Phantom

Season 6, Episode 22, Aired
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Episode Summary

Clark discovers the reason Lana married Lex then and sets out to kill Lionel. Lex tries to use DNA from the last phantom to power his super-soldiers. Lois goes to a dam to search for Lex's lab but is caught by a security guard and fatally injured. Chloe's power is discovered.moreless
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Fan Episode Reviews (108)

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  • This episode was just fantastic

    10
    "Perfect"
    By scillaward, Jun 08, 2011 Report Abuse
    There's no words that I can say to explain how fantastic this episode was. I was in disbelief that the writers and producers pulled off an episode like this. There's so many cliff hangers to solve. 1)Did Lana die or not?
    2)What will happen to Lex now that he's arrested for Lana's suppose death?
    3)Did Lex kill Lana or is Lana faking her death and making sure Lex takes the fall.
    4)Is Chloe's power going to be the death of her.
    5)Is the dam that broke going to drown Chloe and Lois?
    6)Is Lionel going to regain consciousness? 7)How will Bizarro be stopped?
    8)Who will save Clark?
    9)Is Chloe really dead?
    This was a well written episode and finally Lana knows the whole truth about Clark and doesn't see him any differently and still loves him no matter what. Clark's fear of Lana not accepting him didn't come true. I'm going to be bummed that I have to wait for over 4 months for the season premiere to come and answer all these questions.moreless

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    5 0

  • 5 Down, 1 to Go!

    9.4
    "Superb"
    By lenzinoH20, Apr 10, 2011 Report Abuse
    Phantom-Clark discovers the reason Lana married Lex then and sets out to kill Lionel. Lex tries to use DNA from the last phantom to power his super-soldiers. Lois goes to a dam to search for Lex's lab but is caught by a security guard and fatally injured. Chloe's power is discovered.

    Well after a season full of Phantom hunting, love triangles and overwhelming melodrama, "Phantom" concludes many of the storylines this season. While the "Escaped Phantoms" storyline was disappointing, with most of the Phantoms sucking, atleast the other story arcs of the season were better compared to say...the "Isabelle/stone search" storyline from Season 4 and flowed much better than the "Milton Fine/Brainiac" storyline from Season 5. Actually after recently rewatching the sixth season, I have found it to be the most cohesive season of Smallville since Season 3. Maybe I should re-watch Season 5 when I get the chance, but Season 6 had more hits than misses than the 2 previous seasons before it. The episode opens up with an action-packed, stunning sequence as Martian Manhunter returns and is after the last escaped Phantom. The scene is quite distubring and brutal as the Phantom ripes out his guts and sends him flying into the sky. Then Lex arrives out of no where with an army of troops ready to capture the Phantom. From then on, the episode lose that momentum as we're reduced to more Clana melodrama, scenes of over explanation and a suspenseless episode until the last 10 minutes or so. None the less, there strong developments of the episode in some scenes. Martha's depature from the series is truly a sad moment as she goes off to Washington. Annette O' Toole will be deeply missed and it's truly a pivotal moment of the series as Clark is now alone without his parent's to guide him anymore. But at the same time, Martha was severely underused this season and maybe it was time for the character to make her exit. But the last scene between her and Clark is definately moving.

    Clark finaly admits to the truth to Lana, but hello!, she already knows. But the weird thing is Lana reacts to quick and a little to understanding when finding out Clark is an alien. You think after the trauma she endured with Zod and his disciplines she would be a bit more skeptical. But atleast the Lex and Lana relationship ends with a bang. The scene where Lana finally confronts Lex about what his done to her from the marriage to the pregnancy was great. Kristin Kreuk was quite good as well as Micheal Rosenbaum as Lex when he slaps Lana. The only downside is that when Lana decides to run away from Smallville and Lionel goes after her, her death scene is obviously fake that you question how gulliable do the writers think we viewers are (the van passing Lana's car so conveniently before it explodes, RIIIIIGHT!) Well atleast Lana in general fuels some fire for Clark throughout this episode, especially when he confronts Lionel abotu blackmailing her but Martian Manhunter's interference feels a bit forced. The scene where they explain Lionel's plan all along makes sense but Martian Manhunter's involvment feels unneeded desptie being a great character.

