X-ray

For the kryptonian superpower, see X-ray vision.

"X-ray" is the fourth episode in the first season of Smallville, and fourth episode overall. It aired on November 6, 2001.

Summary[]

Tina Greer's skeleton is laced with meteor rock. She is able to assume any form. She assumes the form of Lex Luthor to rob a bank. Clark Kent discovers he has X-ray vision. Lana Lang discovers her mother was much more interesting than her aunt ever told her before. And Lex Luthor turns the tables on Roger Nixon gaining himself an unwilling ally at the Metropolis Inquisitor.

Recap[]

Xray3 — Clark sees a green tinge to the bank robber's skeleton.

At the Smallville Savings and Loan, Tina Greer with the physical appearance of Lex Luthor says to the manager "I want to close all of my accounts". The manager is disappointed and then confused that Lex requests all the money in cash. When Lex's signature does not match the signature on record, he asks to see Lex's driver's license. Tina pulls out a gun.

She runs out of the bank with the cash in her bag as the alarm sounds. Halfway down the block, she bumps into Clark Kent, who asks what is going on. Tina throws him through the large front window of Speck's Optical and continues to run away. As he recovers, Clark has a sudden headache and discovers that he is able to see right through Lex's skin to his skeleton. Lex's bones have a mysterious green glow.

Rose Greer confronts her daughter Tina about a backpack full of money she found in the house. She asks if it was Tina who robbed the bank yesterday. Tina morphs into Lex and says that it was Lex who robbed the bank. Her mother insists they return the money. They struggle over the backpack, and Tina's mother falls down the stairs to her death. Tina starts to call 911, but decides not to report the emergency.

Martha Kent reads about the bank robbery in the newspaper. Clark insists that it could not have been Lex. Jonathan is willing to believe any terrible thing about Lex, who then shows up on the Kent's porch. Clark is surprised that he is not in jail, but Lex explains that he has an alibi: he was in Metropolis hosting a reception for 200 fertilizer distributors. He wants to talk to Clark since he was listed as one of the eyewitnesses of the bank robbery. Clark insists that the bank robber looked exactly like Lex.

Xray8 — Clark watches Lana remove her towel in the locker room.

In gym class, Clark is climbing rope against Pete Ross, when he accidentally looks through Pete's skin to his muscles. Clark is so shocked that he loses his grip and falls to the floor. As he recovers, he looks right through the wall to the girls' locker room and smiles as he sees Lana Lang undress. After school, he explains to his parents about his X-ray vision. His parents encourage him to practice so that he can learn to control it. Clark storms out in frustration.

Tina visits Lana and asks if Aunt Nell would adopt her if anything ever happened to her mother; that way, she and Lana could be "sisters." Lana is unnerved by the question and assures Tina that nothing will happen to her mom.

Clark is running errands on Main Street with his mom when he gets another headache. He starts seeing everyone on the street with his X-ray vision. He sees the person with the glowing green skeleton walk into Rose's antique shop. Martha and Clark follow the person into the store, only to be greeted by "Rose" (Tina in disguise), Clark asks about Tina, and "Rose" explains that she is with Lana. After Clark leaves, Martha asks "Rose" for the lamp she had been restoring. While "Rose" is in the back of the store, Martha sees a large sum of cash on the floor. "Rose" says that the lamp is not ready, and explains that the cash is from a client who paid her all in cash earlier that day. When Martha turns her back, "Rose" slips Martha's keys out of her purse. On the street, Martha is nearly run down by her own truck, with "Clark" at the wheel. Martha is shocked as "Clark" seemingly drives around the corner, only for the real Clark to appear behind her and help her to her feet.

At the Kent farm, Jonathan says that the police found their truck abandoned. Martha recalls that the antique shop is the only place she stopped by that day. She notes that "Rose" was acting strangely and that the cash she found on the floor had a Smallville Savings and Loan band. Clark says that when he X-rayed Tina, her skeleton glowed green. Martha explains that Tina was born with a soft bone disease. Despite experimental treatments, she was not expected to live to the age of six, but she got better around her third birthday - right after the 1989 meteor shower.

Xray19 — Roger Nixon attempts to blackmail Lex Luthor.

Leaving the coffee shop, Lex finds journalist Roger Nixon leaning against his car. Nixon threatens to publish a story about a run-in Lex had had with the law a few years ago at Club Zero, unless Lex pays him $100,000 in cash. Nixon gives Lex his contact card and tells him he has 24 hours to deliver the money, or he will publish the story about him. Enraged, Lex drives off.

Xray9 — Lana finds her mother's journal while cleaning the garage.

