Original air date March 16, 2021
Sam comes to Smallville asking for Clark’s help when a villain Thaddeus Kilgrave, leader of Intergang, is being transported out of Metropolis’ prison, due to Superman’s absence. Sam finds out about Jordan’s powers, and advises the brothers not to rely on their father. Superman appears too late to stop Kilgrave’s escape. Morgan Edge goes around Smallville to appeal to the townspeople before they vote on allowing him to re-open the mines. Lois tries to publish a scathing article against him, but Lois’ old contract prevents her. Lois tries to get Clark to show up to the meeting but gets tied up with Kilgrave. Lois and Lana bond over drinks. Meanwhile, Tag Harris, Jonathan’s teammate who broke his arm, starts vibrating crazily and tries to hide it. Jordan tries to save Tag but fails. As Superman is struggling to fight Kilgrave, he hears Jonathan call for help, giving him strength. Tag is taken to the DoD to be monitored. Sam, seeing that Clark is putting his family at higher priority than the world, creates Contingency Plan 7734 to be used against Superman. Meanwhile, Edge and Larr start digging into the mines, and find X-Kryptonite to help expand his super-powered army.
* * *
[TENSE MUSIC]
♪♪
Maintain your course.
Ready.
On my mark. Brake!
Now the resurrection begins.
[CROWD CHEERING]
Hut!
[GRUNTING]
Yeah!
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
Yes, sir! Whoo! Go, Crows!
Hey, I’ve been telling everybody that when this proposal goes through, that we can revamp the field…
you know, put up a new scoreboard.
I mean, draw the big crowds like when I used to play.
[LAUGHS] Yeah.
Oh, another fun fact about these grandstands…
they’ve been around since, what, ’48, Mayor?
Something like that?
I think so, yeah.
CHEERLEADERS: [CHANTING] Let’s go, Crows. D!
That cheer coach is my wife, Lana.
Yeah, she also works at your bank.
A big fan of all the changes you made, by the way.
She’s an employee of mine?
Yes, sir.
Then I insist you join us for dinner.
[TENSE MUSIC]
♪♪
That’s, uh… that’s not a bad idea.
CHEERLEADERS: Defense!
[SCOFFS]
He’s got a lot of nerve coming here.
After totally trying to murder you?
I can’t prove it, though.
[PLAYERS GRUNTING]
The town votes tomorrow on whether to grant him mining rights, so he’s visiting all the spots, letting everyone see him as this man of the people, pretending like he’s actually gonna pump money into this area.
Boy, they really pack them in here, huh?
Dad?
I know it’s a surprise, but it’s Jon’s home opener.
You never came to any of my games.
Is that Clark?
All right, let’s go. Defense. Let’s go. Pick it up.
Kent!
Yes, Coach?
No, not you. The other one.
Shortstack!
Yes, Coach?
Look, I need you right now.
I need you to get me that ball.
You hear me?
Yes, Coach.
Yeah!
Yes, Coach.
Hey. Come on.
Come on. It’s just like practice.
This is different than practice.
No. Hey, you got this, okay?
You can do it. Just go.
Now entering the game, number 24, Jordan Kent.
[OVERLAPPING CHATTER AND CHEERING]
Set…
[INHALES]
Hut!
[GRUNTING]
[LIVELY MARCHING BAND MUSIC]
♪♪
He got the ball!
Jordan, go!
[OVERLAPPING CHATTER]
Go! Go! Go!
♪♪
[WHISTLE TOOTS]
[HOPEFUL MUSIC]
Touchdown, Crows.
Let’s go, Jordan!
[CHEERING]
♪♪
Something you wanna tell me?
[HEROIC MUSIC]
♪♪
[TEAM CHEERING AND WHOOPING]
All right! All right! All right!
But let’s not get too cocky.
We made a lot of mental mistakes, but as for tonight, tonight’s game ball goes to
Shortstack, Jordan Kent!
Come on now!
[TEAM CHEERING]
[TENSE MUSIC]
How could you not tell me?
What? That he’s good at football?
He’s not.
The kid’s a buck twenty soaking wet, never played a down of tiddlywinks.
Now he’s T-boning players twice his size?
He has powers, and you didn’t tell me.
All right, well, it’ll probably never even happen again.
Bottom line, he doesn’t have powers.
We just wanna keep an eye on him.
That’s why you moved to Smallville?
