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Smallville episode 7.16: Descent
Aired: April 17, 2008
Anyone who has seen the preview trailers for this episode knows that “Descent” is all about Lex Luthor. It’s about the final steps he takes in his journey to hell.
Unstoppable
The episode opens at the Luthorcorp where Lex was waiting for Lionel. The son blames his father for the trauma brought on by the arrival of the meteors to Smallville. Did Lionel know that the Traveler was going to arrive that day? Lex accuses Lionel of sacrificing his own son for his quest. And Lionel answers back with a rhetorical “what if I told you you are the traveler?”, pointing to the many times that Lex survived fatal injuries so many times.
Lex insists that Lionel hand over the key. When Lex pulled out his gun, Lionel knew that the his son would not hesitate to use it. He warns Lex that the attraction of the dark power will destroy him. “If you get hold of that secret there will be no redemption for you!” A glass-eyed Lex shot Lionel point-blank before throwing him out of the 40th floor window.
At the Daily Planet, Chloe is helping Clark track unusual electrical power surges in the hopes of locating Brainiac and Kara when they heard news of Lionel’s death at the next-door building of Luthorcorp. Clark immediately suspects something foul has happened when he saw the expression of Lex’s face as the latter identifies his father’s body. Clark goes into Lionel’s office and finds a long silver box engraved in kryptonian symbols “Kal El in the event of my death.” Clark unlocks the box and it flashes with a message for Kal-El.
Last words
” In my lifetime I have known many famous and powerful men – presidents sultans kings and I believed that I was superior to them all. But I’ve come to know the truth, Kal-El. My greatest accomplishment is that I have dedicated myself to protecting your life and serving you. For that I am grateful. But if you are reading this it that means I can not protect you any longer from a terrible truth. Two lockets exists – each one has its own key. These keys used together unlock the secret of controlling you. You must find the keys, Kal-El or your destiny will fall into the hands of another man. You must save yourself.
Once at the Mansion, Lex recounts how his father said that the right man can make anything possible. Gina finds Lex clasping the locket in his hand, and she reassures her boss that his secret is safe with her. Lex had killed his father for nothing, because the key wasn’t inside the locket. When she left, Lex grappled with his soul in the presence of a young Alexander.
Meantime, back at the Daily Planet, Chloe finds the key inside a note left by Lionel for Clark. Unfortunately, Lex found her out and fired her. Down in the archive room, Jimmy and Lois are looking at a picture of Lionel falling out of his office window and what seemed to be the silhouette of someone pushing him. They send the image to Isis for Chloe to decipher. Jimmy and Lois were about to leave when Gina stops them with a gun. Lois tries to be a hero and ends up being shot in the left shoulder, and Gina locks them inside a freezer at Jimmy’s confession of where the image was sent.
At the Isis Foundation, Clark tells Chloe of the message he received from Lionel. Chloe remembers the key that Lionel took and Clark speeds to the mansion.
No turning back.
Clark confronts Lex at the mansion. And here we realize just how delusional Lex has become as he reasons to Clark that someone (Lex) has to protect the world from all the strange and alien activities happening in Smallville.
As Chloe was working on the image, Gina sneaks in and knocks Chloe unconscious, and erases the images with a virus. Chloe comes to when Clark comes back looking for Jimmy and Lois. She warns him that whoever controls the key controls him as well, and that would bring harm to the rest of the world. Clark speeds out to find Jimmy and Lois, and Gina sees everything. She hurries out to call Lex about it, but someone grabs her and paralyzes her. As the helpless assistant stays immovable, her car is started and carbon monoxide poisons her to death.
At the mansion, Lex asks someone to ready his jet for Zurich. Alexander appears again, pleading with him not to go, not to open the Pandora’s box that will lead to his depravity. Provoked, Lex drags Alexander down to the fireplace and destroys his own soul in the fire. “You make me weak!” cries Lex and then there was no turning back.
The next morning at the Kent barn, Clark tells Chloe his unbelief at Lex’s capability to kill his own father. And Chloe expresses it best – “Total absence of love. That’s the definition of evil.”
At the cemetery, Clark Kent and Lex Luthor face each other. And the hatred of Lex Luthor for his one-time friend will turn them into arch-enemies.
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Next episode, “Sleeper” airs April 24, 2008.