For a summary of the episode guide layout & categories, click here.
Plot
Lois and Clark begin to crack the mystery of why Morgan Edge is interested in Smallville beyond the X-Kryptonite in the Shuster Mines. Meanwhile, the DoD's Kryptonite weapons have unintended consequences that put Jordan's life in danger and lead to a reckoning between Lois and her father.
Influences
New Krypton (invasion of Earth by Kryptonian refugees)
Performances
This is another great episode for Elizabeth Tulloch, who gets to showcase Lois Lane's inner steel as she confronts Morgan Edge and her father.
Not to be outdone, Jordan Elsass gets two equally great moments: comforting his mother as she falls apart and confronting his grandfather on his own negligence.
Artistry
The bank robbery scene is fantastic and Superman responding to the people in Spanish is a neat nod to the old Christopher Reeve Superman movies.
Super Trivia
This episode introduces Dabney Donovan - an employee of Morgan Edge who assists with the transformation process that turns people into hosts for Kryptonian minds. In the comics, Dabney Donovan was the co-founder of Project Cadmus - the think-tank that created the Superboy clone and various bits of advanced technology for Intergang.
Technobabble
The Kryptonite gas which Lieutenant Rosetti used on Superman is a biological weapon and it turns out to be communicable. Direct exposure makes Clark temporarily able to bruise and causes him to become winded. Jordan develops a cold and loses control of his powers when he sneezes.
The Jor-El hologram determines that Jordan is in respiratory distress and that his lungs are filling with fluid. Given that he can condense large quantities of air, he's also cooling it, like Clark does when he uses his Freeze Breath.
Intense heat can be used to burn Kryptonite out of a Kryptonian's body, but the process is painful.
Dialogue Triumphs
(Lois has just made a scene at one of Edge's recruitment meetings.)
Edge: Well, that was desperate.
Lois: I know what you're doing.
Edge: Providing good jobs to a community in need?
Lois: You are putting Kryptonian consciousnesses into people's bodies. You are taking them over and giving them powers.
Edge: And your evidence for this is... ?
Lois: Derek Powell, Reno Rosetti, Leslie.
Edge: Oh, so two dead men and my personal assistant. I have to say, this story has holes even by your standards.
Lois: We both know it's the truth.
Edge: In my experience, truth is rather subjective. Who do you think people are more likely to believe? A has-been slumming it at the local paper? Or the man who's giving this town the best economy it's ever known?
Lois: These people are not puppets to be controlled by you. They have dreams. They have families.
Edge: No one's being forced to do anything against their will. Everyone's made the same offer: the chance for a better life. (points to his ad copy) Says so right there.
Lois: We're not publishing this.
Edge: Then I guess word of mouth will have to suffice. You can't stop this, Lois. Perhaps it's time you use that device you have to call in your super friend?
Lois: Perhaps it is.
Edge: Risky, though. Need I remind you where he's from? He may take comfort knowing there are others here just like him, as John Irons prophesied.
Lois: Superman is nothing like them.
Lois: (to General Lane) All my life, your job was your number one priority. Accepting that wasn't easy, but I learned to live with it, and somehow even grew to respect it because I believed that you were trying to do the right thing, and I honestly naively thought that once I had a family, you might change, start putting us first, but I was wrong. Knowingly and willingly endangering the lives of the people I love... I can't forgive that. So when this is over, I want you to leave and never come back. You're not welcome here anymore.
(Jonathan walks in on Lois crying.)
Lois: I should've protected him.
Jonathan: (sighing) Mom, this isn't... this isn't on you.
Lois: I'm your mom. My one job is to keep you guys safe, and I keep failing at it.
Jonathan: No, no, you don't.
Lois: You were almost gunned down in John Henry's RV...
Jonathan: That was my fault.
Lois: Got into a car accident.
Jonathan: That was also my fault.
Lois: I feel like I can't turn around without one of you being in mortal danger. Why is it so hard to keep you safe?
Jonathan: I don't know. Just... Just part of being a super family, I guess.
(Jonathan walks out on the porch. General Lane is there.)
General Lane: Just waiting to hear back from my team. Then we'll get everything straightened out with Jordan and your dad.
Jonathan: Little late for that, isn't it? Why'd you do it? Why'd you build those weapons to hurt my dad?
General Lane: Your father's the most powerful being this world's ever known. My job is to keep us safe, which means being prepared for any scenario, no matter how unlikely. You and I, we're not like your dad, or even Jordan.
Jonathan: He's my twin brother.
General Lane: Yes, but the minute his powers surfaced, you and him began walking two very different paths.
Jonathan: That scares you, doesn't it?
General Lane: It does.
Jonathan: You know, I think you're wrong. I think you're wrong about you and I being alike.