No… well, yeah, sort of.
And now he’s playing football?
Mistake.
The Kent family needs to fly under the radar.
My sons need to live their lives.
Dad, Clark and I can handle this.
Clark? How is he helping? By coaching the team?
He’s involved, which is a hell of a lot more than you ever were.
I don’t like his priorities changing.
It’s called being a father.
Oh, for God’s sake, enough…
[DOOR CLICKS OPEN AND SHUT]
You’re right.
It’s enough.
Look, we appreciate your concern; we really do.
But we know what we’re doing.
Do you?
There’s an armored nutjob on the loose who wants you dead, and your priority seems to be…
Coaching my sons, yes.
And there are nutjobs who wanna kill me all the time.
You need to understand, the military is terrified of you.
They note any change in routine.
I’m the one keeps them in check.
Yes, and we are grateful for that.
Moving out of Metropolis raised a red flag.
Nobody’s seen you in the skies.
Crime groups like Intergang are already planning an uptick of activity.
The higher-ups wanna transfer high-risk inmates out of Metropolis Penitentiary.
Why? Because if Superman’s not around, the site is more vulnerable to attack.
So what? Is he supposed to babysit a prison?
Show of good faith.
Escort the transfer.
They’re moving Thaddeus Killgrave, the psycho genius who got radicalized off hating you.
If anything goes wrong, I will be there, but I’m not throwing away time with my family for a show of good faith.
So you’re going against my advice?
I don’t work for you, Sam.
Fine.
New day in the Kent house.
Let me get my bag from the car.
Stick around this weekend.
Maybe it’ll be easier if I pitch in.
[QUIET, TENSE MUSIC]
♪♪
Hey, here comes the cover of “Madden 21”!
[ALL CHEERING]
[UPBEAT MUSIC]
♪♪
♪ You got a lot to give ♪
He doesn’t even like football.
So what? He evolved.
It happens.
I used to get game balls.
Before my stupid, million-to-one exploding bonfire injury.
Did the doctor give you, like, a timeline for getting that off, or…
Maybe in time for playoffs.
But we won’t make playoffs if our wideout can’t catch a ball.
What’d you say?
Oh, relax, Wellnitz.
Your broke ass is busting on me?
Waitress?
Might want to have this guy pay first, unless he’s putting those buffalo wings on layaway.
Hey, hey, hey, hey.
Guys. Guys. Guys. Guys. Guys. Guys.
Hey, hey, hey.
Come on, man.
What are you doing?
Relax.
Not worth it.
[SMOOTH PIANO MUSIC PLAYING]
I understand you’re one of mine.
[CHUCKLES] You work at my bank.
Ah, yes.
Well, you know, with all due respect, I’ve been there since before your company acquired the branch.
And do you find the work satisfying?
I got into finance to help people, and lately, it feels like the only people I’m helping are the shareholders.
Banking can be a harsh business and, uh… limiting to someone with your potential.
I glanced at your file.
Graduated magna cum laude from Stanhope College.
Wide variety of clubs, extracurriculars, travel plans.
You could’ve done anything you wanted, and yet, you chose to come back here where your options were… somewhat limited.
[SMOOTH PIANO MUSIC PLAYING]
Smallville’s home.
I like it here.
Certainly.
Perhaps you can find something more worthy of your unique gifts.
If you want to make a real impact, I can be a resource.
[TENSE MUSIC]
I pride myself
in helping people achieve their best selves.
♪♪
This is savage.
_
Edge picked the mayor to parrot his misinformation, so I had to reply.
Yeah, but it reads like a debate with a first grader.
The mayor keeps saying “jobs”, and then you fire off a list of EPA infractions, mortgage rate inflation scams, a whole string of missing employees.
This is exactly why I hired you.
I even did my own copyediting.
Mm, that part still needed some work.
Where?
[BELL DINGS]
Uh, we’re actually not open at 10:00 at night.
Your old contract.
For your lawyer.
♪♪
What are you talking about?
We’re aware of the piece you intend to publish tomorrow.
How could you know that?
Any such action would be in breach of your previous contract, as I’m sure your lawyer will explain.
I told you he would crush you.
It’s okay.
Edge is just trying to scare us.
Yeah, well, it’s totally working.
The “Gazette” can’t afford to fight off an army of Edge’s lawyers.
We don’t even have a lawyer.
But the vote is tomorrow.
