Pariah

From Smallville Wiki

Contents 1 Summary 2 Recap 3 Guest Cast 4 Recurring Role 5 Featured Music 6 Episode Title 7 Notes 8 Continuity 9 Quotes 10 External Links

[edit] Summary

Clark has big concerns after Alicia becomes the prime suspect in a brutal attack against Lana and Jason. Clark initially defends Alicia, but when the evidence begins to pile up, he is forced to take a hard truthful look at the situation. Hurt by Clark's actions, Alicia forces Clark to unknowingly reveal his powers in front of Chloe. Meanwhile, Jason's mother returns to town with an offer for Lex.

[edit] Recap

It's karaoke night at the Talon - Chloe and Lois are belting out their best version of Joan Jett's "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" when Clark comes in with Alicia Baker by his side. The music fades and the entire audience stares at Alicia with contempt. Disgusted, Lana gets up to leave while Jason stays to confront Clark and Alicia. He spits that he can't believe that Clark brought her there. Clark tries to stand up for Alicia but she hurries away in tears. Later that night, Lana is showering when an unknown presence glides through the keyhole of her door and tries to suffocate her with the shower curtain. Jason hears the commotion and breaks into the bathroom just in time to save her.

At the hospital, Lana tells Jason that she doesn't want to see Clark. Lois and Chloe point out that there's only one person in town who can enter and exit locked rooms unseen. Clark objects that she was wearing her special lead bracelet to subdue her powers, and that he was with Alicia at the time of the attack, so she couldn't be responsible. He tells the same version of events to Sheriff Adams the next morning. After the Sheriff leaves, Martha and Jonathan again tell Clark that they disapprove of him dating Alicia. Upset, Clark maintains Alicia's innocence and reminds them that they taught him to look for the good in people.

At school the next day, Clark asks Chloe to help him see if others in Smallville have abilities similar to Alicia. Their conversation is interrupted when another classmate, Tim Westcott, approaches Chloe with an article he has written for the Smallville Torch about the opening of a historical exhibition. Tim notices Lois and asks her on a date. She reluctantly agrees. Clark then asks Tim if he saw anything that night at the Talon and he remarks that he saw a blonde girl in the alley.

In his loft, Clark receives a visit from Alicia. He asks her if she was in the alley and she again tells him that she had nothing to do with Lana's attack. However, she admits that she was not wearing her bracelet, because giving up her powers was like being in prison. She asks Clark if he could ever give up his powers and he says he's rather not have them than hurt anyone.

That night, Clark goes to the Talon to give his mom a ride home. Lana and Jason are there, but Jason is reluctant to go, even though he has homework. Clark and Lana convince Jason that they will watch over Lana. In his car about to leave, Jason is attacked from behind. A green scarf is pulled around his neck by an unknown assailant. He manages to hit the car horn until Clark comes out and saves him.

At the hospital, Lana has a run-in with Genevieve Teague. Genevieve laughs away Jason's theory that she orchestrated their "chance meeting." Genevieve then confronts Lex and asks him to hire Jason to help him find the Stones of Power.

Clark asks Alicia why her scarf was in Jason's car and she again maintains her innocence. She realizes that he now thinks she's guilty, too and states that if everybody knew about Clark's powers, he'd be a suspect, too. He urges her to come to the Sheriff with him and explain everything, but she says she won't go unless he reveals his powers, too. Clark can't do it and Alicia teleports away. Clark takes the scarf to the Sheriff, but she reveals that Alicia is no longer a suspect because she herself was in an interrogation room with Alicia at the time Jason was attacked.

Alicia shows up at the Torch office, where Chloe is working late. She remarks that one of Chloe's closest friends is one of the so-called "meteor freaks" about whom she writes. Chloe asks why she should believe her and Alicia teleports them into her car. Driving dangerously fast, she calls Clark and tells him her car's brakes are failing. Instantly, Chloe and Alicia are teleported out of the car, out of sight, and Clark superspeeds to the scene. The car speeds into road construction, sending it flying through the air towards Clark. Chloe watches as Clark splays his hands out, catches the car sideways in midair, turns it right side up, and gently lowers it to the ground, only then noticing the car is empty. Confused, he superspeeds away. Chloe is left stunned speechless at witnessing a display of Clark's powers.

Lois' date with Tim turns from awkward to creepy when Tim offers his opinions of Lana and Jason's relationship. He states that a teacher dating a high schooler is wrong and they got what they deserved. Lois is unsettled by this comment and leaves the date abruptly.

At her barn, Alicia encounters Tim, who boldly states that he's there looking for something belonging to her to leave at the next murder. She realizes that Tim is the one framing her, but is unable to get away before he drugs and overpowers her. Clark arrives looking for her and finds her body hanging from a noose. He gets her down but she is already dead. Clark cradles Alicia's body as he cries in disbelief. Lois appears and tells Clark that she knows who is responsible. Clark goes to confront Tim. He catches him and after an intense fight, Clark begins to choke him. Lois shows up just in time and talks Clark out of actually killing him.

Days later, Clark is in his loft, forlornly throwing a ball against a wall. His parents show up, worried that he's been in the loft by himself for two days straight. He tells them that he can't forgive himself for not going to reveal his powers when Alicia asked him to, and feels responsible for her death. Martha and Jonathan don't respond.

At the Torch office, Lois shows up and Chloe asks if she should tell a friend that she knows a secret the friend hasn't told her yet. Lois offers that if no one's being hurt by the secret, she should wait for the friend to tell her. Chloe begins to take down the articles about Clark that are posted on the Wall of Weird. Chloe meets Clark at Alicia's grave to tell him that she is there for him if he ever needs to talk.

[edit] Guest Cast

• Tim Westcott - Derek Hamilton

[edit] Recurring Role

• Alicia Baker - Sarah Carter
• Genevieve Teague - Jane Seymour
• Lois Lane - Erica Durance
• Sheriff Adams - Camille Mitchell

[edit] Featured Music

• "To Die For" - Dan Zweben
• "Deeper Water" - Minnie Driver

[edit] Episode Title

• pa·ri·ah [puh-rahy-uh]- noun

1. an outcast.

2. any person or animal that is generally despised or avoided.

[edit] Notes

• Lois' "bunny-boiler" comment is an allusion to Glenn Close's character in the film Fatal Attraction.Close plays a woman who boils to death the pet rabbit of her ex-lover's daughter. This is the third reference to the film in the show. (The others being in Lineage and Obsession.)
• When this episode aired in Australia, the shot of Alicia hanging from a noose was cut, presumably because it was not deemed appropriate.
• This episode has a deleted scene on the Season 4 DVDs. Clark and Alicia are on the way to the Talon. She is apprehensive but he is trying to assure her that the evening will be fun.
• Clark catching the car alludes to the cover of Action Comics #1, Superman's first appearance.

[edit] Continuity

• Lois jokes about Clark and Alicia getting married, which occurred in the previous episode, Unsafe.

• Chloe learns about the rest of Clark's powers a few weeks later in Blank. Clark does not find out that Chloe knows until several months later in the fifth season episode Arrival.

[edit] Quotes

Lois: Did she happen to be wearing something low-cut when she spun you that tale, because I'm not sure you're thinking with your big brain here.

---

Alicia: Chloe Sullivan, ace reporter. You write all these articles about the people you call freaks and you don't even realize that someone close to you is one of them. Why are you ignoring what's right in front of your face, Chloe? Don't you want to know the truth about Clark Kent?

---

Lois: Chloe, have you seen Clark?

Chloe: What? Have I seen Clark do what? Uh, I mean, yeah I've seen him.

[edit] External Links

• TV.com

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