Superman and Lois: Season 1, Episode 15 - Last Sons of Krypton

 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

Reign of the Supermen


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?

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.

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. 

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.

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? 

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. 

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. 

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?!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Superman and Lois: Season 1, Episode 14 - The Eradicator

For a summary of the episode guide layout & categories, click here.

Plot

As Morgan Edge builds his power and bides his time while undergoing a horrific transformation, Lois becomes worried about how much time Jordan is spending with Sarah. Meanwhile, Jonathan grows closer to John Henry and Clark pays Lana a visit.

Influences

Reign of the Superman (Steel and Superman teaming against Eradicator, with Jordan as Superboy)


Artistry

The special effects work and action sequences are of cinematic quality.


Super Trivia

This episode originally aired three weeks after episode 113. Coincidentally, there's a three week gap between the events of both episodes.

Mention is made of one of the newly made Kryptonians being brought down at Jurgens and 4th Street in Metropolis. This is a nod to writer/artist Dan Jurgens, who was one of the creators responsible for the Death of Superman storyline.

Technobabble

Jonathan notes the difference between a rocket launcher and a missile launcher.


Dialogue Triumphs

(Clark hears General Lane's alarm go off.)

Clark: Speaking of, it’s your dad.
Lois:  Did he find Edge?
Clark: No. He seems upset.
Lois: He’s always upset.

(John Henry is making adjustments to his hammer. Jonathan is watching him work.)
Jonathan: So how many volts is that?
John Henry: More than you can handle.
Jonathan: I don’t know. I’ve used it before with no problem.
John Henry: Well, it would be a problem now.

(Jonathan picks up a random part.)  
Jonathan: So what other modifications are you making?

(John Henry takes the part from him, clearly annoyed.)  
John Henry: What did I say about asking questions?
Jonathan: Not to ask them.
(John Henry nods as Jonathan walks over to his power armor. He points to the bug symbol.)
Jonathan: So what’s… what’s the deal with this? 

(John Henry is waiting for his hammer to come back on-line as he faces a Kryptonian. The hammer finally finishes recharging and comes to his hand. He spins and throws it.... past the Kryptonian.)

Kryptonian: You missed.

(The camera tracks the path of the hammer, as if flies into Leslie Larr and sends her into the side of a building, saving Lois Lane and Janet.)
(We see a number of reaction shots of Lana and Kyle and the kids at the party, as well as Lois herself, stunned by the sudden attack.)

(The hammer goes flying back to John Henry's hand, knocking out the Kryptonian on the return flight.)
John Henry: (into radio) Larr’s down, and I got another one. (to himself) I’ll never miss.

Continuity

This episode takes place three weeks after the events of 113.

The opening scene repeats the closing scene of the last episode, showing Morgan Edge close to the sun, absorbing solar energy as he hears the voices of the Kryptonians in the Eradicator, now seemingly all in his head.

Lana is said to be holding another open house when Lois asks Jordan if there will be an adult in the house while he's hanging out with Sarah Cushing.

Jonathan has been spending a lot of the last three weeks working with John Henry Irons and is eager to go back to working on his hammer.

Teague Family Hardware apparently went out of business and is the fourth small business in Smallville to close down in the last month.

Chrissy Beppo wrote an article attacking the Department of Defense still occupying Smallville and blamed them for the business closings, since people are scared to come into town to shop.

General Lane agrees to speak at a Smallville Town Hall meeting about what happened with Morgan Edge and explain why the Department of Defense has stayed in town for so long.

Clark goes to Lana's open house and discourages her from moving, saying that she's the heart of Smallville since his mother died.

Sarah tells Jordan she doesn't think they'll be moving since her parents can't find anyone to buy their house.

John Henry tells Jonathan he has nothing left to teach him and tells him to go enjoy being a teenage rather than spending time around him.

Chrissy tells Lois that she got an offer to sell the Gazette and that she might have to take it given that their subscriber base is shrinking as Smallville gets smaller.

The crowd at the town hall meeting is actively jeering General Lane and his soldiers when they show up.

Kyle goes to clean out his locker at the firehouse during the town hall meeting, knowing most of his former men will be there.

Jonathan and Jordan get invited to a party by Sarah's ex-boyfriend, who pointedly ignores her as he talks about it at the diner.

Sarah tells Jordan she can go without him, as she promised to play with Sophie and play "Princess Hair Salon."

Lois reveals that Morgan Edge is still on the loose.

Derek Powell's mother, Sharon, shows up at the meeting and shows a letter from the Department of Defense saying her son's death in 105 was still under investigation when it was clearly a part of what was going on with Morgan Edge.

Tamera thanks Kyle for everything he did to fight for her because of the people who were reluctant to accept a Black woman as a fire-fighter and says she put in a good word for him with the chief of Bristol County, where Kyle applied for a job.

Sharon Powell tears into Lois, saying she has no idea what it's like to lose a child. This causes Lois to freeze up, given her miscarriage, which was revealed in 108.

General Lane and his men are forced to leave the meeting after they get a message that Morgan Edge just attacked the facility where Leslie Larr was being held. Clark slips out at the same time.

Larr and Edge show up in Metropolis and hover above Centennial Park. 

Lois goes with Clark and immediately starts trying to help evacuate people, while searching for a GBS colleague who has a video camera on the scene.

General Lane says he'll call his grandsons and make sure they get home safe.

Jordan and Jonathan ignore General Lane's calls, figuring he'll call back if it is important.

Jonathan apparently helped John Henry build a missile launcher for his armor.

Kyle starts to have second thoughts about moving from Smallville based on his talk with Tamera. Shortly after he tells Lana this, he gets a phone call from the fire chief in Bristol County, who wants to hire Kyle to replace him as he retires. 

Bristol County is a two hour drive away from Smallville.

Sarah storms off after calling her parents hypocrites for trying to leave Smallville to start a new life somewhere else after everything they ever said about fighting to save their hometown.

The Eradicator can now transfer Kryptonian minds into human bodies merely by looking at them. This causes four new Kryptonians to emerge as Superman and John Henry confront Leslie Larr and Morgan Edge.

Larr confirms that there is no Morgan Edge or Tal-Rho anymore and that he has become something else.

Jonathan runs into Tegan Wickhem at the party and she apologizes for trying to manipulate him before. When he dismisses her apology, she claims she honestly did want to hang out with him but everyone in Smallville thinks she looks down on them because she moved there from Central City two years ago.

Tegan says her father was sent to prison and her mom felt they needed a fresh start.

Sarah crashes the party to talk to Jordan and tells him about the move.

Sarah and Jordan's conversation is interrupted by a news report of the battle in Metropolis.

Lois finds Janet, the colleague from GBS, and takes command of her broadcast to tell the public what is going on.

Leslie Larr flies up behind Lois, in imitation of how the Lois of John Henry's earth died at the hands of Superman in 108. Jonathan recognizes this and tells Jordan it's just like the video he saw of the other Lois Lane's death.

John Henry is able to knock out Leslie Larr from a distance.

Superman and John Henry are able to bring down all the Kryptonians except the Eradicator, who flies off.

General Lane is informed that his grandsons are not at the Kent farm.

General Lane crashes the party and drags Jonathan and Jordan home. He agrees to give Sarah a ride back, however.

The Eradicator attacks General Lane's vehicle, leaving Lane injured. He takes Jordan with him.

Jordan tells Sarah that he loves her before he is abducted.

Jonathan summons his father and tells him what happened. 

Superman can't find any sign of Jordan or the Eradicator on Earth.

In a concrete bunker, the Eradicator transfers the mind of Zeta-Rho into Jordan's body.


The Kryptonite Factor

It seems uncharacteristically lazy of the show's writers to have Jonathan and Jordan blow off their grandfather's phone calls to build the drama.

It's also a bit odd that General Lane doesn't have a full military escort and his protection is limited to a Kryptonite pistol in his glove compartment, given the circumstances.


The Bottom Line

A largely enjoyable episode, despite some contrivances in the script and the drama of Smallville's collapse being undercut by the Battle of Metropolis. The action sequences of Steel and Superman fighting to protect Metropolis are pitch perfect and the cliffhanger is a killer.

Superman and Lois: Season 1, Episode 13 - Fail Safe

For a summary of the episode guide layout & categories, click here.

Plot

Lois and Chrissy start work on a new story as Clark visits Morgan Edge in custody and starts to ponder whether or not the world should have some kind of safeguard against a Superman gone mad. Meanwhile, Johnathan finds a welcome distraction after a very long day, as Sarah and Jordan skip class to escape the bully Sarah is now enjoying as the daughter of the town pariahs.


Influences

Reign of the Superman (the concept of the Eradicator) and every Superman story centered around Clark considering if the world needs a way to stop him from going out of control.


Performances

Again, the entire ensemble is great, but if one moment were to be singled out, it would be Tyler Hoechlin's delivery of Clark's confession that he liked losing control. The dialogue itself is not that great, but the delivery sells it.


Artistry

The special effects for the fight between Leslie Larr and Superman and The Stranger are of cinematic quality.


Super Trivia

The end of this episode sees Morgan Edge transformed into a being very much like the Superman villain The Eradicator. In the original comics, the Eradicator was created by a xenophobic Kryptonian scientist named Kem-L to strike against the teachings of a popular alien missionary known as Cleric. The Eradicator was programmed to preserve Kryptonian culture, as Kem-L saw it, and genetically altered the people of Krypton so they could not leave their planet's surface and travel to deep space. The Cleric took the Eradicator with him from Krypton and gave it to Superman centuries later.  The Eradicator attempted to override Superman's mind and turn Earth into a new Krypton.

