carbon.copy - 'til of wonder of fate unfurled, and under the girl uncurled someone new'

References for Season Four

Onyx
Spirit
Blank
Ageless
Forever
Commencement

Clark and Chloe go to check up Lex after an explosion at LuthorCorp, Chloe explains that yet another one of her sources is an EMT at Smallville Medical Center. Lex explains that it's fine, that it was merely an experiment that went a little out of control. Chloe snarks that she's sure it was helpful - "to LuthorCorp's bottom line." Lex claims it would be helpful to al and invites both of them to the lab to check out the experiment. Chloe remains skeptical and decides to interview Dr. Sinclair while Clark goes with Clark back to the lab, claiming that she isn't trust a LuthorCorp experiment without corroboration and reminding Clark that LuthorCorp experiments never end well.

"What are you
doing?"

"Snooping
where I
don't belong...
I'm thinking
of making a
career
out of it."

On her way to Dr. Sinclair's room she runs into Lex - another Lex, as the experiment split Lex into his good half (Lex) and his bad half (Alexander.) Alexander had just killed Dr. Sinclair and Chloe bumps into him outside the room; Alexander leads her away saying that the doctor isn't feeling a thing - and that Chloe should try to talk to him when he's feeling a little more alive. The crash team rushes past Chloe who notes the peculiarity that Lex wasn't at the lab and the smirk on his face as he walks off.

The next day, Chloe calls Clark to the Torch to talk about Sinclair's death - how odd it was that a man with no hear problems died of cardiac arrest. Clark mentions that he should tell Lex, but Chloe stops him realizing that Lex was with her at the same time he was with Lex. Clark scoffs that it's impossible, but she shuts him down. To check the timeline, she hacks into the Smallville Medical Center's surveillance system "which, as far as you know, [she's] never hacked into because that would be wrong." When she finds the matching time stamps of her and Clark both talking to Lex at the same time, she calls him.

By this point, Alexander has trapped Lex, and he takes Chloe and Clark back to the lab feigning looking for the other Lex. When Alexander leaves, Chloe starts "snooping where [she] don’t belong. [She's] thinking of making a career out of it." Clark tries to point out that Lex will be right back and that he knows his own friend but Chloe rejects his claim pointing out people keep sides hidden even from people they love. Clark says that sometimes people have to - Chloe retorts back heatedly, "Yeah, but sooner or later you have to trust them with what’s in your heart. Otherwise, you’re gonna end up going through life alone." They continue digging around for a moment before Chloe finds a body in a locker, the security guard. Alexander watches and drops equipment on them, trying to get rid of the loose ends; Clark grabs Chloe and shoves her to the ground, saving her life and giving us several iconic shots. He tries to wake her up (with another throw back to Obscura) and looks around the lab - Alexander however, is shocked and leaves.

Clark takes Chloe back to the Kent Farm. She quips that she doesn't remember being saved and that the quarterback must move pretty fast. Clark berates himself that it wasn't fast enough and Chloe waves off his concern. "You’re always there when I need you, Clark. I just hope someday I can do the same for you."* Clark is just concerned about her safty, so she comes up with the plan to stay over at the military base with her uncle and cousin. Chloe tells Clark that she'll keep her cell on and for him to call her should he need to.

*Yet another throw back to Obscura.

Episode 4.18, Spirit

Chloe is crusading against the Prom Queen tradition at SHS; she sees prom as the senior class's last party together and sees it needless to cap off four years with a popularity contest. Lana notes that "Chloe Sullivan strikes again" but also remarks "balloons and taffeta seem a little harmless compared to your usual targets." Chloe tries to twist Lana's arm to going stag even if it's just to hear Lifehouse when they get cornered by Dawn Styles who warns Chloe to back off. Chloe is shocked and appalled to find she was nominated for Prom Queen.

When she goes into the Torch, complaining to Clark that she was very clear about boycotting the vote, she realizes that he organized it all. "I may have spoken to a few people," he admits. Chloe asks him who he's taking, and Clark doges the question much like Lana did earlier in the hall. Chloe presses him, pointing out that expectations are there as goals to live up to, not things meant to make people back down from living their lives. Clark denies that either of them are in a "rut" but Chloe gets a bit meta, saying that they are and they "we’re gonna graduate from this adolescent fantasy and we’re not gonna have a rut to fall back into". Clark seems to listen and she adds in two more cents about her belief that his future holds more than he realizes.