General Lane: How so?
Jonathan: I could never be scared of my family, no matter what powers they might have.
General Lane: Jonathan, you haven't seen the things I have.
Jonathan: Yeah, you're right. But in the end, I don't think that would matter 'cause I'd still trust them, and you'd still be a coward.
Continuity
The opening scene shows an unseen person being led into Morgan Edge's office by Leslie Larr. This person is later revealed to be Kyle Cushing.
Lois notes that Edge was in and out of Hazel Green and Granville in weeks, so there has to be something he needs in Smallville beyond the X-Kryptonite.
Clark starts helping Lois with her investigation, as he's no longer working as a football coach.
Emily from 107 is run through the transformation process. Her full name is revealed as Emily Phan.
Emily is determined to have "complete host acceptance."
Jonathan and Jordan plan to go the talent show - Jonathan to be supportive and Jordan to play piano with her.
Lois suspects that Sarah wants to be more than "just friends" with Jordan, despite what she said, but says she'll leave it to Sarah to tell him that.
Lois asks Clark to try and get people to stop signing up for Morgan Edge's "enhancement" program, after they learn from Lana that he's looking for more recruits past the original five.
Lana reports that none of the new enhanced workers are acting strangely apart from seeming happier and more motivated.
Kyle thanks Jordan for stepping up when he failed to show up for Sarah's audition in 108.
Sarah says her father has been talking about how he's changed and is quitting drinking.
Sarah once again warns Jonathan to stay away from Tegan Wickhem.
Clark approached Emily Phan at the diner and asks how she's doing . She also reports that she's feeling better than ever.
Clark hears a bank robbery in Mexico and leaves to deal with it.
Clark can speak fluent Spanish.
During the fight, Clark becomes winded and he feels his heart beating faster than normal.
Chrissy Beppo reports that Morgan Edge just bought a ton of ads for the next paper, looking for more "enhancement" recruits.
Lois confronts Edge at his office, disrupting one of his meetings.
Edge reveals that he knows about John Henry Irons and his prophecy of what will happen. He doesn't explain how he knows this, however. (Probably it was leaked to him from Lieutenant Rosetti before his death.)
Edge also knows about Lois' device for signaling Superman.
Jonathan finally got his issue with his locker sorted out.
Jonathan approaches Tegan Wickhem and asks her out, only to be shot down. She said she was just being nice to him because he broke his arm.
Clark returns home to realize that the regular bullets of the bank robbers actually bruised him.
Sarah starts grilling Jordan over any 'secret talents" he might have besides playing the piano.
Jordan sneezes and freezes his hand. This is the first the he uses the classic Ice Breath power.
Jordan leaves his practice with Sarah in a rush and calls his dad with his pager.
Clark has reportedly never been sick a day in his life.
General Lane says his men are working on a cure.
Sarah goes to Jonathan and asks why Jordan ran off. Jonathan plays dumb, but says he'll look for Jordan and make sure he's going to be there at the talent show that night.
Emily Phan tells Lana that there is a special process as part of the enhancement program. She says Morgan Edge told her it must be kept secret and she couldn't tell anyone - not even her family.
Lana and Emily have known each other since the 5th grade.
Lana tries to fish for more details regarding the program, only for Morgan Edge to reveal that he knows she is Lois Lane's mole.
Edge says that Lana can undergo enhancement herself or he will have her killed.
Jordan wants to go to the talent show, but his cold is getting worse.
Clark takes Jordan to the Fortress of Solitude to see about treating Jordan there.
Lois tells her father that once Jordan is well, she wants him to leave and never contact her or her children again.
Clark determines he can heal Jordan, but it will require burning the Kryptonite out of his system using intense heat rays in the Fortress of Solitude.
Jonathan comforts Lois as she wonders where she went wrong as a monther.
Emily Phan saves both Lana and Kyle seats at the talent show.
When Jordan doesn't show up, Kyle has his guitar read and plays to accompany Sarah.
Jonathan tells off his grandfather, calling Sam Lane a coward for being afraid of his own grandson and son-in-law.
Emily Phan's daughter Avery is also in the talent show.
Emily leaves as her daughter is performing. Kyle follows after her.
Edge sends his "Subkelts" after Lois Lane, having learned from Leslie Larr that Superman is still weak from the Kryptonite weapon.
Lana calls Lois and tells her about Emily Phan leaving in the middle of her daughter's performance.
Lana turned down Edge's offer, despite his threat, and tells Lois that Edge knew Lana was acting as her spy.
Emily Phan and another man, Jasper Townes, show up to kill Lois.
General Lane has some of the Kryptonite gas with him. He uses is to hold off the Kryptonians and Jonathan and Lois escape to the barn>
Kyle Cushing shows up and tries to attack Lois.
