"Bound" is the ninth episode in the fourth season of Smallville, and seventy-fifth episode overall. It aired on November 17, 2004.
Summary[]
Lex is accused of killing a young woman and Clark turns to Lionel for help. Meanwhile, Lana has a dream of her ancestor and a mysterious second woman - a dead ringer for Jason's mother Genevieve, who arrives to visit her son and meet his new girlfriend.
Recap[]
→ see also Category:Screencaps from episode 4x09
Lex meets a captivating young woman.
Lex is at a fundraiser in Metropolis when he spots a stunning young woman across the room listening to an MP3 player. He approaches her and asks her what she is listening to, and she offers him the headphones. They exchange a few words, and Lex takes her to a hotel room to have sex. The next morning, Lex is awakened to a hysterical screaming of the maid. Confused, he looks around and finds the naked woman's bloody body in the bed next to him.
Lex's lawyer Corrine Hartford tries to field the media frenzy while she questions Lex about the evening. Lex says he was drinking, but he can't remember anything about the woman except that she had a pink mp3 player. She and her assistant, Shannon Bell, depart just as Clark comes to visit. Clark asks Lex how he's doing. Lex is embarrassed and tells Clark that one-night stands never happen to him. He says he knows he didn't kill her and he thinks Lionel is framing him.
Lana is having a strange dream in which she witnesses the execution of Isobel Thoreaux. In the dream, a woman is yelling at Isobel angrily. The next morning, she sees a woman at the Talon that looks just like the woman in her dream, who introduces herself as Jason's mother Genevieve. Lana is shaken but decides to sit down and chat. Genevieve says she hasn't spoken to Jason since he left Paris and says she misses him. Lana is reluctant to get in the middle of their issues, but agrees to tell Jason that Genevieve is in town. Genevieve says she noticed that Lana looked at her like she recognized her, and says that Lana is so beautiful, it's no wonder she and Jason were destined to be together.
Clark asks Lionel to help with the investigation.
Clark visits the prison to ask Lionel if he is framing Lex, and Lionel tells him that his liver has been healed since he woke up on the floor of the prison during a riot. He tells Clark that he felt an energy course through him that healed him. He says it has destroyed the destructive power always inside him, the same thing that is consuming Lex. He also believes Lex is being framed and wants to help. He tells Clark that Lex has habitual patterns with women and to start the search for the woman's car. Clark agrees, but he tells Lionel that he still doesn't trust him.
At school, Clark tells Chloe that Lionel gave him the lead and he thinks he's found the woman's car, but hasn't been able to find her name or address. Chloe warns him not to get caught up in Lionel's games, and Lex already has a great lawyer.
Clark and Chloe track down the owner of the car.
Clark is disappointed when Chloe reports that the paper found over a dozen women have had relationships with Lex over the past few years. They find the name and address of the dead woman, Eve Andrews,, and Clark speeds away to Metropolis. He finds Lex in Eve's house burning a piece of paper. Lex is surprised to see him but when they hear sirens, he asks Clark to help. They go back to the mansion and Clark questions why he was there. Lex maintains that he went to find out who she was. He found out her name was Eve Andrews and she had been stalking him for some time. He tells Clark that there is a database of people who stalk him. He still thinks Lionel is responsible and Clark reveals that he visited Lionel. Lex guesses Lionel told him to find the car and tells Clark that he can't trust them both because he and Lionel are enemies.
Clark tells Chloe that he's starting to doubt Lex's innocence because he has lied twice. Chloe shows Clark security footage of Lex and Eve making out in the hotel elevator. She reveals that when they got on the elevator, she only had one earring on, but the police report says the dead body was wearing two. They surmise that she either found the missing earring, or Lex was with two different women. They go to the hotel elevator to reenact the scene and Chloe hypothesizes the earring fell down the shaft. Clark telescopes his X-ray vision and finds it. He takes it to Lionel and asks him to help find the second woman. Lionel reveals that he too used to dismiss mistresses by sending diamond earrings by mail, and tells Clark that the second woman is probably the killer and the diamond can be traced.
Clark and Chloe reenact the scene in the elevator.
