Episode 5.05, Thirst

Chloe is at the Daily Planet meeting with Pauline Kahn, the current editor in chief.*  Chloe applied for an internship position at the Daily Planet and got called in for an interview with Ms. Kahn; she is told that she didn't get the job and is only there because of Kahn's curiosity.  "It's the backbone of any decent reporter. Have you got backbone, Miss Sullivan?"  Chloe agrees that she does, half-heartedly.  Kahn brings up her column from season three ( you can read some of her articles from them here.) which she has on her desk, and says that she's impressed.  Kahn notes that "reporters, well real reporters, work for years struggling before they can get that kind of chance."   She underscores the whole reason Chloe is there is so Pauline can meet the kid who "pulled that off."     Then Kahn admits that she knew Lionel was behind it all along and that Lionel had her removed.

"All I want
is the opportunity
to prove myself.
Being part of
this world,
working at
the Daily Planet,
it's always
been my
dream."

Chloe speaks up that she doesn't want any special favors - all she wants is a chance to start over and prove her worth.   Chloe notes that the Daily Planet was always her dream; Kahn notes that everyone has to "wake up sometime."  On her way out Chloe stops, and says her piece that everyone starts somewhere and that she is "not going to give up" until she gets a chance to do the same.  Kahn says she started by being a damn good reporter and challenges Chloe to bring her a story if she wants a chance so badly. We cut to a voice over by Chloe** which sets up more of the story: Kahn was a two-time Pulitzer winner and Chloe only had her diploma and no idea where to find a story to match the gauntlet Kahn just threw down.

Chloe is at Metropolis University, finally, with a roommate who doesn't like the Wall of Weird - and also with Lana Lang who is crashing with Chloe until she can find a place to stay; Lana at the time was trying out sorority pledge parties.  Chloe, assuming Lana was hung over, tried to rouse Lana out of bed and thus started off the clues for her article (though she missed them at first.  Lana was sleeping off her 'initiation' from the Tri-Psi, and the head of the Tri-Psi whom Chloe refers to as 'Buffy' to "protect the vapid.")

The next day or two, she talks to Clark about the Lana situation - working still on her story.  They compare notes about how Lana, now that she's joined the Tri-Psi's, has started avoiding them and sleeping in all day.  Chloe, who is onto the Tri-Psi for her story, at first believes that they've turned into some kind of cult; Clark rushes over to her dorm to see what is going on.  She notes that Tri-Psi only takes one girl a year now and that no one ever leaves the sisterhood.  Chloe also points out that Tri-Psi is throwing a party that night, "It's the perfect cover for us to get in there and poke around."  Clark bemoans that he hates costumes, but goes anyway.

School Girl! (Heidi Dirndl) Chloe and Lone Ranger!Clark show up outside the Tri-Psi house.  Chloe can't find her invitation, and uses the sorority girl's enthrallment with "Carlos" to sneak them in.  Once inside, Clark questions his new name and Chloe admits that it starts with a C.  She asks him if he thinks the cape is a bit much but Clark says that he "kinda like[s] it."  He doesn't like the mask, which slides around; Chloe sees Lana dancing with someone else and sends Clark upstairs to look for Lana, saying she'll tell Lana he's looking for her if she finds her.  Chloe grabs Lana right before she's about to feast on cowboy and takes her upstairs to talk.

Chloe confronts Lana upstairs about what is going on; she points out that Lana isn't herself, and that Lana wouldn't do this to Clark.   Lana, at this point very hungry, says that Chloe shouldn't of come to visit her and bares her fangs.   Chloe tries to ward her off with her cross, but it does nothing and Lana drinks from her anyway.  Chloe groans, triggering Clark's super-hearing from down stairs and he rushes up to her the minute she says his name.   Lana, surprised, drops an unconscious Chloe (whom Clark catches) and jumps out the window.

"But your
not a real
reporter, yet. 
Everyone
has to start

somewhere.
Welcome to the
Daily Planet,
kid."

Clark takes her to a hospital in Metropolis where the doctors tell him that she's been infected with a rare strand of rabies and that transfusing her with blood isn't helping her.  Clark watches over her bed, "You have to fight it, Chloe. You have to fight it."  His professor at Kansas A&M, Milton Fine whom we know to be Brainiac, is passing by.  Fine tells Clark to look into project at LuthorCorp, 1138 (a reference to George Lucas' earliest film.)  Clark goes off to confront Lex.***

Chloe continues working on her story, noting that the Tri-Psi's were removed from Metropolis University, LuthorCorp cured the remaining infected students, and Clark and Lana were back on track.  She notes that "the most exciting part about completing a story is not finishing it, but having someone else read it." And after showing us the all nighter that she pulled researching vampires, sources, and writing it we see her go into Kahn's office the next day.

