Fracture

Season 7, Episode 12, Aired
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Episode Summary

Lex tracks the amnesiac Kara to Detroit, where Lois follows him. An obsessive busboy infatuated with Kara shoots Lex, and Chloe has to determine whether to heal him or not.
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Fan Episode Reviews (37)

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  • A "Fractured" Episode

    5.8
    "Mediocre"
    By lenzinoH20, Jan 02, 2011 Report Abuse
    Fracture-Lex tracks the amnesiac Kara to Detroit, where Lois follows him. An obsessive busboy infatuated with Kara shoots Lex, and Chloe has to determine whether to heal him or not.

    Well, if the preview trailer really hyped up this episode, making it look like diffrent kind of Smallville episode, in a very good way. But again, it was the advertisers of CW disguising the episode as one of the best of the series yet the episode turned out to be another average hour of Smallville with the usual plot holes and poor developments. Again, there was a lot of missed oppotunity and the story felt rushed from the get go!

    The episode opens up with the most random teaser as Lex and Lois are in Detroit chasing after Kara together. First off, how did Lex find Kara in the first place, and how did Lois get there? Then, or course, they find Kara who still has amnesia which is a welcomed return for Laura since she's been gone for a couple of episodes. But then episode turns into another "Lex gets shot by psycho" episode and it's very tedious from then on. How on earth Lex would not just instantly die from a bullet right in front of his forehead is beyond me! Then there's the fact that Lex is conveniently brought to Smallville from Detroit and Lionel suddenly has a machine that can have people enter another's mind? Not to mention, why is Lana becoming such a computer wiz all of a sudden?

    I guess the most interesting part of the episode were in Lex's mind. I have to admit the direction was good and the way his mind was like an large, endless abandon building was nice concept. Micheal Rosenbeaum gives a great performance as usual as Lex's evil side confronts Clark in his mind. The scene in which Lex forces Clark to watch him and Lana have sex was pretty good. Also, Alexander, Lex's good side was interesting as he is still a child and sees Clark as his friend. It's a touching moment as Clark and Alexander acknowledge themselves as friends even after all these years. Kinda made me miss the early years when Lex and Clark were so close. Then there was the scene of Loinel abusing Lex and his mother, showing how far Loinel has come in terms with how evil he was. But I feel there still could have done a lot more with the scenes inside Lex's mind as the ones with Lex and Kara were quite boring, than Lois just showing up.

    But yet again, why do the writers always go for the obseessed psycho approach after all these years as it's not even exciting anymore. Kara's obsessed co-worker was awful and under-developed. Just another guy with gun waiting to be stopped by Clark. The episode ends quite well though with Clark and Chloe discussing the extent of her healing powers. Also, Kara is still powerless and has no idea who is and trusts Lex of all people by the end of episode. Chloe was great throughout this episdoe being very selfless and confident in her power but it's an interesting development as the more she uses it, the less likely she is to come bac alive. Maybe this is a forshadowing of Chole's death in the future? Then there's Lionel and Lex's scene in which both actors always come through and the way Lionel tells Lex he loves him but Lex just walks away is a powerful moment. All and All, if you were expecting one of Smallville's darkest and creepiest episodes, you won't find that much here as "Fracture" is just your everyday Smallville outing with a few nice scenes.moreless

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  • There was no point to all of this..

    6.5
    "Fair"
    By CountAightX, Dec 24, 2010 Report Abuse
    I get what they wanted to accomplished with "Fracture". They wanted to send Clark on a journey through the deep darkness that is Lex's mind. And it's really cool to see him go through all that. Too bad, how he gets there and WHY he's there, is completely stupid.

    It doesn't need to be mentioned by me as many others have all mentioned it, but why would Clark have to go into Lex's mind and risk his life in the process when he could have just as easily went to Detroit and found Lois and Kara himself? Certainly would have saved a lot of time.

    There was ways they still could have done this episode, and they would have probably worked out a lot better. But there's too much of this that's just dumb. I wish they would have put more work into really making this episode good. Instead we get an episode that just seems to make things up as it goes along.moreless

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    3 3

  • Clark enters the mind of his enemy-Lex Luthor.

    10
    "Perfect"
    By scillaward, Sep 11, 2010 Report Abuse
    After much wondering about Kara's whereabouts, Lex tracks her down. Lex, surprisingly tries to save her and brings her back to Smallville. But then he gets shot and is pronounced dead. Clark desperately wants to find his cousin, so Lionel helps him by trapping Clark in Lex's mind to find out where he found Kara. But in the process Clark gets in too deep and if he doesn't get out in time he will be trapped in Lex mind forever and will die. To save Clark, Chloe heals Lex and falls into a coma. What an episode! The writers struck gold with this one.moreless

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    2 0

  • This episode was awesome.

