References for Season One

Pilot
Metamorphosis
Hothead
X-Ray
Cool
Hourglass
Craving
Jitters
 

Show Introduction

Chloe's shots in the introduction of the first season are two shots from the Pilot, once after betting on Clark and once after twirling with Pete, and one of her backing up from the fire in Hothead.  Allison Mack's 'head shot' is also from the Pilot.  The lyrics of "Save Me" that she is set to are 'C'mon, I'm still waiting for you.'

Episode 1.01, Pilot*

Once the Pilot skips past the 1989 meteorite set up, to the present, Chloe on the bus is the very first person we see.  She's not addressed by her name to her face in this episode at all; her name is said once, right before Clark gets beat up.  It's not until midway through the second episode we get to match a name to the face.  For the Pilot we only know her as the plucky blonde reporter who has her eyes on the real stories of the town - and on Clark.

In the first exposition dialog about her character, Pete explains that Chloe is known for her obsession with the weird and bizarre in Smallville; a fact that Chloe doesn't dispute as much as she disputes her attraction to Clark.  Chloe noticed Clark tapping the bus (but doesn't realize it was him) and gives us the impression that Chloe looks at Smallville through an outsiders' eyes.  She also reveals that she already knows more about Clark Kent than his best friend Pete does when she accurately predicts how long it takes before Lana Lange (or more accurately, her kryptonite necklace) trips him up.

Clark, Chloe, and Pete team up in the library where Chloe explains how the meteorites must of effected Jeremy Creek.  Pete forces her to show Clark her "Wall of Weird" (then in the darkroom) which displays her obsession with journalism and the meteorites.  Clark asks Chloe why she kept the Wall from him; Chloe replies that "We all have secrets, Clark."  

*In the director's commentary on the Smallville S1 DVD, Al Gough and Miles Miller refer to Chloe as their "Proto-Lois."  The novel version of the pilot is called Arrival, a name they later reuse for the first episode of season five.  We're told in other interviews before the Pilot that Chloe's name was given very purposefully to have a lot of L's in it.  For more on Chloe's name, click here.

Episode 1.02, Metamorphosis

When Clark suspects Greg Arkin of breaking into his loft, he relays his belief in Chloe's Wall to his parents, even going so far as to retort to Jonathan that Smallville's the only town where the tall tales "are all true."   

"Chloe, I
could never

out grow you...
other than vertically."

The next day, he approaches Chloe for background information.  When he tries to cut her out the investigation, Chloe questions the security of their friendship.  Clark tells her that "[he'll] never out grow [her], other than vertically."  

Clark and Chloe use the Torch resources to put together Greg's "Bug Boy" condition.  With the help of Pete, they go to investigate Greg's house.  While there, Chloe is the first to enter through an open window in pursuit of the story despite Pete and Clark's feeble protests; the three take pictures and Chloe finds out who Greg's next target is.

Episode 1.03, Hothead

Chloe's articles have already started gathering attention by the way of hate mail from some of the 'jocks' at SHS for her digging into the cheating scandal of the football team.  Clark teases her about it; she is happy because that means she's "hitting a nerve." Chloe persists on taking pictures and digging at the "cheating jockstraps" until Clark has to save her from a football.

The Clark, Chloe, and Pete trio go over to the Beanery, along the way she outlines her up-coming Torch article on the players to Clark's amusement and Pete's annoyance. While hanging out, she over hears a discussion of the players and decides to follow them.  At the football field, she hides behind the bleachers while photographing Coach Arnold's flaming sprinklers.

Chloe's first 'source' is Trevor Chapel, a student uncomfortable with the Coach and cheating on the exam.  Chloe approaches him for information and shows him the photo, telling him whether he helps her or not that it will "be on the front page of tomorrow's Torch."

