What's up with Jonathan? After Lionel is found shot in the mansion's library, Jonathan is found with a gun in his hand and a bottle of tequila, sitting in his truck in the pouring rain. The police take him to jail as a suspect in the shooting.
Jonathan tells Martha and Clark that he only had a half a beer that night at a bar. Clark suspects his drink was drugged.
Jonathan needs legal representation. Clark and Lana ask her father Henry Small to defend him. Henry refuses at first. Lana finds out why he was dismissed from his law firm years earlier. She encourages him not to hide in the past. Henry agrees to defend Jonathan.
Sheriff Ethan tells Martha and Clark that all evidence and witnesses point to Jonathan as the only suspect. The Sheriff suspects jealousy is Jonathan's motive. He had found the engraved watch that Lionel gave Martha, thrown on the bedroom floor, as if found by a jealous husband. Jonathan's blood alcohol test was above the legal limit. The bartender says Jonathan was drunk and complaining about Lionel at the bar. The night of the shooting, Lana overheard a heated argument between Lionel and Jonathan.
Later from jail, Jonathan admits his jealousy at finding the watch to Martha and Clark. He apologizes for not having faith in their relationship. Jonathan claims he didn't shoot Lionel, but did let his anger against Lionel and LuthorCorp get the best of him over the years.
What's up with Lex? As Lex arrives at the hospital to find out about Lionel, Dominic Santori, a LuthorCorp executive, accuses Lex of having the best motive for Lionel's shooting. Lionel and LuthorCorp had been orchestrating a buyout of LexCorp, squashing Lex's plans for independence from his father.
What's up with Dominic? Dominic tells Sheriff Ethan and Clark that he believes Lex is guilty of shooting Lionel. He tells of an angry meeting between Lionel, Lex and himself, with Lionel asking Lex to again join him in LuthorCorp, as he has forced a buyout of LexCorp.
Lex tells Clark he suspects Dominic in the shooting, now that Lex is being offered a place at LuthorCorp, blocking Dominic's expected rise to power.
What's up with Clark and Pete? Believing in Jonathan's innocence, Clark and Pete begin their own investigation. First they find a bullet in the shed at the site of Jonathan's arrest. Clark believes Jonathan was framed and someone fired the gun off, forcing Jonathan to hold it as he was passed out.
Clark visits Lex at the mansion, asking Lex directly if he's trying to frame Jonathan in the shooting. Lex kicks him out with the accusation.
Later Clark and Pete visit the bar where Joanthan drank the night of the shooting to question the bartender. The bartender tells them he has no doubt that Jonathan shot Lionel. Clark loses his temper at the accusation. He thinks the bartender drugged the bottle of tequila. As Pete and Clark drive away, a semi truck runs them off the road. The masked driver shoots the gas tank of Pete's car. Clark pulls Pete from the car, shielding him and saving him from the explosion.
At night Pete and Clark break into the bar to further investigate. They find the bartender dead in the freezer. Clark picks up a photo and tells Pete he knows who shot Lionel.
What's up with Sheriff Ethan? Someone enters Lionel's hospital room with a gun fitted with a silencer. The shooter fires the gun towards the bed. Clark jumps out with a video camera, pulling back the blankets to reveal only pillows, as Lionel has been moved to another room. As Clark suspected, Sheriff Ethan Miller shot Lionel and tried to frame Jonathan. Sheriff Ethan's motive was self-preservation and revenge. The Sheriff had been paid off by Lionel to help him gain the outstanding shares in LexCorp., needed in the buyout. Then Lionel had threatened the Sheriff with blackmail.
How it ends: Lex's company has been bought out by Lionel. Lex doesn't want to go back to work for his father. Lex tells Clark that people like Lionel bring out the darkness in others.
[back to top]

It was a dark and stormy night. Papa Luthor was in his study, scan-reading a book with his little electronic device. We pan across some bookshelves and a scary mask as lightning flashes. "That which is done out of love always exists beyond good and evil," the female device voice says. It's Beyond Good & Evil by our pal Friedrich Nietzsche. A phone rings. More lightning strikes. Papa Luthor -- wearing a crisp white shirt just begging for some staining -- answers the phone. As the camera pans back and he stands near a balcony edge, he tells the person on the phone to have his helicopter ready the next morning. He's going back to Metropolis. He says he'll probably be alone, since he suspects that MamaKent is no longer "in [his] employ." Opera music is playing. Downstairs, a door opens. A shadow approaches. "Who's there?" Papa Luthor asks. He says that if it's a joke, he's not amused. What if it was the joke about the peanut walking down the street, and then he was assaulted? And how the peanut that did it was a-roasted? Still, he's not amused. "Is that you?" he asks. The shadow comes closer. Papa Luthor asks if he didn't make it clear that the conversation is over. I guess not, because two gunshots hit him -- one near the heart, one on the shoulder. Papa Luthor tumbles over the balcony and does a Chris Farley, right onto a glass table in slow motion. His hair flaps up and then lands perfectly back in place. More thunder and lightning. Papa Luthor moves his head slightly as the camera pulls back, showing him lying on the floor, Miss Scarlet-bloody.

Rain. Inside a red truck, Bo Duke is conked out. A flashlight shines upon his face. He wakes groggily. In one hand, he has a bottle of liquor. In the other, a gun. Bad, bad Bo. A police officer is on one side and from the other, someone announces through a bullhorn that he must get out of the truck and put down the gun. We pan back, and see that two officers are holding up guns on him. He gets out of the truck, spilling the liquor on the muddy ground. A helicopter is overhead. Ethan, our loyal copper, comes over and tells Bo Duke that everything will be fine if he keeps his hands where the cops can see them. Bo asks him what's going on. Ethan says that, as a friend, he's advising Bo Duke not to say anything until he gets a lawyer. He handcuffs Bo Duke. In slow motion, they lead Bo Duke to a police car as the rain pounds down and Ethan reads the Miranda rights. Opening credits.

