Prey
Updated 2008-10-24 09:27:52
All right, you can put away your pitchforks and torches, or if you're less dramatic, stop writing your, "Goodbye, Smallville , FOR-EVAH!" letter. We finally got a great episode this week. It's a doozy of a Doomy!
We open, nighttime, at the building of Lana's former brainchild, the Isis Foundation, now fallen on hard times and under new stewardship. Former journalist (teeth grind) Chloe Sullivan now runs the place. It's the As-Is Foundation these days. Inside, a teen girl wearing a purple blouse, purple eye shadow and black fingernail polish is cradling a mug of coffee. She's telling a support group around her that one year, Santa gave her the wrong doll. Is that what inspired this look? She says she got so mad that she made all the Christmas lights on her block go out. Chloe looks at her sympathetically. She hates unlit Christmas lights. So much wasted potential. The girl says it was the first time her parents figured out she was different. She tries to take a sip of her drink, but gets annoyed. She turns the mug upside down and the liquid inside has turned solid. Light Brite tells a boy across from her, Jesse, to knock it off. Jesse, wearing iPod earbuds, says it wasn't him. Light Brite causes the volume on his music player to increase. Jesse jumps. Aw, teens these days, with their crazy telekinetic powers.
Everyone else in the very large support circle laughs nervously. Light Brite asks why she's even there. She wonders if "Goldilocks" (Chloe) is just putting a bullseye on her head. She thinks it's clever that Chloe put out cryptic ads in alternative newspapers to gather them all in one place. Chloe tells the girl that she must have had a reason for coming. Light Brite says she doesn't mind a few friendly faces, but she's worried that they're targets for people who don't want meteor freaks to exist. A clean-cut kid nearby says that the group is the best thing that's ever happened to him. Virgin! Light Brite calls him "Pocket protector" and tells him to wait until the angry mob comes after them. Clean-Cut thinks there's strength in numbers. He thinks they'll be harder to target if they stick together. Chloe tells the group that coming to the meeting was a big step in making other people appreciate their gifts. She thanks them for coming and asks them to make sure to sign in before they leave. And no signing it, "Super Awesome Freak Lord" again. That's really annoying, Seth . Everyone takes off.
Out on the street, Light Brite is walking alone. She's wearing a bright orange jacket and a purple scarf. Everything is black and white except for her bright-colored clothing. Sin City much? Everything around her is stark and scary-looking. Light Brite hears whooshing sounds around her. Someone is near. Shadows pass this way and that. She walks more quickly, coming around a corner. She reaches an alleyway. The lights are out except for a red PARKING sign. "Great," she says. She looks up and uses her powers to turn on an overhead lamp. Her yellow motorcycle is now the only other color nearby. Something passes behind her. She turns, scared. From the darkness behind her, something grabs her feet and pulls back, making her fall forward. It pulls her back into the dark, away from us as she screams. We hear her continue to scream as something attacks her.
Opening credits. Commercials. Zack and Miri Make a Porno . Who knew Kevin Smith would grow up to make such refined fare? (But, really, I can't wait to see it.)
Daily Planet , nighttime. Clark is at a computer trying to figure out what a "Windows" means while Chloe is slurping on the straw of a generic cafeteria-style soft drink container. She complains that when she suggested a "Dinner and movie night" with Clark, she didn't think the $3.99 combo was what was going to happen. Why did you go to the newspaper for a movie and dinner night? And where's Jimmy? I know he's cool with Clark and all, but shouldn't he be invited? Clark is looking at a scrolling online police blotter for Metropolis PD and ignoring her. Chloe says Clark has the conversational skills of a paperweight. Oh, he can't help that. His brain is a paperweight. Clark finally comes out of his daze. "Huh? Whu?" Clark talks about something happening so fast it was like a blur, but I have no idea what he's referring to. Chloe, frustrated but jovial, says she has some paperwork to go do and Clark is busy saving the world. Clark promises they'll do this again soon. Fun! No thanks! Chloe says they'll do it when all the criminals are gone and there are no more accidents. Clark, not getting the tragedy of the joke, says good night. Chloe tells him not to stay up too late. On a nearby police scanner, Clark hears that there's a robbery in progress. He whooshes out of his swivel chair, which spins around in his absence.