The Arrowverse version of the Eradicator does virtually the same thing, only it takes over Morgan Edge's body in the end.


Technobabble

John Henry Irons has his own Kryptonian tracking system, which he is using to scan for Leslie Larr.

General Lane's inventory of anti-Kryptonian weapons includes two dozen rifles and handguns, a few thousand Kryptonite bullets and a collection of knifes, swords and spears. There are five prototype weapons in varying stages of development and enough raw Kryptonite to fill a couple of warehouses.


Dialogue Triumphs

Clark: Where is Leslie Larr?
Morgan Edge: How could I know? I can’t see beyond these lead-lined walls… And all I hear is what’s in my mind.
Clark:  There may still be time for her.
Morgan Edge: It’s too late. Leslie Larr replaced Irma Sayres a long time ago.
Clark:  And you feel nothing for what you’ve done?
Morgan Edge: I feel more than you could possibly imagine. But my concern isn’t for the souls of this planet. It’s for those that need to be resurrected, my own, even your soul, Kal.

(Superman and John Henry Irons stand over the downed Leslie Larr)
Superman: (holding up his fist) Nice shot.
(John Henry bumps fists with Superman)
John Henry: Thanks.

Jordan: Denise and Avery still giving you crap about what happened?
Sarah: I just know they’re talking about me, but it can’t be worse than what they’re saying about my parents.
Jordan: That’s not fair.
Sarah: I don’t think fair is a real thing. 

Superman: I don’t know what the plan was, but it wasn’t a good one.
Morgan Edge: It’s called loyalty, something you know nothing about.
Superman: I am loyal to the people of this world who accepted me.
Morgan Edge: (laughs) Accepted you? They fear you. They always will, and they should.
Superman: You’re wrong.
Morgan Edge: You should be a god, but you became a slave to them. Don’t you ever wonder who you might’ve been if you hadn’t landed here, been raised by simple farmers?
Superman: I’d be nothing like you.
Morgan Edge: We both know that’s not true. You fight against your real nature every day.
Superman: You don’t know me.
Morgan Edge: I know the power surging through you. I know how every moment you make a choice to hold yourself back, because that’s the only way we can walk amongst humans without killing them, isn’t it? It’s all about control. But didn’t it feel good to lose it just once?
Superman:  Goodbye, Tal.
Morgan Edge: I can see it in your eyes, brother. You felt it!

Jonathan: So you really built this thing from scratch, huh? Pretty amazing.
John Henry: You’re a gear head?
Jonathan: I don’t know what I am. Always been an athlete, you know, so…
John Henry: Me too. You know, you can be more than one thing.
AI: Perhaps you could tell Jonathan a tale from your own upbringing?
John Henry: Would you please just shut down?

(Lois and Clark are arguing about Clark wanting the DOD to keep their Kryptonite.)
Clark: Lois, will you please just listen–
Lois: No, there’s nothing you can say that I wanna hear, and now I’m angry, and I feel sorry for yelling at you, but I also have to stay angry so that I can scare the hell out of Jordan. So why don’t you just stay here, and let’s just both take a moment to think, and then we can talk about this later after I bail our son out of jail?

Chrissy: Wasn’t expecting to see you.
Lois: I owe you an apology.
Chrissy: Kinda busy, Lois.
Lois: You were right. I lied. My dad is hiding something, and I can’t betray his trust.
Chrissy:This story is bigger than you or your dad. We have a responsibility to the people. This town is falling apart.
Lois: Believe me, I know. People are tearing each other down, looking for someone to blame, and if we do nothing, we are as responsible for its downfall as anyone else.
Chrissy: (dryly) If only there was something we could do.
Lois: I can’t write this story. I’m too close to it to be objective… But you can.
(Lois hands Chrissy a paper, which she reads.)
Chrissy: It’s a statement… from your dad.
Lois: He wouldn’t go on the record about everything, but this is enough to tell most of the story and to focus the blame where it belongs: on Morgan Edge.
Chrissy: This was really messed up, Lois.
Lois: I know. I hope that I can earn back your trust. 


Continuity

As a teenager, Morgan Edge underwent sever torture at the hands of the Zeta-Rho hologram while waiting for the Eradicator to arrive on Earth.

Edge has no idea where Leslie Larr is.

Edge confirms that Leslie Larr has completely taken over the body of Irma Syres.

Clark reveals that he has the crystal holding Zeta-Rho's hologram, but that he will not destroy it while ensuring it is never used again.

The Department of Defense will be sticking around Smallville for a while longer and is shutting down the Shuster Mines while removing all the X-Kryptonite.

Principal Balcomb is holding an all-school assembly to present the official explanation for what happened: Morgan Edge was experimenting on people and giving them powers while mind-controlling them.  Lois Lane uncovered the truth, with the help of General Lane and Superman, and they stopped Edge.

Chrissy has been texting and calling Lois non-stop, wondering when she is returning to work.

Mayor Dean meets with Kyle and Lana and suggests that Kyle continue to take a leave of absence for a few more weeks, while he tries to change the narrative that has people shunning the Cushings, blaming them for Morgan Edge coming to Smallville.

Sarah decides to skip the assembly rather than endure anymore of her classmates starring at her because of her parents. Jordan goes with her.

Tegan Wickhem, the popular girl who Jonathan tried to flirt with 107, approaches him and encourages him to skip the assembly as well.

Chrissy asks Lois to get a statement from her father. Lois says General Lane never talks to the press, but the DOD should release a statement. 

John Henry Irons is revealed to be working out of one of the Kent farm barns.

Clark offers to put in a word for John Henry Irons with General Lane to see about getting him a job. John Henry thanks him, but says once they catch Leslie Larr he thinks he'll move on and try and find a new life for himself.

Leslie Larr launches an attack on the Department of Defense headquarters.

Clark and John Henry apprehend Leslie Larr.

General Lane tells Clark that he was wrong to back Project 7734 and that he's going to bury all the anti-Kryptonian weapons in concrete and sink them to the bottom of the ocean, while retaining enough to guard Morgan Edge and Leslie Larr appropriately. The Department of Defense will no longer maintain enough Kryptonite to outfit an army.

Tegan Wickhem asks about Jonathan having a girlfriend in Metropolis. He affirms that they broke up. She then tells him that she isn't seeing anyone.

Sarah's friends, Denise and Avery, are still giving her a hard time about her parents.

Lana says she can't get her old job at the bank back, as they hired a replacement right away and the bank (being owned by Edge) is currently under investigation.

Kyle and Lana see some of the fire-fighters, including Tom Mitchell (105) and Tamera (112) at the diner. Kyle accuses Tom of pushing the mayor to pressure Kyle into taking a longer leave of absence.

General Lane refuses to make a statement to the press, even to Lois, and says the Department of Defense will not be commenting on the Edge incident, saying that is a courtesy rather than a standard procedure.

General Lane says that if he comments on the story, it will give it legitimacy and carry it outside of Smallville.

Zeta-Rho stole the crystal containing Lara Lor-Van's personality so that she could see how he made his vision for Krypton restored before destroying her forever. He denied Morgan Edge the chance to access the crystal and talk to her.

Clark meets with Edge again to ask where the Eradicator is. Edge asks Clark if he enjoyed losing control and not holding himself back and says he can see that he did.
Lois lies and says she has no idea what her father is hiding, but Chrissy senses this and tells Lois that she can't have a reporter who isn't honest with her working for her.

Tegan Wickhem claims to have dressed up as Lois Lane for career day. 

Jonathan figures out that Tegan is only talking to him to grill him for information on the Kryptonian invasion - not because she likes him. He leaves her and walks back home alone.

Kyle suggests moving away from Smallville, but Lana thinks maybe she can find a job in one of the outlying areas.
Sarah takes Jordan to Atlas Pond - a place she goes to when she wants to get away from things. She says she used to go to it as a girl with her grandmother.

Sarah and Jordan are caught by the police.

Clark tells General Lane that he thinks the DOD should keep Project 7734 active just in case something ever happens to where he needs to be killed.

John Henry Irons spray paints the Nat-Bug symbol onto his armor.

The AI suggests John Henry reach out to this Earth's version of his sister.

Jonathan talks with John Henry Irons about his gear, only to be caught skipping school by Lois.

General Lane calls Lois and tells her he is worried about Clark after their meeting.

Kyle asks Sophie what she would think about moving.

Lana and Lois are both called by a police officer named Kya about Jordan and Sarah skipping school.

As Lana and Lois are leaving the police station, Lana overhears Mayor Dean talking with the sheriff and blaming the Cushings for the whole incident with Morgan Edge.

Jordan and Sarah are let go with a warning despite trespassing on private property.

Clark says he's been controlling his powers every second of every day for almost 40 years.

Clark also admits that a part of him did enjoy letting go and that scares him.

Lois agrees to there being a fail safe to stop Clark, but only if the Department of Defense is not in charge of it.

Clark asks John Henry Irons to act as the Gatekeeper of the Project 7734 arsenal. He agrees. 

Lois gets a statement from her father and gives it to Chrissy so she can write about what Morgan Edge did and shift blame away from the Cushings.

When Morgan Edge learned of Superman's existence and that he was his half-brother, he rebelled against Zeta-Rho and tried to find a way to enact his plan while winning Kal-El over to his side.

Lana is now entertaining thoughts about moving from Smallville.

Jonathan and Jordan are both grounded for ditching school.

Morgan Edge's vitals suddenly drop and energy explodes out of him as his eyes glow blue. For some reason, the Kryptonite field does not affect him.

