The season opener for Smallville picks up three months after the events of season two. Clark (Tom Welling) is living in Metropolis, and thanks to the red kyptonite ring he’s been wearing, he is living a carefree life committing crimes, and living large. He’s calling himself Kal, and working to forget his past.

And Lex (Micheal Rosenbaum)? We see a paper that says the search is being called off, and he’s being left for dead.

Exile was written by show runners Alfred Gough and Miles Millar. It opened the third season on 1 October, 2003.

As much as he works to forget, the kryptonian scar on his chest is flaring and causing him pain. But the red kryptonite seems to be keeping him doped up and feeling his best.

Clark meets Morgan Edge (Rutger Hauer), who is a bit of a crime boss in Metropolis. He wants to recruit him for a job involving Lionel Luthor (John Glover).

Pete (Sam Jones III) and Jonathan (John Schneider) wants to go into Metropolis to find him, his crime spree is making headlines, but Martha (Annette O’Toole) doesn’t want to go after him until Clark is ready to go home.

Lana (Kristin Kreuk) is working to keep the Talon running with Lex being declared dead. LuthorCorp doesn’t want a coffee house in Smallville. And Chloe (Allison Mack) is doing some work at the Daily Planet, but is also worried about Lana, who in turn believes that Clark is just waiting for the right person to find him. And guess what? Chloe knows where he is.

So what happens when Lana goes to see him, when Chloe reveals that she knows where Clark is?

And Lex? He’s been trying to survive on a remote tropical island, having survived the crash. He’s not alone, Louis (Ryan Robbins), is also marooned on the island, and seems more than a little unstable. Can he find a way home and discover who and why he was betrayed? How is he going to survive? Or is he just going crazy even as he’s rescued?

And Jonathan Kent? He has a rough encounter with Joe-El (Terrence Stamp) in the caves. Something happens to him, and he is able to confront Clark as he is invades Lionel’s office. Jonathan seems to have powers equal to Clark’s and they fall out of a window together into a To Be Continued ending.

it’s a great season opener, and it lets Welling play Clark differently, but for how long…?

Phoenix aired on 8 October, 2003. It was written by Kelly Souders and Brian Peterson.

Picking up where the previous episode left off, the pair square off in a knock-down drag-out fight, that eventually allows for the destruction of the kryptonite ring, and the removal of Jonathan’s powers and Clark’s scar. He’s able to ge Clark home to Smallville.

But Clark’s troubles don’t leave at all. Edge comes looking for him. He wants the vial of blood back that Clark took from Lionel’s office – Clark’s blood. And he’s willing to hold the Kents at gunpoint to get them. He gets the blood, and delivers it back to Lionel, teasing that he knows where the blood is from.

Will Clark be able to keep his secret from Lionel, and how will things end up with Edge? You know he has to go before the end of the episode. He knows too much.

And Lex? He gets home to Smallville and has to figure out Helen’s (Emmanuelle Vaugier) game. He’s a little out of sorts, and unsure of who he can trust. He will have a final confrontation with Helen, and perhaps a new alliance with his father…

Clark works to make amends, and is troubled to learn that Jonathan made a deal with Jor-El. What deal?

Things with Lana come to an abrupt halt, despite the fact that they both care for one another. Clark wants to keep her safe, and not hurt her anymore. So Clark calls it off this time.

Two episodes in, and lots of big things have happened. Let’s see where the season takes us from here.