Later that night, Clark goes to help with why his mom is acting so weird (Dawn Styles has since been changed into a body hoping spirit already taking over his mom and Lana.) Chloe figures out that after crashing and going into a coma in Carlton Gorge, that Dawn has powers. The trio (Chloe, Lana, and Clark) go to the hospital to see how she is -- where Dawn essentially kills herself/her body and spends the next day lingering around the hospital until she body morphs into Chloe's cousin. Dawn then forces Clark to take her to prom, in a bright pink dress, under the guise of Chloe's cousin, telling him "Anything is possible, Clark. Anything."

Chloe goes to the prom, by herself, in a pink and purple gown. She spots Clark across the floor and beams as she makes her way towards him. He jokes that "maybe this time we won’t have any natural disasters" - a reference to their date in Tempest. Chloe is happy that he's there and surprised; Clark references their earlier conversation saying that missing her "with a crown on your head" would be a major disappointment for him. Chloe says that she's "really glad" that he's there. Dawn!Lois interrupts them and Chloe points out that she's there "in pink. Why?"

The teachers call for the prom queen; there is a drum roll and a quick two shot of the competition: Chloe or "Lois" (with Dawn inside of her.)* Shockingly, Chloe wins; Clark is extremely proud; and Dawn body hops into her making an embarrassing public acceptance speech which clues Clark into what happened. Chloe's cousin, now back to her normal self, is confused. Dawn!Chloe takes off, knocking out Jonathan Kent, grabbing an axe and making for the boiler room. She goes (as we saw in the teaser) to burn the school down.

"I can be
whoever
I want."

Clark of course, prevents it. "All those years I kept trying to be what everyone else wanted. And it turns out those losers don’t even care!" Dawn protests to him. Clark tries to reason with her, asking her to let his friend go. Dawn grins, "See, Clark, there’s a whole life after high school, and I can be whoever I want!" Dawn hops into Clark who knocks Chloe across the room and steals her tiara. However, Jonathan Kent comes down stairs with Kryptonite and forces Dawn out of Clark - showing us it was Clark's plan; Chloe sees the reaction to the kryptonite.

Once free, Clark helps Chloe up. "I think you dropped something. Congratulations, Chloe." He hands her the tiara that he helped her win. They end up going back to the dance where Clark gets his hoped for dance with Lana (from the Pilot) and Chloe talks with her cousin. Chloe admits that it seems just yesterday that Tempest happened, and her cousins stops her cold - "You’re headed for Metropolis. You are destined to be a big shot reporter at the Daily Planet. Do you really picture Clark Kent being able to keep up with you?" Chloe grins a bit, and says that she thinks Clark "might have a lot more to offer" than realized.**

* In the Pilot, Lana was Homecoming Queen (as a freshman, the queen of the very first dance of high school). Chloe is Prom Queen (queen of the very last dance as a senior). EDLois is not a queen.

** Click here to see how destiny is used on Smallville.

Episode 4.19, Blank

Chloe and Clark stop by the Talon to get coffee and talk about where he might go to college (we already know that Chloe is going back to her home town of Metropolis to go to Met U in the fall.). Clark talks about going to Miami (he checked it out in Run with Bart, and it's a set up for Aqua.) While they are there, her cousin on duty is robbed and doesn't remember it. Clark rushes outside to confront the robber who zaps Clark - erasing all his memories (and we see a still from every episode in the series thus far.) Chloe comes running out of the Talon to check on him, and Clark looks up at her confused. "Clark who?"

Chloe drives him to Kent Farm, showing him around - but in his amnesia he doesn't remember a thing. Chloe tries to joke that "normal was really never [his] style" and admits that sometimes her attempts at levity "crash and burn." Clark goes to open the door to his house and pulls a locked door off it's hinges; Chloe just grins and walks inside looking for the Kents.   When they get there, they find her cousin who tells them that the Kents are out of town ans asks about the door; Chloe covers saying there was a strange wind and decides to take Clark outside to talk.   "Please tell me I'm not related to her." he askes Chloe. "No, I am," she retorts.

"See, you've
sort of taken it,
upon yourself
to be Smallville's
self-appointed
hero.
And if you
ask me,
I think
that is,
amazing."

