SV: 8-16 "Turbulence" Review/Recap

 

This is easily one of the best episodes of the season. Every scene flowed seamlessly into the next. The characters problems and reactions were real and compelling. All the actors brought their A game (Thank goodness there was no Lois/Durance to muck the episode up).

Aaron Ashmore is a very talented actor when he’s given good material to work with. He played Jimmy’s anger, addiction, and dismay very realistically. Jimmy was wimpy when he first appeared in SV (see his reaction in "Wither"). Now he’s ready to take on Davis and the beast! I was literally at the edge of my seat when Jimmy handcuffed a slowly dooming-out Davis. Jimmy has become a much more interesting character after "Turbulence".

Chloe goes from concerned to confused to determined over Jimmy’s actions and obvious addiction. She’s heartbroken at the end when one more thing in her life goes to hell. Allison Mack always delivers.

Sam Witwer is hands-down the best of the best. Davis is cold and calculating. He goes from maliciously killing the drunk driver to calmly and deliberately covering his tracks using Jimmy’s addiction to his advantage. I love SW!

Tess’ attempt to get Clark to open up to her then, when that didn’t work, her underhanded trick to get him to expose his secret was interesting if not foolhardy. What would give her the idea that Clark could fly? What if her setup had failed? She had no backup plan to get out of the damaged jet. Cassidy Freeman plays a mean villain.

Clark, Clark, Clark. What a nincompoop. If he’s going to continue to lie he needs to improve his lying-skills. I was surprised he’d attempt to get Tess drunk to get her to spill about Lex’s journal. He couldn’t even pretend to be slightly affected by the champagne? It was, however, very sweet to see Clark so proud of his RBBing that he’d slow down for the traffic cams. Dangerous but sweet. Tom Welling continues to impress.

In a church, a priest slides open the panel of a confessional. The silhouette of a man says he’s sinned. He’s hurt many people; people he cares about. The man explains that something takes over without warning. It’s Davis. "It’s a beast, inside of me, fighting to get out" Davis continues. The priest replies that we all have our inner demons. What about our outer demons? Davis says that he drives at night looking to redeem himself. Pimps, thieves, drug-dealers, there’s a lot of sin. Flashback: Davis stops a fight by turning on his siren. One man runs off while the other, a kid, tries to grab hold of a vial. Davis gets out of the rig and steps on the vial. He yells at the kid to go home. The drug-dealer runs to a fence. Davis is behind him. His eyes are red. He grabs the drug dealer and breaks his neck. His eyes return to normal. "It keeps the beast from coming out. It makes me feel... human" narrates Davis to the priest. The priest encourages Davis to overcome evil with good.

Kent house: Clark comes down the stairs dress for work. He looks dashing in his suit and tie. He grabs his red backpack from high school?! What? Doesn’t he have anything more grown-up? Now he looks ridiculous in his suit and tie holding his backpack. Chloe comes in and heads straight for the coffee. She’s impressed with Clark’s work as the RBB. Clark reminds Chloe that she’s the one who suggested making his presence known. Chloe asks if he had to have his presence caught by every traffic cam. Clark brags that slowing down for the cameras is not easy. Ooh, I like this Clark Kent. He’s smiling, proud, and sweet. Wonder how long it’ll be before SuperMope, the self-blaming hero shows up.

 

 

Chloe says that she wants to make sure that Clark’s rush to give people hope doesn’t unmask Clark Kent. Chloe asks if Clark is going to do a costume switch in the middle of the bullpen. Clark zips off and comes back as SuperClark. He zips off again and comes back as Clark Kent, DP reporter with a backpack. *sigh* His tie is askew and his SuperClark t-shirt is visible. Chloe notes that Clark has a wardrobe malfunction. Heh. She adds that after Lex’s death all his personal files were transferred to LuthorCorp. She wonders what will happen when Tess gets her hands on those. Clark skirts the issue by telling Chloe not to worry and concentrate on Jimmy. Clark adds that he should have been able to protect Jimmy. Oops, there he is – SuperMope. Chloe assures Clark that it’s not his fault and adds that Jimmy’s future looks bright.

