S2 E15 - Prodigal (JOKO'S RAMBLINGS)

Ok, folks. Going to try to get back into this. I'm watching Talkville and really enjoying it. Figured I'd get back to my own rewatch and try to stay ahead of Tom and Michael. I don't know why anyone in this sub wouldn't be watching Talkville, but if you aren't you really should. It's great. On to the SUMMARY!

Note: I'm debating moving the last three items on these summaries to the comments... these things are just too long as it is.

Summary

Lex tracks down his brother, Lucas, whom he thought dead. The next hour is spent in double- and triple-crossing that is more Shyamalan than Smallville. Clark has a few teen angsty things to deal with, but it's nothing like the Luthors. Family drama and chaos ensue.

Production Notes

We open on your stereotypical Chinatown gambling den. The lone white guy there is scamming his poker table with the help of a cohort with cameras. The cohort is caught, and the new kid is in trouble. But wait! He's freaking James Bond! A few kicks and creative uses of a human shield, and our new hero is on a motorcycle and headed out of the district. He's almost caught but is miraculously saved by... Lex? Who claims he's this kid's brother!?! Ok what the SOMEBODYSAAAAVE MEEEEEE.

Oh, I get it. "Prodigal." Like 'prodigal son'? I think we're gonna get some Lionel in this episode!

Clark is at the Talon, apparently looking for work. Odd since the end of the last episode had Lana pretty much trashing Clark for leaving her hanging. I'd chalk this up to convenience and 'hey that was last week,' but the camera actually pans over to show the rose Clark brought Lana still in the trash. It's a nice bit of continuity that contradicts the witty banter they are laying down in this scene.

A... HA! Lionel in the house! Lex is trying to surprise Lionel by showing up with his younger bother, but Lionel embraces him. That's so Lionel. This is the beginnings of a coup by Lex (Lucas is entitled to some shares). John Glover is awesome in this scene. He's just so slimy and has such gravitas. I love it.

Lex brings Lucas by Clark's place because... I actually have no idea why. It's like a tour of Smallville. I can only assume Lucas' past is gonna follow him here. In the meantime, talk of brothers and parents leads to a classic Superman What If discussion on how Clark would be different if he was found by the Luthers instead of the Kents. Lucas also taunts him with how Clark would be different if he was alone and abandoned by his parents. That hits close to home. They then D up for a game of one-on-one, and I suddenly feel the need to promote Hulu and closed-captioning. When the 2000s CW soundtrack kicks in, Hulu CC lists the artist and song. Awesome. Watching Clark intentionally suck at basketball is hard. Of course, he then shows off, convincing Lucas to take a cheap shot at his jaw. So, Lucas is a an ass?

Back at Luther Mansion, Lex learns that his accounts have been frozen. Lucas has sided with Lionel. Yes, Lucas is an ass. Lex is homeless and asks the Kents to crash with them. You can almost hear Jonathan grinding his teeth in this scene. Schneider is so great. And a damned fine looking dude. But, Lucas is grifting Lionel, too. He really is a Luthor. Lionel gets him to sign away his shares... sort of. Lucas signs "Bite Me" on the form, and Lionel is visibly shaken/annoyed. But... he's blind, right? Is he faking it? Hmm..... Lucas wings a billiard ball at Lionel! He ducks! He can see! This is a great scene by Glover. The way his eyes go from 'distant gaze of the unseeing' to stare into Lucas' face is perfect.

Lucas' past comes back quick as an assassin takes shots at him in an alley. Clark saves him, and we're left to wonder how much of this 'save' Lucas is aware of. The guy on the bike got thrashed and the bullets had to go... somewhere. Right?

Another Lionel and Lucas scene. I could watch an entire show based on this family, as long as John Glover is there. So, so good. Lex had been exiled to the Kent farm for three days, and it looks like he earned a little respect from Jonathan. A nice scene between Rosenbaum and Schneider. Until Lucas attacks Pa Kent from behind.

Clark and Lionel have a throwaway scene here, but it really demonstrates how great John Glover is and how I recall the Lionel character changing over the course of the series. No spoilers - not sure I could since it's been so long since I watched the entire series - but I recall very much enjoying his character arc from the 10 years.

So we get a Luther 3-way standoff (insert Spiderman meme) in which Lex is let in on the fact that Lionel's sight has returned. So, that cat is (mostly) out of the bag. This family is so screwed up, I can't even tell who is scamming who with the help of who else anymore. If I walked into a room and saw any of them, I'd nope out of there faster than Homer at a hedge. Ain't nothing gonna go good there.

Clark shows up and sees what's going on through the wall. How's he gonna do this without anyone seeing him? Oh, a quick shot of heatvision to make Lucas drop the gun. Lionel, who literally seconds earlier shouts, "I WILL NOT KILL MY SON," puts two bullets into Lucas. But, they're blanks. Ok, I have no idea what just happened. Both guns had blanks. Lucas and Lex put this together to... what... see what Lionel would do? See if he'd shoot Lex? Defend him? Lex and Lucas walk out all haughty like they learned something... but wtf did they learn? Lex learned his father wouldn't kill him. Lucas learned that - if he was a raging asshole that threatened Lex - Lionel WOULD kill him. WTF was the point of this? I'VE LEARNED NOTHING.

