Lineage

Season 2, Episode 7, Aired

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A strange woman shows up claiming to be Clark's biological mother...and that his father is Lionel. Meanwhile Lana decides to meet with the man who is her biological father.
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Fan Episode Reviews (11)

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  • this was a good ep i thought

    8.0
    "Great"
    By cube2k8, May 10, 2010
    in this ep of smallville a women shows up and starts going around saying she is clarks really father because her son that she gave up was the only on that was handled by that adoption agency. she sees lex and lex thinks she is bad news and then she sees clark at school and then gets clark to have to take a blood test but clark gets tpete to go in and change it so they cant tell his blood . and she then says clark and lex are brothers. but that is wrong so she kid naps lex and clark must save him before it s too late.moreless

  • A long-ago liaison between Lionel and another woman comes back to haunt the Kents and the Luthors, threatening Clark's identity. Flashbacks fill in important events in the early days of Clark, Jonathan, Martha, Lex and Lionel.moreless

    8.5
    "Great"
    By cxtasy, Oct 22, 2008
    A homey scene begins with the Kent family off to work and school, with Martha wondering how Clark can be "as fast as lightning and as slow as molasses" at the same time. Clark makes up for that by an amusing trick of making toast with his heat-vision - saves electricity, too. After they all leave, a red-haired woman named Rachel Dunlevy (Blair Brown) comes out of hiding and strolls right into the farmhouse, admiring a photo of Clark. Trespassing is a bad way of starting a relationship. Next, she is in the school hallway, meeting Clark and saying, "Clark, I'm your mother." End of attention-getting scene.

    Nothing is shown of further conversation with Clark; he and the folks discuss it that evening. But Martha and Jonathan are less than forthcoming about Clark's questions about the Metropolis United Charities, which supposedly handled his adoption. They meet Dunlevy to get her story - hers was the only baby handled by the charity, and Clark was the only adoptee, so she sounds sincere. But they tell her to stay away from Clark.

    Clark discovers that Chloe has been posting information about him on adoption websites; Dunlevy responded. In an angry spat, Chloe is incredulous that Clark does not want to know whether he has found his real mother; Clark hears to his surprise that Chloe knows where her mother is but she is not interested in knowing Chloe. And she knows one more clue - the charity was founded by Lionel Luthor. Fine acting in this scene by Ms. Mack.

    Dunlevy sees Lex to ask his help in talking to Clark about her - Lex declines to get involved, until she claims to have known Lionel and his wife. And Lionel and Rachel had a child, she claims - the one she calls Lucas. Lex gets the picture - he and Clark are alleged to be half-brothers. Now that is an interesting plot twist. Who would be more disturbed if this is true?

    In the only carry-over story from last week, Lana has made more progress on finding her biological father, as she tells a tearful Chloe. The man is named Henry Small, family namesake for the town. But it may be a bad time for Lana to ask for Chloe's help on learning about Small and her "Lineage." Chloe recommends using a doorbell.

    Clark zips home with the news that Lionel was involved in his adoption - he wants answers from Jonathan and Martha...now. So in a flashback to meteor shower day, Martha and Jonathan and the red Dodge pickup are overturned in a meteor crater, and there's that little boy they will name Clark. Jonathan loads the spacecraft onto another truck, and they head for home with the little alien, stopping when waved down by Lionel. Lex lies injured in a corn field, which was apparently mowed down before harvest just for this scene. So they all head for safety - the Luthors and the Kents. At the hospital, young Lex, who lost all his hair, will survive. The first meeting between Lionel and Jonathan has occurred, with Lionel gratefully offering his aid on anything the Kents need in the future.

    As this history lesson ends, Sheriff Ethan comes by with the news that Dunlevy has petitioned the court for an DNA test on Clark. That could result in lots of bent needles, so it can't happen here. The parallel story on Lana has her coming to see Henry Small at his home, where he is shouting into the phone about illegal dumping. Not a good time for a reunion, but Lana presses on, showing him the photo of him with her mother. But he has family and asks her not to bother him again; Lana leaves in tears.

