"Gone" is the second episode in the fourth season of Smallville, and sixty-eighth episode overall. It aired on September 29, 2004.
Summary[]
Clark and Lois Lane investigate Chloe's apparent murder, but are stopped by an army officer, General Sam Lane, who turns out to be Lois' father. Lois suspects that Sam knows more about Chloe's death than he will admit, and Clark discovers that Sam has recently been in contact with Lex. Jason arrives from Paris and convinces Lana to continue their relationship. Suspecting that Chloe is still alive, Lionel sends an assassin with the power to morph his limbs into metallic weapons to keep Chloe from testifying against him.
Recap[]
→ see also Category:Screencaps from episode 4x02
Clark and Lois investigate the remains of Chloe's safe house. Clark explains that Chloe is not dead, despite how unlikely that sounds. Unknown to Lois, Clark used his X-ray vision to confirm that there is no body in Chloe's coffin. Suddenly, a military helicopter swoops down on the two.
Clark tells Lois to run as he fends off two soldiers. Lois dodges the low-flying helicopter when another soldier jumps from the helicopter to fight her. Clark super-speeds to the helicopter and uses his heat vision to fry the engine, forcing the helicopter down. Clark and Lois flee the scene. A man smoking a cigar climbs out of the helicopter, set on locating the two runaways.
Back at the Kent Farm, Clark and Lois clean up after their run-in with the military helicopter. Lois barges into the bathroom while Clark showers, complaining that he is taking too long. He climbs out of the shower and sees Lois wearing nothing but his plaid shirt. She claims that that was the only clean article of clothing she could find. She tells Clark that they must keep their run-in with the military helicopter a secret. Clark opens the bathroom door to find Martha waiting outside with bathroom towels. He tries to hide the fact that Lois is in the bathroom with him, but Lois peeks over his shoulder and greets Martha, much to Clark's embarrassment.
In Paris, Lana is on her computer looking at a picture of Clark at the Kawatche Caves. He is standing in front of the same symbol that is now imprinted on her back. Lana zooms in on the picture, then compares it in the mirror with her symbol - they are the same.
Back at the farm, Lois and Clark stand in front of a disapproving Martha and Jonathan. Lois says they merely took a shower, but Clark quickly clarifies that they took separate showers. Clark confesses that they went to Chloe's safe house, and that soldiers showed up and chased them. Jonathan is worried that they interrupted a federal crime scene, but Lois says it does not matter who was chasing them since the helicopter crashed into a field. Martha and Jonathan are even more concerned. Lois excuses herself, unaware that the Kents are mad at Clark for using his powers. Before she leaves, she shames Clark for telling his parents about the helicopter after they had agreed not to say anything to anyone.
Lex visits Lionel at the penitentiary as he gets a new suit tailored in preparation for his trial. Lex says it is a waste of time getting a new suit, since he thinks Lionel will soon be going to prison. Lex accuses his father of murdering Chloe, but Lionel says that even if Chloe was alive and testified against him, that the jury would still find him not guilty. Lionel apologizes to Lex for not understanding the consequences of betraying his father. Lex is seemingly unbothered by Lionel's threats, until Lionel reminds him that he will forever be worried about what he drinks or eats, and what may await him behind every door.
Lana returns to Smallville and visits Lex at the Luthor Mansion. They talk about reopening the Talon and Lana renting out the upstairs apartment.
Lois sneaks out of the house and goes to investigate Chloe's grave site. She digs down to Chloe's coffin and confirms Clark's claim that there is no body there. A man approaches Lois at the grave site, demanding to know where Chloe is hiding. He morphs his hand into a metallic sword and attacks her, knocking away Lois' bottle of mace. Lana arrives to pay her respects, and upon seeing the altercation, attempts to hit the man with the shovel. She then sprays him in the eyes with the mace and he recoils, falling to the ground. Lana helps Lois up and they notice the man has disappeared. Lana assumes that he had been digging up Chloe, but Lois tells her that she in fact was the one to dig up the grave.
Lana and Lois go back to the Kent Farm and meet up with Clark, who is fixing a tractor. Lois lets slip that Lana "had a hot summer fling" and discovers that Clark and Lana once had a thing. Clark explains that it's complicated.
Lois is talking to Clark about Lana when a helicopter shines a searchlight through the barn loft. The man smoking a cigar enters and is revealed to be Lois' father, General Sam Lane. After a talk with Lois about her visit to the crime scene, he is invited for dinner by the Kents but the General politely declines.