    9.0
    "Superb"
    By Canogaparkcindy, Nov 11, 2008 Report Abuse
    Get inside Lex's head! Literally, who knew there was a good Leax & an Evile Lex inside his head, it seemed a bit unrealistic, at least Kara & lois return from the long time they were gone, well at least Kara, I literally could not believe Lex dying in the beginning, I knew he wasn't really dead, but It was nice wondering how he was going to survive. That crazy bus boy gave me the creeps, well anyways I also like how it shows that Lionel cares for Lex, as well as Chloe, I love her attitude about the whole meteor freak situation, nice episode & memories of Lex.moreless

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  • Lex is involved in trying to rescue the amnesiac Kara from a violent bus boy in Detroit, and is shot for his efforts. Lionel and Clark engineer a mind-meld with the injured and mentally-disturbed Lex to learn the location of Kara.moreless

    6.5
    "Fair"
    By cxtasy, Oct 09, 2008 Report Abuse
    A rescue of Kara is in the works in "Fracture," when "It was a dark and stormy night," at a salvage yard in Motor City, as Lex and Lois furtively run through the rain, without so much as an umbrella or rainhat. Maybe their dripping faces look dramatic, but it's too reminiscent of the tv reporters who stand outside in the hurricane/tornado/sleet telling us how awful it is. Lois heads off on her own, while Lex finds Kara's bracelet in the course of tracking her GPS signal.

    Lois is the first to spot Kara, and we have to wonder why she's standing out in the rain without any raingear, too. However, Kara has amnesia, which must include an inability to get in out of the rain. Apparently she has no powers, either, because she can't even escape from a chain-link fence enclosure. Her captor, bus-boy Finley, pulls a gun on Lois; in turn Lex has a gun on him. Dragging this scene out in slo-mo, Lex shoots Finley, Finley shoots Lex, who looks like he got the short end.

    At least things dry out quickly, as Finley throws Lois in the enclosure with Kara, giving her a chance to explain to Lois that she lost her memory a month earlier and got work in a diner. Doesn't anyone have a cell phone? Calling Clark!

    Without any further explanation, Lex is shown back in Smallville Med. Center in a coma. Is that a good facility for someone shot in the head? Even Lex wouldn't put himself in there - he'd have stayed in Detroit. So Lionel, Clark and Chloe are in to see him, hearing that he may not regain consciousness. And Lionel also had a photo of Lex with Kara, great news to Clark, who thought her dead. Chloe resolves to use her healing powers on Lex, despite the danger to her - it's the only way they can learn the whereabouts of Kara and Lois.

    So instead of immediately healing Lex, Clark and Chloe have Lana using her ISIS stuff to track Project Intercept, a Luthorcorp mind-meld scheme for interrogation, but it's resulted in several fatalities. Clark decides he's the next test subject, so Lionel is enlisted to set it up, or rather set up Lex. So Clark is wired up for the trip to Lex's mind, surely a scary concept. Keeping track of a red door as a mental escape hatch, Clark cruises the hallways of Lex-ville, somehow seeing Kara at the diner with Finley, and she meets Lex, a diner customer, and plops right down to tell him her every secret.

    An avatar of Lex overpowers Clark, demanding that Clark get out of his head, but a young Alexander Luthor comes to the rescue, clubs Lex, and Alexander and Clark run through the dismal interior of Lex's psyche. This includes an violent and frightening confrontation with father Lionel and mother Lillian, but what does this have to do with learning the location of Kara? Well, we get back on that track after the commercial break.

    Lex and Kara in Detroit - he offering medical care for her lost memory, she saying goodbye to Finley. Then Lois appears, guess she's been tracking Lex. Then Clark flits around in an ugly mind game with Lex, including a lurid scene between Lex and Lana, and a view of the Finley - Lex shooting. Out the outside, the mind-meld is not going well, and Lex gets the defibrillator treatment, which Clark perceives as lots of strobe-light effects. That's not enough, so Chloe steps in at the last possible moment, assuring Lionel she can save Lex...and Clark. Clark's last experience in Lex's mind is appealing to his Alexander side to keep fighting, and assuring that part of Lex that Clark is his friend.

    Chloe is barely alive after the strain of saving Lex, but Clark has Lionel take her to her apartment, while he heads back to Detroit (running?) to find Kara and Lois, who are trying to escape the clutches of Finley, who's just crazy. Clark shows up, arranges a collapse of a pile of car bodies, and pitches Finley a far piece, all unseen by Lois and Kara.