Inside a dark jewelry store (the same one we saw last week ), a man in a suit is beaten up by a hooded criminal. The robber points a gun at the salesman. A red blur zips through the business, sending the robber through the store's front window. Couldn't you have taken him out without leaving the store vulnerable for the rest of the week, Clark? Jeez. The jeweler has an orgasm of relief. It's not pretty. I think those glass cases are going to need another cleaning.
The police scanner says there's a back alley disturbance. In my bed! OH! We see a kid, maybe nine years old, running alone in an alley. Now that's just bad parenting. The kid comes to the end of an alley, where there's an obligatory chain-link fence blocking his way. Two hoods are trying to shake him down. "What else you got?" one of the teenagers asks. The kid swears that's all his money. How much cash do you guys really think a 9-year-old is carrying around? You think he's got some Visa cards stashed in his back pocket? Gold teeth? A diversified stock portfolio? The second teen thinks the kid is lying. Of course he's lying. He's afraid for his life. The teens approach the kid. He raises his fists and punches the air while closing his eyes and turning away. A red whoosh comes between them. The teens are knocked down, having gotten clobbered. The kid smiles, thinking he did it. The self-delusion that will follow him the rest of his life begins.
A disturbance at Ace of Clubs. Screams have been heard from inside, the dispatcher says. We see Clark's red blur moving through the city streets toward it. He stops at the high-rise where the Ace of Clubs is located. He looks up at the building. He tilts his head to use the superhearing. Yep, that's screaming all right. Tragic! Clark bends down and takes a flying leap. Wonder squirrel! He lands on the club balcony. Wow, that's a lot of screaming people. It looks like parts of the roof have collapsed. People are lying everywhere, bloodied. The lights are flickering. A woman holds a bloody man in her arms. Clark takes it all in, very slowly. Hey, Clark, I've been meaning to talk to you about your ass. Would you mind getting it in gear right now? Thanks. Clark moves some rubble and turns over a body. It's Davis. He has blood running down the right side of his face. "Davis?" Clark asks. Davis is not conscious. We cut to a few minutes later as Davis is lying on a stretcher. He's woken up. He grunts as he starts to rise. Clark, who's been talking to police, comes over and tells him he probably shouldn't get up. Davis sputters, asking what happened. Clark says he was hoping Davis could tell him. Clark says there's no sign of a bomb or explosion. Just like that bus incident . Why doesn't Clark suspect that Punky Bruiser could be responsible? Clark asks Davis if something attacked those people. Davis says he was walking by with takeout. Up on one of the top floors? Clark asks if Davis remembers coming in. He doesn't. Clark thinks Davis must have a concussion. Davis, getting up, seemingly in pain, says he must have taken a pretty good blow. He thinks he's fine. Clark tells him he's injured and needs to go the hospital. Davis, walking out of the room, says he can take care of himself.
"It looks like we were both too late," a voice nearby says to Clark. Hey, it's Martian Manhunter! And he's looking suave. He's wearing a slim black leather jacket. Clark is surprised to see him. Manhunter flashes a police badge and reintroduces himself as "Detective John Jones." "Metropolis homicide?" Clark asks. Manhunter says he figured it was the best way to help people without his powers. Wanna say that louder so the other police officers nearby can also hear about your missing powers? Clark says fiercely that he hasn't forgotten about that, and that they're going to get those powers back. Christmas is right around the corner, and Santa must be listening. Manhunter looks away as he says he's found a place for himself here. Yeah, thanks for helping get rid of my powers. It's been a big help getting around. Clark asks how he made detective so quickly. "We all have our sources. Mine happen to be far-reaching," Manhunter tells him. He says that he wanted to be nearby to help, if needed, now that Clark is working at The Daily Planet and fighting crime. Clark mopes that he should have gotten here sooner and saved all these people. Manhunter guesses Clark saved his share. "You can't save everyone, Clark," Manhunter tells him. "The moment I believe that is the moment I stop trying!" Clark responds, like it's Manhunter's fault that he just said something true. Clark wants to know what happened at the club. Manhunter says that there are different theories, including a lunatic or a gang of murderers. Those are pretty amazing theories. I hope you guys aren't paid by the hour. Clark says the killer has lightning speed. The person escaped before Clark got there. Clark has no leads. An officer nearby is putting a cell phone into a plastic evidence bag. Clark sees it. "Not yet," he says. The dramatic music ramps up as Manhunter looks at the phone baggie, then looks back at Clark. He thinks, "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Clark thinks back, "Probably not. I'm not that smart. Or telepathic."