Kahn tries to dismiss this effort as 'tabloid nonsense' that is unfit for a "real newspaper."****  Once again, Chloe stands her ground that it was a real disease with real victims, not a falsity concocted for a byline: "Look, here, it's all researched. Interviews, eyewitness accounts, the CDC report--everything."  Kahn starts riffling through the research and tells Chloe to shut up - that her "writing shows that [she's] not completely without talent."  Chloe, confused, takes the compliment.  "But, you're not a real reporter either yet. Everyone has to start somewhere. Welcome to the Daily Planet, kid."   Chloe shakes her hand, thrilled at getting a real job at the Planet and asks where she starts; Kahn says that Chloe is starting the same place that she did - "at the bottom."

Chloe's voice over continues as she unpacks her stuff and we pan up to the Daily Planet globe:

She never did print the article, but I don't care. I got in on the ground floor of my dream.

Okay, so it's actually the basement. But, it's Daily Planet! The paper of record for kings, presidents and prime ministers; not to mention future super heroes.

The way I look at it, I had no place to go, but up, up, and away.****

* Pauline Kahn is a reference to Bronze Age publisher, Jenette Kahn.  She's played by Carrie Fisher of Princess Leia/Star Wars fame; she's  meant to be a 'hard to please broad' according to Fisher.

** The voice over in this episode was a last-minute edition to pull an otherwise failing episode together; the voice over were written by Al Gough and Miles Millar for the last minute insertion.

*** In the deleted scenes, there is one between Lex and Chloe where Lex uses the same serum to cure Chloe, telling her that she's not done being a 'pain the butt' yet.  She wakes up wanting to tell Clark what happened to Lana; in the directors commentary they were surprised that the scene had been cut/culled.  Which is interesting as Chloe and Lex do not get a ton of interaction to begin with.

**** In addition to the anvil line of 'up, up, and away', like Iron Age Lois in World of Metropolis before her, Chloe's first LuthorCorp story is not printed by the Daily Planet but is enough proof for the current editor to hire her.

***** A reference to Superman I.

Episode 5.06, Exposed

Chloe is working on the Daily Planet tip line on the night shift screening the news coming in, her cousin is there buttering her up to help her move out the next weekend.  Chloe makes jokes about them "obliterating aliens" together and her cousin says she'd never pass up a chance "to watch a big-shot reporter in action."   Chloe gets another phone call - this time from a worried girl who wants to speak to a reporter.   Chloe decides to take the case on for herself to her cousins despair, and points out that "it sounds like she had a story someone didn't want her to tell."  And that if she wants to get out of the basement, she's got to take a chance.  When they go to meet the girl, she gets run down in the road - and dies.

"Now, I'm
sorry I'm
not street
hardened
But she's
far more than
a statistic

to me.  We
have to
find out who
did this!"

Chloe contacts Maggie Sawyer, now a detective from when we last saw her, about the death of the girl - who had no id, no make on the car, no reason for the call.  "I'd say you're off to a great start as an investigative reporter, Miss Sullivan," Sawyer responds and turns to leave.   Chloe and her cousin both point out that they aren't willing to let this girls death slide under the table, "Look, Detective Sawyer, this girl died trying to tell me her story. Now, I'm sorry I'm not street-hardened, but she's way more than a statistic to me. We have to find out who did this."  Sawyer tells Chloe to do her job, and that she'll do hers.  Chloe and her cousin go back to the newsroom, where Chloe finds the only thing in the area to be warehouses and one night club.

They go to the club and get turned down cold by the bouncers, so they sneak in through the employee entrance with the rest of the strippers.  Chloe attempts to start interviewing the strippers only to get stone walled; so she goes to the records room to see if there really is a connection between Melissa and the Windgate Club.   She and her cousin start looking through the files when the manager comes into the office.  Chloe quickly makes up that her cousin is there to dance, passing her off as "the replacement Rocco sent over."

