"Prey" is the sixth episode in the eighth season of Smallville, and the one hundred-fifty-eighth episode overall. It aired on October 23, 2008.
Summary[]
Clark looks into a recent attack that may be the work of a serial killer. Suspecting it could be someone who is meteor-infected, he demands that Chloe release the names of the members of the Isis Foundation, which causes a rift between the friends. Davis Bloome fears that his blackouts could mean that he is the serial killer and collects evidence that may implicate him. Fearing the worst, he confesses his suspicions to Chloe.
Recap[]
→ see also Category:Screencaps from episode 8x06
Chloe is moderating a counseling session at the Isis Foundation with a group of young meteor-infected people. One girl, Mary Pierson, tells a story about how her powers manifested. When a boy, Jesse, plays a trick on her by freezing her drink solid, Mary uses her power to control electricity to turn up the volume to maximum on his personal player. She then questions Chloe's motivations for holding the sessions, but admits that she would like support and friendship, but she doesn't think people want them to exist. Another kid, Randy, says that the group is good for him because he doesn't feel alone. Chloe ends the session by asking them to sign in.
After leaving the Foundation, Mary hears a sound but sees only a fast-moving shadow. She tries to go quickly to her car but is dragged away screaming.
That night, Chloe is complaining because she asked Clark for dinner and a movie night, but instead they are eating fast food at Clark's desk at work. He is preoccupied listening to the police radio, listening for people to help. Clark promises to hang out with her soon but Chloe leaves him to his duties.
Clark is soon doing his rounds of the city: he stops a robbery and floors some bullies who are bullying a young boy, and then he hears a report about the Ace of Clubs and speeds to the scene. He makes a super-leap to the club at the top of a high-rise, and finds it has been badly damaged, with many badly injured people. Clark is shocked to find Davis among them and covered in blood. Clark rouses him, but Davis says he can't remember how he got into the club. Clark tells him to go to the hospital, but Davis says he will take care of himself. Clark is then approached by Martian Manhunter, who introduces himself as John Jones and tells Clark that, now lacking his powers, he is working for the Metropolis homicide division as a detective so he can be closer to Clark and help him. Clark feels guilty that he wasn't there to stop the attack but Jones tells him he can't save everyone. Jones and Clark talk about this and other similar attacks and both admit they don't have any leads. Clark notices an investigator tag a cellphone for evidence.
Jimmy Olsen is at the Daily Planet looking at police reports. Clark finds him and Jimmy says he is doing research for a story on an anonymous "Good Samaritan" that has been spotted around Metropolis. Clark looks alarmed and suggests it's an urban myth. Clark remarks that the Good Samaritan didn't save anyone at the club but Jimmy is not discouraged. He notices Clark holding the cellphone from the crime scene and they play a video on it, but all they see is a fast-moving but extremely destructive force. They conclude that the killer is more than human.
Clark goes to talk to Chloe at the Isis Foundation. He tells her about the attack and that it was probably a meteor freak. He looks at the sign-in sheet for her counseling but Chloe takes it from him. She is annoyed, but Clark feels like the attack was his fault for not stopping it. Used to his guilt, Chloe doesn't back down.
Davis is showering at Metropolis General Hospital. He suddenly realizes that, although he has lots of blood on him, he has no wounds, and he slumps to the floor in distress at the implication that it must be the blood of the club victims and that he's the one who hurt everyone.
In the hospital, Davis secretly takes a blood sample from himself. He is about to leave when Jimmy arrives and introduces himself and asks him if he knows anything about the club attacks. Davis denies knowing anything. Jimmy then asks if he can ride along with him in his rig so he can be first on the scene. Davis is reluctant but Jimmy gets him to agree by asking if he'll do it for Chloe.
Clark gives Jones a list of meteor freaks and admits that he memorized it from Chloe's record because they don't agree on the case. Pointing at Lois's vacant seat, Jones asks if Clark's "mouthy cohort" has been any help, but Clark tells him she is "on assignment, which is code for monster-truck rally in Lubbock". When Jones also points out that Clark's "super friends" are still disbanded, Clark gets annoyed. Jones notices the food boxes littering Clark's desk and warns him about obsessing over the case. Clark says he thought Jones would be happy that he is being more proactive. Jones takes the list of names but tells Clark that there have been at least five similar murders in the last few months, but one particular paramedic has been first on the scene the most: Davis Bloome.