Jimmy is at his desk at the newspaper. He's working on an ancient CRT monitor that doesn't befit someone who would be working on a photo staff at a major metro paper. He's looking at the same police update site that Clark was eying earlier. Clark walks in. "Looks like you picked up the latest pastime around here," he says. Jimmy says he's trying to gather evidence about a mysterious Metropolis hero. Jimmy says, almost too fast to comprehend, that he's seem reports of a sneaky-but-good Samaritan popping up in police reports the last few weeks. Let's stop him! Clark says it sounds like an urban myth. Jimmy insists that the truth has to start somewhere. Clark says that if that hero exists, he didn't come through tonight. Clark, looking worried, says you can't be a hero if people keep dying on your shift. That's like... anti-hero territory. Jimmy notices the cell phone in the plastic bag in Clark's hand. He asks if Clark's been stealing evidence tonight. Clark says he's going to return it, but that it may have recorded what happened at the club. Jimmy offers to take a look. He finds an adapter and connects it to the phone and the computer. Someone recorded video of young people drinking shots and having a great time. Suddenly the video goes shaky as people begin to scream and something tears through the place. Bodies are thrown around. Walls are crashing down. "Whoever did this is beyond steroids," Jimmy offers. More shaky footage. Clark just stares.
As-Is Foundation. Clark shows up. Chloe, dressed up, says Clark missed the soda and cookies, but maybe next time he can give the group a "rousing Kent tale." Those stories usually end with a cow getting slaughtered. Clark says, pissily, that sitting with a group of strangers singing "Kumbaya" isn't his idea of self-help. Hey, thanks for that! The "Dick Exit" is that way. Don't let it hit your jerk ass on the way out. Chloe's smile fades. She asks what's up with the "'tude." Clark says there was an attack at the Ace of Clubs. He calls it "special." Can't you think of a better word for that? He spots Chloe's clipboard with its mutant support group sign-up sheet. He goes to it. Chloe is annoyed Clark thinks the attacker must be someone from her group. Clark says the police don't keep a list of "Krypto-perps." Chloe takes back the clipboard. She's not about pointing random fingers. Clark says the stats show that it's likely one of them did it. The data is from the National Association of Information That Just Came Out of My Butt. Chloe can't believe Clark would throw someone in a lineup just because they're different. Clark is mad at himself for letting the person responsible go. He thinks that if the perp strikes again, it'll be his fault. Chloe says she's learned to navigate Clark's "field of guilt landmines," but that these kids trust her and she's not going to give them up. They're at an impasse.
Metropolis General. Davis is in the shower, very naked, washing blood off his body. Hey, nice torso! He feels around his very muscular body for wounds, but there are none. He gulps, looking worried. The shower room is cold blue and black. Davis, horrified, doubles over. He sits on the shower floor, bare-ass naked. We see a bright yellow towel in the foreground. Spooky!
Commercials. Hershey's still makes chocolate in bar form, in case you were wondering.
Metropolis General, the next day. Davis is walking around wearing regular paramedic work clothes as opposed to cowering naked in the shower. I'm not sure it's a better look. Scary music follows him as he goes behind a medical curtain, making sure nobody notices. Aren't there any security cameras in this place, or would that be a violation of patient privacy? Davis pulls up his sleeves, ties his arm and draws blood. Action music tries to make the most of the scene. He's just drawing blood, guys. It's not a car chase. Davis hurries up when he sees shadows caused by people walking right outside the curtain. The curtain parts slightly. Davis slips out one end just as someone else is coming in from the other side. Davis walks past Jimmy, who goes up to a nurse and asks where he can find Davis. The nurse points Davis out for him, and Jimmy introduces himself. "As in Chloe's Jimmy," Davis guesses. He asks if there's something wrong with Chloe. Jimmy says that he's been going through her PDA to see who she's been hanging out with. Ha! It's just a joke! Jimmy says he's not a psycho, really. He just likes to make the worst first impression possible so he can work his way up from there. Davis says you really can't tell these days. Indeed. Jimmy says he's actually looking for a scoop on the club massacre. Got one? He says witnesses say it was some monster with bony eyelids. Davis, who appears to be wearing some Adam Ant-era eye makeup, is not amused. Davis says he gave his statement to the police and doesn't know anything else. Jimmy follows. He wants to ride along in the ambulance. Without approval from the hospital or the city. Nice. Davis warns Jimmy that he doesn't want to ride shotgun on his watch. Bad things happen! Can't you see that? Davis sighs. He explains that being first on the scene sucks. He says it's not something you want to see by choice. Unless you're dumb, like Jimmy. Jimmy asks if he can do a favor for a "bro." By that do you mean, "for a total douchebag who uses the word 'bro?' " In that case, sure, why not? Jimmy plays the romance card. He asks if Davis will do it for Chloe. Ouch. That's low, bro. Davis scoffs. He tells Jimmy to meet him downstairs at eight. Make sure your affairs are in order. Do you have life insurance? You should probably get some life insurance. Do you like burial or cremation? Just asking. No reason. Hey, what do you taste like, by the way? Salty? Sweet? Just trying to figure out a good wine to bring. No reason! Just asking! Nothing to worry about. See you at 8!
