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Instinct

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Instinct
Series 8x04
Episode 156
Writer Al Septien & Turi Meyer
Director James Conway
Broadcast Date October 9, 2008
Production Code 3T7454
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Previous Episode: Toxic

Next Episode: Committed

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[edit] Summary

Tess and her team perform tests on Clark's crystal that she had retrieved from the Arctic, causing it to send a beam of light into the universe. This triggers the arrival of Maxima, a queen from the planet Almerac, who is searching for her soulmate, who she believes sent the signal. Unfortunately, Maxima's power is too great for mortal men and her kiss kills them.

[edit] Recap

Testing the crystal.
At the manor, Tess has Dr. Groll, one of Lex's top scientists, working on the Crystal of Knowledge from the Arctic. He has determined it's an alien hard drive but Tess doesn't believe it. He proposes to conduct an experiment with a sonic frequency generator and she gives him the okay. Groll activates the device and the crystal releases a blast of energy into the sky. A businessman is walking down the streets of Metropolis when he sees a woman appear in a flash of light. She sees him and says she saw his Kryptonian beacon and came to investigate it. She says she is Maxima, Queen of Almerac, and kisses the willing man. He feels an endorphin rush
Maxima arrives.
and she promises it's just the first. However, he collapses and she notes he's not Kryptonian and her kiss is fatal otherwise. She vows to find the Kryptonian she's looking for. Clark is making breakfast at the farm and lets Shelby in. As he's going through the cabinets, he finds Lana's crystal necklace. Lois calls to have him call in and Clark superspeeds to the Daily Planet where she complains that Chloe and Jimmy are keeping her up. When she realizes he's still moping over Lana, Lois suggests he find another girl. She has Clark take over the story she's writing about the man in the street who died from an endorphin overload, possibly brought on during sex. However, the man died fully clothed and the levels are higher than a human being could generate.
Maxima goes to Tess to find the Kryptonian beacon.

Jimmy comes back to Chloe's apartment where she's been discovering about his TV and music interests. He admits that Lois is mad at him for not telling her about Lex's activities in the arctic. As Jimmy puts a book away, a piece of paper falls to the floor. He picks it up and reads it and discovers it's the letter Chloe wrote to Clark about her feelings when she was 15. Jimmy is angry about it and wonders why she's never said those things to him.

Oliver has sent
Jimmy finds Chloe's letter.
a dress to Tess with an invitation to meet him at the Ace of Clubs. Tess tells her assistant to turn down the invitation. She looks up to see Maxima in the room, and the alien superspeeds down and demands to know where the owner of the crystal is. Maxima describes the owner as a Kryptonian and her perfect mate. Tess suggests they work together to find the Kryptonian but Maxima thinks she's lying to keep the man for herself. She throws Tess into a wall, knocking her out, and takes the invitation to the Ace of Clubs along with the dress.

Lois has checked out the story and she takes Clark to the alleyway, where there are burn marks from Maxima's arrival. Clark examines the burn marks with his x-ray vision and sees a strange emblem. Lois talks to the police and determines there have been a trail of dead men leading from Metropolis to Smallville. She figures that a meteor freak is on the loose.

Maxima arrives at the Ace of Clubs, wearing the dress meant for Tess. Jimmy is there talking to the bartender who suggests he needs to try other women. Maxima assumes Jimmy is the man she's looking for since Jimmy is all alone.

Chloe is at her apartment considering photos of her and Jimmy together when Clark arrives. She hides the photos and Clark shows her the symbol. Chloe recognizes it as the symbol of the Royal Family of Almerac,
Maxima seduces Jimmy.
based on the info downloaded into her mind by Brainiac. She also knows that Maxima teleported in using a bracelet and that she's searching for a mate. Only someone who can survive the endorphin surge would be a suitable mate. Clark wants to talk about Chloe's powers, but Chloe warns there's nothing Clark can do about it. Chloe locates the police report of another victim outside the Ace of Clubs and tells Clark to go investigate.

Jimmy is at the Ace of Clubs talking to the bartender about his relationship problems. The bartender suggests he make Chloe jealous. Maxima arrives and notices Jimmy is the only one alone. They dance together and Maxima takes Jimmy out to the balcony and they prepare to kiss, but he backs away at the last moment and admits he's in love with someone else. She tells him it will only take one kiss and once they're done, Jimmy collapses from the endorphins. Clark arrives and runs to Jimmy's side at superspeed: Maxima is aware of what he's doing and realizes he's who she's looking for.

Chloe is leaving the Talon when Tess arrives to ask for her help. She wants to hire Chloe to hack a unique
Maxima and Clark kissing.
super-computer and no laws will be broken. Tess knows what Chloe is up to with the wedding and the Isis Foundation and says she knows everything about Chloe from Lex's records. Chloe refuses to give in her to her extortion.

Clark is watching over Jimmy at the hospital. When Jimmy wakes up, Clark reveals he knows that Jimmy was flirting with another woman. Jimmy admits it's true but that the letter to Clark brought it on. Clark notes that everyone has to move on, and Chloe did it and found Jimmy. Jimmy doesn't remember anything and Chloe comes in. Clark assures her that he'll be okay without saying how Jimmy ended up in his condition.

