Season 2, Episode 13: Suspect
"Suspect"
Episode 12
Air Episode: January 28th, 2003
Ohhh it's a classic "who done it?" episode and one that starts off with a very well directed and executed sequence of Lionel being shot to death. Yikes!!! Seriously, how did this show get away with such graphic violence with a TV-13 rating back then???? O_o Anyway, writers Mark Verheiden & Philip Levens do a wonderful job of unraveling the mystery behind Lionel's shooting by giving the various suspects in question plenty of motive to finally take out the menacing father of Luthorcorp. It's heartbreaking to see Jonathan as the prime suspect and the one being set up, but I love it how once again, the writers use it as a chance for him to lament his hatred for the Luthors as well as revealing how jealous he was of Lionel's gift to Martha given to her last episode. Really do feel bad for Jonathan but a part of me is glad that he is paying for the constant Luthor bashing he's been doing. Hey, I think it's time that story and character trait of his gets squashed....but then again, Lionel was investigating Clark and it's clear that Lionel has feelings for Martha that Jonathan saw in not only his gift to Martha but during the flashback Lana has of Lionel and Jonathan arguing at the Luthor mansion. Of course, it's not only is Jonathan a suspect, but we have Lex as the potential shooter as well as Lionel's personal right hand man in Dominic, who returns this episode as Lionel once again beats Lex in yet another corporate battle between Luthorcorp and Lexcorp that not only threatens Lex but Dominic as well. Seriously, the writers really give a lot of plausible reasons for these men to want Lionel dead, especially when Dominic brings up the fact that Lex almost let his father die during that huge tornado that hit Smallville. One of many wonderful scenes in this episode.
What the writers also do so well is putting Clark in the middle of the investigation once again, playing detective; trying to find out who the real shooter maybe by using his powers as well as coming up with very well thought out conclusions when he hears various stories of what happened the night Lionel was shot. It's just great to see a young Clark being so efficient and a great puzzle solver even at this stage in his development; not to mention able to successfully save him and Pete when they get too deep in the investigation and are almost killed by the massive cover up going on with Lionel's attempted murder. Unfortunately, poor Pete is just brought on to tag along and "help" Clark in his tracking down of the real culprit involved but it makes it more and more obvious that Pete only tags along because the writers honestly need him to do something so he becomes Clark sidekick everytime there's a mystery to be solved. Sigh...it's no wonder Pete is eventually written off the show. Poor Sam Jones III, he definitely is growing as an actor alongside Tom especially but just can't get a break with his character. When it comes to Lana and her story with Henry Small aka her real daddy, she is upset by him not wanting to represent Jonathan in court given his history as a lawyer. Thanks to Chloe being a self aware nosy brat again, she's able to tell Lana about Henry's involvement with the Luthors in the past and the unfortunate tragedy he blames himself for because of it. Luckily, Lana and Henry are able to make some solid progression in their relationship by getting through this small hurdle and convincing to represent Jonathan.
But honestly where the story comes to a shocking twist is finding out who really shot Lionel in sheriff Ethan!!! Who would have thought the Sheriff of Smallville would be the one to try to kill Lionel but giving the flashback between him and Lionel; not to mention the chilling way Lionel so smugly threatens his reputation in Smallville if he doesn't expose potential buyers in Lex's corporate war with Luthorcorp....WOW!!! Even more terrifying is Lionel recovering and telling Lex that it's his fault that all this happened for him taking on him and his company! Jesus, Lionel is truly ruthless, even in the mist of potential death. No wonder Lex becomes so inconceivably evil thanks to his father's cold blooded persona coming first even in the face of possibly being killed. Also, I loved the boiling hot tension between Clark and Lex with both their fathers in danger of losing their lives, especially during their shouting match at the Luthor mansion as well as Lex trying to convince Clark that Dominic maybe behind everything including almost getting Clark and Pete killed. Got to give Clark some credit here tho for questioning Lex for letting things play out this way when his father was stuck in jail and Pete could have died but it does make for a stunning scene as well as piece of writing between the characters. "Suspect" may follow the traditional story tropes of "who could the killer be?", but manages to convey a lot of entertaining curiosity with a strong script and stellar performances from even Tom Welling for once. Definitely an underrated episode for the series as a whole with over 200 in total, which is easy to see why.
Final Kryptonite: A
What the writers also do so well is putting Clark in the middle of the investigation once again, playing detective; trying to find out who the real shooter maybe by using his powers as well as coming up with very well thought out conclusions when he hears various stories of what happened the night Lionel was shot. It's just great to see a young Clark being so efficient and a great puzzle solver even at this stage in his development; not to mention able to successfully save him and Pete when they get too deep in the investigation and are almost killed by the massive cover up going on with Lionel's attempted murder. Unfortunately, poor Pete is just brought on to tag along and "help" Clark in his tracking down of the real culprit involved but it makes it more and more obvious that Pete only tags along because the writers honestly need him to do something so he becomes Clark sidekick everytime there's a mystery to be solved. Sigh...it's no wonder Pete is eventually written off the show. Poor Sam Jones III, he definitely is growing as an actor alongside Tom especially but just can't get a break with his character. When it comes to Lana and her story with Henry Small aka her real daddy, she is upset by him not wanting to represent Jonathan in court given his history as a lawyer. Thanks to Chloe being a self aware nosy brat again, she's able to tell Lana about Henry's involvement with the Luthors in the past and the unfortunate tragedy he blames himself for because of it. Luckily, Lana and Henry are able to make some solid progression in their relationship by getting through this small hurdle and convincing to represent Jonathan.
But honestly where the story comes to a shocking twist is finding out who really shot Lionel in sheriff Ethan!!! Who would have thought the Sheriff of Smallville would be the one to try to kill Lionel but giving the flashback between him and Lionel; not to mention the chilling way Lionel so smugly threatens his reputation in Smallville if he doesn't expose potential buyers in Lex's corporate war with Luthorcorp....WOW!!! Even more terrifying is Lionel recovering and telling Lex that it's his fault that all this happened for him taking on him and his company! Jesus, Lionel is truly ruthless, even in the mist of potential death. No wonder Lex becomes so inconceivably evil thanks to his father's cold blooded persona coming first even in the face of possibly being killed. Also, I loved the boiling hot tension between Clark and Lex with both their fathers in danger of losing their lives, especially during their shouting match at the Luthor mansion as well as Lex trying to convince Clark that Dominic maybe behind everything including almost getting Clark and Pete killed. Got to give Clark some credit here tho for questioning Lex for letting things play out this way when his father was stuck in jail and Pete could have died but it does make for a stunning scene as well as piece of writing between the characters. "Suspect" may follow the traditional story tropes of "who could the killer be?", but manages to convey a lot of entertaining curiosity with a strong script and stellar performances from even Tom Welling for once. Definitely an underrated episode for the series as a whole with over 200 in total, which is easy to see why.
Final Kryptonite: A
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