Originally aired February 25, 2003
Written by Alfred Gough & Miles Millar
Directed by James Marshall
Against his parents' wishes, Clark puts the spaceship key into the Kawatche Cave wall and is hit with a burst of energy that enables him to read the alien language. Later, he receives an e-mail from Dr. Virgil Swann, a scientist who has a message for Clark from his home planet. Lana and Chloe clash when Chloe catches Lana snooping through her personal files.
Tropes present in the episode:
- Genius Cripple: Dr. Swann, a highly intelligent scientist who's able to decipher a Kryptonian signal after years of study, is confined to a wheelchair.
- Herald: Dr. Swann plays this role to Clark.Clark: Why me? There must be a reason why I was sent to this planet.
Dr. Swann: You won't find the answers by looking to the stars. It's a journey you'll have to take by looking inside yourself. You must write your own destiny... Kal-El. - Hermit Guru: Dr. Swann lives alone in the New York City Planetarium and gives Clark guidance in his journey to becoming Superman.
- Last of His Kind: When Clark states there has to be others like him, Dr. Swann tells him there was only one message from Krypton, suggesting he's the last of his race.
- Neural Implanting: After putting the Key into the cave wall, Clark is hit with a stream of energy that gives him the ability to read the Kryptonian language.
- Orphan's Ordeal: The episode features Clark intent on uncovering the truth about his past, even going against Jonathan's wishes. While he learns his birth name and the name of his homeworld, he also discovers that his birth parents, his people, and his home planet are all gone, and that his parents may have sent him to conquer Earth.
- Passing the Torch: A meta example between Tom Welling (Smallville's Clark) and Christopher Reeve (Clark/Superman from the Richard Donner Superman movies).
- Public Service Announcement: The episode ends with one featuring Tom Welling and Christopher Reeve asking for the audience's help to battle paralysis by donating to the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation. The PSA ends with Reeve and Welling thanking each other, and then Reeve playfully pleading to the camera "Please? Please call" and Welling and the off-camera crew bursting into laughter.
- Remake Cameo: Christopher Reeve (Dr. Swann), of course, played Clark Kent/Superman in Superman, Superman II, Superman III, and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace.
- Special Guest: Christopher Reeve as Dr. Virgil Swann.
- Wham Episode: Clark meets Dr. Swann (played by original Superman actor Christopher Reeve), learns of his true origins, and finds a message in his spaceship from his birth father that suggests he was sent to conquer Earth.
