Original air date: June 15, 2021
* * *
[ethereal music]
♪ ♪
Brother?
I know how unlikely it may seem, but the two of us, we share the same Kryptonian blood.
You are not my brother.
I am, Kal-El.
Whether you want to believe it or not.
My real name is Tal-Rho. I’m the son of Zeta-Rho and Lara Lor-Van.
That’s not possible. My mother…
Married Jor-El, your father. Yes, I know. Years after she’d been matched to my father, years after I was born. It was when she first warned that Krypton was dying. The very reason my father sent me here. I was the first son of Krypton to leave… And I came here with one purpose: To further our Kryptonian heritage.
[grunts]
[dramatic music]
My mother would never destroy innocent lives.
[laughs] Humans are far from innocent.
Jacob! Oh, my God.
Margaret!
It’s a boy!
Don’t you move.
♪ ♪
I said don’t move!
[yelps]
This world you protect deserved better than those who inhabited it.
That’s not your decision to make.
It’s already been made. Don’t you see, Kal? This is our chance to be with our own, to have a family again.
A family?
The mines, the X-Kryptonite, the people in this town, they gave me the means. Krypton will finally be resurrected. The defense council will reign… And we’ll have our mother with us once again. I know you long to see her, just as I do. Help me do that, brother.
Not like this.
The time has almost come, Kal-El. Our people will awaken soon. And when that happens, I need you by my side, or you will be eradicated too.
[heroic music]
♪ ♪
[insects chirping]
You finally kick him out?
Sarah, it’s not what it looks like.
He wasn’t at the bars.
Really?
‘Cause this is how things normally go down.
Just as it seems like Dad’s gonna change, he decides getting drunk is more important than being with his family.
That’s not what happened.
Why do you always cover for him?
I’m not covering for him.
Yes, you are.
You know what, honey?
I really can’t do this right now.
Of course you can’t,
’cause you just can’t accept the reality
that your husband is not the guy that you married anymore.
Enough.
You don’t know what you’re talking about,
and I don’t need a teenager
telling me what to do.
[scoffs]
Fine.
Teenager. What do you know?
I’m staying at Denise’s.
Sarah!
No!
♪ ♪
Sarah.
[door slams]
Everything okay?
Kyle, I really need you to tell me what happened.
Everything.
Starting with when you first went to Edge.
[cell phone buzzes]
Hi, you’ve reached Lana.
Leave a message.
Have a good day. [Beeps]
Lana, you have to call me back as soon as you can.
Please. I am worried about you.
[chatter]
She’s still not answering.
I’ll send someone to her house.
[whooshes]
Morgan Edge is your brother?
There’s no way, right?
He knew things about Krypton
no one could possibly know.
He spoke the language.
He had Kryptonian powers.
I…[sighing]
I don’t know.
What does he want?
Kryptonians here.
And for me to join him.
That’s why he’s putting Kryptonian consciousness
into people.
He wants Earth to become the next Krypton.
I don’t get it though.
Why did he think that you’d join him?
Because he can bring my Kryptonian mother back.
Our people.
Clark, before you go down the rabbit’s hole here,
don’t you think you should find out
if this is even actually true?
I’m not gonna leave after Edge just sent someone
to kill you and Jonathan.
Babe, half the DOD’s on our front lawn.
They are moving into town. Edge is not coming here.
Go, we’ll call you if we need you.
[wind howling]
Is it possible?
It is possible, yes.
How could you never tell me?
There wasn’t the need.
The need?
For me to know I’ve had a brother here my entire life?
One who wants to restore Krypton
using some technology created by my mother?
There wasn’t the need?
I understand your frustration,
but restoring Krypton was never her intent.
At least not the way.
Zeta-Rho wished to enact it.
Lara’s invention was a means of preservation,
to save our people by retaining
and transferring their minds,
just as my own mind has been retained here.
It was Zeta-Rho who sought
to colonize other worlds
and enslave their inhabitants as hosts.
I can’t let this happen.
I have to bring back everyone.
Edge has implanted with Kryptonian consciousness.
Just tell me what to do, and I’ll do it.
The Eradicator is well beyond my understanding.
It’s your mother’s invention.
She developed this technology.
I’m sorry, my son.
I cannot help you.
How come every time it seems
like things are gonna get better,
something happens,
and it’s all just crazier than before?
You okay?
Dude, I saw footage of what happened to Dad
on John Henry’s planet.
He killed Mom.
