"Magnetic" is the seventh episode in the third season of Smallville, and fifty-first episode overall. It aired on November 12, 2003.
Summary[]
Clark is jealous and suspicious when Lana suddenly becomes attracted to Seth Nelson and begins to act rebelliously. Meanwhile, Lex discovers Chloe has been investigating his father.
Recap[]
→ see also Category:Screencaps from episode 3x07
Lana and Chloe are enjoying a day at the Lowell County fair when they run into a classmate, Seth Nelson, Lana's lab partner who has a crush on her. Today he is manning a booth at the fair where the prizes are snow globes of Smallville with bits of meteor rock in them. Chloe suggests Lana give Seth a chance. She misses completely and Seth tries to give her a prize anyway, but another patron is offended and starts a fight. Seth runs away, but the other patron finds him and bashes him over the head with a snow globe. He has quite a gash on his forehead and tiny bits of meteor rock enter his blood stream. At the hospital, he is receiving an MRI when the magnetic field reacts badly with the kryptonite in his blood. The machine shorts out and shocks Seth. Lana rushes to his side, and when he touches her hand, there are tiny green sparks, and Lana suddenly finds Seth attractive.
Seth Nelson receives new powers while in the hospital.
The next day Seth realizes he can control metal objects without touching them. Clark and Lana visit Seth together, and Seth asks Lana on a date. She is reluctant at first, but when he touches her hand, she agrees. Clark tells Lana he's fine with it, but confides in his parents that he is a little jealous.
Officer Mason is investigating the murder of Lionel's parents. He tells Lex that Chloe Sullivan is also investigating Lionel Luthor, and goes to the Torch office to ask her why. Chloe refuses to discuss it with him, and he warns her that she is in over her head with Lionel.
Clark goes to the Talon to tell Lana the truth, and she admits that she's not attracted to Seth. When Seth comes to pick her up, she tells him that she can't go out with him, but when he touches her, she suddenly changes her mind. He takes her to the fair. It's closed, and he uses his power to open the gate. Lana is amazed but not scared. They ride the Ferris wheel together. Clark has followed them, and when he hears Lana laughing, he thinks she's screaming, and pulls the Ferris wheel to a stop. Lana and Seth are annoyed that he is "stalking" them, and leave.
Lana and Seth decide to leave Smallville.
The next day at school, Clark approaches Seth and tells him that he thinks Seth is controlling Lana. He warns him to stay away from her, but Seth is not intimidated. Clark enlists Chloe to help him look up Seth's medical records for clues about how Seth is controlling Lana. Chloe gives him a hard time about being unable to accept the fact that Lana might just actually like Seth. The medical records reveal that Seth's electromagnetic activity is higher since the accident. When a doctor enters the file room, Chloe covers for them by pushing Clark against the cabinets and kissing him, explaining that they were just taking a break from candy striping.
Lana is waiting for Clark in his barn and tells him that she heard he told Seth to stay away from her. Clark tries to convince her that Seth is dangerous, but she refuses to listen. She makes it clear to him that who she dates is none of his business. Later, Seth convinces Lana that they should leave Smallville forever, and she agrees to get some money. Lex catches her taking the money from the register at the Talon. He tries to talk sense into her, but she doesn't listen to him, either. She rides off with Seth in a brand new yellow Mustang. Lex tells Clark about her uncharacteristic behavior and calls the sheriff. Clark superspeeds up the road, and uses his heat vision to melt the asphalt. They drive into the tar and get stuck. Seth jumps onto a passing milk truck just as the sheriff catches up and arrests Lana.
Lex warns Chloe against investigating his father.
Chloe arrives late at the Torch to find the office has been ransacked. Officer Mason is there, but she doesn’t call the police because then she would have to explain why he might be interested in her research. He takes her computer and leaves. She goes to the mansion and accuses Lex, but Lex denies involvement. He takes Chloe to the morgue to show her that Mason has died of natural causes. Lex thinks his father did it and he offers her his protection. She refuses.
Clark visits Lana in jail. She apologizes to Clark and says that she believes him now about Seth. She lies and says that Seth was headed to Granville. When Clark leaves, Seth arrives and breaks Lana out. He takes a guard's gun.
Clark and Seth fight.
