Lana is pursued by an unseen paparazzi, who takes photos of her wherever she goes. As Lex's Security team works to protect her, she's in greater danger, as Chloe, Clark and Jimmy put clues together.moreless
8.5
"Great"
As Lana is in the mansion, she again wonders about the chisel she picked up at the barn after Lex struck Clark with it in last week's "Crimson," bending the metal. Her cell rings, shocking her with a photo of her sitting right there at that moment - she's being spied upon. Is someone in the room? Security is there in a moment, finding nothing. Lex is slightly skeptical, but she can't tell him about the photo, because it shows the chisel in her hands, so she's protecting Clark. Ms. Kreuk plays this to perfection, allowing us to sense her growing obsession with learning more about Clark's secrets. While Lex is out of the country, Lana stays with Chloe, telling her about Clark and the chisel photo - Chloe sees how revealing this photo can be. But Lana takes the heat off Chloe by saying she will learn about Clark on her own, but she wants Chloe's help on the stalking paparazzi. Chloe traces the text message and photo Lana received to a low-life photographer, but Chloe can't ask for help from Jimmy - they broke up last week.
With tension created by a very effective and sinister music score, Lana investigates noises in the hall at the Talon - an intruder? Ms. Kreuk shows her fine skill at portraying anxiety and fear, as she finds a gift box downstairs, with a note, "I want you to wear this when I kill you." She runs outside, into a phalanx of photographers, but is retrieved by Luthorcorp security. Still, she's even more terrified.
Clark comes to see Jimmy - who's under some big misapprehensions about a relationship between Clark and Chloe. "Who am I to stand in the way?", Jimmy wonders. So Clark has to reassure Jimmy that he has only a friendship with her - and he needs Jimmy's help in tracking down the paparazzi. Lex calls security, demanding more protection for Lana at Luthorcorp, but she changes the plan; she will take refuge at the Kent farm. This is one of Ms. Kreuk's best roles, showing palpable fear in almost every scene, even when she digs through Clark's room and finds her photo...and a crystal necklace. After another threatening call comes to Lana, she calls for guard Brady, then sees blood on the floor. He's dying, she gets his gun, and takes a tumble down the stairs, ending up in the hospital, with Martha and Dr. Langston in attendance. She's ok, but he sedates her. Security guard Mack insists that she get more protection - so they move her to the empty wing of the hospital.
Clark and Jimmy find the photo lab of the paparazzi named Louis - and numerous photos of Lana, some even taken at the Kent barn. At the hospital, another cell call to Lana, who finds finds herself in the old wing, alone, no one to help her as she wanders the hall looking for the ringing phone. It's Chloe - but suddenly the photographer is there, pursuing her and taking pictures, as she tries to escape through a dark hallway, until Security guard Mack and Clark arrive. After Mack leaves with Louis in custody, two shots ring out - he has shot Louis, claiming he had a gun. "It's over Miss Lane," Mack assures her. So we all relax, thinking she's finally safe.
Lana is back at the mansion; Mack reports Lex is inbound. Again, no one in Smallville has to account for all the bodies left laying about - wouldn't he be answering for at least manslaughter, until an investigation supports self-defense? He approaches Lana, having sent the staff home, calling her "Princess," as she begins to realize - he's the killer! He's out to save her from Lex, showing how far he will go to impress her. "I can give you your life back," he tells her. She plays for time to gain an opening, then smashes him with a bottle and runs. The phones are dead; he's way ahead of her, a psychopath, smashing the door in, as Lana runs into the snowy night.
Chloe and Clark check photos of Lana, finding that one was taken the night of the home invasion, but paparazzi Louis was at the same political event as Martha at that time, so someone else took the photo of Lana at the mansion. We already know who that was; Lana is fleeing for her life on the mansion roof, doing her best to fight back. As she and Mack fall through the skylight, Clark catches her, she's safe once again, and Mack is dead. "Why are you still watching over me?" she asks Clark. A familiar outcome, but a nice Emotional Rescue.
At the Planet, Chloe tells Clark, in the cleverest line of the episode, that she's not playing "pickle in the middle" (of Clark and Lana) any more, and makes it clear to Clark that Lana is protecting him from Lex. Time for Jimmy and Chloe to "catch up," and they do, boy and girl again. See, that breakup last week didn't last long.
Lex finally returns, but Lana can't tell him all the details of the assault - some things wouldn't square with stories he would hear from others. She explains her refuge at the Kent farm - not because of her former boyfriend, as Lex suspects, but because that was the last place anyone would expect to find her. He trusts her, he says, but they're both being a bit deceptive here - it's subtle, not overt, which makes for more challenging acting for each. Lana later finds the chisel is gone, who found it? The answer could means a threat to her. Good story thread to leave hanging for another episode.
After all the damage Clark caused at the Lex-Lana engagement party in "Crimson," you'd expect him to apologize profusely. You'd be wrong. The writers have Clark waiting for Lex to come to him at the farm for a tense meeting, and even then Lex must remind Clark that he attempted to kill Lex. Clark finally apologizes, offering the lame excuse that he was not himself. A better script would have had Clark going out of his way to make things right with everyone. Lex gives Clark a wedding invitation for Feb. 24, 2007, (no episode ran that date) at the Luthor mansion, gloating over Clark's obvious distress, and ramming home the point that he wants Clark to see what he lost - Lana. A powerful ending to a (mostly) well-written and acted episode. Re-run rating B+.moreless