Zod (Smallville Episode)

*For the character from Smallville, see: Zod (SV)*
*For the character from Man of Steel, see: Zod (DCEU)*

## Summary

Thrown into the Phantom Zone, a Kryptonian jail created by Jor-El, Clark finds himself without powers and surrounded by revenge-seeking criminals sent away by his father. Meanwhile, having taken over Lex Luthor's body, Zod keeps Lana captive with a demand to bear him an heir and begins his plans to turn Earth into a Krypton-like planet using the alien ship's hard drive. After Lois and Martha's plane crashes near the Fortress of Solitude, Jor-El tells Martha how to kill Zod. Back at the Daily Planet, Chloe reunites with an old flame, Henry Olsen.

## Recap

In the Phantom Zone, a Kryptonian prison created by Jor-El, Clark has no powers and is vulnerable to revenge-seeking criminals sent there by his father. He meets Raya, a Kryptonian who was his father's assistant.

She explains that Jor-El founded the Phantom Zone as a prison for Kryptonians as well as intergalactic criminals from the "28 known galaxies". Most of them lose their corporeal bodies and become Phantoms, but as Krypton was being destroyed, Jor-El put her in the Phantom Zone for her own survival. Raya says a stone Jor-El gave her is her only weapon against the phantoms. Clark tells her that Zod has returned to Earth, but she doubts that Clark can stop him. She also explains to Clark that there is an exit out of the Phantom Zone, a gateway designed by Jor-El in case anyone in his family were imprisoned there.

Lionel rescues Chloe from an angry mob and they seek safety in the LuthorCorp building, only to discover Zod/Lex has kidnapped Lana and flown away. They try to decide how to stop Lex as Zod. Lionel knows that Jor-El gave Clark a dagger and says he will go back to the Kent Farm to retrieve it. Chloe is surprised that Lionel will resort to killing Lex and suggests they try to read the Kryptonian symbols, but Lionel knows that Clark is the only one who can read them. He says the connection he felt at the Fortress is gone. He gives her a gun, tells her to take care of herself, and leaves for the Kent Farm. Chloe goes back to the Daily Planet to try to decipher the symbols. At the *Planet*, Chloe is shocked to run into Henry Olsen, with whom she had a summer romance while in high school. He is now a photographer at the *Planet.*

Zod keeps Lana captive and drags her to the Black Ship. She realizes that Lex has been taken over and watches as Zod touches the ship and makes it disappear. He tells her that he intends for her to bear him an heir and begin his plans to turn Earth into a Krypton-like planet using the alien ship's hard drive. Lana tries to stop Lex/Zod and he keeps her in place by pinning her hand against the wall with a knife. He leaves to infiltrate the Pentagon, where he plans to control Earth's satellites. When he leaves, Lana is able to pull the knife out and free herself.

Lois and Martha's plane crashes near the Fortress of Solitude. Martha drags an unconscious Lois to the Fortress and has her first conversation with Jor-El. She accuses him of crashing their plane, but he explains that she was, in fact, taken by Milton Fine and he saved them. He tells her that Clark is banished forever by Zod.

He tells Martha about the dagger he gave Clark and how Zod must be stopped and killed in order to save the world. He thanks Martha for being such a good mother for his son and transports them back to Smallville.

Lionel shows up at the Kent farm and Martha explains what she must do. Lana also arrives, looking for Clark and having realized now why Clark was talking about killing Lex. She reasons that she is the only person that would get close enough to use the dagger and offers to kill Lex. She takes the dagger back to the Luthor Mansion, where Zod is waiting. She tells him that she has agreed to bear his heirs and they start kissing. Thinking he is distracted, she tries to stab him, but he is too quick, and shatters the knife. Angry, he uses the hard drive to activate a satellite which starts an earthquake. He then chokes Lana until she passes out.

Clark and Raya make it to the gateway and Raya explains that only a member of the House of El can open the gate. However, they encounter two prisoners, Aethyr and Nam-Ek. Raya pretends that she is using Clark to escape and they start to fight. Raya is able to stab Nam-Ek, but Aethyr retaliates stabbing Raya. She gives Clark her crystal and urges him to escape; he has no choice but to leave her. Clark runs to the portal, placing his bleeding hand on it, pushing him and the other prisoners through. Seven meteor-like objects fall from the sky out of the Phantom Zone, one of them being Clark. He arrives at his farm just in time to save Lionel and Martha from being crushed by the collapsing barn. Lionel and Martha tell him that Lana took the dagger, so he goes to the mansion to confront Zod.

Before Zod can choke Lana to death, Clark arrives. He blasts the hard drive with his heat vision, which deactivates the satellite and stops the earthquake. They fight and Zod picks Clark up and flies out the window with him. They land in a field and battle. Zod gains the upper hand and commands Clark to kneel before him. He tells him that if they join forces, he will spare the human lives that Clark cares most about. Clark appears to accept his offer and takes Zod's hand. However, in his hand is Jor-El's emblem. Zod is sucked out of Lex's body and into the emblem while Lex falls unconscious.

Clark goes to the hospital to check on Lois, who remembers being in the Fortress, but she thinks it was heaven. Clark tries to convince her it was just a hallucination. They share an awkward but tender moment. Lex encounters Lana in the hospital as well and she is understandably skittish towards him, showing him the hand he stabbed. Lex tells her he doesn't remember anything, but seems sincerely guilty over having caused such destruction. Lana decides to forgive him.

Clark goes to the *Planet* to check on Chloe, who was extremely worried about him and is relieved to see him. When she runs into his arms, he tries to bring up when she kissed him, but she blows it off and says it won't change their friendship. This is confirmed when she introduces him to Jimmy. It is obvious that Chloe and Jimmy share something, and Clark looks surprised and a little hurt.

Back at home, Martha tells Clark that Lionel claims that his connection to Jor-El is gone. Clark tells Martha that he went to the Fortress to talk to Jor-El, bringing along the emblem, but Jor-El didn't answer—it was like the Fortress was dead. He confides in his mother that he doesn't know what to do now... everything has changed. His father is dead, Jor-El is gone, Lex has become his enemy and Lana won't speak to him. She tries to comfort him, but he just looks lost and alone.

Meanwhile, Lionel is at his office, writing Kryptonian symbols; he is astonished at what he does and writes "POWER" underneath it. Lex returns to the mansion and opens his laptop to find a part of the object Zod had taken from the ship, half destroyed. In Argentina, a phantom rises from the water and speeds away.

## Main Cast

* Clark Kent
* Lana Lang
* Lex Luthor
* Lois Lane
* Chloe Sullivan
* Lionel Luthor
* Martha Kent

## Recurring Roles

* Jor-El
* Henry Olsen
* Zod
* Raya
* Nam-Ek

## Locations

* Phantom Zone
* Daily Planet
* LuthorCorp Plaza
* Fortress of Solitude
* Kent Farm
* Luthor Mansion