Cool - Recap

Under a frozen lake, meteors from Clark’s home glow softly. On the beach above high school kids party. Clark and Chloe arrive. She complains about the cold but Clark doesn’t seem bothered. She goes to thaw out as Clark spies Lana and Whitney wrapped up together. Sean approaches Clark and asks him about Chloe; Clark tells him he’s certainly not Chloe’s type, but Sean does not discourage easily and goes to flirt with Chloe, offering to keep her warm. She sees throw Sean’s crude flirtation. He continues, telling Chloe that he reads her editorials, and she retorts by pointing out Jenna, whom he dumped just last week. He says the breakup was mutual. Sean’s buddies call him to pass the football around; he asks Chloe for her phone number and she writes it on his hand, heading for Crater Lake – posted No Swimming, No Fishing, and No Skating.

Clark returns and asks Chloe if she wrote her phone number of Sean’s hand. She notes that guys do find her attractive and Clark warns her that Sean’s a ‘dog.’

Several boys pass the football around by the edge of the frozen Crater Lake. One asks Sean about Chloe and he replies that she’s another notch. A pizza man arrives just as the ball goes by Sean. As other players go to get it, Sean volunteers to retrieve the ball from the icy lake. He slips and slides but finally gets the ball, then turns to walk back to shore. A loud crack splits the air and Sean stops for a second. Then he starts walking and – crack! – a hole opens beneath him, dropping him into the icy water. For a few moments he struggles to find his way back out, but the hole starts to ice over almost immediately and Sean cannot escape it. Soon, his struggles stop and he begins to sink...

Hours later, after the sun has risen, a hand bursts through the ice next to the football, now covered with ice. The rest of Sean follows the hand, clawing his way onto the ice and staggering to the edge of the lake. Not far away, Sean spots the remains of a bonfire and approaches the tiny, guttering flame. His flesh is pale blue and his lips almost black. Tiny ice crystals dot his face and he shivers constantly. But when he approaches the fire, its heat seems to flow into him. His flesh shifts to a healthier pink and he stops shivering. As he walks away, the fire behind him is just a frozen cone.

Jonathan and Martha discuss the farm’s finances. The picture doesn’t look good. Clark overhears. Jonathan suggests they might need a loan, prompting Clark to wish aloud that he could help. Jonathan tells him he already has helped, replacing four farmhands, but Clark wants to do more. He suggests that he might quit school and become a professional athlete with endorsements. His parents both give him pained looks; much as they might wish he was on a cereal box, they say they’ll settle for him getting to school on time. Clark says he was merely trying to lighten the mood, then races off at a blurry speed. The toaster ejects a pastry; Clark blazes back into the kitchen, snags the snack and vanishes again.

On the way to the bus stop, Clark asks Chloe if Sean ever called her and learns he did not. Clark tells her she’s better off because Sean is a ‘real dog.’ Pete defends Sean, who treated him okay. Then he tells Clark that if he can’t get over his Lana crush he should just ask someone else out, like Chloe. At that point Chloe chastises both of them, telling Clark that if he wants a date with Lana he should just ask her, and Pete to stop acting like Las Vegas bookies pick his dates, and both of them to treat her better!

At school, Sean has found his way to the nurse’s office, cold and shivering. She takes his temperature, wondering why he even came in, and he explains that he felt fine earlier but now cannot seem to feel warm. The thermometer reads somewhere just south of 40, and the nurse tries again, certain the instrument is defective, for no one has a body temperature that low. She puts her hand on Sean’s head and almost immediately his flesh loses its pallor and begins to pink. Then the nurse snatches her hand away and says Sean has given her the chills. But Sean feels better, shucks the blanket given him by the nurse, and leaves.