At Met Gen, Jimmy pushes the self-medication button a few times. He doesn’t look so good. Chloe walks in. She tells him that the machine will only give a set dosage. It doesn’t matter how many times he presses the button. Jimmy says that he’s in pain. Chloe suggests that maybe what Jimmy is feeling is not all physical. Maybe he should talk to a psychologist. Jimmy doesn’t think he needs a shrink. He asks if "the thing" is gone. Chloe assures him that it has. Jimmy is not so sure. He finds it hard to believe he showed up to destroy their wedding. Chloe says it’s one of the pitfalls of having the wedding in the meteor freak capital of the world. Jimmy thinks that if the King Kong of meteor freaks can take Chloe from him then they’ll be together forever. Uh oh. They hug but they both look unsure.

Later as Jimmy is sleeping, he flashes back to the events of his wedding. He sees Chloe with Clark; the beast slashing him then carrying Chloe away while she begs Jimmy to help her. Is he sure she wasn’t calling for Clark instead? The beast calls "Chloeee". Jimmy wakes up. He’s sweating. He pushes the self-medication button. When nothing happens he hits the machine. He calls for the nurse. Why doesn’t he use the call button? When no one comes, he removes the IV and walks out of his room colliding with a man. The man asks for help then runs off. Jimmy notes the smell of booze on the guy. He follows him to the elevator. In the elevator, the man is suddenly assaulted. A plastic bag is put on his head and he’s thrown into the wall. When his neck is broken, he falls to the ground. Jimmy stares in horror. As the elevator doors close, Jimmy sees the face of the murderer. It’s Davis. Dun dun dun!

At the DP, Clark puts his backpack on the desk and checks his monitor. There’s a police standoff at Main and 5th. Clark reaches for his backpack. Tess holds the packback and asks if Clark is ready for PE. Hehehe. Clark lies that he just came back from the gym. Tess walks away with the backpack. She suggests something a little more Louis Vitton as opposed to High School Musical. Lol! A villain with a sense of humor. Clark grabs his backpack. Tess promises to take him shopping when they get back. Clark wants to know where they are going. Tess replies that she’s announcing the new Mercer Media Group in LA and she needs a friendly reporter to lob softballs. Ah the DP – symbol of truth and ethical journalism except not so much. Clark is surprised Tess wants him. Tess tells him not to underestimate his talent – the sky is the limit. Ooh, a Superman anvil *snore*. Clark walks into the elevator with Tess. It’s the first time I notice that CF is quite tall or she's wearing very high heals.

 

At the hospital, Jimmy is pacing in his room. He’s recovered well for someone who’s been in bed for 5 weeks. Chloe comes in. She says she came right after the police called. Jimmy explains that he caught Davis murdering a man the night before. Davis knocks on the door and walks in. Jimmy shoves Chloe behind him. He asks what Davis is doing here. Davis replies that thanks to Jimmy, he was cuffed, thrown in a squad car and spent 6 hours being interrogated. Jimmy is surprised they let Davis out on bail. I’m surprised that Davis didn’t doom-out at the police station. Davis replies that the police just let him go. Jimmy angrily says that he saw Davis murder someone. Davis calmly explains that Jimmy did see him but he was looking for a patient that was brought into the ER. It was a drunk driver involved in a fatal accident. The hospital had to call the cops because the guy ran. They spent the night searching for him. Davis says that he came across Jimmy and Jimmy was really out of it. Jimmy is positive of what he saw. Davis says that last night Jimmy’s morphine pump was faulty and it gave a double dose every time Jimmy hit the trigger. Chloe notes that she was with Jimmy and the machine wouldn’t allow extra doses. Davis insists that it malfunctioned and asks if Jimmy did something to it. Jimmy is taken aback. He says that there is nothing wrong with the pump. Davis suggests they talk to the doctors or nurses. Jimmy looks over at Chloe. She looks very unsure. Davis says he’ll get out of Jimmy’s way and leaves. Chloe follows.

