Originally aired October 15, 2010
Written by Brian Peterson & Kelly Souders
Directed by Jeannot Szwarc
In the 200th episode, Clark and Lois attend their high school reunion at Smallville High. Brainiac 5 arrives from the future and takes Clark on a journey through his past, present, and future.
Tropes present in the episode:
- Back for the Finale: Greg Arkin, who was last seen in Season 1's "Metamorphosis," returns for the final season in this episode.
- Bait-and-Switch: Played with in the teaser; a counselor at Smallville High who blames Clark for all the weirdness in town is preparing to kill him when he shows up at the reunion. Brainiac sneaks up behind her, injects her with nanobots and tells her to leave Clark to him, implying that he's the main villain of the episode. Turns out that he's there to help Clark, not kill him.
- Dance of Romance: In the final scene, Clark and Lois finally admit their love for one another and share a romantic dance in the Kent barn. During this, Clark starts floating in the air.
- Event Title: The title refers to Clark's high school reunion.
- Future Badass: While visiting the future, Clark sees the hero he's destined to become.
- Guilt Complex: Brainiac 5 points out that this is Clark's Fatal Flaw and that it started with Jonathan's death in Season 5's "Reckoning."Brainiac 5: You don't see it? The darkness is the past. You hold on to it. You dwell. You punish yourself and everyone around you for past mistakes.
- Heel–Face Turn:
- Brainiac was re-programmed by the Legion of Superheroes as Brainiac 5 and is now one of the good guys. He's still a snarky know-it-all, though.Clark: [seeing the Legion ring on Brainiac 5's hand] The Legion. You're from the future. What'd you do to them?Brainiac 5: I joined them. In the 31st century, I'm known as "Brainiac 5." The ring, time travel—all my creations. I brought the Legion into a new realm of heroism.Clark: They helped me destroy you.Brainiac 5: No, they helped you cure me.
- Greg Arkin, who actually credits Clark with helping him turn from his villainous ways and asks Lois to tell Clark "thank you."Greg: I have a message for Clark Kent.Lois: Yeah? How about "don't leave your date with punch-bowl Maddie"?Greg: Something tells me it's for a good reason. Clark is the reason a lot of us are still here.Lois: Oh?Greg: I kind of got caught up in my web of obsession. He set me straight. It's not every place that has a hometown hero like Clark Kent.Lois: That's the kind of guy he is.Greg: Just tell him...tell him "thank you."
- Brainiac was re-programmed by the Legion of Superheroes as Brainiac 5 and is now one of the good guys. He's still a snarky know-it-all, though.
- Insufferable Genius: Brainiac 5, despite his Heel–Face Turn by the Legion.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: What Brainiac 5 has become due to being reprogrammed by the Legion.
- Love Floats: In the ending scene, Clark and Lois share a dance in the barn, and Clark starts floating a few feet off the ground.
- Mythology Gag: When in the future, Clark saves Future!Lois when her helicopter malfunctions.
- Noodle Incident: Future!Lois, bewildered by the time-displaced Clark's unusual behavior, suspects that some form of Kryptonite might be causing it. She mentions some past incident involving black Kryptonite; while not elaborating, it was apparently a disaster.
- "Not So Different" Remark: Brainiac 5 points this out to Clark, remarking they were both created in one way or another by Jor-El, the both of them were meant to save worlds, and neither one of them was immune to corruption.Brainiac 5: [to Clark] The problem is, Kal-El, you and I aren't very different. We were both created in one way or another by Jor-El, both intended to save civilizations, to bring peace to a brutal world. But neither of us was immune to corruption, to darkness.
- Other Me Annoys Me: Clark isn't impressed with his future self's nerdy disguise.Clark: [to his future self] How did I become so uptight? And nerdy?
- Reunion Revenge: At first, Clark is worried that Greg has come to pull this trope. Thankfully, it's averted when Greg talks to Lois and it turns out he's grateful to Clark for setting him straight.
- Stable Time Loop: Clark meets his future self, and figures out that the reason he knew he'd be there is because he went through it himself.Clark: You knew I'd be here?Future!Clark: Time travel; think it through.Clark: 'Cause you were me when you went through this, and I'm—Future!Clark: Well done, my man.
- Time Stands Still: Brainiac 5 displays this ability.
- Time Travel: Brainiac 5 uses the Legion ring to take Clark through the past, present, and future.
- Time Travel Episode: The show's final one.
- Yet Another Christmas Carol: Despite the episode not taking place during Christmas, the plot features Clark being shown his past, present, and future, and emerging changed from the experience for the better.