Daily Planet . Why isn't Lois around to ruin the scene? Hey, I'm not complaining. Clark has handed Martian Manhunter a list of names. He says he memorized it off Chloe's desk. Manhunter says he didn't know having a photographic memory was one of Clark's skills. Clark says it's more like speed reading, "But let's not split hairs." I guess if Clark moves really fast and can slow down time it makes sense, but I don't believe for a second that Clark has a better memory than anyone else. Manhunter asks why Chloe didn't just give Clark the list. He says they don't see eye-to-eye on this one. Manhunter gestures to Lois's empty desk and asks why his "mouthy cohort" hasn't gotten involved. Yes! Awesome. I could not love Manhunter more. Clark says that Lois is "On assignment," which he adds is code for "Monster-Truck Rally in Lubbock." If they want us to like Lois, why do they keep painting her to be this... well... to use the vernacular, this white-trashy chick? Not that there's anything wrong with that, but it doesn't really go with the way the character is being played or written. All of her music preferences and truck pulls are off-screen. She's the least-credible character on the show, and we're talking about a show with a dude from outer space as the lead.
Manhunter says that Clark's "emerald friend" (friend of Dorothy?) and his superfriends are all on hiatus, too. They are? All of them? I thought Oliver was in town. Clark says he gets it. He's all alone. Manhunter notices a bunch of coffee cups and junk on Clark's desk, the signal that he's been working all night. Manhunter says, "Obsession." He tells Clark that when people's lives are in your hands, it can be hard for anything else to seem important. Clark says nothing else is important. Manhunter reminds Clark that even when you save someone, there are consequences. Clark is disappointed that Manhunter isn't happy that he's embracing his destiny and trying to make a difference. Clark says he dropped the ball the night before. Now he wants to go through the list and see if anyone on it was responsible. Manhunter says that this wasn't an isolated attack. He says there were five other murders like it in the last month. Clark knows; he's been doing research. People died of internal injuries. Their bones were crushed. Manhunter offers to look into Clark's list of names. He also offers another angle. He says a paramedic named Davis has been the first to arrive on the scene every time. Dramatic music on a close-up of Clark. Davis! Hey, do you think he's the same Davis the Paramedic that I know?
Davis the paramedic is in a dark room with a dead body at the hospital. He's removing a scraping from underneath the corpse's fingernail. That body doesn't look very crushed to me. Davis puts the sample in a Petri dish. Just then, Chloe walks in and jokes about meeting in a moldy basement over a corpse. "Will the romance ever end?" she asks. Davis asks what she's doing there. [ But not why she's discussing romance with someone who isn't her fiancé. - Zach ] Chloe says she's there to look at the latest coroner's report on the girl who was recently killed. She was a new member of her support group. Davis says he's sorry. He tells her it wasn't her fault. Chloe thinks it was, a bit. Chloe says there are other trigger-happy people who believe one of her kids (they're "her kids" now? That was fast.) is responsible for the murders. Davis shakes his head. Chloe starts to come around the dead body. She asks if Davis is checking for strep throat. He tells her she doesn't have to worry about her clients. He doesn't think any of them committed the murders. Chloe would like to think so, too, but she wants to find a suspect. Davis looks like he's going to cry. "Um... I'm afraid that I might be the killer," he says, haltingly. Chloe squints worriedly. I just have to take a moment to give Sam Witwer props here. He pulls the scene off by keeping it quiet and understated and tragic, not breaking down and saying, "Look at me!" I may neglect to mention it elsewhere in this recap but he completely nails this entire episode and makes Davis someone you feel for. Nice work, man. Very good job.