I mean, or her doppelganger or whatever.
So?
So what if the Edge from that planet
is also that Superman’s brother?
What if he brought back their mom,
and then he gave him a Kryptonian family,
and that’s why he turned on humanity?
What if that’s what happened there…
And it’s happening here too?
It wouldn’t change anything.
Look, all I’m saying is going your whole life
thinking that you’re the only one left in your family,
and then finding out
that you had a brother that you never knew about
and that you could see your mom?
That would affect anyone.
Yeah, it would.
But the difference between Edge and your dad
is that he has family: The three of us, right here.
We’re his family.
And no matter what happens, we always will be.
[door clicks open]
We found Kyle Cushing.
Where?
Why didn’t you tell me you were going to see Edge?
Because you lied to me, Lana,
about the Executive Program.
I mean, clearly you didn’t think I had what it took.
Kyle.
No, Lana, it’s fine.
I just sick and tired of messing up.
With you,
with our girls…
So yeah, I went to see him the other morning.
And he made you an offer.
He said I could go through
this process, change my life,
make me better,
and it did.
And what was this process exactly?
First step was, uh,
we went into this machine.
And where was that?
Where did Edge take you?
[knocking]
Hey, Lois.
Everything okay?
Everything’s fine.
Just stopped by to check in.
Yes.
On me.
[grunts]
[both heavy breathing]
[laughs] You all are so weak.
[grunting]
[grunts]
Not all of us.
Move, move, move, move!
[tense music]
♪ ♪
[grunting]
Good job.
You okay?
No. Not really.
And how are the girls?
Sophie’s at my folks.
She doesn’t know anything.
Sarah stormed out last night.
She thinks I’m covering for Kyle.
She won’t answer my calls or texts.
We’ll have the boys reach out.
You know, it has been so long
since anything strange happened in this town.
I mean, I thought we were done with this kind of stuff,
and then this happens to my husband.
Lana, we’re gonna save him.
I promise.
How?
Best place to start
is by finding where Edge hides his Eradicator.
[dramatic music]
And that’s the thing they used on Kyle?
Yeah, and wherever it is, it stands reason that location
has been receiving shipments of X-K from the Shuster mines.
What’s X-K?
X-Kryptonite.
It’s what Edge has been mining for.
It’s what gives people these powers.
The theory is, powers only hold with Smallville natives,
people who have had prolonged exposure.
Like Kyle and Emily
and basically everyone I recruited
for the Executive Program.
Dozens upon dozens of what he calls subjects,
his own private army.
And these people,
you know their identity?
It’s our murderer’s row of suspects.
Info I pulled from employee files, first hand encounters,
the names you offered,
anyone Edge could have interacted with.
It’s a pretty big list
that unfortunately doesn’t get us closer to the big picture.
I don’t have the big picture either.
Oh, I except I do see one thing odd.
Him.
Dr. Dabney Donovan.
Listed as Edge’s personal physician.
He was the one who conducted all the health exams
for everyone in the Executive Program.
This guy left a tenure track position at MIT
to work for Edge?
That’s a pretty big salary to walk away from.
Dual PhDs in genetics and molecular neuro-chemistry.
Knowledge that would come in handy
if you wanted to swap one person for another.
Do you know where these health exams took place?
No, that was top secret,
and I tried to get Kyle to tell me, before…
I think we need to try again.
Put out the APB.
The entire tri-state area.
Local, state, FBI, I want the cub scouts after this guy.
I figure it can’t hurt to ask.
At least it can’t hurt me.
Where is this man?
Do you even realize the threat you now face?
Of what my people will do
to you and your family
when the attack begins?
That’s a real shame.
All I wanted was some good conversation.
[whirring]
[groaning]
One more time.
Where do I find this man?
I will melt your flesh
from your skull.
Not today.
[whirring]
[groaning]
Where is he?
I knew my dad was a disaster.
I guess I just didn’t want to admit the extent of it.
Sarah, I’m so sorry.
Why should you be sorry?
I’m not sorry.
It’s better to know, right?
Even if my mom’s in total denial.
Maybe you should go a little easier on your mom.
Why?
Nothing’s gonna change if my mom doesn’t do something.
My dad’s a disaster, and all my mom’s doing
is getting her black belt in passive-aggressive texting.
You’re right.
Jon.
Sarah, the truth about your dad is that,
he is really messed up.
Yeah, Jon, I know.
No, not from drinking.
Morgan Edge did something to him.
