04:05: RUN
Prologue
- “I’m never late” – so definitely not Barry? / “I’ll be there like a flash” / red and yellow
- Met Med Clinic / Flannel in the city
- Clark would rather Pa take all the medicine than not have him around – another mention of a time when maybe Pa won’t be around.
- Finally! Mention of what Pa went through because of Jor-El
- Pa and Clark discussing Lex’s rekindled friendship, but this time Clark is keeping his eyes open. Good continuity at least.
- Pa almost gets run over / Speed time / Clark sees Flash rescue Pa
- Kyle Gallner plays Bart. Before Veronica Mars and well before A Nightmare on Elm Street reboot
Act One
- writer Stephen S DeKnight. Future Daredevil showrunner / directed David Barrett
- Clark wants to find out about the kid. Super powered as he is.
- Pa feeling a little left behind with Martha working at the Talon
- Wait. Jason only now sees the back tat???
- “I’ve seen what keeping secrets has done to my parents” Jason again bringing up his parents. Slow build up here.
- Lana doesn’t want to share some things with Jason. Stepping into Clark’s shoes here.
- Okay. Now Lex is back on the artifact hunt. About time.
- This looks like the same apartment Kal used in Season 3
- Flash reads comics. Lightning symbol on the bag
- Licenses: Jay Garrick. Barry Allen. Wally West. They go right to Bart.
- Something in the way Welling is playing this, almost as if he’s enjoying the mystery around this kid. Maybe sensing that he isn’t all that bad, or even a KMOTW
- Tries to catch Bart but he can’t. And Bart can run on water.
- In an interesting coincidence, this episode was released four days before the Incredibles was released worldwide on October 24th, 2004. So technically, Smallville beat the movie to the running on the water gag.
- And then Bart shows up at the Kent farm
Act Two
- “fastest man alive”
- Bart gives vague details about his origin: accident, flash of light
- Clark assumes it happened in Smallville – the idea that it didn’t opens up a new world
- “Never met anyone like you with powers that wasn’t from around here” – is that true? What about Ryan? Was it ever confirmed where he was from?
- Is Bart really telling the truth about his parents? It hits Clark to hear parents thinking of their son as a freak
- Suicide Slum mention / Bart is just about homeless
- Pulls the rock on Clark accidentally
- They travel to Florida to have fun / again, that look in Welling’s eyes. Having someone who can do the things he can. He’s shown this attachment before
- Talon reopens.
- Chloe: “What’s up Kent??” Kent?? Where did that come from?
- Bart to Chloe: “I’m from the future.” Interesting line considering there’s truth in that
- How does Chloe not automatically suspect that Bart is a KMOTW or Wall of Weird guy?
Act Three
- Page of a manuscript. With kryptonite writing on the border. Lex still investigating but wants Clark’s help. Keep your friends close and your enemy closer.
- Clark is being cautious. That’s good.
- Clark X-rays a map with more writing / Lex states others believed it to be a path to unimaginable power
- The ship. Caves. Jor-El. Crystals. A manuscript and a map. Leading to? The Fortress? I can’t remember
- “Look deeper” – Clark believes this has something to do with what Jor-El had him go after while he was controlling him
- Pa not able to spend time with Ma or Clark
- “Maybe it’s time I stop running from what I really am” – using the theme of the ep here
- “You can’t get that rich by playing it straight.” Ha. Great line.
- “That doesn’t make it right” – And now we get a taste of what role Clark will play with other heroes: He’ll be the guide. The one that steers them to truth. Justice. And all that stuff. Moral center.
- That’s different than his confrontations with KMOTWs. Because he feels partially guilty since his arrival was the cause. Treating them as “conditions” or people to cure rather than those that can help others.
- “You’re nothing like me” and yet Clark is going to break into Lex’s for info. He’s not exactly all that different.
- Bart steals the page and Clark gets caught.
- That’s a loud alarm
Act Four
- again. No cameras in the mansion?!?
- “I know a real friend would never lie to me.” – of course they are back to playing games
- “Nowhere on earth he can run from Lex Luthor”
- Lana Lana scene! Yay!
- Ma threw herself into the Talon because she’s constantly thinking about losing Pa
- Lana helps Ma, and in turn realizes her own path with Jason and the tattoo
- They’re holding the manuscript like it’s a concert poster
- Lex showing some concern for Bart is a nice touch
- Lex learned some moves. No more victim for him
- Damn. Clark threw the main guy through the roof. He loves that move
- How does goon 2 not tell people about what Clark did?
- “I’ve seen the good in you.” Clark’s unspoken superpower
- More Kryptonite inconsistency – why can’t Clark just close the lid? We’ve seen him maneuver around K before
- I do like the after images when Bart runs. Like an Infantino drawing.
Act Five
- “I spend so much time trying to hide who I really am, I’m starting to feel like two different people”
- Clark wants to “stretch his legs”. Feels like this episode will push Clark’s speed. If he can teach others like him how to be decent, they can teach him about his powers.
- Love that look on Pa’s face as he watches Clark run off
- this is like one of the first times Ma gets a subplot
- Lana shows Jason the caves. Uh oh.
- Ah. As I mentioned above, Lana recognizes that she was doing to Jason what Clark did to her all these years
- Lana telling Jason what happened in Paris. As if he doesn’t already know.
- Page was brought back by Bart / “I guess he did” – Lex recognizes that Clark knows more than he’s letting on
- Clark sees the map again / Tree. Ruins. Badlands. Mountains. Plains. What the heck does that mean? Locations of the other crystals of power?
- And Lex holds back that he too has discovered the map. It’s a race now
- “See if there’s anyone else out there like us. Start up a club or league or something” – Nice
- “I have no reason to stay in Smallville.” “You have me” / Clark wanting someone like Pete Ross but powered
- Superman and Flash race of course. And Flash smokes him. As he should. “Those were for charity Clark”
- You can see Clark is amazed at Bart’s speed
- Music: Feels Like Today, Rascal Flatts. Good lyric: Feels like today – your life changin. Clark knowing there may be others out there like him. Also a change for Smallville: first step toward the League
- I can remember being very excited for this episode on its first run. Not as polished as I remember it – mostly the special effects not holding up. But definitely more entertaining than the two episodes prior.
- The start of a larger corner of Smallville beyond what we’ve seen so far. Clark’s role for other metas, not just KMOTWs. Not to mention the start of the Justice League
Next episode: Transference!