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"Shimmer" is the tenth episode in the first season of Smallville, and tenth episode overall. It aired on January 29, 2002.

Summary[]

Jeff Palmer discovers a strange green rose and extracts its oils to create a cream which renders him invisible. His sister Amy Palmer is obsessed with Lex and jealous of Victoria. Jeff uses his power of invisibility to attack Victoria, but he is thwarted by Clark. Meanwhile, Clark considers making a move on Lana, as she and Whitney are having trouble.

Recap[]

→ see also Category:Screencaps from episode 1x10

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Lana signs up Chloe for the blood drive

Lana Lang has been excused from gym class for a few days while she chairs the American Red Cross blood drive even though she passed out when she saw the blood from her own skinned knee in seventh grade. Troy Turner snatches Amy Palmer's notebook from her to see if she is writing about him, but its all about Lex Luthor. Amy's brother Jeff Palmer arrives just then to rescue her. It turns out that Amy's parents work at the Luthor Mansion. In the locker room, Clark Kent feels a bit ill as an invisible assailant walks by and clobbers Troy with some small free weights. Clark and Pete arrive to help. The invisible assailant can be seen as he walks through the steam, but no one notices.

At the Beanery, Clark tells Chloe about the attack. Lana and Whitney are arguing about something. When Lana tries to sign up Chloe and Clark for the blood drive, Clark sidesteps by volunteering to help pass out cookies.

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Amy serves Victoria and Lex.

At the Luthor Mansion, Lex and Victoria Hardwick are playing billiards when Amy Palmer walks in to serve drinks. Amy spills the drinks all over Victoria. Victoria is sure that she did that on purpose, but Lex is loyal to his staff and gives Amy the benefit of the doubt. Amy rushes home to the servants' quarters. She complains to her mother that Victoria wants Lex all to herself. Her mother counsels her that even though they live on the Luthor Estate, they are not a part of his world. Jeff assures their mother that they know their place. When Amy is left alone in room, we see that she has a beautiful watch with an ancient Napoleonic franc as its face.

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Lex's favorite watch

At the Kent Farm, Martha Kent asks Clark about the blood drive. Jonathan Kent reminds him that he can't donate. Clark arrives at the Luthor Mansion to deliver an enormous order of white tulips. As soon as Clark sets them down, they fly across the room. Clark tells Lex that he has decided to fight for Lana. Lex is searching under the furniture for a watch. He tells Clark that this watch is special because his mother gave it to him just before she died. Clark uses his X-ray vision, but he can't find it either. When Clark goes to check the library, he finds Victoria on the computer.

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Victoria is looking through Lex's computer files.

Just then they hear a banging upstairs, they rush up the stairs to find Victoria's room has been trashed. The bedding has been torn up, the pictures are all askew and the walls are covered in graffiti. Chloe adds it to her Wall of Weird, but the police are handling it as vandalism.

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Lionel gives Lex a hard time.

Lionel Luthor arrives in Smallville to give Lex a hard time about having Victoria at the mansion. That night, Clark helps Lana with the blood drive, avoiding donating by saying he's afraid of needles. It comes out that Aunt Nell and Jonathan Kent used to date, and that Nell took the break up pretty hard. Just as Clark and Lana are about to kiss, Aunt Nell interrupts and sends Clark home. Clark invites Lana to watch the sunset from his loft.

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Clark and Lana plan and organize the blood drive.

At school, Clark uses his X-ray vision to find a prescription in Whitney's backpack. At the Beanery, Amy tells Clark that she saw Victoria going through Lex's things.

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An invisible hand holds Victoria under the water.

Clark arrives at the mansion to warn Lex. He tells him that he saw her going through the files on his computer. Lex says that he already knew that, and he seems completely unconcerned. Clark also mentions that Amy is obsessed with him. Lex dismisses it as a teenage crush. When Lex asks about Lana, Clark tells him about Whitney's prescription. Lex is familiar with the medication—his mother took it for her heart condition. Upstairs, an invisible assailant interrupts Victoria's bath. Clark hears her struggling and rushes into the room. He pulls her from the tub unconscious, but she quickly comes to and begins coughing. When he is pushed to the side by invisible hands, he uses his X-ray vision to see a skeleton leaving the room. Clark also sees that the assailant stepped on a piece of the broken mirror and left behind some blood and some green goo.

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Clark saves Victoria from drowning.

Clark takes a sample of the blood and the green goo to Chloe at school. The goo smells like roses, but when she rubs some on her fingers, her fingers disappear. When she wipes it off, her fingers reappear. They decide to check Amy Palmer's blood type against the sample. Clark asks Whitney about the heart medication and learns that Whitney's father has been in Metropolis all week for tests, but it doesn't look good. Whitney doesn't want to talk to Lana about it because Lana has already suffered through the deaths of her own parents. Clark tells him that Lana will probably understand better than anyone.

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Chloe's fingers disappear.

At the Beanery, Lex tells Clark that Victoria is staying in Metropolis until Lex can figure out who attacked her. Clark admits that he's reconsidering his decision to go for it with Lana. He feels he would be taking unfair advantage of a tragic situation. Amy approaches to say hello and Clark uses his X-ray vision to discover that she is wearing Lex's watch. Lex and Clark return to the Luthor estate to search Amy's room. They find a shrine to Lex full of photos and newspaper clippings as well as his watch. Lex is not unkind. He agreed not to call the police, and he offers to pay for Amy's medical care, but he does ask that the Palmers leave the mansion tonight.

