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Smallville
S10.E10
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Luthor

  • Episode aired Dec 3, 2010
  • TV-14
  • 1h
IMDb RATING
8.5/10
1.2K
YOUR RATING
John Glover in Smallville (2001)
SuperheroActionAdventureDramaSci-Fi

Tess acquires a Kryptonian box that once belonged to Lionel Luthor. When Clark accidentally activates the box, he's transported to a parallel universe where Lionel found Clark in the cornfie... Read allTess acquires a Kryptonian box that once belonged to Lionel Luthor. When Clark accidentally activates the box, he's transported to a parallel universe where Lionel found Clark in the cornfields instead of the Kents. In this universe, Clark Luthor is a murderer and Lois is engaged... Read allTess acquires a Kryptonian box that once belonged to Lionel Luthor. When Clark accidentally activates the box, he's transported to a parallel universe where Lionel found Clark in the cornfields instead of the Kents. In this universe, Clark Luthor is a murderer and Lois is engaged to Oliver and both of them hate Clark. Clark must be careful not to tip off Lionel that h... Read all

  • Director
    • Kelly Souders
  • Writers
    • Jerry Siegel
    • Joe Shuster
    • Alfred Gough
  • Stars
    • Tom Welling
    • Erica Durance
    • Cassidy Freeman
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    8.5/10
    1.2K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Kelly Souders
    • Writers
      • Jerry Siegel
      • Joe Shuster
      • Alfred Gough
    • Stars
      • Tom Welling
      • Erica Durance
      • Cassidy Freeman
    • 3User reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos3

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    Top cast12

    Edit
    Tom Welling
    Tom Welling
    • Clark Kent…
    Erica Durance
    Erica Durance
    • Lois Lane
    Cassidy Freeman
    Cassidy Freeman
    • Tess Mercer…
    Justin Hartley
    Justin Hartley
    • Oliver Queen
    John Glover
    John Glover
    • Lionel Luthor
    Linda Ko
    Linda Ko
    • Luthor Lawyer
    Lini Evans
    Lini Evans
    • Reporter
    Ilan Muallem
    Ilan Muallem
    • Thief
    • (as Ilan Srulovicz)
    Peter New
    Peter New
    • Coffee Shop Employee
    Jesse Wheeler
    • Coffee Shop Customer
    Joe Maffei
    • Newspaper Stand Worker
    Ildiko Ferenczi
    Ildiko Ferenczi
    • Girl #1 in Bed
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Kelly Souders
    • Writers
      • Jerry Siegel
      • Joe Shuster
      • Alfred Gough
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews3

    8.51.1K
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    Featured reviews

    9igoatabase

    The 10th season Pandora

    With such a title it didn't take long before I felt a cold chill in the air. Lionel, Lex and now Tess. Coining "Tex" in my Harvest review was probably my way to express a wish. Cassidy Freeman, would you read me ? I'm sure most fans still miss Allison Mack as Chloe Sullivan but we have to admit that Freeman has become an irresistible figure on the show. Her wicked story has become captivating but Luthor should make you realize how much The Actress and the Character are a match. With the beast within fading in the beauty's shadow an inevitable question was asked. What if ? Season 9 had its Pandora, season 10 has Luthor. They could only have opened the mythological box but instead they decided to weave it like the most deadly and meticulous spider.

    Lazarus was sensational when it came to Lois & Clark. Of course this time it wasn't about them nevertheless the writer still managed to develop their supernatural tale. I see you. me too !

    Shield had its cons but somehow they turned into pros. Confusing story ? Two exciting arcs intertwined in a creative fashion and their dazzling dance was served by an immersive production. Visual effects were bloody good and a transition should even make you feel a little dizzy.

    Supergirl intrigued us because of its black and white portrayal of Clark. Tom Welling's acting was impressive and I think his talent works like magic when it comes to duality. It's obvious he enjoys his darker scenes considering how much Clark Kent is a lot about being good. Cl mirrors D after all !

    Isis was staged for the male audience. Erica Durance and Freeman were gorgeous in their respective roles. In this installment the first had a minor part but her scene with Oliver was touching and others were the occasion to see Lois like we never did before. As for the second she was a goddess among men. If you thought the actress was a libido magnet, well it's time to shake your body and soul because you'll be at the mercy of her drooling tex appeal. Sister Tess, we love you.

    Harvest, angels and demons. Well balanced its writing should have been a model for Luthor. Indeed as much as I enjoyed it I think one arc overshadowed the other. Of course life is a shade of greys but you should be disappointed by the Watch Tower's incident ending. I was puzzled and starving for more. I thought I missed something but I didn't. A question of duration ? Obviously. Still the action was intense so maybe doubling it wasn't the solution. In fact it could even have a higher impact on you !