And this is gonna sound nuts,
but he’s basically been body snatched.
Body snatched?
Look, these military guys showing up,
they’re from the DOD.
It’s a threat reduction agency headed by our grandpa
to keep the Earth safe from aliens,
and these scientists, they’re looking at your dad right now
trying to help him, but I honestly…
I don’t even think that they’re totally clear
what’s going on. Right?
So it’s not their fault,
and it’s not his fault,
and Sarah, it’s definitely not your mom’s fault.
Maybe you should go see for yourself.
Lana’s really beating herself up.
Hard not to.
Clark, why would Edge
give Superman time to make a decision?
Mm, what do you mean?
Edge is a ruthless corporate shark.
He never gives anyone anything.
Why give Superman time?
The only reason that makes sense is that he needs it.
Maybe the Subjekts aren’t finished resurrecting
or transforming or whatever that process is
because they’re not done.
And Edge knows that if he’s gonna defeat Superman,
he needs everyone.
[echoing tones]
[muffled shouting]
They found Donovan.
Huh. I guess I’ll, uh…
Go out the back?
Go out the back, yeah.
[whooshes]
[dramatic music]
♪ ♪
You’re coming with us.
We need to reverse what this machine’s been doing to people.
Reverse it?
Yeah.
Turn everyone back into the human they should be.
I can’t do that.
You’ll do what I say.
Look, I barely understand how this technology even works.
If you wanna reverse this process,
you’re gonna have to find
whoever it is that invented this thing.
Who the hell’s that?
My mother.
All this for Morgan Edge.
[dramatic music]
It’s gonna get a whole lot worse if we don’t stop him.
♪ ♪
He’s here.
Everything okay?
Oh, I know you’re used to all this,
but it’s a little surreal to see Superman
in real life.
I’m just so used to watching him on TV.
Yeah, it can be a little weird.
Come on. Follow me.
Is there any way to communicate
with the consciousness inside the Eradicator?
The Kryptonian minds inside aren’t actually alive.
Once a consciousness is chosen,
they need a host in order to become activated.
So the only way this works is to place the consciousness
of Lara Lor-Van into someone from Smallville.
That’s my understanding.
Get this machine ready.
This doesn’t feel right.
We don’t have any other choice.
And we’re running out of time.
We need to find a volunteer fast.
I’ll do it.
Uh, I’m sorry, but that’s not possible.
Why not? I’m from Smallville.
Makes me the ideal candidate.
You don’t have to look for anyone.
She does have a point.
Dad.
Can everyone just please give us a moment alone?
[somber music]
♪ ♪
This isn’t your responsibility.
Then whose is it?
I’m the one who stood by
while Kyle rallied the town
to Edge’s side.
I mean, it was me who signed up my own friends
to Edge’s Executive Program.
Lana…
This is my town,
and at every critical juncture I’ve failed it.
So don’t tell me this isn’t my responsibility.
Not when I stand here about to lose everything.
I appreciate what you’re trying to do,
but you have a family.
Yeah, and my husband is one of them,
who is gonna to become some alien psychopath
if I don’t do something.
I have to save Kyle, Lois.
If there’s any chance that he’s still alive,
I have to do it.
What about Sarah and Sophie?
They mean the world to me, you know that.
That’s why I can’t let you do this.
No, it’s why you have to.
I have to fix this for them,
for me, for everybody here.
There’s no guarantee this will even work.
This is alien science.
Well, it’s a good thing
I’m just a local loan officer who doesn’t know any better.
You’re not authorized to go in.
This is his daughter.
How much authorization do you need?
We’ve been through this already.
I need you to vacate the premises.
Or what?
What are you gonna do?
Are you gonna shoot us?
Guys, maybe we should just try again later.
No, we are going in
whether GI Jerk-nuts here wants us to or not.
The hell’s going on here?
I’m in the middle of a national emergency,
only to get word my own grandsons
are down here causing problems.
We’re just trying to get in so she can see her dad.
Not an option.
We already told her what happened to him, okay?
She deserves to see it for herself.
Why would you do that?
I don’t know, maybe because I’m done with your BS secrets.
Those secrets save lives.
Really?
Because you keep saying that
and it keeps proving not to be true.
Is this about what happened with your brother?
No, it’s about everything, okay?
You keep acting like you’re doing the right thing
and then it keeps proving to be the exact opposite.
[dramatic music]
I mean, come on, can’t you just act like a real person for once
and not a soldier?