Outside, Chloe gives Clark a crow bar to bend, and he does that to his own amazement. Chloe admits that she didn't realize she'd have to explain to him; she runs down her theory on the meteorites and he thinks he's an alien. Chloe merely thinks he's a mutant of sorts but a good one, "See, you’ve sort of taken it upon yourself to be Smallville’s self-appointed hero. And if you ask me, I think that that is amazing." Clark thinks that they must be pretty good friends for him to trust her, and Chloe admits that he didn't. "It’s okay. I mean, you were just protecting yourself. A lot of people would betray you if they knew."   Clark looks at her and realizes that she wouldn't do that - and she confirms that she never would.

That night, Chloe takes him to the Talon where Clark's X-Ray vision kicks on by itself to find the pass of the Memory Repo Theif - a guy named Kevin Brady.   "Hold on a minute, are you telling me that you can see through solid objects?" Chloe asks, before recommending to keep a lid on that power. Clark has a short spat not understanding why he has to lie to make other people feel good and Chloe urges him to wait for his parents. At that moment, Clark sees Lana walking down the stairs and his heat vision goes off. "Premature combustion, that's one I didn't need to know about," Chloe snarks before telling him who Lana is - "the Love of his Life."

The next day, Chloe and her cousin take Clark with them to go talk to Kevin Grady (her cousin because she lost the money.) While there, Chloe spots a parking pass to Sommerhalt Institute (from Ryan and Delete and others). She confronts Kevin's father who waylays them with a background story - Kevin was in there because he accidentally shot his brother while hunting.   While her cousin runs off, Clark hears a motorbike coming around the side of the house. Chloe snarks that the abilities just keep coming and tells him to run; "Just run!" Clark does so and ends up in a field of cattle.

Later that day, Chloe takes Clark to Lex's manor where Chloe asks Lex to get in touch with his contact at Sommerhalt and find out what they are doing. Chloe tries to leave with Clark, but Lex insists that he stays. Chloe on the surface agrees and on her way out she whispers to Clark, "be careful." Clark hears her automatically.*

Chloe takes the opportunity to get into Sommerhalt (she sneaks in with flowers in a deleted scene) where she emails her findings back to the Torch; her cousin picks them up and shares them with Clar; when Clark is curious about how she got them, her cousins says never to estimate Chloe, "especially when it comes to helping you.". Chloe found videos of Kevin Grady having false memories implanted into his brain of killing his brother by his father. As she's sending them, Chloe gets caught. After watching the videos, Clark runs off to find Kevin - which he does and the two decide to break into Sommerholt, and Lois calls the sherriff to find out why Chloe is missing.

Chloe is tied to a bed, and Mr. Grady is going to wipe more than three days worth of memories from her brain. At that point Kevin bursts in to fight with his dad (Clark, on his way in, encountered krypotonite and has to figure out how to get it out of range.) As the Gradies struggle, the machine activates, Clark zooms in and puts his head between the beam and Chloe. The machine ends up restoring his orginal memories and crashing down on him - in time for Sherriff Nancy and Chloe's cousin to see it. Kevin erases the memory of the last five minutes from all three woman before taking off. Clark, who lost the past 24 hours, is confused but helps until Chloe and thanks Kevin on his way out.

Clark stops by the Torch (after already meeting up with Lex and Lana) with the song 'This Is Your Life' playing in the background.** Clark makes a joke about not remembering who she is and Chloe admits that it's "not hilarious but funny."***    Clark thanks her for watching him and jokes that it must of been difficult having a zombie for a best friend. "Yeah, I mean, you know, I never really realized how complicated that zombie’s life was," Chloe admits. Clark asks her to be honest and Chloe poitns out that he made all the same choices except for one. "You trusted me."

* Automatic super hearing of Lois is one of the key things in their relationship. In "For Tomorrow" Clark describes Lois' heartbeat as his life line.

** Switchfoot's song "This Is Your Life" is overlayed over Clark's relationship with three people - Lex. Lana. and Chloe. Out of these three, we get several different reactions. Lana still tries to manipulate the truth out of Clark - leading Clark to believe things happened in the past day that didn't. Lex does similiar, out right stealing the map and lying to Clark about what they did. Only Chloe was (cageilly) honest with him. The song asks 'Are you who you want to be?' among other things and it's interesting that Clark is back in his Superman colors with all three of them. The meaning of course, is that these three people (with Clark) are his *life.* His ex, his enemy, and his partner.

