Originally aired April 23, 2010
Written by Holly Henderson & Don Whitehead
Directed by Brian Peterson
Lois is captured by Maxwell Lord, a Checkmate operative who uses his telepathic powers to try and uncover The Blur's true identity.
Tropes present in the episode:
- Cardboard Box of Unemployment: Lois and Clark are carrying their respective boxes out of the Daily Planet building after their editor fires them.
- Conveniently Timed Distraction: When Lois punches Clark, she gets both of them fired from the Daily Planet. It is assumed that the incident was a lovers quarrel, which the pair of them cannot keep out of the workplace, but it turns out that she was creating a distraction so she could step on the cell phone that contained a photo of the Blur.
- Corrupt Politician: Ray Sacks, who offers a million-dollar reward for the Blur's identity, is a former district attorney.
- How We Got Here: The story opens with the incident between Lois and Clark, then shows the events leading to it.
- Jumping Out of a Cake: Lois does this in the teaser.
- Mind Probe: Maxwell Lord thinks he can extract the Blur's identity with a machine. No one he captured knows what the Blur looks like, but Lord expects to get the information he wants by attaching the probe to several people's brains to produce a composite picture.
- Mutual Masquerade: Zigzagged in the discussion between Clark and Chloe. Clark doesn't tell Lois his secret identity, but when he talks to Lois as the Blur, he tells Lois not to tell Clark she's working with the Blur. Effectively, they're both keeping secrets from each other, although Clark is aware of both secrets. Chloe thinks the irony of the situation could lead to The Masquerade Will Kill Your Dating Life. Clark has actually told Lois they will both reveal all secrets, hoping to hear secrets from Lois, but reveal his major secret. Chloe doesn't think this will help his dating life, and is concerned her cousin will get hurt.
- Office Romance: Lois and Clark lose their jobs partly because the Daily Planet's new editor, Franklin Stern, knows that they are involved in this. Evidence that it is hurting their job performance is given under Conveniently Timed Distraction.
- Stripperiffic: Lois is wearing a sexy bunny outfit when she jumps out of a cake.
- The Un-Reveal: It looks like Clark will tell Lois his secret, until Lois makes a comment to the effect that she doesn't want to know the Blur's identity.
- Villain of the Week: Maxwell Lord
