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"Lineage" is the seventh episode in the second season of Smallville, and twenty-eighth episode overall. It aired on November 5, 2002.

Summary[]

A mysterious woman shows up claiming to be Clark's mother, prompting the Kents to tell Clark what happened after they discovered him in the cornfield that fateful day. Clark discovers why his father hates the Luthors, how his adoption was fixed, and who really rescued Lex from the edge of death.

Recap[]

→ see also Category:Screencaps from episode 2x07

Rachel Dunlevy

Rachel Dunleavy arrives in Smallville with a mission.

After the Kents have left for work and school one morning, a woman enters the empty house and looks fondly at their family pictures. The woman approaches Clark at school. Confused, he asks if they know each other and she introduces herself as Rachel Dunleavy and announces that she is his mother. Clark tells his parents about her and Jonathan and Martha go to the Talon to meet her. She insists that she gave her baby son, Lucas, to Metropolis United Charities, and since they only handled one adoption, Clark must be her son. The Kents try to dissuade her, but she is determined to have a relationship with him. Jonathan politely but firmly tells her to never bother his family again.

Rachel later tries a different approach and asks Lex Luthor to encourage Clark to get to know her. Lex is reluctant to get involved until Rachel mentions that she was a nurse for his mother and had an affair with Lionel. She says that Lionel got her pregnant and forced her to give him up for adoption, so Clark is, in fact, Lex's brother.

The next day, Clark finds out that Chloe posted some information about him on some adoption websites, to which Dunleavy responded. He is furious with her for prying into his life and she doesn't understand why he isn't even a little curious. They argue until Clark yells at her to "find her own mother" instead. Chloe begins to cry and tells him that she knows where her mother is, but her mother isn't interested in her. She also tells Clark that Lionel Luthor founded Metropolis United, as Clark angrily storms out.

Lineage1

Clark and Chloe argue about Chloe's prying.

Lana finds Chloe still upset. She is concerned, but Chloe doesn't offer any details about the fight. Lana shows her the picture she found, of her mother and a mysterious man, who is Henry Small, a descendant of the town's founders. Lana suspects that Henry might be her biological father and asks Chloe to help her find more information about him. Chloe agrees, but suggests that Lana simply go visit him.

Clark tells his parents that he knows Lionel was involved in his adoption and demands that they tell him the whole story. As Jonathan explains with more detail, it flashes back to 1989 when their truck flipped over with a toddler standing outside. The town was in chaos and Jonathan borrowed a truck from a victim to haul the boy and his spacecraft away. On the way, they encountered a shell-shocked Lionel, who begged them to help his son. Lex was unconscious in the cornfield and Jonathan collected him and transported them to the hospital. Lionel told Jonathan that his quick action saved Lex's life and offered his resources if there was anything he could do for him.

Lineage3

Jonathan and Martha decide what to do with Clark.

Jonathan's story is interrupted in the present when Sheriff Ethan arrives and informs them that Rachel Dunleavy has ordered Clark to submit to a DNA sample. After giving the sample, Clark and Pete break into the laboratory and replace it with Pete's DNA instead. He announces that the mission was a success, but is puzzled because Jonathan still seems upset. Martha explains that Jonathan is under a lot of stress from having to involve Lionel in the first place and Clark asks her why. She explains that in 1989, they suddenly had this new person and needed something to tell both the authorities and the town when they started asking questions. Lionel produced fake adoption papers that enabled them to keep Clark. Just then, Lex arrives and tells Clark about Rachel's theory. Both of them are doubtful.

Lineage2

Henry Small is unreceptive to Lana Lang's visit.

Lana arrives at Henry Small's house and he is high-strung and belligerent. He tells her that he boycotts the Talon because of his disdain for the Luthors. Undeterred, Lana shows him the photograph and asks if he loved her mother. His wife Jennifer briefly interrupts them and Lana blurts that she thinks Henry is her father. He is put off, says he has a family, and asks her not to bother him again. Lana leaves in tears. Later, Lana visits Clark's loft and tells him about their disastrous meeting. He tells her a little about his and Chloe's fight and his troubles with Rachel. He urges her to try again because a chance to know her birth parent is worth the risk. Lana writes him a letter and Henry shows up at the Talon and says that he is willing to find out if he and Lana are related.

Lineage4

Jonathan reveals his fateful alliance with Lionel Luthor in 1989.

Rachel angrily storms in on Lionel, accusing him of switching the DNA samples and forcing her to give up her child. She threatens to expose him. Lionel flirts with her and offers to get her psychiatric help and she runs away. Lex is leaving the LexCorp building when she approaches him and injects him, knocking him out. He awakes strapped to a chair in Rachel's house. She calls Lionel and tells him that she will kill Lex unless Lionel calls a press conference announcing that Clark's adoption is a sham.

Clark approaches Chloe again and asks her to help him find Lex. He apologizes for their fight and Chloe forgives him. She tells him that her mother left them when she was five and her father never explained why. They find the address and Clark super-speeds away. Lionel begins his press conference, but refuses to give in to Rachel's demands. She becomes enraged and goes after Lex with an axe, but Clark appears underneath it and it shatters. Rachel realizes that Clark could not be her son and dissolves into tears.