 

 

Chloe tells Davis that she feels terrible. Davis says that he knows what painkillers can do to a person’s mind. Chloe replies that Davis doesn’t deserve to be cast as the madman in Jimmy’s psycho thriller. Davis understands why Jimmy would feel that way. After all, he did kiss his (Jimmy’s) bride. Chloe says that Jimmy doesn’t know. She didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. Davis says that he hopes they can get past Jimmy’s dislike of him. He (Davis) accepts that Jimmy got the girl. If he wasn’t a psycho-killer he’d be really endearing. Davis says that if Jimmy needs anything, he here. Chloe looks sad. Davis asks her what’s wrong. Chloe says that she can’t help but think that if Jimmy had never met her, this wouldn’t have happened to him. Aw, she looks ready to cry. Where in heck is that BFF of hers?! Davis hugs her. Jimmy spies on them. He looks crazed.

Oliver’s jet: Clark says that it’s nice of Ollie to lend Tess his jet. His home! He’s homeless! Tess says that LuthorCorp and Queen Industries are one big happy family now. The pilot welcomes them. He says that he’ll have to reroute because a storm is coming into LA. He leaves. Clark notes that Tess has been racking up frequent flyer miles. Tess explains that there are a lot of foreign titans to charm when starting a global endeavor. She adds that she had to stop in Geneva to see a plastic surgeon. At Clark’s look, she says that Lex low jacked her with biotech hardware. Clark says that he heard from Lana what Lex did to Tess. He apologizes. Why is he apologizing for Lex? Tess asks about what Lex put Clark through. He pretended to be Clark’s friend. Clark believes that there was a time when he and Lex were friends. Nice of you to admit it, Clark. Tess doesn’t think it was friendship. Clark was Lex’s obsession. Clark makes a face. Woah. I think it’s the first time Tom Welling makes a face (besides smiling, frowning). I like it. It makes Clark more real. Clark asks if Lex talked about him. Tess reveals that Lex kept a journal. Clark asks what it said. Tess replies that she’s sworn to secrecy. Clark smiles slightly. He suddenly asks if Tess is thirsty. Clark claims he is and goes searching for a "bottle of the good stuff". Hee. Is Clark Kent going to try to get Tess drunk?! How very Supermanly of him.

At Met Gen, Jimmy, wearing an EMT jacket, walks out of the emergency door. He sneaks into Davis’ rig. He spots the nun’s cross hanging from the rearview mirror then looks through the glove compartment. Finding nothing, he climbs in the back. He looks around and spots a container. In the container is a heavy black zippered bag. Jimmy is so startled to find the body of the drunk driver in the bag that he hits a glass bottle behind him and cuts his hand. Just then, Davis opens the back door. Seeing Jimmy, he climbs in and shuts the door. Jimmy says that Davis hid the body until he could dispose of it. Davis feigns innocence until he notices that Jimmy found the body. Davis tries to justify his actions. He tells Jimmy that the drunk driver ran a red light and killed a mother and her little girl. Jimmy asks if Davis murdered the man. Davis replies that he didn’t and pounces on Jimmy with a syringe. Jimmy looks terrified for a moment then loses unconsciousness.

 

Later, Jimmy is lying in his bed. He awakens and sits up. Suddenly Chloe is screaming for Jimmy. Jimmy stumbles out of bed and into the hallway. Other patients are sleeping in their beds. He turns around and bumps into a terrified Chloe. "It’s after me again!" she says. Jimmy says that he’ll save her. Chloe tells him to go back to his room; it’ll hurt him. She runs down the hall. Jimmy follows her. He spots her heading into a room and closing the door. He runs over. Chloe, through the glass, orders him to go back to his room. The beast appears behind Chloe and throws the bed through the glass toward Jimmy. Chloe screams as the beast drags her away. Blood spatters the window in front of Jimmy. Someone puts a hand on Jimmy’s arm. It’s Davis. Jimmy shrugs it off and bangs on the glass calling Chloe’s name. Davis looks in the empty room. A nurse asks Jimmy what he took. Davis stands back as two orderlies wrestle Jimmy to the ground. Davis shines a light in Jimmy’s eyes. He orders the nurse to get a shot of Haldol-Ativan. Jimmy insists that he needs to save Chloe. Chloe walks over to Jimmy. She looks worried. Jimmy just stares at her. Davis says they’ll take care of him. What an excellent scene. Aaron Ashmore is an amazing actor when he’s given something to work with. Wow.