The final scene reveals Morgan Edge hiding on the far side of the sun, absorbing its power, and that all the Kryptonian minds inside the Eradicator have now taken him over.


Untelevised Adventures

The flashbacks show Morgan Edge recalling his training with the hologram of Zeta-Rho.


The Bottom Line

A great episode all around, which gives all of the ensemble a chance to shine and raises the stakes heading into the finale of the first season.

Superman and Lois: Season 1, Episode 10 - O Mother, Where Art Thou?

For a summary of the episode guide layout & categories, click here.

Plot

The truth behind Morgan Edge's plan is revealed, as Clark, Lois, Lana and General Lane rush to protect Smallville from an enemy within. Meanwhile, Jonathan and Jordan reach out to Sara, after she storms out of her parents house, accusing her mother of covering for her father's drinking again.

Influences

New Krypton (the idea of a Kryptonian invasion of Earth) and the movie Man of Steel. .


Goofs

Who names a device meant to save lives "The Eradicator?" (Granting this is a nod to the comics, it's still a weird thing.)

If the Kryptonian people are generally peaceful and wouldn't approve of Zeta-Rho's plan for restoring Krypton, why is everyone Tal-Rho brought back on-board with helping him? (Presumably he had a list of "loyal Kryptonians" to bring back and held off on bringing back his mother until it would be too late for her to object.)

How the heck did all the Kryptonians chasing after Superman get to the ground safely? (Perhaps Tal-Rho acted to save the hosts of his people at super-speed?)


Performances

Emmanuelle Chriqui does a fantastic job showing both the steel of Lana Lang and the heart of Lara Lor-Van in this episode.


Artistry

The battle between Superman and an army of Kryptonians is another great moment. It's becoming a bit trite for me to say so many of this show's action sequences look like they came from movies, but it is true.


Super Trivia

The episode title is a play on the title of the movie, "O Brother, Where Art Thou."

Tal-Rho is an original character created for the Arrowverse. However, the conceit of a Kryptonian sent to Earth as a child being treated badly and being captured by a government and experimented upon has occurred in several alternate timelines; most famously The New 52 Earth 2 comic (with Val Zod) and the Kal-El of Flashpoint.

Tal-Rho's plan seems to be an adaptation of Zod's scheme to create a new Krypton in the movie Man of Steel, only instead of trying to recapture the genetic record of Krypton that was stolen by Jor-El, he's using the technology of Lara Lor-Van to place copies of Kryptonian minds in human bodies.

The device which Tal-Rho uses to transplant Kryptonian minds in human bodies is called The Eradicator. In the comics, the Eradicator was a piece of alien technology corrupted by the war-like Kem-L, who took what was meant to preserve the lives of dying cultures and turned it into a weapon that would preserve his fascist vision of a perfect Krypton by seeking out other civilizations and rebuilt Krypton on other worlds. He dubbed this technology "The Eradicator." The Eradicator later evolved into a sentient humanoid being with many of Superman's powers and was one of the four "Supermen" to emerge during the Reign of the Supermen story.

The Arrowverse Eradicator was created by Lara Lor-Van as a way to preserve the lives of the Kryptonian people. Why she named it the Eradicator is unclear. 


Technobabble

Dr. Donovan confirms that the minds inside the Eradicator are copies of people's minds rather than their essences. There is no way to communicate with them while they are inside the Eradicator. A consciousness requires a host to become activated.

According to Lara Lor-Van, the Eradicator works on the same principal as a computer, save that instead of placing data on a storage device, it places it within a brain. The former conciousness exists until the transfer is complete. However, this process takes days if not weeks and depends upon how willing the host mind is to accept being taken over. Until the process is complete, the Kryptonian mind can emerge at any time.

Lara says that the process that places Kryptonian minds in a human body can be reversed, but it requires them going through the Eradicator again.

The device Lara fashions to restore the humans converted by Tal-Rho requires energy equivalent to Earth's sun, if not greater. Clark empowers it by releasing all the energy in his body as a solar flare.


Dialogue Triumphs

Tal-Rho: The time has almost come, Kal-El. Our people will awaken soon. And when that happens, I need you by my side, or you will be eradicated too. 

Lana: This is my town, and at every critical juncture I’ve failed it. So don’t tell me this isn’t my responsibility. Not when I stand here about to lose everything.
Lois: I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but you have a family.
Lana: Yeah, and my husband is one of them, who is gonna to become some alien psychopath if I don’t do something. I have to save Kyle, Lois. If there’s any chance that he’s still alive, I have to do it.
Lois: What about Sarah and Sophie?
Lana: They mean the world to me, you know that.
Lois: That’s why I can’t let you do this.
Lana: No, it’s why you have to. I have to fix this for them, for me, for everybody here.
Lois: There’s no guarantee this will even work. This is alien science.
Lana: Well, it’s a good thing I’m just a local loan officer who doesn’t know any better.

Superman: You know, you don’t have to do this. There’s always another way.
Lana: I don’t think you really believe that. Also did Superman just lie to me?
Superman: (laughing) It’s not lying. I’m just, uh… I’m just an optimist.
Lana: I guess that’s what makes you a hero.
Superman: You’re the hero right now, Lana.

Lara: Tell me. What is it like being with my son?
Lois: Most of the time, it’s easy. And sometimes it’s very difficult. Most of the time, I feel very secure, and then I’ve also had some of the most terrifying days in my entire life. But there’s always love and respect.
Lara: A partnership?
Lois: Very much so. 

Lara: On Krypton, I had all the hopes and dreams one could ever have. And I lived them all. And then one day, those hopes and dreams were for the son I just had. Thank you, Lois, for making them come true.


Continuity

Morgan Edge reveals that in addition to having Kryptonian powers he can also speak Kryptonian.

Morgan Edge reveals that he is a full-blooded Kryptonian named Tal-Rho. He says he was being quite literal in addressing Superman as brother, saying that his mother was also Lara Lor-Van.

Tal-Rho's father, Zeta-Rho, was Lara Lor-Van's first partner. They had been genetically matched, but Lara found their pairing less than ideal and left Zeta-Rho to pursue a romantic pairing with Jor-El.

Zeta-Rho had plans to colonize and enslave other worlds, but never got the chance to fulfil his plans within his lifetime. After learning of Jor-El's plans to save his family, Zeta-Rho sent his son to Earth as well.

Tal-Rho threatens to kill Superman if he doesn't join in his plans for Earth.

Sarah accuses Lana of covering up Kyle's drunkenness and storms out of her house to stay with a friend, Denise.

Lois tries to call Lana to warn her about Kyle, but Lana isn't answering her phone, being too focused on trying to get Kyle to talk about what happened ever since he first went to Morgan Edge.

General Lane says he will send some of his men, who have mobilized in Smallville, to get Lana.

Clark fixates on Tal-Rho's claim that he can restore their mother.

Lois suggests Clark find out if that really is possible, assuring him they'll be find with half the DoD on their front lawn.

Clark goes to the Fortress of Solitude, where Jor-El confirms it is possible Zeta-Rho acquire Lara's technology. He also confirms that Tal-Rho is telling the truth about he and Superman being half-brothers.

When Clark asks why Jor-El never told him about his half-brother, Jor-El says he never saw any need to do so. He also says that using Lara's technology to take over human bodies was not the way Lara had intended to preserve the memory of Krypton. She had intended for their minds to be preserved in the same way the Sunstone created a hologram of Jor-El.

Jor-El says that the Eradicator Lara Lor-Van designed is beyond his understanding and that he cannot help him to use the technology directly.

Jordan texts Sarah, but she's ignoring him.

Jonathan tells Jordan about the video he saw in 108 of another world's Superman killing another version of their mother.

When Jonathan raises his concern about the idea of saving Krypton maybe getting his father to join with Tal-Rho, Lois says the difference is that, in the other world, that Clark Kent didn't have a family, and in Earth-Prime he does.

Kyle tells Lana that he went to Morgan Edge behind her back because he thought she'd lied to him about the Executive Training program because she didn't believe he was good enough - not because she was trying to protect him.

General Lane and his men capture Kyle Cushing. Thankfully, it turns out their Kryptonite weapons are effective on Tal-Rho's soldiers.

Sophie Cushing is said to be staying with Lana's parents.

Lana notes that it has been so long since anything strange happened in Smallville.

Lana singles out one odd person among Edge's personal staff: Dr. Dabney Donovan, who is listed as Edge's personal physician. He was the one who conducted all the health exams for everyone enrolled in the Executive Program.

Lois recognizes Dabney Donovan as a former professor on the tenure track at MIT and says he has dual PhDs in genetics and molecular neurochemistry. 

They try to interview "Kyle" about where the Eradicator is being kept, but he refuses to speak except to make threats.

Jonathan and Jordan meet with Sarah at the local diner.

Jonathan tells Sarah the truth - at least in so far as her father has been possessed by an alien mind and that Morgan Edge is responsible. 

Los says that Tal-Rho wouldn't be giving Superman time to make a decision about joining him if his plan didn't require time as well. 

The DoD finds Donovan and the Eradiactor.

Donovan is willing to work with the DoD, but says he barely understands how the Eradicator works and that reversing the process will require the person who made it.

Lana volunteers to act as a host for Lara Lor-Van.

Lois asks to talk to Lana in private, so she can try to talk her out of volunteering. Lana thanks her, but says it's her responsibility to fix this since she didn't stop Kyle from building up Edge to the locals and recruited everyone for the Executive Program.

Jonathan and Jordan try to take Sarah to see her father. General Lane is called out to talk to them.

Jonathan once again tells off General Lane for acting like his secrets are helping anyone.

