Quest

Season 7, Episode 19, Aired
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Episode Summary

After Lex is attacked by a mysterious stranger, he and Clark both discover the last surviving member of the Veritas group who holds the secret to controlling the Traveler.
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Fan Episode Reviews (31)

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  • Lex is getting closer to know Clark's secret

    9.0
    "Superb"
    By scillaward, Sep 11, 2010 Report Abuse
    There's a lot of story here. We find out that Jor-el sent something to destroy "the traveler" if he was going to be controlled. Which Edward Teague was going to do since Clark never killed the evil which is Lex. Lex now knows where to find everything that he has been searching for his whole life. Unanswered questions will be answered and judging from the previews for the season finale next week, Lex will be able to control "the traveler" which is Clark and all hell will break lose. I like how Lionel's name was mentioned a few times and they didn't just forget about him. The only thing that I didn't really care for was Jimmy. He wasn't really necessary for this episode. But other than him, this episode was a real eye opener and my favorite part of this episode was when Edward Teague ripped off Tom Welling's shirt with the sword. What a body that man has. I was praying that he would rip his pants off also!moreless

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    2 0

  • So the long, lost Edward Teague, father of Jason Teague (the coach who was Lana's boyfriend during S4, and husband of Genevieve Teague) is still alive and protecting Swann's secrets about Clark.moreless

    10
    "Perfect"
    By edualym, May 19, 2009 Report Abuse
    I loved this episode because of its resolution of the VERITAS story-line and the appearance of an otherwise mysterious character: Edward Teague.

    Hiding from Lionel to prevent ending up as his wife and son, Teague kept the secrects of Veritas and Swann's knowledge, helping Clark realize that Lex is evil and must be dealt with.

    Clark, still hesitant of taking a life, comes to Teague after he attacks Lex and is confronted by the man who believes so firmly in the Light VS Dark conflict that he is willing to sacrifice Clark to prevent Lex from controlling him.

    Of course, Chloe rescues Clark and he escapes but Lex still finds the last piece of the puzzle that reveals the location of the FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE.

    And so, we near the FINAL (as far as this season goes)conflict between Lex and Clark in the next episode... Artic.moreless

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  • Jason's dad.

    8.0
    "Great"
    By Canogaparkcindy, Dec 09, 2008 Report Abuse
    In the beginning, I didn't quite get the episode, I wasn't really sure what to think f it since I didn't know where the whole thing was going. Lana is still sick. Kara magically disappears. She isn't mentioned. Chloe bails on Jimmy some more. It turns out Jason's dad(Edward) wanted to kill Clark, sacrifice him. this guy is nuts. Chloe saves the day oddly in this episode, Lex deciphers the clock and gives him coordinates to the fortress. I wasn't sure if the sacrifice controlled him or going to the fortress does. A great cliffhanger, boring in the beginning but made up for it in the end. Amazing!moreless

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  • Da Smallville code?

    10
    "Perfect"
    By costas22, Nov 24, 2008 Report Abuse
    A quite different but special episode of Smallville.It featured only 4 of the 8 characters,so everyone had a chance to shine.Clark had some exploring to do and it was good to see that his new found purpose in Apocalypse carried on here.He still got himself into trouble by being somewhat naive but that just shows that he is not Superman yet.Chloe was at it again as Clark's trustworthy sidekick who came to Clark's rescue.She was equally effective as Jimmy's naive girlfriend once he began exploring the caves.It was a nice touch to bring back the Naman story,the only downside being that they torw down the cave set in order to create the Fortress of Solitude.Jimmy was given a chance to get out of the romance stories that he was into this year and he did well.The one who really shone was Lex Luthor.This was the second to last episode we saw of him,but in reality it was Michael Rosenabaum's final chance to display his immense talent since in Arctic he was too busy with other stuff.He displayed his emotions regarding his father and how the Traveler afeected their relationship perfectly.I really miss him in Season 8.The episode was nicely directed with former director Ken Biller making a one-time reappearance.He gave the episode a Da vinvi code feel and it never missed a beat.That was no suurprise since Biller has directed other masterpieces such as Shattered.Overall a brilliant episode that would become difficult to top the next week.moreless