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Clark finds Lana watching the sunset.

Clark finds Lana in his loft watching the sun set. It's a very intimate moment, but instead of making his move, he tells Lana that Whitney really needs her. At the mansion, the Palmers are packing up. When they leave, an invisible assailant attacks Lex.

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Amy's shrine to Lex.

Chloe arrives at the loft to tell Clark that the sample blood drop does not match Amy Palmer's blood donation, but it does match her brother Jeff's. Clark rushes off to the mansion. Jeff has bound Lex and is tormenting him. He explains that he attacked Victoria for his sister. Clark has to break down the door to get in. Jeff knocks Lex's head against the wall, rendering him unconscious. Jeff explains to Clark that he found a strange green rose on grounds. He studied it and used its oils to create the invisibility cream. When he grabs Clark around the neck, Clark elbows him and he flies across the room and into the scaffold. Open cans of paint fall on him, revealing where he is.

Jeff is taken away in an ambulance. Lex says Jeff is in need of "serious therapy".

Cast[]

Starring[]

Special Guest Star[]

Guest Starring[]

Co-Starring[]

Mentioned[]

Featured Music[]

Song Artist/Band Scene
"When I'm With You" Simple Plan Played at the beginning, as Clark and Lana talk about the blood drive.
"Evolution Revolution Love" Tricky Played when Clark and Chloe are talking in the Beanery.
"Galaxy" (Gonna Be Alright) Vigilantes Of Love Played during the scene in the Torch, when Clark and Chloe discuss the vandalism in Lex’s house.
"If I Go" Thrift Store Halo Played when Clark sees the school counsellor talking to Whitney and spots his father’s heart medication when he drops his backpack.
"Blend" Something Else Played when Clark and Amy talk in the Beanery.
"Poor Misguided Fool" Starsailor Played in the Beanery, when Clark and Lex talk about Whitney’s dad's situation.
"S.O.S."
(The Crush of Velvet Glove Starlight)
Vigilantes Of Love Played in the Torch, when Chloe finds “green stuff” on a shard of mirror that makes her fingers turn invisible.
"Caught In The Sun" Course of Nature Played at the end when Whitney and Lana reconcile on her front porch.

Title[]

  • To shimmer means to shine or quiver in faint light.
  • The title refers to Jeff Palmer's ability to turn invisible, while appearing shimmering to the audience.
  • Shimmer is an alias used by DC Comics supervillain, Selinda Flinders.

Notes[]

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  • Antagonist: Jeff Palmer
  • Clark uses the following abilities in this episode: super strength, super speed, super memory and X-ray vision, Multi-spectrum Vision, Telescopic vision.
  • The original story for the episode involved the sabotage of a school play, but was changed partially for reasons of time. The story as it was intended was published in the 2nd young adults Smallville novel See No Evil.[1]
  • Lex's computer is an Apple Titanium PowerBook.
  • In the episode Pete tells Clark, "You're hardly the flying type". A note to the fact that Clark has not mastered flying.
  • Chloe gets Jeff's and Amy's blood types from the paper work at the blood drive. In reality, blood type is not included in such paperwork and typing isn't done until the blood has been sent back to the lab. If she had an inside source at the blood bank, she might be able to get the information, but it would not be possible to get it at the high school. She might have seen their donor cards, but most high school students are first time donors, (since most states don't allow children to donate until age 17), so this is unlikely as well.
  • In this episode, Chloe is saying that blue would suit Clark, a reference to his later Superman Suit which is mostly blue and red. In fact, Clark is wearing mostly red and blue clothes during the series.
  • This episode introduces Cadmus Labs to the Smallville universe.

Trivia[]

  • This episode is one of many television appearances that the American Red Cross made this year in an attempt to strengthen its brand recognition. An American Red Cross banner also appeared in episodes of 24 and CSI.
  • Features a similar plot to the Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode Out of Mind, Out of Sight, both deal with an invisible teenager terrorising their school.

Spoilers[]

  • Jesse Hutch will reprise his role as Troy Turner in Redux. He also played Billy Durden in Spirit.
  • Clark faces another invisible villain that he cannot detect via X-ray vision in the episode Fade.

Allusions[]

Locations[]

Quotes[]

Amy: It's because of boys like you that girls want a man like Lex.

Pete: Come on Clark, selflessly giving of yourself to save others -- girls love that.

Lana: Thanks for the courtesy clueless.

Lionel: Lex, you have disappointed me.

Pete: Clark, you're not the flying type.

Clark: Blood drive at school, Lana's running it.
Jonathan: Clark, you know you can't donate.
Clark: I know, Dad. But what am I supposed to tell her?
Martha: That you have a problem with needles, which you technically do.
Clark: Great. Not only do I lie, but I look like a wuss.

Clark: Lana, have you ever seen the sunset from my loft?
Lana: Yes. (there is a slight pause as she realizes she missed the point) But that's the great thing about sunsets, they're all unique, you always see things you've never noticed before.

Lana: That's the thing about Clark Kent. He's not always there when you want him... but he's always there when you need him.

References[]

  1. Smallville The Comic #10

External links[]


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