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« Smallville
Episode Recap: Sleeper
Chloe: “Have you ever killed anyone?”
Jimmy: “Yeah, but they were all bad.”
This week's episode of True Lies Smallville kicked off with a pre-credits intro that saw super-spy Jimmy Olsen break into a ventilation system, disable a courier, crack into a retinal-scan briefcase and steal its contents.
Flash back to fourteen hours earlier, where Jimmy's burning the toast on a breakfast he's prepared special for Chloe. She doesn't have time to eat, but makes an empty to promise to do lunch.
As it happens, she has enough time to meet with Clark, hoping he's managed to steal back the Veritas keys from Lex.
Nope. “I spent the night with Lana.”
Pointing out the obvious, Chloe argues there's no point in his saving Lana if Lex will eventually have complete control over his powers.
But if he's so bent on finding Brainiac, why doesn't he go re-read the Swann journals? You know, make himself useful for a change?
He does, and stumbles across a page he hasn't seen before, an entry dated 1989 telling him that if he wants to save Lana, he has to go to the fortress.
Unsure of the significance, Clark decides he better go ask Jor-El for the specifics.
Chloe, once again speaking as the voice of reason, points out that the last time Clark went to Jor-El for help, he turned him into a “popsicle...so you could outlive us all.”
Never mind that time that Clark sought Jor-El's help in saving Lana and it ended up costing Jonathan his life. Clark being Clark, he races off to the fortress anyway.
Just as he's on his way out of the barn, Jimmy confronts him, asking for his advice in dealing with a friend who's been keeping a really big secret. See, Jimmy's been approached by the government, who traced Chloe's hacking to his computer and recruited his help in uncovering the truth behind his terrorist girlfriend.
Relieved that Jimmy's not onto his own secret and oblivious to the implications of what he's saying, Clark assures him there's nothing to worry about, that he should just trust his heart and have faith in his friend.
While Clark's busy offering bad advice, Chloe's using the Isis Foundation computers to hack into government satellites to track Kara and Brainiac's disappearance into the sky. Right before she's able to reveal her shocking discoveries to Clark, she realizes that Jimmy's installed super-spy-ware on her computer.
In order to fully understand what it is she's found, Chloe needs to show up at The Ace of Clubs... club, for which she needs a date. Despite knowing of Jimmy's betrayal, she invites him as her date. Why not?
“With your busy schedule, I'm surprised you could pencil this in,” Jimmy snarks.
“And I'm surprised you were able to rent a tux on such short notice,” Chloe retorts, likely in an attempt to see which one of them could be more lacking in subtlety.
Following an awkwardly extended dance sequence, we finally flash back to the beginning of the episode.
Jimmy's government handler berates him for getting played by Chloe – the data he stole was nothing more than employee benefit packages – and proceeds to kidnap him before setting off to torture Chloe.
In no short order, Jimmy Bond disables his captor, rescues Chloe and re-ignites the dying embers of their relationship back at her apartment, assuring her that she has nothing more to worry about from the government. She has her secrets, he has his.
As with most secrets on the show, Jimmy's revolve around Lex Luthor, whom he begs for help in getting Chloe removed from the government's terrorist watch list. Lex has already taken care of this, and assures Jimmy that he's only doing this because, as his employee, Jimmy is his family, and families look out for each other. So should the opportunity ever arise where Jimmy could help Lex, Lex knows Jimmy will return the favor.
Of course, Lex, who used up the entire five minutes of his sub-plot tracking down a seemingly dead-end clue (some sort of astrological-crypto-puzzle) in Zurich, needs all the help he can get.
In the closing scene, Chloe reveals to Clark that she tracked down two blurs disappearing into a vortex in space around the same time Clark saw Kara and Brainiac fly off.
Her conclusion: Kara is contacting Clark from an alternate time-line on an alternate Krypton where Brainiac hopes to murder an infant Clark, effectively erasing his entire existence on earth.
It's time for Kal-El to go home. Here's hoping Brainiac's waiting, and prepared with a Kryptonian Sports Almanac.
