Idol — smallville

"Idol" is the eighth episode in the ninth season of Smallville, and the one hundred-eighty-second overall. It aired on November 13, 2009.^[1]

Summary

Superhero twins Zan and Jayna show up in Metropolis to help The Blur fight crime but end up botching several rescues, landing Clark in hot water with the District Attorney's office. Clark decides to come forward as the Blur to clear his name.

Recap

Lois wakes up, un-clothed, and stares out of the window. Clark comes up behind her, telling her that he wished they had more time. The two begin kissing while the red sun shines behind them...

Lois is daydreaming at work, and Clark notices. He accidentally spills coffee but fails to snap her out of her daze until he calls her out. Clark comments on Lois' impromptu vacation and also brings up their kiss. He suggests that the two should talk about it. Lois begins to flush and walks away. A delivery boy stops her and asks her to sign for a delivery. Lois gladly does.

In the basement, Lois is excited to open what looks to be a present. Clark and Lois are shocked to find stripped-down men inside the box. The men reveal themselves to be undercover policemen having wrongfully been served justice. Just when Clark begins questioning the origins of the blunder, a commotion leads Lois and him outside to find a giant House of El crest on a building next to the Daily Planet.

Clark and Lois discover the Blur shield.

Lois immediately assumes that it is the work of the Blur, and implies that the Blur must've made a mistake. She also divulges to Clark that, to her frustration, the Blur has stopped calling her. Though Clark tries to defend the Blur, Lois, in unusually demure attire, leaves swiftly for a "top-secret interview for an expose."

Lois actually goes to visit a psychiatrist, trying to understand her strange dreams. She embarrassingly and uncomfortably blurts out that in her dreams, she is "doing the virtual Kama Sutra with Clark Kent." The psychiatrist suggests that the lack of clothing in Lois' dreams may represent the fact that Lois thinks Clark has a secret. Lois admits that the closer she gets to Clark, the more she feels he is going to disappear. Her psychiatrist brings up Lois' three weeks of blocked memory, and that she may be trying to protect herself. The subject of the Blur comes up and Lois' phone begins ringing (with the Holding Out for a Hero ringtone) and Lois tries to prove that she is over the Blur by ignoring the call.

Clark is on the other line with Chloe at Watchtower. Chloe defends Lois' action by saying that he cannot immediately expect Lois to forgive the Blur. Clark explains that he stopped calling her as the Blur after the events of Metallo. They begin to discuss the Blur's impostor, and Chloe brings up the fact that the impostor has created social networking sites for promoting the Blur's "brand". Chloe suggests that the impostor is actually trying to help the Blur, stating that she discovered five other messy saves in Metropolis not done by Clark. Clark tells Chloe that the impostor still needs to be stopped.

Across town, a black limousine pulls up near a power station, with drug kingpin Ivan Petrovich inside. Suddenly, a cougar jumps onto the hood of the car. The driver then finds himself driving on ice and the car crashes into the power source, knocking the passengers unconscious. The cougar transforms into a teenaged girl while the ice transforms into a boy of the same age. The two, very proud of their work, discuss their mistake with the "cops in the box". The girl, Jayna, brings out her cellphone to take pictures while Zan, her brother, jumps on top of the car and begins to mark it with the House of El crest. They are interrupted when the electric cables fall over and cause an explosion, knocking out all of the power in Metropolis.

The next morning, Clark and Lois arrive at the scene, and Lois begins rambling about the "blundering Blur". They walk by where the District Attorney, Ray Sacks, is speaking to the press, blaming the Blur for the recent happenings in Metropolis.

Lois sees the Blur's mark on the hood of the car, which confirms her beliefs that it is his work. Clark alludes to the Blur trying to call Lois, and Lois proudly tells him that she blocked the call. She leaves to look for witnesses while Clark notices a noise under the wreckage. Following the noise, he proceeds to find Jayna's cellphone.

Clark stops the Wonder Twins transformation.

Zan and Jayna are bemoaning their attempted heroic efforts when Zan's phone begins to ring. Knowing that Jayna lost her phone amidst the wreckage, the two panic and are about to activate their powers when they are both knocked out by Clark. They wake up at Watchtower, which they assume is the Blur's lair. But they are greeted by Chloe, who explains to them that their actions, however well-intentioned, were destroying the Blur's mission to help people. They promise to stop impersonating the Blur, explaining that they were only trying to help. Chloe tells them that when it's time, they will know when to step up.

Zan and Jayna wake up at the Watchtower.