Clark goes to see Lex and tells him Chloe is not in her grave. Lex tells him due to the magnitude of the explosion there was nothing left to put into a casket. Clark notices the brand of cigar General Lane smokes in an ashtray on Lex's desk. He doesn't say anything and quietly leaves.
Lionel is showering in the penitentiary when an inmate stabs him in the liver and leaves the broken blade inside of him. Lionel is left on the floor while the inmate runs away. Later, he is lying in the hospital bed when the man from the graveyard comes to talk to him. His name is Trent and he is a former patient from Belle Reve. Lionel has hired him to make sure Chloe can't testify against him at the trial.
Clark goes to the army base office to do some investigating. Instead, he finds Lois there for the same reason. Clark finds a suspicious name in a record regarding Nellie Blye, one of Chloe's heroes who has been dead for eighty years. He superspeeds away to find the address indicated.
Clark enters the home of "Nellie Blye" and finds Chloe's Wall of Weird and her laptop. In the next room, he finds two guards lying dead on the floor. Lex walks in. Lex explains that he arranged the safe house explosion to stage Chloe's death. He did it to protect her from Lionel's attempts to get rid of her. He has attached a tracking bracelet to her wrist and calls one of his men to locate her. Clark overhears the location and superspeeds away.
Chloe is tied up in a foundry. She manages to kick a button to let herself down. She is untying herself when Trent grabs her by the throat. He morphs his hand into a metal claw and is strangling Chloe when Clark comes up from behind. Trent sees his reflection as Chloe faints. Clark grabs Trent and throws him through piping. Clark and Trent battle it out. Clark blocks Trent's sword again and again, advancing on him. Clark goes to attack him but falls right through Trent. Lois appears and fries Trent with an extremely large stun gun. Trent turns around and is prepared to attack Lois when Clark uses his heat vision to melt him from behind. He explodes into a puddle of molten metal. Lois is confused as to why he exploded from just the stun gun but blows it off saying Chloe always said the town was weird. Clark and Lois go get Chloe who is regaining consciousness. She hugs Clark and her cousin and as they are leaving says she is going to defeat Lionel Luthor at the trial the next day.
At the house the Kents are talking about Lionel's conviction and are glad there was something even he couldn't buy his way out of.
Clark goes to the caves and meets Lana. She talks to him about his friendship with Lois. Clark without hesitation replies that he thinks Lois is bossy, stuck-up and rude; he can't stand her. Lana gives Clark a knowing smile as she replies, "The best ones always start that way."
Lex goes to see Lionel going off to prison. He gloats that it was something he would have never missed seeing Lionel having sent to prison. Back in the apartment above the Talon, Lana is cleaning out the apartment when Jason Teague surprises her by showing up with a bouquet of roses. Lana tells him that she can't go back to Paris, but Jason explains that he didn't come to Smallville to take her back. He came so they could be together.
Cast[]
Starring[]
- Tom Welling as Clark Kent
- Kristin Kreuk as Lana Lang
- Michael Rosenbaum as Lex Luthor
- Jensen Ackles as Jason Teague
- Allison Mack as Chloe Sullivan
- John Glover as Lionel Luthor
- Annette O'Toole as Martha Kent
- John Schneider as Jonathan Kent
Special Guest Star[]
Guest Starring[]
- Michael Ironside as General Sam Lane
- Robert Wisden as Gabe Sullivan
Co-Starring[]
- James Bell as Trent MacGowen
- Colin Lawrence as Agent Stocker
- James Michalopoulos as Prisoner
- Michael Jonsson as Agent
Mentioned[]
- Alicia Baker
- Ella Lane
- Emily Dinsmore
- Nellie Blye
Featured Music[]
- "Flower Duet (from 'Lakme')" - Delibes
- "Faraway" - Dara Shindler
- "She Will Be Loved (Acoustic)" - Maroon 5
Title[]
- Gone refers to something that is not where it was thought to be.
- The title refers to the Chloe being gone from Smallville and Lois and Clark's attempts to find her.
- It may also refer to the lack of remains in Chloe's coffin.
Notes[]
- Antagonist: Lionel Luthor and Trent MacGowen
- Clark uses the following abilities in this episode: super strength, super speed, X-ray vision and heat vision.
- In the original airing, Allison Mack was uncredited to maintain suspense of Chloe's fate.
