Episode 3.20: Talisman

When Lionel Luther unearths an artefact from the Kawache caves, a small dagger, he believes it to be made of the same metal as the octagonal disc. This means he should be able to use it to make a new key. Unfortunately for him, the dagger is stolen by a young man named Jeremiah Holdsclaw, who works for Professor Joeseph Willowbrook. Both men believe the dagger to be part of a prophecy, in which Naman, whom Willowbrook thinks is Clark Kent, will kill the evil Sageeth. However, when the dagger grants Jeremiah the same powers as Clark, he decides that the prophecy must be referring to himself as the saviour Naman and goes on a quest to kill Lionel, the man he determines to be Sageeth. Meanwhile, Lana Lang asks Lex to buy her out of The Talon, so that she can afford to go to Paris. But when he puts the place up for sale she begins to have doubts about going until Lex persuades her otherwise.

This is a really good episode that I don't think I fully appreciated until now. When I go through the series like this and review each episode, it forces me to be a bit more analytical and a bit more objective. As a result I find that my opinion can really change on some episodes and this is definitely one of them.

I love the stuff between Lex and Lana here, particularly the fact that Lex admits to going into business with Lana in the first place because it kept a part of his business affairs grounded in a person of honesty and integrity. I also love that Lex is able to bring a strength out of Lana whereby she feels capable and driven enough to be truly independent. She doesn't always get this from Clark due to his overprotectiveness of her.

The story with the dagger forces Clark to consider his destiny. Is it already written or does he get to decide for himself who he is going to be? Sure, this is hardly a new question for him to be asking, but seeing the way that Willowbrook already looks to him as his people's saviour, it gives us some insight into the kind of pressures Clark will eventually have to face once he dons the red cape. How do you cope with people looking to you almost like a God?

We see how quickly such a pressure can transform a man so negatively through the character of Jeremiah. His belief that he is the chosen one has a huge impact on his ego, turning him into someone who thinks that he has the right to determine who gets to live and who gets to die. This is the way that most self-proclaimed saviours have gone when you look throughout the annals of history.

I love Lex's interpretation of the prophecy at the end. He asks Clark to consider the possibility that, actually, perhaps it is Naman who is the villain of the story. It's an interesting take, as most villains would never really see themselves as such. We are all the heroes of our own stories after all.

Clark and Lex's relationship is really starting to show cracks in this episode too. This is mostly because Lex senses that Clark is lying to him. The thing is, he is right, Clark is indeed lying to him. But you can see the way in which that growing distrust is affecting Lex's attitude towards Clark. And it's really hard not to see it from Lex's perspective and think, "You know what, you're right not to trust this dude!" That being said, the secrets that Clark wants to keep truly are nobody's business but his. As a viewer you are caught between a rock and a hard place in this complex relationship between the two men.

9/10