This is almost entirely a Luthor development episode, and I'm fine with that. We end up largely returned to the status quo with Lex and Lionel playing mental chess against each other, and Lex back in charge of LexCorp. Lucas is still out there, though, so we may get a return appearance to stir the pot in some future episode.

Superman Mythos

There are numerous What If scenarios/storylines/comics considering the possibilities of what would have happened if Superman were raised by someone other than the Kents (the Luthors, Soviet Russia, etc). Nice discussion topic by Lucas.

Notable Guest Stars

Paul Wasilewski as Lucas Luthor: HOLY COW. 20 years have passed, and this guy has seen some things. He goes by Paul Wesley now, and if you thought you might have recognized him, then you probably have watched the EXCELLENT new series Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. This MFer plays James T Kirk! Talk about coming back strong. I'll note that he had a long run on The Vampire Diaries, as well, but that series never hit my radar. But, it had staying power and devoted fans.

Villain rating

Luthor duplicity

Threat level ★★★★★

Casting ★★★★★

Overall ★★★★★★★★★★

The easy mark here is to claim Lucas is the villain... but that's not really true. It's really just the Luthor gene pool. The three actors play off each other well, especially considering Lucas is new to this whole thing. The back and forth and overall nastiness is on full display and just whets the appetite for future storylines. Excellent writing and acting.

Memorable Quotes

Martha: "We can't turn our backs on Lex now." Jonathan: "Oh, believe me, I have NO intention on turning my back on Lex now."

Lex to Clark: "My father may try to rule the world, but yours will inherit the Earth." I mean... it's kinda a shot, isn't it?

Season 2 Episode Rankings so far:

E8 - Ryan

E1 - Vortex

E15 - Prodigal

E2 - Heat

E13 - Suspect

E11 - Visage

E7 - Lineage

E10 - Skinwalkers

E9 - Dichotic

E4 - Red

E6 - Redux

E5 - Nocturne

E3 - Duplicity

E14 - Rush

E12 - Insurgence

People that are aware of Clark's powers and current status as of this episode:

Jonathon and Martha

Greg Arkin (S1E2 Metamorphosis) - Bug boy; He's crushed but it's implied he lived

Kyle Tippet (S1E11 Hug) - Persuasive Powers; Agrees to keep Clark's secret

Eric Summers (S1E12 Leech) - Had Clark's powers for short period; Institutionalized

Sasha Woodman (S1E18 Drone) - Controls bees; Sting-induced coma

Justin Gaines (S1E19 Crush) - Telekinetic; Institutionalized

Desiree Atkins (S1E2 Heat) - Seductress; Jailed

Pete Ross (S2E3 Duplicity) - Finds spaceship; Brought into family secret

Half the patrons at a bar (S2E4 Red) - I mean, they all saw it, right?!

Rachel Dunleavy (S2E7 Lineage) - Crazy Wannabe Mom; Committed to psych ward

Ian Randall (S2E9 Dichotic) - Bodysplitter; Unknown (at least for now)

Oh man... Can we list Lionel here? Jeez...

Suspicions

Lana (Due to being saved during the tornado events at the end of S1)

Lex (Always... though never quite enough, apparently)

People that once knew of Clark's powers and current status as of this episode:

Jeremy Creek (S1E1 Pilot) - Electrocution leads to amnesia

Coach Walt Arnold (S1E3 Hothead) - Firestarter; Dead (Burned alive)

Sean Kelvin (S1E5 Cool) - Cold villain; Presumed Dead (frozen in pond)

Cassandra Carver (S1E6 Hourglass) - Seer; Dead (Shock of seeing Lex's future)

Detective Sam Phelan (S1E9 Rogue) - Cop/Blackmailer; Dead (Shootout with police)

Deputy Gary Watts (S1E20 Obscura) - Kidnapper; Dead (Shootout with police)

Roger Nixon (S2E1 Vortex) - Reporter; Dead (Shot by Lex)

Ryan James (S1E16 and S2E8) - Telepathic; Dead (Brain tumor) :(

Kyla Willowbrook (S2E10) - Naman's 'Soulmate'; Dead (Bad injury during escape)

Tina Greer (S1E4 and S2E11) - Shapeshifter; Dead (Impaled)

Chloe (S2E14 Rush) - Red Clark tells her but she's got a worm; Amnesia after removal

Ongoing list of notable Smallville and Supernatural overlaps:

Robert Singer (Director of S1E13

)Kevan Smith (Wade Mahaney in S1E13 Kinetic)

Corin Nemec (Jude Royce in S1E14)

Garwin Sanford (Mr. Brooks in S2E4 Red

)Sean Faris (Byron Moore in S2E5 Nocturne)

George Coe (William Clark in S2E6 Redux)

Neil Grayston (Russell Burton in S2E6 Redux)

Emmanuelle Vaugier (Dr. Helen Bryce in S2E9 Dichotic and others)

Jill Teed (Maggie Sawyer in S2E13 Insurgence)

Eric Keenleyside (Mike in S2E13 Suspect)

Rob LaBelle (Dr Walden in S2 E14 Rush)