They get the go-ahead and Chloe waits back stage while her cousin gets ready and claims to never ever ask Chloe for another favor in the future.  "This isn't about me. This about getting to the truth!"  Chloe protests.  She tries to talk to another stripper, the Cowgirl, and gets the same brush off.  Her cousin gets ready to dance, and tells Chloe that she better "use this distraction to find something about Melissa."  Chloe goes off (presumable to take the photos we see her have later in the episode) and gets busted with everyone else; at this point she runs into Clark who is tracking down the same dead girl story, only from the angle of clearing the name of family friend - Senator Jack Jennings.

During the raid, Chloe finally gets the strippers to talk by pointing out that she's "obviously on the same side here."   The strippers explain that every sixth months, a European guy takes one of them out of the strip club and takes them away; they think to a paradise but the truth is they don't know where the girls go at all.  Another one clarifies that he just took her cousin - when Sawyer comes back with Clark because Clark got Lex to spring them. Chloe relays what little information she has back to Sawyer only for the detective to miss read what was going down.  Chloe points out that her cousin was only helping her investigate, just like Clark was doing.  "If you want to play Nancy Drew and Hardy Boy, do it in someone else's precinct," Sawyer warns them.

"If you want
to play
Nancy Drew
and Hardy Boy,
do it in
somebody else'

precinct."

Chloe and Clark go back to the Planet (she changed into a suit), and Clark tells her how the Windgate owner is smuggling strippers out of the country into slavery over-seas for 500,000 a girl; Clark also relays the person doing the smuggling was the son of a diplomat - just like the strippers told her.  Chloe whips out her photos of the license plates and notes that if he really is the Euro diplomat's son, he'd have special plates.  Clark finds them and Chloe tracks the car's plates to the UN Tower in Metropolis.  Clark, calling Chloe on the cell, checks it out and can't find her cousin.   Chloe helps him re-print the fake passport made for her cousin and Chloe points out that there is a helipad on the roof of the building if he's really going to smuggle her cousin out.  Clark stop them - but has to let the bad guy go due to his diplomatic immunity.

That weekend, Chloe goes back to Smallville to help her cousin move out of Kent Farm.  She shows both her cousin and Clark her article on page 73, "at the bottom" as her first official byline at the Daily Planet.   She tries to shrug off her work, claiming that they helped her out a lot.  Clark reads and notes that Interpol picked up the Euro guy on an 'anonymous tip.'   Chloe, caught, switches topics about helping her cousin move in and Clark acknowledges her evasiveness with a smile.

Episode 5.07,  Splinter

Clark gets infected with a sliver of 'Silver Kryptonite' (really a piece of Brainiac which he set up to infect Clark to gain his trust) that he thinks is sent by Lex.  The infection makes him start to hallucinate, mixing the truth with crazy fantasies.*

At the Daily Planet, Clark comes to Chloe to research a truck that ran him off the road, one which he thinks is affiliated with LuthorCorp (Fine sets up Clark to go to Chloe in the scene prior.) Chloe says she doesn't think Lex would ever act this directly, but she'll check the fax machine.  In a throw back to Lineage and Whisper, Clark sits down and starts checking out her email, finding out that she's been emailing Lionel Luthor of all people and assumes she's finally told Lionel Luthor the truth about him.  Chloe comes back with a fax that the DMV doesn't know those plates.  Clark flips out on her despite Chloe telling that she'd "never ever do that", thinking his trust was misplaced, and leaves her alone in the crowd (like Tempest and Duplicity.)

Chloe rushes to Smallville - when she gets there Clark has flipped out on his parents as well, thinking that they too have teamed up with Lionel Luthor who knows the truth about him and his parents have taken money from Lionel.   Chloe, having been told where the kryptonite is hidden in the barn, comes into the house with a chunk of kryptonite to keep Clark from killing Jonathan in his delusion, telling him that she doesn't want to do hurt him.  Clark is convinced that they are all working against him, together and superspeeds out - literally through the door.  The Kents awake and realize that Chloe knows the truth - and has for over a year.  Chloe recounts what happened at the Planet, "It was like he was a totally different person."  When the Kents tell her about RedK, she pieces together about the silver meteorite Lana had gotten prior.

"No, Lana,
you don't---
she's coming.
She's coming.
Chloe's coming."

At Metropolis University, Clark waits for Lana and tells her not to trust anyone; he also shows his super hearing kicking on and notes that "Chloe's coming"; he runs off before she gets there.  Chloe comes in and questions Lana a little bit, asking Lana to stay that dorm in case he comes back while she runs around Metropolis University looking for him. A day or so later, after Fine has extracted the fleck of 'kryptonite' from him, Chloe has explained it all away to Lana and she meets up Clark after.