Davis is collecting samples under the fingernails of a male corpse in the hospital basement when Chloe arrives. She says she's looking for the coroner's report on a previous victim who was one of her clients. Chloe feels guilty because it happened just after she left Chloe's counselling group and also because some people now suspect that one of her clients is the attacker. Davis finally admits that he thinks he himself is the killer.
Chloe takes him back to the Foundation where Davis points out that he has been blacking out and waking up covered in someone else's blood. Chloe declares that he is innocent and they have to find the real killer. Davis tells her that he has had blackouts his whole life but they have been getting more frequent. Davis is very upset that he could be a murderer, and Chloe tries to reassure him. He seems surprised at her faith in him, and they share an awkward moment.
The rest of the counseling group hold a vigil at the place where Mary was killed. Chloe says she wants to catch Mary's killer and asks them if they know why Mary might have been attacked. Jesse says that they have all been questioned by the cops, and Chloe denies giving the police their names.
Clark approaches Davis at the hospital and says he suspects he knows more about the club attack than he is telling. He knows that Davis has a folder full of photographs of murder victims and has been first on the scene. Davis is defensive until he points out that Clark himself also arrives before any press show up.
Clark goes back to his office and is looking at Davis's test results when Chloe arrives. She is angry that Clark took the list of names from her despite her refusal. She says she is surprised that, since he himself has powers, he would assume that one of her clients is guilty. Clark counters that she should value their longstanding friendship more than loyalty to people she hardly knows, but she says that works both ways. Unconvinced, Clark shows her the test results and Chloe is shocked to see that it was Davis's skin under the victims' nails.
Jimmy is waiting for Davis to take him along on his ambulance ride. They set off but soon get a "4-11" call. Davis hears a noise in an alley. He instructs Jimmy to stay by the ambulance and goes to check it out. Jimmy thinks he hears Davis call out and gets a flashlight to follow him.
Back at the Daily Planet, Clark and Chloe are tracking Davis's activity to get enough evidence to give to Jones so he can be arrested. Chloe acknowledges that Davis is in a position to cover up the murders if he is the killer. They notice Davis's ambulance has stopped and are surprised to hear Jimmy's voice on the radio calling for help. Clark speeds away.
When Clark arrives at the scene, neither Davis nor Jimmy are around. Then Davis stumbles into view, covered in blood and injured. Clark asks where Jimmy is but Davis is pulled away by a fast-moving, smoky blur. Clark tries to track the two of them down and sees the blur choking Davis, but it flees when it sees Clark. Jimmy comes out of hiding and they look for the creature together. When Clark's back is turned, the creature pulls Jimmy away behind some dumpsters, where another victim lays. Clark sees the creature attack Jimmy and throws a tire to knock it out. The creature changes back into a person and is revealed to be Randy. Jimmy is shaken but not hurt. Davis is on his feet, but more seriously injured.
The next day, Clark apologizes to Chloe for taking the names of her counselling group, but he again asks how she can hand over her trust so easily to people she doesn't know. Chloe gives him a file of every meteor-infected person she's ever profiled and admits that she's never actually saved any of them, but says that, when she thought Clark was meteor-infected, she would also have done anything to protect him. Clark explains that he's worried she might put her trust in the wrong person one day.
Chloe meets Davis outside of a café. He thanks her for believing in him but she says it was easy because he is innocent. Chloe admits that "everything is easy" around Davis, and that it has only ever been like that once before. Davis assumes she is talking about Jimmy, but Chloe says not. He asks if she helped him simply because she helps everyone, or if there was more to it. Chloe says she hasn't done anything to feel guilty about, and that she feels like she needs to keep her distance from him for a while, and then abruptly leaves.
Clark is angry with himself that he was wrong about Davis and tells Jones that even though Randy was caught and has confessed to all the recent killings, there will surely be another killer soon. Jones tells him he will never catch them all and points out that Clark needs to do more to ensure he does not get recognized. With his lack of costume, Jones' has had to work hard running interference on the numerous Good Samaritan reports. Clark agrees to be more careful. Then Jimmy arrives and, noticing that Jones is a member of the force, he introduces himself and tells him that he thinks the Good Samaritan saved him the night before. Jones pointedly encourages him to get hard evidence of the Good Samaritan and Clark looks worried.