Martha cuts wood outside when Lex surprises her. Turning, she almost gashes him with the chainsaw before stopping it. Lex wants thirty artichokes for a dinner he plans, at which he intends to discuss financial options for beleaguered farmers in Smallville. He claims that he wishes to invest, to reinvigorate the farming community and return to days of success. He cites a figure: Smallville once grew twenty percent of all the corn grown in Kansas! He tells Martha that Jonathan’s feelings are no secret to him, but that he would appreciate hearing her thoughts even if she isn’t interested. Martha assures Lex that Jonathan doesn’t hate him, but does remember the Luthor track record, which hasn’t been the best. Lex promises to change that.

In town, at the Beanery, Lana scans a flier. Lex walks by and comments that he really enjoyed the exhibit the flier describes. Lana explains that she and Whitney are going to Metropolis the next day, and she thought to see the exhibit. Lex suggests she’s trying to get the quarterback some culture and she says the exhibit was Whitney’s idea. Lex then mocks that, suggesting that Whitney figures one afternoon will get him off the hook for six months. Lana shows a little irritation, telling Lex that for someone who wants people to keep an open mind, he is awfully quick to judge. Lex concludes by telling her that he believes she’s with the wrong guy. Whitney shows up and Lex sits nearby.

Whitney kisses Lana, who tells him she was checking out some things for them to do the next day. Whitney is puzzled; he has forgotten the trip! He tells her his friends have chipped in to purchase a fight on pay per view, and he has already given them his share, then promises to take her the next weekend. And that he’s sorry and will make it up to her. Lex overhears all of this.

Clark walks along the sidewalk and notices Lana inside. Lex approaches and explains that she’s free tomorrow. When he tells Clark to ask Lana to the concert Clark replies that she already has a boyfriend; Lex scoffs, saying a high school boyfriend isn’t a husband, he’s an obstacle! Lex offers Clark tickets to a Radiohead concert if he asks Lana. Clark wonders why Lex is so generous and Lex says he regards Clark as the younger brother he never had, and wishes to share his experience. He tells Clark that the hardest thing in the world is to tell a girl one loves that one likes her. For extra incentive Lex offers Clark the use of his limousine for the concert if Clark asks Lana in the next sixty seconds. Clark goes into the Beanery and asks Lana to the concert, just as friends. She accepts – just as friends.

At school later, Clark, Pete and Chloe talk again. Chloe says that walking in for a cappuccino and walking out with a date, even with the “just as friends” qualifier, is impressive. Pete asks how Clark scored Radiohead tickets and Chloe correctly guess that a certain ‘folliclely-challenged’ individual – Lex – had a hand in it.

Sean approaches Lana, saying he owed her a phone call. He asks if she wants to go somewhere right then, and she puts him off, explaining that she has to put The Torch to bed, but that she can get together later. Almost immediately, Sean spots his old girlfriend Jenna and loses interest in Chloe, going to speak with Jenna. Chloe, slightly upset, comments that when Clark scored he used all the luck leaving none for the rest of them.

Jenna girl showers, steam rising around her. She hears a noise and wonders if Sean is making it. She calls out, saying she has been waiting and invites him into the shower. A hand turns off a nearby radio. She hears heavy breathing and explains that the water is nice an warm. Then someone snatches back the shower curtain – it’s Sean, and his flesh is a ghastly blue! Shocked, Jenna staggers backward; Sean grabs the showerhead and it begins to spit ice crystals instead of warm water. Terrified, Jenna wraps the shower curtain protectively around herself and tries to escape, but falls. She tells Sean he’s scaring her but he says all he wants to do is get warm. He grabs her and kisses her. As his skin pinks up, hers turns cold and blue. When he breaks the lip lock, Jenna stands frozen, literally! He drops her and she shatters. As he passes the candles on his way out, their flames freeze solid.

