I still remember the very time I watched this episode when it aired. The best stories tend to be the ones that catch you off-guard; that do the unexpected and surprise the viewer. And frankly, the best surprises, unfortunately, tend to be those of the tragic kind.
The writers set this episode up beautifully. Even the viewer is forced to question whether or not Alicia might be back to her old ways, especially after "Obsession" and the previous episode where Alicia uses Red-K on Clark. Has she really changed?
What makes this episode all the more tragic is knowing that Alicia was trying her best to change, and poor Clark has nobody in his corner regarding her. We can understand Jonathan and Martha's concerns, but sometimes, the best thing we can do as parents is to step back and let our children make their own decisions, even if they are mistakes.
This is a milestone episode of the series for two reasons. First, this is the first time that Clark experiences true loss. It was clear, that despite his doubts, he loved Alicia. And to hear him cry out in agony as he pulls her body down is heartbreaking. And without Lois there to pull him back from the brink, we have to wonder if Clark may have actually killed that kid.
And, of course, the second reason is Chloe finally seeing Clark for who he is. And while there may have been a lot of initial questions, as the show progresses, we come to find that outside of Clark's parents, there was nobody better suited to trust and keep Clark's secret than Chloe. This also opened the door for some great stories throughout the next few seasons.
It was shocking to find Alicia murdered, but the greater tragedy is the leap of faith that it often takes to trust someone, and to also trust that may have, indeed, changed. Clark is wracked with guilt at the end of this episode, and I was really hoping that this would have carried over a bit into the next episode. It would have been great to explore it in more depth.
However, throughout the first four seasons of the series, this was not only an unforgettable episode, but an especially poignant one.
The writers set this episode up beautifully. Even the viewer is forced to question whether or not Alicia might be back to her old ways, especially after "Obsession" and the previous episode where Alicia uses Red-K on Clark. Has she really changed?
What makes this episode all the more tragic is knowing that Alicia was trying her best to change, and poor Clark has nobody in his corner regarding her. We can understand Jonathan and Martha's concerns, but sometimes, the best thing we can do as parents is to step back and let our children make their own decisions, even if they are mistakes.
This is a milestone episode of the series for two reasons. First, this is the first time that Clark experiences true loss. It was clear, that despite his doubts, he loved Alicia. And to hear him cry out in agony as he pulls her body down is heartbreaking. And without Lois there to pull him back from the brink, we have to wonder if Clark may have actually killed that kid.
And, of course, the second reason is Chloe finally seeing Clark for who he is. And while there may have been a lot of initial questions, as the show progresses, we come to find that outside of Clark's parents, there was nobody better suited to trust and keep Clark's secret than Chloe. This also opened the door for some great stories throughout the next few seasons.
It was shocking to find Alicia murdered, but the greater tragedy is the leap of faith that it often takes to trust someone, and to also trust that may have, indeed, changed. Clark is wracked with guilt at the end of this episode, and I was really hoping that this would have carried over a bit into the next episode. It would have been great to explore it in more depth.
However, throughout the first four seasons of the series, this was not only an unforgettable episode, but an especially poignant one.