Transference

From Smallville Wiki

Contents 1 Summary 2 Recap 3 Guest Cast 4 Featured Music 5 Notes 6 Continuity 7 Quotes 8 External Links

[edit] Summary

Clark is drawn to the prison where Lionel is being held. When he sees Lionel attempt to stab Lex with a strange glowing stone, Clark grabs for the stone causing the two men to switch bodies. Learning his new body has super powers, Lionel immediately begins wreaking havoc on Smallville. Trapped without his powers, Clark must figure out a way to get his body back in order to save his friends and family.

[edit] Recap

Clark is in the barnyard practicing football when Jonathan and Jason arrive to announce that a Met U scout will be at Friday's game. However, Clark's excitement is cut short when he begins to hear a painful ringing in his ears. Jonathan sends Jason away. Clark explains that he hears a ringing sound and says he has to go. He superspeeds away. At the Kansas State Penitentiary, Lionel is having a visitation with Lex. He looks very weak and pained. Lex remarks that he probably has about a month to live. Lionel explains that he did not want to die without telling Lex he loved him and reaches across the table to him. Just then, Clark enters and uses his X-ray vision to see that Lionel is clutching a pointed stone. He rushes between them and lifts Lionel away from Lex. Lionel grabs Clark's fist and the spirits of the two men swirl and merge. They switch bodies and fall away from each other. The guards rush in and haul Clark-in-Lionel's-body away as he protests.

Lionel-in-Clark's-body stutters out an explanation to Lex, who offers to take him home. Lex drops "Clark" off and he wanders around the barnyard, where he finds Jonathan, who asks him to lift up the tractor. Lionel is astonished to discover that he can.

Clark finds an entire wall filled with articles and research about the Stones of Power in Lionel's prison cell. He meets his roommate, Edgar Cole. Edgar tells him that he is an expert translator who was framed and helped Lionel figure out how to switch bodies, intending to trap Lex in prison. Edgar also tells Clark that Lionel is dying of an incurable liver disease.

In Clark's barn, Lionel is admiring his new physique, while on the phone with a foreign bank. He is trying to transfer funds, but he fails the voice verification and grows frustrated. Martha enters, and is surprised to see Clark wearing a dress shirt and slacks. She notices Clark's behavior is off, and asks him about the ringing he heard earlier. Clark says he just needs a hug. They hug awkwardly and Lionel becomes aroused and shoots a beam of heat out of the barn window. Martha gets annoyed and leaves. In the house, Jason has come back to see how Clark is feeling. Clark tells him that he's not going to the football game and quits the team, slamming the front door closed on Jason's shocked face.

In prison, Clark-as-Lionel asks Edgar to help him make a phone call. When they enter the common area, a large convict roughs Clark up, threatening to kill him. Without his abilities, Clark is powerless to fight back.

Lionel tries to access the LuthorCorp company database from the computers in the Torch office, but Lex has changed the password. Chloe arrives and also comments on Clark's attire. Lionel starts playing mind games with Chloe, asking her what she would do if Lionel were to get out of prison. He then starts going on about how he finds her fascinating and leans in to kiss her. Just as they are about to kiss, he pulls back and whispers cruelly, "Don't you wish," and saunters off. Chloe is near tears as he walks away.

Lana and Jason are in his office discussing Isobel Thoreaux and Clark walks by and bursts in on them kissing. He makes rude remarks about their relationship, shocking Jason again and angering Lana.

Lionel-as-Clark goes to the prison to visit Clark-as-Lionel. He threatens to kill Lex unless Clark records himself saying the access codes to Lionel's bank accounts. Back at the barn, he learns the accounts are empty and is still seething as Lana enters. She tells him that her relationship with Jason is serious, but she's sorry he found out the way he did. He doesn't really care, but decides to play mind games with her, too. He forces a kiss on her and she slaps him across the face. As she storms off angrily, Lionel looks pleased with himself.

