Originally aired October 8, 2003
Written by Brian Peterson & Kelly Souders
Directed by James Marshall
After making a mysterious deal with Jor-El, Jonathan, possessing temporary Kryptonian powers, faces off against Clark. Lex returns and tries to figure out who engineered his plane crash: Lionel or Helen.
Tropes present in the episode:
- Black Widow: Helen is revealed as one. Lex sure knows how to pick 'em, huh?
- Calling the Old Man Out: After returning from the island, Lex confronts Lionel in his office at LuthorCorp and holds the man at gunpoint, believing him to be the one responsible for causing his plane to crash.Lex: Abraham threw Isaac on the pyre to prove his faith to God. What was your excuse?Lionel: Lex?[Lex removes his hood]Lionel: Son. [moves toward Lex]Lex: [holds Lionel at gunpoint] Disappointed I'm not basking in the fires of Hell?Lionel: Lex, put the gun down.Lex: Sorry I screwed up your plan.Lionel: Why would I murder my own flesh and blood? Son, you're not yourself.Lex: I'm feeling more like myself than ever. What the hell did you do with Helen?Lionel: She's living very comfortably in your mansion. Why don't you ask her?Lex: She's alive?Lionel: Yes. And she told a truly harrowing tale of survival that left you quite the posthumous hero. She said the pilot took your money and bailed out.Lionel: Quite a story, don't you think? A sacrificial death that would make any father proud. But something tells me that's not what really happened, Lex. I warned you not to trust her, Lex.Lex: [swipes things off a desk] Don't turn this on Helen! You had my name carved into a tombstone!Lionel: I had search parties scouring half the world for you.Lex: Looks like you picked the wrong half.
- Gold Digger: Helen is revealed as one.
- Idiot Ball: Clark revealing his weakness to Kryptonite to Edge so he can give the crime lord a sample of his blood to give to Lionel, who demanded that Edge return the packagenote he had Clark, as Kal, steal from Lionel's office in the previous episode. This comes back to haunt Clark in "Shattered".
- I Have Your Wife: Edge and his men hold Jonathan and Martha hostage to force Clark to hand over the (destroyed) package.
- Karma Houdini: Helen escapes and is never seen again after this episode.
- Let's Get Dangerous!: When Edge shows up at the Kent Farm demanding the package, Clark uses some of his "Kal" persona to physically threaten Edge and order him to leave Smallville. Edge complies... for a time, at least.Edge: Where's my package?Clark: I don't have it.Edge: I wonder if the cops want to know where you are. [starts to dial his phone]Clark: I don't think you heard me! [rips off the car door and hauls Edge out] The package is gone! Luthor doesn't know who took it, so forget about it! [...] Take your sorry ass down the road back to Metropolis. I don't want to see you in Smallville again. Ever.
- Mundanger: Neither Edge, his goons, nor Helen have any special powers.
- Mythology Gag:
- After Clark destroys the Red Kryptonite ring and the El symbol starts to disappear, said symbol resembles the Superman "S" for a brief second before disappearing completely.
- Possibly a meta example, but this episode shares the same title (somewhatnote ) of an episode of Lois & Clark, which featured the return of Lex Luthor.
- "Rashomon"-Style: The flashbacks of what happened on Lex and Helen's plane.
- Villain Has a Point: Turns out Lionel was right about Helen arranging the plane crash.
- Villain of the Week:
- Morgan Edge, a Metropolis crime boss who tries to deliver Clark to Lionel.
- Helen Bryce, who's revealed to have engineered Lex's plane crash so she could get his money.