*** This is a rip of of a Lois and Clark scene in 'Swear to God, This Time We're Not Kidding'

Episode 4.20, Ageless

Chloe is working in the Torch, and ignores Clark and Lana's baby moment -- she found an interesting 911 call. The three of them listen to the calll, noting that the father leaves the mother there alone before she explodes.   They all think it's pretty harsh and Clark asks Chloe to look into it further. She agrees.

The next day, Chloe has found the girl - Karen Gallagher.   She admits that Karen had given her a few blips on the radar when Clark asks if she was Wall of Weird material, but nothing substantial. However, Karen had gotten pregnant and delivered in less than a week, but no one seems to know who the father was. Chloe pulls up e-vite, the guest list to a part Karen was at a week prior. She snarks that their invitations got lost and suggests they just go down the list and seek out whomever it is.

The next day, Clark's looking for Evan (who is in the middle of his melt down); Chloe points out to him the power surges all over the town and Clark realizes Lana would of taken Evan to the windmill in Chandler's Field.   When Chloe loks up, Clark's gone. "Go get 'em, Speedy!" she snarks to herself.

Episode 4.21, Forever

Chloe is working in the Torch* when she notices the power doesn't work, there is no one in the halls, and the only other person she can find has been turned into a plastic mannequin. She's stuck inside a model of the Smallville High building, on the last day of class with no idea how she got there. Eventually she runs into two other students who inform her that they're being watched. Brendan, a photographer at SHS, comes out and reveals that he's controlling it all. "Some of us didn't get into our dream colleges like you," he snipes at her, trying to convince her to stay 'in high school' with him so she won't be disappointed. Brendan shows her that he turns the people into mannequins with the clear threat that if she tries to escape, she'll be one too.

By this point, Clark realizes that Chloe's missing as does Lana and they go around looking for her. The Torch is empty, and Lana contemplates if Metropolis is ready for Chloe and her Wall of Weird. Clark finds Chloe's cell phone left behind and knows that something is wrong. He goes over to the Talon to see if she's with her cousin - who blows him off. "She never published the last issue. It's kind of why I think something is going on," Clark insists.   After looking at the "Most Likely To", Clark sees a pattern and gets the information from Chloe's cousin that she was looking over photos with Brendan.

Chloe is still stuck inside, when Brendan shows her that he's brought her a special surprise - Lana Lang. When explaining what's going on, Chloe has the same deductive leap that Clark had - realizing that everyone being captured is on the Most Likely List.* "We're being collected."   Chloe's already enlisted Haley's help for her plan to escape. Later, Brendan comes in to flirt with Chloe that she liked him; while distracted, Lana knocks him out with a desk draw. Chloe snags the keys and the three of them make a run for it. Brendan however, meets them at the end of the maze and kills Haley.

Clark breaks in, to find Chloe as a mannequin.   While he finds her, Brendan discovers Chloe's cousin inside as well and turns her also to plastic and prepares to smash her. Clark prevents that, and also prevents Brendan from smashing Lana down the steps. When he tries to freeze Clark, it back fires, freezing him and releasing everyone else.

At the end of the day, Chloe's finished at the Torch - she takes down the Wall and looks around sadly at her life for the past four years. She turns off the lights, takes one last look, and leaves carrying her beliefs out in a box. Once out side, Clark carries the Wall in a Box for her, and they - along with Lana - walk home from Smallville High for the last time. When they are commiserating, Lana reveals that she's staying in Smallville while Chloe is moving to Metropolis because she's not "explored all the options *here*." Chloe suspects that things probably won't change that much at all, and she and Clark walk off, in step, in the Superman colors, with her Wall. (Lana is not instep with them.)***

* Interesting that the first shot (and last) is of the Torch offices. The subtitle of the paper is "Summer's Arrival" which could be a play on words as there was Summer, and then came episode 5.01, Arrival. The headed says that School's out "Forever" (which is tossed around a lot in this episode.)   The last article Chloe writes for the Torch is shown partially on screen and we know that all graduation speeches (from X-Ray) are printed in the end issues of the Torch.   Since Chloe was valedictorian, she would of had a speech and this article seems to be it. "The friends we've made, the things we've done are all important moments in our respective lives and should be treated as such."