"Kyle" mocks Sarah's concern for her father and says that Kyle is dead.

"Kyle" recognizes Jonathan and says that he'll be the first to die when he finally escapes.

Clark has a private talk with Lana, as Superman, where he says he admires her courage.

Lara Lor-Van recognizes Superman as her son instantly.

According to Lara, the Kryptonians are a peaceful people who did not, for the most part, believe in Zeta-Rho's philosophy.

Lara confirms she had no intention of using her technology to supplant another race.

According to Lara, marriages were arranged through the great houses by genetic pairings for many years on Krypton and many older families still underwent the process, but marriages for reasons of love became more common before Krypton's fall.

In an act of pettiness, Zeta-Rho stole the sunstone crystal containing Lara Lor-Van's mind from Jor-El's rocket. This left Kal-El with only a hologram of his father to teach him of Krypton's culture and their family history. 

Clark tells Lara that he had a mother on Earth - a woman named Martha - and that she made sure he was raised properly and loved.  

Lara realizes from the way Clark looks at Lois that she must be his chosen love. Clark confirms this and tells Lara about Lois and their sons.

Jonathan tells Jordan that he should talk to Sarah alone.

Jonathan says he's never going to apologize for telling the truth but right now Jordan being there for Sarah will mean more than anything.

Sarah is upset because now she's afraid the last thing she said to her dad was calling him a drunk.

Leslie Larr informs Tal-Rho that the Eradicator has been captured, but Tal-Rho is not worried and asks her to get the others ready for their arrival.  She also says he believes his brother has chosen humanity and will not stand with them.

Superman meets with Tal-Rho and learns his history and why he wants to conquer humanity in the way that he does.

Tal-Rho's rocket landed in England, where it was found by a rural couple. Rather than being welcome, he was threatened, and killed them reflexively with his heat vision after the man brandished a gun. He was later captured and turned over to the British government, being experimented upon until he escaped around the time of his 19th year. He went on to take the name Morgan Edge and started building an empire to enact his father's plan.

Lara talks to Lois in private and asks what it is like to be with her son, before thanking her for having made all her dreams for the life her son would have on Earth come true.

Jordan apologizes to Sara for not making it to her performance in 109, but she says it's okay, guessing it had something to do with the craziness around her father. 

Jordan says he is sorta glad he wasn't there since it gave Sarah a good memory of her father.

Clark powers his mother's device by releasing all the energy in his body as a solar flare - a technique first executed in the Arrowverse in S106.

Tal-Rho flies away when he senses that Superman is up to something.

Clark activates his mother's device and all the possessed people are restored to normal.

Somehow, all the Kryptonians chasing Clark were safely placed on the ground in Smallville.

Sarah goes to confront her father and is there when Kyle goes back to normal.

The DoD cannot fine any sign of Morgan Edge or Superman. 

Superman crash-lands in some icy region, clearly almost powerless.

Tal-Rho meets with Leslie Larr at the Shuster Mine and says it is just them for now, but all is not lost.


Untelevised Adventures

Tal-Rho details how he came to Earth and became Morgan Edge.

We learn that Superman's mother had a first marriage and a son before she married Jor-El.


The Bottom Line

A little heavy on exposition, but with enough great character moments to keep things from getting too dull. However, the last five minutes and the best action sequence in the show's history more than make-up for it.

Superman and Lois: Season 1, Episode 7 - Man of Steel

 For a summary of the episode guide layout & categories, click here.

 
Plot

Clark works to help Jordan master a new power, while working to help Lois with her investigation, leading to a fateful encounter.

Influences

Man of Steel (Jordan's coping with super-hearing mirror a young Clark's problems), New Krypton (reality where Kryptonians declare war on Earth) and Reign of the Supermen (Superman's black costume, John Henry's origin resemble how he became Steel in the original comics, only acting in response to an evil Superman rather than following the example of a heroic one.)


Performances

Wolé Parks does some wonderful silent acting in the montage flashbacks showing his armor being built.


Artistry

The sound editing to show Jordan's powers going out of control is quite effective.

The fight between The Stranger and Superman is great and the technology of the Steel hammer is realized perfectly.


Super Trivia

This episode was directed by David Ramsey, who played John Diggle on Arrow.

The big revelation of this episode is that The Stranger is an alternate universe version of a man named John Henry Irons. In the comics, John Henry Irons was the secret identity of the superhero Steel - an ally of Superman, who was one of four heroes to emerge following the Death of Superman storyline.

In the comics, John Henry Irons was a weapons engineer for a corrupt company, who faked his own death and worked as a construction worker in Metropolis after learning that his designs had fallen into the wrong hands. After Superman saved his life during a construction accident, he became inspired, following Superman's death, to create a suit of armor that allowed him to replicate most of Superman's powers.

The Stranger is revealed to have been married to Lois Lane on his Earth and to have a daughter nickname Nat-Bug. In the comics, Natasha Irons was John Henry Irons' niece and assumed the Steel name for herself at one point after designing her own armored costume. The Arrowverse version appears to be similarly brilliant, helping her father with his inventions.


Technobabble

The Jor-El hologram confirms that Jordan's mechanosensations have become significantly enhanced. This has resulted in an allodynic response, which will continue until he learns how to focus what he hears.

The Stranger's hammer harnesses kinetic energy, creating more energy the further it travels. From 20 feet, it can stop a car in motion. From 30 feet, it can stop a truck. From 60 feet, it can destroy a tank. Beyond that, its power rivals a blow from Superman.

While working on his armor, Nat notes that the tracking inlay is still glitchy, though she doubled the output on the reflex modules.


Dialogue Triumphs

The Stranger: Lois Lane.
Lois: Hello, guy who is not Marcus Bridgewater.
The Stranger: How about you come inside, and we talk about it?
Lois: Yeah, that’s a hard pass on me entering your creeper mobile.
The Stranger: That’s unfair and pretty hurtful. 

(Clark and Lois are following one of Edge's trucks.)
Clark: What do you wanna do?
Lois: Just keep following. I wanna see where they’re taking the X-Kryptonite.
(Clark looks ahead and sees the Stranger, holding a high-tech rifle, standing ahead of the truck.)
Clark: I don’t think that’s gonna happen.
Lois: What is it?
Clark: I’m definitely starting to think your new friend is a Luthor. 

(Superman enters the machine shop with a woosh. The Stranger is waiting for him, his RV parked in the back.)
Superman: Interesting place for a meet.
The Stranger: I’m a builder. Always felt comfortable in places like this… Surrounded by scraps and parts.
Superman: Building’s a noble profession.
The Stranger: Been a while since anyone’s paid me to do it.
Superman: Any chance one of those people was Lex Luthor?
The Stranger: It was a different life.
Superman: Why are we really here?
The Stranger: Because the world’s about to be destroyed unless I save it. 

(Cut to Chrissy and Lois, whose cellphone rings.)

Lois: (looking at her phone) It’s the DOD. (answering) Hey, Rosetti, what’d you find?
Rosetti: You say this guy’s been creeping around Smallville?
(Cut back to Superman and The Stranger.)
Superman: And how exactly are you planning on saving the world?
The Stranger: By eliminating the threat.
Superman: And you think that threat is Morgan Edge?
The Stranger: Edge is involved, but he won’t be the main source of destruction.
Superman: Then who will it be?
The Stranger: (speaking in Kryptonese) I think you know who, Kal-El.
(Cut back to Lois and Rosetti.)
Rosetti: The thing is, the prints you had us pull are from a guy who died six years ago, and his name’s not Luthor, it’s John Henry Irons.
Lois: (To Chrissy) Give me your keys. I need your car.
(Cut back to Superman and The Stranger.)
Superman: You’re the Stranger.
(Superman tries to rush him, but the lights on the RV and in the shop suddenly click on glowing red. Superman suddenly falls to the ground.) 
The Stranger: I had a feeling you might try that. So I set these solar flares to a motion detector.
Superman: (pained) Why are you doing this?
The Stranger: Like I said, I’m here to save the world. You see, Kal-El, you’re not the Man of Steel.
(The Stranger raises his hand. A massive war-hammer flies across the room into his gauntleted hand.)
The Stranger: (angrily) I am! 

(Jordan knocks on Jonathan's bedroom door.)
Jordan: Hey, I just… I wanted to apologize for spying on you and Sarah earlier. I… I’m really sorry you have to lie for me like that all the time.
Jonathan: Actually, this time, I kinda told the truth. I mean, not, like, all of it, obviously, but… But somehow it… It almost felt worse this way, ’cause it was, like, um, it’s, like, I don’t know. Like, intentional.
Jordan: It feels like everything since we got here has just been a big secret. I just… I want it to go back to normal so bad.
Jonathan: To be fair, Jordan, I mean, I’m pretty sure normal people have stuff that they’re hiding too.
Jordan: Tonight’s probably been the most scared I’ve ever been in my life.
Jonathan: (grinning softly) But gotta say, it was also pretty awesome.
Jordan: (laughing) Yeah, okay, you did total that truck. Pretty sick.
Jonathan: Bro, I don’t even have a learner’s permit.
Jordan: Or know how to drive!
Jonathan: I know!
(The two laugh as Clark enters the room, with Lois behind him. They fall silent as Clark raises his voice.)
Clark: Which was incredibly reckless and dangerous and irresponsible and absolutely… necessary. (lowering his voice.) You both saved my life tonight, so I think I owe you a pretty big thank-you.
Lois: Listen, we know that you two must have a lot of questions about what’s been going on around here.
Clark: Look, we’ve taught you not to keep secrets from us.
Lois: So we’re not gonna keep secrets from you anymore.
Jonathan: Isn’t most of that stuff, like, like, classified though?
Lois: Yes. Which is why none of what we tell you can ever leave this house. Is that understood?
(Jordan nods as Jonathan looks to him.)
Jonathan: Definitely. Yeah.
Lois: All right, who wants to go first?
Jordan: What was that deal with the guy tonight? 


