CLARK AND LANA HEAD TO CHINA IN SEARCH OF A KRYPTONIAN CRYSTAL

After learning that Jason and Lex are in China searching for one of the mysterious kryptonian crystals, Clark and Lana follow in the hopes of finding it first. Clark finds an artifact that leads them to the crystal but he must battle Isobel, the witch, who has once again inhabited Lana's body in order to take the crystal for herself. Meanwhile, Lex has more information on the crystals than he is letting on.

Lana (to Jason): I didn't realize your job required any overseeing.

Lex (to Jason): If you think you're going to find that stone without me, you're mistaken. Let's go.

Lana (to Clark): Jason said we were going to figure this out together. It seems he has a rather limited definition of 'we'.

Lex (to Jason): Unless you've hired your own chinese security, I think we're in a bit of a snag. Run!

Clark: How did Lionel know these symbols are about you.
Lana: There are two answers to that, and they're three times zones away.

Lana (to Clark): We're certainly not in Kansas anymore.

Lana (to Clark): The two people I ended up trusting were Lionel Luthor and you.

Jason (to Lex): You're pretty anxious to make me your sidekick aren'yt you.

Lex (to Jason): In the end I have a feeling I may be protecting Lana from you.

Isobel (to Jason & Lex): Did you really think I'd let any harm come to this body I possessed.

Clark (to Lana): I get the feeling that our lives are a lot less random than we think.

Lex (to Lionel): Even though pistol-whipping wasn't exactly my idea of fun, it's good to have the old dad back.

Lex (to Lionel): I'm not trying to get closer to God, only to solve the riddles he's laid out for us.

Clark (to Lana): I was just trying to figure out if hidden temples and body-snatching witches fits under community service or extracurriculars.

Dr. Swann (voice) (to Clark): Kal-El, you must write your own destiny.

Clark goes to the Caves and Contrivance and decides his torturing biological dad isn't so bad, and that maybe he should start doing what Terence Stamp's voice tells him. Lana gets a phone call from Jason, who is in Shanghai, of all places. She finds out where he is from Papa Luthor (the people in the background speaking bullshit gibberish Mandarin didn't clue her in) and he offers to fly Lana to China so she can confront Jason about his thecrets, but also his lieth.

Jason comes across Lex in China, where Lex sets up an elaborate prank involving Chinese police and torture. It backfires when Lana and Clark show up in China looking for the three Stones of Knowledge. They've gotta find those stones! Suddenly, Smallville is a Nintendo game. Lana is tortured electrically, which brings back Isabelle the witch, who possesses Lana's body again. Sure, she's a French witch, but she also knows Kung Fu wire combat. Mulana (tm Cyb, I think) kicks a little -ss and finds one of the stones of knowledge. But she and Clark fight, and they both lose the piece. Jason sneakily recovers it and later gives it back to Lana. Because he's [sound effect of a whip striking repeatedly].

Papa Luthor and Lex get philosophical about finding the stones. Clark tells his parents he thinks Margot Kidder's character may be dead because she's not answering her phone. Clark goes to the caves and broods. You better find those stones, Clark, before someone else saves the princess first and gets the high score!

Jason calls Lana from Metropolis and says he's overseeing a project for Lex, but it becomes clear he's in China, not Metropolis, and Lex has followed him there, knowing he has the map that Lionel gave him. Lana goes the Lex's manor and meets with Lionel, who helpfully directs her to China and lets her know they're investigating Isabelle, who was tied to Gertrude Teague. Clark goes to visit Lana and after they compare notes, they both go off to China (without Clark telling his parents).

In Shanghai, the local police chase Lex and Jason and end up getting arrested, tossed in jail, and then Lex is taken away. Clark and Lana arrive and meet up with Lionel's contact while Lex returns and Jason is hauled away to be interrogated – Lex has them working with them and tells them to get the info out of Lex, but then they turn against him when someone pays them more.