Although Randy is in police custody, he is visited by Eva Greer who asks him if he is interested in joining a group that her boss is forming. She says he is just a copycat killer and they have proof that he did not commit the recent murder of a nun, and she challenges him to say where they might find her missing rosary with its onyx crucifix. Randy says nothing.
As Davis gets into his ambulance, hanging from the rear view mirror is an onyx crucifix.
Meteor-Infected[]
- Chloe Sullivan
- Jessica Holm
- Travis Black
- Randy Klein
- Mary Pierson
- Jesse Watts
- Elizabeth Bishop
- Jared Naiman
- Tom Hunt
- Russel Allison
- Tim Bartlett
- Unnamed female Isis Patient
Cast[]
Starring[]
- Tom Welling as Clark Kent
- Allison Mack as Chloe Sullivan
- Erica Durance as Lois Lane (credit only)
- Aaron Ashmore as Jimmy Olsen
- Cassidy Freeman as Tess Mercer (credit only)
- Sam Witwer as Davis Bloome
- Justin Hartley as Oliver Queen (credit only)
Guest Starring[]
Co-Starring[]
- Anna Williams as Eva Greer
- Julia Maxwell as Mary Pierson
- Max Train as Jesse Watts
- Mitchell Duffield as Little Boy
- Aubrey Arnason as Nurse
- Jay-Nicolas Hackleman
- Chris Nowland
- Evan Frayne as Jewelry Store Employee
- Jarrett Knowles
- Sunita Prasad as Nurse
- Stephanie Marois
- Elysia Rotaru as Elizabeth Bishop
- Jessica Erwin as Nurse
- Connor Widdows as Young Thug
- Ryan King as Young Thug
Uncredited[]
- Uncredited actress as Female Doctor
Mentioned[]
Featured Music[]
- "Club Young" - Telepictures
- "Chuggernaut" - Stuart Burrows
Title[]
- Something that is prey is hunted and pursued by an enemy.
- The title refers to the victims of both Randy Klein and Davis' Doomsday persona.
Notes[]
- Antagonist: Randy Klein
- Clark’s Abilities: Super-Speed, Super-Leaping, Enhanced Mental Capacity, Super-Dexterity
- Lois Lane, Tess Mercer, and Oliver Queen do not appear in this episode.
- Clark confirms that his speed-reading greatly contributes to his memorizing ability.
- Chloe states that she has profiled 327 meteor freaks since ninth grade.
- Jimmy and Davis meet for the first time.
- This episode marks the first time an episode has no scenes set in the titular town of Smallville.
- The list of Chloe's therapy group, that Clark gives to John Jones, contains a total of ten names: seven male ones and three female (with a seventh male, Tim Bartlett, appearing onscreen when Clark arrives at the Isis Foundation and tries to get the client names). However, the group includes a fourth woman: a young Asian woman. Though, it is possible that this woman chose not to put her signature on the sign-in sheet for her own safety (with the names on the list later being used for a witch hunt).
- Next to the Daily Planet article on Randy Klein, is an article on a Mrs. Nieuwenhuijsen and the development of intelligent machines. In the DC universe, there are large number of intelligent machine characters. Some of them includes superheroes like the Metal Men (created by Will Magnus, a character introduced in Season Eleven), Justice League villain Amazo (created by Anthony Ivo, another character introduced in Season Eleven), superheroine and Justice League member Tomorrow Woman (created by Anthony Ivo and, fellow Season Eleven character, T.O. Morrow. In the comics, T.O. Morrow also creates Red Tornado, and the rest of the Red Tornado Family), and Justice League villain the Construct. During the Silver Age, Superman made robot copies of himself (that could fill in either as Superman or as Clark Kent).
- This is the first freak of the week episode since Season Seven's Fierce. Though, the character's main function in this episode is to throw everyone's scent off Davis Bloome/Doomsday (with him not only killing people himself, but also claiming responsibility for murders committed by Doomsday). The next episode to feature a meteor infected villain is later Season Eight episode Infamous.
- This episode features an additional ten meteor infected characters, all of them benevolent. Out of them, one (Mary Pierson) becomes a murder victim, while the remaining nine finds themselves suspected of murder and harassed by the police (essentially becoming victims of racial profiling), for belonging to a super-powered minority.
- Clark shows up at the Isis Foundation, and takes the names of their clients off a sign-in sheet as possible suspects in the Ace of Clubs attack (that took place maybe an hour or so before). However, the scene frames the therapy session as having just ended (with the last client signing the sign-in sheet and leaving, just as Clark enters). This would give all of the people on that list an alibi in Chloe (and each other) for the last few hours or so. Interestingly, Chloe never asks what time the attack occured.