Lois is trying to write an article on the recent events in Metropolis with an old manual typewriter when the power returns. Then her phone rings. Realizing it's the Blur, this time she answers and deduces that the Blur was responsible for the power reboot. Over the phone, Clark as the Blur tells her that he wasn't responsible for the recent botched saves, though he had found the perpetrators. He also explains that it was only the work of some misguided fans, and that he would not turn them in.

At Watchtower, Jayna explains that she and Zan only had each other to depend on all their lives. Zan begins to play around with some of Chloe's computers before Chloe catches him, telling him not to touch anything.

In fact, Zan had interfered with Clark's phone call so that, while Lois is berating the Blur over the phone, his response is mixed with static and then the voice-disguise is turned off and Lois is able to hear Clark's real voice.

The next morning, Lois goes to see Clark at the farmhouse, bringing him the morning paper. She suggests that they begin car-pooling to know each other better, which confuses Clark. Lois tries to make up for her "Blur-bashing" and attempts to indirectly tell him that she believes that he is the Blur. Clark tries to act oblivious, and then they're interrupted by the television, which reports that Sacks has called out the Blur to reveal himself in a press conference later that afternoon.

Lois rushes to her psychiatrist, quickly ushering out the current patient. She spills to her psychiatrist her finding that Clark and the Blur are one. The psychiatrist cautions Lois that this may only be what she wants to believe.

"What do you think is more likely? That your mysterious caller and Clark are the same man, or that you are trying to make them one person in order to create your dream man?"

Lois still thinks that Clark has been hiding his secret from her, and she tells her psychiatrist that she does not care, though she deduces that perhaps Clark coming clean would not be the best idea. All she wants to do is help him.

Chloe and Clark talk about revealing Clark's secret.

Before the press conference, Clark tells Chloe that he plans to reveal himself to the public. He tells her that he is wearing Jor-El's crest, something that will give the public hope. Chloe argues against Clark's plan by telling him that he cannot sacrifice himself. Chloe tells him that he must let the public hear Sacks' condemning lies and put the importance of his identity above that of Jor-El's crest.

The conference begins and Clark watches as Sacks calls out for the Blur to reveal himself. As he is about to step up, Lois walks up onto the podium and announces to the public that she knows the Blur. She also announces that in order to best protect the people, the Blur must remain a light in the darkness, and a symbol of hope. To a convinced crowd, she asks for the public to let the Blur be the hero he needs to be.

Back at the Daily Planet, Lois finds a 'thank you' note with a rose, asking her to meet on the roof. Happily, Lois goes up, but she finds Sacks waiting for her. Sacks demands that Lois reveal the true identity of the Blur, but Lois resists and tells him that she is planning to write an expose about his dirty political antics. Sacks brushes her off, telling him that she is actually a part of his next antic, revealing a large fake House of El crest on the rooftop. Sacks tells Lois that he is planning to murder her and frame the Blur since she had publicly revealed their association. Sacks' henchmen then grab Lois and forcibly throw her off the roof, leaving hurriedly. In fact, Lois, not yet fallen, has grasped onto a flagpole at the side of the building, and is hanging on for her life.

A high-spirited Clark goes to Lois' desk to greet her, but finds her missing. The clamor leads Clark outside to see Lois dangling on the side of the building. He super-speeds to the rooftop, but with the crowd watching and cameras flashing, Clark can only climb over the ledge himself, desperately asking Lois to grab onto his hand.

Jayna arrives back at Watchtower, having overseen the situation at the Daily Planet in the form of a ladybug. She pleads to Zan that they must act, and that it is their time to step up and help the Blur. Zan agrees, and the two touch their rings, exclaiming 'Powers, Activate!'

Lois, unable to reach Clark, tells Clark that he cannot reveal his identity to the crowd below, and that she knows that he's been living two lives. Clark tries to dissuade her, but she asks him to let her go. Suddenly, a large fog made by Zan sweeps over the crowd below, blocking their view. Clark tells Lois to hang on, but she is unable to and falls into the mist. Clark super speeds down and Lois awakens after she's been gently placed onto the ground.

Sacks tries to leave inconspicuously in his limousine, but inside, he is greeted by a fiercely barking dog.

Lois, amazed that she survived the fall, credits Clark who emerges from the fog and they hug. Lois thanks Clark, but Clark says that he wasn't the one who saved her, and lies to her by saying that he took the elevator down. The phone rings in a nearby phone booth, and a disappointed Lois goes to answer the call. The Blur's voice greets her on the other end, and Lois is shocked to hear from the Blur with Clark standing in front of her.