I’m sorry, Lois, but until this gets worked out, I can’t risk publishing a word you write.
I can’t believe this happened.
Stupid broken arm.
[STRAINING] Stupid cast.
[GROANS]
[RATTLING]
[DARK MUSIC]
[PANTING]
What is happening to me?
Red, 57. Set, hut!
[MARCHING BAND MUSIC]
[WHOOSHES]
Oh…
Whoo! Takeaway.
Can’t get cocky. It’s a cardinal sin.
Never celebrate until you cross a goal line.
Okay, guy who runs at Mach 10.
[SARCASTICALLY] Oh, ha-ha. Go.
Well.
Well, that’s why he plays defense.
Hey, you okay?
Yeah.
Yeah, it’s just… it’s just hard.
It’s like, I’m on the bench, and then Jordan’s got the game ball.
You know? I…
I don’t know how that’s really fair to any of the players, to be honest.
Well, he’s not taking over the whole team.
There’s room for you to step up.
Clark?
Gorgeous husband, love of my life, really, and my dear, personal champion, a tiny favor to ask.
Does it have anything to do with your dad?
No. He’s in national security mode.
It has to do with the assembly.
I was thinking that since my article was shredded and I can’t technically speak out about Morgan Edge, the next best thing would be to have Smallville’s favorite son show up and say some words on behalf of justice.
Okay.
Well, when you put it that way, yeah, I’ll be there.
Great.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I just found out Edge is at the mines.
Whoa, you’re gonna go confront him after he sent a guy to attack you?
Look, Edge thinks he has me up against the ropes.
If I show up out of nowhere, knock him off balance, maybe I’ll pop something loose.
If you wait, I can go with you.
No, I got it. You have practice.
I can handle myself.
[ENGINE REVVING]
So much for Lois Lane’s big exposé, huh?
Told you she had nothing on Edge.
You seem pretty smug, rooting for an entitled billionaire.
I just want what’s best for this town.
Right now, it seems pretty clear to me that that’s Morgan Edge bringing jobs in.
So what? Just ignore the fact that he’s a jerk?
Why is he a jerk, huh?
Because he throws a little money around?
You didn’t think it was awkward, him cornering me?
Asking me about my job? Promising opportunity?
He was our host. He was just being friendly.
You didn’t even ask if I was uncomfortable.
I mean, do you care?
It’s not like he was flirting with you.
Honey, I was right there.
It’s not about you.
I was annoyed.
He made me uncomfortable, and you didn’t even notice.
Is that where our marriage is at?
So okay, Lana, you want me to get in the guy’s face because he dared to talk to you?
[SCOFFING] Oh, God.
I mean, I could’ve been a jerk to your boss too, but then you would’ve been pissed at that, right?
Hey, wait. Lana, that came out wrong.
Whatever. I need some air.
Lana…
[DOOR SLAMS SHUT]
♪♪
Ms. Lane.
Have you come to take a tour of our facilities?
Yeah, after what happened in New Carthage, I would rather not follow you into a dark tunnel.
Whatever could you be insinuating?
Look, I’m kind of bored with the whole “faux-British accent, billionaire at a football game trying to fit in” con job.
I can assure you, my accent is genuine.
I was raised in…
Oh, my God. Who cares?
Let’s just lay it out on the table.
First, you changed my story.
Then, you sent some goon who almost killed Sharon Powell.
Now you have your minion threatening my career?
Let me tell you how this goes.
You sue me, I countersue.
Your records get opened up in discovery, and that doesn’t end well for you or your brand name.
My, my.
You have thought this all through.
Why Smallville?
There’s other towns, other mines.
Why are you going to all this trouble?
That’s curious. I was about to ask you the same question.
World-renowned journalist, short-listed for the Pulitzer twice.
And you move here with your unemployed husband and two adolescent boys.
It seems like there must be something here that’s very important to you.
Maybe I’ll find out what that is.
Is that a threat?
Well, I could offer you your old job back, on the condition you play by the rules, but let’s be honest, you’ll never work at the “Daily Planet” again.
You’re past your prime, playing a high-stakes game with a losing hand.
You should fold while you still can.
Actually, I have one more ace to play.
I’m bringing it with me to the town assembly.
Maybe we can talk more then.
For now, I’m done with you, unless this creep show has anything to add.
I didn’t think so.
[TENSE MUSIC]
♪♪
It’s like Groundhog Day.
