- For the beings in the Phantom Zone, see Phantom wraith.
"Phantom" is the twenty-second and final episode in the sixth season of Smallville, and the one hundred-thirty-second episode overall. It aired on May 17, 2007.
Summary
When Clark discovers Lionel threatened to kill him unless Lana married Lex, he goes after Lionel to silence him once and for all. Lana tells Lex she is leaving him, and Martian Manhunter makes a return appearance to help Clark stop Lex, who is trying to find the last wraith from the Phantom Zone in order to use its DNA to power his army of super-soldiers. Meanwhile, Lois goes to Reeves Dam in search of information about Lex's secret lab and is brutally stabbed by a security guard. Chloe's secret power is revealed.
Recap
→ see also Category:Screencaps from episode 6x22
In a remote cabin in Baie-Saint-Paul, Quebec, Canada, a woman is caring for a sick loved one. She is visited by a stranger, Martian Manhunter and leads him to her ailing father. He has tracked down the final phantom, Bizarro, which is inhabiting the old man. A priest is attempting to exorcise the creature and when Martian Manhunter takes over, he is severely wounded and punched through the roof by Bizarro. Unable to defeat the phantom, he flies away in a streak of red light. Just then, Bizarro tries to leave as Lex's 33.1 soldiers burst into the cabin from all sides. When Lex orders them to stun it, Bizarro's phantom leaves the human he is possessing through the chest and vanishes.
Clark says goodbye to Martha
Martha is preparing to move away from Smallville to Washington, D.C., to take Ed Burke's Senatorial seat. Martha tells Clark that he doesn't have to stay on the farm if he doesn't want to. Clark protests, saying the farm is the only home he's ever known and he wants to be the one to take care of it. Clark hugs her goodbye and promises to visit her.
Lex is on the phone demanding the eyes of every man, woman, and child be inspected. He claims that the creatures blood is the only way he can restart his army. Lionel arrives and Lex wonders out loud if Lana stole the DVD from his library. Lex maintains that Lana loves him and would never betray him, nor cheat on him, unless she was being coerced. Lionel goes on to say that the only reason Lana agreed to marry Lex was because Lionel gave her a "gentle, but very firm nudge". Lex tells Lionel that he wants him out of his life.
Chloe finds Lois in the Talon after pulling an all-nighter of an investigation. Lois is trying to figure out the meaning of the eight-digit number that Wes Keenan was repeating when he died. Chloe warns her that in her experience, she will probably not win going against the Luthors, and more likely get hurt in the process. Lois pretends to agree. She says she will stop investigating and rips the paper with numbers in half. Proud of her cousin, Chloe exits and Lois looks at the numbers again in their split form, then realizes that they are latitude and longitude coordinates.
Clark tells Lana his secret and she takes him back.
Meanwhile, Clark finds Lana waiting in the loft for him. She tells him she's leaving Lex. Clark is shocked and admits that he's not sorry. Lana announces that she is also leaving Smallville and wanted to say goodbye and tell Clark that she will always love him. Clark says that he can protect her from anything and Lana simply says that he can't protect her this time. She turns to go, but is stopped when Clark super speeds in front of her. He says she can't leave unless she knows the truth. Lana tells that she already knows about his powers. He tells her that he isn't from this planet. After a few moments of silence, he begs her to say something. Still silent, Lana walks up to him, kisses him and whispers that, to her, he's still the same Clark Kent. Clark is happy, stating that since she knows the truth about him, Lana has no more reason to leave, but Lana is still insistent on going. She says she knows he has a weakness and when Clark asks how she knows, she doesn't respond. Clark asks if Lionel told her. She admits that Lionel threatened to kill Clark if she didn't marry Lex. Clark hugs her.
At the mansion, Lana confronts Lex. She harshly accuses him of orchestrating a fake pregnancy to make her believe that she was pregnant and force her to marry him. Lex claims she doesn't know what she's talking about. He says that she can't deny what they had together. Lana objects, saying that their whole relationship was built on lies. She says she wants to leave him and Lex turns away, asking her if Clark is the reason. Lana protests, saying that Clark has nothing to do with it, then adds that Clark means more to her than Lex ever will. Enraged, Lex hits Lana across the face. Lana snarls that it will be the last time Lex will touch her and tries to storm out, but Lex grabs her wrist. She asks Lex if he's going to kill her, since that's the only way Lex will keep her in their marriage, and she leaves.