Zan and Jayna are back at home, relishing their heroic actions, when Clark greets them in the dark as the Blur. Clark thanks them, saying that their actions should not be in efforts to aid the Blur, but to help the message of the Jor-El's crest. Stepping out of the shadows and revealing his face, he tells the two that they must believe in themselves, and be their own heroes. He also cautions them that by being heroes, they mustn't make mistakes with the world watching.

At the psychiatrist's, Lois castigates herself for seeing Clark "through Blur-colored glasses". Her psychiatrist assures her that it's normal for Lois to project the Blur's unattainable qualities onto someone close to her. Lois admits that it would be much easier if Clark and the Blur were one and the same. She also admits that, while she was happy to hear from the Blur, her thoughts keep returning to Clark.

Chloe greets Clark with Blur merchandise items being sold with Jor-El's crest on them. Clark says that one day Zan and Jayna will also be household names, referring to them as 'wonder twins' (alluding to their future legendary titles). Chloe tells Clark that Sacks is off to prison and that, with training, Zan and Jayna could provide Clark with some much-needed backup. Clark changes the subject to Chloe's save: she was the one who called Lois through the phone booth. Chloe explains that she has developed a new program that can impersonate the Blur's voice. Clark, however, is still confused as to Chloe's impeccable timing. Chloe admits that she has been monitoring security cameras, as well as cellphone activity in Metropolis. Clark becomes alarmed at how much Chloe is involving herself in his personal life, but Chloe defends her case by saying that had she not interfered, Lois would still believe that Clark was the Blur.

Back at the Daily Planet, Clark and Lois are in the copy room. Clark confirms to her that he had in fact been keeping a secret from her, and reveals to her that he's nearsighted, and dons his iconic back-rimmed glasses. Lois tells him that they are "very Clark Kent". She apologizes for assuming that he was the Blur, concluding that nobody can be two different people. Lois teases Clark by recommending contact lenses, and that she'd only call him "four-eyes" once in a while. She starts to walk away, but turns back to initiate a long passionate kiss with Clark.

However, during the kiss, Lois again has a vision; seeing Clark and the red sun, Metropolis being enslaved in tyranny, and Chloe lying lifeless on the ground. Finally, Lois faints in Clark's arms.

Cast

Starring

Tom Welling as Clark Kent
Allison Mack as Chloe Sullivan
Erica Durance as Lois Lane
Cassidy Freeman as Tess Mercer (credit only)
Callum Blue as Zod (credit only)
Justin Hartley as Oliver Queen (credit only)

Guest Starring

Co-Starring

Uncredited

Uncredited actress as Susan

Characters

Sentient Species

Vehicles

TBA

Objects

TBA

Concepts

TBA

Featured Music

Stingray Music - "Holding Out for A Hero"

Title

Idol refers to regarding a person or thing with excessive admiration, devotion, envy or attachment.
In this episode, the Wonder Twins clearly idolize and look up to the Blur. Lois Lane is also shown idolizing the Blur.
Lois also gives a speech to the people of Metropolis, urging them to let the Blur continue to stand as a symbol of hope for the city.