Clark goes to the Daily Planet and reviews the security footage, finding an image of Maxima. The power flickers and Maxima arrives at superspeed. She kisses him and her endorphins influence Clark into responding to her sexually. She gets him onto the elevator and they start to make out, but the doors open to reveal… Lois. Shocked, she goes to take the stairs and Maxima tells Clark to let Lois go. He runs after her and she snaps at him, noting that Maxima has left.
Clark rejects Maxima
Lois insists that she isn't jealous and goes to her car: Maxima is waiting for her and picks up the car and throws it down the block. Lois kicks her part way out and Maxima insists that there's an attraction between Lois and Clark, strong enough for Clark to resist her influence. Maxima prepares to kill Lois but Tess' security force arrives and order her to stand down. Clark returns to the Isis Foundation to try and identify Maxima's photo and finds Tess waiting there. Clark claims he's writing an article and Tess notices the photo and recognizes Maxima. He wonders why Maxima is interested in Tess, and Tess shows him the crystal and says Maxima was looking for its owner. She asks if Clark ever saw Lex with the crystal and Clark denies knowing anything about it. However, he doesn't lie very well. Tess gets a call from her security team and Clark, overhearing the call, super speeds to the scene.
Clark asks Lois about soulmates.
Maxima has disposed of the security guards and is preparing to kill Lois. Clark yanks her away and demands to know what she would have done to Lois. Maxima insists that Clark is her soul mate and her equal. She insists that he wants her as much as she wants him and Clark tries to resist her. He turns her down and activates her bracelet, which teleports her back to Almerac. The next day, Clark meets with Chloe who tells him that Jimmy will be out of the hospital. She realizes that Jimmy kissed Maxima but understands why he did it. When Clark mentions the letter, Chloe shows it to him, explaining she wrote it when he was sick. She tells him that although he doesn't remember, when she read it to him when he was sick he said "Lana." Chloe doesn't regret having the feelings and says they helped prepare her to have the feelings for the perfect
Tess gets a message.
person when she finally met them. She asks him to give her away at the altar and Clark agrees. He reveals that he has a cure for her condition: Jor-El's knowledge of Brainiac. He hopes to use the crystal to recreate Fortress and the Jor-El program, but Tess has it. Chloe realizes the crystal is the computer system Tess wants her to hack.

Tess is sparring with her kickboxing instructor when Chloe arrives and confronts her about breaking into the Isis Foundation. Chloe threatens to press charges and Tess backs down, then offers to take a look at the supercomputer. Tess informs her that the crystal was stolen and plans to find out who has it… and get it back.

At the farm, Lois comes to see Clark and tell him the female killer has disappeared off the face of the Earth. Lois vows to track Maxima down and Clark thanks her for showing up and (supposedly) saving his life. Clark tells Lois some of what Maxima said to him and how he never realized Chloe's feelings. He wonders if he might not recognize his soul mate, and asks what Maxima said to Lois. Lois doesn't say anything and heads off to meet with a realtor to find a new place to live. Clark offers Lois her old room at the farm but Lois turns down his offer.

Tess is in her office and receives an e-mail from an anonymous contact who has stolen the Crystal from her, and says she's not ready yet. The individual identifies himself (or herself) as "X".

[edit] Recurring Role

[edit] Guest Cast

[edit] Featured Music

  • "The Beat Is" - Channel Two (ft. Black Shakespear)
  • "Just Like This" - EEK

[edit] Episode Title

  • Instinct is a powerful motivation or impulse towards a stimuli. In this episode, it refers to when Maxima seduces her victims to be impulsive and devoted to her.

[edit] Notes

  • Maxima is Smallville's version of the DC Comics character of the same name. As in this episode, the comics version of the character plans to mate with Superman or Clark in Smallville.
  • Chloe says to Jimmy Olsen that she was 15 years old at the time she wrote her love letter to Clark. Fever originally aired on February 18, 2003 and assuming that the in-show time matches the time in the real world that would make her birth year 1988 or 1987 depending on the precise part of the year she was born.
  • Chloe ask Clark to give her away at her wedding to Jimmy Olsen. This is traditionally the father's duty. Chloe's father Gabriel "Gabe" Sullivan was last seen in Gone alive. Oddly she has seemed to have never attempted on screen to contact him.
  • The device Tess uses to power the Crystal of Knowledge is very similar to the device used to restrain General Zod and his lieutenants in Superman: The Movie, with two spinning angled rings.

[edit] Continuity

[edit] Quotes

Tess: You know, Lex Luthor may have been wowed by your high-tech smoke and mirrors, Dr. Groll, but I've come to expect more hardcore evidence from boys and their toys.
Lois: You know endorphins? They're hormones that are released when the body performs a certain activity.
Clark: Like when you play a sport.
Lois: Or there's another kind of activity two people share, repetitive motion, builds to a climax.
Clark: Thank you.
Clark: Lois! Lois, wait!
Lois: What!? Oh, sorry to rain on your orgy, Smallville. I think I scared off your date. (about Maxima)
Clark: Where'd she go?
Lois: Probably to find you two a motel room.
Clark: You don't understand.
Lois: What's not to understand?! You were pulling a 9 1/2 Weeks in the elevator! I mean it may not get you a membership in the mile-high club, but, hey you got to start somewhere!
Clark: Just calm down!
Lois: I am calm! I am perfectly calm! Why wouldn't I be calm?! Dial down the ego, Smallville. I don't care what you do with your love life!
Lois: I don't know who, or what you are, but you've got it all wrong lady there is nothing romantic between Lois and Clark.
Maxima: You have a deep connection to him, I felt it.
Lois: Then you're radar is on the fritz, 'cause even on a good day we're barely friends.
Maxima: He never would've been able to pull away from me if he wasn't drawn by his attraction to you.
Lois: Look, he's about as attracted to me as a Red Sox Fan to the Yankees.
Maxima: You may not know it yet, but believe me there's a bond, and I could see it on your face when you caught us together, you feel it too.
Tess: Do you kickbox, Chloe? I find it helps me focus my anger.
Chloe: Maybe I should rush over to the dojo because I have a lot of it building up right now.

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