Progeny

Season 6, Episode 18, Aired
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Episode Summary

Lex discovers that Chloe's mother has special abilities and forces her to help him in exchange for Chloe's life. However, she has a trick or two of her own to use to escape.
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Fan Episode Reviews (52)

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  • Wonder...Mom?

    8.4
    "Great"
    By lenzinoH20, Apr 30, 2011 Report Abuse
    Progeny-Lex discovers that Chloe's mother has special abilities and forces her to help him in exchange for Chloe's life. However, she has a trick or two of her own to use to escape.

    It's not ever day that Smallville gets major guest stars on it's show, but Linda Carter has to be the biggest guest Smallville has had since Christopher Reeves. I mean freakin' Wonder Woman is to women what Superman is to men. She's an iconic and the 70s TV series made Linda Carter a superstar. It's too bad Linda doesn't live up to her hype like Christopher did. Don't get me wrong, I loved the fact that Linda played Chloe's mother but Linda's performance is mediocre at best. Probably because he face only moves half the time! But atleast storyline with Chloe's mom and Lex's 33.1 experiments make up for that.

    I love the story of Moira Sullivan and the reasons for why she left Chloe at a young age are finally answered. It's sad that Moira had to leave Chloe because of her power, but it shows that she only did it our of fear of hurting her child. Also, Moira's power to control other meteor freaks is effective power and makes for some tense scenes. Lex continues to make for a great villian with each week and the way he exploits Moira's power by threatening Chloe's life just shows how darker Lex is becoming. Allison Mack shines once again and excells with every scene she's in. The ending where Chloe watches her mom go back to a catatonic state is heartbreaking. Another great revelation is Lana having never been pregnant, which is actually shocking and brings up more questions. Could Lex have fake Lana's pregnancy by injecting with something? All and All, "Progeny" is a solid episode all around with great developing of season storylines, some well acted scenes and Linda Carter...what's not to love?moreless

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  • Chloe and Clark fights to save Chloe's mother.

    10
    "Perfect"
    By scillaward, Sep 11, 2010 Report Abuse
    I was trying to figure out how did Chloe become a meteor freak. I was shocked that her mother was a meteor freak and the master of all meteor freaks. She controls all of the freaks by touching one of their belongings. meanwhile Lana wants to know if something inside of her made her "miscarriage". Now she knows that she was never pregnant and Lex injected hormones into her to make her think that she was pregnant so she will have no choice but to marry him. Once again Chloe is trying to bring down Lex, but it backfires and is force to shut down the story. The war is beginning.moreless

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  • Chloe begins to fear the manifestation of meteor powers in her life, and she has unexplained gaps in her memory - something is controlling her. Clark helps her find the origin of these events. Lana receives more stunning news.moreless

    8.5
    "Great"
    By cxtasy, Sep 30, 2008 Report Abuse
    In a flashback to 1995, Chloe's mother Moira is home when young Chloe runs in, excited about school, and she's already showing signs of being a writer. Mom is distressed as two hospital escorts arrive - this is not the way she should tell her daughter that she's being confined to a mental hospital. Daddy will take care of her, Mom says.

    Twelve years later, that is, now, Lex is forced off a dark highway in his Mercedes by a large pickup, and the car slides into a field. Nice stunt driving. Trying to re-start the engine, he pumps the accelerator, a pointless move on a car with fuel injection - what is the director thinking? Cut that cut! Someone smashes the car window, and smacks Lex in the head. What! It's Chloe!

    She awakes at the Talon - has she, too, had a psychotic break? Has she inherited mental illness? She finds her muddy boots on the floor, as Clark drops in. She cannot remember the night - was she sleepwalking? Is her meteor infection starting to manifest? She's very worried about her condition, but Clark has pledged his aid and friendship.

    Lana is still in the depths of depression; Lex says he was in a fenderbender, but he wants her to to rest. She has told no one about losing the baby; he claims to be hurting too. She wants a complete checkup; apparently the records she wanted last week from Dr. Langston's office have been forgotten by the writers, fortunately for Lex.

    Toyota has forced a new product placement truck 'o the week display; recently it was a new Dodge Ram. Clark and Chloe spot Lex's Mercedes still stuck in the muddy field, so they drive off the road to the site. Intentionally creating ruts in someone's plowed field is thoughtless and rude, bit of poor screenplay here. As they circle around, the director makes sure we get a view of the Tundra nameplate and Toyota logo. They aren't even embarrassed by taking money from Toyota, and Toyota forces this obvious advertising in exchange for cash. What is our attention worth? Clark superhears someone calling Lex about the theft of his flash drive from the car, then Clark x-rays the car and finds a large button on the floor. It's from Chloe's jacket.