Notes

Antagonist: Ray Sacks
Tess Mercer (Cassidy Freeman), Major Zod (Callum Blue) and Oliver Queen (Justin Hartley) do not appear in this episode. This is the first time this season that only 3 main characters have appeared in an episode and the fourth time in the entire show. The other three times were Legion, Power and Requiem.
In the opening scene, Lois daydreams about waking up in the loft after a night with Clark. In her daydream, the red sun is in the sky and Clark has a bruise or cut on his left cheek. This is a scene from Lois' repressed memories of the future where the Kandorians have used the solar tower to turn the sun red.
When the Wonder Twins accidentally knock out the power in the city, the same footage is used from the power outage scene in Vessel.
Clark dons the iconic black-rimmed glasses as a secret identity. He also wore glasses in Whisper, Noir and Apocalypse .
This is the only episode to feature Chloe's newly developed program that can impersonate the Blur's voice.
Lois' ringtone heard repeatedly during the episode is Bonnie Tyler's "Holding Out for a Hero". This is not the first time that the song has been used in relation to Superman. It was played during the suit-making montage in the pilot episode of Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.
The S symbol on Chloe's coffee mug is red and yellow, classic Superman colors. The symbol itself is the classic Superman symbol from the comics, instead of the Superman Returns style shield.
Zan and Janya both carried cell phones that had an image of Gleek, their comic book companion, on the back, and their ringtones had the sound of Gleek laughing.
David Gallagher (Zan) and Allison Mack (Chloe) have worked together before, when she guest-starred on the television series 7th Heaven, as a cutter.
Basqat is seen in silhouette in Lois Lane's vision.
Idol was the fifth episode filmed in the season, but it was aired eighth, intentionally.
After Zan and Jayna are taken to the Watchtower, Chloe threatens to wipe out their entire electronic lives. Showing her lack of technological knowledge, Jayna asks in disbelief if Chloe can really do that. Ironically, Allison Scagliotti, the actress who plays Jayna, also played the role of Claudia Donovan on the SyFy show Warehouse 13 where her character was a computer genius who was known for doing the impossible with all things electronic.
Lois remarks that it took her two hours to get to Metropolis, with the monorail down. This might resolve the issue of the inconsistent travel time between Smallville and Metropolis, which had been said to be about three hours in Truth.
According to the episode's DVD commentary, Dr. Evans was originally going to be a Kandorian, posing as a therapist to see if Lois knew the identity of the Blur. However, this was dropped from the episode (leaving the character as just an ordinary therapist).
Zan and Jayna have been inspired by the Blur (later known as "Superman") to become superheroes themselves. In Absolute Justice, Part 2, Dr. Fate indicates that they (without mentioning Zan and Jayna specifically) are among the first of many.
The episode gives no origin for Zan and Jayna. Zan makes a passing mention of "transfer students from Sweden". In the Super Friends comic, the Wonder Twins were aliens who pretended to be transfer students from Sweden in order to assimilate into a normal life among humans. Though, this appears to not be the case in the universe of Smallville, as a flashback in Titans establishes them as having been kids on Earth, whose father threw them out after they manifested their metahuman powers. The country in the flashback is not identified. However, there is no conceivable reason why two American kids would pretend to be exchange students from another country, making the more likely scenario that the country in the flashback is in fact Sweden (and that Zan and Jayna tried to use "exchange students" as a cover to explain away their presence in a foreign country. With their powers it would likely not be difficult for them to get across the Atlantic).
- If Zan and Jayna really are from Sweden, then this episode marks the first appearance of non-American superheroes (not counting aliens) on the show. Previous episodes Jinx, Spell, Justice, and Combat (along with Justice & Doom) established people possessing powers (either metahuman or magical) as a worldwide phenomenon.

In Other Media

Zan and Jayna make 64 DC Comics characters adapted into the series.
When Lois tells Clark they should get to know each other better, Clark mentions that Lois tells Clark what color her underwear is every day. This is a reference to Superman: The Movie, when Lois asks Superman, "What color underwear am I wearing?"
Lois hangs off the side of the building, just like she did in the 1978 picture.
Lois's ringtone for The Blur on her phone, "Holding Out For A Hero", includes the line: "It's gonna take a superman to sweep me off my feet".
"Holding Out For A Hero" was also played in the pilot episode of Lois and Clark when Clark and Martha Kent put together his Superman costume.
Also during Lois and Clark's 2nd season, Lois goes to see a therapist to discuss her love "triangle" with Superman and Clark Kent much like Smallville's Lois does in this episode regarding her love "triangle" with The Blur and Clark.
This episode features references to The Dark Knight. The District Attorney demands that the Blur reveal his secret identity to the public. Bruce Wayne struggles with revealing his identity to the public and almost does but another steps in.
This episode pays homage to a panel in the comics story arc Superman: For Tomorrow in the Lois & Clark post-sex sequence at the opening of the episode.
This is the first appearance of the Wonder Twins on Smallville and their first live-action appearance ever.
To activate their powers, Zan and Jayna touch and say "Powers, activate!" In the comics, the Wonder Twins say "Wonder Twin powers, activate!".
Zan makes reference to no-one buying him and Jayna as Swedish exchange students. In the Superfriends comics, their civilian disguises were Swedish exchange students complete with blond wigs.
When Lois is lowered onto the ground through the fog, it resembles a scene in Superman Returns in which, weakened by kryptonite, Superman falls through clouds.
When Clark praises Chloe about how she turned around the "wonder twins" (Zan and Jayna), she tells him that "with some training, they might be able to give the Blur some much needed backup in the Halls of Justice". This is an obvious reference to the headquarters of the Super Friends (of which both Superman and the Wonder Twins were charter members) also named the Hall of Justice. Other members of the Super Friends that have appeared on Smallville include: Arthur Curry AKA Aquaman, Victor Stone AKA Cyborg, Bart Allen AKA Impulse (by fiat, The Flash), Carter Hall AKA Hawkman, and Oliver Queen AKA The Green Arrow. Though some of the previously mentioned have only been in a handfull of episodes, all of them have at one time or another been a key part of the Super Friends team.