Commercials. Hey, we're still selling iPhones. You should go get one, says Apple!
As-Is Foundation. Chloe and Davis walk. It's still nighttime. Chloe doesn't believe Davis committed these murders. She's so sure of it, she rode here with him, apparently. Ugh, I never noticed that hideous pink couch in the entrance. Gross. It matches Chloe's blouse. Chloe thinks she knows Davis, and that because he saves people every day he can't possibly be a brutal murderer. Did you ever think he doesn't save all of them? Davis says he's been in self-denial for weeks, but doesn't know how to explain the blackouts. He asks Chloe to explain why he was covered in blood, but none of it was his. Chloe has no answer for that. Davis wants to believe Chloe's right, but has nothing to base that on. Chloe thinks it's just a matter of finding the real serial killer. Easy-peasy! Chloe opens her green laptop. "You really don't believe it could be me, do you?" Davis asks, amazed. "No," Chloe says simply. Davis reminds Chloe that they just met . He thinks she's going out on a limb for him. How about going out on the whole damn forest? Chloe jokes that if it's true that "Fools rush in," then she's definitely earned the village idiot title. That's two references to Chloe possibly being in love with Davis. Does she not realize what she's doing? Mixed signals, Chloe?
Davis says she's just tossing it all aside with some self-deprecation. Chloe asks him not to make her a saint. Davis shakes his head. He sits down. He says, very seriously, that he thinks Chloe was sent to him. Chloe shuts her laptop, thus ending her investigation. She says that Davis is not a serial killer. She asks him when the blackouts started. He's always had them. He says they happened every few months when he was a kid, but now they're much more frequent. Chloe asks if that was why he got bounced from foster homes. He doesn't answer, but tells Chloe that he's always felt there was something dark inside of him. "Fighting to get out," he says, with a look on his face like he's about to throw up. Chloe says that's why he closes himself off to everyone. Oh, don't make this about how cute and vulnerable he is, Chloe. Chloe asks why he's telling her his secret after so many years of not telling anyone. "I think you know," he says simply. He says he's never met anyone like Chloe. Near tears, he asks, "But what if I'm right, Chloe? What if you're looking at a murderer?" Then this murderer is FOINE! Chloe says there are lots of people who could have done this. Could they all have been first on the scene afterward? She says they'll find the killer. They hug. Watch your back, Chloe! Davis blinks hard.
Candles are lit on a little shrine to Light Brite. The support group is standing around it out on the street where her murder happened. The iPod kid from earlier says it could have happened to any one of them. "Do you think somebody's hunting us down?" Clean-Cut asks. iPod Kid says it wouldn't be the first time. Chloe, who apparently wasn't invited to the memorial, sees what's going on as she's walking by. iPod tells Chloe that they're all at the top of the suspect list. Chloe tells them that treating everyone else as an enemy is no better than the way people treat them. Clean-Cut says that it's not the same. He says people look at you differently when you tell them you're a freak. Well, when you put it that way, yeah . Chloe says some people do, but that turning on each other isn't the answer. She wants to know if any of them saw anything that could help find Light Brite's killer. Clean-Cut and iPod think Chloe turned them in, because a cop has been visiting each of them, asking questions. Chloe says she'd never do that. Clean-Cut says somebody did. Chloe thinks she knows who it might be.