In her garage, Lana finds a box with her mother's diary. Lana learns that her mother, Laura Lang, hated cheerleading and dreamt of leaving Smallville. She confronts Aunt Nell about this, who admits that she used to tell Lana white lies about what her mother was like. Lana laments that she has been trying to live up to a version of her mother that did not exist. Aunt Nell says that Laura gave her high school class' graduation speech, the first line being: "I never made a difference here, but maybe my children can."

At school, Clark stares at Tina, trying to see her skeleton. Chloe and Pete agree that the only thing weird about Tina is the amount of time she spends idolizing Lana. When Lana emerges from her classroom, Tina tells her that Rose is moving to Metropolis but does not want to pull Tina out of school. Tina asks if she can move in with Lana and Nell. When Lana hesitates, Tina takes it as a rejection and storms off. Clark is successful in focusing his X-ray vision and looks into a backpack full of cash in Tina's locker. Clark tells his parents about what he found.

Xray16 — Deputy Miller has come looking to arrest Tina.

At the antique shop, Tina morphs into Rose just as two sheriff's deputies approach, looking for Tina. They reveal that a kid with an anonymous tip led them to find the money from the bank robbery in her locker.

"Lana" arrives at the loft to tell Clark about Tina. When she kisses him, she morphs back into Tina and throws Clark through the wall. She guesses correctly that it was Clark who tipped off the police. Later, Clark tells his parents they cannot call the police because Clark is the only one who can recognize Tina due to his X-ray vision.

Xray22 — Chloe tries to help Lana find the graduation speech her mother gave in 1977.

Lana goes to the Smallville Torch office to ask Chloe Sullivan to help her find the graduation speech her mother delivered in 1977. Chloe discovers that due to its controversial nature, the editors decided not to print it that year.

Xray18 — Clark sees a skeleton in the cabinet.

At the Luthor Mansion, Roger Nixon arrives to collect his money. Lex tells him that if he walks out that door, Lex will make him disappear. He tells Roger that he will delete all records of his existence unless he helps him. Lex tells Roger to only print positive stories about him and kill the negative ones. Additionally, Lex takes him to a large room with a wrecked Porsche. He wants Roger to find out how Lex survived the crash.

Clark is in the barn practicing his X-ray vision on a lead box when Lana comes to visit. She tells Clark about her mother's diary. Clark muses about what he might ask his biological parents if he ever had the chance. Later, he and Pete go to the antique shop to investigate. Clark sees a skeleton in a cabinet, and they open it to find Rose's body. They also find pages with Lana's signature over and over, and guess that Lana will be Tina's next victim.

Tina appears as Lana and asks Whitney for his letterman jacket. At the cemetery, Lana is visiting her parents' grave when Tina appears as Whitney. "Whitney" talks about how Lana has a great life but cannot see it. He says that Lana has no right to be unhappy and in fact does not deserve her own life. Tina morphs back into herself and strangles Lana, stealing her meteorite necklace. Lana wakes up inside a crypt. When Clark arrives at the cemetery, he finds "Whitney" with the necklace in his hand. He puts the necklace in his pocket while getting close to him. They fight, and while "Whitney" has the upper hand at first, he takes off his jacket and Clark is able to recover now that the necklace is far enough away. During their battle, Tina tells Clark that Lana is dead. Clark scans the cemetery and identifies Lana as one of the skeletons is moving. He breaks into the crypt and lifts Lana from the tomb.

Xray24 — Clark sees that one of the skeletons in the cemetery is moving.

Clark's parents tell him that Tina will not be able to hurt anyone else. Whitney arrives to comfort Lana. Clark's X-ray vision activates and he is pained as he watches Whitney and Lana enter the house and embrace.

Chloe locates an audiotape copy of the graduation speech and gives it to Lana, who listens to it in her car and is moved by the speech.

Cast[]

Uncredited[]

Unknown actress as the voice of Laura Lang

Mentioned[]

Featured Music[]

Song	Artist/Band	Scene
"Movies"	Alien Ant Farm	Played when the imposter Lex robs the bank.
"Ooh La La"	The Wiseguys	Played when Clark and Pete are in gym class.
"Breathe You In"	Stabbing Westward	Played when Tina visits Lana at her house.
"Up All Night"	Unwritten Law	Played during Lex's first run-in with Roger Nixon.
"Analyse"	The Cranberries	Played when Lana visits Chloe in the Torch office.
"Unbroken"	Todd Thibaud	Played when Clark X-rays Lana when she drops by the farm.

Title[]

An X-ray is a form of electromagnetic radiation, similar to light but with a shorter wavelength that is capable of penetrating solids and ionizing gases.
The title refers to Clark Kent's emerging ability to see through objects.

