Originally aired November 5, 2003
Written by Brian Peterson & Kelly Souders
Directed by Marita Grabiak
When Lana shows him a sketch of a drifter who is believed to have murdered her great-aunt forty years ago, Clark notices that the drifter looks exactly like him and concludes that Jor-El visited Earth in 1961. He then finds a Kryptonian pendant that allows him to experience Jor-El's memories of his visit to Smallville. Lex uncovers startling secrets about his own lineage.
Tropes present in the episode:
- Alliterative Name: Lachlan Luthor, to keep up with the Luthor naming convention.
- Arbitrary Skepticism: Pete has encountered meteor-infected humans and, oh yeah, is best friends with a super-powered alien, yet he finds it hard to believe that Clark is having visions of Jor-El's time in Smallville.
- Arranged Marriage: Louise admits to Jor-El that her father arranged for her to marry Dex after she told him of her dreams of pursuing an acting career in Hollywood.Louise: [to Jor-El] I never wanted to marry Dexter. Don't get me wrong; he's a nice man. He's just safe. I made the mistake of telling my father my dreams. I wanna go to Hollywood, become a star. The next thing I know, he's putting me together with Dex, saying what a great wife I'd make. I finally gave in. And here I am.
- The Chosen One: After seeing that Jor-El interacted with Jonathan's father, Hiram Kent, in 1961, Clark, in the final scene, speculates that Jor-El chose Jonathan and Martha to be his new parents.Clark: Grandpa Kent was down here, too. He told Joe that if there was anything he needed...Jonathan: What is it, Clark?
- Dead Person Impersonation: Clark poses as Joe/Jor-El to get Mayor Tate to admit his crimes. It works.
- Died in Your Arms Tonight: Louise dies in Jor-El's arms after being hit by two bullets that bounced off of Jor-El.
- Driven to Suicide: Believing he's being haunted by Joe/Jor-El, Mayor Tate tries to shoot himself to avoid going to prison for his exposed crimes, but Clark quickly snatches the gun.
- Dying Declaration of Love: Louise, as she dies in Jor-El's arms.Jor-El: Louise? Don't leave me.Louise: I'll never leave. I love you. [dies]
- Exposition Beam: The Kryptonian pendant that Clark finds allows him to experience Jor-El's memories as though they were his own.
- Flashbacks: Jor-El's memories, recorded on the pendant, are shown this way.
- Flight of Romance: Jor-El holds Louise in his arms and rises into the sky.
- Former Teen Rebel: In a flashback, Jor-El admits to Louise that he isn't a "model son" and that his father sent him to Earth to teach him a lesson.Jor-El: [to Louise] I think our fathers would get along. See, I'm not what you'd call a "model son." My father sent me here as sort of a lesson. I didn't want to come here. Now I'd give anything to stay.
- Genetic Memory: Chloe suggests this as a possible explanation for Clark's visions of the past.
- Identical Grandson: Lana resembles her great-aunt Louise. Mayor Tate notes this.
- Like Father, Like Son: Clark and Jor-El, as shown in this episode. Both struggled with the idea of destiny. Both had issues with their fathers. Both fell in love with a Lang. Both confronted a Luthor.
- Murder the Hypotenuse: In 1961, Tate released Lachlan Luthor from jail and sent him to kill Jor-El so he could frame Dex for the murder and thus have Louise all to himself.
- My God, What Have I Done?: After Clark confronts him disguised as Joe/Jor-El and the police arrive to deal with the intruder (Clark flees), Mayor Tate breaks down and tearfully admits what he did years ago.Mayor Tate: [to Sheriff Adams] Lachlan was supposed to kill the drifter. I never meant to hurt Louise. I loved her.
- Nice Guy: Like his son Jonathan, Hiram Kent is selfless and kind, and helps Jor-El escape from the police.
- Possession Presumes Guilt: When Dexter was found by the Sheriff Tate holding the gun and the dead Louise in his arms. Tate was quick to assume the worse and threw Dexter into jail.
- Posthumous Character: Hiram Kent, who's long dead by the time Smallville starts.
- Rags to Riches: Lionel reveals for the first time that he was actually an example of this; while he has always told Lex that his family is descended from Scottish lords, here he admits that his own parents were petty criminals who died in a fire in their apartment while Lionel was working.
- Rescue Romance: Jor-El and Louise fall in love after Jor-El saves her from Lachlan, who attempted to mug her.
- Roll in the Hay: One flashback shows Jor-El and Louise engaging in such a tryst.
- Star-Crossed Lovers: Joe/Jor-El and Louise.
- Strong Family Resemblance: Young!Jor-El strongly resembles his son Clark/Kal-El.
- Hiram also resembles his son Jonathan.
- Time-Shifted Actor: Two different actors play William Tate at different points in his life. Same deal with Dex McCallum.
- You Can't Fight Fate: Jor-El regrets that he can't fight his destiny to leave Earth and Louise.
