count on is Clark. He comes to her rescue by going to the Arctic and rebuilding the Fortress of Solitude: which was high time! And what follows is one of the BEST EVER conversational episodes between Father and Son. Brainiac continues to delete all memories from Chloe's mind, including Clark's real Kryptonian heritage and powers. The only person she remembers is Davis Bloom (A.K.A. Doomsday - due to the Brainiac/Doomsday connection). Davis does the sensible thing - brining Chloe to Jimmy and Clark. Clark took her to the Fortress and with the help of Jor-El, brings back her memories, except those of Clark's powers and his secret.

    All ends well. Clark for the first time returns to the Fortress to THANK Jor-El, and calls him Father. Finally the father-son relationship from the mythos are finally in place. for 7 years we had to deal with a rebellious son and a harsh father, but now, they are united in effort, connected in relationship, and have a common purpose: the creature called Doomsday. And as Clark leaves the Fortress, Brainiac liquid that came from Chloe took over the crystal console and drowned out Jor-El. The whole fortress turns black with Doomsday's sign appearing. It is coming - The House of El will be destroyed and Clark!!!moreless

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    5 0

  • Chloe's Amnesia.

    1.0
    "Abysmal"
    By Milaneh, Apr 28, 2011 Report Abuse
    Okay... I was about to give another high grade to this episode, but then... I can't believe Chloe has no memory of Clark's powers!!! :shouting:

    I am being very subjective here, but I don't care. I actually started really liking the show when Chloe found out about Clark and now it's all ruined! Not to mention the whole Davis-Chloe drama at the end! I mean, now that she has no memory of Clark's powers and now that she isn't a reporter drama is all she is going to come down to! Okay, I'm probably overreacting and maybe they can make this interesting, but come on!

    Other that that, I am actually very excited (surprisingly) to see Lana back in the next episode. I am anxious to see how she will fit now...moreless

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    0 7

  • They can't do that to Chloe!

    1.0
    "Abysmal"
    By CraigB1234, Apr 28, 2011 Report Abuse
    They can't do that to Chloe! No way that's the worse thing they could do. I've been loving this season up to this point but violating Chloe's memory is sooo wrong. It makes me angry if this is permanant, I hope it isn't. Chloe rules! I think this may be a setup for future episodes but it feels sooo wrong. I'm hoping that this does not drag on for the rest of the season cause it'd be very bad. Otherwise I'm not sure what they are planning with the Davis storyline but it looks like they are forshadowing something bigmoreless

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    0 7

  • I for one do not agree with Clark's decision...

    9.3
    "Superb"
    By super_friend21, Oct 08, 2010 Report Abuse
    Clark was wrong to remove any memory of his secret from Chloe's brain. I can understand his dilemma what with endangering her life on more than one occasion but she said so herself - she is glad she can make a difference onto the world through helping Clark and he went against her wishes. However the episode itself was spectacular. Of late Smallville has been ranking up the excellent bar ever since Prey (Doomsday being unveiled). thought last season Braniac was a dull dud but in this ep he wasnt even seen and he kicked ass. Seeing the newly built Fortress being 'possessed' with Braniac's substance was definitely a good scene and "Doomsday is coming" - very eerie. I also loved the special effects in Chloe's memories - very much like the film: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind...moreless

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    2 0

  • The effects of Brainiac on Chloe's mind grow. Clark makes a desperate trip to the Arctic to get help from Jor-El. Davis begins pushing for a relationship with Chloe even as she loses her knowledge of Clark's secret.moreless

    8.5
    "Great"
    By cxtasy, Jan 29, 2009 Report Abuse
    This episode is one big surprise - so different from most Smallville stories. It has only one plot - no subplots, no issue of constant switching from one story line to another. The cast is limited to only four main characters - Clark, Chloe, Jimmy, and Davis - and Jor-El, if you count a disembodied voice. The script is therefore necessarily sparse, confined to only one idea.

    It's been some time coming. Chloe is finally experiencing the shattering effects of the actions of Brainiac on her mind. I found the concept for showing how she begins to lose her memory to be imaginative and effective. A background of flashes of scenes from her life surround her. A kryptonian symbol also appears to her, and when she sketches it, Clark identifies it as the symbol for "Doom." In her mind's eye, objects such as furniture begin to disappear. This may not be valid psychologically, but it sure works visually.

    "Abyss" is all about Chloe, and Ms. Mack does her usual fine acting job - we wouldn't expect anything less. Jimmy is the first to notice how rapidly she is losing her grip on reality, even as they approach their wedding date. Clark sees the signs too, as Chloe finally describes to him how she's just barely holding things together - in the ISIS tech room, she has covered the walls with photos and documents related to her life - a pathological obsession with keeping things together, but it won't work for long. He pulls out the blue crystal, determined to ask for help from Jor-El, against Chloe's plea to avoid the risk of another trip to the Phantom Zone.

    Clark winds up in the Arctic again, and Jor-El is unusually supportive of Clark and the struggles he has had and the decisions he has made. But there is a risk to Chloe in restoring her memory.

    When Davis comes to the Talon apartment to offer support, Jimmy is just too accommodating. His benign reaction is unlike Jimmy's usual jealousy of anyone near Chloe, but here he seems clueless.