Continuity

The episode opens where the previous one left off, with Jordan and Clark arriving at the Fortress of Solitude.

Jor-El confirms that Jordan's super-hearing has developed and that he will continue to feel pain until he learns to focus it, as Clark did.

Clark says it took him a couple of weeks to learn how to control his super-hearing.

Clark says he'll speak to Principal Balcomb about Jordan missing school, so Jon doesn't have to worry about making up excuses.

Lana calls Lois to ask what she should be looking for while spying on Morgan Edge.

Lois finds a picture of the real Marcus Bridgewater, who is visibly older than The Stranger. She also determined that The Stranger erased all photos of Marcus Bridgewater from the Internet, somehow, but thankfully her old editor Maxy knew someone at Reuters who had a photo of him.

Clark makes reference to both times someone working for Morgan Edge manifested Kryptonian powers and tried to kill Lois, in 103 and 106.

Clark thinks they should tell Jordan and Jon about Lois' investigation and the people manifesting Kryptonian powers. Lois wants to learn more about what Edge is planning and how The Stranger is connected to him first, saying the boys already have enough going on.

According to Lois, Jon hasn't made any real friends since coming to Smallville.

Morgan Edge has been unable to identify The Stranger since he and Lois snuck into his mine. This confirms that he has no idea who The Stranger is either and isn't working with him.

Leslie Larr suggests sending a small shipment of the X-Kryptonite out of the mines and seeing who goes for it, so they can gather intel on their enemies and how they are being watched. Edge agrees, but warns Larr he will not tolerate any more failures.

Edge asks Lana to develop a leadership program, to find passionate people with untapped potential who want to become their best selves. He suggests five people to start.

Clark starts training Jordan on focusing his super-hearing.

Lois confronts The Stranger on his lying and asks him to meet her at Victoria May's in one hour, ready to tell the truth.

The Stranger recalls his past, being married to Lois and having a daughter he nicknamed Nat-Bug and the day that Superman apparently went bad, with many Kryptonians attacking Metropolis.

Jordan wears headphones to muffle the sounds of the outside world.

Jon noticed that Sarah skipped lunch and asks her about it. She, in turn, asks him about why Jordan is missing school again.

Jon denies that there's anything weird going on with Jordan and tells her that he knows about Tag's powers and that the truth is Tag attacked Jordan.

Clark goes to explore The Stranger's trailer while Lois talks to him. The AI addresses him as Captain Luthor.

Lois' favorite drink is trenté green tea with a splash of almond milk.

The Stranger claims that, apart from his name, he's never lied to Lois about anything.

The Stranger claims that Morgan is trying to build an army of super-powered people to take over the world and that Metropolis will be the first city to fall.

Chrissy Beppo calls Lois and tells her that she has a contact (an ex who never got over her) who works the shipping department at the mines and a shipment of something big is about to go out.

The Stranger tells Lois he needs to speak with Superman. She says maybe that will happen once she knows his real name.

Clark tells Lois about the AI in the trailer and how the Stranger is apparently a Luthor.

The AI tells The Stranger about Clark's break-in and shows him a picture of him. The Stranger dismisses Clark as not being a threat, while recognizing him as Lois' husband in this reality.

Lana interviews a woman named Emily about what has been dubbed the Young Executive Program. She has a son named Avery who is in high school.

Clark believes the Strange to be an alternate version of Luthor, mentioning the Multiverse and how anything is possible. Lois thinks it is more likely he's related to Lex somehow, possibly an illegitimate son. They both agree his claiming to work for LuthorCorp can be a coincidence.

Lois says she'll ask Chrissy to investigate the possibility of the Stranger being a Luthor family member.

The Stranger attacks the van transporting the X-Kryptonite and takes it.

Clark moves the van carrying Edge's security team to a plateau in the nearby wilderness, so there will be no chance of violence.

Lois and Clark confront the Stranger immediately afterward. Lois complains that now they won't know where Edge is taking the X-Kryptonite. The Stranger claims it is more important to stop Edge from getting more X-Kryptonite, but agrees to talk with them elsewhere.

Leslie Larr listens in on the conversation from a distance with her super-hearing.

Jon is approached by a popular girl named Tegan Wickhem. Sarah tells him she is way out of his league.

Jordan, trying to focus his hearing on one thing, looks at a picture of Sarah and tries to listen to her. This leads to him overhearing Jon talking to her and telling her how special she is. While Jon's intentions are friendly and made in response to Sarah's apology about thinking he and Jordan were lying to her or hiding something, Jordan presumes Jon is flirting with the girl he has a crush on.

Again, the Stranger asks to meet with Superman, saying he's the only one who can stop what Edge is planning.

Lois agrees to set up the meeting, but only if she is allowed to keep the X-Kryptonite.

The Stranger has another flashback, remembering seeing his version of Lois (who was a television reporter) die on-screen at the hands of Superman, as she was trying to tell the world about Kryptonite and how it could weaken Kryptonians.

Lois reveals she asked for the X-Kryptonite case so they'd have a fingerprint sample for the Stranger. Clark takes it to the Department of Defense, figuring that the Strange is military, as he was addressed as Captain by his AI.

The Stranger has another flashback, making his armor with his daughter and building weapons into an RV. She inscribes a bug onto the chest piece, so she will be there with him in spirit. Many of the parts he uses come from boxes marked LuthorCorp.

Jordan confronts Jon over his conversation with Sarah. Jon becomes angry that Jordan was spying on him.

Lana picks out four people for the executive program. Edge notes this and wonders if Lana was intending for one space to be reserved for Kyle. Lana says he'd be thrilled, but she isn't quite done with the interviews.

Chrissy Beppo spoke with Lex Luthor's biographer and confirmed that Lex never had any children and that there's no one on any branch of the Luthor family tree who was currently in any branch of the US Military.

The Stranger meets with Superman in an abandoned machine shop and sets up an ambush there.

Leslie Larr hears the fight between Superman and the Stranger and tells Edge to move the X-Kryptonite now.

Jordan overhears the fight as well, and tries to get Jon to help him do something.

Jon winds up driving Clark's truck while Jordan tries to zero in on their father's location.

Jon has only ever driven Lois' car before.

Jon and Jordan save their father by smashing the lights.

When asked about why John Henry Irons came back from the dead to kill him, Superman remarks it wouldn't be the first time one of his enemies did that. This seems to be a reference to Lex Luthor's resurrection during Crisis on Infinite Earths and the cross-reality killing spree which followed.

The Stranger is held until General Lane comes in the next morning, with Superman noting he wants to be there as well.

Emily thanks Lana for getting her the job, even though Lana hadn't actually picked her. Her other child is named Duc.

Edge says the X-Kryptonite was delivered safely, but there's no guarantee the Subjekts Lana found will be receptive hosts. He also notes that Leslie Larr is the only person who hasn't shown any signs of rejection to the bonding process.

Jordan apologizes to Jon for yelling at him and for him having to lie on his behalf all the time.

Clark thanks the boys for saving him and he and Lois agree they will all be totally honest with each other about everything from now on.

The Stranger recalls his going off to confront his version of Superman. This was apparently the last time he saw his daughter before he wound up on Earth-Prime.


Location

The Fortress of Solitude
Metropolis in an unnamed alternate Earth.


Untelevised Adventures

Through The Stranger's flashbacks, we see more of a world where Superman apparently went bad and led an army of evil Kryptonians, created by Morgan Edge, against the people of Earth.


The Bottom Line

Another fantastic episode with a brilliant twist that is well-played regarding The Stranger and his identity.

Superman and Lois: Season 1, Episode 6 - Broken Trust

 For a summary of the episode guide layout & categories, click here.

 
Plot

Clark reconsiders his decision to let Jordan play football, as Jordan prepares to face his former bullies on the field, as Superman and General Lane come into conflict over how to handle the disappearance of Tag Harris. Meanwhile, Lois finds an unexpected ally in her efforts to investigate Morgan Edge's mining operation

Influences

Smallville (high-school slice-of-life drama, with teens getting powers from Kryptonite)


Goofs

Presuming that Metropolis is on the east coast (as in Cisco Ramon's map of Earth-Prime from The Flash) and Smallville is in Kansas, there's no way Smallville High and Metropolis High would be playing against one another in a regular season football match. 


Performances

Tyler Hoechlin cements his status as this generation's Superman with the scene where Clark holds back his heat vision while pulling the Kryptonite from his wounds while still acting as a shield. The anger on his face is clear, but his anguish is not directed at the soldiers - it's at the fear he might lose control and hurt someone and Hoechlin makes that clear without saying a word.

Another great bit of non-verbal acting comes from Wolé Parks, who says so much with a single tear drop after Lois Lane tells him off.


Artistry

The sequence of Superman chasing Tag Harris and working to save a derailed train is fantastic. 


Super Trivia

The original title of this episode was "Smells Like Teen Spirit," in a reference to a classic Nirvana song.


Technobabble

The Stranger has a hand-held laser that can cut through solid rock. It can be recalibrated to act as an energy weapon that can knock out a Kryptonian with one shot at close range.

X-Kryptonite is also known as X-K.

The Department of Defense has some means of tracking Tag Harris by his unique energy signature, but it is inexact.

The Department of Defense is armed with guns that can shoot Kryptonite shards.


