Arrival (S05E01)

More than a dozen years ago, a meteor shower burst from the heavens, raining destruction on the unsuspecting citizens of Smallville, Kansas. The intervening years have left the town's inhabitants with scars and secrets. From the ashes of tragedy, Clark Kent (series star Tom Welling) has grown into an awkward teen. While adolescence always brings its challenges, Clark's transition from boyhood to manhood has been particularly difficult. He has struggled to come to grips with his emerging superpowers--and the effects of various forms of kryptonite--while battling the strange things that have plagued this idyllic Midwest hamlet since the meteor shower. The guardians of Clark's secret identity have always been his adoptive parents, Jonathan (series star John Schneider) and Martha (series star Annette O'Toole) Kent--although Clark's friend Chloe Sullivan (series star Allison Mack) recently learned of Clark's powers. Over the years, Clark has forged a remarkable relationship with Lex Luthor (series star Michael Rosenbaum), son of scheming Lionel Luthor (series star John Glover), although neither Lex nor Clark has an inkling of how their destinies will ultimately collide. Lex has constantly fought his dark destiny, but it is becoming obvious that this is a battle he cannot win. Clark and Chloe have graduated from high school, along with Clark's girlfriend, Lana Lang (series star Kristin Kreuk). After stealing a crystal from Lex, Clark brought it together with two others and disappeared into a vortex that brought him to the arctic tundra, the location of Clark's Fortress of Solitude. Now, Clark is confronted by his biological father, Jor-El (voiced by Terence Stamp), who tells him he cannot return to Smallville. Instead, Clark must stay and prepare to save the planet. Also transported to the Fortress, Chloe is unable to handle the subzero temperature and collapses, begging Clark to use his powers to save her. Jor-El forbids him to leave but finally acquiesces, telling Clark he must return before sunset or there will be dire consequences. Meanwhile, Lana is horrified when she sees two Kryptonian aliens emerge from a spaceship discovered in the remnants of the recent second meteor shower. The two aliens destroy what's left of the town searching for Clark, whom they know as Kal-El. (Warner Bros. UK)