See, it’s plays like these that make me wanna quit coaching altogether and open up a pizzeria.
[CHUCKLES]
Oh, you think that’s funny, Harris?
You know what? You could’ve caught that pass had you not gone to that keg party and busted up your arm.
I hope that beer was worth it, genius.
You know, I was gonna let all of you all go a little bit early today, but I think we need to work on our mental errors.
This game is 20% physical, 80% mental, and as soon as we get in line with that, we’re gonna have more success than this kind of stuff!
Repetition’s the mother of skill!
[DARK MUSIC]
♪♪
This is General Lane.
I need your sitrep on Killgrave. Go.
♪♪
Confirm, General. Prisoner is in transit.
Einstein saw time as an illusion, one that gets us to wear a watch.
Do you happen to have the time?
Nice piece.
And analog.
Good for you.
A lot of people go digital.
They need to be spoon-fed.
[CLICKS TONGUE] Sad.
Society is spoiled rotten.
I think they need a wake-up call.
See, the thing is, that’s not chewing gum.
It’s a temperature-sensitive synthetic polymer resin I made in the sink of my prison cell.
Highly mercurial at an atomic level.
Combined with the precise vibration of a… ticking wristwatch, well, three, two, one.
[DOOR SLAMS]
[PANTING]
[STALL RATTLING]
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
♪♪
Tag, you all right?
Tag?
[PANTING] I’m fine! I’m fine.
[DARK MUSIC]
It’s gonna get soaked up in our minds that this kind of stuff ain’t gonna happen, ’cause this is unacceptable!
You’re better than that!
Metropolis prison transport under assault by unknown combatants.
Confirm prisoner. Killgrave, Thaddeus R.
Highest possible threat level.
Bishop Six, Intergang has attacked the prison transfer.
Bishop Six, respond.
Dad, something’s wrong.
[SINISTER MUSIC]
[GOONS SHOUTING]
♪♪
A little help with my jacket?
Seriously? Did you tell your dad on me?
What happened to your cast?
It was driving me crazy, so I… tore it off.
Tag, I’m sorry…
Look, whatever.
My arm’s killing me.
[SIGHS]
Can’t practice anyway. I’m out.
Bishop Six, please respond. Priority: alpha.
Dad…
Killgrave has escaped.
Something was not right…
Jon, Jon.
We’ll talk about it later, okay?
I have a call. I gotta go.
[WHOOSH]
[WHISPERED MURMURING]
[SIREN WAILING]
Bishop Six, we got a hit on Killgrave.
25 Beacon Court. Please divert.
[WHOOSHES]
[DEVICE BEEPING]
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
[DEVICE CONTINUES BEEPING]
♪♪
[DEVICE WHIRS, PLAYS RECORDING]
See you soon, Big Blue.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
♪♪
Nothing on Killgrave yet, but I’ll keep searching till I find him.
Boys, I gotta head back to the DOD for an emergency.
I wanna say, I’m sorry for the changes you’re having to endure.
Jordan, I know that you’re showing signs of being special.
Not that big a deal, really.
Yeah. Yeah, come on, Grandpa.
He’s just the same old barely-above-average kid.
All right, well, what I do know is your dad is very special.
I didn’t want you to know that, yet here we are.
And given that your dad is the most important force for good in the entire world, that means you have an obligation too.
Don’t waste his time.
Try to think about the fact that when your dad gets distracted, lives are at stake.
Understood?
Yes.
Sure.
Then act accordingly.
And for the record, helluva hit last night.
[CHUCKLES]
What do you think?
You wanna go to Wellnitz’s party, or what?
You worried about Tag?
Yeah.
Let me text Sarah for a ride.
All right.
And Morgan Edge made a lot of promises.
And the fact is, he kept every single one of them.
So I say, what are we waiting for, hmm?
[PEOPLE MURMURING APPROVINGLY]
Let’s sign this motion and get those mines going!
Yeah?
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
This is so one-sided, it’s pathetic.
Did Clark ever respond?
He must be busy.
Assistant coaching the football team?
He does a lot on the farm.
Oh.
Okay.
Well, I think I’m gonna go try and rally the troops.
Or, like, even find a troop.
Hey, it’s Clark. Leave a message.
Hey. Where are you?
You’re literally my last shot at presenting my side of this.
You know I would do it myself, but I’m trying not to get bankrupted in a lawsuit.