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Apr 25, 2008 1:43 AM
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Here's hoping Brainiac's waiting, and prepared with a Kryptonian Sports Almanac.
Hahaha! Don't worry I'm sure his flux capacitor will come in handy.
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Apr 25, 2008 2:03 AM
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Glad I'm not the only one who thought the dance scene was ENTIRELY too long. Usually they squeeze so much into the episode, it moves really fast. That sequence however...I was wondering how many people will look back and see that as a Jump-the-shark episode. Some posters on Kryptonsite were saying they wish it was just a Jimmy-dream- sequence (like Noir.) I agree. It was that terrible. And I LOVE Smallville and usually don't nit pick.
Definately hoping next week will make up for it.
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Apr 25, 2008 3:02 AM
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Not my favorite episode. Were they trying to do a Mr. & Mrs. Smith thing? IMO, Chloe and Jimmy were pretty boring in this episode, even though it was supposed to be fairly exciting. It struck me as funny that Clark is always being accused of taking Chloe for granted, when she does the very same thing to Jimmy. I like Chloe/Alison Mack a lot, but boy was that some bad dancing. The intro was pretty cool, though, and so was the scene in the Fortress. At least it was Jimmy who rescued Chloe this time, and not Clark. I know a lot of people will complain about Clark putting Lana above everything else again, but I really can't blame the dude. I mean, he loves the girl and she's basically a zombie and in constant pain because of what Brainiac did to her to get to Clark. I'd feel awfully guilty, too, but I'd also be worried about my missing cousin. Oh, well. Time to move on to bigger and better things. Next week's episode looks like it's going to be pretty awesome.
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Apr 25, 2008 3:07 AM
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bluegrumpy - that dance sequence was 100% ripped from True Lies, except, in the movie, it was Arnold Schwarzenegger and Tia Carrere and ah, both of them (or at least, their doubles) took the time to learn how to dance.
As for Clark being a slave to Lana's love, I get that. It just kills me that he never sees the bigger picture.
But you're right, next week should be awesome.
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Apr 25, 2008 8:22 AM
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I struggled to NOT fast forward this episode, it was so lack luster. Was this an episode of Smallville? Could've fooled me.
bluegrumpy"Chloe and Jimmy were pretty boring in this episode."
Yes, they were. And the ending of them making up didn't ring true for me. In the beginning, when Chloe is blowing Jimmy off, and he asks her if she's no longer feeling the same feelings he is, I was like, "yes! tell him the spark's gone!" because that scene was just...awkward. Move on, both of you. And that whole dance sequence was just horrid.
Clark. Here I thought, by the end of the episode last week, that he was going to stop being a whiny you know what and finally do something about Lex. "I don't care about Lex!" he whines. Oh no, Lana is soooo much important than Lex finding out who Clark is and what he'll do to him, never mind the world. I wanted to reach into my television and whop him upside his head with Kryptonite.
The scenes from next week look more promising: it's CLARK in glasses! The fumbling, mild-mannered Clark Kent! Yay!
~Sangeeta
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Apr 25, 2008 8:29 AM
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This week the limits of credibility were stretched to say the least. Jimmy as a superspy? Lex helping Jimmy? Lex getting Chloe's government file wiped and the agent off her case? Oy.
Here's hoping next week makes up for this week.
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Apr 25, 2008 8:48 AM
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Oh, and not to mention, the government is so incompetent,that they had to resort to using a civilian to try and get the goods on someone they thought was a terrorist?
And the beating of Chloe made NO sense. At least, not to me. I was hoping that that witch wasn't really an agent of the U.S. Government, but another Luthor Lackey.
~Sangeeta
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Apr 25, 2008 9:02 AM
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I think everyone said it all here. The episode was truly snooze worthy. But I have to say I actually am beginning to feel for Jimmy. Clark's secret has almost become annoying to keep. And Mr. Kent himself, didn't seem to be working very hard to get any answers to questions. He let Chloe do all of the work and potentially get in trouble with government officials.