- Trent MacGowen's powers and scenes draw heavily from Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Trent can turn body parts into metal, just like the T-1000 terminator. In addition, Trent even turns his entire body into "liquid metal" so that a human passes through them, a scene drawn directly from Terminator 2. Finally, both the T-1000 and Trent have their final scene in a foundry, and both meet their end in a vat of hot bubbling metal. It is also similar to the character Colossus from X-Men who could turn his whole body into metal, giving him enhanced strength, and invulnerability to bullets, knives, etc.
- This episode marks the final appearance of Gabe Sullivan, Chloe's father, on the series.
- In the scene where Lois is running from the helicopter, a rainbow is seen on the horizon. This is impossible as in the show, it had not rained at all that day. Although this could be due to water particles suspended in the atmosphere.
- Colin Lawrence (Agent Stocker) will play a Doctor in Thirst and Captain Nichols in Turbulence.
- The song, Flower Duet (which is heard when Lionel is taking his shower) was played in Superman Returns when Lex was telling Kitty Kowalski about Prometheus.
- There is an editing error when Clark is talking to Lex in the home that Chloe was taken from. A shot on Tom Welling while talking, shows the side of Michael Rosenbaum face who is also clearly talking. In the final cut of the episode Michael's mouth is moving but no words are heard.
- The ruins of the safehouse where Chloe was kept seems smaller than it was seen in Covenant.
- The first rescue of Lois Lane by Clark in both film and television versions involve a helicopter.
- The foundry scene at the end of the episode was filmed on July 29, 2004 at Reliance Foundry in Surrey, BC
- The rifle used in this episode by Lois is a prop from the film Deep Rising.[picture needed] It is a heavily modified Calico M955A, which in the film was known as the Chinese M1-L1 Triple Pulse Rifle. In the episode however, it's more used as a stun gun.
- After Clark rescued Chloe and she walked away to greet Lois, Clark is standing behind her in one of the iconic Superman poses, with his hand on his hips.
In Other Media[]
- Lois nicknames Clark as "Smallville" for the first time in this episode. This nickname originated in Superman: The Animated Series when Lois Lane first meets Clark Kent in the episode "The Last Son of Krypton: Part II".
- Sam Lane is the 16th DC Comics character to be adapted into the show.
Continuity[]
- Clark's mention of his last "co-ed situation" is in reference to the time that Alicia Baker teleported into his bed in Obsession, and Jonathan caught the two making out.
- The Daily Planet's article on Lionel's conviction was reported by Perry White, the reporter who tried to expose Clark's secret in the Season Three's Perry.
- Clark recognizes the name of Nellie Bly, a pioneering 19th century female journalist, as one of Chloe's heroes, while Lois doesn't. This is in keeping with the first time that Lois was mentioned in Delete, where Chloe described her as having "no interest in journalism."
- Gabe Sullivan was last seen in Covenant.
- General Lane cashes in his rain check, of eating dinner at the Kents', in the Season Ten episode Ambush.
Allusions[]
- Lois makes a reference to 1959 spy-thriller film North by Northwest to Clark while he was in the shower.
Locations[]
- Smallville
- Kent Farm
- Kent house
- Loft
- Smallville Cemetery
- Fort Ryan military base
- Luthor Mansion
- Talon
- Kansas State Penitentiary
- Smallville foundry
- Kawatche Caves
Quotes[]
- Lois: (Digging in Chloe's grave and talking to herself) I hope that Clark is right, otherwise this is going to be very ugly, Chloe.
- Clark: We usually take turns in the bathroom.
- Lois: Oh, don't start with me, Smallville. You're the one taking the marathon shower. Besides, my delicate feminine sensibilities weren't offended the first time I caught a glimpse of Clark junior.
- Lois: I don't understand what the big deal is, we just took a shower...
- Clark: Showers. We took separate showers.
- Martha: At noon?
- Lois: (to the Kents) Well, you don't have to worry because now their helicopter is lying face first in the field. (silence) Your non-verbals are killing me. And this seems like a family matter, so I'm gonna head upstairs. (whispers to Clark) Way to go.
- Jonathan: (to Clark) Please tell me that you did not crash that helicopter.
- Clark: (smiles apologetically)
- Clark: Us?
- Lana: Yeah, you and Lois.
- Clark: Lois? She's bossy. (pause) She's stuck up. She's rude. I can't stand her!
- Lana: The best ones always start that way.
- Jason: Lana, I didn't come here to get you. I came here to be with you.
External links[]
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