Hurry.
♪♪
Hey, Lois.
Are you okay?
No, actually. I’m kind of a sore loser.
Do you wanna grab a drink tonight?
I mean, no kids, no husbands.
[GAVEL BANGS]
Just a girls’ night out. I promise you it’ll be fun.
[GAVEL BANGS]
All in favor of granting Edge EnerCorp exclusive rights to the Shuster Mines?
ALL: Yay.
All opposed?
Nay!
Motion approved.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
What time do you wanna meet?
[SOLEMN MUSIC]
♪♪
Babe, I’m so, so sorry I missed the vote.
I know. It’s okay.
No, it’s not. And you’re covering.
Don’t super-spy on my pulse rate or whatever you do.
You clench your jaw when you’re mad.
I’m not mad.
Well, you should be.
I said I was gonna be there, and I wasn’t.
Clark, can we not do this right now?
I’m not in the mood.
I just want to apologize.
And I want you to know that I…
Babe, I don’t need an excuse.
I know you have an excuse. You’re Superman.
Lois.
Okay, fine. I’m mad!
And I know it’s irrational because I understand that there were lives at stake, but this was so important to me.
And we lost the vote, by the way, and now I’m feeling guilty for wanting you to do something you said you would do.
[SIGHS]
[SOFT MUSIC]
When we started dating, I knew what I was getting into.
And I don’t get mad about you missing date nights or anniversaries or family dinners because of some idiot with a nuke, but lately, with everything that’s going on with the boys and my dad constantly in your ear, it feels like I’m really far down on your list of priorities.
Is that honestly how you feel?
Right now, in this moment that I might regret tomorrow, yeah, I do.
[ENGINE APPROACHES]
That’s my Lyft.
Lana asked me out for a drink, and I need one.
♪♪
[OVERLAPPING CHATTER, MUSIC PLAYING FROM SPEAKERS]
Yo, what’s up, Kent?
Hey.
Welcome to Wellnitz’s lake house.
Please don’t feed the animals.
Yo, Tag!
Tag, hey. Yo.
Hey.
Arm’s better?
Arm’s all better, baby.
Sup, Kent?
I got a buzz.
The Tagmeister’s back!
No way.
So it just healed like that, or what?
Who knows and who cares? Have a beer, Kent.
It’s a party!
You heard the man.
Hey.
Is Tag, like… is he all right? Is he on drugs, or…
No, that’s more Wellnitz’s territory.
Oh.
[LAUGHS]
Hey!
You met Denise?
Hi, Denise.
Oh, hey.
Um, no, my dad played free safety for Smallville,
so he wouldn’t, like, shut up about you after the game.
It was only one good hit, really.
Humble pie.
If a girl compliments you like that, you say, “Hell yeah”.
You know, we miss you so much at cheer.
Well, you know, I just needed more time for… drugs and alcohol.
[WHOOSH]
Nice of you to show up.
I came as a courtesy.
You wanna talk about courtesy?
How about showing me the courtesy of doing your job?
I don’t really think of it as a job, General.
It’s more of a call to responsibility.
It’s something you and I have in common.
So since I’m here, how about we figure this out together, hmm?
What is it with men? How everything’s about action?
Like, “Here, let me fix this, and let me explain this to you, and let’s just… let’s just gloss over that”.
[LAUGHS]
Is it a DNA thing?
[LAUGHS]
I think we need some shots.
[BOTH LAUGH]
I’m not complaining. I’m just verbalizing.
I know that the good outweighs the bad.
I mean, you get it.
You married a firefighter who clearly adores you, even though he hates me.
He respects you for speaking your mind.
I mean, that’s all he wants anyone to say about him.
What about you guys? Are you good?
We’re going on 16 years of marriage.
We have our moments.
I clearly disagree with him about Edge, but I do respect how much he loves this place.
Yeah.
You and Clark are obviously great.
[CHUCKLES] I don’t know.
Sometimes it feels like the older we get, the more we take on, the more the… romance and the marriage gets lost in the shuffle.
Let me tell you something.
Clark is my oldest friend.
I’ve known him for as long as I can remember.
And yes, we dated in high school until he up and vanished.
And then I find out he moved to Metropolis, and I was like, “Wait, what?
Clark in the city?”
He comes back to visit, and he’s a whole new guy.
Confident, self-assured, stands up straight, razor sharp.