Continuity

There is a reference made to what happened to John Corben in Metallo.
Clark mentions the kiss he and Lois shared in Crossfire. This episode marks their second kiss, this time in the copy room, initiated by Lois.
Clark mentions Lois's absence since their first kiss, explaining her absence from Kandor.
Lois has been investigating the Blur since Identity and in this episode, she finally thinks she knows who the Blur is.
This is the second time Lois has figured out the secret identity of her current boyfriend (after Oliver Queen in Season Six's Hydro), only to be tricked into thinking she was wrong.
Clark first contacted Lois as the Blur in Stiletto but in this episode Lois is disappointed that she hasn't heard from the Blur since Metallo.
Lois has another vivid vision of the future, which is where she was transported after the events of Doomsday. These visions have been recurring since Savior.
Chloe tells Clark that someone created popular Facebook and Twitter accounts for the Blur, and comments that he has come a long way since being "scarecrowed in high school", a reference to the first episode Pilot.
Chloe mentions the chaos that happened after Clark revealed his identity to the world back in Infamous.
This episode marks the 7th appearance of Clark's 'black' Blur outfit.
Randall was last seen in Rabid.

Allusions

Lois refers to the Blur as "the Halley's Comet of phone dating himself", a reference to the short-period comet visible from Earth every 75-76 years.
Lois tells the Blur, "There is no try, Skywalker." This is a reference to the Star Wars original trilogy, where Yoda tells Luke Skywalker, "Try not. Do. Or do not. There is no try."
Chloe uses voice alteration software to have the Blur say, "Pay no attention to the blond behind the curtain." This is a reference to The Wizard of Oz, where the Wizard tells Dorothy to "Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain."
The ways Lois pushes a stack of newspapers towards Clark, so that she can stand on them and kiss him, is reminiscent of a classic Yellow Pages Christmas advert that aired in the UK, in which a boy stands on a Yellow Pages to kiss a girl holding mistletoe.

Spoilers

Lois's daydream is actually memories of her trip to the future. In her daydream at the beginning of the episode, Clark has a cut on his left cheek and there's a red sun. In her vision at the end of the episode, Clark has a bleeding cut on his left cheek and there's also a red sun.

Locations

Kent Farm
Metropolis
- Watchtower
- Daily Planet

Quotes

Lois: (to Clark) Believe it or not, my ejector-seat malfunction... wasn't totally about you.

Clark: We should talk about it.

Lois: When I want to talk about it, I'll send up a smoke signal.

Lois: Did I ever tell you that, before Christmas, I used to unwrap all my presents and then re-wrap them while my parents were still sleeping?

Clark: You know, Lois, that doesn't surprise me at all.

Lois: (to the men in the crate) Lois Lane, Daily Planet. Care to comment on what illegal activities you've been up to that got you trussed up like a turkey?

Man: (after she removes the tape from his mouth) I'm a cop! We're all undercover cops! Our sting went south.

Clark: Someone must have thought you were the real dealers.

Lois: Who could be responsible for such a super-screwup?

Jayna: And the Blur trusts you, right? And how do you always know the right thing to do?

Chloe: You don't. And neither does he. But you stick around a hero long enough and you get your share of saving him. Sometimes even from himself.

Chloe: So how did you guys live on the street?

Jayna: Oh, for a long time now we've only had each other

Zan: Nobody really bought us as transfer students from Sweden.

Lois: I thought, you know, the ride would give us a chance to get past the whole kiss-and-run of it all and get to know each other better.

Clark: Better? You tell me the color of your underwear every day. What else is there to know?

Lois: I'm Lois Lane from the Daily Planet, and I'm here to tell you that I know the Blur. The DA says that a true hero would come forward. Well, the Blur can't. It's because he knows that the best way to protect you and me is to steer clear of all this political hoopla, and remain the one thing that you and I need most. A light in the darkness. A symbol for us to believe in when all other hope is lost. I've looked into the Blur's heart and I can tell you that his intentions are good. Let the Blur be the hero he needs to be.

Clark: (to Lois, referring to his glasses) Is this your long-winded way of saying that you hate these?

Lois: Personally, I don't mind the bump in your geek factor. But professionally, there are these newfangled things you can try. They're called "contacts".

External links

TV.com recap

References

↑ TV.Com - Idol

Previous Story:
Kandor

Next Story:
Pandora

Episodes: Season 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7 · 8 · 9 · 10

Minor Characters: Season 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7 · 8 · 9 · 10

Screencaps: Season 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7 · 8 · 9 · 10
Animations: Season 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7 · 8 · 9 · 10

Categories: Main Characters · Relationships · Villains

Comics: The Comic · Season 11 · Miniseries

[1] TV.Com - Idol

[1]