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Episode Recap: Traveler
Working late into the night, Lionel Luthor is delivered an ominous note. “Heed our warning. The son of Krypton belongs to Veritas.”
Not one to take outside threats to the son of Krypton lightly, Lionel quickly dispatches a crack squad of mercenaries, armed with the latest in krypton-enhanced taser technology, to kidnap Clark. Operating under the auspice that all of this is in Clark’s best interest, Lionel has no trouble claiming the ends justify the means.
Lucky for Clark, Lana and Chloe were to quick to realize that Clark’s disappearance was wholly unrelated to his plans to head to the fortress and convince Jor-El to restore Kara’s memory/powers. Unlucky for them, their first instinct is to seek out Lionel for help, who tries to shift the blame toward Lex, pointing out that he’s been developing military-grade tasers. Yes.
Chloe and Lana aren’t the only young, attractive women on Lionel’s case. Patricia Swann, Virgil’s daughter, discovered that her father had been part of a secret society, Veritas, along with Lionel, the Queens and Genevieve Teague. The group was dedicated to finding and protecting the prophesized “traveler” who arrived in Smallville following a meteor shower.
A quick refresher – Virgil Swann was the scientist played by Christopher Reeve, the Queens are the parents of the Green Arrow and Genevieve Teague was the mother of Jason Teague, the assistant football coach who dated Lana.
Patricia discovered evidence that linked Lionel to the deaths of the other members of Veritas and realized that he wanted to keep the son of Krypton to himself. Threatening to expose him, she works out a deal to turn over the evidence in exchange for Clark. Shockingly, she’s murdered in cold blood by the episode’s end. For all her research into Lionel, she must never have realized the consequences of crossing the Luthor family.
Meanwhile, Chloe and Lana discover that Lionel is behind Clark’s disappearance and figure out he’s being held at an abandoned airstrip. Chloe notes the facility is locked down tighter than Fort Knox and quickly realizes that the only person who can save Clark is Kara, who’s something of a prisoner herself inside the Luthor mansion. Fortunately, Lana has blueprints of the secret escape tunnels Lex created in the case of another home invasion.
After freeing Kara, Chloe takes her to the fortress to demand that Jor-El restore her memories and power in order to save Clark. In what was probably one of Alison Mack’s best scenes of the whole series, she pleads “Out of all the planets across the universe you decided to send your only son to this one, to Earth! You trusted us to protect him! Now please, Jor-El, I need you to trust me. I love your son! He's in danger and he needs your help!”
Jor-El, who must have dug her bit of monologue as much as I did, obliges the request and returns Kara to her pre-amnesia state.
In short order, Kara arrives at the airstrip, where Lionel’s thug has taken matters into his own hands and decided that is Clark is too dangerous to be kept alive. She destroys the cage, by throwing it into the control room, which reveals to Clark that Lionel was behind his imprisonment.
Back at the farm, Patricia explains to Clark about Veritas, and Clark, who “always looks for the good in people” finally realizes that the Luthors are a lost cause. He confronts Lionel and asks the obvious question – why was the cage built in the first place (and wouldn't it have been easier to just bring Patricia out to the farm to meet Clark if he was going to have her killed anyway?) – and tells Lionel he’s the same terrible person he’s always been.
This was the episode I've been waiting for for a while. Kara finally served a purpose. The Veritas storyline was introduced. Chloe and Lana worked together to save Clark, and it didn't come off as trite. There was a small but significant reference to an older episode ("Lockdown") that made me think there is some continuity in this show after all. Can't wait to see next week's episode.
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Mar 21, 2008 1:19 PM
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Pretty sure it was Lex who killed Patricia Swann, since he was holding her necklace at the end of the episode.
Plus when she was knocked out in the airstrip, Lionel told the psycho to put her on the plane to Europe, why wouldn't he have just killed her there.
Good episode all around. Great recap, I must have missed the message at the beginning because I was wondering what those letters said.
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Mar 21, 2008 1:29 PM
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I liked this episode much better than last week's. It was nice to see Chloe and Lana working together to help Clark. I am also glad that the "Kara has amnesia" storyline is over and she has her powers back.
The one thing that bothered me was the cage. How did Clark not die from such prolonged exposure to Kryptonite?
James, you said "...and wouldn't it have been easier to just bring Patricia out to the farm to meet Clark if he was going to have her killed anyway?" I got the impression that Lex had her killed since he had the necklace at the end of the episode. It could have been Lionel too but then how did Lex get the necklace?
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Mar 21, 2008 1:30 PM
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Darvy and Kristin - you're completely right about Lex being responsible for her death.
I'm not sure why I didn't realize that, especially because I knew that her locket would have some significance because of the way Lex commented on it when they first met. I must have missed it at the end when he was holding it.
And you're right Darvy, it makes no sense that Lionel would have her killed when he was planning to send her off to Europe and/or could have killed her in the control room and blamed it on Pierce.
Good catch by the both of you, thanks.
