Lexmas — smallville

"Lexmas" is the ninth episode in the fifth season of Smallville and ninety-seventh episode overall. It aired on the WB in the United States on December 8, 2005 and on E4 in the United Kingdom on March 6, 2006.

Summary

Lex considers whether to turn an operative loose to obtain or fake damaging information against Jonathan to upset his Senatorial race. Yet when Lex is shot, he falls into a coma and is visited by the ghost of his mother, who shows him what his life could be like if he frees himself from his father. Meanwhile, Clark helps deliver Christmas presents.

Recap

Lex's dream sequences are in green.

Lex drives into a dark alley to meet Griff, who is being paid to do whatever Lex wants to destroy Jonathan in the race for State Senator. Lex hesitates and says that he wants 24 hours to decide if he wants to go down that path. As he heads for his car, he is mugged, shot and left for dead in the street.

Lex's mother Lillian appears to him in a dream.

It is Christmas Eve. Lex wakes up, shocked to see a very pregnant Lana in bed next to him. He also has a young son, Alexander. Lex lifts up his shirt and sees the scar on his side from the gun shot. His dead mother, Lillian, appears to Lex and says that it is not a dream and this can be his life if he makes the right choices. Lex is then seen to be lying unconscious in an alley.

At the farm, the Kents are getting ready for Christmas and Clark has invited Lana to spend it with them. Clark gets an urgent call from Chloe, who is still at the Planet . The scene shifts to Lex being transported to the hospital as the doctors try to save his life. He slips back into his dream.

Lana says that it has been seven years since Lionel cut Lex out of the family fortune. He takes his son to go buy a Christmas tree. At the tree farm, Lex sees Clark and Chloe. Clark is now a full-fledged reporter at the Daily Planet and Chloe is publishing a book next month exposing LuthorCorp with Lex's help.

In reality, Lionel is speaking with the doctors at the Hospital and demands to speak to the doctor in charge in order to push a risky surgery. In Metropolis, Clark meets Chloe at the Planet and she explains that her Teamsters went on strike and the thousands of presents they collected for Toys for Tots will be undelivered unless he helps her out. Clark agrees to help her distribute the toys. While zipping through the city, he sees a man dressed in a Santa Claus costume about to jump off a building with a liquor bottle in his hand. He says he was going to jump because the Christmas spirit is dead. Clark objects and tells him about how he gave up his first Christmas with Lana to help Chloe deliver toys. When Santa falls off, Clark saves him and sends him on his way.

Dr. Scanlan explains to Lionel that Lex will most likely be paralyzed from the chest down because he is too unstable for surgery or transfer. Despite this, Lionel transfers Lex to the Davis Clinic in Metropolis for immediate but extremely risky surgery.

An alternate-reality Jonathan admires Lex.

In the alternate reality, Lex and Lana Luthor go to the party at the Kents' house. Jonathan Kent is now the current State Senator. He says that Lex is the best man he knows and announces that Lex will receive the Kansas Humanitarian Award. Lex steps outside where his mother's spirit is. He marvels that he's never been happier and she tells him that he could have this happiness in reality if he makes the right choice. He doesn't understand but when he asks for more information, she disappears. Clark approaches and muses that he and Lana didn't work out because Lex became a man she could love. However, they are still on good terms. Their conversation is interrupted by Martha, who reports that Lana has gone into labor. Lana delivers a baby girl on Christmas Eve. However, she starts to rapidly lose blood. Lex goes to Lionel in the Luthor Mansion to beg for resources to save his wife, but Lionel refuses to help them because Lex betrayed him seven years ago by dropping out of the Senate race. He tells him that he has no son. Lana dies and Lillian appears again. Lex tells her that he doesn't want this alternate reality because everyone he's ever loved has died.

