For a summary of the episode guide layout & categories, click here.
Plot
Clark's worst nightmare comes true, as Jordan is possessed by the zealot Zeta-Rho. As The Cushings help General Lane in preparing Smallville for a Kryptonian invasion, Lois embarks on a dangerous journey to save her son as Clark and John Henry prepare to fight the Eradicator.
Influences
Goofs
Sarah is show arriving with her parents at the crash site where General Lane and Jonathan were left behind, despite having been there earlier when Jordan was abducted in the last episode. (It's possible she ran to her dad's truck and the scene started with them all leaving it.)
Performances
Honestly, it's impossible to single out any one member of the ensemble as particularly fantastic. They're all spectacular.
Artistry
The shot of Superman hovering over the world just listening is a powerful, cinematic moment.
The shot of John Henry falling to Earth is equally powerful and a nice callback to the first episode.
Super Trivia
This episode was directed by Tom Cavanagh, who plays the various versions of Harrison Wells on The Flash.
The title is a play on Superman's nickname, the Last Son of Krypton, referencing his half-brother Tal-Rho as another surviving son of Krypton.
When Sarah asks General Lane if they have any idea what happened to Jordan, he says the World's Finest are looking for him. This is a nod to the World's Finest comic book, which was devoted to Batman and Superman team-up stories.
Jonathan is seen playing Injustice 2 - a video game in which Superman is a character. (He is playing Sub-Zero and loses.)
Technobabble
John Henry and Jonathan find a way to apply John Henry's red solar tech to his kinetic hammer, enabling it to pierce the Eradicator's energy shields and drain his power. Unfortunately, it must be thrown a long distance and has to hit him dead center to be effective.
Dialogue Triumphs
(Lois explains her plan to rescue Jordan.)
Clark: Lois...
Lois: You and Kyle and all the other people that Edge used as Subjekts, you all said the same thing... that there was a darkness that overcame you when you were eradicated. I've been helping Jordan push through that darkness his whole life. I can do it now. I can access his memories and wake him up.
Clark: Yeah, but they won't just be Jordan's memories, they'll be Zeta-Rho's too. And if he realizes you're in there like I did with the Edge, he'll wake up, and then he'll come for you.
Lois: And if that happens, Jonathan will be there. I have seen him under pressure and he is in complete control. Clark, you and I brought the boys into the superhero world and I wasn't sure it was the right thing to do but I have seen how capable they've become. They're strong like their father.
Clark: Like their mother.
Jonathan: Here's all the weapons I borrowed.
(Johnathan drops a sheet holding a goodly amount of weapons on John Henry's work bench. He gives Jonathan a withering look that seems to say, "Really?")
(John Henry lays out his plan for using the red sun hammer to stop Eradicator.)
Lois: I'm guessing you only get one shot at this?
Jonathan: Here's all the weapons I borrowed.
(Johnathan drops a sheet holding a goodly amount of weapons on John Henry's work bench. He gives Jonathan a withering look that seems to say, "Really?")
(John Henry lays out his plan for using the red sun hammer to stop Eradicator.)
Lois: I'm guessing you only get one shot at this?
Clark: I'll handle Edge.
Jonathan: Right, 'cause that's totally doable. I mean, he only has, like, six other badass Kryptonian dudes with him.
(There is a long pause. The blunt teenager spoke the truth nobody else wanted to admit.)
Jonathan: Look, those are terrible odds. This is really the plan?
Lois: It's the only plan we've got.
John Henry: So. Terrible odds.
Clark: Sure. But better together.
Clark: Sure. But better together.
Lois: How's it going out there?
John Henry: A work in progress.
Jonathan: Jordan, you gotta wake up. Promise if you do, I'll never ever... do any of the stuff you hate.
(Jonathan sighs and turns around. Suddenly, Jordan's eyes open.)
Jonathan: Jordan! Mom did it!
Zeta-Rho: No. She didn't.
Jonathan: Jordan, you gotta wake up. Promise if you do, I'll never ever... do any of the stuff you hate.
(Jonathan sighs and turns around. Suddenly, Jordan's eyes open.)
Jonathan: Jordan! Mom did it!
Zeta-Rho: No. She didn't.