And Kristin - yeah, I'm relieved that amnesia storyline is over too. About the cage though...I might be wrong on this, but I don't think the show's ever been too clear on the specific effects of kryptonite on Clark, probably because the writers use it in so many different ways that coming up with a set list of rules would make it harder for them to work it in.
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Mar 21, 2008 1:39 PM
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Jeeze, James, I've been refreshing and refreshing, waiting for you blog to show up this morning! Not fair making me wait until lunchtime!
YES! A very good episode and I'm sooo glad that Kara's amnesia wasn't going to a long, drawn out storyline.
I was very upset when Patricia got killed. I thought, yes, Clark finally has someone he may be able to trust, who will be his friend. But...no.
Now, when Chloe told Jor-El that she "loves" Clark...does she mean love like a friend, or...love love?
Now, I understand that Smallville isn't really following the mythology of Superman, but jeeze! It's like EVERYONE knows Clark's secret! Might as well put an ad out in the paper. {rolling eyes}
All that's left for Clark to do is dump Lana, and I'll be a very happy person.
~Sangeeta
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Mar 21, 2008 1:47 PM
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This version of Lex (thanks in LARGE part to Michael Rosenbaum's consistently great work each week)is quickly turning into one of the more evil and reprehensible villians in the history of network television. He is quickly losing any redeeming qualities, leaving the viewer to wonder how much lower he can stoop. Lex was obviously being very coy and untruthful with Patricia when he told her that he did not remember much about his childhood before the meteor shower. He also somehow recognized the locket when he first saw it on Patricia's neck.
I was shocked and chilled to see that it was Lex holding the locket and wiping the blood off of it after Patricia was killed. That's when I realized that it was Lex that had Patricia killed.
And my son Jacob had a theory last week, and now I believe he is absolutely correct - ANOTHER meteor shower is coming, folks, and it's coming soon...
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Mar 21, 2008 1:56 PM
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It was great to have Kara with her powers and memory back. I hope Kara now knows to stay away from Lex and not let him near her again. Lionel kidnapping Clark was a surprise to me but not unexpected. Lana and Chloe working together was great. Chloe's speech to Jor-El was awesome and I also wandered if she means she loves Clark like she is in-love with him. Lex killing PS was shocking and now all I want to know is what is so important that she had to die for him to have the locket. I do believe Lex is starting to be the villain he is suppose to be.
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Mar 21, 2008 2:16 PM
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I absolutely loved this episode. It was great to see everyone in play and working together. I was shocked to see Patricia killed so brutally. Earlier this week Michael Ausiello gave us a scoop that a major character that has been with the show from the very beginning will be killed off and we will be shocked at who does it. I believe that it is Lionel who will die after last nights performance. Any ideas out there at who the killer might be? Maybe Lex since he is leaving the show. I can't wait for next weeks episode! ">
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Mar 21, 2008 2:48 PM
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tchristian:"I believe that it is Lionel who will die after last nights performance. Any ideas out there at who the killer might be? Maybe Lex since he is leaving the show."
Not necessarily. Yes, Michael Rosenbaum is leaving, but only as a regular. He will no longer be in the credits and is slated to appear in 11 episodes, which sucks because I LOVE him. Bad enough that Justice League/Justice League Unlimited was cancelled (Rosenbaum provided the voice for the Flash--and he was durned good at it, too), now I won't get to see as much of him as I want.
~Sangeeta
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Mar 21, 2008 3:00 PM
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"Now, I understand that Smallville isn't really following the mythology of Superman, but jeeze! It's like EVERYONE knows Clark's secret! Might as well put an ad out in the paper. {rolling eyes}
All that's left for Clark to do is dump Lana, and I'll be a very happy person.~Sangeeta"
Truer words were never spoken, Sangeeta...in fact, I'd be really curious to see how they dig themselves out of this big continuity issue, to wit: Clark has made no effort to alter his appearance, true? Not even the lame glasses-as-disguise thing. So what's gonna happen when Superman makes himself known to the world?
Two old folks at the Smallville senior home are watching the Metropolis TV newsbulletin about a flying man in a cape...Homer leans forward, squints at the screen, and yells to his wife, "MABEL? Lookit this here flyin' man...(Mabel looks); now, don't that look like Jonathan & Martha's boy Clark?"
And who else is watching that very broadcast? Lex Luthor, who now has the biggest, meanest toy in the store, a Kryptonian slave. Why a slave? Because, if Clark doesn't bend his knee to King Lex, Clark's friends & family get tortured and killed.
The only way to prevent this is to induce mass selective amnesia; maybe Warner Bros. still has that memory-wiping chap-stick Clark used in Superman II to blot out Lois' memory?
If so, Lex better hope it's Kara that smooches him on the lips...
