REMINDER: Is 'Smallville' set to reveal Clark Kent's identity to the world in 'Infamous,' or is this a story hoax?

Republished from Feb. 19, 2009 to reflect update below original post.

"Smallville" is either gearing up to go out with a bang or has a route-better-left-untraveled story in mind that will leave everything as it usually is toward the end of the 17th, season eight "Infamous" episode.

The CW's new "Infamous" promo and TV.com's overview of the March 12 episode confirm that Clark Kent (Tom Welling) will as a preemptive measure reveal his identity as Metropolis' Red Blue Blur to Lois Lane (Erica Durance), who he will ask to write the Daily Planet news story that reveals it to the world.

Usually promotional media for a "Smallville" episode is no big deal, but it is considering that the 18th episode of season eight utilizes a "body-switch" theme that would be necessary for Clark to survive "Infamous" with his secret identity in tact. Two "road-best-left-untraveled" episodes in a row seems unlikely unless the writers simply do not care about the series anymore.

"Hex," the episode in question, has Chloe wish on her birthday to be normal just like Lois, which is a questionable assertion given her affinity for seeking out trouble. 

Zatanna (Serinda Swann), an all-too-real magician from the pages of DC Comics, grants Chole's wish, as well as one for Clark. 

Could the wish Zatanna grants Clark be that she reverse everything that occurred in "Infamous"? 

Having Clark reveal his identity to the world and kill Linda Lake (Tori Spelling), especially when it can all be erased, would certainly take the character to a level of exploration he has never before reached. It would certainly allow him to experience how easy it is to suddenly become a man like Lex Luthor.

Another possibility is that Clark ends up being infamous for being the hack who tried to claim credit for The Red Blue Blur's exploits, but is shown to have no extraordinary powers. A piece of green kryptonite in Clark's pocket would do the trick to assure than no one ever suspects he is anything more than a Kansas farm boy.

Any of these story prospects would be preferable to the beginning of the series' cancellation, which can only be confirmed or put off until May by The CW.

Anything can happen on "Smallville" at this point. That at least is worth tuning in to figure out what it ends up being.

WATCH "INFAMOUS" PROMO!

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Update: TV Guide Magazine drops major 'Infamous' spoiler

"Infamous," the 17th, season eight episode of "Smallville," has Clark Kent (Tom Welling) reveal his identity as The Red Blue Blur to the world, but everything goes back to normal before it is over.

TV Guide Magazine's recent edition features an exclusive first look at Serinda Swan's Zatanna, who will appear in the series 18th, season eight episode "Hex," which premieres on March 26.

How this relates to "Infamous" is that the magazine mentions that Zatanna in "Hex" will use her magic to "allow Clark to experience a life less encumbered with hiding his identity as the Red Blue Blur." In other words, Clark's secret identity will not be so infamous by the time this episode hits The CW.

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REVIEW: Toyman episode of 'Smallville' tinkers with a needless deviation in the series' creative direction

"Requiem," the 14th season eight episode of "Smallville," flogs more than a couple of presumed dead horses that once left deep impressions in the series' legacy of inspired, but now hackneyed, story elements.

Tiresome is the way the series helmers keep trying to make up for the absence of Michael Rosenbaum's Lex Luthor with a look-alike (Kevin Miller) hooked up to a life support system and thus only able to communicate in a robotic voice. 

While creatively ambiguous to have the deranged Toyman (Christopher Gauthier) talking to a puppet that has a video and microphone link to Lex, Rosenbaum's absence robs "Requiem" of the bad guy banter that once provided the series' title characters with a sense of imminent danger. 

Without the contribution of the actor's sinister portrayal of this kind of interplay, Toyman, though admittedly a second-tier villain, simply comes off as an emotionally immature man who talks to himself, not a formidable opponent for the super powerful Clark Kent (Tom Welling) and Lana Lang (Kristin Kreuk).

At the very least the writers found a way around having to keep showcasing shadows of the Lex Luthor character, but in doing so he is essentially replaced by the suddenly morally dubious and more often shirtless Oliver Queen (Justin Hartley). 

Although he often dogged Clark about not taking a more active role in saving the world, the character's unexpected penchant for murder diminishes how time on a deserted island changes him from a spoiled rich brat to a defender of justice.

Most ridiculous is the plot device that has Clark and Lana reason that Winslow Schott continues to register his deadly toys with a patent office given that he is very likely laying low from the authorities for his criminal acts. 

Taking away from the tragedy of Lana's absorption of the meteor rock on the roof of The Daily Planet and her consequent inability to be with Clark is how the Lex Luthor look-alike emphasizes the consequences of her actions as though he were the episode's writer explaining it on a DVD commentary feature. 