    One of the highlights of the episode without a doubt is the revelation of Chloe's meteor freak ability. It's been long and mysterious wait wondring what she can do. Was it her unbeatable hacking skills? Her ability to be so perky? Her being more intelligent than an alien? HA! But it's a stunning scene as Chloe finds Lios, who has been stabbed death at the damn, and begins to mourn for when suddenly her tear heals Lois. But at the same time, Chloe then dies as Lois is now alive, which seems like a orrible consequence of her power but it's refreshing to see a meteor freak ability that has consequences. But the finale truly succeeds in the finally 5 mintues as Clark confronts the last Phantom. At first your screaming, "OMG this is gonna be lame!" as Clark is about to face the Phantom who has possessed a little boy for God sakes. Then suddenly your like, "Oh s#!%!" as the Phantom turns out to be another one of Superman's greatest villians, Bizarro. While Smallville's version immediately comes off significantly different from the comic version, it's really a treat to have him on the show. Tom Welling already looks like he's having fun in the role and the beginning fihgt scene between the 2 is epic! The last shot of Clark being sent flying across Smallville as Bizarro flies after him and his face turns into his signature look makes for a brilliant cliffhanger as the writers truly saved the best for last. "Phantom" may have some flaws, but it's another strong finale in Smallville's arsenal incredible season enders!moreless

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    3 0

  • OMG can we say amazing!!! Its BIZARRO!!! I am only you just a little more Bizzar!!! I need to sit down that was so awesome

    10
    "Perfect"
    By SagerBB, Mar 14, 2011 Report Abuse
    OMG can we say amazing!!! Its BIZARRO!!! I am only you just a little more Bizzar!!! I need to sit down that was so awesome. Now people will start to watch. I cannot believe the twists in this one. Gona watch it again! TIVO is the best. I believe after seeing this finally that season seven is indeed the last season this episode showed possibly three characters leave. So going to be very interesting to see how in the next season they turn mild manor clark kent into SUPERMAN. I mean if Bizzaro flys superman will have to as well.moreless

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    2 1

  • The last 5 minutes keeps flashing before my eyes...

    10
    "Perfect"
    By super_friend21, Mar 14, 2011 Report Abuse
    The war has just begun and isn't Bizarro cool: 'I'm you, only a little more bizarre'. That line was awesome. I loved how like in the season 3 finale everyone was in danger excluding Mama Kent (she's safe on a chopper!). Lois goes to Reeves Dam to search for Lex's lab but is caught by a security guard. That blade the guard had was huge and I thought Lois stabbed him but sadly she died but when Chloe's power is discovered, (very cool and elegant btw), she heals Lois but passes out herself. Selfish Lex tries to use DNA from the last phantom to power his super-soldiers but has a run for his money when the possessed boy attacks him and his staff and Lex cruelly locks the scientist in with that badass phantom who gives me the creeps. Lana dies although I cant help but think the mysterious 'milk float' that passes by has something to do with it.

    And finally a topic that deserves its own paragraph the Bizarro vs. Clark fight was superb. I loved the power-up Lionel gives him and then gets tossed aside. And the dam exploding was perfect especially when Clark - and then Bizarro flew out - and his face crystalized...TO BE CONTINUEDmoreless

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    3 0

  • The season-ender has everything - Clark's secret exposed, a death, revenge, an escaped wraith becoming a threat to Clark, Lionel's purposes revealed, Chloe's secret ability, and the fate of Lois.