Clark thanks her for covering for him, and she says that it's no big deal, that for a change she was glad she wasn't the object of his obsession.  She tells him to stop beating himself up; they both mull over what Lex did with the Silver K.  Chloe also comes clean that she is talking to Lionel Luthor - about Lex and Lex's bid for state senate.  Chloe clarifies how she feels about his secret: "Look, Clark, I understand that you haven't been yourself, but you know that I would never tell Lionel your secret. I'd never tell anyone. I'd die before I'd ever betray you."  They hug. 

Later that night Clark leaves a comment about all the people (including Chloe) whom he'd been tricked into thinking ill of by Brainiac to Brainiac:

"You don't know anything about this race. Yeah, they can be petty and dishonest and betray each other over nothing. But they can also be honest and loyal. And they would give up everything to protect someone they love. Even if they were from another planet."

* Worth noting is that some of Clark's 'fears' just like in Scare prior do actually come true by the end of the season.   Lex and Lana do hook up, the Kents do take money from Lionel Luthor, he is trusted by Martha Kent, and he is in somewhat trusted communication with Chloe.

Episode 5.08,  Solitude

When Martha is struck down by a bright light (and infected with a fatal disease by Brainiac due to it), Clark visits Chloe the next day to get her help as to what happened.  Chloe doesn't see anything about a storm or heat lightning, and Martha seems to be fine.  Chloe tries to calm him down as everything seems to be okay and then realizes that Clark's holding things back from her.  Clark admits that he thinks Jor-El has something to do with what is going on and references the deal he made in Arrival/Hidden - thinking that Martha is the collection for his powers.

"I am certain
that sooner,
rather than
later, you're
going to be
working
upstairs
under the
Tiffany lamps."

Later that night, Lionel Luthor stops by the Daily Planet as Chloe is preparing to go home for the evening (everyone else is already gone.) Lionel tells her that she's made it "to the major leagues" and that he's sure that "sooner than later, you're going to be working upstairs under the Tiffany lamps,"He suggests a good story might help her out and she turns down writing any puff pieces about him.  Chloe, obviously no longer threatened by him, turns to leave when Lionel says he came to her because her journalistic passion was for "the bizarre and and the inexplicable."  She agrees to give him a minute and Lionel starts describing a person at Kansas A&M who can lift cars, run in super speed, and create fire from his eyes.  Chloe, obviously thinking about Clark (and possibly the similarities to how she found out), brushes it off that the school is in Smallville and asks if he has any proof. "[I]f we had proof, there wouldn't be any need for investigative reporting," he retrorts.  Lionel says the person he's talking about is Milton Fine, and that he came to her because he didn't think anyone else would be interested.  Chloe does, however, take the tip and starts tracking Milton Fine.

"Professor Fine
said humans
were insignificant
and couldn't
be depended on.
He obviously
didn't know you
very well."

Chloe's cousin stops by the next day to ask yet another favor - this time to print something really mean/juicy about Lex Luthor, preferably about Lex's mental instability.  Chloe says that Lex hides all his dirty laundry and questions why her cousin suddenly cares; her cousin admits it's because he called her a muffin peddler.   Chloe takes the opportunity, and Milton's cover story, to get back up to help her sneak into a LuthorCorp warehouse.  Her cousin calls herself Chloe's "trusty sidekick" and the pair go down to sneak into that warehouse.  Using her cousin flirting with the guards as a distraction, Chloe sneaks into the LuthorCorp plant - the one that holds the black ship from Arrival.  She peers inisde and sees Brainiac/Fine dripping out of the craft; then she gets caught by a guard.  When she glances back, he's gone.  The guard tries to escort her out but she kicks him, he goes down, and she jumps in her cousin's car - they speed off to safety together.

She runs over to Kent Farm looking for Clark to warn him; he's not there, he already left with Fine.  Chloe rushes to the caves, and too the alter - where she finds Clark's key.  She slips it in and again is taken to the Fortress.  Inside, the Fortress is dying due to Brainiac's crystal and calling Zod out.  Clark is trapped down by kryptonite; Chloe comes up, tosses aside the kryptonite, and sits back as Clark fights Fine, and seems to kill him.