** The "Most Likely" crowd covers all three graduates. Lana is most likely to be "A Cover Girl" - Lana Lang in some version is a model and is regarded as beautiful by many in SVverse.   Clark is most likely to be a "NFL Quarterback" - which is a parallel to superman (click here.) Chloe is most likely "To Succeed."   In the canon-fixing book by Craig Bryne, they are given new titles: Chloe is most likely to "Get a Pulitzer", Lana is most likely to "Marry a Billionaire."

***The song in the background of these two scenes is "Around the Way" - it talks about life coming back around. It's a fun parallel to the song at the start of freshman year in the Pilot called "Take the Long Way 'Round."   Clark and Chloe started high school together, and end it together; it started her showing him her wall, ended with him carrying and believing her Wall. It's pretty paralleling.

Episode 4.22, Commencement

Chloe and Clark are graduating - Lana's missing. They go down a wedding styled march towards their diplomas* when there is a military evacuation interrupting the ceremony - another meteor shower is coming. Chloe is amazed about the second strike in "sixteen years."** Clark brushes her off saying that they need to find Lana - Chloe agrees saying that if anyone can do it, he can.   "Are you saying I'm not normal?" he demands and Chloe apologizes, brushing it off, trying to focus on finding Lana when her cousin comes up saying that Lana's probably evacuated. Clark agrees that it's what both girls need to do; Chloe gets in the car but her cousin whips herself up into a panic while trying to advice Clark not to panic.

Lana leaves Chloe a voice mail that Lex interrupts - when Chloe gets it she turns the car around to go get Lana. "I can't abandon her," Chloe points out when they are stopped by one of General Lane's men. He tells them to turn around and Chloe lays the pressure on her cousin, "We're way too close to turn away."   Her cousin agrees and distracts the guard while Chloe dashes over to Luthor Manor.

When she gets there, she finds Clark unconscious in front of kryptonite clutching the transference/water stone in his hand. Chloe pulls him out of dangers way and he super speeds out, when Lex comes in. Chloe says that she was looking for Lana but Lex is more concerned with the door shoved off his safe. "You know more than you're telling me, Chloe. Who did this?" Lex demands, and Chloe says that she's just looking for Lana. Lex threatens her more, asking again about the element. Chloe doesn't know and a frustrated Lex shoves her out of the mansion saying that he's going to "find that stone, Chloe, even if that means dodging a few meteors in the process. You're coming with me."

Lex takes her to the Kawatchi caves (introduced in Skinwalker.) Chloe's confused to as what's going on but Lex won't believe her when she asks why they are in the cave - "It's the epicenter," Lex retorts. "Of WHAT?" Chloe demands back.*** Lex continues digging at her, "Come on, Chloe! You're the town purveyor of all things unexplained! You know damn well about this cave and the stones." Chloe asks what's wrong with him, and he accuses her of protecting people and lying to him. "Is it Clark?"

Chloe balks at the suggestion, wondering what Clark "has to do with all of this." Lex gestures around the cave, "You tell me. You've known Clark a lot longer than I have. In fact, you might know him better than anyone."   Chloe says "You are right Lex, I do."**** She refutes the idea that Clark would ever do such a thing, when the cave starts to glow from deeper within the cave - where Clark is. Chloe 'warns' Lex, before pushing him against the stone walls and knocking him down. She runs around the edge where she sees Clark in a glowing white light right before it sucks her up.

* Sides for this episode indicate that Chloe was the valedictorian of SHS's class of 2005.

** This re-establishes Clark at newly 19 after the snafu's of age in Run and Unsafe.

** In Commencement they are in the 'epicenter' of the story on several levels. The first is the story of 'Smallville', obviously. The second is that of Numan, Seigeith, and the CaveWoman. The third of coruse are the parallels of both to the "known" Superman story.

*** Lois Lane was created several years before Luthor (later known as Lex Luthor) was. She is the only character around since Superman was (and note that she's Clark only friend that has exsisted the entire run of the show, both a year 'prior' to the show via Obscura to date.)

Information on this page collected by Chiri & Regina,
with informational help from KryptonSite and the LCPR,
and screen caps from dynamic duo.

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