Lois: Jordan. Honey, I'm here, okay? I'm here.
Jordan: I'm sorry I'm not strong, Mom.
Lois: Yes, you are.
Jordan: He said that I was pathetic. An embarrassment, and the weakest of my kind.
Lois: Jordan, that's 'cause he knows how strong you really are.
Jordan: I'm not strong, Mom.
Lois: Yes you are.
Jordan: I'm not strong, Mom!
Lois: Yes, you are. What Zeta said is not true. You have no idea how strong you are. You're stronger than any of us. All your life you have been strong. You are a fighter. I need you to fight now harder than you ever have. You find that strength that I know is there. You find that strength to come back to us. I know you can do it, baby. Find that strength and fight.
(After Clark catches him falling from orbit.)
John Henry: Nice timing.
Clark: My best.
John Henry: Nice timing.
Clark: My best.
Superman: I've seen more than my share of disasters. Big, small, natural, or otherwise, they can change a place forever. And it's not just the physical destruction. Sometimes it's the people who may never be the same. Oftentimes, a crisis has a way of revealing a person's true nature, for better or worse.
Chrissy Beppo: Makes me wonder, are you at all worried that this would make people afraid of Kryptonians?
Chrissy Beppo: Makes me wonder, are you at all worried that this would make people afraid of Kryptonians?
Superman: (smiling) You mean me? That's not something I will ever be able to control. But I know who I really am, just like I know who the people of Smallville really are.
Chrissy Beppo: What do you mean by that?
Superman: This small town was hurting. Its people were hurting. An event this big could have destroyed it, could've torn it apart, but it didn't. It brought it back together. I saw people find strength they didn't know they had, face their fears, become heroes. I'm not the one who saved Smallville. Its people did. And I know because of this experience, by going through this together, Smallville will be stronger than it has ever been before.
(John Henry turns down Lois' offer to stay with them on the Kent farm.)
John Henry: Nah, I don't know. I don't think that's a good idea.
John Henry: Nah, I don't know. I don't think that's a good idea.
Lois: Clark and I talked about it. He really trusts you.
John Henry: It's not about him. Every time I look at you, I see my wife, the only woman I've ever loved. She's with someone else and they're happy.
John Henry: It's not about him. Every time I look at you, I see my wife, the only woman I've ever loved. She's with someone else and they're happy.
Lois: John...
John Henry: No, I know you're not her but it doesn't change how it feels.
Lois: I just want you to be happy.
John Henry: I know. Which is why I can't stay.
(Lois pulls John Henry into a hug.)
Lois: Thank you for everything.
John Henry: Just take good care of your boys... - all three of 'em.
Clark: (On Jor-El) Growing up, I always felt different... alone in some way. I had so many questions about who I was, why I was here. And all that changed when I met him. He taught me so many things about my homeworld, about my family, about myself. But the greatest thing... the greatest thing he ever did for me... is just be my dad.
Natalie Irons: Mom?!
Clark: (On Jor-El) Growing up, I always felt different... alone in some way. I had so many questions about who I was, why I was here. And all that changed when I met him. He taught me so many things about my homeworld, about my family, about myself. But the greatest thing... the greatest thing he ever did for me... is just be my dad.
Natalie Irons: Mom?!
Continuity
As the episode opens, Clark and John Henry have had no luck finding where the Eradicator took Jordan, after searching Morgan Edge's Fortress, his lab, his office or the site of the Fortress of Solitude.
Clark goes back out to search and asks John Henry to stay behind at the Department of Defense in case the Eradicator attacks it.
Kyle and Lana help treat General Lane's injuries and agree to help get him back to the DoD command center in Smallville.
Sarah asks Jonathan why Morgan Edge took Jordan. He does not answer her.
The next step of Zeta-Rho's plan involves resurrecting the Defense Council of Krypton.
Lois confronts Leslie Larr, but doesn't get any information apart from Zeta-Rho planning something Superman can't stop.
A mob of protesters haver swarmed the DoD outpost in Smallville.
The Eradicator goes into the Shuster Mines and a cavern full of X-Kryptonite, apparently planning to charge the whole town of Smallville from there.
Zeta-Rho and the Defense Council guard the mine entrance.