Jonathan repels Kyle Cushing with a red-sun energy weapon he stole from John Henry Irons' RV.
Superman arrives and the three Kryptonians flee.
Lois forgives her father for what happened.
General Lane says that from now on Lois, the boys, Clark and Smallville are his priority.
Jordan describes freeze breath as feeling like you have a piece of wintergreen gum in your mouth all the time.
Jordan texts Sarah but she ignores his message.
Kyle Cushing returns home and speaks to Lana in private. He says he blacked out at the talent show and when he woke up his ribs hurt and he was a in a field outside town. It is here he reveals that he took Morgan Edge's offer to "better" himself.
Chrissy Beppo finds a common link between all the people who were ideal Kryptonian hosts - all of them were Smallville natives.
Derek Powell was from New Carthage. Reno Rosetti was from Metropolis.
Leslie Larr's real name is Irma Sayers and she was from Smallville.
Another one of Edge's test-subjects was named David Fuglestad.
Clark theorizes that the large ammount of X-Kryptonite in Smallville has been radiating people for years.
Edge uses Lois' stolen pager to summon Superman.
The episodes ends with Edge revealing that he has a suit of Kryptonian armor with a unique crest and that he also has Kryptonian powers. He also addresses Superman as "brother."
The Bottom Line
While a bit heavy on exposition, still an enjoyable episode with some great character moments for Lois and Jonathan and one heck of a cliff-hanger!
Lois: (to General Lane) All my life, your job was your number one priority. Accepting that wasn't easy, but I learned to live with it, and somehow even grew to respect it because I believed that you were trying to do the right thing, and I honestly naively thought that once I had a family, you might change, start putting us first, but I was wrong. Knowingly and willingly endangering the lives of the people I love... I can't forgive that. So when this is over, I want you to leave and never come back. You're not welcome here anymore.
(Jonathan walks in on Lois crying.)
Lois: I should've protected him.
Jonathan: (sighing) Mom, this isn't... this isn't on you.
Lois: I'm your mom. My one job is to keep you guys safe, and I keep failing at it.
Jonathan: No, no, you don't.
Lois: You were almost gunned down in John Henry's RV...
Jonathan: That was my fault.
Lois: Got into a car accident.
Jonathan: That was also my fault.
Lois: I feel like I can't turn around without one of you being in mortal danger. Why is it so hard to keep you safe?
Jonathan: I don't know. Just... Just part of being a super family, I guess.
(Jonathan walks out on the porch. General Lane is there.)
General Lane: Just waiting to hear back from my team. Then we'll get everything straightened out with Jordan and your dad.
Jonathan: Little late for that, isn't it? Why'd you do it? Why'd you build those weapons to hurt my dad?
General Lane: Your father's the most powerful being this world's ever known. My job is to keep us safe, which means being prepared for any scenario, no matter how unlikely. You and I, we're not like your dad, or even Jordan.
Jonathan: He's my twin brother.
General Lane: Yes, but the minute his powers surfaced, you and him began walking two very different paths.
Jonathan: That scares you, doesn't it?
General Lane: It does.
Jonathan: You know, I think you're wrong. I think you're wrong about you and I being alike.
General Lane: How so?
Jonathan: I could never be scared of my family, no matter what powers they might have.
General Lane: Jonathan, you haven't seen the things I have.
Jonathan: Yeah, you're right. But in the end, I don't think that would matter 'cause I'd still trust them, and you'd still be a coward.
Continuity
The opening scene shows an unseen person being led into Morgan Edge's office by Leslie Larr. This person is later revealed to be Kyle Cushing.
Lois notes that Edge was in and out of Hazel Green and Granville in weeks, so there has to be something he needs in Smallville beyond the X-Kryptonite.
Clark starts helping Lois with her investigation, as he's no longer working as a football coach.
Emily from 107 is run through the transformation process. Her full name is revealed as Emily Phan.
Emily is determined to have "complete host acceptance."
Jonathan and Jordan plan to go the talent show - Jonathan to be supportive and Jordan to play piano with her.
Lois suspects that Sarah wants to be more than "just friends" with Jordan, despite what she said, but says she'll leave it to Sarah to tell him that.
Lois asks Clark to try and get people to stop signing up for Morgan Edge's "enhancement" program, after they learn from Lana that he's looking for more recruits past the original five.
Lana reports that none of the new enhanced workers are acting strangely apart from seeming happier and more motivated.
Kyle thanks Jordan for stepping up when he failed to show up for Sarah's audition in 108.
Sarah says her father has been talking about how he's changed and is quitting drinking.
Sarah once again warns Jonathan to stay away from Tegan Wickhem.