- The article on Randy Klein states that he has no known address, and indicates that "Randy Klein" might not be his real name. At the end of the episode, Randy is approached by Eva Greer to join Tess Mercer's team. When this team appears later in the season, all of the members are established to have been at Black Creek, making it possible that the same goes for Randy (who does not appear in that episode), and that he has assumed a new identity upon release (like the former Black Creek resident appearing in the next episode). This would set him apart from the other teenagers at the Isis Foundation.
- The unnamed Asian-American woman at the Isis Foundation is the first super-powered individual of Asian descent to be featured on the show. The Vengeance Chronicles, a Season Five tie-in, had featured Asian-American metahuman Nick Yang, but he never appeared on the actual Smallville TV show. The Justice & Doom tie-in had featured another unnamed Asian male with powers. However, he never appeared on the main show either.
- Lana Lang has had powers a few times. However, while Kristin Kreuk is half-Chinese, Lana is not (none of her parents are portrayed by actors of Asian descent, indicating that Lana is white), and thus not an example of a metahuman of Asian descent featured on the show.
In Other Media[]
- When Jimmy met Davis looking to get more info on the killer, he said the best description a witness gave was that the killer was "a monster with bony eyelids." In the comics, Doomsday is exactly that.
- The character Randy and his ability to transform into a shadow bears a resemblance to the DC villain Shadow Thief, who can transform into an intangible shadow but physically attack others at will.
- Superman/Doomsday: Hunter/Prey is a comic book series.
Continuity[]
- Clark references when Martian Manhunter lost his powers, which occurred in Odyssey.
- Martian Manhunter makes frequent references to events in Clark's life during their conversations. He mentions Oliver and his team he met in Odyssey, Clark tearing open the bus in Plastique and running into the bar in Instinct.
- This is the second of Chloe's Isis clients that Tess has tried to recruit. She also approached Bette Sans Souci in Plastique.
- This episode marks the 79th appearance of Clark's red jacket & blue shirt outfit, which he wears frequently throughout the series.
Spoilers[]
- This is the first episode in the series that does not feature a Luthor (as Tess was revealed to be a Luthor in Season Ten's Abandoned).
Locations[]
Recurring sets
- Daily Planet
- Isis Foundation
- Metropolis Main Street
- Metropolis General Hospital
- Ace of Clubs
- Metro Coffee Stop (first appearance)
Quotes[]
- Davis: You're really... leaping out on a limb for me.
- Chloe: Well, if what they say is true and fools rush in, then I have definitely earned the mantle of "village idiot" on this one.
- Chloe: You know when I suggested we have dinner and a movie night, I didn't exactly think $3.99 Special number 2 combo with cheese and a droning police blotter was what I had in mind. (Clark fails to respond) Not to mention the communication skills of a paperweight.
- Clark: I'm sorry?
- Chloe: Whoa! Look who decided to join the conversation!
- Detective Jones: You can't save everyone, Clark.
- Clark: The moment I believe that is when I stop trying.
- Davis: I've always felt like... kind of like there was this darkness inside me, just fighting to get out.
- Chloe: So you closed yourself off to everyone. After all these years of keeping your secret, why are you telling me?
- Davis: I think you know... I've never met anyone like you.
- Davis: I don't fish much, Clark, so why don't you just tell me what you're after?
- Clark: I-I lost perspective.
- Chloe: I can be a little stubborn.
- Clark: And I hate to admit it, there was a part of me that was really frustrated that you trusted someone else instead of me.
- Davis: You seem to be the City's own Peeping Tom.
- Chloe: Besides, everything with you is so...
- Davis: So easy.
- Chloe: Yeah... easy.
- Davis: Have you ever felt that way with anyone before?
- Chloe: Once.
- Davis: With Jimmy...
- Chloe: No.
- Detective Jones: You are not in Smallville anymore, Clark. Metropolis has millions of people walking the streets, every one of them watching for a miracle... to change their lives, to give them hope. You are that miracle.
- Detective Jones: I didn't realize that photographic memory was among your abilities.
- Clark: It's more like speed-reading, but let's not split hairs.
- Chloe: (to Davis) Chance meeting in a moldy basement over a corpse. Will the romance ever end?
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