With the exception of 'Cyborg,' the other five episodes of "Smallville" since the amazing 100th episode 'Reckoning,' while entertaining in some ways, were slow in a lot of ways. 'Mercy' changed the pace and sort of story with the captivation of Lionel Luthor, at the mercy of a former LuthorCorp employee.
Lionel faces some of the ultimate physical tests of his life, and must play several "games" with the abductor in order to survive. Stakes are raised even higher when Martha, a woman that he has been intrigued to romantically interested in for a few years, is threatened by the captor. Ultimately, Lionel must chose between the mortal continuation of his or Martha's life, and based on his evil actions of past years of his life, makes a surprising decision.
This episode is quite exciting, and belongs in the top half of the best episodes of the season. It is intriguing to see Lionel, a man who his whole life has wielded great power and has been used at controlling others' lives, at the mercy of someone who used to work for him. The tables truly are turned on the billionaire in this episode. We also see that Lionel truly does have romantic feelings for Martha, which is despicable since Lionel was a factor in Jonathan Kent's demise. The viewers understand that he is low enough to go for a woman that he has always been intrigued in, even if she has just recently been widowed. Also, Clark learns that Lionel knows his secret, though Lionel, through previous research years before and through additional recent investigation, had already put the pieces together and discovered what Clark is all about.
Lionel faces some of the ultimate physical tests of his life, and must play several "games" with the abductor in order to survive. Stakes are raised even higher when Martha, a woman that he has been intrigued to romantically interested in for a few years, is threatened by the captor. Ultimately, Lionel must chose between the mortal continuation of his or Martha's life, and based on his evil actions of past years of his life, makes a surprising decision.
This episode is quite exciting, and belongs in the top half of the best episodes of the season. It is intriguing to see Lionel, a man who his whole life has wielded great power and has been used at controlling others' lives, at the mercy of someone who used to work for him. The tables truly are turned on the billionaire in this episode. We also see that Lionel truly does have romantic feelings for Martha, which is despicable since Lionel was a factor in Jonathan Kent's demise. The viewers understand that he is low enough to go for a woman that he has always been intrigued in, even if she has just recently been widowed. Also, Clark learns that Lionel knows his secret, though Lionel, through previous research years before and through additional recent investigation, had already put the pieces together and discovered what Clark is all about.