Superman knocks Zeta-Rho out and has John Henry transport Jordan's body back to Lois and Johnathan at the Kent Farm.
Kyle and Lana apparently made their peace with most of the people in Smallville.
Lana is on speaking terms with Emily Phan again, after sharing a box of white wine together.
Kyle got his job back as the chief of the Smallville Fire Department so they are staying in town.
Jonathan sees Tegan Wickhem at the victory party and she smiles at him.
Lois sold the brownstone the Kent's used to own in Metropolis and used it to match half the offer Chrissy Beppo was given for The Smallville Gazette. She says she wants to partner with her on the paper. Chrissy agrees.
John Henry got a call from the Department of Defense offering him a job. He asks General Lane why he didn't ask him personally.
General Lane explains he is stepping down from active duty to focus on his family.
John Henry tells Lois that he's thinking of reaching out to the version of his sister that exists on this world.
Lois says he'd be welcome to stay and help out on the farm while helping Clark defend the world, but John Henry says it would still hurt too much to see a copy of the woman he loves with someone else, even though, logically, he knows she is not his Lois.
The Bottom Line
A fantastic finish to a fantastic season. This is Superman done right.
As the episode opens, Clark and John Henry have had no luck finding where the Eradicator took Jordan, after searching Morgan Edge's Fortress, his lab, his office or the site of the Fortress of Solitude.
Clark goes back out to search and asks John Henry to stay behind at the Department of Defense in case the Eradicator attacks it.
Kyle and Lana help treat General Lane's injuries and agree to help get him back to the DoD command center in Smallville.
Sarah asks Jonathan why Morgan Edge took Jordan. He does not answer her.
The next step of Zeta-Rho's plan involves resurrecting the Defense Council of Krypton.
Lois confronts Leslie Larr, but doesn't get any information apart from Zeta-Rho planning something Superman can't stop.
A mob of protesters haver swarmed the DoD outpost in Smallville.
Lana, Kyle and Sarah elect to stay and help manage the crowd and calm people down rather than abandon the neighbors who abandoned them.
Superman hears Jordan and goes to him, but it's part of a trap Zeta-Rho set.
The Eradicator comes to Smallville and implants the minds of the Defense Council of Krypton into the bodies of six of the soldiers who stand against him.
John Henry tries to fight him, but the power of the Eradicator drains his suit to half power after one attack and his red sun missile from 112 cant penetrate Eradicator's energy shield.
General Lane orders Smallville be evacuated.
John Henry asks Jonathan to help him inventory his red sun weapons and see if they can work something out.
Clark describes overcoming Zod's mind as nearly impossible, suggesting Jordan might not be able to avoid being taken over by Zeta-Rho the same way.
Lois suggests using the device that let Morgan Edge enter Clark's memories in 111 to try and reach Jordan.
Sophie Cushing is said to be with her grandparents.
John Henry and Johnathan enhance the kinetic hammer to unleash red solar energy on impact.
Clark gives Jonathan the sonic weapon Killgrave used in 104.
Superman hears Jordan and goes to him, but it's part of a trap Zeta-Rho set.
The Eradicator comes to Smallville and implants the minds of the Defense Council of Krypton into the bodies of six of the soldiers who stand against him.
John Henry tries to fight him, but the power of the Eradicator drains his suit to half power after one attack and his red sun missile from 112 cant penetrate Eradicator's energy shield.
General Lane orders Smallville be evacuated.
John Henry asks Jonathan to help him inventory his red sun weapons and see if they can work something out.
Clark describes overcoming Zod's mind as nearly impossible, suggesting Jordan might not be able to avoid being taken over by Zeta-Rho the same way.
Lois suggests using the device that let Morgan Edge enter Clark's memories in 111 to try and reach Jordan.
Sophie Cushing is said to be with her grandparents.
John Henry and Johnathan enhance the kinetic hammer to unleash red solar energy on impact.
Clark gives Jonathan the sonic weapon Killgrave used in 104.
The Eradicator goes into the Shuster Mines and a cavern full of X-Kryptonite, apparently planning to charge the whole town of Smallville from there.
Zeta-Rho and the Defense Council guard the mine entrance.