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  • Lex is attacked and wounded with symbols cut into his chest - Clark recognizes them as kryptonian, a message for him. The cryptograph mystery leads to a cathedral in Montreal, and an unexpected survivor of Veritas.moreless

    9.0
    "Superb"
    By cxtasy, Nov 13, 2008 Report Abuse
    Lex continues his pursuit of the Veritas secret control of the Traveler, using an antiquities dealer to examine the cryptograph found in the Zurich safety deposit box. The storyline becomes a "Quest" for one object after another - first it was the keys to the box, then the object in the box, and now, it seems, this will lead to yet another mysterious object. Just when you think the Grail has been found, the writers slip in another complication.

    After the dealer leaves, Lex is assaulted by the bank manager who attacked him in Zurich - we have to assume he's someone dedicated to protecting the Veritas secrets. He slices into Lex's chest and leaves him on the floor. At the hospital, Lex recognizes the sutures as forming symbols, and believes the assailant is after the cryptograph.

    Jimmy shows Chloe photos of the wounds on Lex. Nice tension buildup as Chloe knows enough to understand that the symbols mean something - to Clark. He reads "Traveler," and "Saviour," which may mean a member of Veritas has survived. The manager has found the dealer, still examining the cryptograph, and receives instructions from an unseen conspirator to retrieve it, but the attempt fails as Lex arrives in time to commit another murder. Two guards and the manager - three bodies to dispose of - no small task, even for Lex.

    Examining the photos of Lex again, Clark discerns another symbol - for "Sanctuary," and some too-quick insight has him and Chloe looking for the patron saint of Travelers - or Saint Christopher, and Chloe quickly identifies the only cathedral by that name - in Montreal. So some pretty big deductions here, but we'll go along with it - it's better than a couple recent episodes where the entire cast acted clueless. If I complained about that, I can't complain when they become brilliant.

    The dealer has identified the maker of the cryptograph - a German watchmaker named Dietrich Brauer, who went into seclusion after being commissioned to manufacture a magnificent clock, which disappeared after WW II, resurfacing only recently as a gift from a wealthy philanthropist - Dr. Swann. Well, that revelation brings Lex full circle - and he now knows the clock's location. But Clark arrives first, easily finding kryptonian symbols along the rim of the baptismal font.

    Clark is found by Edward Teague (Robert Picardo), the last survivor of Veritas, now serving as a brother at the Cathedral. He kneels before Clark, ready to serve the Traveler, believing him to be the next Saviour. Teague confirms that Lionel Luthor killed the Queens and Teague's family to gain sole control of the Traveler. One clue to control exists in the cathedral, unknown to anyone - but Lex. Clark has no intention of being worshipped, or accepting a destiny defined by Veritas - in anger, Teague turns on Clark, using kryptonite (why would he have it so close by?)

    Lex is near the truth - he tells the reluctant dealer that his father's obsession with the Traveler made him a virtual orphan - and the cryptograph will give him the answer to his life. The dealer continues reassembly of the mechanism. Teague prepares to sacrifice Clark in an ancient Kryptonian ritual to prevent Lex from gaining control of a being who would become the destroyer of Earth. More chest-carving ensues; the symbol he slices into Clark is the El family "S," and Clark bleeds as a mortal.

    Lex has landed, and in the cathedral, he finds a grandfather clock, inserts the cryptograph into the clockworks, and...stand back! It starts to play, as the gears mesh, and Lex listens and watches quietly. Is this finally the scene in which Lex discovers the truth about Clark? Then the clock hands and face move, revealing another shield-shaped object - somehow Lex knows this is the key to the next step. But Teague enters and tells Lex he is too late - why bother with Lex if he is confident that he has done away with Clark?

    Teague - "If there is no Traveler, there can be no Destroyer," and a battle with Lex begins. The rescuer arrives - it's Chloe, strolling in to spot Clark near death. She drains the lethal fluid - Clark's healing is instantaneous. He intervenes in the battle, saving both Lex and Teague, but does not realize that Lex dropped the shield, only to find it after Clark disappears.

    More obscure deductions come from Lex and his bodyguard - from a small island off the coast of Scotland. An old book reveals that a wealthy American bought a castle on the island and moved it to the U.S. - it was Lionel - and the castle is the Luthor mansion. Lex believes that the next clue must be in his own home, something Lionel never found.

