Season 3, Episode 12: Hereafter

"Hereafter"

Episode 12

Air Date: February 4th, 2004

with over 217 episodes that aired from this show, it's hard to keep track of certain episodes that teased so much about the future of Clark as Superman with some exciting and wondrous teasing.  I have to say, Jordan's vision of the Superman cape flying through space is one of the first sights of the Man of Steel we got from this show.  It's terrific and last just enough to get us viewers even more amped up for Clark's destiny to be fulfilled.  Besides that mythos sampler, "Hereafter" manages to be more than just your average meteor of the week tale as Jordan Cross isn't some wacko with superpowers that is after someone in Clark's life that he must save.  No Jordan is a new high school freshman with the power of seeing a person's moment of death that haunts him everyday of his life but he tries his best to prevent these deadly premonitions before they happen.  Not only does Joseph Cross (Ha!) do a great job in the role but I love how they relate his sheltered life and superpowered burden with Clark's abilities and destiny by Clark coincidentally chosen to be his mentor for his first day of school.  It's also so heartwarming to see Jordan is so proactive and heroic just as much as Clark and doesn't just sit on the sidelines no matter how many times he isn't successful in preventing someone's death because of no one believing him.  I really liked how at the end when he helped Clark save the girls and while he could have died, he was willing to put his life on the line to really save someone for a change instead of watching them die.  Tho I wonder why he lost his ability to see people's death???  It's really vague how he suddenly lost them.  Hmmmmm....

As for the conflict at hand, I found it more interesting of course with Coach Altman after Lana and her cheerleader friend Megan when he overhears them having conflict with his daughter before she was hit by a car when she was in junior high.  I mean that type of motive is just so much more engaging and terrifying than some teen with latest superpowers in Smallville wrecking havoc on the town.  I mean we get that almost every week.  Besides our Jordan storyline, the other plot of the episode focuses on Adam being the newest red herring in Smallville with his awkward, erratic behavior causing Chloe and even Lex to investigate what Lana's new tenant might be up too.  Not to mention, Chloe sees him inject himself with something with an syringe.  Of course, there's also the horrific nightmare episode he has that literally knocks her down.  I gotta admit, I agree with Lana about the people she lets into her life but I'm glad at least Lex and even Chloe are looking out for her this time by keeping a heavy eye on him.  Lex seems to be drawing Lana off his trail at the end tho as he discovers he maybe into something much more shocking than she can even handle.  It's a shame tho, I really liked Adam so far and it sucks that he's being set up as some kind of potential villain or latest bad guy in Lana's life.  She just can't find a nice normal guy can she??? O_o  Doesn't help that Jordan happens to bump into Adam and reveals to Lana at the end of the episode that he saw Adam die before they met!!??? Gasp!!! What could that mean?!! Guess we'll have to find out as the season goes down the line.  o_o

But honestly, the end of the episode is probably the scariest cliffhanger we have ever been left on from an episode as after Clark and Martha have a heart to heart discussion about how Clark can effect destiny, Clark finds his father lying on the ground and potentially telling him his last words before falling unconscious.  It's a profoundly heartbreaking scene and I love how the writers play it out with Clark just helplessly calling out to his mom instead of just rushing to the hospital.  It shows that no matter how incredible and numerous his abilities are, he's still just a young man trying to find his place in the world who still needs his parents desperately. :_(  "Hereafter" is a special kind of episode with a terrific guest star and his character's story as well as some intriguing plot movement with the show's newest recurring character.  Not to mention, that explosion scene must have cost a fortune! When's the last time you saw a series use their budget like this??? O_O 

Final Kryptonite: A-