SMALLVILLE: ‘Abandoned’

Hey, SMALLVILLE fans! I’m stepping in for Sarah to recap the show this week. And boy, what an episode to take on!

It all kicks off with Tess dreaming about her childhood. She’s a frightened young girl, trying to escape an unseen woman, but is unable to hide. The woman drags Tess away as a music box plays — man, how sharp are Tess’s nails that she can claw marks into wood like that as she’s being pulled away? Tess wakes up from the dream and finds the music box in her home. Uh oh.

After the General left, he sent Lois a box of her mother’s things. Lois had kept the box in her closet for 15 years, but her guilt for not going to the hospital to say goodbye to her mother has kept her from opening it up. She discovers her mom left her videos but reluctant to watch them.

Tess informs Clark that someone broke into the mansion and left the music box with a note that says, “Happy birthday, Tess.” Since it’s not her birthday, she’s annoyed someone is messing with her. Clark discovers a “Property of St. Louise’s Orphanage” sticker on it, which leads him to Granny Goodness.

After Lois watches the videos her mother left her — and major props to Teri Hatcher for being willing to take on the role of Lois’ mother, because it was a beautiful scene — she realizes her mother didn’t want her to come to the hospital. “Losing a parent, it can create a hole in a person’s heart,” she says via the tape and something clicks in Lois.

Tess and Clark go to St. Louise’s Orphanage, and despite having a picture of young Tess outside the building, she swears she has no memory of ever being there. Clark hears a child in pain and rushes to save her. He finds out that Granny wipes the kids memories clean and then makes them her minions. He only discovers the older minions don’t want to be saved when they attack him.

Granny and Tess discover the orphanage and Granny informs her that she’s been training the girls for decades “not to blend into society, but to conquer it.” She has a wall of pictures showing off her girls, but Tess is more distracted by the armoire in the room — the same one from her nightmare. Granny steps back and reveals a picture of Tess on the wall, and says that she knew the music box would bring Tess back to her.

Lois realizes Clark needs to settle his differences with Jor-El so she and Clark can move forward, so she makes her way to see Jor-El.

Tess tries to get answers about herself from Granny Goodness.  GG reveals that she was already training Tess when her birth parents found her a new home and forced her hand.  Tess wants to know about her birth parents, but all Granny Goodness will say is they were powerful. GG does reveal that she kept an eye on Tess for all these years and she was the one to save her in the hospital. Granny says Tess has always been her favorite girl and wants her to join her side. Yeah, Granny, Tess ain’t buying that.

Granny, however, isn’t the kind of woman to give up without a fight. “I have plans for you, Tess,” she says. “You will be my most valuable soldier in the coming war. Whether you want to be or not.” Creepy. Very creepy.

Clark tries to talk sense into the minions, but they aren’t having any of that. They torture him with kryptonite, but Granny Goodness demands he be let go. She tells him life will be so much better without a painful past.

Tess escapes and encounters the main minion. She’s able to take her down — and while it was great to see Lindsay Hartley finally appear on SMALLVILLE, I could help but wish she had been the main attraction. At least she had a kick-ass part — but another minion grabs her and wraps rope around her neck.

Lois tries talking to Jor-El in the Fortress of Solitude, but he won’t answer her. Lois pushes things a little too far when she tells him Clark is better off being rid of him.

Clark manages to escape from Granny Goodness and saves Tess from hanging. He tells Tess she’s part of the team so he won’t abandon her. He goes back to the Kent farm and realizes that Lois is at the Fortress of Solitude. Clark saves Lois and she begs him to try one more time with his father. Clark sees a projection of his parents telling him how much they love him and how they have such high hopes for his future.

Granny Goodness isn’t totally discouraged by losing Tess — she teams up with Gordon Godfrey and Desaad to form an unholy trinity to prepare the way for Darkseid.

Back at the Kent farm, Lois finds a note from her mother, with a gift that is intended for her wedding day.  That might be sooner than she thinks since Clark has an engagement ring in his pocket! Guess his parents’ words of love and support was just what he needed. Should we take a bet on how long it takes him to propose to Lois?

If this was another episode, that would have been a big enough ending. But instead, we see Tess in the Luther mansion and she recalls her father dropping her off at the orphanage. Little Tess begs her father to not leave her, but the car pulls away. The car’s license plate says “Luthor”…and yep, flash forward to the present and Tess is holding a birth certificate stating that her name is “Lutessa Lena Luthor.” Lionel Luthor is her biodaddy and he apparently had a kid with Lex’s nanny, Pamela Jenkins.

What do you think, SMALLVILLE fans? Did you see the Tess paternity twist coming?!

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