Fever

## "Fever"Season 02, Episode 16

**"Fever"** is the sixteenth episode of Season Two of The CW's *Smallville*. It was written by Matthew Okumura and directed by Bill Gereghty. It is the thirty-seventh episode of the series overall, and premiered on February 18, 2003.

## Synopsis

Martha catches a lungful of kryptonite-irradiated spores and slips into a coma. Clark, who temporarily loses his powers by breathing in the same spores, is her only hope for survival. Lex sneaks behind Helen's back at the hospital in his continued search for the truth about Clark.

## Recap

Martha is in the storm cellar burying the can of flour in which she hid the key. As she digs, glowing green dust spores kick up and she inhales them. A few minutes later in the kitchen, she passes out.

Clark and Jonathan rush her to the Smallville Medical Center where Helen Bryce manages her care. She informs them that Martha has inhaled some sort of toxin, but they are waiting on test results to determine what kind and how to treat it. Jonathan asks Clark to run the errands that Martha intended to do that day, which include managing a food drive at the Talon, and Clark reluctantly leaves the hospital. At the Talon, Pete, Chloe, and Lana are sympathetic and concerned, but Clark doesn't want to talk. He leaves abruptly to return to the hospital. While Clark is gone, Dr. Bryce informs Jonathan that Martha is stabilized and announces that she is also pregnant. Jonathan is stunned and informs Clark when he returns. They wonder why Martha didn't tell them.

Lex comes to visit Helen and notices that she has been offered a three-year research fellowship at Johns Hopkins University. She tells him she hasn't decided if she is going to accept it. He encourages her to do what's best for her.

A representative from the Disease Control Agency, Dr. Neil Moore, informs Jonathan and Clark that the toxin to which Martha was exposed is unidentifiable, and that the Kent Farm must therefore be quarantined and searched. Clark superspeeds ahead of them to move the ship. In the cellar, Clark is also exposed to the spores. Clark and Pete drive the ship away from the farm in the back of the Kents' truck. They plan to stash it in Pete's shed, but Clark begins to feel dizzy and drives the truck off the road into a ditch. His strength fails when he tries to push the truck back on the road, but he and Pete finally manage to get it out of a ditch before the DCA drives by on their way to search the farm.

During the search, Dr. Moore and his assistant Dr. Trenton finds the flour can and questions Jonathan and Clark about the key. They feign ignorance and in private, Clark tells Jonathan about his dizziness and loss of strength. Jonathan is worried, but Clark says it is nothing to worry about. The DCA orders a complete cleanup of the storm cellar. That evening, Martha awakens and Jonathan goes to talk to her. Martha confesses that she didn't want to tell him about the pregnancy because she thought saying it out loud would make it go away. When Jonathan asks how it might be possible, Martha tells him that on the night of the tornado, she felt a surge of energy from the ship go through her body. Jonathan concludes that the ship has the power to Heal, enabling her to conceive. Martha further explains that she hid the key from Clark because she was afraid that if he learns more about his origins, he will leave Smallville.

Lana visits Clark at home. He tells her how worried he is about his mother and she tries to reassure him. Suddenly, Clark collapses down the porch stairs. Dr. Bryce arrives to find Clark on the sofa and Jonathan sends Lana home. Dr. Bryce doesn't understand why Clark isn't at the hospital, and to Jonathan's surprise, she is able to draw a blood sample from Clark to examine it.

Jonathan pleads with her to do the testing herself and Helen agrees, promising to keep his medical file confidential. In the lab, Helen looks at Clark's blood under a microscope and is clearly surprised by what she sees. Lex arrives to inquire about the Kents. Helen does her best to protect their privacy, but she can't hide the fact that she is working on something important.

The next day, Chloe comes to visit Clark. She asks to sit with him alone for a while and reads him a letter she has written, confessing that she is in love with him and holds hope that he will one day feel the same way about her, seeing through the 'best friend' disguise. However, Clark mutters, "Lana" in his sleep and Chloe leaves in tears.

Late that night, Jonathan leaves again. Clark is awake and Jonathan tells him that Martha might not make it through the night, but he can't just sit by and lose his family. He has decided to go retrieve the key in the hope that he can activate the ship and heal Clark and Martha. Clark wants to help, but Jonathan instructs him to stay home. Jonathan breaks into the facility where the DCA took the samples from the farm, but a guard corners him. Still very sick, Clark appears and helps him escape. With the help of Pete as a decoy, the two manage to get the key and the ship outside of the hospital. Martha flatlines and is declared dead, just as the key flies out of Clark's hand into the ship and a bright burst of light is emitted — it rolls over Clark and through the hospital and both Martha and Clark are cured. The next day, Martha has made a full recovery and the Kents are overjoyed at the news that their future new arrival is also healthy.

Lex is seen paying Dr. Trenton for a file containing details on Martha's illness. He visits Helen in her office and gives her a key to the mansion, asking her to move in with him and give up the fellowship at Johns Hopkins. She answers him with a kiss.

In the Torch office, Lana and Chloe are getting ready for the food drive at the Talon. When Chloe leaves the room, Lana finds her letter to Clark and reads it. At the food drive, a now-healthy Clark thanks Pete for his help and even though he doesn't remember her visit, he thanks Chloe for coming. When she excuses herself abruptly, Clark asks Lana what's up. Lana cryptically says that seeing Clark sick affected everybody, but some people are better at expressing it. Chloe sees them talking and looks pained.

## Cast

* Kristin Kreuk as Lana Lang
* Michael Rosenbaum as Lex Luthor
* Sam Jones III as Pete Ross
* Allison Mack as Chloe Sullivan
* John Glover as Lionel Luthor (credit only)
* Annette O'Toole as Martha Kent
* John Schneider as Jonathan Kent
* Michael David Simms as Dr. Neil Moore

Co-Starring* Todd Talbot as Dr. Trenton
* Sean Millington as MP
* Craig Veroni as DCA Agent

Musical Guest Appearance By* Steadman

## Trivia

### Production Notes

* At the charity party the end of "Fever" Pete hands Clark a CD and tells him it's the Talon mix. If you look closely you'll see that it is actually the soundtrack to the series.
* Dr. Helen Bryce became the first person to whom Jonathan vaguely hints on the secret identity of Clark Kent.

## References

1. ↑ http://www.pogdesign.co.uk/cat/Smallville/Season-2/Episode-16