Afterwards, Clark takes her back to the farm where he makes her a coffee and has her wrapped up in blankets.   She pets Shelby, asking him to remind her to take a Parka next time.  She gives him back his key, warning him to be careful, and Clark gives her her drink.  "You know, Professor Fine said that human beings were insignificant and couldn't be depended on. He obviously didn't know you very well."  Chloe shrugs off the compliment; instead she asks what Fine really was and Clark surmise that he must of been some kind of kryptonian android.  He also explains that Fine wanted Zod freed, and questions how Chloe found out in time.  Chloe admits that it was Lionel Luthor who told her and she doesn't know how he knew; the spaceship is gone, they assume Lex moved it.   And Clark isn't so convinced that they are out of the woods yet.

Episode 5.09,  Lexmas***

Two distinct storylines going on:   One is that it's Christmas, and Chloe is working on the Toys for Tots from the Daily Planet but has no delivery service so calls Clark to take some time from the Kent's Christmas Party to help her give to the needy kids of Metropolis.  The second is that Lex gets shot and gets a chance to see a reality he could still achieve in seven years if he makes the right choices now by his mom (in which we see most everyone.)*

"You're
my hero!
I knew you'd
come through."

Storyline One, Our Current Christmas: 
Chloe took over the Toys for Tots and she's doubled the amount of toys; Clark remarks that it's more like Toys 'R Us.  She guilts him into helping her after the deliver men go on strike.  Clark says that it's a low blow but agrees to do it, and to brush Lana off with another lame excuse, and yet again we're reminded by an enthusiastic Chloe that Clark is her hero.  "I knew you'd come through!"  Chloe gives him a Santa hat to make his deliveries.

On his rounds, Clark talks a drunk Santa off a ledge.  Drunk Santa, after hearing about how Chloe and Clark gave up their plans to help the kids, comes by the Daily Planet to help out.  Chloe's skeptical when he first starts talking to her but she agrees, going to get a few Mapquested addresses for him and when she turns back around - Santa and all the toys are gone.

Later that night at the party, Chloe tells Clark what happened.  Clark is skeptical but Chloe points out that there was no way she couldn't of imagined away all the donated toys she had down in the basement, even if she somehow did think up a Santa of her very own.  Chloe, excited by the supernatural as ever (and a noted turn around from her articles in season three), suggests that he's really Santa.  Clark doesn't buy it, but Chloe protests "Come on, Clark, there's a chance."   Martha announces it's snowing, they look out the window and everyone goes outside in the snow. (Awh.)

Lex's Alternate World, where Lex stops the race after being shot:
Lex, married to Lana with a son and a baby on the way, is tree shopping.  Still not convinced of what is going on, when he sees our (now) trusty reporters, he runs up to them.  "Oh, you have no idea how happy I am to see the two of you."  When they ask about the baby, Lex realizes he's the only one who knows the 'real' timeline.  Alex Luthor, his son, asks for 'Uncle Clark' to make him 'fly.'  Clark reveals that he's now a 'full-fledged' reporter for the Daily Planet and that things have been crazy.

"Alright Miss
'Did I Mention
That My Book
Is About To Be
Published'

Let's get
your tree
and get out
of here.."

Our favorite, female newsie also has something to reporter - the book Lex helped her on that uncovered all the sordid details of Lionel's LuthorCorp is being published in a month, and to not buy into Clark's 'crazy at the Planet' spin.  She thanks him, and hugs him, for being her secret tell all sources nothing that she couldn't of done it with out him.  Clark comes over and tells "Miss My Book is About To Be Published" that they have to get back to looking for her tree and that they'll see Lex later that night at the Kent Christmas Party.  At the party we see Miss My Book... great Lana warmly, as well as Lex.  Lex learns that he's become very close to the Kents and that while Clark has moved on from Lana, he's not settling down/married yet, nor has any kids, and wonders if he ever will be.**

* Lex's dream also has things that come true; Lionel still makes a bid for LuthorCorp, Jonathan still wins the election, Chloe still works on her LuthorCorp articles, Lana still hooks up with him, Clark still has a failure to commit

** In the future, Chloe is never called Chloe; her cousin is never mentioned nor shows up either.  All we know is the Girl We Currently Know As Chloe is at the Planet with Clark (knows how hectic it is) and has finally gotten the LuthorCorp expose she's been working on since Jitters.

*** Like Lois and Clark's Season Greedings before them, this is a holiday episode.  Chloe and Clark get confirmation of Santa Claus, Clark plays psyedo!Santa, help the underprivileged kids get enough toys to have a happy holiday, and are at the window when it starts to snow.   Dream!Reporters also went tree shopping - just like on Lois and Clark.