It didn’t take long for me to figure it out.
It was you.
Here you go.
Thank you.
You brought out the best in him, Lois.
And that’s not getting lost in the shuffle.
I will cheers to that.
[BOTH COUGH]
Burns away the…
Uh-huh.
Sting from the town hall defeat.
♪ Then I went to Johnny and spent a 50 ♪
♪ My lil’ eat the […] off the body ♪
I kind of feel bad for your brother.
He’s been popular his whole life.
He’ll be fine.
That’s just it.
Popular kids like Jonathan don’t really know how to function as outsiders.
I mean, he looks lost.
What would that make us?
You and I are very disaffected youth.
Wayward. Pretty punk rock.
[LAUGHS]
I mean,
I rebelled against my mom by quitting cheer, and you and your whole football thing.
I actually kind of like being on the team.
Really?
Yeah.
It’s good to be good at something.
I haven’t had any anxiety.
[SIGHS] I like it here.
It feels like, for the first time in a while, I’m happy.
Maybe it’s because you got really lucky with the company you keep.
Should we go save your brother?
Let’s give him five minutes. Maybe he can turn it around.
That seems totally fair.
[KNIFE CLATTERS]
[HISSES]
[RATTLING]
[EERIE MUSIC]
♪♪
I’m sorry. I’ll… I’ll fix it.
You can’t afford a burger.
How are you gonna pay for some nice-ass furniture?
Huh? Huh?
I’m sorry.
Hey, hey! What’s going on?
Mind your own business, Kent.
[RATTLING]
[OVERLAPPING CHATTER]
What’s going on?
I don’t know. I… I’ll go check on him.
We got a hit.
[RADIO CHATTER]
Glenmorgan Square.
[WHOOSHES]
Where’s Killgrave?
He just said to get you here.
[HIGH-PITCHED WHIRRING]
For this sonic blaster to work, I needed you in closer range.
Now pay attention.
Let me show you what this baby can do.
[HIGH-PITCHED WHIRRING]
[GROANS]
[HIGH-PITCHED WHIRRING]
I’ve had a lot of time to think about you, obsessively tracking your patterns.
I noticed you haven’t been around Metropolis quite as much.
But that’s how I knew that the, um, big shots would move me to a more secure prison.
It seems like you’re obligated elsewhere.
That makes you distracted.
Vulnerable.
A weakling.
[INTENSE MUSIC]
[HIGH-PITCHED WHIRRING]
[WHOOSHES]
[HIGH-PITCHED WHIRRING]
[CHUCKLES]
[GROANING]
Tag, just hang on.
[RATTLING]
Tag. Tag, just breathe.
Just breathe. It’s gonna be okay.
Hey, bro… you need to get away!
You need to use the ELT, okay?
I think I did this to him.
What?
What are you talking about?
The bonfire, the party.
I think my heat vision caused an explosion and it affected him somehow.
Okay, well, look, you can run that theory past Bill Nye later, all right?
Right now, we need Dad, Jordan.
Remember what Grandpa said?
Dad’s too busy saving the world.
Look, he’s not the only one that can do this.
Jon, trust me.
[LOUD AMBIENT MUSIC]
♪♪
[DRAMATIC MUSICAL STING]
Jordan!
Just breathe. It’s gonna be okay.
[GROANING]
Where’s the ELT?
[HIGH-PITCHED WHIRRING]
Jon, you need to get out of here now.
We need Dad.
I need you to get up. Jordan!
[VOICE RATTLING]
[ECHOING] Dad.
[HEROIC MUSIC]
♪♪
Killgrave’s down. Come and get him.
And send medical units. Bystanders on-site.
Tag.
Jordan. Jordan!
[WHOOSHES]
The air’s thin up here. It’ll help calm you down.
[MUSIC SWELLS]
♪♪
You good?
Jordan, what, uh, what happened to Tag…
Don’t try to tell me it wasn’t my fault.
You saw the video.
My heat vision, it gave Tag those powers…
No, that’s not how it works.
Yeah, you don’t know that.
You’re right. I don’t.
I don’t know how or why any of this is happening, okay?
And the truth is, um… I’ve honestly been really jealous about all of it.
And I’m sorry about that, but, Jordan, look, I do know this.
You would never hurt anyone. Ever.
So whatever happened, it was an accident, okay?
It was an accident.
So where’s Tag now?