Man, this episode's pretty serious so far, huh? And no Lana so far. Me likey. Commercials: remember when we still cared about The Osbournes? Like, two weeks ago?

We open on sad music and Bo Duke in a jail cell. He's wearing the orange jumpsuit. Wait, haven't I seen this before? I see from the credits that Jason Connery is back. Like the hospital, the jail is unusually colorful. Clark and MamaKent come up to the cell and ask how he's doing. He's in fucking jail. How do you think he's doing? Bo says he has a splitting headache. Then he asks how Papa Luthor's doing. MamaKent says he's in surgery and might not make it. Noooo! Bo asks about the gun in his truck. The gun's not in surgery. But it was the same one used to shoot Papa Luthor. Bo says it wasn't his gun, and that he has no idea how it got in his hands. We should ask your buddy, Mr. Jack Daniels. Clark asks what happened last night. Bo says he was out running some errands. Uh huh. "Errands." He says he went to the Wild Coyote for a beer. "Wild Coyote"? That's new. We suddenly flash to a grainy image of Bo having a beer at a bar. We flash back to it, and see him paying a bartender. It's very hazy, dream-like footage that we keep going back to. He says that things started to go woozy on him. Quick flash to him leaving the bar and then emerging from his truck in the rain onto what looks like the set of the rain scene in The Shawshank Redemption. MamaKent asks how many he had. He says he had half a beer. Yeah right, ya damn lush. He says the next thing he knows, he's on the side of Highway 91, he's got the police light shining in his face, and it's raining. Sounds like a country song. MamaKent says they need a lawyer. She says she's going to call her dad to take the case. Bo says her dad has never believed him before: he doesn't suspect an attempted murder charge would change that. Clark suggests that maybe Lana's new dad could help. He used to be a criminal attorney. Sheriff Ethan comes up and tells MamaKent and Clark that they're going to have to leave now. No real reason is given. Bo goes right up to the bars. He looks like he's going to cry. He puts a hand down, and Clark puts his over it. Clark vows to find who did this. Bo nods. "Yeah," Bo says, short and clipped. He and MamaKent kiss through the bars. (more...)
-- Omar G (TWoP)

When Lionel is shot, Jonathan is arrested, but after Clark and Pete perform their own crime scene investigation, they realize that more than one person had the opportunity to kill Lionel - including Lex. Meanwhile, Lana is suspicious after she asks her father to take on Jonathan's case and he declines for mysterious reasons. Allison Mack and Annette O'Toole also star.

Lex: Are you implying I pulled the trigger?
Clark: It's not like you haven't shot someone before.

Lionel: You've been loyal, Dominic, but Lex . . . is blood.

Lionel: It truly is a sad day in Smallville.

Well, who is the first choice? Jonathan Kent! Who else than Bo Duke, the platitude generator himself? I especially liked (and I mean that saracstically) when Lana backed up the accusations that Jonathan did it, claiming to hear an argument between Lionel and Jonathan over Martha. Apparently, Jonathan changed his tune and wants Martha out of Lionel's life. In the Sheriff's scenario, Jonathan got jealous of Lionel. He went to the Wild Coyote bar, downed almost half a jar of Vodka before buying off the rest of the bottle. Then went after Lionel. Or, that's what they want us to think that this model ::snort:: father did.

Next suspect is Lex Luthor, the bald millionaire. Hmm...that wasn't an obvious choice (again with sarcasm)... Sadly, Lionel has retaken LexCorp, and wants Lex back in Metropolis. Blah, blah, same old, same old. But is Lex angry enough to shoot his father? I'd say not. Clark confronts Lex with a barrage of unreasonable, and truly rude remarks, accusing Lex of shooting Lionel, and framing Jonathan. Clark says, "My dad's life is at stake!' To which Lex replies with much emotion, "So is my father's!" That remark causes Clark to step back and rethink his accusation, leaving as Lex glances up to the balcony where Lionel was shot.

Next suspect is the long lost Dominic. Oh, yes, he's back. Scary goatee and all! Apparently when Lex was out of the picture, Dominic got to be Lionel's little toy. He took Lex's place, planning to rise above the other 'drones.' Well, that was until Lionel tried to force Lex back to Metropolis. Looks like Dominic is jealous. Jealous enough to try and shoot Lionel?

So, Clark sets up the shooter. He loads a bed with pillows to look like Lionel's body, then waits in the shodows. We see a man come in in the dark, pull a gun and shoot twice into the mound. Then in a ridiculous attempt at a cool stunt, Clark grabs the man's hand, makes the gun go flying, and the man fly into the wall. Guess who the shooter is?

Sheriff Ethan. In the last scene Lex confronts Lionel, demanding the real truth, "I'm sure some version of the truth will come out sooner or later, but I was hoping to hear it from you first." Then we see a flashback to a limo. The Sheriff clombs in beside Lionel. Apparently, Lionel bought a list of names of LexCorp's board memebers, with a list of blackmail subjects. "These particular people sit on the board of my son's company, so they need a little incentive to sell their voting shares to me." Which shows how Lionel bought out LexCorp. We can only assume that when Lionel didn't cut off their dealings when he said he would, Sheriff Ethan shot him to try to keep him silent. In the words of Lionel, "It truly is a sad day in Smallville."

So, with excellent twists and turns, and some awesome flashback sequences, I'd have to say that this was one of the best written/produced episode I've seen. Forgetting the much deserved apology from Clark that Lex never received, and the almost nonexistent airtime for Chloe, I give this ep a 10/10.
by SmallvilleLove