Clark approached Emily Phan at the diner and asks how she's doing . She also reports that she's feeling better than ever.
Clark hears a bank robbery in Mexico and leaves to deal with it.
Clark can speak fluent Spanish.
During the fight, Clark becomes winded and he feels his heart beating faster than normal.
Chrissy Beppo reports that Morgan Edge just bought a ton of ads for the next paper, looking for more "enhancement" recruits.
Lois confronts Edge at his office, disrupting one of his meetings.
Edge reveals that he knows about John Henry Irons and his prophecy of what will happen. He doesn't explain how he knows this, however. (Probably it was leaked to him from Lieutenant Rosetti before his death.)
Edge also knows about Lois' device for signaling Superman.
Jonathan finally got his issue with his locker sorted out.
Jonathan approaches Tegan Wickhem and asks her out, only to be shot down. She said she was just being nice to him because he broke his arm.
Clark returns home to realize that the regular bullets of the bank robbers actually bruised him.
Sarah starts grilling Jordan over any 'secret talents" he might have besides playing the piano.
Jordan sneezes and freezes his hand. This is the first the he uses the classic Ice Breath power.
Jordan leaves his practice with Sarah in a rush and calls his dad with his pager.
Clark has reportedly never been sick a day in his life.
General Lane says his men are working on a cure.
Sarah goes to Jonathan and asks why Jordan ran off. Jonathan plays dumb, but says he'll look for Jordan and make sure he's going to be there at the talent show that night.
Emily Phan tells Lana that there is a special process as part of the enhancement program. She says Morgan Edge told her it must be kept secret and she couldn't tell anyone - not even her family.
Lana and Emily have known each other since the 5th grade.
Lana tries to fish for more details regarding the program, only for Morgan Edge to reveal that he knows she is Lois Lane's mole.
Edge says that Lana can undergo enhancement herself or he will have her killed.
Jordan wants to go to the talent show, but his cold is getting worse.
Clark takes Jordan to the Fortress of Solitude to see about treating Jordan there.
Lois tells her father that once Jordan is well, she wants him to leave and never contact her or her children again.
Clark determines he can heal Jordan, but it will require burning the Kryptonite out of his system using intense heat rays in the Fortress of Solitude.
Jonathan comforts Lois as she wonders where she went wrong as a monther.
Emily Phan saves both Lana and Kyle seats at the talent show.
When Jordan doesn't show up, Kyle has his guitar read and plays to accompany Sarah.
Jonathan tells off his grandfather, calling Sam Lane a coward for being afraid of his own grandson and son-in-law.
Emily Phan's daughter Avery is also in the talent show.
Emily leaves as her daughter is performing. Kyle follows after her.
Edge sends his "Subkelts" after Lois Lane, having learned from Leslie Larr that Superman is still weak from the Kryptonite weapon.
Lana calls Lois and tells her about Emily Phan leaving in the middle of her daughter's performance.
Lana turned down Edge's offer, despite his threat, and tells Lois that Edge knew Lana was acting as her spy.
Emily Phan and another man, Jasper Townes, show up to kill Lois.
General Lane has some of the Kryptonite gas with him. He uses is to hold off the Kryptonians and Jonathan and Lois escape to the barn>
Kyle Cushing shows up and tries to attack Lois.
Jonathan repels Kyle Cushing with a red-sun energy weapon he stole from John Henry Irons' RV.
Superman arrives and the three Kryptonians flee.
Lois forgives her father for what happened.
General Lane says that from now on Lois, the boys, Clark and Smallville are his priority.
Jordan describes freeze breath as feeling like you have a piece of wintergreen gum in your mouth all the time.
Jordan texts Sarah but she ignores his message.
Kyle Cushing returns home and speaks to Lana in private. He says he blacked out at the talent show and when he woke up his ribs hurt and he was a in a field outside town. It is here he reveals that he took Morgan Edge's offer to "better" himself.
Chrissy Beppo finds a common link between all the people who were ideal Kryptonian hosts - all of them were Smallville natives.
Derek Powell was from New Carthage. Reno Rosetti was from Metropolis.
Leslie Larr's real name is Irma Sayers and she was from Smallville.
Another one of Edge's test-subjects was named David Fuglestad.
Clark theorizes that the large ammount of X-Kryptonite in Smallville has been radiating people for years.
Edge uses Lois' stolen pager to summon Superman.
The episodes ends with Edge revealing that he has a suit of Kryptonian armor with a unique crest and that he also has Kryptonian powers. He also addresses Superman as "brother."
The Bottom Line
While a bit heavy on exposition, still an enjoyable episode with some great character moments for Lois and Jonathan and one heck of a cliff-hanger!
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