Dialogue Triumphs

Lois: Who is it?
The Stranger: Your new best friend.
Lois: What are you doing here, Marcus?
The Stranger: Still open to sharing a byline? Friend of mine got hands on a couple inspector badges. One’s for you, if you want it.
Lois: (skeptical) You somehow get not one but two inspector badges and you’re just gonna give me one of them to be nice?
The Stranger: They’re working around the clock to get those mines ready. Right now the tunnels are packed with inspectors. Security is stretched thin. A lone Black guy might look suspicious, but the two of us together, it’ll seem more legit. So… are you in… or out?

(Clark, Jonathan and Jordan are in a hotel room. Jordan is sprawled out on the bed. Clark is standing over him while Jonathan is making an ice pack.)
Jordan: For the hundredth time, I’m fine.
Clark: No, you’re not. You just detonated like a bomb in the middle of a high-school football game in front of a crowd full of people.
Jordan: I could have controlled it, all right? I just let it go ’cause you were there.
Clark: Yeah, but what if I wasn’t? Jordan, sit up and look at me.
(Jordan sighs and sits up.)
Clark: Do you understand how dangerous this could be? Tell me exactly what happened. Were there–were there any symptoms, any signs, something that would have made you think that this was coming?
Jordan: Look, Dad, you’re thinking about this too much. I just–I had a moment, all right?
Jonathan: (quietly) Jordan… that’s not 100% true.
Jordan: Jon...
Clark: What?!
Jonathan:  Jordan, he needs to know. Look, the first time that he had one of these... episodes or whatever, I mean, it stopped. It seemed fine.
Clark: The first time?!
Jordan: I had a migraine at school. It wasn’t a big deal. 

Clark: And you didn’t tell me?!

Jordan: I didn’t tell you ’cause I knew you’d overreact! I knew you’d stop me from playing the game! 

Clark: Yeah! And I would have been right! 

Jordan: So I’m just supposed to be punished for something that isn’t my fault? This was my shot, Dad. This was my chance to show the d-bags at Metropolis who I am. You remember how they treated me, right? 
Clark: Jordan, I know. I know. And I get it, okay? I know what it’s like to be picked on.
Jordan: Yeah, but you get to grow up, and you get to be Superman. Who am I? I’m a weird kid with headaches. I just–I wanted to be good at something–that was all.
Clark: That’s not what your powers are for. Jordan-
Jordan: Dad, I’m not you, okay?!

General Lane: I don’t know what you’re upset about. The girl’s safe and on her way home. The subject’s back in custody. Let’s take this as a win.
Clark:  His name is Tag.
General Lane:  I wish I had your trust in people, I really do.
Clark: So do I.
General Lane: You put me in a bad position tonight.
Clark: You know, I thought about all the ways you might try to stop that boy. Never occurred to me you would actually use live rounds, let alone ones fitted with Kryptonite.
General Lane: My job is to protect the American people by any means necessary.

Clark: (nodding) And now I know.

Lois: You are armed to the teeth with the kind of weapons that would put you high on the FBI’s Most Wanted List. And this security badge–I sent a photo to a friend of mine, and she said it’s one of the best forgeries she has ever seen. So why don’t you tell me who you really are and why you are in Smallville, ’cause I don’t buy that you came to write a story.
The Stranger: I can’t tell you why I’m really here. But I can promise you, like you, I am trying to prevent something bad from happening.
(Lois is fuming as her cel phone rings.)
Lois: Hey, babe, can I call–
(We don't hear what Clark says but it makes her go quiet.)
Lois: How bad? I’m on my way.
The Stranger: (concerned) Are you okay?
Lois: (angrily) To be continued!
(Lois gets into her truck and starts to drive off. As she does, a single tear duns down The Stranger's cheek.)

(Jonathan has gone to bed, angry about not being able to be quarterback anymore after finally getting a chance to play again. Clark and Lois are trying to help Jordan cope with what he did by accident.)
Clark: I told you, your powers come with responsibility, and I need you to get that.
Lois: Honey, we know it was an accident. We know you’re sorry. Jon knows, too. He just needs a second. But your dad is right. Things are different now.
Jordan: Yeah, I know. I know they’re different.
Clark: Do you? Because you made a big point at the hotel of saying you’re different from me. But you’re not. That anger you felt that made you want to use your powers the way you did tonight? I have those feelings, too.
Jordan: You do?
Clark: Yes. But I keep them in check. Otherwise, I risk losing the trust of the very people I’ve sworn to protect. When I first showed up in Metropolis as Superman, there was a lot of talk about what the world should do with someone who had powers like mine. And it took me a minute to realize that other people were more afraid of what I could do than I was. So what I had to do, more than anything, was earn their trust, prove to them that, no matter what, I would never use my powers to hurt them. 20 years later, every time I use my powers, that trust is tested, every time. Just today, in fact. The thing about trust, Jordan– once you break it, it’s take a lot longer to heal than a wrist.

Continuity

The episode picks up where 105 ended, with Tag Harris chasing Jordan after seemingly having knocked him out at the end of the last episode.

Tag says that he saw a video of the rave at 101 and that Jordan was right there before the keg explosion that seemed to trigger Tag's powers. He also says he knows Jordan has something special about him too, though he doesn't say how he knows this.

Jordan uses the special pager his dad gave him.

Tag runs and Superman goes after him after checking to make sure Jordan is okay.

Tag is astonished to see Superman, implying that he doesn't know that Clark is Superman or that he's related to Jordan.

Tag Harris can run faster than Superman can fly.

Superman is able to mend a broken train rail in seconds, stopping a train from derailing.

Clark says that Jordan seems to be healing faster than a normal human, but he's still vulnerable.

Clark says that Sam Lane called to assure him the Department of Defense is searching for Tag and that his escaping was a fluke as he was much faster than they had measured, suggesting his powers had suddenly increased.

Lois thinks whatever gave Tag Harris powers came from the mines.

Morgan Edge's mines are now lined with lead fiber, so Clark can't use his X-Ray vision to see what is in them.

Clark offers to help Lois investigate the mines, but she says he should focus on the boys until Tag Harris is caught.

Lois thinks there is a connection between Morgan Edge and The Stranger, saying it can't be a coincidence someone who knows Superman's real name showed up at the same time Edge is giving people Kryptonian powers.

Jimmy Cutter was one of the bullies who picked on Jordan in Metropolis. He's apparently been talking smack about an upcoming game between Metropolis High and Smallville High on social media.

Jordan has an intense reaction to Jonathan scraping his spoon against a cereal bowl, as if he had a migraine. Clark notices this, but Jordan says he just has a slight headache.

Clark asks if Jordan wants to sit this game out, but Jordan says he's good to go.

Morgan Edge appoints Lana Cushing to a new role managing his company's efforts to revitalize Smallville.

Jordan has another reaction to Jonathan closing his locker door.

Sarah Cushing tells Jordan that she plans to come watch the game tomorrow night to cheer him on.

Jordan starts to lose control, his eyes glowing red as he clutches his ears, as the class bell rings.

Jonathan gets Jordan into the bathroom and talks him down.

Jordan says he's been hearing high-pitched noises.

Jonathan tells Jordan they need to tell their dad what is happening. Jordan says he will after the game, because he needs to show the kids who bullied him - Woodrum, Cutter and Campana - that they can't bully him anymore. Jonathan reluctantly agrees to say nothing.

Kyle Cushing admits he's a little jealous Lana is getting a job working for Edge instead of him, having hoped maybe there would be something for him after all he did acting as Edge's advocate in Smallville. Lana tells him her new job benefits them both.

Lois tells Kyle and Lana that she thinks Morgan Edge is engaged in illegal and dangerous activities and that she wants their help to get into the mines to prove it. They both refuse, even after Lois says Superman is looking into Edge as well.

Kyle says he has a friend who hasn't worked in eight months who has a job thanks to Edge.

Clark tries to train Jordan on how to control his strength by getting him to punch a thick tree trunk. He hurts his hand trying to go by instinct, leading Clark to try and teach him how to throw a punch. Jordan is able to throw the punch and crack the wood after Jonathan tells him to pretend it is Cutter's face.  

Tag Harris is so fast even the DoD satellites can barely catch a glimpse of him and then only when he's stopped moving.

Sam Lane tells Clark that Tag Harris has been seen in Metropolis, but that Clark should stay with the boys as his squad can bring Tag down. Clark says that Tag seems more like a scared kid than a menace.

Sarah changes her mind about going to the game after learning Lana can't get a sitter for Sophie.

Tag is revealed to be spying on Sarah.

Jordan is sent into the game and told to tackle player 55. This turns out to be Cutter.

Jordan has another attack spurred by the referee whistle, which Clark notices. His failure to tackle Cutter leads to Smallville High's quarterback being injured.

Jonathan asks their coach to send him in, as he knows all of Metropolis plays and can counter them, having been planning to be their quarterback.

Cutter tells Jonathan that he's dating his ex-girlfriend Eliza now and that she wanted him to know that.

Jordan brings down Cutter and talks smack back to him. Clark notices and pulls him from the game.

Lois calls a contact with "the Post" to try and get a press pass with access to the Shuster Mines.

The Stranger, still posing as Marcus Bridgewater, approaches Lois with two forged Inspector Badges for the Shuster Mines.

The Stranger talks his way past security, but the guard seems to recognize Lois Lane.

Sophie doesn't like live-action movies.

Tag tries to speak with Sarah, saying she was always his friend and stuck up for people who weren't treated fairly.

Everyone in Smallville was told Tag Harris went to live with his dad.

Tag accidentally knocks out Sarah when he has a spasm.