Martha arrives at the prison to visit Lionel. He tells her a story she already knows-- about how when he was six, he super-sped into the woods and got lost. Lionel convinces her that he is really Clark inside. He explains how the stone caused them to switch bodies and warns her of who she thinks is Clark.

Lionel-as-Clark then goes to the Luthor mansion to force the money out of Lex. Through his words and actions, Lex realizes that he is really Lionel as he forces the life out of him. Martha shows up and subdues Clark with a meteor rock, but he zips away. She tries to call Jonathan to warn him, but Clark arrives first and throws Jonathan across the room. He is just in time to answer a call from Edgar. At the prison, Edgar explains that the transference is temporary unless one of the people is dead. At the same time, the convict is harassing Lionel again in the common room. He fights back and a riot breaks out. Lionel-as-Clark uses the opportunity to approach Clark-as-Lionel and picks him up by the front of his jumper. The two argue and Clark-as-Lionel grabs his hand, clutching the stone. Their spirits transfer back into their rightful bodies. Clark drops Lionel and the stone and speeds away. Dazed, Lionel notices the liver splotches on his hand have disappeared.

Back home, Martha and Jonathan inform Clark that he has quit the football team and upset both Chloe and Lana. Clark explains that he was drawn to the stone, just like he was as Kal-El. He tells them about the altar in the caves and about how he believes the stones are meant for him to find. They warn him of Lionel, since he knows his secret, but Clark remarks that Lionel is dying.

At school, Clark tries to patch up his friendships with Chloe and Lana, who are still furious. Chloe suggests he get psychological help, and Lana angrily asks him to keep quiet about her and Jason, not realizing that back to normal, Clark didn't know about the relationship. Lastly, he goes to Lex (who wasn't sure if it was Lionel and threatens him with a gun asking Clark something only he could answer), and asks him to help get Edgar out of prison.

At the prison, it is confirmed that Lionel's liver has indeed healed itself and Edgar is released. He climbs into a waiting limousine to be greeted by Bridgette Crosby, who collects the Crystal of Water from him.

[edit] Guest Cast

• Edgar Cole - J.P. Manoux
• Bridgette Crosby - Margot Kidder

[edit] Featured Music

• "Pain" - Jimmy Eat World

[edit] Notes

• When shooting this episode, John Glover would act out the scene while Tom Welling observed. They would then switch places and Welling would imitate Glover's mannerisms.

• Edgar notes that he was framed for embezzling a Princeton University account, possibly Lionel's doing, as Princeton University is his alma mater.

• From the story Clark tells Martha, it can be assumed that Clark developed super speed at age six.

[edit] Continuity

• Clark mentions Sheriff Ethan, who was Sheriff of Smallville during Season One and most of Season Two before he was sent to jail for shooting Lionel and trying to frame Jonathan in Suspect.

• Bridgette Crosby was the emissary sent by Dr. Swann in Crusade. Her fate is revealed in Spirit.

• This is the episode when Lionel finds out about Clark's abilities, but he forgets them when they switch back.

[edit] Quotes

Lionel-as-Clark: (holding up the tractor) Of course. It all makes sense now.

Jonathan: What's that?

Lionel-as-Clark: Oh! It's just ah... boy is it dirty under here!

---

Chloe: (to Lionel-in-Clark) What, was flannel too five minutes ago?

---

(As Lionel-as-Clark moves to kiss Chloe)

Chloe: Clark, what are you doing?

Lionel-as-Clark: Something I've wanted to do for a very, very long time.

---

Lionel-as-Clark: (to Lana) A man would travel around the world... to pluck your succulent fruit.

---

Lana: Who the hell do you think you are!? (she storms off angrily.)

Lionel-as-Clark: Clark Kent. Of course.

---

Edgar Cole: Is that really you in there, Lionel?

Lionel-as-Clark: No, it's the Easter Bunny.

[edit] External Links

• TV.com

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