Inside the Kent farmhouse, Jonathan works on a motorcycle engine at the kitchen table. Martha prepares to leave, then exasperatedly asks why Jonathan must work on the engine inside. He facetiously replies that if he didn’t she would have nothing to complain about. She then offers a trade: work on the engine as much as he wants if he’ll come and listen to Lex’s offer. Jonathan reminds her they talked about that and she corrects him, saying that it was more her talking and him grunting. Then he offers his opinion that the Luthors have sold out anyone who ever trusted them and that they don’t know how to keep their word. Martha reminds Jonathan that his character assessment is of Lionel and it is Lex who has made the offer of help. She agrees that Lex is a little arrogant and a little strange, but with their home and farm on the line, they should hear him out. They need options.

Clark walks in and informs his parents that he is going to the Radiohead concert. They ask where he got tickets and he admits Lex hooked him up; Jonathan notes acidly that Lex has planned everyone’s Saturday evening. When Martha discovers that Clark will be escorting Lana, she asks if Lana is still going out with Whitney, and Clark tells his mother that Lana isn’t married to Whitney. Then he goes upstairs to get ready.

Sitting alone, Sean calls an old girlfriend named Bella. He has once again turned blue and once again shivers. As he talks he lights a match and it freezes solid. Bella wants nothing to do with him despite his attempts at reconciliation, and she hangs up. Then Sean notices Chloe’s number still written on his skin.

Chloe has come to Clark’s house to offer him fashion advice for his “not a date, date.” He presents a plaid flannel shirt and she disdainfully suggests burning it. Clark leaves to check the laundry basket for other clothes and Chloe’s phone rings. Sean has called and says he wasn’t feeling well the other day. When Chloe tells Clark that Clark suggests that Jenna made him feel better (and in a way, she did). Clark realizes Chloe likes Sean; she admits Sean isn’t too smart, but she excuses him that because he’s hot. She says that after Sean begged for a get together she told him to bring her a coffee at The Torch office. Before she leaves she tells Clark that blue is a good color for him.

A servant escorts Jonathan and Martha into a drawing room of Lex’s mansion; they comment about the size and Lex admits that restraint isn’t in his father’s vocabulary. Jonathan realizes he and Martha were the only folks invited to this particular discussion, and immediately prepares to leave. Lex admits he has learned of the Kents’ situation (Smallville is, well, small) and Jonathan immediately concludes Lex plans to take advantage of it. Lex says he only wants to help; Jonathan catches Martha’s eye and (perhaps as much to keep peace at home as for any other reason) agrees to listen.

A limo pulls away from Lana’s house. Inside, Clark and Lana share the seat. Clark comments that he has never been in a limo before; Lana tells him she has, when her aunt Nell hired one to take them to the ballet in Metropolis. Clark then says this must beat a night of defensive reading; Lana’s not sure what he comment means. Clark reminds her that he has known her since they were children and has observed that whenever her world becomes unpleasant she retreats into a book. She admits that sometimes that is easier than dealing with her own life; Clark then tells her how he does the same thing with astronomy. He looks at different worlds and wonders if his life would be any better there. Once again Lana is struck at how Clark always seems to understand what she says, and he mischievously calls that gift magic. He demonstrates with a simple card trick, using X-Ray vision to see which card she has selected so that he can name it correctly.

Lana felt she had to explain the “just friends” date to Nell. Clark understands; he spent the better part of the day explaining that the outing was not a date. He asks Lana what she told Whitney and learns she did not tell him anything. She feels that he’s hanging with his friends and she with hers.

Clark fiddles with the television and tunes in a news report. The reporter talks about how police seek Sean Kelvin in connection with the death of Jenna Barnham. Remembering the call Chloe received, Clark orders the driver to stop the car.

Chloe, meanwhile, works at the offices of The Torch. She hears a noise from the hallway and emerges to see who is there. A trail of yellow rose petals leads away from the door. Intrigued, she follows it down the hall calling Sean’s name.

The limo drops Lana and Clark at the Beanery; Clark asks Lana to remain there where she will be safe. He tells her this is the best 'non-date' he has ever had and promises to return shortly, then leaves.