Is all that exposition necessary?

Thankfully, the absurdity of the aforementioned aspect of "Requiem" is not enough to diminish what is at best a moderate tear-jerker moment complemented by appropriate special effects when Clark presumably bids Lana a farewell kiss for the last time. Lana's newly acquired ability to weaken him adds a sense of the literal grotesque circumstances of their separation.

"Requiem" is an overall mediocre episode of "Smallville" that tries to tell a tragic love story fans were lead to suspect was over when Lana left town last season and because it has been implied many times that Clark has since become more interested in Erica Durance's Lois Lane. Hopefully, this is simply a transitional episode in that it resolves Rosenbaum's absence from the series and provides closure to the Clark/Lana relationship arc.

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WATCH "INFAMOUS" PROMO!

Popcorn rating: 

(3 out of 5 pieces)

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REMINDER: Clark Kent, Lana Lang to join super forces against 'Smallville' psychotic ... who plays with toys?

Who could possibly challenge the combined forces of Clark Kent (Tom Welling) and his newly super-powered inamorata Lana Lang (Kristin Kreuk)?

Uh ... Toyman? For real?

TV.com's episode overview of the Feb. 5 episode "Requiem" shows that Winslow Schott (Christopher Gauthier), the crazy toy aficionado himself, tries to blow up Justin Hartley's Oliver Queen and a room full of LuthorCorp executives.

Wikipedia indicates that this Toyman was at some point in the past unfairly fired by Queen Industries, and that he is a close interpretation of the comic book character.

"Smallville" writers might try to tie Toyman's origin to the past actions of a stuck-up, licentious Oliver before he was shipwrecked on a desert island and then turned a new moral leaf. 

Maybe Oliver had Schott fired for something as simple as bumping into him in a Queen Industries hallway. 

Whatever drives this revenge story, "Requiem" promises to be another "Smallville" episode that raids Superman's comic book gallery of rogues in order to give its main characters something to do together. 

Perhaps the threat of Toyman will make for great chemistry between Clark and Lana not before seen when only one of them was invulnerable or maybe he will employ a few creative, yet deadly toys that will make the episode bearable to watch.

One hopes the creative minds behind "Smallville" will leave a few DC Comics foes for Clark to fight when he finally suits up as Superman.

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REVERIE: Someone has to die before Clark Kent flies away from 'Smallville'

Smallville's "Legion" focuses on what has been in the back of the minds of true Superman fans since the series' beginning: Chloe Sullivan never sees Clark Kent (Tom Welling) don blue tights.

At least there was no mention of Alex Mack's character in the pages of DC Comics before "Smallville" was a TV series.

Not to mention that The Legion of Superheroes tells Clark in the season eight episode that there is no mention of Chloe in their historical records.

Though Chloe ends up surviving "Legion," the question remains whose loss or sacrifice will define a Clark Kent whose transition to becoming Superman has just started to take shape during what might be one of the series' last seasons, if not the last one itself.

"If the show doesn't go on, we have a series finale that the writers have been thinking about ..." The CW President Dawn Ostroff says. READ MORE!

A problem the writing staff of "Smallville" encounters is that Clark is too ethically moral to challenge in any new meaningful way given the absence of Michael Rosenbaum's polar opposite Lex Luthor, that is, unless a Kryptonite-spawned meteor freak or a powerhouse monster threatens his friends or the world.

"Legion" presents Clark with the unique challenge of having to defeat a version of Brainiac that has taken complete control of Chloe.

The writers try to find new stories to make a character that will always do the right thing interesting, and this would also be the case for the series finale. Clark Kent cannot suddenly on a whim decide to become The Man of Steel if he has not already done so.

Missing is that defining event in Clark's life that will compel someone so powerful to put his own needs aside and fulfill his destiny as Earth's greatest protector.

Past "Smallville" canon dictates that someone has to die in order for this to happen.

In "Hidden," Clark is shot dead when he gives up his powers so as to live a happy, normal life with Kristin Kreuk's Lana Lang. Jor-El ultimately saves his life, but warns that a loved one will have to die because one life force must be exchanged for another.

This turns out to be John Schneider's Jonathan Kent, who suffers a fatal heart attack.

Clark thereafter never addresses this consequence of him giving up his powers, a lesson he could only learn after his selfishness causes the death of another love one given that the death of a father is natural part of anyone's life and that it has since been forgotten.

Jor-El tells Clark in the same episode, "The lessons that we learn from pain are the ones that make us the strongest."

Without this untold moment in the Superman mythos, Clark Kent will never transcend his identity as an alien with unchecked power to a being who understands his own limitations as a super man. "Smallville" fans will believe a man can fly, but they will not know why he even bothers.

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