♪ ♪
Let ’em in.
Thanks, Grandpa.
Dad?
I don’t get it.
You said that there’d be some kind of…
You.
You think your little toys can stop us?
Dad.
Dad?
Oh, Daddy doesn’t exist anymore.
He’s a screaming corpse.
Ashes on the pyre. [Laughs]
Hey, Sarah, let’s just…
Let’s just get out of here.
Hey, hey, hey, come on, come on, come on.
Hey.
When I get out of here,
I’m gonna kill you first.
I don’t like this.
I don’t like it either,
but it’s her choice, and we have to respect it.
I know, but it’s Lana.
She’s one of my closest friends.
Which is why you should say something,
even if it’s as you, it’ll mean a lot.
[somber music]
♪ ♪
[sighs]
I wanted to thank you.
It’s very brave.
I wouldn’t be so sure.
My heart is racing a million miles an hour.
Yeah, I, um, I know.
Right.
[laughs]
Sorry.
You know, you don’t have to do this.
There’s always another way.
I don’t think you really believe that.
Also did Superman just lie to me?
It’s not lying.
I’m just, uh…
I’m just an optimist.
I guess that’s what makes you a hero.
You’re the hero right now, Lana.
It’s time.
We’ll be right here.
[machine whirring]
Did it work? Is she okay?
[gasps]
[hopeful music]
♪ ♪
Kal-El.
Mother.
[machine whirring]
I know this must be a lot to process.
Resurrection was my life’s work,
as a way to ensure our civilization
was not lost forever.
[dramatic music]
It was never meant to be used as a way
to supplant another race.
Kryptonians are peaceful people.
♪ ♪
At least the majority of us.
I don’t understand.
Zeta-Rho, my brother?
You had another family?
We were genetically matched.
That’s how unions were formed
for thousands of years on Krypton…
And then I met your father.
We fell in love
and ended my relationship with Zeta-Rho.
Jor-El and I shared a vision
for a better world.
I gave birth to you.
And then your father and I,
when we decided to send you to Earth,
we hoped you would live that vision.
I think I have.
[warm music]
♪ ♪
The sunstone crystal in my pod,
why only father’s?
Why not yours as well?
It was stolen by Zeta-Rho.
Revenge for leaving him.
My biggest fear in letting you go
was that you would be without a mother.
I had a mother here.
Her name was Martha.
She loved me very much.
You have no idea how much that means to me, Kal-El.
This world,
it welcomed you.
It has.
And you found someone.
I can tell by how you look at her.
[laughs]
She’s the love of my life.
It’s all I ever wanted for you.
To find a new home,
someone to love,
create a family of your own.
We have two sons.
Tell me all about them.
What are we gonna do?
We?
Look at her. She’s upset.
I think she wants to talk to you.
Yeah, and why’s she upset?
Because you had to tell her what’s going on.
Hey, look, I’m not gonna apologize
for telling the truth, okay? Ever.
And I wish things weren’t the way they are,
and what happened to her dad, it really sucks.
Right? But I think…
I think all you can do now is be there for her.
Yeah. You’re right.
I’m so sorry.
I had to see him.
I had to understand, but now it’s like,
I don’t even know what that was.
I think a lot of really smart people
are trying to figure that out right now.
Last night, that…
That was my dad.
I know that was my dad,
but I was awful to him.
I guess that could be the last time
I ever see my dad.
Was calling my dad drunk
gonna be the last thing I ever say to him?
I need him back.
We’re just gonna have to hold onto hope.
I’ll find them.
There’s no need.
They have the Eradic…
I said there’s no need!
[sighs]
[dramatic music]
Leave and prepare for our arrival.
Now?
♪ ♪
Kal-El made his decision.
He chose humanity over us.
There’s no saving my brother now.
How does this thing work?
The same principle as a computer.
In this case, instead of a computer,
it’s a brain,
and the information being uploaded
is a person’s consciousness.
The Eradicator holds and transfers this information,
a new consciousness, into a person.
So during this transfer process,
does the old consciousness exist?
It does until the transfer is complete.
And then the new consciousness fully takes over.
How long does that take?
Days. Weeks.
Depends how willing the host is
to accept this new life, if at all.
But the Kryptonian part that’s developing,
that person can just emerge at any time?
If prompted, yes.
The Kryptonian consciousness will remain in the Eradicator,
and their powers will dissipate over time.
Then how do we stop this?
