A comet impacts the sun, and a huge solar flare causes some problems with Clark’s (Tom Welling) abilities, and brings a familiar DC character crashing into the series in a new way. Welcome Perry White (Michael McKean).

Perry was written by Mark Verheiden and was directed by Jeannot Szwarc who directed Supergirl. This episode first aired on 29 October, 2003.

When Perry, who has a bit of a drinking problem, crashes into a telephone pole to avoid hitting Clark, the once great reporter (and future editor of the Daily Planet) may cause some problems for the Kents.

He threatens to sue, but it’s all part of him sniffing out a story for the tabloid (X-Styles) he’s currently working for.

When Chloe (Allison Mack) meets him, she’s absolutely blown away, despite the fact, that he’s apparently harassing everyone in town about the meteor shower, and its lasting impact on the town.

And Lex (Micheal Rosenbaum) is undergoing his psychological testing. He also insists Perry leave town after he goes after Lana (Kristin Kreuk) and Clark. But Perry offers him a swap of information, what Lex knows about Clark for what Perry knows about Lex’s father.

And through it all, Clark’s powers keep glitching. Something that will no doubt save the day when Perry has him almost right where he wants him – in a scene that seems reminiscent of one in Superman II.

How will things play out? It’s a fun, tense climax, and also puts a stopper on Perry’s beliefs in Clark’s abilities.

Michael McKean is wonderful in everything he does, and this is a really good episode all around.

Relic debuted on 4 November, 2003 and was written by Kelly Souders and Brian Peterson.

This one is interesting. Lana has been working with an elderly man, a distant relative, who has been wrongly imprisoned for 40 years for killing his wife. He has a picture of the man he believes is the actual suspect. And that suspect looks a lot like Clark Kent!

Clark believes that the man could have been Jor-El, his father. Clark returns to the caves, and seeks out a symbol that he saw on the suspect’s necklace. It downloads Jor-El’s memories into Clark, and he works to find the truth of the murder.

It also lets the actors play a bit of dressup as they take on roles in the past.

In the past Clark is seeing how things played out, and in the present, everyone is helping Lana dig into the mystery. And everyone is learning secrets about their past, Luthor family included.

And William B. Davis makes a return appearance as the mayor.

It’s a solid episode that lets us see our characters in different ways, and how deep the roots of family go in Smallville.

Welling and Kreuk are absolutely electric as their alter-egos in the past. And the costumes look great.

And oh, the secrets and reveals that come out about the town and those who live there.

But it also puts an interesting spin on the Kryptonian narrative – we know why Clark was sent here, as illustrated in previous episodes. But if Jor-El was here and had those adventures, why would he choose to send his son here as a conquest?