    Clark brings the unconscious Chloe to the Fortress, and when the memory restoration begins, her eyes turn black, and a black fluid drains from her ear - presumably a deposit made by Brainiac. This seems tantamount to removing a contaminant, but the writers make this result in her forgetting Clark's secret, an awfully selective memory loss.

    The Smallville writers and producers can and have reversed the course of previous storylines. Offenses are forgotten, murders forgiven, prosecutions overlooked, hurts and resentments glossed over. But Clark's loss of his valuable ally, confidant, protector, hacker, and interference-runner is significant. She is still his friend, but I can't see the writers coming up with a re-set button to return to the Chloe of the past several seasons - learning his secret all over again would seem so like a Season 4 redux. Yet how can they go forward from here? Is this to be seen as a necessary step in developing the Superman character? Must he become an independent force by cutting ties to a mortal, even one who has been so instrumental in his development? Is this the ultimate act of friendship by Clark - to accept this extreme loss for the sake of protecting Chloe?

    With Chloe's marriage coming up, the story arc would result in an inevitable change in the Clark-Chloe relationship - domestic affairs would become her main concern - a commitment to Jimmy and their new life limiting her ability to drop everything to support Clark and his endeavors. So anxiety is piling up on me, wondering if we're losing Chloe, or even if she's on her way out of the series. It's a common assumption that she's under contract for all of Season 8, so that should not happen, and Ms. Mack is even progged to direct an upcoming episode. Frankly, I'd just as soon see that re-set button pushed, but not instantaneously - take a few episodes for her restoration - let it make some sense and require effort. Think of all the enjoyment we've had from Chloe's collaboration with Clark - humor, joy, tragedy, frustration, excitement, anxiety, triumph. Can Lois begin to take on this role?

    By the end of "Abyss," most all relationships are back to normal and the wedding is on. But Davis gets pushy, telling Chloe flatly that Jimmy is not right for her, and that when she had lost almost everything, she came to him for help. He puts just enough back in her mind to create doubt about her love for Jimmy. Of course, the Doomsday storyline approaches, and Davis does not yet fully realize what he is - only clues from the Lois/Faora encounter last week. But his worldly attraction to Chloe means she'll be right in the line of fire from whatever comes out of Davis in the next few episodes. So her loss of knowledge of Clark's secret is not enough to protect her from another adversary. Despite Clark's best efforts, he's going to have to save her again.

    Like I said, it's a surprise to see such a limited scope for a Smallville story - the producers obviously meant to move ahead rapidly with the Davis/Doomsday threat by dropping any distracting side issues. Against the implications for Chloe and her part in Smallville, even the Clark - Lois relationship seems diminished in importance - until this is resolved. And until then I'm in mourning over the loss of a key character and all the enjoyment that has come from the special Clark-Chloe friendship. Re-run rating - an angst-ridden B.moreless

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    1 0
 

Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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  • Trivia

    ADD TRIVIA
    • In Chloe's memory of Clark catching the car, it disappears right after he catches it. But you can clearly see that the headlights are still shining on him, even though the car is not in his hands anymore. Edit
    • When Davis brings Chloe to Clark and Jimmy at the Talon and sedates her, Jimmy picks her up and puts her in the green chair. We see the first two shots of Chloe in the chair her head is tilted to her left and her hair is not messy with Jimmy next to her. The third shot we see, the long wide shot, Chloe has rolled over and tilting to her right and her hair is messed up. The very next shot we see she has tilted back to her left with non-messy hair again. Edit
    • Trivia: This episode marks the first time that Clark has called Jor-El "Father." Edit

  • Notes

    ADD NOTES
    • International Air Dates: Norway: Saturday, February 28, 2009 7.10 pm on TVNorge Sweden: Friday, July 17, 2009 on TV6 Czech Republic: March 25, 2010 on TV Nova Turkey: May 2, 2010 on CNBC-e Edit
    • Injoke: The phrase "Doomsday is coming" which is used at the end of this episode, which is the last episode before the final arrival of Doomsday, is also used at the end of Man of Steel #17 - which is also the last issue before the arrival of Doomsday in the comics. Edit
    • This episode was not aired in the New York metropolitan area, until the afternoon of Saturday, Nov. 15, 2008, due to a Thursday Night FootballJets vs. Patriots game; on WPIX Channel 11. Edit

  • Quotes

    ADD QUOTES
    • Clark: Before you trailed off, you were talking about the first time you saw me use my abilities. Chloe: Abilities? As in your ability to look both ways before you cross the street? Edit
    • Clark: You've been the best friend and ally I could have had, Chloe. The truth is, you've saved me more than I ever could have saved you. Edit
    • Chloe: Jimmy, I'm impressed. You managed to balance out single, couples, and families while keeping all of the exes at different tables, and still keeping the kids' tables away from the cake. You truly are the zen master of seating charts. Jimmy: More the master of musical chairs. Edit

  • Allusions

    ADD ALLUSIONS
    • Davis: It's more like Night of the Living Dead. Referencing the 1968 black & white movie directed by George Romero. The plot of the movie, and the four subsequent direct sequels, is that a meteor falling to Earth causes the dead to rise, hunger for human flesh, and transforms others through infection. Anyone dying comes back as living dead as well. The original movie has been remade twice since, in 1990 and 2006. Edit

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