History Recap / SmallvilleS01E08Jitters

* AngryBlackMan: {{Downplayed|Trope}} with Earl. Despite his desperation to find a cure for his tremors, he's normally calm, but when things don't go his way or if he feels someone is messing with him, his anger comes out.

Written by Cherie Bennett & Jeff Gottesfeld

Directed by Michael Watkins

-->'''Lex''': You almost got me killed.
-->'''Lionel''': No, ''you'' almost got yourself killed. It was your call, remember?

* FightOffTheKryptonite: In the final act, when the Level Three walkway starts to collapse with Lex and Earl holding on for dear life, Clark comes over, grabs Earl's hand, and pulls both men up despite the fact that Earl has Kryptonite fragments embedded in his body. Another [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome awesome moment]] for the future ComicBook/{{Superman}}.

* AngryBlackMan: {{Downplayed|Trope}} with Earl. He's normally calm, but when things don't go his way or he feels someone is messing with him, his anger comes out.
* AntiVillain: Earl is a [[SlidingScaleOfAntiVillains Type V]]. He doesn't want to be a bad guy; his desperation to [[FindTheCure find a cure]] for his tremors drives him to take questionable action.

--->'''Lex''': I know the feeling. Earl, you say that everybody's been lying to you. I'm gonna tell you the truth--my father doesn't care about you. He doesn't care about anybody in this room. Because if we all die, [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections his PR firm will spin it. His insurance company will pay and you will go down as the bad guy.]]
* CallingTheOldManOut: In the final scene of the episode, Lex confronts Lionel for lying to him about the existence of Level 3 and for closing the safety doors while he was still inside the plant, but Lionel [[NeverMyFault refuses to accept any responsibility for what happened and reminds Lex that it was he who made the call to go into the plant and negotiate with Earl]].

-->'''Lionel''': No. [...] I said Level 3 wasn't on any plans; it wasn't. It's {{plausible deniability}}.

* CodeSilver: Earl takes everyone inside the plant, including Clark and his classmates (who are there on a field trip), hostage after he can't find the entrance to Level 3.
* DespairEventHorizon: Earl crosses it after he finds Level 3 empty.

* FightOffTheKryptonite: In the final act, when the Level 3 walkway starts to collapse with Lex and Earl holding on for dear life, Clark comes over, grabs Earl's hand and pulls both men up despite the fact that Earl has Kryptonite fragments embedded in his body. Another [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome awesome moment]] for the future ComicBook/{{Superman}}.

* PlausibleDeniability: {{Invoked|Trope}} by Lionel when Lex confronts him for lying to him about Level 3. (See CallingTheOldManOut.)

* SlaveToPR: In the final scene, Lionel, fresh from a heated exchange with his son and refusing to accept any responsibility for everything that's happened, politely turns to the news cameras and falsely claims that Level 3 is a redundant storage area. Lex joins in, saying they're going to make sure Earl gets the help he needs.

* SuddenlyShouting: Earl, after he and Lex head down to Level 3 and find it empty.

* NeverMyFault: Lionel's response to [[CallingTheOldManOut Lex calling him out]] for closing the safety doors while knowing Lex is still inside the plant.
-->'''Lex''': You almost got me killed.
-->'''Lionel''': No, ''you'' almost got yourself killed. Your call, remember?
* PlausibleDeniability: {{Invoked|Trope}} by Lionel when Lex confronts him for lying to him about Level 3.
-->'''Lex''': You lied to me.
-->'''Lionel''': No. I said Level 3 wasn't on any official plans; it wasn't. It's plausible deniability.

* BadBoss: Lionel confronts Lex and chastises him for Earl getting into the plant so harshly that Jonathan has to interrupt him and remind him that Earl has hostages. Later, when Lex enters the plant to exchange himself for the hostages, he remarks to Earl that Lionel doesn't care about any of his employees or the hostages.

* AngryBlackMan: Downplayed with Earl. He's normally calm, but when things don't go his way, his anger comes out.
* AntiVillain: Earl is a Type V. He doesn't want to be a bad guy; his desperation to find a cure for his tremors drives him to take questionable action.
* BadBoss: Lionel confronts Lex and angrily blames him for Earl getting into the plant. When Lex enters the plant to exchange himself for the hostages, he remarks to Earl that Lionel doesn't care about any of his employees.
* CallingTheOldManOut: In the final scene of the episode, Lex confronts Lionel for lying to him about the existence of Level 3 and for closing the safety doors, but Lionel [[NeverMyFault refuses to accept any responsibility for what happened and reminds Lex that it was he who made the call to go into the plant and negotiate with Earl]].