    Clark's DNA test fortunately doesn't use needles - it's a saliva swab. But the Kents realize they'll have to be sure the sample isn't ever tested - who knows what Clark's DNA, if any, might resemble? So he and Pete break into the Metropolis genetics lab and find the sample, substituting Pete's saliva - but Clark's ill-advised damage to the cabinet is a tell-tale that all the contents of the cabinet were compromised. That logic is passed over in favor of having Clark demonstrate his superstrength.

    More on the adoption story - little Clark has to be hidden, but is spotted by Sheriff Ethan when he checks on their safety after the Dodge rollover. So Martha makes up a quick story about an adoption, and christens the boy "Clark" on the spot - after her family name. Wow, what a stunning special effects transition on Martha from 17 years earlier back to the present. The adoption story had to be backed up, Martha says, so they called on Lionel and his offer to help. Lex comes by to look into the Luthor-Kent connection, if any, but Clark asserts they really aren't related.

    Rachel visits Lionel and we learn more of their long-ago relationship, including her subsequent years in a mental institution. While she threatens to expose him, he offers her another all-expense trip to confinement. She leaves, incensed, and soon tracks down Lex, driving his new silver Maserati cabriolet (just how large is his fleet of exotic cars?), and uses a hypo on him. Soon her obsession is clearer - she has Lex imprisoned in her home. She wants the truth from Lionel, or he, too, will know the pain of losing his son. Lionel gets her ransom call, demanding that he announce to the press that Clark is his illegitimate son.

    Clark and Chloe reconcile now that he needs her help. She finds no record of Rachel but they find a name of Lucas Luthor, right there in Smallville. In a tv interview, Lionel denies everything, sending Rachel into a rage with an axe, but Lex manages to deflect the first swing. The next one ends in a save by Clark, but Rachel collapses in grief, realizing that Clark is not hers. Rachel is disposed of in this episode by the device of an admission to a private psychiatric clinic, so that threat to Clark's secret identity is ended.

    Henry comes to see Lana after receiving a letter of apology from her. He does not know if he is her father, but is willing to find out, giving us another Smallville story for future episodes.

    At home, Clark questions why Jonathan hates Lionel so much. In another flashback, Lionel comes to the farm with the adoption paperwork, to the relief of Jonathan. But he asks a favor - he wants Jonathan to talk to friends about selling their property for a new Luthorcorp plant. A veiled threat is next - Jonathan has to agree under the threat of exposure of the sham adoption. Jonathan had a part in bringing Luthorcorp and all it's negative effects to Smallville, and he must bear the consequences of that decision. However, this all makes one wonder what story the Kents told Lionel about how they came to have Clark in the first place.

    Lex chides Lionel for defying Rachel's threat on Lex's life, and Lionel admits that Rachel demanded that he marry her. Lionel had the child placed with another family - but claims that Lucas died before his first birthday, so Lex has no hope of having another family number. Of course, this could be another lie by the maser of same. The final scene confirms that - a photo of Lionel and a boy of about 8 years. This is one of several intriguing twists in the episode, which also reveals important details in the entire Smallville legend. Well-conceived, written, and acted, an admirable effort by everyone involved, one of the best of the season. Re-run rating B+.moreless

  • Dysfunctional Family Trees

    9.3
    "Superb"
    By lenzinoH20, Apr 13, 2008
    Lineage-A strange woman shows up claiming to be Clark's biological mother...and that his father is Lionel. Meanwhile Lana decides to meet with the man who is her biological father.

    An episode that sees everyone getting a great storyline, "Lineage" sees Clark, Lex and Lana exploring their families and the secrets that unfold from their parents' past. At the heart of the story is Clark when a woman comes walking into his life tell ing him she's her mother. I love how Rachel Dunlevy's appearence brings up questions from Clark's past like his adoptions. The flashback scenes are wonderful and answer a lot of questions like why Jothnathan has had such an vendetta against the Luthors. The scene where Lionel blackmails Jothnathan with Clark's adoption is plain cruel and completely in Lionel's character. It was also a great revelation how Lex and Clark actually meet each other before when they were children. Lana's storyline as she finds out her biological father is actually alive is probably one of the only good developments there character has ever gotten at this point. Kristin Kreuk is convincing throughout as she confronts her real life father for the first time but he send her right at the door. It's one of the few times you truly feel sorry for Lana and Kreuk giving a heartbreaking performance.

