What's up with Martha? While digging a hole in the storm cellar to hide the flour canister that holds the octagonal key to the spaceship, Martha is exposed to a green toxic organism. When she returns to the kitchen, she collapses, with Clark catching her before she hits the floor.
At the hospital, Dr. Bryce tells Jonathan she suspects Martha has been exposed to toxins. She's very concerned for her health and that of her unborn baby.
A DCA team (Disease Control Agency) comes to town to trace Martha's last few days. Jonathan reminds Clark to hide the spaceship.
Later at the hospital, Martha awakens and tells Jonathan about her secret pregnancy. She believes a surge of energy from the spaceship on the day of the twister healed her, enabling her to get pregnant although doctors said she never could. She also confesses that she hid the octagonal key because she was afraid Clark would want to leave if he discovered his origins.
What's up with Clark? While Clark is in the cellar, he is exposed to the toxins. Pete and Clark take the spaceship in the pickup to hide it in Pete's shed. On the road, Clark weakens, losing control of the pickup, sending it off the road. Clark and Pete struggle to get the truck back on the road, just before the parade of the DCA team passes on the way to the farm. DCA gathers and removes samples from the farm. They find an organic irradiated spore in the cellar where Martha was digging. They also find the flour tin with octagonal key inside and question the Kents who deny knowledge of it.
Later at the farm while Lana visits, Clark passes out. Dr. Bryce rushes to the house, drawing Clark's blood sample. Joanthan refuses to let her take the sample to a lab. He insists she do the blood work herself, and not tell anyone about Clark.
What's up with Lana and Chloe? Because they each care so much, both girls are shook up about the invincible Clark's illness. Lana can't face it. Chloe goes to the farm to visit him. While he is unconscious, Chloe reads Clark a letter she wrote to him, confessing her love. She gets emotional, crying as she touches his face tenderly. Clark murmurs "Lana," sending a hurt Chloe running out of the house. Later at the Torch offices, Lana finds and reads the letter Chloe wrote to Clark.
What's up with Dr. Bryce? Lex comes in just as she finishes examining Clark's blood sample at the hospital. Lex is snooping for info on Martha's condition, but not any getting details from Helen. Dr. Bryce tells Lex she's been offered a 3 year research fellowship at John Hopkins University. He encourages her to take the opportunity.
What's up with Jonathan? Dr. Bryce tells Jonathan Martha will die. Jonathan believes the only hope to save his wife and son are the healing powers of the spaceship. He tells Clark he's going to get the octagonal key from DCA, but Clark should stay behind and rest in his weakened state.
Jonathan sneaks into the guarded DCA warehouse. He finds and takes the key, and is caught by an armed guard. Clark arrives, subduing the guard. Jonathan and Clark make their escape with DCA in pursuit, complete with roadblocks. Somehow they switch trucks with Pete and are able to get to the hospital, while the DCA stops Pete.
Before Jonathan and Clark activate the spaceship in the hospital parking lot, Martha's heart stops. Dr. Bryce and the staff try to revive her, and are about to pronounce her dead. The healing powers of the spaceship's burst of energy fill the hospital, and Martha is revived.
Later Dr. Bryce tells the Kents the unborn baby is healthy, and Martha's recovery is miraculous. She mentions her knowledge of Clark's blood qualities, and asks for an explanation. They cut her inquiry short by agreeing that it must be a miracle.
What's up with Lex? A doctor secretly gives Lex a copy of Martha Kent's medical file. Lex gives Dr. Bryce a key to the mansion, and an invitation to move in. He doesn't want her to lose her opportunity, but at the same time, he wants her to stay so their relationship can grow.
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This week: Smallville gives us "Fever." Fever! We start up on the lovely Kent Farm. Ooh, look: a windmill. I just had a Don Quixote moment in my head. We cut right to the dank storm cellar, where MamaKent -- casting sneaky looks behind her -- walks down the stairs carrying the green flour tin from a few weeks back. The shiny, clean spaceship, uncovered and conspicuous, looms ominously. Clark must use Space Turtle Wax to give it that nice, polished look. MamaKent opens the flour tin and pulls the octagon piece of the ship out from it. She holds it up, and we shift focus over to the octagon-shaped hole in the ship's hull. So the octagon is like a spark plug? Clark wanders over and says, "Hey Mom, you down here?" She left the cellar door wide open for any silly person to walk over and notice. MamaKent scrambles to close the tin. She says that Clark was supposed to go to the hardware store with Bo Duke. Clark says that Bo remembered he had the part in the barn. Yeah, those pesky parts. MamaKent lies that she was coming down to get some peaches for dessert. Yep, that spaceship makes those peaches taste mighty fine. You haven't lived till you've had spaceship peace cobbler. Clark accepts the lure of delusion and hops back up the stairs. MamaKent eyes a bunch of paint cans (which say on the label, in huge-ass letters, "Contains lead" as opposed to "Glidden Paint! Not At All Dangerous!") and starts moving them around. She uses a hand shovel to start digging a hole into the soft basement soil. As she digs and starts to breathe harder, we zoom in on her lips. While I'd normally be a big proponent of a MamaKent heavy-breathing shot, the moody music kind of ruins it. We CGI into her esophagus where these green glowing spore things are surfing along. They're evil Scrubbing Bubbles! The Evil Scrubbers begin attaching themselves to the inside of her windpipe. Back in the real world, MamaKent buries the octagon piece, green tin can and all. She also begins to cough as she replaces the dangerous paint cans.

