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Smallville
Hug
airdate 02-05-02
If a television series is going to enjoy a long, successful run, it is inevitable that some episodes will be unremarkable. Forgettable. Filler. Ditto for comic books. And despite one momentous occurrence, this episode of Smallville was little more than filler.
To its credit, it was pretty entertaining filler; some good in-jokes for the fanboys, some angsty teen drama, and (finally!) the flip side to the Wall of Weird. If all the in-between episodes are this smooth, we're a very lucky audience.
Evil, slimy Bob Rickman, of Rickman Industries, wants to open a pesticide plant in Smallville, and seems to have just enough glowy-green influence to do so. With no more than a handshake, he convinces people to do his bidding, leaving them at best with no memory of it; at worst, dead before the opening credits.
But something about Rickman's presence brings the reclusive, spooky Kyle Tippet out of his trailer in the woods (according to Chloe, "the Bermuda Triangle of Smallville"). He and Rickman have a history, of course, and even share the same talent for krypto-hypnosis (krypnosis!). Other than the vague "meteor shower" explanation, there's no further exegesis for Kyle and Bob's strange mind controlling abilities. Clark is not affected or even weakened by this particular krypto-mutation, again inviting valid queries about the rules of this particular continuity.
Rickman has the Kent farm in mind as the site of his new plant, but Jonathan flatly refuses to sell. After an entirely unnecessary trip into Pa Kent's ear to visit his brain, however, he's signed the contract. Clark somehow knows to look to his new friend Kyle for answers.
Afraid of his strange abilities, Kyle has kept to himself and only sought to protect Smallville, his home, from Rickman. His purpose is primarily to teach Clark the following lessons: some people aren't meant to live ordinary lives, you can't hide from yourself, and it's always someone's backyard. He also krypnotizes Chloe into kissing Clark, a scene that was surprisingly not exploited by the WB promo department.
Having spent the entire episode rebuffing Rickman's proffered handshakes, Lex finally accepts a truce shake. Rickman sets him on Clark and Kyle, and the krypnotized Lex is truly a sight to see. His dead, cold stares were excellent foreshadowing for the villain we know he'll be, and maybe already is, when he's not hypnotizing himself into proper public behavior.
In the final showdown, three people learn Clark's secret, but only one of them survives with any memory. Rickman, overpowered by Kyle's krypnosis, shoots himself and breaks his hold over Lex, who remembers nothing. Kyle is inspired to go out into the world and use his power for good.
As the first non-evil krypto-freak and the first stranger to learn Clark's secret and live, Kyle merits some mention in the future annals of Smallville. Next week: will Clark discover the secret of the yellow sun?
