Title:
HUG
Production:
Season 01 | Episode 11 | 11
Original air date:
February 5, 2002
Writer:
Doris Egan
Director:
Chris Long
Series regulars:
 
Tom Welling (Clark Kent)
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Michael Rosenbaum
(Lex Luthor)
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Kristin Kreuk (Lana Lang)
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Allison Mack (Chloe Sullivan)
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Sam Jones (Pete Ross)
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Eric Johnson
(Whitney Fordman
 
Annette O'Toole
(Martha Kent)
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John Schneider
(Jonathan Kent)
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Guest stars:
Kelly Brook
(Victoria Hardwick)
Mark Lukyn
(Deputy Lukyn)
Rick Peters
(Bob Rickman)
James Ralph
(Deputy #1)
Gregory Sporleder
(Kyle Tippet)
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Ratings:
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Overnights:
Adults (18 - 49):
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A pesticide magnate gets Jonathan to agree to sell the Kent farm. Clark turns to a local hermit who holds the town's future in his hands.
Who is Bob Rickman? Rickman Industries wants to build a pesticide plant
in Smallville. Bob Rickman is the big-shot who has damaged the environment of
every town that has a plant. Bob possesses an invincible power of persuasion,
enhanced by kryptonite, gained by exposure during the meteor shower. Rickman
needs only to grasp a person's hand to transfer his persuasion, making the victim
helplessly convinced of whatever his scheme may be, without memory of it afterwards.
Clark is unaffected by the kryptonite handshake.
Who is Kyle Tippet? Clark, Chloe and Lana are horseback riding in the
woods. Clark and Lana talk about their future careers. Clark doesn't intend
to be a farmer, and doesn't know what he'd like to do, as long as it doesn't
involve "putting on a suit and doing a lot of flying." (Catch the inside joke?)
Lana gets separated from the other two, and thrown from the horse. Clark rushes
to investigate, and finds her lying on the ground with a man over her, the hermit
sculptor who lives in the woods, Kyle Tippet. Lana has a concussion. Clark thinks
Kyle spooked Lana's horse. Later, he visits Kyle at his secluded trailer. Kyle
says he just wanted to check on Lana after she was thrown from the horse. Clark
believes him.
What's up with Whitney? Wanting to protect Lana, Whitney threatens Kyle
to stay away from her. Rickman witnesses the encounter, and shakes Whitney's
hand, offering help. Later at Kyle's trailer, Whitney sneaks up on Kyle and
beats him. Clark goes back and gets in the middle of the two to stop the fight.
Kyle is arrested for assault. Whitney says Kyle attacked him first. Kyle tells
Clark that Whitney attacked him.
What's up with Lana? She becomes very upset with Clark, thinking he's
accusing Whitney of attacking Kyle.
What's up with Clark? Clark realizes that there is more to Kyle's story,
and trusts him, unlike the rest of the town. Kyle warns Clark to avoid Rickman.
What's up with Chloe? Clark suspects Bob Rickman and asks Chloe to investigate.
Sniffing out the story, Chloe discovers that Kyle and Rickman were sales partners
and friends. Things changed after the meteor shower. Clark and Chloe confront
Kyle at the trailer as he's packing to leave town. Kyle tells them about the
power of persuasion that both he and Rickman have since the meteor shower. To
prove it, Kyle holds Chloe's hand, and suggests Chloe's attraction to Clark.
With that, Chloe kisses Clark, then doesn't remember it. Kyle admits he was
frightened by "the gift" of persuasion, while Rickman exploited it.
What's up with Lex? Even Lex doesn't like Rickman, and the thought of
Rickman Industries polluting Smallville. At the Beanery, Lex warns Clark about
Rickman wanting to buy the Kent farm.
What's up with Jonathan? Rickman visits Jonathan, offering to buy the
farm. Jonathan refuses, even after a handshake. After Rickman's touch, Jonathan
agrees and signs the contract to sell.
In the kitchen, Martha is distraught, and Jonathan can't understand how he could
sell the farm. Clark suggests Lex might be able to help. Lex says he'll help
void the contract with his army of lawyers.
Kyle's escape: Clark goes to the jail to see Kyle. Kyle slips out in
an officer's uniform. Clark calls to him, and the deputy, under Rickman's power,
shoots at Kyle. Clark out races the bullet, pushing Kyle to the ground, as the
deputy continues shooting. Kyle and Clark get away.
How it ends: At the mansion, Rickman says he'll leave Smallville and
drop the proposed plant project. He offers Lex a handshake in truce. Clark calls
Lex from a gas station. He's with Kyle, who wants to go public about Rickman.
When he arrives to pick them up, Lex locks Kyle and Clark into his Benz, pouring
gas on it, and setting the car on fire. Clark breaks out and he and Kyle escape
to the garage. Lex sees Clark rescue Kyle and speed away. Rickman arrives and
gives Lex a gun. Lex, still under Rickman's power, follows into the garage.
Lex fires multiple shots at Clark, who dodges many of the bullets, but is hit
several times in the back. As Lex prepares to shoot Clark in the head, Clark
throws him across the garage. Outside Kyle and Rickman struggle, and Rickman
is shot dead.
Rickman's death is reported as a suicide. Kyle recognizes Clark's gift, and
promises secrecy. Lana apologizes to Clark.