The man dressed as Santa Claus appears at the Daily Planet and offers to help Chloe with the gifts because Clark was willing to give up his Christmas with Lana. After Chloe reluctantly accepts Santa's help, he and all the presents disappear. Back at the Kents' party, Chloe tells Clark about the presents disappearing and says she thinks that he may have possibly been Santa Claus. Clark and Lana spend their first Christmas together as it snows.

Lex wakes up with Lionel at his bedside. He is upset with Lionel for ordering surgery with very low odds of survival, asking him, "How dare you play God with my life?" When Griff asks Lex what his choice was, Lex decides that he will do anything it takes to win the Senate race. Lex says his only wish is to live happily ever after and the key to that is money and power because "once you have those two things, you can secure everything else." In her reflection in the window, Lillian cries over the choice Lex just made and then disappears.

Cast

Starring

Tom Welling as Clark Kent
Kristin Kreuk as Lana Lang
Michael Rosenbaum as Lex Luthor
Erica Durance as Lois Lane (credit only)
Allison Mack as Chloe Sullivan
John Glover as Lionel Luthor
Annette O'Toole as Martha Kent
John Schneider as Jonathan Kent

Guest Starring

Co-Starring

Uncredited

Uncredited baby as Lily Luthor

Characters

Sentient Species

Vehicles

TBA

Objects

TBA

Concepts

TBA

Featured Music

"That Spirit of Christmas" - Ray Charles
"Dance of The Sugar Plum Fairy" - Tchaikovsky

Title

Lexmas is not an actual word. It is a portmanteau of the words Lex and "Xmas" (a very old abbreviation for the word "Christmas" used by the early church since the Greek letter that stood for Christ was X).
This episode shows a hypothetical future Christmas for Lex, if he's willing to make different choices in life.

Notes

Clark uses the following ability in this episode: super speed.
This episode is centered on Lex. Possible antagonists to him include the muggers who shot Lex, Lionel, or even Lex himself: however, unlike most episodes of Smallville, there is no clear antagonist.
Lois Lane doesn't appear in this episode.
Lex and Lionel were in the opposite position in the Season Two premiere Vortex, in which Lionel's injuries threatened to blind and paralyze him. Lex decided to allow the risky surgery to be performed, but it was only partially successful, resulting in Lionel's temporary blindness.
Lex's award reads:

The Kansas Humanitarian Award

Bestowed by the governor and legislature of The State of Kansas upon

Lex Luthor

In recognition of his generosity and dedication in providing housing for the homeless.

Interestingly, the award refers to "Lex Luthor" rather than using Lex's full name, "Alexander Luthor".
In Lex's vision Chloe's hair is much longer than it is in reality. This helps differentiate between the two versions as the dream sequences are set in the future.
This is the first episode of the series which depicts Lana dying, although there was an ambiguous vision of an aged Lana on her deathbed in Hereafter.
Clark wears a hat for a second time in the series this episode. The first was in Thirst.
This episode bears a strong resemblance to the film "The Family Man" with Nicolas Cage—the main character gets an extended "glimpse" into what his life could have been like if he had followed his heart rather than his ambitions.
This episode could be considered the turning point for the Earth-1 Lex as this episode marks the end of his alignment in the light/good and beginning of his descent into the darkness/evil.
Even though this episode portrays an alternate future version of the Earth-1 Lionel, it displays what could be his most hateful moment when he refuses to save his own daughter-in-law due to a petty grudge against his own son.

Residents of the farm in Langley, BC, Canada where Kent Farm scenes are filmed, celebrating the holidays with the Kents. — Residents of the farm in Langley, BC, Canada where the Kent Farm outdoor scenes are filmed, celebrating the holidays with the Kents.