Clark furious with Lionel about Lana
Clark confronts Lionel at LuthorCorp Plaza and accuses him of forcing Lana to marry Lex and revealing his weakness. He is enraged and slams Lionel up against a wall. However, his assault is interrupted by Martian Manhunter, who appears and explains to Clark that Lionel is working with him. Lionel knew that Lex was hunting the last Phantom wraith and was helping Martian Manhunter find him. Clark realizes that Martian Manhunter is hurt and he admits that the last wraith is a Kryptonian laboratory experiment that inhabits human bodies. However, they die in 24 hours, so the wraith is searching for a Kryptonian host. He urges Clark to find the last Zoner.
Lionel saw Lana's car exploding
Clark and Chloe are at the Daily Planet investigating where the Zoner could be held. They learn that an eight-year-old boy with mysterious symptoms was collected in an unmarked helicopter and guess that he was taken by LuthorCorp. Clark goes to check it out but before he leaves, he tells Chloe that he told Lana his secret and her response was positive. Chloe says that Clark must be ecstatic, but Clark says he won't be completely happy until he catches the last Zoner.
Lana's car explodes.
Lana is on the phone with Lionel, telling him that she is leaving Smallville and never coming back. Lionel asks her to wait before doing anything, but Lana replies that it's too late because Lex hit her. Lana runs towards her car as Lionel's vehicle pulls up. Lana then enters her car as a postal truck drives by obscuring Lana's car from view. After the truck passes, the car explodes, knocking Lionel to the ground.
Clark finds Lionel at the mansion and tells him what he knows about the unmarked helicopter. He then realizes that Lionel knows something and Lionel informs him that Lana's car exploded. Visibly shaken, Clark is quiet for several minutes, then decides that Lex had Lana killed to prevent her from leaving. Lionel urges him to stay, but Clark speeds away to Reeves Dam in a rage.
Lois is injured after being stabbed by a security guard.
Lois follows the coordinates to Reeves Dam and sneaks into the facility. Inside, she encounters a LuthorCorp security guard. After questioning her reasons for being there, he pulls out his gun. Lois manages to disarmed the guard, who then brandishes a knife. A struggle ensues with Lois head-butting him, causing him to fall back and hit his head, knocking himself out, but not before he stabs her in the abdomen. Pulling the knife out, Lois stumbles and before she passes out, she is able to call Chloe. Chloe arrives at the dam to discover the unconscious LuthorCorp guard, the knife and pools of blood. Following the blood, she finds Lois unconscious and bleeding profusely. She tearfully begs Lois to wake up, but Lois does not respond. Chloe begins to cry and a shining tear falls on Lois' forehead. After a burst of light, Lois wakes up to find Chloe leaning against a wall, now unresponsive.
Lex consults with the Project Ares doctor.
Lex, Bartlett, and the project doctor are in the laboratory of the dam observing the captured phantom in the boy's form. They take a blood sample to confirm that the phantom is inhabiting the boy, but shortly after the sample is taken, the boy breaks out of the detainment room and kills Bartlett. Lex pushes the doctor into the path of the wraith and leaves him behind to be killed so he can buy more time to escape. When Lex is nearing the exit, he is blindsided by Clark. Clark, furious over Lana's death, grabs Lex and demands to know why Lex did it. Lex claims he doesn't know what Clark is talking about. Clark tells him what happened to Lana insinuating that it was orchestrated by Lex. When the boy appears at the end of the hall, Lex says it will kill them both. Clark lets him go and Lex runs away. Lex tries to escape but his car is stopped on the dam by several police cruisers. They order him out of the vehicle and arrest him for the murder of Lana Luthor.
Bizarro flies out of the dam.
Inside the dam, the wraith leaves a boy's body. Clark uses the Crystal of El on it, but it doesn't work. The wraith charges, shattering the crystal, and hits Clark head-on. Clark is knocked through several walls and is stunned. When he recovers, he finds an exact replica of himself, Bizarro. Clark and Bizarro have an intense brawl that shakes the structure. The damage to the dam destroys a large water pipe and starts to flood the facility. Lionel arrives just in time to use green kryptonite on Bizarro. Bizarro seems to absorb the radiation of the Green K, turning it into a clear crystal (similar to Lana's neutralized necklace). But this process only seems to make him stronger. He throws Lionel against a grate, knocking him unconscious, pinned under rubble in a rapidly flooding dam. Clark and Bizarro super-speed towards each other. The whole dam rumbles as Clark is thrown out of the side and Bizarro flies after him. In flight, Bizarro's face transforms into a chalk-white, steel-like visage.
