04:07 JINX
Prologue
- Final game before States
- Chloe betting?! Is this for real or part of an expose for the Torch? Because this just adds to her lack of character otherwise
- Mikhail Mxyzptlk – ha! I forgot about this / is that accent for real? Because yikes
- He manipulates the game. Even gets Clark to stumble – weakness to magic explored? But Clark wins anyway much to Mxy’s surprise
- Uh oh – player down. Pa’s not happy.
Act One
- Mark Warshaw writer / Paul Shapiro director
- Jason digging into how Clark pummeled that other player. Coach suspects steroids, but you could also read this as Jason suspecting Clark as well
- Jason: “if it comes out that you’re not on the same playing field as these guys” – Pa’s worst fear coming true. Clark tried his best for this not to happen
- Mikhail is here on a Luthor foreign exchange scholarship. Of course. Lex wonders why Lionel had interest – unless Mikhail rigged it.
- Notice the manuscript page with the map in the background
- Ah okay – Chloe did the bet for a story afterall. Mikhail doesn’t like the spotlight – gets her to shadow him for anonymity. Come on Chloe, your radar for antagonists should be going off!
- Clark and Pa debate – Clark feels like something happened. He’s never tripped / Pa going in hard on Clark
- Celebration at the Talon – Smallville jocks continuing to be awful
- Jason can tell something isn’t right with Clark
Act Two
- Chloe: “Haven’t had this much fun on a couch…” whoa! TMI, Chloe!
- Mikhail gets Chloe to kiss him / See Chloe! Don’t you watch your own show?
- Clark testing himself to see if he could play under Kryptonite poisoning / more K inconsistency – he’s holding the K and not collapsing or showing signs on his skin. Other times this amount of K would knock him right to the ground
- Martha coming to him to talk things out. Nice to see. She tells Clark that she agrees they’ve never seen Clark have a mishap. He needs to investigate
- Small reference between Chloe and Clark about the last episode. Nice to see / and that they match their stories about Mikhail and power of suggestion.
- Digging into Mikhail’s past in the Balkans – his name backwards, of course
Act Three
- Clark goes to Lex about Mikhail. Lex calls out Lana’s “type”. He’s going in on Clark about Lana: “maybe she doesn’t mean as much to you as you think”. Lex seems annoyed.
- Wait – is this pool table always in Lex’s office or only when they need it? Weird.
- Lana and Jason talk about Clark / “I don’t know what I would do if someone took you away from me” – foreshadowing?
- Jason: “are you sure you really know him” – Jason tipping his hat here? He also tells Lana he lied about giving Clark a drug test. But is that because of what he may already know?
- Another Lex/Mikhail scene – they make a bet on the championship game. Mikhail still hinting that Lionel wanted him for something more than money, etc.
- And now Clark and Mikhail – “choke” and “breathe”. Yup – Clark vulnerable to magic or whatever they say to explain Mikhail’s powers
Act Four
- Chloe and Clark figure out how to stop Mikhail – involving sound
- Song alert! Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Green Day – as Clark suits up. Not a bad choice. “I walk alone”
- Uh oh. Pa is waiting. Clark: “No matter how hard you try, you can’t understand that. That’s why it’s my decision, not yours.” / “You’re starting to sound more and more like your father.” – another example of Clark growing and maybe pulling away from Pa. Or showing Pa that Clark is ready – for a time when Pa may not be around.
- The Big Game! Chloe has a sound machine to block Mikhail’s powers
- Last play of the game and Mikhail threatens Clark. What’s going to happen? I’m actually invested in this.
- Of course – Clark goes super speed. It would be great if this was an accelerated speed because of his encounter with Bart Allen two episodes ago
- Smallville wins! This story arc has been going on since episode 3 of this season so it’s nice to see it come to a conclusion
Act Five
- Chloe got the device from Sam Lane. Nice.
- Ha! Clark calling out Chloe for getting sucked into yet another strange manipulator / she replies: “Well, we all have our weaknesses. Except for you, of course.” Uh oh – is she back on the Clark investigation? I hope not
- Lex and Mikhail – Level 7? Apparently Lex knew about Mikhail’s power even though he no longer has them.
- “I bet on Clark Kent”
- Floor 33.1 – “you’re not alone”. So much for Lex not doing anything shady
- Kristin Kreuk sounds sick this episode
- Jason was fired – and Lana is pissed
- Clark goes to Lex. He ratted out Jason. The fragile friendship dipping back into confrontation. Clark isn’t happy with what Lex did /
- Lex: “you know Lana isn’t meant to be with Jason”. Clark: “You didn’t do this for me. Why did you do it?” Oh damn Lex doesn’t answer – he just smiles! He likes Lana!
- I liked this episode. It’s not totally necessary to watch but to see the classic “Superman/Mxyzptlk” conflict as told through the Smallville lens is fun. Everyone feels comfortable. Dialogue works. Production values are fine. And there are smaller story beats that get pushed along. Chloe back to sniffing around Clark. Jason getting fired. Lex butting in on Lana’s relationship. Clark and the Kents. One of those episodes where the B plots are more important but at least the A plot was still interesting as well.
- Rating: 4
Next episode: Spell!