Smallville Season 3 Episode 11 – Delete

If you’ve ever wanted to delete your spam folder with extreme prejudice, this episode takes it to a literal level. Smallville gets a tech-savvy upgrade (for 2004, anyway) when a mysterious “Summerholt Institute” starts sending out e-mails that do more than just offer cheap pharmaceuticals—they turn the town’s residents into sleeper assassin zombies.

The target? Everyone’s favorite nosey reporter, Chloe Sullivan. When Clark and Lana both take a swing at ending Chloe’s tenure at The Torch, it’s up to our flannel-clad hero to shake off the digital brainwashing and figure out who is hitting “send” on these murder orders before his best friend gets permanently moved to the recycle bin.

Episode Review

“Delete” is one of those quintessential mid-season episodes that balances the absurd with the genuinely entertaining. On one hand, the plot hinges on the fiercely dated concept of “hypnotic e-mails.” It screams early 2000s tech panic, where the internet was this scary, magical place that could reprogram your brain if you stared at a CRT monitor too long. It’s silly, sure, but it allows for some high-stakes drama without needing a kryptonite monster to punch.

The highlight here is seeing our main cast act completely out of character. Watching the usually sweet Lana Lang go full Kill Bill mode in the high school hallway is worth the price of admission alone. It’s chaotic, it’s violent, and it’s a nice break from the “will-they-won’t-they” angst, replacing it with “will-she-axe-murder-her.” The subplot with Adam Knight (Ian Somerhalder) continues to bubble in the background, making him creepier by the minute as he helps Lana a little too efficiently. It’s a solid, action-heavy hour that doesn’t take itself too seriously.

The usual suspects are all here: Tom Welling (Clark), Kristin Kreuk (Lana), Michael Rosenbaum (Lex), and Allison Mack (Chloe).

Freak of the Week: This week’s antagonist is Molly Griggs (played by Missy Peregrym), a hacker with the ability to control minds via technology, courtesy of the Summerholt Institute. Peregrym plays the “tech-goth” hacker pretty well, even if her character is mostly a plot device to get Clark and Lana to fight. Also, major shoutout to Ian Somerhalder as Adam Knight, who gets to show off some serious martial arts moves that hint he’s definitely not just a guy in rehab. So does Lana she actually seems almost too good at fighting.

Special Effects

We get a break from the heavy CGI this week in favor of some excellent practical stunt work. The standout sequence is undoubtedly the Lana vs. Chloe brawl. The choreography is surprisingly visceral for a WB teen drama, involving fire axes and shower room smash-ups. It felt gritty and real, rather than the usual “Clark pushes someone across the room” wire work. The visual effect for the “hypnotic suggestion” (the screen flashing rapidly and the eyeball crap) is a bit cheesy by modern standards—it looks like a bad screensaver—but it gets the job done.

Music

A very moody, mid-2000s rock playlist for this one:

• “The Reason” by Hoobastank – Plays during a heart-to-heart between Lana and Adam at the Talon. Continues with Clark and Chloe at the Torch. They continue with their really good use of music here.
• “Try” by Nelly Furtado – Heard when Lana and Adam are chatting at the Talon.
• “So Damn Lucky” by Dave Matthews – Plays during another Lana and Adam scene (they really wanted us to like this guy, huh?).

Rating

(3 out of 5 Stars)

It loses a points for the goofy “evil e-mail” premise, but gains one back for the incredible fight choreography and the novelty of seeing the everyone try to murder Chloe. Loses it again for just dropping the Freak of the Week with no consequences.

Synopsis and Plot Breakdown

The episode opens with a bang—literally. Chloe Sullivan is investigating the Summerholt Institute, a shady facility known for memory research. Meanwhile Clark’s at the library when suddenly, a mysterious e-mail arrives in his inbox. One look at the flashing subliminal message, and he walks calmly to his truck and attempts to run Chloe over.