Cutter leads the Metropolis players in ganging up in a charge on Jordan. While this is going on, Jonathan runs a play and scores a touchdown.

The attack triggers Jordan's powers, which Clark helps him hide by having Jordan discharge his heat vision into Clark's hands.

Kyle and Lana return home to find Sarah is missing and Sophie has no idea what happened to her.

Jonathan tells Clark about Jordan's earlier episodes.

Lana calls Clark to ask if Sarah went to the game at the last minute. He confirms that she didn't. As the are discussing Sarah disappearing, Kyle finds footage on their home security system of Tag Harris ringing their front doorbell.

Clark goes to look for Tag Harris, telling Jordan and Jon to stay in the hotel room.

The Stranger lies to Lois about how he got a hold of schematics for the Edge EnerCopr mine project, saying a friend helped him find them.

Tag took Sarah to an abandoned building in Metropolis. 

Tag has a small pile of worn-out shoes in his hide-out.

Lois notes that she is suspicious of The Stranger's story, given his claims to be an ex LuthorCorp employee who quit to become a journalist.

The Stranger shows Lois a cache of X-Kryptonite, which he identifies as the rarest form of Kryptonite.

Lois is not familiar with X-Kryptonite.

Leslie Larr finds Lois and the Stranger and attacks them with her heat vision.

Clark scans Metropolis with his super-hearing trying to find Sarah and Tag.

Some of the other players from the Smallville team come by the room to check on Jordan and invite him and Jonathan to go out and get some beers to celebrate their win. The other players talk them into it, saying they are only going up the street to a liquor store.

The Stranger does something with his laser that makes it into an energy weapon that knocks out Leslie Larr, allowing him and Lois to escape.

Tag shows Sarah the video of the rave and how the flare which ignited the keg came from Jordan. He asks if Jordan had told Sarah anything about what happened that night.

Clark arrives and tells Tag not to run, saying he's come to help him.

A group of Metropolis players, led by Cutter, show up and start trying to pick a fight with the Metropolis players.

Cutter provokes Jordan into taking a swing at him, but Jonathan steps in and catches the punch, which breaks his hand.

Tag has a speed-spasm as the Department of Defense soldiers arrive loaded for bear. Clark steps in to block their bullets, only to be shot by a soldier armed with a gun that shoots Kryptonite shards.

Clark starts to lose control of his powers in the same way Jordan did, but holds his heat-vision in check while plucking the Kryptonite shrapnel from his shoulder. He then unleashes the flame to melt the Kryptonite once it is in a corner.

The DoD forces stand down after Clark tells them to.

Clark tells Sam Lane, in no uncertain terms, how disappointed he is.

Lois says she had a friend look at the security badge The Stranger gave her sand she said it was one of the best forgeries she had ever seen.

Lois asks The Stranger who he really is, because she knows he isn't a reporter. He says he can't tell her but that, like her, he is in Smallville to try and stop something bad from happening.

Clark calls Lois and tells her about Jon's injuries.

Johnathan's arm will be in a cast for six to eight weeks. It's still unknown if he'll get the full range of motion back, however.

Clark has never heard of X-Kryptonite either, when Lois asks him about it. 

Lois tells Clark that Leslie Larr has Kryptonian powers too. She also tells him about "Marcus Bridgewater" and how he has a ray gun no journalist should have.

Sarah talks with Jordan about Tag having powers and how he was focused on Jordan. She also tells him about the video of the rave and how Tag thought Jordan had something to do with what gave Tag his powers.

Jordan lies and says he has no idea what Tag is talking about, even after Sarah says that he could tell her if there was something weird going on with him.

Lana talks to Lois about what Sarah told her about Tag and says she now believes Lois is right about the mines being involved. She agrees to help Lois investigate Morgan Edge and what he is up to.

Jordan has another episode along with what a seizure. The episode ends with Clark flying him to the Fortress of Solitude.


The Bottom Line

Another great episode which rebuilds the momentum lost during the two month break. This is Superman done right, plain and simple.

Superman and Lois: Season 1, Episode 5 - The Best of Smallville

For a summary of the episode guide layout & categories, click here. 

Plot

As Smallville celebrates its first Harvest Festival since Martha Kent's passing, Clark is reminded of what his mother meant to him and the city and learns an important lesson. Meanwhile, the shift in Jonathan and Jordan's fortunes finally comes to a head, as The Stranger arrives in Smallville and begins stalking Lois.


Influences

The classic Superboy comics (Clark trying to protect his town as a teenager) and Superman: The Movie (Pa Kent's speech about Clark being sent to Earth for a reason, Ma Kent giving him the sunstone from his rocket.)


Performances

Inde Navarrette, who plays Sarah Cushing, gets some great moments here, playing a teenage girl who is wise beyond her years and resentful of the innocence she's lost. 

Tyler Hoechlin gets some great silent acting moments in the set-up to the flashbacks to his teen years and the moments after.


Artistry

The direction in general is fantastic, with the transition between flashbacks and present-day scenes being seamless.

The "after school special" scene with Sarah and Jordan having their date interuppted by a drunken Jonathan is also notable for how it avoids being the typical "teen drinking is bad" drama scene and is played completely straight and with surprising realism.

I defy you not to cry during the final flashback as a teenage Clark Kent leaves home for the first time and Martha Kent watches him leave, neither one wanting to part but both knowing it is ultimately for the best.


Super Trivia

Most of the flashbacks to Clark's teen years are taken directly from Superman: The Movie.

This episode confirms that this version of Clark Kent did try to use his powers to help people before becoming Superman, although he didn't don a costume and appear as Superboy when he did it.

This episode reveals that The Stranger (aka Captain Luthor) was apparently married to Lois Lane on his Earth. There is a long history of Lois Lane and Lex Luthor being romantically involved in alternate worlds in the DC Comics universe. Perhaps the most famous example of this is in Earth-3; a world where all the great heroes were villains and Alexander Luthor the world's only superhero.

Lois and Lex were also married in the reality of Superman: Red Son. The two dated for a time in the realities of Superman: The Animated Series and  Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. In the current mainstream DC Comics universe, Luthor had an infatuation with Lois (due to her refusal to cowtow to him) and he briefly had a replicant companion modeled on Lois.


Technobabble

Captain Luthor tracks Superman and Derek Powell's chase to a five mile circumference, based on an established flight algorithm of Kryptonian flight patterns.


Dialogue Triumphs

(Sharon Powell has just told Lois and Chrissy to drop the matter of Morgan Edge trying to have her killed, now that her son has suddenly come back.)
Chrissy: Okay, that phony story... was all sorts of rehearsed.
Lois: (deadpan) I know.
Chrissy: Sharon almost got killed by someone who works for Morgan Edge.
Lois: (deadpan) Yep.
Chrissy: I'm acting like you right now?
Lois: That's because we both know this is a big story. And we will figure it out, but for now, let's just be happy she got her son back.

Lois: So you're a reporter?
The Stranger: That's right. Marcus Bridgewater.
Lois: Sounds vaguely familiar. Politico?
The Stranger:  Reuters. Mainly do business coverage, focusing on big tech. I have a background in engineering. I used to work at LuthorCorp.
Lois: (like she's about to spit) Lex Luthor, the only human being worse than Morgan Edge.
The Stranger:  Guy, uh... (chuckles) Definitely has his secrets. 

(Jonathan has just said he's sick of farming, Harvest Fest and Smallville.)
Clark: Hey. I'm sorry about Eliza.
Jonathan: It's not about that, Dad. I wanna move back. I lost all my friends. I'm probably never gonna play football again, and... and now, what? You just expect me to drop my life for everyone else's?
Clark: Look, I know, I know. A lot has changed. But I promise you, it's all gonna work out.
Jonathan: (scoffs) You don't know that!
Clark: I get it. There was a time in my life when I felt just like you.
Jonathan: Yeah, well, I'm sure. When was that? When you were, I don't know, lifting an oil tanker or maybe flying laps around Saturn?
Clark: Jonathan...
Jonathan: No, Dad! I'm not like you, and I'm not like Superboy over there, okay? (gestures towards Jordan) And this town? It is my Kryptonite! 

Martha Kent: We've talked about this, Clark. You can't be running around playing masked vigilante.
Teen Clark: They were stealing!
Martha Kent: I understand that, but we've got rules in this family.
Teen Clark: Those were Dad's rules, and he's not here anymore.
Martha Kent: That doesn't mean you get to ignore everything he taught you.
Teen Clark: It's been a year. You know? We can't keep pretending everything's the same. We have to move on with our lives.
Martha Kent: Moving on can be a distraction. Sometimes to heal, you've gotta... you've gotta sit with the feeling, you know? Let it run its course.
Teen Clark: Dad understood. He knew I was sent here for a reason.
Martha Kent: Your father and I both knew you were sent here for a reason.
Teen Clark: Well, I'm pretty sure that reason wasn't to be Martha Kent's son! 

(Lois and Clark are sitting on Martha Kent's memorial bench.)

I was so selfish.
Everybody is at that age. It's part of growing up.
Yeah, but Mom knew that. And she let me go anyway.
Because she loved you and she wanted you to be happy. And now we're at the point where our own kids are talking about leaving home.
It feels like they were just born.
It's easy for you to say, you didn't have to go through 27 hours of labor.
That's true.
(Clark looks over at Lois and the both laugh and cuddle up.)
Lois: Love you.
Clark: Love you too.
(From a distance, they are being watched by Captain Luthor, He looks upset - more saddened then angry as he turns around and walks away. He returns to his mobile home. He leans on the counter and steadies himself, breathing deeply. His AI kicks on and a red light scans over him.)
AI: Biometric readings suggests your pulse is abnormally high. This must be about Lois Lane. It is worth reminding you that this is not the Lois Lane from your world.
Captain Luthor: Everything about her is the same. Everything, except she marries someone else! 


