A frantic time-shifted call from Lana to Clark warns she is to be pursued by Adam, then a shot rings out. Clark, Chloe, and Lana put all they have into solving this mystery, while Lionel and Lex battle over the fate of the lab and its staff.
8.5
When Clark picks up a crisis hot line at the Youth Center, he hears Lana, whom we then see frantically running from a man armed with a rifle - Lana is shot in the back. Is this the end? Clark speeds to the Talon, but Lana and Chloe are there together...what did he hear? A hoax? Later they listen to a recording of the call in the presence of Sheriff Nancy, but there are no answers. This story setup comes fast, but that's ok, the story keeps up that pace.
Chloe tries modifying the recording, but Clark's super hearing is even better at analyzing the waveform, and they hear a man's voice. And another sound - a basketball game, which has not even been played. In an all-to-easy conclusion, they decide the call was from the future. Well, of course, after all, it's Smallville.
Lex shows Lionel a vial of an experimental medication, which he discovered last week in "Resurrection," saying he knows about the lab at Metron, but of course, Lionel denies knowing the details. Lex pursues the question - he wants to be a partner in the scheme, he wants to be in charge. Lionel is skeptical.
Back in the shadowy lab, Dr. Teng is met by Lionel, who's canceling the project. He wants the lab moved elsewhere, threatening her with deportation. Dr. Teng gives Adam one more chance at survival, injecting him with the serum. His deterioration instantly is relieved, but with the lab shutting down, Adam is doomed. Twelve hours to live. This story line bears some resemblance to "Blade Runner," with Adam playing the latter-day replicant.
Clark discusses the time shift theory with Lex, asking his help to find Adam - and Clark knows he was at the lab and met Dr. Teng. Lex has to yield on this one, due to the threat to Lana. He says Adam cannot survive or leave the lab, but Clark insists, and Lex takes Clark to the lab. The entire staff has been murdered, including Dr. Teng, and Experiment #1, Adam, is gone. Things have gotten out of hand for the Luthors again.
Lex later accuses Lionel of the debacle, but Lionel denies knowledge of the murders. Lex has covered it up (no, he hasn't) and now Lionel offers Lex the project. Nice time to come on board, but Lex declines the promotion. Back to you, Dad.
Clark tells Lana about Adams's escape, and Chloe has traced the futurecall that Lana will make...tomorrow. Lana is justifiably worried. At the hospital, Clark meets the woman who owned the cell phone Chloe traced...he says her phone is going to be used in a crime - so she admits she loaned her phone to her husband, whom we next see on the side of the road, when he is suddenly mugged by a creepy-looking Adam. Clark speeds to the scene, but Adam escapes.
Now a storm brews, and Lana has taken refuge at the Kent farm, but things area happening anyway. The storm, the phone. Jonathan breaks out the family rifle. Lex and Clark are trying to track Adam too, and they discern he is searching for the rest of the serum. An unnecessarily arrogant police officer enters the mansion with a warrant, and with questions for Clark about the lab murders.
At the Torch office, Adam surprises Chloe, she remains pretty calm, until Adam sees the Kent's truck that Chloe is using. The terror grows as he forces her to the Kent farm. Jonathan goes out to Chloe, who yells a warning, but Adam clubs Jonathan and roughs up Choe. Tough stunts in the rain for our regular cast, but we have to admire the Smallville crew for going to this much effort for a good scene. Adam threatens to kill Jonathan, and Lana has to come out, and become his prisoner.
Lex realizes he's being set up to take the fall for the murders. Of course Clark is released in time to speed to the Youth Center to take the futurecall. Adam has taken Lana to the storage unit where she stashed his stuff. He frantically looks for the serum; finding none, he's in a rage. Now the forseen events play out as he pursues her through the building, and Ms. Kreuk does a pretty fine job of fighting back, even as she exhibits terror.
Clark arrives home to find things have gone bad to worse, and he knows they're looking for the serum. Clark takes Lana's call again, as Adam shoots. In some pretty cool super slo-mo of the bullet speeding through stationary raindrops, Clark speeds to the storage area and stops the bullet with his own body. Adam saw this save, but he's dying. and warns Clark about Lionel with his last breath. The cast has been shown many times out in the rain without adequate protective clothing, but in this case it works well - adding to the desperate situation resolved by Clark's ingenuity and determination.
As the police arrest Lex, the FBI appears, and takes over the case. Lex wants to make a deal - immunity in exchange for the goods on his own father. Deal? Meanwhile, Lionel has a new lab director on board, and wants the "Resurrection" lab back up and running in a week. He claims to have been diagnosed with a liver disease.
Lana looks quite like wow really sharp in green, with matching eye shadow and earrings. She probes Clark again - how did he get from the Youth Center to the storage unit in a few seconds? He lamely suggests it was maybe the time anomaly. In turn, he asks why she called the hot line rather than the police. She answers - because she knew he'd be there, so not too many questions from the police. She was terrified, he was too, so is it time to stop being so afraid?
Now back to Lionel, looking very disheveled in his office, listening to opera. What now? Is that his terminal diagnosis for hepatic disease? A gun. Will he take his own life? Nice cliffhanger, good for at least a week to see how this turns out.
"Crisis" is a pretty darn good episode, fast-paced, offering some fun strife between Lex and Lionel, and finally resolving the Adam-Lana romance - it's over. Nice job by everyone, lighting, special effects, action sequences, and general scariness. Re-run rating B.