    9.0
    "Superb"
    By cxtasy, Dec 10, 2008 Report Abuse
    The story begins on a dark night in Quebec, at a small house, with a exorcism apparently underway on an old man, and a young girl nearby in great fear. But the man's eyes are black - he's possessed by something alien, not satanic. The scene has some subtitled French - maybe to appeal to the Quebec fan base. John Jones, Clark's erstwhile saviour, appears to save the old man, who attacks John, and our Kryptonian friend is eviscerated, smashed into space, and he speeds away, seriously wounded. The next group to intervene is an entire SWAT team, led by Lex, of all people. Lex says something inside the old man is needed alive - it's a wraith - as they struggle, the creature frees itself into the night sky. Great opener - I'm hooked.

    Lex is still attempting to find the thing, telling someone that the entity can't survive outside a human body, when Lionel comes in. Lex accuses him of getting a video from Lana - a documentary from his office, and believes LIonel coerced her to get it. Lionel comes right out and says, "Lana does not love you," revealing that he gave her a firm nudge to marry him. So, no more secrets? The writers don't make it clear why Lionel would risk provoking Lex at this time - perhaps his purpose will become evident. This confession of betrayal enrages Lex - "I want you out of my life!" he shouts.

    Sad to say, Annette O'Toole is leaving the cast. I can't say enough about her skill, her projection of a wide range of emotions, and the stability and warmth she brought to Smallville for six years. Perhaps with Clark maturing and the pressures of his further development, the family-as-usual at the farm no longer fits into the Smallville scheme of things. She's starting her career as a US senator, urging Clark to leave the farm if he needs some distance from the Lex-Lan relationship, freeing him to make his own choices. For the moment, he resolves to stay, still connected to the family heritage. If the producers wanted Ms. O'Toole back for even guest spots, they could do so - members of the Legislature have to be at home much of the time to meet their constituents and make appearances, but they seem to be letting her go completely, and she says her goodbye to Clark as if she's never leaving D.C. again.

    Lois is still working on the Wes Keenan story, the DNA-altered supersoldier from last week's "Prototype," but Chloe urges her to back off to stay clear of the Luthors and all their threats. Lois is trying to understand the sequence of numbers Wes repeated before his death, but agrees with Chloe to drop the whole thing. After Chloe leaves, Lois is right back at it - finally seeing that the numbers are a latitude and longitude - the coordinates of the secret lab at Reeves Dam. The digits are 38-52N, 95-32W. Of course we're going to look that up on a GPS - it's just south of Topeka, Kansas, and close to the Wakarusa River - maybe there's a real dam in that area, but at least the writers picked a plausible location, and not someplace in Khazakstan.

    Out at the Dam, another corpse is wheeled in - a victim of the wraith. No alien peptide sequences in his blood, so Lex still demands a living host for the alien so they can extract the blood factors for the army Lex is creating. He has the best of intentions - it's all to save the earth. Lana, at the barn, is joined by Clark, and says she is leaving Lex, which puts a smile on Clark's face. But it's not all good news - Lana is going to leave the area. He insists that he can protect her from anything. No goodbye kiss, no further entreaties by Clark, but he can't lose her again.

    She already knows about his powers, she says. But then Clark makes the series-turning revelation - he's from another planet, light-years away, sent here by his parents to save him. We have to watch closely to see how she reacts to this shocker - pretty calm is how they wrote it. She's still in love, and kisses him just as if he was human. Finally, no more big secret - she assures him he's still the same Clark Kent. She knows of his weakness - he guesses Lionel told her. Ms. Kreuk gets all the emotions right here, telling of the threat to her life if she didn't marry Lex.

    Clark bursts in on Lionel, throwing him across the room, sure he's behind the star-crossed marriage, but Lionel insists he's not the one. He desperately tells a vengeful Clark that Lex is tracking a wraith from the Phantom Zone - forcing Lana to marry Lex was the only way he could get someone close enough to get the information he needed to help Clark. On the verge of murder, Clark is stopped by a timely reappearance of John, who confirms that Lionel is indeed an emissary of Jor-El. This brings together several story lines, and once again shows that Lionel is not completely evil, at least not this season.