Trivia

This is Smallville's first Christmas episode.
Two of the doctors in this episode are named after members of the production crew. Dr. Litvack is named after co-executive producer John Litvack. Dr. Scanlan is named after producer Tim Scanlan.
The male mugger in the beginning of the episode is played by Jorgito Vargas, Jr., known for his role as Blake Bradley, the Navy Thunder Ranger on Power Rangers Ninja Storm.^[1]
The owners of the farm in Langley, BC, Canada (where the Kent Farm outdoor scenes are filmed) make a cameo during the Kents’ holiday party.^[2]

Continuity

Dr. Scanlan also appeared in the episodes Scare, Resurrection, and Vortex.
In Lex's vision of the future, Clark is a reporter at the Daily Planet but doesn't wear glasses. This is the first time Clark has been portrayed as a professional reporter.
Lionel appears in Lex's Dream as a father who was angry at his son for bowing out of the race, while in reality Lionel has been providing both Chloe and Jonathan with information to bring down Lex's campaign. While Lionel didn't want Lex to win his first political campaign so he wouldn't become cocky (in Lionel's view), he didn't want him to quit without trying his hardest to win.
Lionel was also somehow able to regain control of LuthorCorp and cut Lex off. Even if Lex had given up his bid for election, he still would have been CEO and his father would not have been able to cut him off. Unless somehow Lex bowing out of the race gave Lionel the opportunity to regain control of LuthorCorp and disinherit him.

Spoilers

Lex's henchman Griff brings him evidence to sabotage Jonathan's campaign in the next episode Fanatic.
Griff is played by Adrian Holmes, the same actor who plays the Kryptonian Basqat in Season Nine.
Lana dies again in Reckoning, Void and Phantom.
Lex's mother refers to him as 'Lex' throughout the entire episode, but was known to only call him 'Alexander' when she was alive.^[3]
Clark is again shown in a vision, experienced by Jimmy Olsen, as a professional reporter in Noir.

Allusions

In Lex's vision, Clark tells Lex he has "a wonderful life" a reference to It's a Wonderful Life, a film with a plot similar to this episode.

Locations

Smallville
- Kent house

Metropolis
- Daily Planet

Quotes

Clark: So, instead of calling FedEx, you called me?

Chloe: I realize it's a lot to ask, but, I mean, you do run faster than a speeding bullet.

Clark: Chloe, this isn't Toys for Tots, this is Toys "Я" Us. How many are there?

Chloe: Aaaah, couple thousand, give or take.

Alex: Uncle Clark, Uncle Clark, make me fly!

Dr. Litvack: Merry Christmas everyone. Now kill the carols; I'm about to perform a miracle.

Little Girl: You're not Santa Claus.

Clark: Yes I am. I'm, uh... I'm the new improved model.

Santa Claus: Now, let me get this straight. You gave up your first Christmas with the girl you loved since you spied on her with your telescope to deliver these gifts?

Clark: Yeah, well, I mean, I wasn't spying.

Clark: Why don't you sit down? You can always jump later.

Santa Claus: (considering) Yeah, guess you're right...

Santa Claus: Ho Ho Ho-ly cow!

Senator Kent (in Lex's vision): Ladies and gentlemen, I give you, Lex Luthor... the finest man I know.

Lex: Oh, not to worry, Griff – we Luthors are made of pretty tough and definitely expensive material.

Lex: And you know what the secret to living happily ever after is? Power! Money... and power! See once you have those two things, you can secure everything else. And keep it that way.

Lex: Find it, fake it. Do whatever it takes to knock Jonathan Kent out of the race. I want to be Senator... I want it all!

Griff: Consider it done. Merry Christmas.

Lana: (in Lex's vision): (To Lex) And this year try and remember that we're on a budget.

Lex: What? We, we have a budget?.

Lana: It's been seven years since your father cut up your platinum card, I think It's time to embrace the middle-class lifestyle.

Previous Story:
Solitude

Next Story:
Fanatic

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

References

↑ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0889856/
↑ “Smallville’s 100th Episode: The Making of a Milestone” (Season 5 DVD Feature)
↑ As seen in Memoria and Void

[1] ttp://www.imdb.com/name/nm0889856/

[2] “Smallville’s 100th Episode: The Making of a Milestone” (Season 5 DVD Feature)

[3] As seen in Memoria and Void

[1]

[2]

[3]