Cast
Starring
- Tom Welling as Clark Kent and Bizarro
- Kristin Kreuk as Lana Lang
- Michael Rosenbaum as Lex Luthor
- Erica Durance as Lois Lane
- Allison Mack as Chloe Sullivan
- John Glover as Lionel Luthor
- Annette O'Toole as Martha Kent
Guest Starring
Co-Starring
- Ben Ayres as Jason Bartlett
- Mylene Dinh-Robic as French-Canadian Woman
- John Hainsworth as Bizarro and French-Canadian Father
- Quinn Lord as Bizarro and Philipe Lamont
- Heather Doerksen as Martha's Aide
- Clint Carleton as Security Guard
- Tyler McClendon as Deputy
- Patrick Keating as Priest
Characters
- Clark Kent
- Lana Lang
- Lex Luthor
- Lois Lane
- Chloe Sullivan
- Lionel Luthor
- Martha Kent
- Bizarro
- John Jones/Martian Manhunter
- Dr. Donovan Jamison
- Jason Bartlett
- French-Canadian Woman
- French-Canadian Father
- Philipe Lamont
- Martha's Aide
- Security Guard
- Deputy
- Priest
- Moira Sullivan (Mentioned only)
- Jor-El (Mentioned only)
- Aldar (Mentioned only)
- Dr. Hudson (Mentioned only)
Sentient Species
Vehicles
- Lana's car
Objects
Concepts
Title
- A phantom is an apparition or specter.
- The title refers to the Phantom wraiths that Clark inadvertently released from the Phantom Zone, specifically the final one that Clark tracks down in this episode.
Notes
- Antagonists: Lex Luthor and Bizarro
Bizarro in the comics.
- Clark’s Abilities: Superhuman Speed, Superhuman Strength, Invulnerability
- John Jones Abilities: Telepathy, Invulnerability, Superhuman Strength, Flight, Super Speed, Healing Factor
- Bizarro's Abilities: Possession, Superhuman Strength, Super Speed, Flight, Genetic Mimicry.
- Like in Zod, the recap scene from this season is removed from the DVD version.
- On the Season 6 DVD box set, a deleted scene gives more insight into Lana and Lionel's deal. Lana secretly meets with Lionel to give him the DVD featuring the wraith, saying she's fulfilled her half of the bargain. Lionel informs her that her role isn't finished, but Lana declares her intention to leave Lex. Lionel tries to remind her that they are doing this to protect Clark, and that she must stay with Lex a little longer, but she is reluctant to believe him since he threatened to kill Clark. Lana reveals how terrified she is, but seems to agree when Lionel assure her she is helping Clark and the world.
- Lois finds out coordinates with the numbers that Wes was saying. In reality, they lead to a location just outside Kansas City, the most probable location for Smallville's Metropolis.
- This episode marks the second time Clark has nearly killed someone he blames for the death of a girlfriend. The first time was in Pariah when he attempted to strangle Tim Westcott for murdering Alicia Baker. Interestingly, he appears to have been much more willing to kill Westcott, than Lex, and does not seek an explanation from him.
- This is the first time Chloe uses her empathic healing abilities.
- Lana is the second main character (after Lex in Season Five's Vessel) to discover Clark Kent's secret in a season finale.
- In the final scene when Clark and Bizarro charge at each other in Clark Time, flowing water from the leaking pipe to the left is falling in near-normal speed.
- The French-Canadian woman tries to kill the Phantom by boiling her father's T-shirt on the stove. This is a common practice in folklore to burn the clothes the person was wearing when they got possessed for deliverance from the spirit.
Martian Manhunter as Josh Johnstone and a young Clark Kent.
- Martian Manhunter reveals that he has been watching Clark from a distance his whole life. While the episode does not go into detail, it is possible that, with Martian Manhunter being a shapeshifter, any random background character (male or female), in past episodes, could have secretly been Martian Manhunter in disguise. In the comics, Martian Manhunter was several people present during Clark's upbringing: Josh Johnstone (a farm hand at the Kent Farm) and Mrs. Klingman (a civics teacher at Smallville High).[1]
Martian Manhunter as Mrs. Klingman and a teenage Clark Kent.
In Other Media
- During the fight with Clark, the Phantom Wraith takes some of Clark's DNA, makes a carbon copy of him out of it and permanently possesses the carbon copy of him in order to be whole again.
This is Smallville's version of Bizarro, a result of a long ago Kryptonian experiment as explained by the Martian Manhunter. In the comics, one version of Bizarro was a laboratory-created evil Superman clone where another was an alternate reality Superman from a Bizarro World.
- Bizarro is the 34th DC Comics character to be adapted into the series.
Trivia
- This is the season 6 finale.