    Blair Brown also gives a sympathic performance as Racheal is deseperate to find her son. Her scene with Lionel is a true standout and her descent into madness is convincing as she takes Lex hostage. It also brings another hearbreaking development as Lionel would rather see his son die at the hands of a psycho than give into her demands. Also, Allison Mack is great here as her fight with Clark about digging into his past is played out well. All and All, "Lineage" is a stellar episode with great flashbacks, superb developments, and darn good acting.moreless

  • Great Episode

    10
    "Perfect"
    By Beer75, Aug 22, 2007
    A woman named Rachel Dunleavy shows up claiming to be Clark's biological mother. Dunleavy kidnaps Lex and threatens to kill him if Lionel doesn't reveal the truth about Clark's adoption. Lana finds her biological father, Henry Small, and confronts him, only to find out that he is not interested in her. Jonathan reveals to Clark that he made a deal with Lionel Luthor, in an effort to make sure he and Martha could adopt Clark, which enabled Lionel to buy the Ross Creamed Corn factory. Rachel witnesses Clark using his abilities and realizes that he isn't her son. Lionel admits to Lex that he did father another child, but that it died as an infant.moreless

  • Loony?

    8.7
    "Great"
    By sazloo07, Apr 04, 2007
    A woman who appears to be a little mentally unstable claims to be Clarks biological mother (loony?), and that Lionel is his father. I liked this episode because although there is not a lot of action involved their is some very interesting family drama. I loved Chloe and Clarks fight about their mothers, as it shows how Chloe is touchy about her mother and showed a cute vulnerable side to her. I also liked the background info on Lex in this ep. I thought the axe shot towards the end was awesome, and of course Lex was conveniently knocked out and missed it!moreless
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  • TRIVIA (16)

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    • 2194 is the number that appears on the front of the house yet in the earlier entry showed found on the computer, the place was supposed to be in zone 23A, lot 154 at 1436 Blueberry Park Lane, postcode 67254. No match there.

    • In the flashback scenes, young Clark's eyes seem to keep switching color, from pale blue to light hazel brown. Teenage Clark's eyes are consistently blue.

    • When Rachel brings the ax down on Lex, and Clark jumps in to save the day, the ax shatters. Most (if not all) axes are made of steel and you'd have to be swinging that ax with more force than just about anyone is capable of, in order to get that to happen. Just because Clark has a tough hide doesn't mean that metal will explode when it touches him.

    • When Jonathan takes a heavy sack from the truck, he hoists it onto his shoulder. When he puts it down to talk, the bag maintains its shape, rather than flop over like a heavy sack should. He also holds it in front of him briefly, as if it were actually quite light.

    • When Clark toasts the bread with his heat vision, there are no untoasted finger marks where he was holding the bread slices.

    • When Clark goes to switch the DNA samples, he bends the door to get it, even though nobody's supposed to know they broke in. Unless he was able to perfectly bend the door back (off camera) without a single dent or scratch, someone would realize there was a break-in and examine the samples to see if someone tampered with them.

    • Lex is kidnapped in the middle of the day driving out of Lexcorp garage! Once again, where are the security guards? It hasn't been long when Lex's limo was captured in "Stray." Apparently the Luthors don't care much about their security.

    • Why doesn't Lex's car have a license plate when he pulls out of the LexCorp garage? Or even a spot for a license plate? In the past he's had different vanity plates on the front.

    • Lana says that Henry Small compared her to the Nazis. Actually, he compared Lex to the Nazis and her to the Vichy (puppet government of German-occupied France).

    • Clark swaps Pete's DNA saliva sample for his own - some viewers thought Pete's race would show up in a genetic test. Others noted that if they were just doing a quick comparison between the sample and Rachel's DNA, racial and other factors wouldn't show up.