Clark is at the Metropolis hospital. He notices Davis walking toward him. Davis quickly puts away a piece of paper he's holding. Davis says he heard about the girl from Chloe's support group. "It's a messed-up world," he says. "You know Davis, it took a lot to go into that room full of screaming people," Clark says. But he says it like an accusation. "Who knows what you could have been running into." J'accuse! Davis is like, "Yeah... well... huh." Davis says that good gossip spreads as badly as bad. "So you didn't save those people?" Clark asks. Davis asks if they haven't already been over this. He says he's not a larger-than-life hero and he doesn't know what happened. Clark thinks he knows more than he's telling. Davis asks what Clark is after. Clark asks why Davis has a file full of morbid pictures of murder victims. Davis, in a panic, grabs the lurid photo that Clark is holding up. Davis asks Clark if he broke into his locker. Clark thinks keeping photos of murder victims is a strange habit. Davis says there are tons of unsolved murders in the city. He says he takes the bodies away, but maybe he wants to do more. He walks away. "Now the whole city refers to you as a hero, huh?" Clark asks. Davis stops. Clark wonders why there isn't proof that that's actually what happened. Davis comes back to Clark. He says he knows why Clark might not want to celebrate him, but wonders if Clark is only pushing so hard because he has something to hide himself. Clark doesn't want this turned around. Davis says he's not the only one in those crime scene photos. "There's another figure in the background," he says. He thinks Clark is being a bit of the city's Peeping Tom. Peeping Tom Welling! Oh my God, I just got that! Clark says he's a reporter. It's his job. Yeah, but how long have you had that job? A couple of weeks? Nice one, pulling the journalist card out like that. Davis says that these photos were taken before any press could have made it to the scene. "Next time you feel a need to shine a light on things that don't make sense," Davis says, "you might want to stay closer to home." That leaves Clark rattled and alone.
Daily Planet . Clark sits at his desk. He's abandoned his fancy dress clothes for a blue T-shirt. He's looking at a patient record on his computer. Chloe comes in, angry. She asks if Clark is sharpening his pitchfork. She can't believe he gave a list of names to the police from her office. Clark averts his eyes. Chloe asks how Clark could use his powers to betray her like that. Clark says Chloe was being really defensive. Like you are right now? Chloe says she's defended Clark the same way. She says Clark doesn't get how much of her life she's spent protecting his secret, and if Clark had the guts to step forward the ways these kids have, he'd be the first one on the pyre. Clark doesn't know what a pyre means. Is that like a pie that's on fire? Chloe asks how Clark of all people could be the ringleader of a witch hunt. Clark says that Chloe doesn't know these people, and that after eight years of friendship, he expects the benefit of the doubt from Chloe. Except they've known each other longer than eight years. Didn't they meet long before the show started? "That works both ways," Chloe says coldly. She says Clark's "extra features" don't give him the right to trump anyone else's judgment. Clark suggests they let the facts speak for themselves. Clark shows Chloe some test results Davis was trying to hide. He somehow hacked into the hospital's computers. Does Clark not know how illegal that is? I hope they bust his ass. Chloe reads. Clark thinks Chloe must be able to make sense of the results. "Oh my God," she says. The skin under the victim's fingernails belonged to Davis.
Hospital. Jimmy has shown up, looking for Davis. He brought his camera. It's very, very dark. There's a dead body still lying on a stretcher. Jimmy stares at it. He turns and Davis is there, scaring him. "You ready to catch a killer?" he asks. Jimmy is totally ready. The strings of doom play to a very high pitch. Watch out, Jimmy! Dude is Doomy!
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Metropolis nights. Jimmy and Davis are riding the rig. Hey, Jimmy... you want to see something really scary ? Rent the Twlight Zone movie. He asks Davis how often he gets calls from dispatch. Davis says it depends on the night. Jimmy feels dismissed. Davis tries again: "Some nights are busier than others." Jimmy says he bets Davis has seen some horrible things. Davis starts to blink and move his head like he's falling asleep. He's narcoleptic! Run! A call comes in, taking Davis out of his state. Jimmy looks worried. He asks what a "4-11" means. I only know the numbers that are mentioned in rap songs . That's how I learned, "2-11" and "1-8-7." Davis says it's the reason Jimmy came along tonight. He turns on the siren.
We see the ambulance arrive at a dark, fenced area. Davis pulls out his flashlight. There's something on the ground. He picks it up. It looks like a key, but is so out-of-focus, I can't be sure. Hey, focus! Down in front! They hear something growling beyond a fence line up ahead. Davis tells Jimmy to stay there. He goes inside. Jimmy waits. From behind Jimmy, we hear something whoosh by. Then there are crashing noises and a growl. "Davis!" Jimmy calls. More whooshing. Animal noises. Jimmy goes to the ambulance to retrieve another flashlight. Then he goes inside the fence. Scary!