The coach has been tailing Trevor and decides to flambé Chloe*.  She is in the office, working on layout when the coach uses his fire powers to burn her.  The computers, digital camera, and the Wall of Weird are all toast.  Chloe cried out for Clark's help; and he run up to save her, oddly taking a very classic Superman jaw-jutting pose when he does.  Chloe then talks to Clark about her theory on Coach Walt; she points out that Trevor might be afraid to talk to her but might talk to him.  Clark grudgingly agees.

At the game, after Jonathan and Chloe initially can't find Clark, Jonathan turns to her for some sort of answer; "What's going on, Chloe?"

*It is interesting to note that the first attempt on her life wasn't from a jealous boy at all (like Lana) but due to her journalism.  Interesting to note, this rescue cements Clark as a hero [Lex's was place/time thing as was Whitney's; Whit took the credit for the rescue of Lana.  This is a notable rescue as Clark realized someone was in trouble and purposefully dropped what he was doing to save that someone - i.e. Chloe - and started him getting major recognition as a continual savior.]

Episode 1.04, X-Ray

Chloe is apparently still fixing up the Torch as she is shown working not at a regular iMac, but a laptop.  Lana Lang tells Chloe that she admires her for saying what she wants to say and asks for a favor -- to find her mother's graduation speech.  It does appear that Chloe (or the school, perhaps) is good about keeping duplicates as there is a file cabinet full of back issues of the Torch.  However, since the speech was never transcribed, Chloe decides to continue hunting it down.

When Clark goes to investigate Tina, first he calls Chloe who is "busy" with something else (presumably, finding Laura Potter's graduation speech).  Pete claims that it's Chloe's job to cover the "tales of the unexplained" and that Chloe telling Clark she is busy is like "being turned down by the National Inquirer."

Chloe meets up with Clark after the incident with Tina; Clark thinks she's there to check up on him but Chloe claims that she was "there to see somebody else."  She searches down and finds a tape of Laura Lang's graduation speech for Lana, a girl she barely knows and mocked last episode multiple times.  She tells the former cheerleader "if I told you, I'd have to kill you" when Lana asked her how she found the tape.

Episode 1.05, Cool

Chloe and Clark attend a party out at Crater Lake where Chloe makes the first reference to Lois in the whole series:  "Just because I don't have raven hair and the initials L.L. doesn't mean that guys don't find me attractive, Clark."  Of course, given Lana's looks in the series, it has a double play to Clark's official love interest on the show as well.

When Clark is not happy about Chloe's choice in possible boyfriends, Pete tries to hook Chloe and Clark up.  Clark is right to worry; Sean Kelvin is bad for her and is the first in a line of bad relationships for Chloe in the series.  Chloe makes a crack about being a Crash Test Dummy (a reference to their Superman Song, no doubt) for their dating skills and tells both of them to treat her better.  The three of them run into Sean later that day where he blows Chloe off because she's putting the paper to bed; she comments how once Clark hooks up with Lana, there is no "luck left for the rest of us."

"Everyone is searching

for their
soulmate, Chloe.
It's not a

sign of weakness."

At Kent Farm in pre-"non"-date preparation, Chloe notes that Clark always looks good in blue (the third in her outright Superman shout-outs this episode) and, oddly enough, Clark wears the blue shirt she picks out for him.  Also, amusingly, watch for the shirt/shirt color to reoccur later in the series in episodes like Crush and Rush.

Clark abruptly ends his "non"-date with Lana and leaves her with little to no explanation when infers that Chloe is in danger from the news report on the television.  Rushing to find her foot frozen in the SHS high school pool, he first hits the ice and then Sean with little to no care if Chloe saw him or not.  He helps her run out of the pool room and then goes back to look for Sean.

The next scene shows Chloe, somewhat drier and wrapped up in Clark's coat, surfing on a new iMac.   The Wall seems to be up again, as well.   Clark gets completely absorbed into finding out the answer to Sean and stopping him - so much so that he forgets about leaving Lana at the Beanery.