    Chloe struggles to keep Jimmy from getting too much information from the caves and about kryptonian symbols - she has to deflect his interest just as Clark has had to deflect Lana for so many years. Cave symbols infer a final battle between the good and evil, with the outcome unknown. This is an obvious lead-in to the next episode, and a good tension-builder as the season approaches the conclusion of the Quest by Lex.

    "Some day you are going to have to play God," Chloe tells a reluctant Clark, who has yet to formulate a plan to deter Lex, the only real threat. Lex has the mansion searched in detail to find the next step, finally realizing that a Scottish folk song has lyrics giving clues - "above the hearth of home shines the north star." And in the fireplace mantel, Lex spots a symbol matching the shield - behind it a cloth bag - containing an octahedron with a space for the shield. When it's inserted, the object animates - projecting a translucent sphere - the Earth, with a shrinking circle pinpointing a location in the north of Greenland. The next stop for Lex.

    "Quest" is a stirring episode, almost overloaded with developments, and some of the complications approaching mumbo-jumbo, but it all works largely because of the relentless pursuit of the truth by Lex. He is more single-minded than Clark, who has yet to accept his destiny without reservation. This difference means that Lex will continue to thwart Clark and move closer to discovering the Traveler, while Chloe and Clark will be on the defensive. Clearly this episode is essential viewing by Smallville fans, and is now part of four episodes that should be seen together, starting with "Traveler" and "Veritas." These are some of the best of the series, re-run rating B+.moreless

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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  • Trivia

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    • When Lex opens the grandfather clock, his mouth is closed and he is staring calmly at the clock. In the next shot, his mouth is gaping, and his eyes are pretty shocked. Edit
    • Lex is lying in his hospital bed with no bandages or ointments on his recently cut-and-scarred chest. Edit
    • The initial attack on Lex is never fully explained. Teague wants Lex dead so he can't control Clark. So he sends an assassin to... scar Lex's chest, so that Clark will see the symbols, so that Clark will go to Montreal, to encounter Teague. It would have been simpler to pay someone to paint the symbol on a wall or in a crop circle and kill Lex, and such a plan has the added advantage of rendering dead the one person who is close to gaining the secret. in fact, Teague does try to kill Lex later in the church, so it's clear he wants him dead. Edit

  • Notes

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    • Music: Loch Lomond (referred to as the "Birks of St. Kilda") Edit
    • International Airdates: Norway: Monday, May 19, 2008 10.50 pm on TVNorge Denmark: Monday, June 23, 2008 on TV3 Australia: Thursday, August 7, 2008 on TEN HD United Kingdom: Tuesday, September 23, 2008 on E4 Sweden: Friday, October 3, 2008 on TV6 Greece: Sunday, November 23, 2008 on Star New Zealand: Friday, June 5, 2009 on TV2 Czech Republic: March 11, 2010 on TV Nova Slovakia: August 27, 2010 on Markiza Edit
    • Although a large amount of the episodes are filmed in Canada, this is the first time that Clark Kent is shown in this country. Edit

  • Quotes

    ADD QUOTES
    • Chloe: I won't ask you where you've been or why you stood me up. As long as you picked up some cheesecake to say "I'm sorry." Edit
    • Chloe: Well, given the large number of dead bodies rolling around lately, I, uh, thought that Lex had eliminated all his enemies. Edit
    • Teague: People want to see you as their savior but you can't be so naïve. For every beacon of light in the universe, there is a pit of darkness. We must fight to keep that darkness from overwhelming us. Edit

  • Allusions

    ADD ALLUSIONS
    • Jimmy: Wow. Get a little competition in the story department and suddenly you go all Scully on me. Referencing the 1993 TV series The X-Files starring David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson. Gillian Anderson plays skeptical FBI Agent Dana Scully who investigates paranormal phenomena along with partner and paranormal "believer" Fox Mulder, played by Duchovny. Edit
    • Jimmy: It's all very Joseph Campbell. Referencing Joseph John Campbell, a writer of comparative religion and mythology. One of his major topics was the idea of common myths, including the cycle of a hero's journey. Edit

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