Clark arrives home and tells his mother that Lana lied to him. Pete tells them that Seth and Lana are on the run. Clark uses a compass to find them at the carnival again. They are planning to slip out of Smallville on one of the trucks that will take the carnival rides out of town tomorrow. Clark grabs Seth and throws him across the room. Lana grabs his gun and threatens to shoot Clark. Seth takes the gun and sends Lana outside. He shoots Clark and learns that Clark has special powers, too. Seth picks up a coaster car and hurls it at Clark, pinning him against the wall. Clark grabs an electrical line and electrifies the coaster car. Seth is pulled off his feet, attracted to the car. When he makes contact, he receives a shock that puts him in a coma.
Lana receives community service for her crimes. She is genuinely sorry for her behavior, and she asks Lex for her job back. He agrees without hesitation, saying he did much worse things at her age.
Chloe goes to the mansion to accept Lex's offer. She reveals her deal with Lionel, but lies about spying on Clark. She says she was investigating him in an attempt to blackmail Lionel. She reveals that Lionel Luthor and Morgan Edge were close childhood friends.
In the barn, Lana apologizes to Clark, but admits that she appreciated that Seth was honest with her and that she wants to find another relationship like that.
Cast[]
Starring[]
- Tom Welling as Clark Kent
- Kristin Kreuk as Lana Lang
- Michael Rosenbaum as Lex Luthor
- Sam Jones III as Pete Ross
- Allison Mack as Chloe Sullivan
- John Glover as Lionel Luthor (credit only)
- Annette O'Toole as Martha Kent
- John Schneider as Jonathan Kent
Guest Starring[]
Co-Starring[]
- Steven Cree Molison as Trucker
- Rimple Sumer as
- James Hutson as MRI Doctor
- Scott Swanson as Doctor
- Doug Chapman as Deputy
Uncredited[]
- Josh Kelley as Himself
Mentioned[]
Featured Music[]
- "Amazing" - Josh Kelley
- "Over You" - Michelle Featherstone
- "Hey Now" - Black Toast Music
- "Trouble" - Bonnie McKee
- "Stupid Girl" - Cold
- "Trouble" - P!nk
Title[]
- To be magnetic means to hold the properties of a magnet or the magnetic field.
- The term is also used as a synonym for being charming or extracting a strong, attractive power.
- In the episode, Seth Nelson holds both of these abilities.
Notes[]
- Antagonist: Seth Nelson
- Clark uses the following abilities in this episode: super strength, super speed, and heat vision.
- Lionel Luthor does not appear in this episode.
- The colors of the prison cell that Lana is in are the classic Superman colours, red and yellow walls with blue bars.
- When Clark accuses Seth of being able to control Lana's feelings through his magnetic abilities, Seth comments that Lana is "not made of steel" which is a nod to Clark's future moniker of "The Man of Steel".
- Allison Mack makes her 50th appearance as Chloe Sullivan in this episode.
- Seth's power to create and control magnetic fields is similar to that of Cosmic Boy and the Marvel Comics supervillain Magneto.
Continuity[]
- Seth says, "You have no idea what I'm capable of." This it the third time this line has been used in this series. Lex said it to his father, and Clark said it to Lex in Red.
Quotes[]
- Chloe: The American version of closure. You can only get over your grief when you figure out how to merchandise your tragedy.
- Chloe: Clark Kent never operates on the same speed as the rest of the world.
- Jonathan: Oh, something must be wrong if he stuck his head in the refrigerator and didn't eat the last piece of cherry pie.
- Clark: This guy asked her out and she said "yes" so fast it gave me whiplash.
- Seth: You have no idea what I'm capable of.
- Clark: Your brain is like a circuit board of magnetic impulses. Chloe and I think that its like he's a giant magnet, and he's able to control those impulses, make your brain secrete the chemicals that control your emotions.
- Chloe: You're a Luthor, so it's a given that you're unscrupulous, but I really thought that petty larceny was beneath you, Lex.
- Lex: Can you be a little more specific with the charge?
- Chloe: (to Lex) You're what they euphemistically call the lesser of two evils.
- Lex: Done. I'm serious. The place needs you. And I make a lousy latte.
- Clark: I don't expect you to wait forever for me.
- Lana: Good, because one of these days someone is going to come along that's right for me. And I'm going to want to be with that person. And you're going to have to deal with that.
External links[]
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