    Ambush was anecdotic in my opinion and this tenth episode revealed its flaws even more. Indeed the identity handling was lazy because of Clark's careless excuses. Season 8 made us more careful about that specific element and in Luthor the Superman curse took a whole new meaning. It's not character development, it's persona quake. In the early beginning you should be as puzzled as some characters. I noticed a few glitches in the performances but overall they did a convincing job. But of course subjectively speaking Freeman and Welling's one was by far the most… dare I say it ? Non coco !

    Abandoned and Patriot were lucky to have Granny Goodness, Aquaman & Mera as guests. But even their performers couldn't have prepared anyone to who appeared in Luthor. Harvest convinced me that anything can happen on the show, even the most inaccessible dreams. How can you resist the finale season of one of the most cult science-fiction TV production ? Nobody ! And like if it wasn't already enough the cliffhanger took things to a whole new level. The filming technique used was bold, modern and shattering. Uncle Sam wants you, and he's definitely not recruiting for the good of mankind !
    10sean-bardgett

    The Return of Lionel Luthor

    Over the years, Clark has developed hard feelings for the Luthor's with all of the trouble that they have caused him prying into his personal life. With the revelation of Lex Luthor's clones in Cadmus Labs and Tess Mercer being Lionel Luthor's daughter, it seems that the Luthor name is slowly crawling back into Clark's life.

    As Lionel Luthor's only living heir, Tess is given a relic from Krypton that transports Clark to another world where he comes face to face with a shadow. One that he never expected to lay his eyes on and up until now puts Darkseid to shame. That being Lionel Luthor himself, who is anything but dead. Clark finds himself backed into a corner when dealing with Lionel, while also learning about his alternate half Clark Luthor,a relentless murderer who was raised by Lionel and transported to his world.

    While previous episodes of this season mention Clark's dark side, this is the episode where we finally see a manifestation of it. While Clark has shown to be ruthless in the past (due to Red K) he has never been evil. Through Clark Luthor, allegations of Clark's darkness become facts that his loved one's can no longer simply ignore.

    And who better to bring that side out of him then the same man that drove Lex to the Darkside. While Darkseid himself may be the embodiment of evil, his overall effect on Clark doesn't hold a candle to Lionel Luthor's. Through Lionel, Clark learns about his life and choices that he made in this world and even gains insight as to why Lex Luthor, once his best friend turned to evil. He also faces his worst fear of Lois Lane truly hating him. Most importantly, Clark finally understands just how easy it can be for someone to be corrupted when there is no light to guide them.

    I think this is the best episode of this season, and definitely one of the best episode's in the entire series. The best part being of course the return of Lionel Luthor. John Glover proves that despite being gone for 3 years, he has not lost a step which makes his return all the more exciting. The biggest surprise for me was how impressed I was with Tom Welling's acting. His portrayal of Clark Luthor was creepy and vile, something I would have never expected him to pull off, and so expertly too. I love what they did with the alternative world too. The colder colour tones made it look like your were seeing into the negative side of a film or photograph.

    I won't give the ending away with this one, but I will personally give it a 10 out of 10.

    Related interests

    Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Mark Ruffalo, and Chris Hemsworth
    Superhero
    Bruce Willis in Die Hard (1988)
    Action
    Still frame
    Adventure
    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama
    James Earl Jones and David Prowse in Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
    Sci-Fi

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Clark's name was given to him by Jonathan and Martha as it was the maiden name of Martha Kent (Martha Clark Kent). However there is no explanation as to why Lionel named him Clark Luthor and not kept in line with the "LL" motif that has gone on with most of the Luthor family members (e.g. Lachlan Luthor, Lionel Luthor, Lex Luthor, Lucas Luthor, and Lutessa Lena Luthor). It would've made more sense to name him Julian (the name Lionel planned to give his third son) or Kal.
    • Goofs
      In the alternate universe, the infant Kal-El was named Clark Luthor because it was Lionel Luthor who found the Kryptonian spaceship. However, there was no reason Lionel would have given him the name "Clark," as it was Martha Kent's maiden name.
    • Quotes

      Newspaper Stand Worker: Uhh, don't I know you from somewhere?

      Lionel Luthor: I don't think so. I'm from out of town. Unexpected visit. But I guess I'm back in the nick of time. Wouldn't want to miss how it all turns out.

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 3, 2010 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Production companies
      • Tollin/Robbins Productions
      • Millar Gough Ink
      • DC Comics
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h(60 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.78 : 1

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