Originally aired September 18, 2008
Written by Todd Slavkin & Darren Swimmer and Brian Peterson & Kelly Souders
Directed by Kevin Fair
Four weeks after the fall of the Fortress of Solitude, the Justice League scours the globe for a missing Clark.
Tropes present in the episode:
- Arc Words: The Black Creek facility looks set to be this season's overhanging shadow.
- The Baroness: Tess Mercer quickly establishes herself as one.
- Brainwashed and Crazy: Oliver shoots Clark after he gets injected with Moira's serum.
- Brought Down to Normal: Clark, as a result of Lex using the Orb in the previous episode. It turns out that Jor-El programmed the Orb to strip Clark of his powers if he ever became a danger to humankind. It gets reversed by the end of the episode, thanks to Martian Manhunter, who actually has this happen to him.
- Continuity Nod: Regan has a serum manufactured from Chloe's mother that copies her Mind Control ability. Although it works on everyone, whereas Chloe's mother's power only worked on meteor freaks.
- Event Title: The title refers to Clark's journey from Krypton to Earth. It even gets title-dropped by Martian Manhunter in the final act.
- French Maid Outfit: Lois wears one as a disguise in the Luthor Manor. Tess sees right through it.
- Feet-First Introduction: Tess Mercer in her first scene.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Martian Manhunter flies a dying Clark into Earth's sun to restore his powers, but at the cost of losing his own abilities.
- Made a Slave: Clark is stuck powerless in a slave camp in Russia.
- Mythology Gag: When he tracks down Clark in a Russian work camp, Oliver uses the alias "Roy Connor," Roy being the name of Roy Harper/Speedy (his sidekick in the comics) and Connor as in Connor Hawke (his son in the comics continuity).
- Promotion to Opening Titles: Justin Hartley as Oliver Queen/Green Arrow.
- Shapeshifter Mode Lock: John Jones, due to his Heroic Sacrifice.
- Snark-to-Snark Combat: Tess and Lois engage in this right at their first meeting.
- Super-Intelligence: Chloe, due to her Brainiac infection.
- The Straight and Arrow Path: Oliver is mocked for fighting with bow and arrow.
- Time Skip: Four weeks have passed since the Fortress collapsed.
- Title Drop: Courtesy of Martian Manhunter.