The dance sequence was bad because Jimmy and Chloe don't have any chemistry. He's sweet, but if Chloe had been dancing with Oliver, I think it would've played better.
I am sure next week's episode will make up for last night's debacle.
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Apr 25, 2008 10:24 AM
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While I agree last nights ep wasn't the greatest, I would rather watch that then most of what's on TV.
As far as their dancing, yest it wasn't perfect, but they aren't dancers. If the average person went out dancing with their significant other, how good is their dancing gonna be? How many people practice a tango BEFORE they go out dancing? That's a nitpick that I think we can let go.
On the other hand, Jimmy Olson as "superspy" doesn't work on any level and not because of Ashmore, but the Character of Jimmy Olson is supposed to be a bumbling kid...
Someone mentiond they thought the "government agent" was working for Lex. I still think she is. No government aent is going to conduct an interogation in the field, first of all, second they wouldn't drink on duty... Well let's just say given her demeanor, and he "co-workers" I highly doubt she works for the government (at least not ours).
Finally, I too am looking forward to watching next weeks episode. Should be fun. 
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Apr 25, 2008 11:34 AM
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vlfranklin - I think you're right about the "government agent" working for Lex.
The problem with a show like this is that while it's hard to believe someone like her is actually in the employ of the feds, it wouldn't come as any great surprprise that the writers think the character is a "realistic" portrayal of someone who is.
Either way, it makes a lot more sense that someone working for Lex would compromise a potential investigation by backhanding Chloe and bringing Jimmy on board.
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Apr 25, 2008 12:13 PM
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I wouldn't say this was a bad episode just a dull one. The main story line elements were good but they were executed poorly with the Jimmy subplot this week. However I will take dull Jimmy over tedious Lana/Lois episodes any day.
I know Michael Rosenbaum just had a Lex-centric episode last week but I would think that he would be a bigger part of what episodes he has left. His stuff last night seemed somewhat throwaway even though he was finally getting to Zurich and the mystery box.
Was Clark even in the episode last night? Looking back at his scenes they seem like a foggy dream recollection. I shall again reiterate that Clark needs to wake the frak up and be a man. When he basically blew off everything because he was with a catatonic Lana the whole night I couldn't believe it. This show has been on for years yet Clark still has moments where I feel like I am watching a first season episode from the standpoint of character development.
I was entertained by the concept of what Braniac seems to be doing and I am interested to see what the item Lex found has to do with Clark. BTW what happenned to the Martian Manhunter? If I were Clark and Chloe I would have gotten him on the case to figure out where Braniac and Kara went weeks ago. 
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Apr 25, 2008 2:28 PM
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Truly wretched episode; a total waste of an hour.
Clark's a shoo-in for Idiot of the Year. The Jimmy character is a train wreck; they're going so far off canon with him (superspy??) they shouldn't have called him Jimmy Olsen; I'm waiting for them to introduce his gee-whiz younger cousin of the same name who takes up photography when the elder Jimmy is killed by the latest villain.
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Apr 25, 2008 5:21 PM
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You said it, Scott! And just WHERE did he get those James Bond typish gadgets?
This character should've just not been brought in. AT. ALL.
James: "vlfranklin - I think you're right about the "government agent" working for Lex."
Ahem. James, that was me who put out that thought. 
In a perfect World, they would bring back John Schneider for next week's episode.
~Sangeeta
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Apr 25, 2008 5:36 PM
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I agree this episode was dull... I watched it online but kept pausing it since I was getting so bored.
I do have a question though... was the guy who attacked Lex in Zurich the same one that killed his assistant last week.. cause that could be really interesting.
Like the plot about Brainiac trying to kill Clark as a kid. Reminds me of Lois and Clark, where one of the villains tried to kill Clark right after he landed on Earth by going back in time and surrounding him with kryptonite. That was one of my fav episodes so hopefully the plot will be just as good here.
Next week does look awesome... Lex as president, Clark in glasses!!
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Apr 25, 2008 9:53 PM
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