Tempest closes out the first season of Smallville. Written by showrunners Alfred Gough and Miles Millar from a story by Philip Levens, season one came to a close on 21 May, 2002.

The spring formal is here, Clark (Tom Welling) and Chloe (Allison Mack) are headed out together. And there’s lots of other character stuff happening around them; Lex (Michael Rosenbaum) clashes with his father, Lionel (John Glover) over the fertilizer plant the Luthors are running, and Whitney (Eric Johnson) hits Lana (Kristin Kreuk) with a big reveal, he’s leaving Smallville to join the Marines – on the night of the dance!

Chloe reveals that her dad is thinking about moving them back to Metropolis because of the closure of the plant. Something that Lex is fighting to keep open.

Lionel is determined to close the plant and is blaming it publicly on his son. And it’s all because Lionel is angry that Lex is making a name for himself, and he’s determined to pull him back to Metropolis. It’s a great arc for Lex, he’s made headway in Smallville, and this clash with his father brings everything in his character, and everything he can be, to the fore.

But wait there’s more, that reporter, Roger Nixon (Tom O’Brien) is back, and he’s found Clark’s secret and discovers his spaceship! (oh, and remember, Lex has a piece of Clark’s ship, though he doesn’t know it.) And as the dance is really getting underway, so is a huge tornado! Johnathan (John Schneider) and Nixon have a confrontation in the middle of the tornado strike.

Lex and Lionel find themselves trapped in the mansion, with Lionel pinned, and Clark arrives just in time to see Lana and her pickup being pulled up into the twister! And the audience is left dangling with a To Be Continued!

There’s some great character stuff with Lex and Clark. In fact, it’s nice to see that the series, which initially built its storyline on the freak-of-the-week has really developed its characters and mythology.

So much happening in this episode, but it’s balanced, well put together, and outside of the pilot, arguably the best episode of the season.

Vortex launched season two on 24 September, 2002. It was written by Gough and Millar from Levens story.

Clark’s ship gets pulled up into the twisteer, but is separated from the key that Lex had, tumbling back to Earth (?).

When Clark rescues Lana, she begins to becomes suspicious of him, and Lex saves his father’s life. And Jonathan finds himself trapped in a mausoleum with reporter Roger Nixon as they wait out the storm.

Lex and Clark go looking for them, while Lionel is in critical condition in the hospital – something that exacerbates their relationship, despite the fact that Lex saved him. Lionel is now blind, and doesn’t want to live. And Clark learns that Lex knows Roger Nixon, and may have been lying to him all this time. How will this affect their friendship?

As Chloe, Pete (Sam Jones III), Lex and Clark look for Jonathan, Chloe plays the ‘let’s be friends card,’ and torpedoes their blossoming relationship.

And the place where Roger and Jonathan are trapped? Has a lot of kryptonite rocks. So the decision to stop Nixon comes down to… Lex pulling a trigger? How’s that going to play out with relationships and what Johnathan thinks of him?

Now, the town has to dig itself out from under everything.

The opener seems to be about damage control in more ways than one for the characters and the mythology arcs. Schneider really gets to shine in this episode as he and O’Brien’s Nixon debate on Clark’s fate and his obligation to the world.

This episode doesn’t pull any punches at all, and it’s a great season opener. And that last shot, Clark’s ship, stranded in the middle of a cornfield…