Continuity

As the episode opens, the national news is reporting an uptick in Superman sightings around the globe. This is because Clark is trying to free up time for his favorite time of year in Smallville: Harvest Fest.

Harvest Fest is an annual event in Smallville, coinciding with when the farmers harvested their crops in the fall, where the community gathered together and shared what they didn't need with each other. It also has the traditional fair attractions, such as rides, food like funnel cakes, fried cheese curds, and chocolate covered bacon.

Smallville was officially established as a township in 1949.

The Kent farm grows corn and the family shuck the ears together as Clark tells his sons about the festival and how it taught him the value of helping others.

Jonathan's girlfriend Eliza is coming to visit that weekend.

Eliza is reportedly a vegetarian.

Sarah asks Jordan out to the Harvest Festival With a little pushing from Jonathan, he says yes.

Eliza dumps Jonathan over the phone, when he called to confirm her arrival time.

Jonathan and Eliza had been dating for over a year.

Clark turns his mother's room into a home office for Lois. He plans to give away most of the furniture, except for one lamp.

Crissy Beppo calls Lois and asks if she could come into the office as Sharon Powell (last seen in 103) has shown up, with her missing son, Derek.

Derek Powell claims to have no memory of where he's been for the past few months. He says the last thing he remembers before losing time was looking at his latest generous paycheck from Morgan Edge as he was walking through a tunnel and hurting his head. The next thing he remembered was waking up in Stanton County. The authorities found him outside St. Anthony's church and they helped him recover his memory. 

Derek Powell claims to have no memory of the phone messages he left for his mother, saying that the opportunity he'd been given wasn't what he thought it was and he sounded scared.

Sharon says everything that happened, including the attempted murder, doesn't really matter to her since her son is back.

Captain Luthor has tracked Lois Lane to Smallville, saying that the one thing he's noticed about this Earth is that Superman will follow Lois Lane anywhere.

Sharon and Derek drop off several bags of men's clothes for the Harvest Fest swap meet.

Lana recognizes Derek's name from Lois' story.

Derek goes to the restroom, breathing heavily and sweating. He calls Leslie Larr to tell her something is wrong just before his eyes erupt red with heat-vision and set the building on fire.

As a teenager, Clark normally wore flannel shirts.

Lana apparently dated Kyle Cushing in high school before she started daring Clark.

Clark had a brief career as a masked vigilante in Smallville, in spite of his mother warning him against trying to use his powers to help people. 

The thieves Clark stops in his flashback were stealing 32" television sets VCRs and salad shooters.

As a teenager, Clark was strong enough to break a shotgun with his bare hands and fast enough to bat bullets out of the air.

Clark hears the sirens of the fire department and steps in to put the fire out with his ice breath before the building can collapse on Kyle Cushing.

Kyle notices the frost on the support beams afterward.

By the time Clark got to the drop-off site, all the donations had been destroyed.

Clark saw Sharon Powell outside the center as they firemen were trying to put it out. He did not see Derek Powell, but noticed Sharon seemed to be looking for someone.

Clark's favorite band to listen to when he was depressed as a teenager was REO Speedwagon.

Tom "Mitch" Mitchell was the main casualty of the fire. A career firefighter in Smallville, he was the best man and Kyle and Lana's wedding. He's still alive, but he inhaled a lot of smoke and Kyle says things are not looking good for him when Lois questions him about the fire.

Kyle says the whole fire was weird and he has no idea how it started so suddenly or was stopped so suddenly. He does not mention the frost to Lois..

Kyle confirms he saw Derek Powell near the Smallville Community Center before the fire started.

Lois calls Chrissy and suggests that she talk to Sharon Powell again.

Captain Luthor approaches Lois pretending to be another reporter; Marcus Bridgewater. He claims to be working with Reuters and to be a former LuthorCorp employee. He also claims to have an educational background in engineering, though he mostly writes about big tech and business. 

Captain Luthor claims to be a big fan of Lois Lane and says he began investigating Morgan Edge after reading her last piece on him in The Daily Planet.  He tells her that he plans to check out the Shuster Mines. Lois tells him to call her if he finds anything and they can consider sharing the byline. 

Sharon Powell says Derek sent her a text after the fire at the Smallville Community Center, saying that he needed space. He said nothing about where he was going.

After confirming that Sharon and Derek shared a phone plan, Chrissy used Sharon's phone to track Derek's, finding out that he was at 1247 Crawford Street.

Jonathan declares that he wants to move back to Metropolis and that his friend, Bryan Kelso, has an older brother who has a spare bedroom. Clark says that will not happen, but Jonathan says maybe he'll just do it anyway.

After the fight with Jonathan, Clark remembers an argument he had with his mother as a teenager over his vigilantism and how Clark didn't see any reason to follow his father's rule about "showing off" his powers.

Kyle returns home drunk. Apparently he and several other firemen went out to have a drink in Tom Mitchell's honor since the doctors says there's almost no chance he could keep working as a fireman, even if he did pull through given his lung damage.

Kyle fights Lana about going to the Harvest Festival right away. He wants some time to clean up and eat, but Lana has to meet with several people to figure out what to do about the destroyed donations.

Sarah offers to drive Kyle to the Festival while Lana and Sophie go first.

Jon abandons Jordan to hang out with some other football players who are drinking something alcoholic from a flask.

Kyle winds up passing out on the couch while Sarah is fixing him something to eat, trying to sing Sarah a song he used to sing to her when she was a little girl.

Chrissy Beppo goes to the address on Sharon Powell's phone and spies Leslie Larr making out with Derek Powell before they go into the building.

After going into Jordan's room to shut off the radio, Clark remembers back to when the room was his room and how he and his mother made up after their fight over his stopping the robbery.

Clark apologizes, saying his mom was right to be upset at him. Martha apologizes, saying that Smallville might not be the best place for him anymore. This leads to her giving him the Sunstone crystal from the ship that brought him to Earth.

Lana lies about Kyle's absence at the Harvest Fest and says Kyle is at the hospital with Tom Mitchell.

Sarah is late for her date with Jordan. 

The building at 1247 Crawford Street contains a machine like an MRI, which Derek Powell is loaded into by Leslie Larr. Chrissy Beppo observes this but leaves to call Lois before seeing the machine activate. 

Sarah is about to tell Jordan something private, but is interrupted by a drunken Jonathan. 

Sarah loses her temper with the football players and tells them not to talk to her because she's sick of dealing with drunk idiots who don't know what real problems are.

Clark smells the alcohol on Jonathan from a distance. He and Lois send the boys home from the festival early, despite the fact that they said they were already leaving.

Chrissy calls Lois and tells her about how she saw Leslie Larr and Derek Powell together.

Clark goes to the building at 1247 Crawford as Superman.

Derek Powell tells Leslie Larr to "protect the asset" before taking off flying and leading Superman on a chase.

Captain Luthor detects Superman flying and is stunned that Kal-El is in Smallville.

Captain Luthor is now operating out of a mobile home, which contains his AI assistant and a small arsenal of apparently high-tech weapons.

Derek Powell sets a barn and several fields on fire with his heat vision to slow down Superman. Superman barely misses a beat putting them out with his ice breath. 

During the fight, when Superman asks what happened to Derek Powell, an inhuman voice says that he's been resurrected and that "You are not alone anymore, Kal-el."

Captain Luthor attempts to shoot both Kryptonians out of the sky with a rocket launcher of some type. It seems to weaken Derek Powell, but only stuns Superman briefly. The rocket explosion is visible from Harvest Fest.

Derek Powell's body disintegrates into a burst of heat vision and ashes.

Captain Luthor runs to the impact point, but Superman has left before he can get there, armed with a special gun - presumably one that could kill a Kryptonian. 

Clark and Lois declare that Jonathan is getting a "get out jail free card" this one time, saying that he had to leave Smallville to find himself and he understands it might not be the place for Jonathan. He says they can discuss the idea of Jonathan moving to stay with friends later, but he asks Jonathan to give Smallville more time.

Clark gives Jonathan a box that Pa Kent made which he gave to Ma Kent, which she, in turn, gave to Clark when he left home.

Clark says he doesn't think Derek Powell was really Derek Powell and references his talk of being resurrected. He also mentions how his powers were erratic, like Tag Harris's super-speed.

Morgan Edge donates enough cash to replace everything that was lost in a fire, and then some.

Lana reveals that the Smallville City Council decided to dedicate a bench that Martha Kent always sat on whenever she was in town to her. The bench bares a memorial plaque which reads "MARTHA KENT - THE BEST OF SMALLVILLE."

Clark remembers how he and his mother sat on that bench to wait for the train leaving Smallville when he left home.

Captain Luthor was apparently married to Lois Lane on his Earth.

Based on his uniform, Captain Luthor was a US Army Ranger.

Jordan and Sarah decide to take it slow, with Sarah saying she needs a friend more than a boyfriend right now. Jordan agrees.

On the walk home to the Kent Farm, Jordan is jumped by Tag Harris, who is wearing a uniform of some type. He is then knocked out. 


Untelevised Adventures

Superman does many heroic things around the world which are mentioned in passing on the national news.


The Bottom Line

A solid, yet curious episode. Probably the most weakly written episode to date, it is also the best directed and bolstered by some solid performances. It leaves us wanting more. Unfortunately, thanks to The CW's odd schedule, we'll have to wait two more months to get it.