Inside the house, Bo Duke is under the sink fixing something. He eyes his hand mysteriously and says, "Well, that ought to do it." He gets up and turns on the faucet. Success! Savor the little victories, Bo Duke. MamaKent comes in hurriedly and says that was fast. Clark says he offered some spot welding help, but Bo said that would just slow him down. Bo says Clark's abilities are no match for a 3/4-inch copper washer. But can copper washers ejaculate with their eyes? MamaKent, holding a pitcher, says that the two of them deserve a nice cold glass of lemonade. Just as she says that, she starts to cough and buckle. She coughs some more as Clark asks if she's all right. We get a floor's-eye view of the glass pitcher being dropped and shattering. MamaKent falls in slow motion. It looks like she's about to fall right on the broken pitcher. (Which somehow broke on every part except the part that actually hit the ground.) Clark superzips over before she can fall all the way. As he holds her in his arms, Bo and Clark say her name. Clark says she's not breathing. Overhead shot of them doing this. Bo holds her face in both his hands and says, "Martha?" She's not waking up. (more...)
-- Omar G (TWoP)

Clark rushes to find an antidote after Martha is infected with a toxic virus and falls into a coma, but when Clark also falls ill, it is up to Jonathan to find a cure in time. To further complicate things, Dr. Bryce demands an explanation from Jonathan when he refuses to let her treat Clark. Kristin Kreuk, Michael Rosenbaum, Allison Mack, Sam Jones III and John Glover also star.

Jonathan: (as Bryce tries to take Clark's blood sample) You don't understand... you can't do that.
Dr. Bryce: Is this some kind of religious thing?

Lex: Trust me – there's nothing worse than a missed opportunity.

Lex: The Kents are like family – they mean more to me then my own.

Pete: Given a choice I'd rather play D.J. then decoy any day.

Chloe's Letter: "I want to let you in on a secret. I'm not who you think I am. In fact, my disguise is so thin I'm surprised you haven't seen right through me. I'm the girl of your dreams masquerading as your best friend. Sometimes I want to rip off the façade like I did at the spring formal. But I can't because you'll get scared and you'll run away again. So I decided that it's better than live with the lie than expose my true feelings. My dad said there are two types of girls -- the ones you grow out of and the ones you grow into. I really hope I'm the latter. I may not be the one you love today, but I'll let you go for now, hoping one day you'll fly back to me. Because I think you're worth the wait."

The only real effects were in the opening and closing sequences. The effects near the end looked great, but the ones at the beginning were terrible. Was that lung tissue, or did she swallow the circuits of time? I give it 3 out of 6.

The story was well written, with the exception of that last scene. It really felt like the WB told them they needed to plug the CD, so they wrote the entire scene around that bit. I give it 5 out of 6, because the rest was very strong, and that last bit didn't feel like the writers or producers really wanted it there.

The acting was very good from just about everyone. John Schneider really had a chance to shine this week. Kristen Kreuk was weak as usual, and Tom Welling was pretty bland as well. Still, neither case was very distracting. I give it 5 out of 6 for the strong secondary ensemble.

The emotional response was very strong. This was an intense hour, and with the exception of the Talon Mix and everything after it, that response was intensely positive. I give it 5 out of 6. more...)
By fiziko