Originally aired May 6, 2011
Written by Bryan Q Miller & Anne Coffell Saunders
Directed by Michael Rohl
Clark and Lois go to the Fortress to get Jor-El's blessing for their upcoming marriage, and Jor-El temporarily transfers Clark's powers to Lois. Oliver meets up with Kara while searching for the Bow of Orion.
Tropes present in the episode:
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Broken Aesop: Season 7 tried to make Kara's obstinate refusal to take a submissive stance toward Clark An Aesop. According to the Word of God, the point was that, by not being submissive and not blindly obeying a man, she was asserting her importance as a woman. In this episode, however, she blindly obeys Jor-El's request that she leave the conflict with Darkseid because Clark's destiny is more important than hers. On a meta level, this seems to demonstrate that it is difficult to make a story about female significance when the male lead of the story is considered the person with the most important destiny on Earth. Also, after giving Kara full Kryptonian powers and suggesting that she has stronger clarity of purpose than Clark, they need to work on explaining why Kara is not the one who defeats Darkseid. It can be hard to construct a feminist moral when the central Myth Arc of your story is focused on the importance of a single man.- This can be hand-waved as Kara may have a stronger personal clarity, but she has yet to be able to inspire humans the way Clark has. And in the end, she has a destiny of her own.
- Calling the Old Man Out: After his powers are transferred back to him, Clark tells Jor-El he's had enough of his trials and shuts down the Fortress.Jor-El: Kal-El, I trust you found my gift to the both of you illuminating.Clark: It wasn't a gift. It was a trial. And it wasn't about Lois appreciating what it was like to have my abilities or me realizing what it was like to be human. It was about control.Jor-El: Your trials are not a riddle, Kal-El. They are stepping stones on a long path.Clark: A path that I could blindly walk forever, but I understand now. This whole time, it's been up to me to decide when to take control of my own destiny. The trials end when I'm ready for them to end.Jor-El: Your journey is far from over.Clark: But I can only be what the world needs when I can finally admit that I'm no longer just the son of Jor-El or Jonathan Kent. And you knew the time would come when neither of you could guide me anymore, and that time is now. [removes the crystal from the console, shutting the Fortress down] Goodbye, Jor-El.
- Legion of Doom: The beginnings of one, called Marionette Ventures, is being formed by Toyman.
- MacGuffin: The Bow of Orion, which Granny Goodness destroys moments after Oliver finally finds it.
- The Patriarch: Clark brings Lois to the Fortress to get Jor-El's blessing for their upcoming wedding because, according to Kryptonian culture, the head of a Kryptonian house has to approve marriages (or "life unions").
- Stealth Mentor: Jor-El explains to Kara that, previously, Clark wasn't ready to face Darkseid but now he is ready, and says that, even though he knows Clark will turn away from him, he's confident that Clark will make the right choice in the end.Jor-El: You involved Kal-El against my wishes. He was too weak then, and he was almost overcome by darkness. You have grown strong. Your will is no longer at the mercy of my command. You will need that strength to forge your own path. It is in your hands to choose.Kara: You want me to just walk away?Jor-El: Kara, your own destiny is written. It is in another place and time. But this is Kal-El's battle, and he must fight it alone. Even though a time will come when he turns away from me, in the end, he will make the right decision. He is ready. This is his time.
- Time Travel: In the final act, Kara uses a Legion ring to travel to the future.
- Two Roads Before You: Jor-El gives Kara the choice of either staying to help Clark (and thus endanger Earth's future) or traveling to the future to pursue her own destiny.Kara: You told me to protect Kal-El. Why would you interfere when I was so close to finishing what you told me to do?Jor-El: I believe you care about Kal-El and wish to help him, but ultimately, this battle must be his. That is why I've called you here—to make a choice.Kara: A choice?Jor-El: There are two paths laid out before you, Kara—you can leave Earth now and allow Kal-El to embrace his destiny, or you can stay and help him, risking the future of this planet.
- Villain of the Week: Winslow Schott/Toyman, again.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Jor-El calls Kara out for letting Clark get involved in dealing with Darkseid in "Supergirl." (See Stealth Mentor above.)