- This is the 4th season which finishes with the credit "To be continued". Simultaneously, this is the 7th episode which culminates with this expression. The other episodes were: Tempest, Calling, Exile, Commencement, Oracle, Vessel and Salvation.
- This is the last episode featuring Annette O'Toole in the role of Martha Kent as a regular cast member.
- This is the last appearance of Ben Ayres as Bartlett.
Continuity
- Bartlett, the Project Ares supervisor, also appeared in Combat, Nemesis, Noir, and Prototype.
- This is the second and final Smallville episode Dr. Jamison appears in. His name was never spoken aloud in these episodes. However viewers could know his name by watching his prior appearances in Chloe Chronicles and Chloe Chronicles, Volume Two.
- It appeared that seven forms were released from the Phantom Zone in Zod. However, counting Clark, Raya, Gloria, Baern, Aldar, Dr. Hudson and Titan, Bizarro is the eighth Zoner released.
- Lana finally learns Clark's secret when Clark tells her his origins. After years of speculation, her investigation was revealed in Trespass and she learned most of his powers in Promise.
- This episode marks the fourth time in a row that Clark wears his Red jacket/Blue shirt outfit in a season finale after Season Three's Covenant, Season Four's Commencement, and Season Five's Vessel.
- This episode marks the 58th appearance of Clark's red jacket and blue shirt outfit, which he wears frequently throughout the series.
- The conversation between Clark and Martian Manhunter is very similar to the conversation that they had in a deleted scene in Labyrinth. Presumably the writers originally intended for the Manhunter to explain his backstory to Clark halfway through season six, but when the scene was deleted from Labyrinth, they moved the conversation to the season finale Phantom.
- In Lineage Clark wonders if he even has DNA. In this episode, it is proven that he does, as Bizarro uses it to copy Clark's form to create a host for itself.
Spoilers
- Bizarro is defeated in Bizarro, said to be sent to the "sunny side of Mars" by Martian Manhunter. He returns in Gemini, posing as Clark for several weeks before finally being defeated in Persona.
Locations
- Other
- Baie-Saint-Paul, Quebec, Canada
Quotes
- Lex: As hard as it is for you to believe, Lana actually loves me.
- Lionel: Oh, you know so little about women, Lex. Lana does not love you. The only reason she even agreed to marry you is because I gave her a gentle, yet very firm, nudge.
- Lex: Using my wife against me? That's deplorable even for you.
- Clark: (to Martha) Washington, D.C. is no different than Topeka, only a few more seconds away for me.
- Chloe: (to Lois) Hey! Is that an investigative reporter on the trail of a hot story or someone trying to pick good lottery numbers?
- Clark: (to Lana) Please say something.
- Lana: (just smiles and walks to him, pulling him into a kiss) You're still the same Clark Kent to me.
- Lana: Lex, I can't live like this anymore!
- Lex: Yeah I don't blame you. Living a lie in a marriage you never wanted. Might take its toll after a while.
- Lana: You're the expert. Setting up a nursery, an heirloom crib, the tears of joy in your eyes when you saw that ultrasound. What kind of a toll does that take, Lex?
- Lex: What in God's name are we talking about?
- Lana: I'm talking about the massive amounts of hormones that you injected into my veins to make me believe I was pregnant. What kind of a monster are you?
- Lex: I don't know where you're getting that information from, Lana, but it's nothing but slander. You know I would never-
- Lana: Don't lie, Lex! It's too late for all that! This marriage is over.
- Lex: Lana, I know I'm far from perfect, but you can't deny what we had between us.
- Lana: Lex, all there is between us are lies on top of lies!
- Lex: Everything I've ever done, is because I love you.
- Lana: You aren't capable of love, Lex. You never were.
- Lex: It's Clark, isn't it? You never could get over him, even if he is the biggest liar of them all.
- Lana: Clark means more to me than you ever will!
- Lex: (after hitting Lana) Lana...
- Lana: That's the last time you'll ever touch me!
- Lex: (after grabbing her by the arm) Did you really think I could just let you walk away?
- Lana: What are you going to do Lex? Kill me? Because that's the only way you're gonna keep me in this mansion.
- Bizarro: Thanks for sharing. I feel a lot better now.
- Clark: What just happened?
- Bizarro: I took a little piece of your DNA. (he chokes Clark) And now, I'm gonna take your life!
- Deputy: (to Lex) You're under arrest for the murder of Lana Luthor.
- Bizarro: (sees Clark) At last! A Kryptonian!
External links
| Previous Story: Prototype |
Next Story: Bizarro |
| 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 | |
References
- ↑ Martian Manhunter (Volume 2) #20 (July, 2000)