2.08: Ryan

[DarkCity545]

2.8 Ryan

Ryan (from "Stray") returns and is a test subject at the Summerholt Research Facility in Metropolis. A Dr. Garner is experimenting on him to develop his powers. Clark finds out about this and goes to the facility and rescues Ryan, but Garner traces Clark and threatens to bring him and his family under intense scrutiny. Lex checks with his lawyers and gets a restraining order. It turns out that Ryan is dying of a brain tumor and needs the special treatment of Dr Burton who is at that moment on a plane leaving Hub City. Clark runs to catch the plane and gets Ryan's report to Burton. But it turns out Ryan won't make it anyway and he and Clark have one final moment.

Meanwhile, Aunt Nell tells Lana that she has to leave Smallville and move to Metropolis with her fiancee. Lana doesn't want to leave her friends and The Talon behind and arranges to stay in Smallville and live with Chloe and her father.

And Lex wants to expand the plant, but Mayor Tate will only okay Lex's expansion if Lex agrees to support him financially in the next Smallville election. Lex vows he'll fight against Tate no matter how much it costs him and Tate backs down.

Mayor Tate is played by the cigarette smoking man of X-Files!

 

[Lonewolf89]

I really liked this episode! I liked Ryan from last season and I'm glad they brought him back. It was sad how this ep ended, but it seemed fitting. One of my favorite quotes from this was Lex when he said:

The road to darkness is a journey, not a light switch.

He and Ryan had some good scenes together.

I'm beginning to really hate Lana. There's Clark, his friend is dying and she's not even there half the time.

 

[webmouse]

As hard as it is to lose a loved one, I'm glad that the show faced the reality of Ryan's condition without going for a "Hollywood ending."

Life isn't always fair -- a point that Lex makes many times -- and for all his powers, there are some problems that Clark can't solve.

Seeing how Clark copes with the situation and the wise advice from Lex is worth considering when similar situations arise out here in the real world.

 

[Vector]

I thought it was a good episode and it seems as if it made Clark put some things into perspective. And for me, I started getting sappy when

Spoiler

They show Ryan and Clark in the hot air balloon, then finally Clark has the Warrior Angel comic, and Ryan's bed was empty.

 

[Lonewolf89]

Yeah, that was a sad scene.

 

[Brit Chick]

This is how really good tv shows should be - don't always go for the happy ending.

THe kid playing Ryan was excellent - how hard must it be to let just one tear fall at the right moment, he really protrayed the fear and loneliness of, well his whole life really, and how happy he was to be with Clark and Jonathan and Martha again.

I am reliably informed by the Comic Book Guy that I call my husband that the Warrior Angel issue No 1 Lex had an identical cover to the first comic to feature superman - the pic of him holding up a car (obviously apart from the words 'arrior Angel'!!)

There was also a wonderful scene between Lex and Ryan, the same sequence just before Lex comes out with the profound statement someone mentioned earlier about the road to darkness, where they are talking about a particular Warrior Angel storyline where the WA's friend becomes bad and Ryan is asking how did he think that happened. It was very much along the lines of what we have here in Smallville - Lex and Clark as friends and something makes then enemies in the future and we are all dying to know what happens.

 

[angelle myst]

This ep reminded me of Buffy - Buffy is the superhero who saves the day (and the world) from monsters and apocalypse etc, but she can't save those around her who die from natural causes...it's the same for Clark but because i had that Buffy parallel in my head i couldn't help but thinking the Buffy writers did the same thing but better.

The ep was ok, Ryan's a sweet kid and the ending was sad. I think the whole comic book hero/villain and the Clark/Lex parallel was a tad too obvious and predictable

 

[Maria8475]

I think this was one of the best episodes for Smallville to date. (i agree with Sammy that they didn't do it as well as Buffy) But it was still really sweet and sad at the same time.

The way that Clark ignored Lex's advice about staying with Ryan but desperately tried to save him. Accepting reality is hard - especially for a teenager.

Plus it was kinda funny how Clark kept saying he was afraid of flying

 

[gr8scott]

I agree. Clark's fear of flying is a crack up. I can't wait to see him fly, that is if his dream in Rosetta was actually a dream and not reality.

 

[DarkCity545]

it wasn't a dream, he was actually sleep flying

 

[gr8scott]

That would be so funny. I hope it was sleep flying.

 

[little smaug]

it wasn't a dream, he was actually sleep flying

Sleep floating, don't you mean?

I liked that they brought Ryan back, he is a good character, and the kid who plays him is a really good actor. It's sad that he died, but i agree that you wouldn't want every episode to have a happy ending.

Mayor Tate is played by the cigarette smoking man of X-Files!

Thankyou! All through the episode i was trying to figure out what he was out of, now it seems so obvious!