Corrine tells Lex that Eve was stalking him because he slept with her but never called her again and sent her a pair of diamond earrings. She reveals that Lex also jilted her, and Lex realizes she is the one who compiled the stalker database and accused her of being an accomplice. After the falling-out, Corrine declares she can't be his lawyer and leaves. He later goes to her office after she summons him but when he gets there, he finds her dead. He calls 911 but notices the pink MP3 player on the desk, playing the same song from the night he met Eve. Shannon appears with a gun and asks Lex if he recognizes her. Lex is confused and Shannon knocks him out. She takes him back to his mansion and reveals that she cheated on her fiancé with Lex because she thought he loved her. She explains that she joined up with Eve, then murdered her, drugged Lex and put Eve's body in the bed next to him to make it look like he killed her.
Shannon Bell terrorizes Lex.
Clark and Chloe trace the diamond purchase to Shannon Bell and he hurries away to warn Lex. Shannon has tied Lex up and is pouring a bottle of wine all over him and the floor, ranting about how Lex slept with her more than once, then didn't even recognize her at the party nor as Corrine's assistant. She says she's stopping him from doing it again and drops a candle on the floor. The alcohol ignites and the flames surround Lex just as Clark superspeeds into the room. He knocks Shannon out, uses his jacket to blow out the fire, and superspeeds away unseen.
Jason confronts his mother.
Lana admits to Jason that she met his mother, and that she didn't want to get in the middle, but his mom seemed really worried. Jason thinks his mother is manipulative and ruthless. Lana tells him that she dreamed about Genevieve before she met her. Later, he meets Genevieve in her car and she mentions again how serendipitous it is that Lana is in his life. Jason asks if he met Lana by accident or not, and Genevieve just says of course he did. She kisses his cheek and departs as Jason looks confused.
Clark tells Lex how disappointed in him he is.
Clark expresses to his parents his disappointment in Lex because of the way he treated those women. He also tells them he went to see Lionel and that Lionel's liver has healed, but Lionel thinks it's a miracle. He is convinced Lionel has changed. Jonathan says neither Lex nor Lionel will ever change.
Lex goes to the prison and says he no longer thinks Lionel is guilty of framing him, but wonders what he wants in return. Lionel says he simply wants to be Lex's father. Lex just says not to expect another miracle and leaves. Lex goes to visit Clark in his loft to thank him for helping. Lex seems quiet and guilty, but Clark is still upset and says it seems like Lex only cares about himself and wonders what else he doesn't know about Lex. Lex is resigned and says Shannon might have been crazy, but she was right about one thing—he did treat the women terribly. He says when he thought he was going to die, he was almost relieved that the world would be rid of him. He asks Clark not to give up on him yet.
Cast[]
Starring[]
- Tom Welling as Clark Kent
- Kristin Kreuk as Lana Lang
- Michael Rosenbaum as Lex Luthor
- Jensen Ackles as Jason Teague
- Allison Mack as Chloe Sullivan
- John Glover as Lionel Luthor
- Annette O'Toole as Martha Kent
- John Schneider as Jonathan Kent
Special Appearance by[]
Guest Starring[]
Co-Starring[]
- Mark Acheson as Magistrate Wilkins
- Patricia Mayen Salazar as Maid
- Omar Forrest
- Melissa Poll as Woman with Twins
Uncredited[]
- Uncredited actress as Eve Andrews
- Uncredited actress as Little Girl #1
- Uncredited actress as Little Girl #2
Mentioned[]
Featured Music[]
- "Chopin Etude, Opus 10, No. 3 in E Major: Lento, ma non troppo" - John Rusnak
- "I Want More: Part 2" - Faithless
- "Daddy's Little Girl" - Amanda O'Connor
Title[]
- Bound means to be tied to something by either a legal or moral obligation.
- In the episode, Lex is "bound" to the women whom he hurt by having a one-night stand with them. He is also literally bound and gagged by Shannon Bell after she captures him.
- Lana is also bound to the past of her ancestor when Jason's mother arrives.
- The dead body of Eve Andrews has her hands bound to the upper bed.
Notes[]
- Antagonist: Shannon Bell
- Clark uses the following abilities in this episode: super strength, super speed, X-ray vision, and Telescopic vision.
- This is the first appearance of Jane Seymour as Genevieve Teague.
- In Lana's dream, Isobel says "Je vais dormir seulement un peu" which translates to "I am going to sleep for just a little bit". Duchess Gertrude says, "Tu m'as trahie Isobel, maintenant tu vas mourir," which translates to, "You have betrayed me Isobel, so now you are going to die." [1]
- What Shannon pours out of the wine bottles to burn Lex is unknown, but the resulting flames are much larger, hotter than an alcohol fire.
