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Recap / Smallville S 05 E 05 Thirst

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Originally aired October 27, 2005

Written by Steven S De Knight

Directed by Paul Shapiro

Lana joins a sorority and quickly learns that her new sorority sisters are vampires who waste no time in turning her into one of their own.


Tropes present in the episode:

  • Ambiguously Bi: The Tri Psi Sorority vampires who hate men and are stick extremely close to one another, but they also swoon at Clark and other male victims when they aren't thinking about killing and devouring them. Buffy possibly towards Lana, considering how up close and personal she gets to her and how she transformed her into a vampire.
  • Breaking and Bloodsucking: How the vampires turn Lana into a vampire and how Vamp!Lana attempts to turn Clark into a vampire.
  • Body Horror: After being playfully punched by Buffy, falling down the stairs and temporarily dying, Vamp!Lana's body immediately repairs itself with all the inhumanly broken bones and twisted limbs breaking back into place, much to her and the sorority's delight.
  • Cannibalism Superpower: After Vamp!Lana bites Clark, she absorbs some of his powers and is amazed she is able to shoot fire from her eyes.
  • Chekhov's Gun: When Lana drinks Clark's blood, she absorbs some of his superability to shoot fire from her eyes. Later, when Buffy attempts to kill her, Lana uses that same firepower ability to incinerate Buffy and end her once and for all.
  • Da Editor: Pauline Kahn, editor-in-chief of the Daily Planet.
  • Day Walking Vampire: While transitioning into a vampire, Lana is still able to endure the daylight if not attempting to hide from it.
  • Glowing Eyes of Doom: Lana when she gains Clark's fire superability and sets Buffy on fire.
  • Femme Fatalons: Buffy sports these.
  • Halloween Episode: a campy episode about vampires that was released a few days before Halloween in its original run
  • I'm a Humanitarian: Buffy threatens Lana with this. Unless she finds them a new male suitor to feed on, she and the other girls will feed on her instead.
  • Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: How Vamp!Lana and the other female vampires are cured, with a full injection of the cure through their heart with a giant needle.
  • Klingon Promotion: Vamp!Lana takes over as the episode's main bad guy after killing Buffy Sanders.
  • Kiss of the Vampire: Literally, between Buffy and Lana. Also, Vamp!Lana when she attempts to turn Clark into a vampire.
  • Lesbian Vampire: The Tri Psi Sorority is full of bisexual vampires who take many male victims to feast on and turn female sorority sisters newbies as vampires.
  • Mythology Gag:
    • While she and Clark are going undercover at a costume party and Clark dresses up as Zorro, Chloe remarks that he looks good with a cape; Clark, however, isn't so sure.
    • During an episode of Lois & Clark, one of Clark's past lives was the bandit "The Fox" (in Spanish, "Zorro").
    • During Chloe's ending narration, she uses the phrase "up, up, and away."
  • Our Vampires Are Different: Unlike most Vampires, these vampires (even half-vampires) can endure sunlight but it would be painful to them. They can still eat regular food and consume alcohol but would eventually need blood from human victims to survive. If unable to feed, they can consume other members of their own kind to survive and can absorb others superabilities through blood drinking. Also, crucifixes and holy water cannot weaken them as Proven by Lana to Chloe but fire can kill them and they can be cured through a special serum to the heart.
  • Pizza Boy Special Delivery: Subverted. In the teaser, a pizza boy gets into the jacuzzi with Buffy and her sorority sisters...only to end up as dinner for the beautiful vampires.
  • Shadow Discretion Shot: When Buffy turns Lana into a vampire, it immediately cuts to their shadows on the walls.
  • Shout-Out:
    • The sorority leader's name is Buffy and the sorority just so happens to be filled with vampires. A blatant shout-out to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It's also an In-Universe example since the girl's name wasn't actually Buffy, Chloe said in her narration "names have been changed to protect the vapid".
    • When Fine is told of the rabies virus strain, he tells Clark to ask Lex about Project 1138. "1138" has been used in at least two George Lucas films, THX 1138 and Star Wars: A New Hope. The latter film stars Carrie Fisher whose character (Princess Leia) is rescued from cell block 1138. Fisher makes an appearance as Pauline Kahn who interviews Chloe for a job at the Daily Planet.
    • Chloe at the end mentions the line "Up, up, and away," which also happens to be one of Superman's iconic lines.
    • The Halloween Bash flyer that Chloe shows Clark has a skeleton looking woman on the front, the woman directly resembles the Superman villain Silver Banshee.
  • Sinister Sorority Sisters: The villains are a sorority of vampires. They turn Lana into a vampire as part of her initiation which involves draining Clark but she turns on them and is cured by Clark.
  • Three-Point Landing: Vamp!Lana makes this landing, breaking into the Luthor mansion.
  • This Is Reality: Vamp!Lana says this when Chloe threatens her with a crucifix only to be unaffected by it.
  • Vampire Bites Suck: Many of the Tri Psi Sorority victims and eventually Chloe and Clark learn this.
  • Vampire Episode: Works as such for the series.
  • Villainous Crush: A lot of this subtext between Buffy and Lana and The Tri Psi Sorority. Until Buffy tries to kill Lana.
  • Villain of the Week: Buffy Sanders, although Vamp!Lana ends up taking her place after incinerating her with heat vision.
  • The Virus: Buffy became a vampire after being bit by Kryptonite-infected bats.
  • Visual Pun: The pizza boy comments that their pepperoni pizza arrived nice and hot...just as the door opens and the Tri Psi Sorority are wearing bikinis.

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