    Lana comes to talk to Lex, telling him she can't live like this anymore. She believes he was behind the injections of hormones that led her to believe she was pregnant - but he denies that. Now we have to think again - could that be true? Lies on top of lies, all because he loved her, but she tells him he's incapable of love. This has to be a blow to Lex and his hope for himself - the one closest to him believes he is beyond redemption, and if he, like most men, believes everything his woman tells him, then he is dangerous indeed. These two skillfully express the powerful emotions generated by a disintegrating marriage - it's a classic performance.

    He guesses the cause is Clark, calling him the greatest liar of all, striking her on the face. "What are you going to do Lex, kill me?" she asks. Lana forces her way out, and the camera draw back as Lex faces his new reality.

    Lionel tries to explain to Clark how he became possessed by Jor-El's knowledge. John states that he worked for Jor El on Krypton, and has been watching from a distance, protecting Kal-El. This is a lot of plot clarification in a short time, and requires some knowledge of previous episodes and storylines. The wraith-"Phantom" is a product of a lab experiment on Krypton - it's searching for the proper host - a kryptonian body. Clark insists, nevertheless, that he will stop the Phantom.

    Lois arrives at the dam, alone, brave but maybe a bit foolish, bent on tracking down the truth about Wes. Searching the darkened corridors, she's discovered by an armed guard, and in a battle, she is mortally wounded. Ms. Durance plays this scene with great conviction as a bloody knife falls to the floor. She has enough time to start a cell call to Chloe - before falling to the floor, dying.

    Chloe and Clark start an urgent search for victims with black eyes and a high fever, finding a hospital report on a young boy in Quebec, a few miles from the cabin. We don't hear how they knew about the cabin, but the contact with John could have been the source, it just wasn't covered in the script. The young victim has disappeared on a helicopter. Clark breaks the news to Chloe that Lana is leaving Lex and that she knows everything, even that he's an alien. But he must deal with the Phantom.

    Lionel calls Lana, but she's planning to escape...he arrives in time to see her get into her Jeep Liberty behind the Talon - it explodes in a ball of fire before he can reach her. Great FX explosion, but the car is two feet from a fence when the explosion starts, then it's several feet from anything in an overhead shot of a real explosion, so it probably was an old wreck that was blown, not a nice new car. This has to be the cliffhanger of the day.

    Clark slams into the mansion, where Lionel is calmly having a drink, although as a murder witness, he must have been tied up with the police for much of the day. Clark tells him that Lex has the Phantom, in the form of the kidnapped boy. But Lionel must tell him that Lana is dead, she's gone. Clark won't accept that - it was a car bomb, Lionel says. This will set Clark against Lex, surely the source of the bomb. Only the clock ticking in the background is heard for several seconds as Clark absorbs this devastating news, and he plays it well. Lionel will not tell him where Lex is, seeing revenge in Clark's eyes.

    Chloe somehow traces the cell call to the dam, finding Lois apparently dead. In her grief, she takes Lois in her arms, her tears falling onto her forehead, bathing her in a healing light and restoring color to her face. Lois awakens, she lives! The knife wound is healed. This is an unexpected turn - a cliffhanger resolved before the end of the season closer. But Chloe has fallen nearby, unconscious. Now Lois must try to revive her, but she appears dead. Has she sacrificed herself? From one crisis to another, the writers keep us on the edge.

    Lex arrives at the dam lab, as the young boy he spirited away from the Canadian hospital lies in constraints. They draw blood in a too-long, too-big tube. Will they get the alien DNA? The fluid they withdraw is semi-transparent, real blood isn't. A quick microscope check - are alien peptides visible in a simple blood sample? Mass spectrometry might be a better tool. The have the right stuff, but the boy awakens, controlled by the wraith, and Lex makes his escape leaving the doctor to die at the hands of the wraith, who then escapes from the lab. Lex tries to escape in his Mercedes SL 600 coupe, tagged "LEX XX," but is stopped by the police. Let's assume Lionel notified them, more to save Lex than to prosecute him.