He’s with the doctors at the DOD.
And apparently, they’re taking really good care of him.
Did they say I did this to him?
I had a team analyze that cell phone footage.
Your heat vision caused a blast, but there was another material present… a yellow phosphorescence.
We think that may have triggered the boy’s meta-human development.
Can we see him?
Well, son, DOD protocols are pretty strict.
24/7 monitoring, cover stories, transferring.
What your grandpa’s trying to say is that he’s gonna go to a special school for kids with these sorts of abilities.
Wait, there’s a special school for kids with powers?
That’s pretty cool.
No, it’s not.
How many of these kids are there?
That’s classified, but let’s just say…
Dad.
Look, guys, we have to be clear on something.
Why did you wait so long to use the ELT?
Why didn’t you call me the minute you knew something was wrong?
[TENSE MUSIC]
♪♪
Look, I may have misspoke.
“Misspoke”?
You cannot tell the boys not to come to me for help.
My point was to help them see the life-and-death stakes of your job.
My job is I’m their dad. That’s my job.
You’re not just their dad.
You’re the most important person in the world, and now that they know that, they need to respect the obligation that comes with it.
I have to respect that obligation! Me.
And believe me, I live with it every day.
Then act like it.
Stop!
Stop it!
This is the same toxic “honor above all else” crap you used to pull on me when I was a kid.
Lois, please. This isn’t about us.
No, it’s about you and your parenting choices, and how they sucked then and they still suck, and we’re not gonna be applying them to our boys.
I made a choice to dedicate my life to the armed service.
You could have done both.
That’s what Clark is doing, and I see him struggle with it every day, so how dare you tell him he can’t be the father he is ’cause you never bothered to give it a go.
You keep pushing us, you won’t be welcome here anymore.
Fine.
I’ll get my things.
I have a long drive ahead of me.
Um… and I’ll get you yours coming right now, baby.
And here we go.
This lovely little brontosaurus for you.
Good morning.
Hi, Mom.
Dad’s making pancakes.
He hasn’t burnt a single one yet.
Don’t jinx me.
Yeah, he’s on a roll.
Figured I’d let you sleep in a little bit.
Thank you.
Dinosaur pancakes, huh?
Yeah, it’s kind of like my one specialty.
That’s not true.
You got dinosaur pancakes and you work your tail off for people in your hometown.
[CHUCKLING] Come here.
I’d say you have more than a few specialties.
Careful now. That’s starting to sound like a compliment.
Crazier things have happened.
[WARM MUSIC]
♪♪
But why would Dad need my help with the harvester?
Mom, can you stop being an investigative reporter for just one second, and… I don’t know, be surprised?
[WHIMSICAL VOCAL MUSIC]
♪♪
Madam.
What is all this?
Well, I was thinking about all of those date nights that I’ve missed, and I thought we could play a little catch-up.
♪♪
♪ What makes us smile ♪
♪♪
♪ What brings us together ♪
You’re in very good standing with me right now.
If you play your cards right, there may even be a massage in it for you.
See, now you’re just spoiling me.
Well, you deserve to be spoiled, to know beyond any doubt no matter what’s going on or what I’m up against, this… my time with you… is what gets me through everything else.
You’re my first thought of the day.
You’re my last thought at night.
And I love you.
[PHONE BUZZING]
You gotta be kidding me.
His timing is truly impeccable.
Yeah.
Hey, Sam.
Clark.
Sorry to intrude.
There’s a situation in Malawi.
Not a priority yet, but my guess is it will be within the hour.
I was calling Lois so she could fill you in and you could decide for yourself if you wanna get involved.
Is she there?
Uh, she just went to the restroom.
But I appreciate the heads-up.
I will let her know you called.
Go.
I’ll be fast. I promise.
I’ll be waiting.
Hey.
I love you too.
[WHOOSHES]
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
♪♪
Lieutenant Rosetti, go secure.
Copy, General. Line is secure.
I have reason to believe we may need to consider a contingency plan.
I want you to open a new protocol.
Call it “Project 7734”.
[TENSE MUSIC]
Right… here.
If you’d be so kind.
[GRUNTS, EXHALES]
We now own the rights to this land, which holds enough X-Kryptonite to resurrect an army.
Assuming we can find enough willing candidates.
Oh, I’m not concerned.
As you know, I have an eye for talent.
♪♪
MAN: Greg, move your head!