    Meanwhile, Lex is all better, but mystified by the cure, which Lionel ascribes to Oliver Queen's technology. And Chloe is getting better too, under the watchful eye of Clark, although she had no heartbeat for 18 hours. Some better dialog here about whether she should use her powers again, and how they both must try to survive. Clark and Lex have a final debate about whether any good survives in Lex - Clark continues to believe, and to tell Lex that redemption is still possible. Maybe not - Lex and Kara talk about her upcoming treatment for memory loss - Lex aims to get at the truth...and that would be truth about Clark. More to come on this story line.

    "Fracture" has low appeal as a story, and is truly overwrought with a heavy script, and lighting effects such as strobes, deep shadows, and laboratories that just beg for someone to turn on the light. Half the cast running around in the rain is rather pointless, and the young Alexander (Connor Stanhope) has to endure some really terrifying scenes of violence with Mr. Rosenbaum. We already knew Lex was a relentlessly sinister character - so why grind that theme into the dust yet again? There's no humor in this episode either, not even a very memorable line, so it's all pretty much a downer. If you're following the Kara story, however, you might want to see it to keep up. Otherwise, skip it. Re-run rating C-.moreless

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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  • Trivia

    ADD TRIVIA
    • The place where Kara works looks noticeable different here than it did in the episode "Blue." Then, it looked like a high-end coffee shop. In this episode, it looks more like a rustic, rural diner. Edit
    • If Clark wants to find Kara and Lois, why doesn't he simply search Detroit at superspeed? The Detroit police (and thus Lionel) know where Lex was gunned down. Lex was following Kara's GPS signal when he was shot down, so he had to be close to where Kara was kept within the fence. There's no indication Finley moved the body (which certainly would have killed Lex anyway). And Kara stays at the same location for the rest of the episode. But even if Lex wasn't killed close to Kara's location, Clark has superspeed and superhearing. Edit
    • Inexplicably, Clark doesn't tell Kara that she's a Kryptonian, or that she's supposed to have superpowers. Why would he keep this from her? Much less let her go and end up in the clutches of Lex, who Clark has just accused of having nefarious motives for dealing with Kara. She might be skeptical, but that seems better then letting Lex experiment on her. Edit

  • Notes

    ADD NOTES
    • The following scenes were left out of the episode: - Finley holding Lois at gun point, because he thinks that she will take Linda (Kara) to a lab to have her studied. After some persuasion to spare Lois, Finley locks her up with Kara. - Lois and Lex leave the diner to see Kara being driven out of the area. Edit
    • International Airdates: Norway: Monday, March 31, 2008 10.50 pm on TVNorge Latin America: Tuesday, April 1, 2008 on Warner Channel. Denmark: Monday, May 26, 2008 on TV3 Australia: Thursday, June 11, 2008 on TEN HD United Kingdom: Tuesday, August 5, 2008 10.00pm on E4 Sweden: Friday, August 15, 2008 on TV6 Greece: Sunday, October 5, 2008 at 16.45 on Star Belgium: Saturday, October 25, 2008, 18.25 on 2BE Czech Republic: March 2, 2010 on TV Nova Slovakia: August 18, 2010 on Markiza Edit
    • Kara's bracelet has the original Superman symbol on it. Edit

  • Quotes

    ADD QUOTES
    • Lionel: (about Lex) We really never had a close relationship. A lot was said. A lot went unsaid. Edit
    • Clark: Speaking of heartbeats, you didn't have one for over 18 hours. Chloe:I was hoping we could skip the lecture and go straight to the "welcome back" dinner. I'm starving. Clark: It's 15 hours longer than the last time, Chloe. I've been sitting here, literally, trying to think about what to say at your funeral. Chloe: Well, let's both be glad that I'm alive, 'cause I know how much you hate giving speeches. Edit
    • Doctor: I watched three field officers die after their brains went into electro-neural shock. That machine is a deathtrap. Lionel: I pay you a small fortune, doctor, so please withhold your negative opinions. Edit

  • Allusions

    ADD ALLUSIONS
    • Lois: Does MacGyver blush every time he walks past me? Referencing the 1985 series starring Richard Dean Anderson as MacGyver, a troubleshooter who refused to carry a gun and possessing a gift for turning everyday objects into weapons, explosives, and tools. Edit
    • Chloe: Lois, Kara, and Lex? Not exactly Three's Company. Referencing the series starring (initially) John Ritter, Joyce DeWitt, and Suzanne Somers as roommates. Ritter's character Jack Tripper had to pretend to be gay so their nosy landlord would find the rooming arrangements were acceptable. Edit

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