Devoted (Episode) - SirJeffCena

"**Devoted**" is the fourth episode in the fourth season of *Smallville*, and seventieth episode overall. It aired on October 13, 2004.

## Summary

Clark gets the starting quarterback position on the football team when his predecessor attacks Jason. When Chloe and Jason Teague also exhibit strange lovesick behavior, Clark and Lois investigate and discover that the cheerleaders are giving the team a kryptonite-enhanced love potion to turn them into obedient mindless boyfriends.

## Recap

It is the beginning of the school year and Lois is still trying to get her situation straightened out with the Dean of Met U so she can attend that fall. At Smallville High, Clark teases Lois for still being in high school while showing off his new letterman jacket.

On Clark's first day of football practice, he is dismayed at how much time he spends sitting on the sidelines instead of actually playing. He complains to Assistant Coach Jason Teague that the other players ignore his passes or miss on purpose. Jason tells Clark that the team has been playing together for three years- Clark is the new guy and they just have to warm up to him. He tells the players to go easy on Clark. On the bench, Clark observes a cheerleader, Amanda, give her boyfriend Danny Cormay, the quarterback, a drink from a cooler the cheerleaders provide for the players. Immediately after, Danny is suddenly particularly affectionate and obedient to her. When Jason approaches Danny and tells him to get back in the game, he gets mad at Jason and leaves in the middle of practice, giving Clark a chance to go in and play. After practice, Jason is in the locker room when Danny appears with a shotgun. He starts to fire at Jason, but Clark arrives just in time to save him and disarm Danny.

Lois and Clark meet Chloe at the Torch office. Chloe asks Lois to go to the hospital to interview Danny but she is too busy. She asks Clark to interview Coach Teague, but Clark reluctantly tells her that he will probably have to spend less time on the *Torch* because of football practice. Chloe is dismayed, but does not press the issue. He does admit that the other team members are rude to him, but Chloe just repeats that they are probably annoyed at him for becoming star quarterback his first year on the team. Both Clark and Lois notice that all the players on the team are attentive and devoted to their girlfriends. Clark learns that Lex is providing the jerseys for the team and coolly informs him that he cannot buy Clark's friendship back.

That evening, Lana laments to Jason that she's never been happier in their relationship and wishes they didn't have to sneak around, but Jason reiterates that he really needs his job, so they have to continue keeping it a secret.

Chloe starts investigating the story and decides to ask Jason for an inside scoop on what might have made Danny freak out. She approaches Jason in the middle of practice, but he blows her off. Bored waiting, Chloe sips the green sports drink from the players' cooler. Suddenly, she spots Clark on the field and realizes that she is completely and singularly devoted to him. Lana is also at practice, watching Jason. Clark mistakenly thinks she is there to support *him* and goes to the stands to talk to her. Jason, also drinking from the cooler, sees Clark talking to Lana and suddenly feels annoyed and possessive.

Lois finds Chloe in the office of the Torch taking down her Wall of Weird. She asks what's up and Chloe states that she's quitting the *Torch* because she only has time to devote to Clark. She asks Lois to take charge of the paper so she can work on a relationship with Clark. Lois is at first concerned that Chloe is setting herself up for heartbreak, but Chloe gets angry. Lois agrees to interview the cheerleaders, because she needs the credit to graduate. She overhears the cheerleaders talking and sees one of them with a chemistry paper on "love molecules". She decides to investigate a bit more. That night Clark finds Chloe in his loft, wearing nothing but his football jersey. She tells Clark that she wants to devote all of her time and energy to him. She straddles him and kisses him passionately. Confused, Clark resists, but Chloe is persistent. The next morning, Clark cryptically asks his mother what to do about Chloe's advances and she advises Clark to be honest with her. Clark also asks Jonathan what he should do about the football team not liking him and Jonathan says he needs to earn their trust.

In school, Jason summons Lana to his office and overtly starts making out with her. Lana is puzzled because they are usually very careful about keeping their relationship a secret and questions his overly-devoted behavior. Jason then requests Lana come to practice because he just "wants to see her."

Chloe appears at practice wearing a cheerleading uniform, stating that the best way to support Clark is to be his personal cheerleader. When Clark drinks from the players' cooler, he chokes and instantly starts to feel ill. Nauseated, he asks Jason if he can sit out because he doesn't feel well, but Jason cruelly sends Clark in and tells the other players that Clark is fair game. Weakened and sick, Clark takes a beating on the field while Chloe cheers and jumps on the sidelines. As he is lying stunned on the ground, Clark notices the cheerleaders carrying the cooler away and makes the connection that there must be kryptonite in the sports drink.

That night, Clark is in his loft applying ice packs to his bruises when he is attacked by a hooded figure. He realizes it's Jason and tries to tell him that there is something in the sports drink. However, Jason is in a jealous rage and refuses to listen. He tells him to "stay away from his girlfriend" and beats him up. He throws Clark through the rail of the loft and advances on him. Just then, Lex arrives and scares him off. Clark lies that he has no idea who his attacker was. He also notices that the kryptonite liquid is slowly forcing itself out of his body, even dripping out of his nose. His bruises and injuries disappear and Clark discreetly covers up so Lex doesn't notice. Lex arrived to tell Clark something important. Since Lex just fended off Clark's attacker, Clark agrees to listen. Lex gives Clark the file containing all the information he has on him, but Clark is skeptical. Lex tells him that he greatly values their friendship and is sincere about repairing it.