Featured Super beings[]

Kryptonian (Clark Kent)
Shapeshifter (Tina Greer)

Notes[]

Antagonist: Tina Greer
Clark uses the following abilities in this episode: super strength, super speed, invulnerability, Night Vision, Multi-spectrum Vision, and X-ray vision.
Clark develops X-ray vision in this episode. He also unknowingly develops his Multi-Spectrum Vision, as he is able to detect the radiation that is emitted by Kryptonite. Additionally, he develops the ability to see through things in full color (without the sound effect) like when he stared at Lana to make sure she wasn't Tina.
Tina Greer is the show's first female villain.
Tina as Lex writes his signature right handed while the real Lex Luthor is left handed.
Chloe claims to have transcribed the student speech from the previous year's graduation, but this doesn't make sense since she's a freshman. However, this discrepancy is resolved if one assumes that incoming freshmen newspaper contributors transcribe materials that take place after classes have ended (the previous year's graduation occurred after newspaper classes have ended).
When Tina changes form, sometimes she's wearing the same clothes, and others she's wearing what the person was wearing.
This episode hints that Smallville High actually acts as both Junior and Senior High school for Smallville; Chloe mentions that she worked at the Torch the previous year copying that year's graduation speech, which means she was going to Smallville High during Junior High school.
The theme of Laura Lang's prom is said to have been Saturday Night Fever. However, Laura's prom would've been in the spring of 1977. The movie wasn't released until December of that year.
Laura Lang's speech is shown to have been uploaded on the website for The Torch later in the episode Craving.
The banker asked for the person who looked like Lex's signature, which implies he assumed plastic surgery or some other metahuman with shapeshifting abilities not counting Tina. The first introduction of plastic surgery and for devious purposes was by Morgan Edge in Shattered.
Clark jokingly said a criminal mastermind would've worn a mask to rob the bank, which is ironic coming from Clark, because most supervillains and heroes do wear masks in the comics, however, neither Superman or Lex wear masks in the comic books.
Discussing the episode on the Talk Ville podcast in 2022, Tom Welling mentioned that in the scene where Clark & Lex are discussing the bank robbery, Clark said a criminal mastermind would've worn a mask and turns his eyes to Lex smiling. The smile wasn't scripted, Welling broke character because of his humor and chemistry with Michael Rosenbaum.

Trivia[]

This episode marks Mitchell Kosterman's first on-screen appearance as Ethan the Deputy, who's eventually promoted to Sheriff.
Thanks to his new power, Clark sees Lana naked, for the first time. He later sees her with his physical vision, as they later become a couple.
Lana Lang stops wearing her necklace after this episode and it isn't seen again until the episode Leech.

Spoilers[]

In this episode Lex threatens Roger Nixon after he attempts to blackmail him. This is the first of many times that Lex will threaten and manipulate people into doing what he wants.
Tina Greer's fate is revealed in Season Two's Visage.
The nightclub event that Roger tries to blackmail Lex with is revealed in Zero.

Locations[]

Smallville
- Kent Farm (house)
- Smallville High School (Torch, Gym class)
- Luthor Mansion
- Main Street (Antique shop)
- Smallville Cemetery

Quotes[]

Martha: This is incredible. Why would Lex Luthor need to rob a bank?

Jonathan: I've seen some strange things in my day, but this definitely takes the cake. (he looks at Clark) Well, almost.

Clark: I know Lex. It wasn't him!

Jonathan: Clark, I know he is a friend of yours, but come on! You saw him with your own eyes!

Clark: (bewildered) I don't know what I saw.

Martha: There must be some sort of reasonable explanation for this. I hope.

Lex: (entering) Me too! I certainly hope I don't have an evil twin!

Lex: I promise I'm not a criminal mastermind.

Clark: I know; a criminal mastermind would have worn a mask.

Chloe: Pete, you throw that rubber spider again, and I'm going for my staple gun.

Lex: (to Nixon) You came into my life, thinking you could shake me down 'cause I'm just some spoiled rich brat who needed his daddy's protection. Trust me - when I make things disappear, they stay buried.

Lex: (to Nixon) Don't worry, Roger. I'm gonna give you a new identity. Maybe a drug dealer or a murderer. Either way, you lose your house, your job and your family.

Clark: I just wish I could control this.

Martha: What if you try focusing it, you know, like a telescope.

Jonathan: Yeah, you could start with something small. Try to tell me what I have in my hand right now.

Clark: It's your pocket knife.

Jonathan: (opens his hand to reveal the knife) You can see through my hand.

Clark: No, you always carry your knife in that pocket. (grins)

Clark: Mom, if you could see anything, what would you do?

Martha: Learn to close my eyes.

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