Superman knocks Zeta-Rho out and has John Henry transport Jordan's body back to Lois and Johnathan at the Kent Farm.
Lois starts digging through the mindscape, but keeps coming back to Zeta-Rho's memories of insulting his son when they first met.
The energy surge started by the Eradiator triggers an Earthquake and several fires in Smallville.
Lana and Sarah start guiding people into the diner to use it as a shelter, as Kyle runs into a burning building to save a girl.
The energy surge started by the Eradiator triggers an Earthquake and several fires in Smallville.
Lana and Sarah start guiding people into the diner to use it as a shelter, as Kyle runs into a burning building to save a girl.
Zeta-Rho awakens in Jordan's body. Jonathan shoots him once with the sonic gun but it only works for a moment before he starts strangling him.
Lois finds Jordan in a memory of him hiding in his room. She tells him that he's far stronger than he thinks and that he has to fight Zeta-Rho. This inspires him to break the control.
John throws his hammer at the Eradiator from orbit, as Clark charges in to hold him steady. It takes the last of his power to manage this, but the shot connects and destroys the Eradicator, leaving Morgan Edge as only himself. The energy surge also seems to free the DoD soldiers from the control of the Defense Council.
Leslie Larr seems to sense the Eradictor's detruction from her cell.
Superman makes a statement confirming that Morgan Edge was a Kryptonian, but does not reveal to the world that he is his half-brother. He also explains how his plan was to transplant Kryptonian minds into human bodies, but he no longer has the ability to do that. He also says that a mineral in Smallville allowed this to happen, but it can't happen anymore.
Kyle holds a barbecue to celebrate the city's salvation.
Kyle devises a new recipe for what he calls Victory Ribs, but he says he's only sharing it with Lois Lane.
Lois finds Jordan in a memory of him hiding in his room. She tells him that he's far stronger than he thinks and that he has to fight Zeta-Rho. This inspires him to break the control.
John throws his hammer at the Eradiator from orbit, as Clark charges in to hold him steady. It takes the last of his power to manage this, but the shot connects and destroys the Eradicator, leaving Morgan Edge as only himself. The energy surge also seems to free the DoD soldiers from the control of the Defense Council.
Leslie Larr seems to sense the Eradictor's detruction from her cell.
Superman makes a statement confirming that Morgan Edge was a Kryptonian, but does not reveal to the world that he is his half-brother. He also explains how his plan was to transplant Kryptonian minds into human bodies, but he no longer has the ability to do that. He also says that a mineral in Smallville allowed this to happen, but it can't happen anymore.
Kyle holds a barbecue to celebrate the city's salvation.
Kyle devises a new recipe for what he calls Victory Ribs, but he says he's only sharing it with Lois Lane.
Kyle and Lana apparently made their peace with most of the people in Smallville.
Lana is on speaking terms with Emily Phan again, after sharing a box of white wine together.
Kyle got his job back as the chief of the Smallville Fire Department so they are staying in town.
Jonathan sees Tegan Wickhem at the victory party and she smiles at him.
Lois sold the brownstone the Kent's used to own in Metropolis and used it to match half the offer Chrissy Beppo was given for The Smallville Gazette. She says she wants to partner with her on the paper. Chrissy agrees.
John Henry got a call from the Department of Defense offering him a job. He asks General Lane why he didn't ask him personally.
General Lane explains he is stepping down from active duty to focus on his family.
John Henry tells Lois that he's thinking of reaching out to the version of his sister that exists on this world.
Lois says he'd be welcome to stay and help out on the farm while helping Clark defend the world, but John Henry says it would still hurt too much to see a copy of the woman he loves with someone else, even though, logically, he knows she is not his Lois.
Sarah tells Jordan that she loves him too.
The remnants of Jor-El's crystal are buried under a tree on the Kent family farm.
As John Henry is about to go on the road, he receives a report of a spaceship locking onto the CPU of his power armor, which is approaching the Kent farm at high velocity.
As John Henry is about to go on the road, he receives a report of a spaceship locking onto the CPU of his power armor, which is approaching the Kent farm at high velocity.
The spaceship is piloted by Natalie Irons, who somehow followed her father across the divide between realities.
The Bottom Line
A fantastic finish to a fantastic season. This is Superman done right.
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