Lois realizes the cheerleaders put together a science project in which they experimented on a "love molecule" whose effects are enhanced combined with meteor rock. She also notices Mandy always carries a folder with the specifics of the molecule, including the antidote, in her bag. She makes a plan to infiltrate a pool party and brings Clark along. She sends Clark to distract Mandy. Clark pretends to be devoted and Mandy drags him to the weight room. Mandy pins Clark and begins to make out with Clark while Lois tries to get her bag. Eventually, the two manage to get the bag away.

Lois leaves to study the notes when she is attacked by Chloe, still under the influence of the love molecule. Chloe and Lois fight until Lois knocks her into a furnace. Suddenly, Chloe snaps out of it and they realize that heat neutralizes the effect. Chloe and Lois interrupt Clark and Mandy, but when Mandy realizes that Clark is pretending to like her, she gets mad and brings in some football players. Lois defeats one of the players by kicking him. Then Clark uses his heat vision to bust open a steam pipe which cures the players.

Lex shows Clark how he had his secret room emptied out and his wrecked Porsche destroyed. He then promises to never pry into the Kent's lives again. Clark appreciates the gesture of friendship and asks Lex to do him a favor. Lex volunteers. Clark says Lois.

Jason apologizes for the attack, but Clark says he has no hard feelings since Jason wasn't himself. He asks Jason who "his girl" is, but Jason says he doesn't know. At the football game that evening, Clark and the team work together to score a victory.

Later, Clark and Chloe have an awkward conversation about her advances. He takes his mother's advice and is honest about only wanting to be friends with her. Since she already knew this, Chloe takes it in stride and the two are able to put it behind them. Clark redeems himself by telling her that he has changed his mind about the *Torch* and will continue to fulfill his commitment to Chloe and the paper. When Clark kisses Chloe on the cheek and Chloe leaves, Lois comes up to tell Clark that Lex made good on his promise and got her into Met U and out of Clark's hair, but not before warning him never to break Chloe's heart.

## Cast

### Starring

* Clark Kent
* Lana Lang
* Lex Luthor
* Jason Teague
* Chloe Sullivan
* Martha Kent
* Jonathan Kent

### Co-Starring

* Rhonda
* Mary
* Mara
* Nate Pratt
* Danny Cormay
* Coach Wayne Quigley

## Notes

* Antagonist: Cheerleaders of Devotion
* This episode begins and ends with a black placard that reads *"In loving memory of Christopher Reeve. He made us believe a man could fly."* Reeve passed away on October 10, 2004.
* Phenylethylamine is indeed sometimes referred to as the "love drug" and the molecule depicted is the correct IUPAC representation.
* Clark's football jersey number is 8. This may be a reference to the Kryptonian symbol for the letter "S", which looks like an 8.
* When Clark tells Chloe he's going to continue writing for the Torch she says "wow, superhero and journalist, what are the odds?" alluding to his future as Superman.
* Chloe and Lois talk about journalism. Lois says she'd never want to make a career of journalism, and ironically that is exactly what she does in the future.
* Both Chloe and Lois remark that when Clark shows off his new jacket, they're not his colors. Including his blue plaid shirt underneath, Clark is wearing red, yellow, and blue at the time, his future colors as Superman.

## Trivia

* Actress Chelan Simmons also appeared in season 1's *Drone* as cheerleader Felice Chandler. Because of the similarities between Felice and Rhonda, they are presumably supposed to be the same person.
* This was actress Moneca Delain's second of three *Smallville* appearances, having also played in season 3's *Velocity* and season 4's *Unsafe*. While her character wasn't identified by a name, she presumably played Mara in all three episodes.
* This was also actress Lisa Marie Caruk's second of three *Smallville* appearances, having also played in season 3's *Whisper* and season 4's *Unsafe*.

## Quotes

**Lois**: Hi, I'm busy trying to get out of Mayberry.
**Chloe**: That's fine. Do whatever you want. You're in charge now. I'm quitting the Torch.
**Lois**: Whoa! Wait. Quitting? Why?

**Lois**: I'm glad you made the team, Clark, but why be a conformist? At least with the whole farmboy plad thing, as lame as it is, it completely belongs to you.
**Clark**: In the future, let's restrict our conversations to hello and goodbye.

**Lex**: That's odd.
**Clark**: What?
**Lex**: I could've sworn you had a cut above your eye.
**Clark**: Actually, I'm feeling a lot better all of a sudden.

**Clark**: Lex, if this friendship was so important, why'd you lie to me for so long?
**Lex**: I don't know, Clark. There's a darkness in me that I can't always control. I'm starting to think that's my curse, why every relationship I have ends badly.
**Clark**: We all have a dark side, Lex.
**Lex**: Yeah. But I can feel mine creeping over the corners. Your friendship helps keep it at bay. It reminds me that there are truly good people in the world. I'm not willing to give up on that.

**Lois**: Well, can you please tell the dean there's been an egregious error? I belong at Metropolis University, not walking the halls of Podunk High. Well, yes, I'm sure that we could work this all out if you could just get him to call me back. Thank you!

**Clark**: You know... If you spent as much time studying as you did trying to leave, you'd be in college already.

**Clark**: So, what do you think?
**Lois**: They're not really your colors.
**Clark**: They're the school's colors.

**Clark**: And I had to pick up my new jacket. What do you think?
**Chloe**: Not exactly your colors.
**Clark**: It's the school colors.

**Chloe**: Wow! Superhero and journalist! What are the odds?

**Clark**: Look, the important thing is you got in and you're leaving. Because that's what you wanted, right?
**Lois**: Yeah, yeah, don't get all broken up about it. You know, if I could describe my time here in one word, it would be "weird." I look forward to the relative normalcy of the big city. But don't worry. I'll visit.
**Clark**: Is that a promise or a threat?
**Lois**: See you around... Smallville.