- When Shannon reveals her identity to Lex, she says "What's the matter, Lex? Don't you recognize me?" while undoing her hair and removing her glasses. This is a reference to Superman's disguise as Clark Kent, which famously consists of simply slicked-back hair and glasses.
- This episode marks the first appearance of Clark's red jacket/blue shirt outfit this season.
- Clark and Lana do not share a scene in this episode.
Trivia[]
- The opening of this episode is similar to the plot of the 1997 film Red Corner.[1]
- Cobie Smulders, who plays Shannon Bell, is later known for her role as Robin Scherbatsky in CBS's How I Met Your Mother (2005-2014), and as Maria Hill in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (since 2012).
- In this episode, the antagonist is tracked through a standard piece of jewelry Lex gives his flings as a parting gift. The same plot was later used in Agent Carter, a series set in the same continuity as Bell's aforementioned roles, and, like this episode, centered around a billionaire framed for a crime by a past fling.
- For one frame about 2 minutes into the episode the words "No data" flash on the screen.
Continuity[]
- Lionel's liver was healed when he switched bodies with Clark in the episode Transference.
- Clark's reluctance to shake Lionel's hand is because of the events of Transference, where Lionel and Clark switched bodies when they touched.
- This episode marks the 15th appearance of Clark's Red jacket/Blue shirt outfit, which he wears frequently throughout the series.
- Lana has a nightmare in this episode relating to Countess Thoreaux, likely the result of her continued inhabitance of Lana's body from Spell.
Spoilers[]
- Lionel tells Clark that Lex apparently has a sexual fetish for women with brown hair, and implies that Lex has a nearly Oedipal fixation on his mother, who he here claims was a brunette. Lex's preference for brown hair is supported throughout the series, as every woman Lex has a romantic relationship with is a brunette, such as Lana Lang, Victoria Hardwick, Helen Bryce, and all of the multiple women he is said to have had flings with in this episode. However, Lillian Luthor's hair appears red in the show, as is the hair of most of Lionel's own love interests: Rachael Dunleavy, Pamela Jenkins, Genevieve Teague, and Martha Kent (Victoria Hardwick being the exception.)
- This is the first episode we see Duchess Gertrude, the ancestor of Jason and his mother, an important plotpoint that is the source of Thoreaux's revenge later in the season.
Allusions[]
- Lionel repeats the often-misquoted line, "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned," which actually reads "Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned, Nor hell a fury like a woman scorned," and is from William Congreve's play, The Mourning Bride. [2]
- When Chloe and Clark search and find the code bars of the diamond earrings she said they where Lilliputian. In the 1726 novel Gulliver's Travels, Lilliput is a country where the inhabitants were approximately one-twelfth the size of ordinary human beings.
- Chloe says, "Lionel Luthor goes all 'Hannibal Lecter'," a reference to the character in the novel/movie The Silence of the Lambs in which imprisoned killer Hannibal Lecter directs an FBI agent to another killer.
- While watching camera footage of Lex and Eve Andrews making out in the elevator, Chloe says, "Okay, now, we're gonna skip through all this gross Zalman King stuff... " Zalman King was an American film director, writer, actor and producer whose films were known for incorporating sexuality and are categorized as erotica.
Quotes[]
- Clark: I went to go see Lionel in prison.
- Chloe: Why? Are you backlogged with your community service hours or something?
- Lex: You can't straddle the fence on this one, Clark! My father and I are enemies. You have to decide who you really trust.
- Clark: Well, if I were an earring...
- Chloe: Let's re-enact the event, okay? So Lex had Eve up against this wall right here, so... okay, come on, big boy, it's for the cause of truth and justice. Now push me up against the wall.
- Clark: I don't think --
- Chloe: And her hand was like this... and I think his hand was like this.
- Clark: Well, you wanted to help. I'm trusting you.
- Clark: Last few days, Lex, I-- I thought your father was being more honest with me than you were. And I hated that feeling. I felt like we were enemies.
- Lex: Don't give up on me, yet.
- Jason: (about Lana, to Genevieve) Did I meet her by accident or not?
- Lex: What do you want from me?
- Lionel: I want to be your father, Lex... if you'll let me.
- Lex: You've got your health, Dad. Don't expect another miracle.
- Chloe: Okay, now, we're gonna skip through all this gross Zalman King stuff... just before they get out of the elevator onto the penthouse floor, and look.
References[]
External links[]
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