The latest sinister plot by Lex involves using a meteor-infected young man to detect others with powers, whom Lex abducts for experimentation. Lana, Clark and Chloe investigate, leading to a life-changing discovery about Chloe.moreless
8.5
"Great"
Chloe and Lana show their skill at bowling gutter balls at the Smallville Lanes, while one of the alley attendants, Daniel, watches them closely. He controls the ball with his mind, no doubt to curry favor with Lana, who starts rolling strikes. Chloe is much more observant - that gal can spot a meteor freak way off. But Lana cools him off by showing her engagement ring. A blind young man, Tobias, is escorted into the alley, and we soon realize that he can see people with powers - to him they have a bright, glowing aura - he identifies Daniel as infected. As Daniel leaves, a sinister figure approaches him outside, a van arrives and he's snatched. Chloe followed him out, but is nearly run over, and takes a fall as the van careens down the dark street.
Clark and Chloe turn investigator, discussing first whether Clark will attend the Lex-Lana wedding. He is reluctant. But then Daniel shows up, appearing the same, but remembering nothing of his abduction.
Lex is prepping for the wedding; he questions why Chloe left the bowling alley the previous night, expressing concern. The escort of Tobias, Dr. Bethany, talks to Lex; he is anxious for a cornea transplant for Tobias, which confirms that Lex is behind the abductions. Lex tells Dr. Bethany to be patient. At the DP, Chloe and Clark conclude that people with meteor powers are being abducted. She has a phone-photo of the alley, which shows Tobias, who was blinded in the first meteor shower, pointing at something. Why? They visit Tobias at his home, but he's not talking. When his glasses fall off, they notice that he gets raging headaches from the light. As they pause outside, Clark super-hears Tobias telling Dr. Bethany on the phone, "I found another." Is it Clark? Or could it be Chloe?
Lana questions Chloe's purpose in leaving the bowling alley; Chloe covers her tracks by casting suspicion on Daniel as a stalker, and on Lex as being involved. Lana is skeptical.
Clark sees Dr. Bethany at the hospital, but of course he won't talk about a patient. Clark asks if Daniel is also a patient. Clark nabs the doctor's laptop, and Dr. Bethany is alarmed, but can't detect Clark's action.
Clark later tells Jimmy that he can't find Chloe, and heads back to see Tobias, who is trying to read braille with one finger. Clark accuses Dr. Bethany of kidnapping Chloe; Tobias admits it was not because she a witness to Daniel's kidnapping, but because she's a meteor freak! This is a major development in the series - one that will surely lead to numerous story lines in the future.
Chloe is strapped down in a lab, surrounded by shrouded technicians, making it all look like an alien abduction scene. They are "beginning extraction" with an enormous syringe inserted into her. She screams, cut to another scene.
At the mansion, Lana asks Lex about Tobias, telling him that Tobias lost his vision and now can see meteor-infected people. He denies knowing Tobias, and he's a pretty good liar, but Lana is getting pretty good at detecting evasion.
Clark and Jimmy talk, wondering about Chloe, who suddenly walks in. She does not remember being abducted, only that she woke up in her bed. Why did they take her? Deflecting Jimmy's questions, Clark explains that she was a witness to Daniel's abduction. Chloe sets to work on the computer.
Dr. Bethany informs Lex that sensitive information has been misplaced - his laptop. Lex threatens again, claiming he has nothing to do with it, but Bethany points out that Luthorcorp information may be on the laptop. Lex demands that he bring Tobias in. Lana goes to see Tobias, telling him she knows about his ability and that he he must stop - he's being exploited. She offers him a escape route - she'll help him get the corneal transplant surgery, telling him "You may be putting someone at risk who saves lives on a daily basis." She thinks Clark is infected, but Tobias says he is normal. Lana is taken aback..she was so sure.
At the Talon, Clark and Chloe try to hack the Doctor's computer, while Clark doesn't tell Chloe that she's infected. Then she guesses - she's a meteor freak - it's upsetting news. The computer graphic shows that Dr. Bethany is tracking meteor freaks. Jimmy brings the news that Daniel was killed in a car accident, and his map plot shows a red x. The meteor-infected are being killed. One green dot is at the Talon - it must indicate Chloe - is she next? She sends Jimmy out, and asks Clark to x-ray her...he finds a subcutaneous object in her shoulder - she's being tracked. Terrified, she pleads with Clark to use heat vision to burn it out. It's painful, but he does it, and removes the device!
Lana and Tobias are startled to find Dr. Bethany has entered the house - claiming that he's ready to perform the eye surgery on Tobias. Now aware of the danger, Tobias turns off the power, and Dr. Bethany pulls an electronic weapon. Tobias is also armed, and wounds the doctor, then they fight and Lana grabs the pistol. In some inventive stop-motion and superslow action, we see her fire at the doctor before he can shoot the beam at Tobias. Clark speeds in as the bullet speeds on it way, showing a reflection of the scene on the bullet's surface. Slick effect. Clark deflects it, and simultaneously stops the beam from hitting Tobias. Tobias and Lana are stunned by these outcomes. The doctor is downed by a reflection of the beam, but Lana finds that the bullet ricocheted. From what? Who was there?
As the police clean up the scene, Tobias tells Clark about Lana's suspicions, and Clark asks, " What did you tell her?" Tobias replies, "The truth, that you're normal"...so Tobias cannot detect Clark's powers. Lana shows Clark the bullet; she fired the gun but the bullet hit the cabinet on the other side of the room. Clark suggests it was a simple ricochet, presenting just enough doubt to Lana. She tells him, "Even if you were meteor-infected, it wouldn't matter to me." Clark cannot play deception all that well.
As Lana returns to the mansion, Lex questions what was she doing - she was trying to save Tobias. She saw Lex with Dr. Bethany; Lex invents another huge lie that he was merely talking to him about a donation. She wants to believe Lex, but she can't...fully.
Chloe now has life-changing news. She can't sleep - all she can think about is her infection. Clark tries to downplay it, but she knows she is infected. Does she have powers? Is it latent? She feels like a walking time bomb - it's time for some reassurance, Clark. In the final scene, Lex the liar is alone, his experiment gone bad, the Doctor dead, Tobias has escaped his grasp. All is has is video of Chloe in the lab, as he tells a technician, " Keep a close eye on her."
The Tobias character and storyline are better than in other episodes involving the meteor-infected, and the revelation that Chloe is infected can lead to big changes in her life, affecting all her relationships. Lana's suspicions grow, and Lex is seen as ever more sinister. An intriguing episode, with some really special special effects, and well-scripted tension. Good to see more than once. Re-run rating B+.moreless