Later, Clark asks Jonathan why he hates Lionel so much since he helped and Jonathan reveals that he and Lionel had another meeting in 1989. Lionel asked Jonathan to convince the Ross brothers to sell their creamed corn factory, and when Jonathan was reluctant, Lionel subtly told him that he should be careful with Clark's adoption papers. Jonathan blames himself for getting involved with Lionel and letting him get a hold on the community.

Lex confronts Lionel on his lack of action to save his life. Lionel tells him how Rachel showed up with a child, wanting Lionel to leave Lillian for her. He maintains that the baby died as an infant, but when Lex leaves, Lionel opens a locket containing a lock of hair and a picture of him and a smiling young boy.

Cast[]

Starring[]

Guest Starring[]

Co-Starring[]

Mentioned[]

Featured Music[]

  • "Blame It On Me" by Bosshouse
  • "Otherwise" - Morcheeba
  • "17 Years Down" - Wonderful Johnson
  • "Put It Off" - Pulse Ultra
  • "Yesterday (Demo Version)" - Chris Heifner
  • "Start Again" - Sander Selover & Jeremy Kay
  • "Un Bel Di Vedremo (Madame Butterfly)" - Renata Tebaldi

Title[]

  • Lineage is "the line of descendants of a particular ancestor".
  • This episode deals with the lineage of Lex Luthor, Clark Kent, and Lana Lang, and touched on that of Chloe Sullivan.

Notes[]

  • Antagonist: Rachel Dunleavy
  • Clark uses the following abilities in this episode: super strength, super speed, X-ray vision, heat vision, and telescopic vision.
  • The zip code for Smallville is shown as 67524. That is for Chase, Kansas, in Rice County: Latitude 38.4, Longitude -98.4.
  • Patrick Cassidy (Henry Small) had a small multi-episode role as Leslie Luckabee on Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. The character was supposed to be Lex Luthor's son.
  • The opera piece Lionel listens to is "Un Bel Di Vedremo" from "Madame Butterfly" by Puccini, sung by Renata Tebaldi.
  • It's questionable how Rachel Dunleavy and Chloe could think that Clark might be Rachel's son. When we meet Lucas in Prodigal, he's said to be 18 whereas Clark is 15 in this episode, turning 16 in Calling. Consequently, Lucas is more than two years older than Clark.
  • Rachel Dunleavy holds the same picture of Clark that Jor-El will hold in the Season 9 episode Kandor.

Spoilers[]

  • The fate of Rachel and Lionel's child is revealed when Lucas Luthor is discovered in Prodigal.
  • Two years later, Chloe reveals in Scare that she has found her mother (suggesting that she somehow lost track of her whereabouts after this episode). A year after that, she visits her for the first time in Tomb. Another year after that, she is finally seen onscreen in Progeny.
  • Lana and Henry Small's DNA test results are revealed shortly afterward in Skinwalker.
  • Clark wonders if he even has DNA at all. Several years later, Bizarro will prove that he does in Phantom.
  • Rachel initially believes that she is Clark's biological mother. Years later Clark would meet his real biological mother - Lara. (Blue)
  • While talking to Clark, Lex remarks that in the annals of extramarital exploits Lionel probably has his own chapter. This foreshadows the reveal that Lex has another half-sibling in the Season Ten episode Abandoned.

Locations[]

Quotes[]

Martha: Clark! You're going to be late!
Clark: : OK, Mom. Going as fast as I can.
Martha: How can you be as fast as lightning and as slow as molasses all at the same time?
Clark: Sometimes, Mom, I'm even a mystery to myself.
Jonathan: Wait a minute, didn't I just fix your alarm clock recently?
Clark: Yeah, but I crushed it this morning hitting the snooze alarm. Guess I'm not much of a morning person

Lex: (to Clark) Rachel Dunleavy came to see me. She says you and I have a few chromosomes in common. My father's chromosomes to be exact... personally, I think I got all the looks in the family.

Clark: Why are you so obsessed about my mother? Do I ask you questions about yours?
Chloe: No, I guess not.
Clark: Yeah, that's because she hasn't shown her face here in years! If you want to find somebody's mother, find your own!
Chloe: (crying) I know where she is, Clark. The difference is, she's not interested in me.

Chloe: You know, I could tell you where he went to college, I can tell you how many outstanding parking tickets he has...I can even pull up his dental records and let you know if he flosses regularly. But, if you really want to know who he is, I would suggest using the high tech research device called...the doorbell.

Ethan : Who's the little fella? (Clark runs in with Martha chasing after him)
Martha: He got away from me. He's a strong little guy.
Jonathan: That's um...
Martha: Clark. I thought my family name would make a good first name. Deputy, I would like you to be the first one in Smallville to meet our son. Adopted, of course. Uh, we just brought him back from Metropolis this morning.

Lana: Well, he hates the Talon, hates the Luthors, compared me to the Nazis, and told me to never come back again.

Clark: Chloe, I'm so glad I found you.
Chloe: Okay, there's a sentence I never thought I'd hear again.
Clark: We both did and said things that we regret. I know I did.
Chloe: Look, you have to believe that I would burn my press pass if I thought it would come between us.
Clark: No you wouldn't. It's too much of who you are... And right now, I need it.
Clark: That good, huh?

Lex: Still alive and kicking, Dad. No thanks to you.

Chloe: It's just hard thinking you weren't good enough for someone to love.
Clark: (Puts a hand on hers) Don't ever think that.

External links[]


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CategoriesMain Characters · Relationships · Villains

ComicsThe Comic · Season 11 · Miniseries


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