    • High tech facilities such as the one that was working on the DNA test usually have security cameras and more security. But Clark and Pete seemed to have not given this much consideration when they casually walked in and made the switch (a little bit too easily). They also don't wear gloves or anything.

    • It's probably just a figure of speech, but when Jonathan says Clark "got that from his mother" he in fact wouldn't have the first clue what Clark's actual mother was like in the morning. Do adopted parents say stuff like that? I suppose...still, it's an odd little statement for the writers to put in given that this whole episode is about how Jonathan and Martha aren't Clark's parents.

    • The phone number for LexCorp on Lionel's business card has a 121 area code. Currently there are no area codes in the U.S. that start with 1. "212" is New York, while Kansas has a variety of them starting with 3, 6, 7, and 9.

    • When Chloe says that she posted on the web site to see if she got any hits, the close-captioning says "heads".

    • Apparently they got rid of the extra secruity Principal Reynolds put in last week (or last season, or whatever). Rachel just strolls into the school to meet Clark.

    • If Clark's adoption was legal, why would a judge order genetic testing at the behest of the biological mother?

  • QUOTES (9)

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    • Jonathan: Didn't I just fix your alarm clock recently? Clark: Yeah, but I crushed it this morning hitting the snooze button. Guess I'm not much of a morning person. Jonathan: Must have got that from your mother. You know, she could be late to her own wedding. In fact, she was late to her own wedding. Martha: Not all of us were trained by roosters.

    • Martha: (to Clark) How can you be as fast as lightning and as slow as molasses all at the same time? Clark: Sometimes, Mom, I'm even a mystery to myself.

    • Chloe: Clark and I just had a massive blowout. Lana: About what? Chloe: His secrets, privacy, my pathological inability to curb my curiosity. How are you?

    • Lex: Personally, I think I got all the looks in the family.

    • Pete: I'm not sure other than my scintillating conversational skills why you brought me along. Clark: I need your spit.

    • Pete: Oh, man, this Mission: Impossible stuff is great.

    • Lionel: You haven't changed, Rachel. You're still irrational.

    • Clark: She just showed up at school. "Hi, Clark! I'm your mother!" Who does that? (Lana raises her hand)

    • Clark: Chloe, I'm glad to see you. Chloe: There's a sentence I never thought I'd hear again.

  • NOTES (5)

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    • Music: "Yesterday" by Hef, "Otherwise" by Morcheeba, "Put It Off" by Pulse Ultra, "Un Bel Di Vedremo" (Madame Butterfly) by Renata, and "17 Years Down" by Wonderful Johnson.

    • Blair Brown and John Glover are reunited - Mr. Glover was a frequent guest-star on Blair Brown's show The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd.

    • Close captioning at the end of the scene when Jonathan says no one is going to test Clark's DNA adds a line that he tells Clark to call Pete, which makes the next scene with Pete joining up with Clark flow a little better.

    • Patrick Cassidy had a small multi-episode role as Leslie Luckabee on Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. The character was supposed to be Lex Luthor's son (note the initials).

    • The zip code for Smallville is 67524. That is for Chase, KS in Rice County - Latitude 38.4, Longitude -98.4

  • ALLUSIONS (4)

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    • Pete: Oh, man, this Mission: Impossible stuff is great. Aside from Tom Cruise's well known movie series, Mission: Impossible was a television series which ran 1966 to 1973 with a brief revival from 1988-1990.

    • Pete: These people ought to be on Ricki Lake The Ricki Lake Show (1993-2004) was a low brow talk show often specializing in unusual family and relationship problems.

    • Clark: Doesn't give her the right to go Fatal Attraction on him. Fatal Attraction was a 1987 movie where a man (Michael Douglas) has an affair with a woman (Glenn Close) who tries to ruin his life when he breaks off the affair.

    • Chloe: Clark, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. A common misquote of a line from William Congreve's play The Mourning Bride. The actual line is "Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned, Nor hell a fury like a woman scorned" (Act 3, Scene 2)

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