* FightOffTheKryptonite: In the final act, when the Level 3 walkway starts to collapse with Lex and Earl holding on for dear life, Clark comes over, grabs Earl's hand and pulls both men up despite the fact that Earl has Kryptonite fragments embedded in his body.
* FindTheCure: Earl's goal.

* NeverMyFault: Lionel's response to Lex calling him out for closing the safety doors while knowing Lex is still inside the plant.

* SlaveToPR: In the final scene, Lionel, fresh from refusing to accept any responsibility for everything that's happened, politely turns to the news cameras and falsely claims that Level 3 is a redundant storage area. Lex joins in, saying they're going to make sure Earl gets the help he needs.

* VillainOfTheWeek: Earl Jenkins

* PlausibleDeniability: Lampshaded by Lionel when Lex confronts him for lying to him about Level 3.

-->'''Lionel''': No. I said Level 3 wasn't on any official plans; it wasn't. It's [[LampshadeHanging plausible deniability]].

%%* CodeSilver

Earl Jenkins, the Kents' former farmhand, suffers from body tremors that he claims were caused by an explosion in a mysterious Level 3 inside the [=LuthorCorp=] plant. Desperate to prove his claims and find a cure for his condition, Earl takes everyone at the plant hostage, including Clark and his visiting classmates.

* AntiVillain: Earl is a Type V. He doesn't want to be a bad guy, but his desperation to find a cure for his tremors drives him to take questionable action.
* BadBoss: Lionel confronts Lex and angrily blames him for Earl getting into the plant. Lex later claims to Earl that Lionel doesn't care about any of his employees.
* CallingTheOldManOut: At the end of the episode, Lex confronts Lionel for lying to him about the existence of Level 3 and for closing the safety doors, but Lionel [[NeverMyFault refuses to accept any responsibility for what happened and reminds Lex that he made the call to go into the plant and negotiate with Earl]].

%%* NeverMyFault
* PlausibleDeniability: Lionel uses this after Lex confronts him for lying to him about Level 3.

* SlaveToPR: In the final scene, Lionel, fresh from refusing to accept any responsibility for everything that's happened, politely turns to the news cameras and lies about what Level 3 is. Lex joins in, saying they're going to make sure Earl gets the help he needs.

* BadBoss: Lex claims to Earl that Lionel doesn't care about any of his employees.

* SarcasticClapping: Jonathan's response after Clark cleans up the house after throwing a party without his parents' consent.

* AntiVillain: Earl is a Type V. He doesn't want to be a villain, but his desperation to find a cure for his tremors drives him to take questionable action.

* AntiVillain: Earl is a Type V. He doesn't want to be a villain; his desperation to find a cure for his tremors drives him to take questionable action.
* CallingTheOldManOut: At the end of the episode, Lex confronts Lionel for lying to him about the existence of Level 3 and for closing the safety doors, but Lionel refuses to accept any responsibility for what happened and reminds Lex that he made the call to go into the plant and negotiate with Earl.

Earl Jenkins, the Kents' former farmhand, suffers from body tremors that he claims were caused by an explosion in a mysterious Level 3 in the [=LuthorCorp=] plant. Desperate to prove his claims, Earl takes everyone at the plant hostage, including Clark and his visiting classmates.

* CallingTheOldManOut: At the end of the episode, Lex confronts Lionel for lying to him about the existence of Level 3, but Lionel refuses to accept any responsibility for what happened.

* SoProudOfYou: Martha to Clark after he helps to save the day.

* AntiVillain: Earl is a Type V. He doesn't want to be a villain; his desperation to find a cure for his condition drives him to take questionable action.
* CallingTheOldManOut: At the end of the episode, Lex confronts Lionel for lying to him about Level 3, but Lionel refuses to accept any responsibility for what happened and insists that Lex chose to go into the plant.

* NeverMyFault: Lionel's response to Lex calling him out for lying about Level 3.

%%* CallingTheOldManOut

%%* NeverMyFault