Prevent the transfer from completing,
so only the old consciousness remains.
Can we do that?
We can.
We just need to get the people who were affected
to go through the eradication process again.
Bring them here? All of them?
Yes.
And run them through the machine?
Yes.
But we don’t know
how many people have gone through this.
There has to be another way to do it all at once.
That would require too much energy.
How much?
We would need something
that rivals this planet’s sun.
[machine whirrs]
[ears ringing]
It’s Edge.
Figure out a way to do everyone at once.
I’ll hold them off as long as I can.
How the hell are you gonna do that?
Appeal to him the same way he did to you…
As a brother.
Mother.
Go, my son.
Be the hero I knew you would be.
Hello again…
Superman.
Why do you love them?
There must be a reason.
Did they take you in
when you first arrived?
Did they treat you like you were one of them?
[dramatic music]
‘Cause they did no such thing for me.
I landed in the British countryside,
where I was not greeted.
[gunshot]
[group shouting] I was hunted.
[gasps]
Trapped.
[somber music]
Caught.
♪ ♪
And kept hidden from the world
for years.
A piece of alien meat,
an experiment
for them to learn why I had abilities.
Brother, I am sorry that happened to you…
But not everyone here is like that.
Only when they’re afraid.
And believe me,
I made them afraid.
[dramatic music]
♪ ♪
[high pitched humming]
No. No.
No!
And I’m going to again
without you, brother.
♪ ♪
Tell me.
What is it like being with my son?
Most of the time, it’s easy.
And sometimes it’s very difficult.
Most of the time, I feel very secure,
and then I’ve also had some of the most
terrifying days in my entire life.
But there’s always love and respect.
A partnership?
Very much so.
[soft music]
[beeping]
♪ ♪
On Krypton, I had
all the hopes and dreams one could ever have.
And I lived them all.
And then one day,
those hopes and dreams were for the son I just had.
♪ ♪
Thank you, Lois,
for making them come true.
He’s this world’s first and greatest hero,
but I want you to know that he’s an even better man.
♪ ♪
About last night
and the performance,
I’m so sorry I didn’t make it.
It was because of this, wasn’t it?
Yeah.
[sighing]
I feel like such a jerk, Jordan.
All this weirdness with you, and now it makes sense.
I mean, you knew all about all of this,
and you had to keep it a secret.
[warm music]
You know, I’m actually really glad
that your dad was there instead of me.
♪ ♪
You guys got to have that together.
It’s a great memory to hold onto.
Here you go.
[dramatic music]
Something’s going on.
♪ ♪
[chatter]
The hell?
[siren wailing]
Yes, humans are flawed,
and yes, some more than others,
but they don’t deserve what you’re trying to do.
You will defend them over your own kind?
They don’t deserve to lose their lives.
They are inferior to us, Kal.
No, they’re not.
They’re just different.
I was sent here with a mission
to resurrect my people.
No.
To save Krypton.
Stop.
And I will not fail.
Yes, you will.
The thing is, Kal,
this is the only planet you’ve ever known,
so you don’t know the pain of losing one,
but I do,
and I am not going to let that happen again.
And neither are they.
[whooshing]
[dramatic music]
That’s your family coming, Kal.
Your real people, your real heritage.
Make a choice.
Us or them?
♪ ♪
There is no us or them.
Sam, we’re out of time.
Is it ready?
Ready?
We are.
It is,
except for that energy source part.
We don’t have anything strong enough here.
Yes, we do. Me.
What?
I’ll release all my energy at once,
create a solar flare; It’ll be enough.
And you’ll be out of commission for days.
I can’t let you do this.
We don’t have a choice.
Superman.
Sam, we’re out of time.
Get everyone out.
I’m coming in and so are they.
Everyone out!
Go, now!
Go! Out!
Now! Go, go, go!
Boys, boys!
Please come now!
Where’s Sarah?
I don’t know.
[grunts]
[grunting]
Boys, right now!
Run!
Come on, come on.
Stop!
[screaming]
[somber music]
♪ ♪
Sarah?
Dad?
Dad?
Mija, what happened?
[sighs]
[chatter and shouting]
Lana?
Lois.
[laughs]
[laughs]
Sir, no sign of Morgan Edge.
Search the globe until you find him.
There’s no sign of Dad either.
Where is he?
[panting]
[dramatic music]
♪ ♪
[whooshing]
Just us?
For now.
But all is not lost.
[dramatic music]
♪ ♪
Greg, move your head.