Clark and Lana get to the temple and Clark spots a secret chamber. He has them leave and then enters it. He finds a ceremonial dress, a mask, and a statue with green kryptonite eyes. Soldiers burst into the temple, kill the professor, and capture Lana, spotting her tattoo. The soldiers are torturing Jason and Lex at the temple for information and bring in Lana and start torturing her. The pain unleashes Isabelle, who fries the guards, breaks free, and reveals that the map is the key. (more...)

Synopsis
The hunt for the stones leads Clark, Lana, Jason, and Lex to China.

High Point
Passing the torch from Swann to Crosby.

Low Point
If you don't have professional martial artists, don't do a serious wire fight. It just won't work.

As a close runner up, either they were out far longer than it looked and Lex was way, way behind, or somebody forgot to use X-ray vision to look for something that disappeared with only three other people around.

The Review
Even the promotions recognized that this wasn't original. Find a stone, and spoof Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Not a difficult formula. I give it 2 out of 6.

The effects were pretty good. There was one ground-breaking effect that wasn't entirely convincing, but it wasn't terrible. Most were quite good. I give it 5 out of 6.

The story got off to an interesting start, but soon broke down into some pretty predictable stuff. I give it 4 out of 6.

The acting was pretty good. Welling does better when he's taking command, and Kruek can do a decent villain. John Glover did a great job once more. I give it 5 out of 6.

The emotional response was weak. If I wanted to watch Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, I'd pop in the DVD. In the meantime, I'll tune in to Smallville hoping to see Superman developing. I give it 3 out of 6.

The production was good. These people know how to maintain the look and feel of the series, and how to tie the scripts together. They just need to go back and review the first two seasons to remind themselves what kinds of scripts the fans were consistently tuning in for. I give it 5 out of 6.

Overall, it's a decent episode, but until we know what the stones are all about, it's hard to get hyped up about the search for them. If we knew what they were capable of, even if the characters didn't all know, it might be a lot more suspenseful. I give it 4 out of 6.

In total, Sacred receives 28 out of 42.

First let me say this. In this episode we learn that Doctor Swann has died. Under the circumstances I really didn't know how Smallville would handle the death of Mr. Reeve but I think they did a good job of dealing with it without being tacky. Just listen to the whole TV soundtrack, even when Clark, Martha, and Jonathan go on with the plot for this episode and you'll hear comments and nods to Swann's character that one could just as easily attribute to Mr. Reeve. It was a nice way to handle the unfortunate circumstances in my opinion.

So then we're off with the story. And overall it was a good one. We have Action, Intrigue, Suspense, Mystery, and Kung fu.

Yea I know Kung Fu is action but still nothing wrong with a bit of Kung Fu in a comic book TV series.

I was wondering how they were going to bring the witch back out of Lana. (I shall hold my Jokes about Lana being a witch all the time for now). Surprisingly we learn the Isobel never really left and it makes sense that she would come out to save the body she has possessed. I do have some questions about the when and how's of Isobel's taking control of Lana but we are dealing with an on-going story line so I'll wait and see if those are answered in the end before judging.

The map not being a map at all but a drawing made from the site the object is hidden was a neat twist. (I guess I should say I am not calling them stones because this one wasn't a stone... it was metal.) I am not really sure what the dress in the wall was for but comments made by Clark at the end about the Kryptonite being there to possibly keep him away from the artifacts leads me to believe there is more to this as well. It opens up some real possibilities. Were the artifacts hidden there to keep them away from Kryptonians? If so, why does Jor-El want Clark to find them so bad? Could this be more proof of the Jor-El voice being the Eradicator? Who knows, but I am very interested in seeing where they are going with this story line which is a good thing.

Clark's fight with Isobel was a bit over the top and almost too Crouching Tiger like but it is a comic book show so that's to be expected now and then. Sometimes over the top is the only place to be. I did like how she enchanted the weapons. I was wondering why Clark would bother to sword fight with someone and that was a good way to increase the danger to Clark without resorting to Kryptonite again. There was one real interesting thing while I was watching the fight going on. I was just about to say, "but why doesn't he just use his super-speed" and then wooooosh, Clark is off using his speed to get the item back from Isobel. Nice job! (more...)