 

Oliver’s jet: Tess thinks that Ollie won’t appreciate them drinking his champagne. Clark replies that it’s a long flight and he doubts Ollie would mind. Clark brings up Lex’s journal but Tess only wants to talk about Clark. She notes that they’ve had two bottles of champagne but Clark appears completely unaffected. Clark says that he’s got a strong metabolism. He hands Tess another glass. Tess says that she’s got a strong metabolism too. She adds that her dad could finish a fifth before the lunch whistle blew at the mill. Clark is sympathetic. Tess admits that pulled blue sheets over her head and it made her feel like she was under the ocean. She’d pretend to be the Little Mermaid. Her dad would come in. He shattered her eardrum and broke her arm three times. Clark says that he’s glad her story has a happy ending. "Look at you now" he says. Tess says that she’s good at covering her tracks like Clark is. Well, Clark isn’t that good at covering his tracks. Tess wonders why Lex would have an entire room devoted to Clark (the Chamber Of Clark Kent!). She’s seen the photographs – the crushed Porsche, the mushroomed bullets. Clark says he can’t explain Lex’s delusions. Bah, Clark. Stop claiming that Lex is delusional when he’s 100% right. Tess replies that Lex wasn’t delusional. She says that everyone has deep dark secrets. She just shared hers with Clark, she asks that Clark tell her his. Clark seems to mull it over then lies that there is nothing to tell. "What you see is what you get". Tess walks to the intercom and asks the pilot about the weather in LA. The pilot replies that it’s all clear.

 

Suddenly there’s an explosion. The plane starts to lose altitude. The oxygen masks drop from the ceiling. Clark makes his way to the cockpit. There’s a huge hole and the pilot is gone. Tess meanwhile goes to the back and checks a compartment containing two parachutes. She heads back toward Clark who informs her of the damage in the cockpit. Tess claims that she can’t find the parachutes. Tess drops to the floor. She tells Clark to do something. Clark reaches for an oxygen mask and puts it on her. Of course, he doesn’t pretend to need a parachute. He crimps the tube to Tess’ oxygen mask. Tess loses consciousness. Isn’t that a tad risky? Oh well, Tess is a bad guy so it doesn’t matter if she suffers brain damage /sarcasm. Clark punches out the door. He picks Tess up and jumps off the plane. The plane bursts into flame.

In a dark alley, a guy uses a crow bar to break into an office. Davis watches from the shadows. He starts to walk toward the thief when he accidentally kicks a bottle. Hearing the noise, the thief makes a run for it. Davis is suddenly hit from behind by Jimmy. Er, how does that work exactly? Davis’ skin is impervious to knives but a conk on the head makes him woozy? Jimmy handcuffs Davis a fence. He tells Davis that he wasn’t hallucinating. He puts up the hand with cut. He says that he got the cut in Davis’ truck. "You murdered that man" he whispers. Davis warns Jimmy to get away from him. Jimmy says that Chloe is on her way and he wants Davis to confess to the murder. Davis says that Jimmy isn’t himself. Jimmy replies that that’s what Davis wants everyone to believe. At first Jimmy thought it was to cover up the murder (isn’t that enough?) but then he saw Davis holding Chloe outside his room. "You want me out of the way so you can have her all to yourself, don’t you" adds Jimmy. Davis is slowly losing control. His eyes are red. He yells for Jimmy to leave now. Davis breaks one of the handcuffs. Uh oh. This can’t be good. Jimmy picks up the metal pipe but, before he can hit Davis, he is tasered and drops to the ground. It’s Chloe.

 

Chloe checks on Jimmy then approaches Davis. Davis yells for her to go. She puts her hand on Davis shoulder and assures him that Jimmy can’t hurt him. Davis has now partially turned into the beast but at the touch of Chloe’s hand, he reverts back. He looks at his hand in wonder then turns toward Chloe. "You saved me" he tells her. That’s unexpected. Why does Chloe’s touch stop the beast? Does Chloe bring the best out of all Kryptonians?