In the newsroom, Clark is flipping through Davis's photos of murder scenes. He tells Chloe, who is at the computer, that the ambulance number is 17. Chloe says she's surprised Clark hasn't utilized the help of their Martian friend. Clark says that he can't help without some hard proof. Chloe points out that what Clark has isn't conclusive. Thanks, Chloe. Chloe says the victim with the fingernail scrapings could have been reaching up to Davis for help. Chloe reluctantly admits that Davis has the perfect set-up. He can attack people and then pretend to arrive at the scene to save them. Clark says he knows it isn't easy. Chloe finds the dispatch call and location on the computer. They hear a voice. Someone is saying that they need help. There's some kind of monster. Chloe recognizes the voice as Jimmy's. Clark whooshes out without another word.
Clark arrives next to the ambulance. The vehicle is empty. The radio Jimmy used to call is hanging. Davis emerges from the fence. He's stooped over. "Clark!" he says hoarsely. Clark asks what he did to Jimmy. A dark shape grabs Davis by the neck and pulls him back. Davis grunts as he's snatched away. Instead of using his powers, Clark walks in. Very slowly. As he walks into what looks like another alley, everything is in black and white. Clark's red jacket and the ambulance behind him are the only spots of color. Clark calls for Davis. Something is growling nearby. Clark bends down. There's a black creature straddling Davis, who is lying on the ground. The thing, which has green eyes and is giving off black smoke, is choking him. [ It's Lost's Smoke Monster! Run! - Z ] It sees Clark and rushes away very quickly. Clark goes to help Davis. Davis is couching and hacking. Jimmy shows up behind Clark, holding the flashlight. He tells Clark it's "some sort of shadow creature." [ Is that like a Shadow Thief ? - Z ] That creature is still moving around them. Clark turns. The thing grabs Jimmy and pulls him away. Jimmy is on the ground. He sees a dead body lying next to him. Clark uses his X-ray vision and sees the thing perched over Jimmy. Clark grabs a tire nearby and gives it a mighty swing. The tire sails in slow motion. It hits something with a thud. "Ugh!" the thing says. Clark grabs the flashlight and goes over to see the damage. The shadow creature is slumped over. Its shadow appearance disappears, leaving only Clean-Cut, from Chloe's support group. He's hurt. Jimmy is unconscious, but wakes up when Clark touches him. He says he's fine. They both look at Clean-Cut, who is now asleep. Jimmy starts taking pictures of the slumped teenager. Clark goes back out past the alley as Davis is getting up wearily. Davis is breathing heavily. Clark gulps, feeling bad for accusing the guy of being a killer. Oh, just wait, Clark.
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As-Is Foundation, daytime. Clark comes in without knocking. DO. YOU. HAVE. NO. BOUNDARIES?! Were you raised in a barn?! Well... shit. I guess you were. Clark puts his jacket down and approaches Chloe, who appears to be putting away some files. Clark just says, "I lost perspective." Chloe admits she can be stubborn. Clark says he was a little frustrated that Chloe trusted someone else instead of him. Clark admits he's been obsessed lately and that it pushed him over the line with Chloe. Good, Clark. This is the first step in admitting you're an asshat. He says he's sorry. "But you were protecting a killer," he throws in, just for laughs. Nice apology. Dick. Clark says he doesn't know how Chloe could trust people she hardly knows. She walks over to a purple filing cabinet. She pulls out a worn-looking thick folder. "327," she says. That's the number of meteor-infected people she's been profiling since 9th grade. She hands over the folder to Clark. A folder ? In a filing cabinet at Isis? Are you fucking kidding me ? That's your secure system? Chloe has the brain of a supercomputer, but she keeps everyone on paper in the least secure building in Metropolis. Way to protect your peeps, Chloe. She says the number she's actually saved is much smaller than 327: zero point zero. [ Not even half of a person? - Z ] Clark says he's been so busy rescuing people from them, he never thought about it like that. Chloe says it's not just the damsels in distress who need saving. She tells Clark that when she thought he was among those numbers, she'd have done anything to protect him. Clark blinks. He says it scares him that she might someday put her trust in the wrong person. Chloe doesn't have a good answer for that. They just stare at each other, at a loss.