At the barn, Lex tells Clark his lawyers have dissolved the contract to sell
the farm. Lex doesn't remember what happened in the garage. Clark points out
to Lex that at one time, Kyle and Rickman were best friends, and wonders how
that friendship went so wrong. "Think we'll ever end up like that?" he asks
Lex. "Trust me Clark, our friendship is gonna be the stuff of legend," Lex replies.
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| OFFICIAL DESCRIPTION (The WB): |
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Clark (Tom Welling) is stunned when a pesticide magnate who has kryptonite-enhanced powers of persuasion somehow convinces Jonathan (John Schneider) to sell the family farm to make way for a new plant. Clark teams up with the local hermit whose mysterious past holds the key to the town's future.
Kristin Kreuk, Michael Rosenbaum, Allison Mack, Sam Jones III, Eric Johnson and Annette O'Toole also star. Chris Long directed the episode written by Doris Egan.
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A guy in charge of a rival fertilizer firm to LuthorCorp's talks an EPA investigator into commiting suicide, then arrives in Metropolis. He is intent on buying up the Kent farm and using the land to build a rival company to Lex's. After shaking hands with the man, Jonathan Kent inexplicably agrees to sell. Lex offers to have his lawyers help. Meanwhile, Clark befriends a local recluse. It turns out that the recluse and Lex's rival were both salesmen who were caught in a car accident and exposed to kryptonite. They both gained the same power of "persuasion" on anyone they touched, as the recluse graphically demonstrates to Clark by having Chloe kiss him! Lex's rival finally manages to shake hands with Lex, and convince him to try and gun down Clark. Clark manages to knock out Lex and the recluse takes out his former partner, "convincing" him to shoot himself. The recluse decides to go back into the world, but not before telling Clark that he shouldn't hide from his powers either. Fortunately, people under the influence of the persuasion power don't recall what they did, so Lex doesn't know about Clark's superpowers...yet.
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Lex: Failure isn't something I'm used to doing.
Clark: Everyone needs a friend.
Kyle: No they don't. Because they'll always betray you in the end.
Chloe: Yeah. Don't you think it's a little odd that he lives all alone way out here in the woods?
Clark: Thoreau did.
Chloe: Yeah, Clark. So did the Unabomber.
Chloe: I'm not out here doing this butt-bashing thing for fun. These woods are like the Bermuda Triangle of Smallville.
Lex: That, my friend, is the key to leadership. Not only knowing you're right, but convincing everyone else. If you can do that, the world's your oyster.
Lex: Atticus Finch, To Kill a Mockingbird?
Clark: Never read it.
Lex: You should. You two have a lot in common. Small town heroes, believe in the truth, not willing to back down.
Clark: How does it end?
Lex: It's not about the ending, it's about the journey.
Jonathan: No, I will not owe Lex Luthor anything, thank you.
Martha: Right now you don't have anything to owe.
Jonathan: If I was interested in money, I wouldn't be a farmer, now would I?
Clark: I don't blame him; I don't see myself being a farmer when I grow up.
Lana: Then what do you want to do?
Clark: I'm not sure - as long as it doesn't involve putting on a suit and doing a lot of flying.
Lex: You can learn a lot from someone you hate.
Clark: Don't do this. I'm your friend.
Lex: Oh please. You think I don't see the way your parents look at me? The way half the town looks at me? You're no different. Friendship's a fairy tale, Clark. Respect and fear are the best you can hope for.
Chloe: Oh my god...did I just...?
Clark: It's okay; it was...fine.
Chloe: What? Why are looking at me like that? ...and why is my mouth minty?
Lex: I knew you always kept secrets from me, but I never knew they were this good.
Lex: Friendship is a fairy tale, Clark. Respect and fear is the best you can hope for.
Lex: Trust me, Clark. Our friendship is going to be the stuff of legends.
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Song: "Mistaken I.D."
Artist: Citizen Cope
Album: Citizen Cope
Song: "Into You"
Artist: Jennifer Knapp
Album: Lay It Down
Song: "Into the Lavender"
Artist: Rubyhorse
Album: Rise
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Song: "Have a Nice Day"
Artist: Stereophonics
Album: Just Enough Education to Perform
Song: "Slow Down"
Artist: Wayne
Album: Music On Plastic
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Bob Rickman, CEO of LuthorCorp's rival company, is planning to build a fertilizer plant in Smallville to compete with Lionel Luthor's. He feels that the ideal place for it in on the location of the Kent Farm. Of course, Jonathan Kent has no intention to sell. Unfortunately, Rickman has an unnatural power of persuasion, acquired at the time of the meteor shower, when he was a salesman and got exposed to kryptonite while in his car. Just by shaking Jonathan's hand, he changes his mind.
Kyle Tippet is a very private man, a recluse who lives in the forest. We find out that he has the same powers, because he used to be a close friend to Rickman, and they were salesmen together at the time of the meteor shower. Following it, each man chose a different direction in life.
Rickman continues his path of persuasion, and convinces Lex Luthor to turn on Clark Kent. Lex tries to shoot Clark who dodges the bullet. Meanwhile, Kyle and Rickman have come into contact, and are fighting each other. Kyle persuades Rickman to kill himself.
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