    She's the Road Warrior? She finds the stolen flash drive in her apartment, then tries to hack into it. One file is found, on a krypto-freak, no name, but suspected of being able to control other meteor-infected subjects, birth date 9/20/1960, born in Granville. "Patient came to our attention while researching her daughter, also suspected of possessing special abilities." They realize it's Chloe's mother, played by Lynda Carter, who actually was born in 1951.

    At an abandoned warehouse, Mrs. Sullivan is in confinement, Lex is the visitor. She wants to see her daughter, denying having powers when she committed herself. He sees a way to use her to control others. She has traces of meteor rock in her bloodstream, he tells her. He insists on a demonstration of her powers, leading to the obvious question: why doesn't she try to control Lex?

    Clark and Chloe return to the hospital where her mother had been confined - but she has been moved. Chloe apparently created a big scene the last time she was there, and they call security. Chloe remembers none of this, so Clark sends Chloe outside. Clark checks the hospital security tape and they see Chloe's forgotten disturbance done at the hospital. She believes she was forced to steal from Lex by her mother, so Chloe would know where Mom was. Back at the warehouse, Mrs. Sullivan is being set up for a test with a young man who has unusual strength - he attacks her and she grabs a pen, and controls him mentally, forcing him to sit. Lex is supremely satisfied. He then wants Moira to control and return a violent psychopath who has escaped, and continues trying to coerce her with the promise of seeing Chloe to get her to comply. She visualizes the escapee and contacts his mind...

    Instead, the escapee invades the mansion, attacking Lana; the poor girl is having another rough day. Clark makes the save again, and since he and Chloe still believe Lana is still pregnant, he whisks her to the hospital. How will Chloe handle the escapee? With a gun. He can't remember how he got there, so Chloe knows he was under Moira's control, and he tells her where Moira is.

    Lana is getting more tests at the hospital, Clark sees her...their first meeting since the wedding. She reveals she lost the baby a few days after the wedding. She has lost more, and does not have the life she wanted, she tells him. Clark still wants to know what happened the day of her wedding to Lex - why did she change? She can't tell him, can't risk Lionel harming him.

    Using her control power from a distance, Moira tells Chloe to leave Smallville, but Clark stops her. No longer able to control herself, Chloe brings out a meteor rock, disabling Clark. Driving off in the dark night, Chloe is stopped by a construction crew, abducted and awakened in the warehouse with her mother. Finding Clark disabled, Martha removes the meteor rock and revives him.

    Moira confesses to Chloe that she had hurt her as a child unintentionally; she committed herself to protect Chloe. Lex knows she's infected, so Chloe asks Mom to control someone to help them escape - only Chloe escapes, with a weapon aimed at Lex, she fires. Clark stops the projectile, a gas cartridge, and he's gone with Chloe before Lex could see anything.

    Moira's free, in a hotel with Chloe and Clark. But she's losing consciousness, knowing that she can't stay with Chloe. Drugs will not keep her lucid. She realizes she's dangerous and does not want to be a human weapon, controlling those with powers. Chloe's heart breaks to see her mother slip away.

    At the DP, Chloe is writing an expose on Luthorcorp when Lex appears, threatening her with evidence of her attack on him, a case of aggravated assault. If she kills the article about the company, he says she will remain free.

    Lana's Doctor sees her, reporting he found something quite troubling, and asking if she took pills or injections during her pregnancy. She took nothing but vitamins, she replies. The doctor reveals she's been given synthetic hormones, to fake a pregnancy, to force a marriage - she was never pregnant. She saw the sonograms, she protests - he tells her it was not her baby. She finally realizes the true deceitfulness of Lex.

    Chloe comes to see Clark, distressed that her mother never knew of Chloe's life and accomplishments. Clark anticipated this; he told Moira the full biography of Chloe - she was proud of her daughter. Clark has eased the burden of guilt and sorrow Chloe was bearing. Chloe reports the threats from Lex, but they can't do anything to Lex unless they know Lana's safe. Clark declares, "The war is about to begin."

    "Progeny" is a fine episode, nice to see Lynda Carter as a guest actor, maybe in a continuing role, and once again, a terrific turn by Mr. Rosenbaum, projecting a sinister persona as he deceives all around him. Mrs. Mack is a rock of dependable acting skill, holding together the loose threads of another episode. And another shock for Lana, leading us to wonder where the Lex-Lana relationship will lead - it can't last much longer. Excellent in repeats. Re-run rating B+.moreless

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  • Chloe's mother returns and this time people get hurt when she comes back.