Metropolis view from the sky, daytime. Davis is sitting outside a café at a table. Chloe shows up to meet him. He thanks Chloe for believing in him. Chloe says he was just scared and paranoid. She says backing someone who's innocent isn't too much of a sacrifice. "Everything with you is so..." she begins. "Easy," he finishes. Chloe agrees. He asks if Chloe's ever felt that way with anyone before. She says she has. Once. "With Jimmy?" he asks. "No," Chloe admits. She suddenly looks sad. Davis says he's not trying to get between Chloe and the rest of her life. Chloe turns it to her work; she says she just helps people. She's playing nervously with her engagement ring. Davis looks at it. When she says it doesn't have to mean anything more than that, he suggests that it does. He looks at her soulfully, and asks if Chloe helped him before out of her code of personal ethics, or if there was more to it than that. More! More! Much more! Chloe shifts gears. She says she shouldn't be here right now. Davis asks if she feels guilty about something. "No. And I'd like it to stay that way," she tells him. She says it's probably best she doesn't see him for a while. Chloe goes. She leaves Davis sitting there, looking sad, his hand around a cold one. Drink up, buddy. Daytime beer gets warm fast.
Daily Planet , nighttime. Clark is holding a file and photo of Clean-Cut. He's asking Martian Manhunter how he could have been so wrong about Davis. It turns out the shadow creature kid confessed to all of the recent murders. Clark says there are more psychos waiting. He thinks he has to work more. Manhunter warns Clark about his methods. He says Clark can't access the police blotter every night and peel away the side of a bus in broad daylight. He says Clark is so fixated on being a hero, he's not paying attention to who might be watching. Even with Lex gone, he has a point, dude. Clark asks if this is a pep talk. Manhunter says that Clark's secret is at risk and he's having to keep running interference over Clark's hero shenanigans. Clark says it means he's doing his job. He thinks, stupidly, that all he has to do is make sure no one sees his face. Manhunter asks if Clark is planning on putting on a mask. "You're joking, right?" Clark asks. [ Seriously, have you seen his face? - Z ] Manhunter warns him that he's not in Smallville anymore. He says there's millions of people in Metropolis looking for hope. "You are that miracle," he tells Clark. Oh, come on, man, let's not get carried away. He thinks it's a matter of time before somebody discovers it. "I'll be more careful," Clark promises. Just then, Jimmy walks in. He's pleased to see Manhunter. He says none of the other police officers will talk to him. Jimmy asks if Manhunter knows anything about a hero in Metropolis. He hurriedly explains about how the shadow guy got knocked out by a tire. [ A tire that was thrown from exactly where Clark was standing! Weird! - Z ] "Slow down!" Manhunter tells the rambling Jimmy. Jimmy shakes his hand, introducing himself. Jimmy insists that this hero is real. "I hope you're right. We could use the help!" Manhunter tells him. I love him. He is so awesome. I wish the show was about him. Manhunter cuts Jimmy off by saying he'll be happy to hear more when the guy has some hard evidence to present. That shuts Jimmy up. Manhunter bids them goodnight. Jimmy promises Clark that he's going to prove his hero exists. "He's out there," Jimmy says. Yeah. Right next to you.
Clean-Cut is sitting in a detention center. A woman who is not Tess Mercer, but is dressed like her, enters the room. Clean-Cut guesses she's not a lawyer. She shows him that day's paper and congratulates him for making Page 1. The headline says, "Shadow Killer Caught." He says it's nice to have his work recognized after having been the little boy in the shadow. Tess's foot soldier tells him he has more admirers than he thinks. She tells him that her boss, Tess Mercer, is gathering a group of talented people like him. He's not interested in sharing top billing. She calls him on his bullshit. She says he's just a copycat looking for attention, and that he didn't commit those murders. She says the cops haven't seen it yet, but there's surveillance footage of him at an arcade during the crimes. What teenager still goes to a video arcade? She says he must have studied the crimes. She asks him to remember a nun at St. Vincent's who was crushed to death. Clean-Cut insists that it was him and that the timecode on the video must be wrong. She asks where the missing onyx crucifix on the rosary is. "You didn't kill her," she insists. Uh-oh.
We cut to an exterior shot of Davis getting into his ambulance. Davis, sitting at the wheel, starts to blink and lose focus. The camera pans left and focuses on something hanging from the rearview mirror. It's a crucifix, the same one taken from the nun that Davis apparently killed. Doomsday! We cut to black.
Next week: Jimmy snaps a photo of Clark in a compromising position. And does Clark suit up? Maybe.
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Omar G. is a journalist and comic living in New Braunfels, Texas. You can find him on Terribly Happy , Space Monkeys! and at Videogamey.com .