Chloe continues to follow the flower petals to a door. A handwritten note reads “Come in, please” so she does, finding herself in the pool room. She calls out again but gets no answer. Playfully, she says she agreed to a cappuccino, not to skinny dipping! Sean has silently followed her through the door, but when he latches it the sound is very loud and Chloe spins, seeing his ghastly blue skin and frozen brow! He apologizes, saying he doesn’t have a choice and she asks what happened. All he says is that he cannot seem to stay warm. He gets a quick fix from fire, but body heat lasts much longer. Scared now, Chloe backs away and trips into the pool! She tries to swim away. Sean dips a hand into the water and begins to draw the heat from it. Ice races across the pool; Chloe almost escapes but the water freezes around her ankle, trapping her!

Clark bursts in and Sean attempts an attack but Clark punches him the length of the pool, then frees Chloe and tells her to run. He looks around for Sean but Sean has disappeared.

Back in the office Chloe sits wrapped in a blanket and tells Clark the only case like Sean that she could find involved a patient with damage to the thermostatic cells of the brain. Such patients cannot stay warm. Sean seems to her more like a battery that requires constant charging with heat. Chloe recommends Clark call for help but he assures her that he can take care of it as soon as he gets her home. She wanly assures him this isn’t some ‘passive/aggressive’ attempt to ruin his date. And that reminds Clark – he left Lana at the Beanery some time ago!

At the Beanery Pete Ross rolls in with a date and sees Lana alone. He asks about Clark and Lana tells him Clark ran off. Lana tells Pete about the news report; he had also heard it. Pete always thought Sean was a good guy but concedes maybe didn’t know Sean as well as he believed. Realizing Pete has been Clark’s friend for a long time, she asks if Clark has always been so... Pete supplies the term ‘Clark-like’ and she nods. Pete confirms this. Lana says whatever drew Clark away seemed very important, and Pete chivalrously says he can’t believe anything was more important than Lana.

Whitney appears, asking Lana what she’s doing at the Beanery. When she tells him she’s reading he notes her dress and says she’s pretty dressed up for a book. Pete leaves, but before he goes Lana offers him and his date the limo. Whitney’s curiosity is piqued; he asks what Lana was doing in a limo. She tells him she was hanging out with a friend, but asks him to take her home.

Sean, still blue, approaches an electrical substation. He freezes the lock and the suddenly brittle metal shatters at a tug. Opening the gate, he enters.

Clark returns to the Beanery to find Lana gone. As he wonders what to do the lights suddenly flicker.

At the substation Sean has seized two high voltage electrical leads. Blue-white sparks snap between his body and the electrical gear.

At Lex’s home the lights flicker and then a generator cuts in, restoring power. Jonathan tells Lex and the learned to be self-reliant from someone a lot smarter than he was. Lex knows Jonathan means his own father, and produces documents that show how the elder Kent depended on government help. He obtained this information as part of the due diligence he conducted in connection with investing in the Kent farm. He urges Jonathan not to put his pride ahead of his family’s future.

Whitney and Lana drive along a darkened road. Lana wants Whitney to let go of his concerns but Whitney wants to know about her friend. He asks if the get together was a test to see how he would react. Lana, somewhat irritated, reveals her fear that he’d overreact, and says that’s why she kept him in the dark. Whitney doesn’t think he’s overreacting, since she went on a date with another guy. She assures him that Clark is a friend and that is all. Suddenly, Lana spots Sean in the road ahead and cries a warning; Whitney swerves to miss him and runs the truck off the road.

Sean climbs painfully to his feet as Whitney struggles to escape the truck’s cab. He is uninjured but Lana has twisted her ankle. Whitney comes around to the passenger side and wrenches the door open; his priority is getting Lana somewhere safe. They head toward some lights down the road.