Also, Patricia's portrayer gives rise to the question of where Krypton is in relation to Mongo, as Gina Holden (Patricia Swann) came to the episode after playing Dale Arden to
Eric (Whitney Fordman) Johnson's Flash Gordon
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Mar 21, 2008 3:09 PM
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Very cool episode. I loved how so many dots were connected. I also loved that that part in the Fortress when Chloe shouted to Jor-El that she loves his son and earlier in the episode when she told Lana she'd climb Mt. Everest if it meant saving Clark. Chloe is such a great character. Speaking of character, I believe that Lionel was being honest when he said he had that cage built for other Krytonians who could be dangerous, but his whole explanation for keeping Clark locked up was too far-fetched. I'd like to know if he really did have Oliver's parents, Jason's father and Virgil Swann murdered. What doesn't make sense is that he had Jason's father murdered, but not his mother, who seemed to be the obsessed one. Lana/Isabelle took care of Genevieve a few seasons back. One thing that is for certain, Lex is a sicko. He had that nice woman killed just for her necklace (and his obsession) and he thought it was okay to do whatever he wanted to Kara. I'm so glad Chloe and Lana got her out and that she has her memory back, but where was Lana for the rest of the episode? That was kind of strange. I loved how Kara rescued Clark. And, the bad guy in this ep was Chief from Battlestar Galactica. Cool! I can't wait to see next week's ep. I think it's going to be another great one.
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Mar 21, 2008 3:15 PM
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pinchagrinch:"Two old folks at the Smallville senior home are watching the Metropolis TV newsbulletin about a flying man in a cape...Homer leans forward, squints at the screen, and yells to his wife, "MABEL? Lookit this here flyin' man...(Mabel looks); now, don't that look like Jonathan & Martha's boy Clark?"
ROFLMAO!!! Good one, Pinch. "Hmmm...I.." Mabel pushes her glasses up the bridge of her nose and leans closer to the television.."Well if that don't beat all, it shorely is Homer! Now, why didn't Martha see fit to tell us about what her boy could do?"
Pinchagrinch:"And who else is watching that very broadcast? Lex Luthor, who now has the biggest, meanest toy in the store, a Kryptonian slave. Why a slave? Because, if Clark doesn't bend his knee to King Lex, Clark's friends & family get tortured and killed.
The only way to prevent this is to induce mass selective amnesia; maybe Warner Bros. still has that memory-wiping chap-stick Clark used in Superman II to blot out Lois' memory?
If so, Lex better hope it's Kara that smooches him on the lips..."
Yeah, my thoughts exactly. Unless it's the argument of "no continuity" and one has nothing to do with other. To which I say: Oh Yeah? I mean, REALLY????
~Sangeeta
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Mar 21, 2008 3:24 PM
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Episodes like Traveler are what keep me going thru the tedious stories of Lana and Lois week in and week out. I too was pleased that Kara's situation was resolved sooner rather than later. Watching her and Clark in the barn after she saved him I found myself saying out loud, "Now give her the bracelet back Clark and don't be a D like you were with the Blue Crystal." Almost immediatley my wish was granted and I was pleased.
Chloe and Lana working together was also enjoyable but despite the history of Lana on the show I find it humorous to see Lana just walking around the Daily Planet (which her ex-husband owns) as though she works there dispensing knowledge that Chloe essentially one-ups after about two seconds. I did find it odd that after they break Kara out of the mansion that only Chloe and Kara went to the Fortress. What was Lana doing? This did, however set up Chloe's best bit of dialouge for the season when she made her plea to Jor-El. Kudos to Alison Mack...AGAIN. 
Kara saving the day was pretty kick butt and is the thing I always find humorous about people using Kryptonite on Kryptonians. Just use your heat vision from a safe distance and things will be ok. 
I thought Aaron Douglas and Gina Holden were somewhat wasted in appearances that obviously do not fascilitate a return as they are now DEAD. Killing Patricia saves me the trouble of adding another person to the growing list of people that know Clark's secret at least. Even though I think the new Flash Gordon show stinks it is interesting for Gina Holden to now have been involved in the canon of two of the oldest comic properties from the 1930's.
Good show and here's to the hope that another good show is to follow.
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Mar 21, 2008 3:43 PM
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*sigh* I loved this episode. The mythology of Smallville just gets me excited. I don't mind the other storylines, but the mythology is why I fell in love with this show, forced my husband to watch, and to Tivo reruns from 1-6 (we've seen every episode. The other episodes are worth the impact and information given in the amazing mythology episodes! I like the familial connections between the Queens, Luthors, Teagues, and Swanns. Makes a lot more sense as to why Geneiveve (sp?) and Luthor had such tense interactions in previous seasons. I can't wait for next week!
James, you must really like these episodes, too, because this is such a good and thorough recap (minus the Lex the murderer miss!).
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Mar 21, 2008 4:04 PM
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Sigh. I only really started to get into Smallville in the last 3 seasons, in part because now it has an established mythos to draw upon. I felt the same way about Buffy, I get bored by the villain-of-the-day, I only really like the epic story arcs. So I'm sad it's winding down.
Lex is such a great villain. I really believe him when he's talking to Kara that he cares about her, and then he flips. And I got goosebumps watching him wipe blood off of Patricia's necklace. His decent into evil, and the Lex trademark of not being able to get caught, are fantastic.
I was disapointed to hear Chloe say she loved Clark. I don't ever want to see them as a couple, it's been clear from day one that Clark just doesn't feel that way about her. And she and Jimmy are great!
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Mar 21, 2008 4:59 PM
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