Vessel - Recap

A bright light flashes through Smallville. At the Kent farm, the animals start acting up. At the Luthor manor, Lex wakes up beside Lana and then clutches at his head. He drives out to a field and Lana drives after him trying to call him on her cell phone. Lex goes out into the middle of the field and tells Lana to stay behind. A circle of energy blasts out of the ground around Lex and a shadow passes overhead. Professor Fine appears behind Lana and says that he’s “preparing” Lex, while the shadow resolves into a huge black ship. A beam of light from it shines down on Lex. When Lana goes to investigate, she discovers that Lex has vanished and the only thing left is the Kryptonian symbol for Zod, burned into the ground.

The next day, Lois is trying to get airplane tickets for Martha. Lionel arrives and offers Martha his personal transportation, and hints he’d like her to stay in contact with him. Meanwhile, Lana goes to the Daily Planet to tell Chloe what she saw the previous night. Chloe drives out to the Kent farm and tells Clark what happened, and warns him against Jor-El. Clark feels he has no choice and goes to the Fortress. Jor-El tells him that the ship, and Fine, are a single construct, and the Kryptonian construct is working to release Zod. Zod’s physical form was destroyed and Zod’s mental essence will need a vessel. Jor-El causes a knife to manifest and explains that Clark must use it to the human who is chosen as a vessel, no matter who it may be.

Returning to Smallville, Clark tells Chloe what he’s learned and admits that he refuses to kill anyone no matter what Jor-El says. Based on what Lana told her earlier, Chloe wonders if Lex is the chosen vessel. Clark ponders killing Lex, unaware that Lana is outside listening.

Back at the barn, Clark studies the knife and Lionel arrives. The Luthor elder says that he’s received more written warnings from Jor-El, and the most recent one says “Sacrifice the vessel.” Clark warns Lionel that Lex is apparently the vessel.

In the field, Lex is lying unconscious. He wakes up within the Zod symbol and looks up to see Lionel arriving. Seemingly possessed, Lex tells Lionel that there’s now nothing he can do. Lionel tries to touch him and “Lex” uses his newfound super strength to throw Lionel a number of yards onto the windshield of his limo. Lex superspeeds over to him for a moment as Lionel realizes what he’s become, then superspeeds to the manor. He confronts Lana and shoots himself with a gun to demonstrate that he’s now invulnerable as well. However, Lex insists that he’s still himself, and that he didn’t want to hold anything from her. Reassured, Lana goes to him and tells him that she overhead Clark earlier, seemingly planning to kill Lex. Lex tells her that he has something to do but she should meet him later on the roof of the Daily Planet.

Clark gets word of the injured Lionel and goes to see him. Lionel tells him what happened and warns that he raised his son to be ruthless. He notes that Clark may have to kill Lex, Lana, or both.

Martha and Lois are taking Lionel’s personal LuthorCorp jet to Washington. Lois is suspicion of Lionel’s motives and wonders if he might ask Martha for more favors in the future.

Clark goes to the manor and finds Lana, who refuses to help Clark against Lex. She storms out and Fine arrives to taunt Clark. He says that Clark was intended as the vessel and gives Clark one more chance to accept his destiny. When Clark refuses, Fine touches Lex’s laptop computer and a wave of energy goes out as every power system in the state goes off-line.

Clark goes to meet Chloe at the Daily Planet. She’s determined that Fine has planted a computer virus in the worldwide power grid, and its spreading by the second. A car flies through the window and Clark grabs it before it can crush Chloe. As he prepares to leave to deal with the chaos, Chloe insists on giving him a kiss. The phone rings: it’s Lex.

Aboard the LuthorCorp jet, Martha and Lois realize that they’re off-course and heading over the mountains. They’re unaware that a copy of Fine is in the cockpit, flying the plane.

Lex tells Clark that he’s at the Kent farm. Clark superspeeds there and Lex challenges Clark. Clark holds Jor-El’s knife to his friend’s throat, while behind him Fine appears to goad him on. After a few seconds, Clark throws the knife at Fine, hitting him. The knife and Fine glow red, and at the Fortress the lights turn red as well. Fine boasts that Clark has opened a portal for Zod and the red energy slams through Lex and into Fine. Fine disappears and “Lex” announces that he is now Zod. He offers Clark the choice of either joining with him or standing by as Earth is destroyed. When Clark refuses, Zod/Lex takes a metal circlet out and tosses it into the sky. A helpless Clark is pulled into it.

As Fine cuts off the oxygen, Lois tries to smash down the pilot’s door. Martha collapses and Lois goes down as well before she can get to the oxygen masks.

In Metropolis, Chloe tries to make her way through the streets now filled with rioters. She spots Lionel and gets into his limousine. However, the rioters force the car to a halt and pull them out.

Lana makes it to the Daily Planet and finds Zod/Lex waiting for her, unaware of who he now is. They kiss as fires burn in the streets below.

In orbit, lights and power go out across the globe as the metal circle drifts by… with Clark trapped inside.

(to be continued)

Share this article with your friends