Inside the Luthor abode, Lex explains that he offers the latest equipment and technology. Jonathan believes that offer would cost him independence; Lex admits his influence will be there – this is a partnership – but says it will be minimal. Jonathan says he could get a loan. Lex asks why Jonathan won’t allow him to help the Kents get to where they never again need depend on anyone. Lex’s offer looks generous and Jonathan wants to know what Lex gets from it; Lex says he believes there’s profit available and assures Jonathan that he isn’t in the charity business. He asks Jonathan to think about it and suggests he’ll see the benefits outweigh the other options.

Lana and Whitney enter the Luthor mansion and explain their accident.

Clark races along the country roads and finds Whitney’s wrecked truck. Sean surprises him, getting a good grip on Clark’s arm. Sean draws the heat from Clark, leaving him frozen on the ground. Sean’s skin pinks up and he sardonically thanks Clark.

Lex has heard the story. He closed the main gate and activated the alarm. Jonathan cannot find Clark; he gets Clark’s voice mailbox when he tries to call. Jonathan and Martha reassure each other; they know Clark’s remarkable powers but still fear for him. The lights flicker. Outside, Sean has approached the house and as he touches the generator, ice begins to form around it. Finally, frozen, it shudders to a halt. Inside, Lex has found flashlights; Jonathan goes to check the front gate while Martha goes to check the generator. Lex calls after them that he has people to do that, but the Kent’s are self-reliant and take charge.

Martha discovers the generator frozen. Then Sean discovers her and she realizes who the stranger must be. He tells her that he just wants to get warm and approaches. Clark interrupts, having thawed out. He sends his mother inside and Sean cannot believe the woman he saw is Clarks Mom, calling her “hot.” Clark tells Sean he must get to a hospital but Sean does not believer a hospital can help him. He knows what he needs – heat, preferably from a living body. Each person is just another fix to him now, in his endless quest to stay warm. Clark tells him he’s not getting into the house. Sean tries a punch that Clark easily ducks; grabbing a bar, Clark knocks Sean through the air.

When Clark gets to where Sean should have landed he cannot find the boy. Then Sean leaps onto Clark and begins to draw his warmth out again. He makes the mistake of taunting Clark with his plans for Clark's mother and father and for Lana; Clark breaks free and hurls Sean into a nearby pond. It freezes solid, entombing Sean.

Sometime later Jonathan works on his motorcycle in the barn. Lex approaches; he has learned Jonathan took out a bank loan and is surprised. He wonders if Jonathan despises him that much and Jonathan tells him that some things have nothing to do with him. Jonathan intends to bet on his family; Lex says he’s betting with Clark’s future while Lex is trying to ensure it. He tells Jonathan the bank will kill him with interest charges while it waits for him to fail; Jonathan replies that with the bank he’ll at least know where he stands. Lex says he genuinely wants to help and when Jonathan changes his mind the offer still stands.

Chloe stands before Jenna’s memorial shrine. Clark asks if she’s okay and she says she is. She tells Clark about a memorial service the next day and that she’s shaken because Jenna’s fate could have been hers, and all because a guy expressed a modicum of interest.
Chloe thought she was stronger than that; Clark suggests that everyone searches for soul mates and this search is not a sign of weakness. For his part, Pete cannot believe both their dates went to hell and he ended up with the limo! It worked out well for him; he got a second date with his girl.

Chloe next says she’s swearing off all men. Clark tells her not all men are bad and lightly suggests she only swear off heat-sucking horn dogs. She promises that the next time someone asks her out she will do a background check! She and Pete leave together when the three of them see Lana.

Clark walks over to apologize to Lana and she tells him not to worry about it. He asks if they might try again, but she and Whitney are going to Metropolis together next week. Whitney has the whole day planned out; Lana thinks her “non-date” freaked him out a little. Clark asks what she told him and she says she told him the truth – that she and Clark are just friends.

The bell rings and Lana prepares to leave for class. Clark asks why she goes out with Whitney and she tells him that whenever she needs him, he’s there. He makes her feel safe. She leaves Clark pondering that...

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