It turns out Summerholt isn’t happy about Chloe’s digging. They are using a hacker named Molly Griggs to send hypnotic e-mails to anyone in Chloe’s contact list. The message reprograms the recipient’s brain with a single directive: Kill Chloe Sullivan.

Chaos ensues as Chloe’s friends turn on her one by one. First, it’s Clark. He receives the e-mail and attempts to crush Chloe with a truck (subtle, Clark). Fortunately, Clark’s alien physiology fights off the programming just enough for him to snap out of it before he does permanent damage, but it scares him.

Next, Lana gets the message. This leads to the episode’s centerpiece: a brutal fight at Smallville High. Lana attacks Chloe with a level of martial arts skill we haven’t seen from her before. Adam Knight intervenes, saving Chloe and subduing Lana, which raises further questions about who Adam really is and where he learned to fight like a soldier, then again, so does Lana.

Clark and Lex team up to track down the source. They find Molly Griggs hiding out, scared of Summerholt’s lead doctor, Dr. Garner. In a twist, even the Kents (Jonathan and Martha) get programmed and try to snipe Chloe at the farm. Clark manages to stop his parents without hurting them, eventually confronting Dr. Garner. While they can’t pin the murders on Garner due to legal loopholes, the immediate threat is neutralized. Lex, intrigued by Summerholt’s memory erasing capabilities, considers undergoing treatment to recover his missing seven weeks of memory, setting up future plotlines.

Lessons & Superman Lore

The Daily Planet & Lois Lane:

This episode drops a massive breadcrumb for the future. In a conversation, Chloe mentions her cousin, Lois Lane, isn’t interested in journalism. It is the very first mention of Lois in the series, foreshadowing the arrival of the iconic character in Season 4.

The Mind vs. The Man of Steel:

We see that while Clark is physically invulnerable, his mind is still susceptible to psychic or subliminal attacks, though his recovery time is faster than a human’s. This is a key part of Superman lore—magic and mind control are often his only non-Kryptonite weaknesses.

Truth and Justice:

Clark’s refusal to let Chloe die, even when the “easy” fix might be to stop her from digging, reinforces his commitment to the truth. He protects the press (Chloe) at all costs, which is fitting for a guy who will eventually work for a major metropolitan newspaper.

Review Notes

• Trivia: The “Summerholt” Institute sounds suspiciously like Ian Somerhalder, who plays Adam Knight in this arc. Coincidence? Probably, but it’s funny.
• Goof: When Clark sees the hypnotic email, he goes into a trance immediately. Later, when he snaps out of it, he seems to have no memory of the “programming” phase, yet he knew exactly where to find Chloe.
• Fashion Watch: Molly Griggs’ “hacker chic” outfit is peak 2004—layers upon layers of mesh and dark eyeliner.
• Quote of the Night: “I’m not interested in your cousin Lois.” – Clark Kent. Oh, Clark. If only you knew.

Quick Bites from reviewer notes

That opening is super cool with the fly in to The Daily Planet

Clark tries to kill Chloe?

Clark meets Adam

OK the brainwashing email special effect is dumb AF

Very Cool and Brutal Chick fight

Why the black security guy gotta have a name like Cornell

The super hearing effect is dumb AF too, we dont need to see the hammer in Clark’s ear to know that he can hear whatever he wants.

wonder if their gonna kill geek girl or put her in the nut house.

Clark/Lex team up on Molly and while confronting her, they find out she sent an email to Ma and Pa Kent

LOL The Kents try to kill Chloe now… thats some seriously against type stuff. Clark saves her though and Jon goes after him with Kryptonite. LOL Chloe saves Clark from Jon just in time.

And more silent film festival, man they do that one a lot and that dude who dribbles the basketball must be really tired by now.

Nice back and forth scene and music with Adam and Lana and then Clark and Chloe using the Talon and the Torch. Hilarious image on the computer behind Chloe

Did they really just drop Molly instantly, no consequences, she killed someone…

Lex sent Molly away thats it huh.

Lex trying to get Dr to help him since he has the story. Wants his 7 weeks back.

Next week S3 E12 Hereafter – afterlife?