At the end of the episode, Clark and Pete console Chloe who is now determined to run background checks on her potential boyfriends.  Clark tells her that "everyone is looking for their soul mate."

Episode 1.06, Hourglass

Lana and Clark purposefully bring Chloe in to help them "think outside the box" after Lana looses a senior citizen while volunteering.  Clark introduces her as "the rude one" to the now young Harry in the Beanery.

When meeting with Cassandra, he sees her vision -- of him outliving everyone he cares about.  The name "Chloe Sullivan" comes up in-between "Pete Ross" and "Lana Lang" but we never see one for "Lois Lane" nor "Lex Luthor."  Now, it's not clear if the order is the order in which they die, in an order of importance to him (because it started with his father), or merely in some random order that he saw them.  Also, since he wasn't friends with/didn't know Lois nor Whitney at the that time, it is possible reason why he didn't see their graves either.

Lana finds the Wall, more importantly, her picture on it.  Clark tells Lana that he believes in Chloe's Wall.  Lana complains about her fwairy pwinceth  fairy princess image.

Both Chloe and Pete go to the retirement home to help Clark search for answers to Harry and do so later at the Torch.  It is Chloe who points out to Clark that Harry is punishing the families of the jury that punished him; thereby enabling Clark to save his mother.

Episode 1.07, Craving

Chloe pulls Clark into her investigation of a mutilated deer on the high way after admitting that she likes to "bust [his] chops" and promises to help him pick out Lana's birthday present.

She mocks Clark's excuse to use the restroom to get into the building. When Chloe's back is turned, he breaks the lock on the door so they can both investigate.  Chloe takes pictures of the de-fatted animal and checks out the report on it.

Lex has been following the Torch and, after working with his plant manager Gabe Sullivan, (Chloe's dad) he checks it out.  He notes the Wall with interest (as well as Chloe's cleavage) and notes that it's nice to see someone who doesn't blame LuthorCorp for all of Smallville's problems.  Chloe and Clark offer that a Dr. Steven Hamilton might offer more help about the meteorites.  He offers to help her get a job at the Inquisitor for the summer if she wants it.

Later, she shows up at Kent Farm with information on Jodi's SUV to link her as the fat-sucking vampire.  She notes a source at the DMV.  Clark is putting on another blue shirt like she recommended for him in Cool and asks her why she's not ready for the party (are they arriving together even though Clark is Lana's escort?  Who knows.)

Episode 1.08, Jitters*

When Clark's old friend, Earl Jenkins, is found in the loft during an unsupervised and out of control party at the Kent Farm, Chloe goes with him to the hospital. Clark shares a very cute story with her about his trying to learn the guitar from Earl while they are waiting for the results.  Once again, Chloe gives dialogue that "just because you spent a lot of time with someone, it doesn't mean you know their deepest, darkest secrets."   While they are there, the Sherriff shows up to arrest Earl and Clark, trying to stop Earl's jitters, gets thrown through the glass trying to help.

Gabe Sullivan is formally introduced to the audience as her (somewhat) embarrassing yet proud father when they tour LuthorCorp the next day on a school field trip to the plant.  She hides behind Clark when her dad waves at her and cracks bad fertilizer jokes.  However, when Gabe gets a gun to the head, she starts to rush forward towards him and Gabe shakes his head at her to make her back off.  When Earl finally relents and lets everyone go, she runs out of the plant later holding her father's hand.  What this episode really sets up is a parallel between the three house holds, the father issues between these three characters, and the true emotion in each and the returned (or unreturned) love of the kids. (Kent as ideal, Sullivan as functional, Luthor as broken)

* Notable about this episode is the fact that it was written to be episode 1.03, not episode 1.08 (according to the writers who wrote it.)  What is interesting is both Hothead and Jitters give glimpses of the Kent and Luthor dynamic.  The major difference is that Jitters looks at the Sullivan family as well while Hothead looks at the Potter/Lang household.

 

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