    Lionel, too, comes to the dam, bringing a meteor rock, presumably to prevent Lex from dying at the hands of Clark. But Clark is there already and finds Lex, accusing him of Lana's murder. Lex seems truly stunned by this, but then wraith-boy appears. Leaving the boy, it attacks Clark, throwing across the power generators - but suddenly Bizarro appears - the new form of the wraith, taking some of Clark's DNA and copying him instantly.

    Bizzaro and Clark battle, Lionel intervening with the meteor rock pressed against Bizzaro, but it only strengthens him. The special effects crew had everything to create - explosions, superspeed, fireworks, clouds of steam, and the musical track brings a pounding symphony to the scene. Finally, Clark is thrown through the face of the dam, downstream, causing a break and outflow of water. This is an obvious gaffe - everyone was in the power station - Clark, Bizzaro, Lex, Lionel, Lois, Chloe - a separate structure below the dam, yet they depict Clark ejected from the dam itself. There's no epilog - it's just Bizzaro flying from the scene, his face changing from a twin of Clark...to an alien fractal.

    What a season-ender. We could wish that all Smallville episodes could be so dramatic, but then, you can't kill off two cast members every week and resolve it in the next episode. But this time I hope that these crises won't be resolved too quickly or simply, as the writers have done in previous seasons with just a few words from a cast member. We want good stories, well told, and the effort expended on this complex episode continued to a satisfying conclusion. As the end episode, it's as good as any - and always essential viewing. Re-run rating B+.moreless

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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  • Trivia

    ADD TRIVIA
    • At the conclusion of the Clark-Bizarro battle, Clark is ejected from the face of the dam, causing a breach. But everyone in the previous scenes--Clark and Bizarro, Chloe and Lois, Lionel and Lex, and the entire lab crew were located in the power station, which is a separate structure below the dam. Edit
    • Trivia: Near the end of the episode, when the phantom leaves the boy and heads for Clark, the second he touches him, the Superman symbol can be see in black zooming in. Edit
    • When Lois called Chloe she was able to say only one word and then she dropped the phone, so Chloe didn't know in what condition Lois was. Still Chloe took her time to track the location and drive there by herself and not just call Clark as she usually does. Edit

  • Notes

    ADD NOTES
    • Deleted Scene: Lana has decided to leave Lex. Lionel insists that she remain with him longer as she will not only save Clark, but possibly the world. Edit
    • Quinn Lord was nominated for the 2008 Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a TV Series - Guest Starring Young Actor for playing the possessed boy in this episode. Edit
    • This episode was nominated for a 2008 Golden Reel Award for Best Sound Editing in Television: Short Form - Sound Effects and Foley. This episode was nominated for two 2008 Leo Awards for Best Direction in a Dramatic Series and Best Cinematography in a Dramatic Series. Edit

  • Quotes

    ADD QUOTES
    • Clark: She was your wife, Lex. Why did you do it? Lex: Now is not the time to lecture me about my marriage, Clark. Clark: Why'd you do it? Just tell me! Lex: Get your hands off me! Clark: You afraid she was gonna bring you down, or was it just too humiliating for you that she was gonna leave you? Why'd you have to kill her? Why? Lex: What are you talking about? Clark: You already know. Lana is dead. Lex: (genuinely shocked) No. Clark: No. You don't to need act so surprised. You're the one who killed her. You put a bomb in her car. You're the one who killed her! Edit
    • Lex: (after he slaps Lana) You really think I could just let you walk away? Lana: What are you going to do Lex, kill me? Because that's the only way you're going to keep me in this marriage. Edit
    • Bizarro: Thanks for sharing, I feel a lot better now. Clark: What just happened. Bizarro: I took a little piece of your DNA. (chokes Clark) Now I'm going to take your life. Edit

  • Allusions

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