    9.0
    "Superb"
    By minerva73, Sep 01, 2007 Report Abuse
    I think that this episode was really well thought out. Bringing back Chloe's mother was great and Lex's plan to use the meteor freak to force Moira to use her powers was excellent. The acting was really great especially by Kristin Kreuk. When Lana loses her "baby", I put baby in parentheses on purpose, she has to go to the hospital. Her conversation with Clark was really saddening to see and knowing that Lex and Lana's marriage was slowly coming to a close was great. Now to Chloe's part of the episode, Chloe had to deal with so much in this episode that I feel extra sorry for her. Having to deal with the fact that her mother comes back and then dies, getting death threats from Lex Luthor, and others should have made Chloe practically break down. Clark was such a good friend to Chloe by talking to her and Clark's reaction when Lex was about to get shot was perfect.
    All in all, you should watch this episode if you want to see some really good acting.moreless

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  • Great Episode

    10
    "Perfect"
    By Beer75, Aug 23, 2007 Report Abuse
    Chloe's mother wakes from her catatonic state, with some help from Lex who is interested in her ability to control meteor enhanced people. Moira Sullivan quickly begins controlling Chloe, in an effort to break out of Lex's facility. With some help from Clark, she is able to see her daughter again, but without Lex's drugs she slips back into catatonia. Lana learns the truth about her pregnancy. I was very psyched,primarily because this was the first new Smallville episode in a month,but I still thought that this could be a really good episode.The episode is about Lex finding out Chloe's mom(Lynda Carter)has the ability to control meteor freaks,in particular Chloe,and exploiting that ability for his own personal gain.Of course Chloe and Clark eventually get involved and help stop Lex and save the day.Overall this episode just felt flat,although it had some really good moments in it.moreless

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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  • Trivia

    ADD TRIVIA
    • In Moira's case notes on the flash drive, it says that she was controlling Chloe through Chloe's personal possession (the necklace). Given the obvious and realized potential for mayhem this could cause, why would they let Moira keep it? Edit
    • In this episode, we find out that Lana was never pregnant, but she's taken to the hospital with Lex's knowledge and he would know they would do blood test, yet he doesn't take any precautions. Edit
    • Trivia: Among the items in Moira's file are her birthdate of September 20, 1960 (Lynda Carter was born July 24, 1951) and the fact she "may be the key to finalizing Project Ares." Edit

  • Notes

    ADD NOTES
    • The following scenes didn't make it into the episode: - Clark thanks Martha for saving him from the Kryptonite and for being there for him. - Lana hasn't told anyone about the baby, but tells Lex she will put more committment into their marriage. Edit
    • Original International Air Dates: South Africa: June 12, 2007 on Mnet Norway: June 24, 2007 on TVNorge Belgium: February 2, 2008 on KanaalTwee Australia: February 14, 2008 on Ten Czech Republic: May 27, 2008 on TV Nova New Zealand: August 22, 2008 on TV 2 Slovakia: August 30, 2009 on Markiza Edit
    • Music: Steppin by Telepictures, As You Get Closer by Telepictures, Scruggs by Telepictures, Figured Out Love by Telepictures, Overture: The Flying Dutchman by Extreme. Edit

  • Quotes

    ADD QUOTES
    • Lex: Well clearly Chloe gets her brazenness from her mother's side, but as meddlesome as she can be I've actually come to admire her. Edit
    • Chloe: (about her mom) She's never going to get to know the person I've become. Clark: It's a good thing I told her. Chloe: You did? Clark: After I brought your mom to Oliver's apartment I gave her the complete Chloe Sullivan bio. Edit
    • Chloe: Lex came to talk to me, Clark. Basically he said it's kill or be killed. Clark: He threatened you? Chloe: I'm in his crosshairs. Clark: Yeah, well now he's in mine. Edit

  • Allusions

    ADD ALLUSIONS
    • Chloe: I'm the road warrior. Let's face it; I'm guilty as charged. Road Warrior is a reference to Mel Gibson's sequal Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior a post- apocalyptic science fiction movie where cities are in ruins and wars rage on the roads. Edit
    • Chloe: So, do we know who Racer X is? This is a reference to the Cartoon Speed Racer. Racer X was a mysterious masked racer who would help Speed out in various ways. Unknowingly to Speed, it was actually his brother who had mysteriously disappeared. Edit

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