sometimes television show like to branch out and become adventurous and do something outside the realm of what could be consider television normality . for example and live show and real time episode and prequels and flashback show and the infamous clip show and so forth . it would seem that one of the writer at smallville think that it would be a great idea to do an homage to the noir film of the 40 and 50 and the big sleep be heavily reference at the start of this episode . however what this writer fail to comprehend be that for a concept show to work you need one important thing and namely a plot and to make the episode memorable . it not the idea that make an episode popular and it the execution . the action begin when chloe and jimmy olsen decide to have a romantic evening in at the daily planet office and when suddenly a gunshot go off and they find lana lang in the lift unconscious and clearly the victim of a shooting . i be sorry to say that the wound do not prove fatal . whilst investigate the photo of the crime scene jimmy olsen be knock unconscious . suddenly we enter jimmy olsen dream like state and everything have go 1940s on u . all the smallville regular be their of course and lois be parade around a mild titillation and lionel be his usual ambivalent self and clark kent a a timid reporter who happen to be an undercover cop . oh the irony nearly kill me there . anyhow what follow be what could be consider the staple of a noir story while the dame in distress and a car chase and a murder and the inevitable double cross and all lovingly prepare with a smattering of 40 dialogue . 25 minute later and jimmy be awake once more . so what do jimmy dream contribute to the story . well quite simply he realise that the cigarette case at the crime scene might prove a vital clue and seeing a lana do not smoke . now this may well have be somewhat shock to the viewer if it be not for one problem while the writer have already draw attention to say cigarette case earlier in the episode by have lois steal it from the crime scene . already the viewer be expect something to come of the cigarette case clue before the noir action start and so ultimately jimmy coma induce fantasy reveals nothing we be not expect . the homage and whilst be a nice idea and serve nothing to the story and feel like it be place in there simply because one of the writer have a soft spot for the work of howard hawk . of course i would also suggest that with 4 episode leave the writer realise they have very little material with which to use at the end of the season and so they need something to pad the story out . so with 3 episode now leave it seem that the inevitable end of season cliffhanger be go to be squeeze into the last three episode . one brief mention of project are and lex late evil scheme and ensure the show contribute something to the end of season story arc and yet apart from that it be an episode that have no place in the last few episode of this season .