Smallville

Previously on Smallville: If Clark Kent never came to Earth, his dad and Sheriff Adams would still be alive, Chloe would be engaged, Lana would be married with kids in France and Lois would be editor-in-chief of the Daily Planet. Yet somehow we were supposed to think Clark being on Earth is a good thing.

Lex (Michael Rosenbaum) has his newfound Krypto-Graph studied by an antiquities expert (played by Donnelly Rhodes, Doc Cottle from Battlestar Galactica!) who doesn't know what it is. Once he's alone, Lex angrily stares at the fire when the Zurich “bank manager” rushes in and knocks Lex out. He then carves a Kryptonian symbol into Lex's chest.

Jimmy (Aaron Ashmore) returns to Chloe's pad after snapping some photos of Lex at the hospital. Chloe (Allison Mack) just wants to make sweet passionate love, but Jimmy insists on showing off his photos of a topless Lex. Perhaps he's “good friends” with Eric van der Woodsen. Once Chloe does get a gander at the Kryptonian symbols, she takes them to Clark (Tom Welling), who recognizes them as the symbols for “Traveler” and “Savior,” suggesting Veritas is still in tact.

Clark and Chloe do some research and in between comparing Clark to God, they determine that the symbols also reveal the word “Sanctuary,” which could mean a church, which leads Chloe to revealing that the patron saint of travelers is St. Christopher, and the only similar-named church is in Montreal. First Peter Petrelli gets sent there in Heroes, now Smallville follows suit. Why is everyone suddenly promoting Montreal as the ultimate center of importance?

The Veritas crew storms Doc Cottle's office to steal the Krypto-Graph, but Lex shows up just in time to kill the Veritas assassins first. Doc Cottle then tells Lex a long boring story about the artisan who designed the Krypto-Graph (for the sake of getting us through this, let's call him Milo Rambaldi). The sketches of the Krypto-Graph were purchased by none other than Dr. Swan, who posthumously left them to, you guessed it, St. Christopher's Cathedral in Montreal. On the plane to Montreal, Doc Cottle demands answers about why he's been kidnapped, and they talk about Veritas, and the quest for truth, no matter how much it costs.

At the church, Clark sees some Kryptonian symbols on a baptismal fount, so he lifts it up to read when a monk named Edward Teague (Robert Picardo) arrives, claiming to be the only remaining member of Veritas, eager to serve the Traveler. Is anyone buying that Picardo could bag Jane Seymour as a wife ands sire Jensen Ackles as a kid? Teague and Clark exposit things we already know about Veritas and the Krypto-Graph. Clark doesn't really care about the whole destiny thing, so Teague pulls out some Kryptonite and orders him to man up and kill Lex if he has to.

Chloe tracks Lex's jet, but is interrupted by Jimmy, who's been doing research on the symbols, figuring out that the symbols also refer to a ritualistic human sacrifice. Indeed, Teague has tied up Clark and is preparing to perform a traditional Kryptonian ritual sacrifice. It seems there's a 50-50 chance Clark could be a savior of all mankind or a ruthless dictator over them, especially if Lex figures out how to use the Krypto-Graph, so Teague must kill Clark. As with most rituals, it begins by slicing open Clark's shirt, but is sadly followed by carving the trademark “S” into his chest.

Lex finally arrives in Montreal and fits the Krypto-Graph into a clock which then plays a lullaby version of “The Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond.” It finally gives out something that resembles a guitar pick. Teague shows up and they discuss the Traveler and the fact that if there is no Traveler, there can be no Destroyer, so they fight.

Chloe also shows up (thanks to Oliver Queen's jet) to take Clark's half-naked and butchered body off the Kryptonite ritual slab. He's saved just in time to stop Lex from killing Teague. The Krypto-Clock is destroyed, but Lex still has his Krypto-Pick of Destiny.

Jimmy has a romantic dinner ready for Chloe to discuss his research on the symbols. There's a story about the ancient conflict between good and evil with the indication of a final battle. In the myth, apparently, evil wins, which has Chloe freaked. She takes it to Clark, who doesn't seem too invested in old stories. Chloe urges him to finally kill Lex, since Lex would do the same if given the chance. Clark is too noble to see the virtue in murder.

Lex hops onto his private jet to go to Scotland because of the song, but he then learns his father already went there and had a castle transported brick by brick back to Smallville, so Lex changes course, determining what he's seeking is back home. There he has men go through the entire house searching for whatever it is he's looking for. Lex, using the song's lyrics, figures it out and orders everyone to go. He sees the Krypto-Pick's symbol on the fireplace and cracks it open to find a device with a slot. He puts the Krypto-Pick into it and is shown a map to the Fortress.

Next week on the season finale of Smallville: It's Lex vs. Clark in the Fortress of Solitude.


-John Kubicek, BuddyTV Senior Writer
(Image courtesy of the CW)