Luthor mansion: Clark opens the double doors like he owns the place (or like Lex still lives there). He’s wearing his Kal-clothes: black t-shirt, jeans, and a black leather jacket. Yum. Tess, dressed in a robe, watches him from the library balcony. "The prince who came to my rescue" she says. Clark notes that she’s fine. She replies that she knew she was fine when she woke up in a Phoenix emergency room with Clark standing by her side. Clark asks if Tess figured out what brought down Oliver’s jet (his home!). It could be someone trying to kill her. Tess, walking down the stairs, says they’re still investigating the explosion. Clark asks about the pilot. Tess says they haven’t found his body and she feels terrible. Why is he dead and they’re still alive. She drops a DP paper on Lex’s desk. "Red-Blue Blur to the Rescue" reads the front page headline. Clark, distracted by the paper, says that the lucky part was finding the parachute. Tess asks where Clark found the parachute. Clark lies that he found it in the cabin locker. Tess asks if there was only one. Clark says yes. Tess hopes that the experience has brought them closer. Tess reveals that she’s never told anyone her secret. Clark promises to keep her secret. Tess says that Lex was right. There isn’t a bad bone in Clark’s body. Only lying ones. She says that when she’s around Clark she feels safe. Ugh. A Lana speech *shudders*. Clark replies that he’s glad she’s okay. As he heads out the door, Tess says that while she may run his company and live in his house, she is not Lex. She can be trusted. More Lana talk *shudders*.

 

Kent home: Clark and Chloe walk in. "You think she knows your secret?" asks Chloe. Clark doesn’t think Tess knows. Chloe points out that he saved Tess by flying out of a flying jet. Clark clarifies that he didn’t fly, he jumped and Tess was unconscious (after he crimped her supply of oxygen). Chloe thinks it’s too close for comfort. She suggests he quit the Planet and put the RBB back in the closet. Clark says he’s not changing his lifestyle because Tess might know his secret. Chloe reminds him that Tess is dangerous and tried to kill Lana. Good times! Clark counters that Tess only wanted to destroy the power suit to stop Lex. Oh, Clark, you fell for Tess’ woe-is-me-I-feel-safe-with-you speech. Chloe says that Clark’s ability for seeing the good in people is what makes him special but it also gets him into trouble. Clark looks skeptical. Chloe glances at the clock and says she needs to go. Clark asks about Jimmy and Chloe responds with "From now on it’ll be one long happily ever after". Uh Oh.

At Met Gen, a nurse hands Chloe some "highly addictive" pills for Jimmy. Jimmy grabs the pills from Chloe and walks past her. Chloe tells him that he’s not alone in this. Jimmy replies that he can take care of himself. He walks out and Chloe follows. She tells him that she only stopped him from doing something he’d regret. Jimmy angrily says that Davis came after him and he was protecting himself. Huh? That’s not entirely accurate. Jimmy says that Chloe believes everyone else but him. Chloe glances around. She suggests they continue their discussion at home. Jimmy says that they have no home. Chloe thinks it’s the drugs talking. Jimmy says his mind is clear. For years he put up with Chloe putting Clark over him. Now it’s Davis. Jimmy says Chloe never trusted him. Chloe replies that she trusts him with her life. Jimmy angrily and loudly asks why Chloe ever married him. A security guard tells Jimmy to calm down. Chloe tells him they’re leaving. Chloe wants to work through their problems but Jimmy says he done. "Marrying you was the biggest mistake of my life" says Jimmy. Harsh. He can be very hurtful. It reminds me of Lana’s "I don’t know why I ever loved you" to Clark. Jimmy leaves Chloe crying at the hospital. All I can think is "Thank goodness this black hole relationship is over".

At the DP, Tess’ aide tells Jimmy that he can’t let him in Ms. Mercer’s office. He threatens to call security. Jimmy throws his press badge on the floor. "I quit" he says. He tells the aide if Tess wants to move more papers to put this at the top of her ToDo List. He places a folder on Tess’ desk and writes "Meet Davis Bloome" in black felt on the cover.

Ending montage: It’s a dark and stormy night... Clark changes into the RBB at the DP. Tess hands the pilot a suitcase full of cash. "Enjoy your new life, Captain" she tells him. Jimmy is driving his car. He eyes the pills. He opens them and takes four. Chloe cries at the window of the Talon apartment. Outside, Davis stands in the pouring rain looking up at the apartment.