Clark (Tom Welling) looks at magazine covers in the barn, following Oliver's (Justin Hartley) revelation about being the Green Arrow. More self-deprecating on his part and after looking at the cover from Time, which asks 'S' is a hero? Something Clark questions himself. Lois (Erica Durance) enters wanting him to go to their reunion tomorrow. She then notices the magazines and comments, "hero-haters." Clark doesn't want people putting their hope or faith in someone who'll let them down. Lois is adamant the Blur will never let them down and she'll always stand by him. This scene almost felt like he thought Lois knew his secret, otherwise why would he be having this conversation with her. Clark needs a good-old fashioned shake-up cos he's still having his doubts. Lois wants to attend their 5 year reunion and reminds him she was at school for 23 days, 5 of which was in actual attendance. He finally agrees to go.
The guidance counsellor at the school looks over the past reports with Clark appearing to be the object of her anger. She's about to let rip with a letter opener into Clark's figurine, dressed in his customary red jacket and blue T-shirt, when Brainiac (James Marsters) stops her from doing so. Implanting a thought in her head. "I'll take care of Clark Kent."
At the reunion no one recalls Lois and just when you think the counsellor will do or say something nasty to Clark, she hugs him, before which, Clark bends down to pick up her books and has a flashback moment to Lana Lang (Kristen Kreuk) and her Kryptonite necklace. Clearly Clarkie was hooked in that one moment. As he picks up his book, Lana asks if he's "man or superman" in reference to Nietzsche, also quoted by Carter Hall (Michael Shanks) in Shield, when he talks of 'ubermensche.' Former student, Greg Arkin (Chad Donella) drives up in a car and appears to be there for the same reason: to exact his revenge on Clark. At least he looked sinister enough to want that. He was from season 2 episode Metamorphosis, but wasn't he killed off in that episode, when he was squashed by some heavy stuff falling on him.
Clark looks at the name tags on the table and spots one for Lana Lang, as does Lois and one for Chloe (Allison Mack.) Clark tells Lois that Lana's not coming. How did he know that, he hasn't been keeping in touch with her on the sly has he. He walks into the room where Chloe edited The Torch and gets a flashback to her. Two of the students, Clayton (Tom Stevens) and Zoe (Allie Bertram) say they are keeping The Torch going on the Net, it's gone viral and have developed a theory that the Blur was born and raised in Smallville. Lois tries to refute this in her efforts to protect the Blur's/Clark's identity. Much to Clark's annoyance he's been crowned Alumni Homecoming King and Lois sits beside him on a throne chair. Time freezes suddenly as Brainiac enters and tells him, "this is the moment your life changes forever."
Clark thinks Braniac is evil and they end up in a snow covered cemetery. Here Brainiac explains he's Brainiac 5 from the future. In scenes which follow, reminiscent of Charles Dicken's A Christmas Carol, he'll take Clark to his past, future and then present again. Listen out for Lois saying "humbug" at one point. Brianic wears the Legion ring, they reprogrammed him and made him good. He states both he and Clark were 'created' by Jor-El and he's here to show Clark how he will help the world. To do so, Clark must overcome the "darkness within." Clark replies, "all of a sudden, everyone's telling me I have a darkness within me." (Going back to the season opener.)
They find themselves at Jonathan's (John Schneider) funeral from season 5's Reckoning: the starting point of Clark's darkness. He blames himself for his father's death, but Brainiac shows Clark the scene from this episode where Jonathan fought with Lionel Luthor (John Glover) trying to protect Clark. Brainiac explains Jonathan chose his own fate, just as everyone does. Then transporting him back to the present, where Oliver watches a news report after his revelation of being Green Arrow. He's despondent and is expecting to hear from Clark, but no call comes. Clark says Oliver chose his own destiny. So Brainiac tells Clark he needs to stop blaming himself for the past.
Lois looks for some spiked punch and talks with Maddy, who tells her about Clark being "dreamy." That Lana was his first love and you never forget that. Lois explains they're not really together at the moment. Clark sees Greg approach Lois and wants to return to her. So why couldn't he interact with her here, just as he didn't with Oliver, but in the future, he can talk to her. Though Brainiac tells him he can't change anything when he showed the fight between Jonathan and Lionel. Yet Clark, in the future actually is capable if interacting.
Clark grabs hold of the Legion ring and is transported to the future, where he's graced by the headline, "Superman Saves the Day." But for some reason our Clarkie seems to be oblivious as to its meaning. Lois approaches and warns him he's not wearing his glasses, not to worry, she has a spare pair and removes his Crows jacket. Continued on from last episode where she suggested Kara should get a disguise and wear glasses. Oh and another thing, Kara dressed at the end of that episode in similar fashion to Lois in the future, here. Lots of Lois calling him "honey," almost like she wears the pants in their relationship, not that I don't like Lois. Though she is meant to be protecting him. Clark attempts to tell her he's from the past, a different time. She however, checks to see if he's been infected by any of the Kryptonite colours. She also thinks she's forgotten their anniversary: the day Clark trusted her enough to finally tell her his secret.
She's late for a meeting with the Mayor and Clark enters the lift where he meets his future self in glasses and raincoat. Future Clark was expecting him. He needs to save the city from an impending nuclear explosion and Clark needs to get to the roof, as Future Clark can't be in two places at once. Clark watches himself whoosh and fly away and save the day. While he rescues Lois in the falling helicopter. This is the future Clark envisaged for himself, he tells Brainiac, who says he was meant to be here with him. Brainiac confesses that Kal-El's darkness is within him, his "dwelling upon the past, but fearing the future." Clark still doesn't believe this and his doubts remain.
Returning to the reunion, he hears Greg tell Lois that the message for Clark lies in him being grateful to Clark for saving him. Lois and Clark share two seconds of a stolen last dance. Music stops, reunion over, almost signifying that it's the reunion with Brainiac which has come to an end. Clark visits Jonathan's grave in his new leather jacket costume, in need of saying what he couldn't say before, "Goodbye." He wants to be the man Jonathan knew he could be and he also buries the watch Jonathan left him. Why was that? Some way of saying he needs to start over without any memories from the past, or dwelling on the past, but he'll always have his memories. And having the watch doesn't in any way make him too overtly human, or weaken him, emotionally.
Oliver is interviewed by a forceful and dare I say it, bitchy reporter, who thinks she has the answers to everything. Oliver is miffed as to how to reply to her constant bombardment of questions, until Clark shows up. Oliver likens himself to JFK, repeating his "ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country" speech and he's not ashamed of what he does, or even likening himself to JFK. He's a hero; along with the others who have chosen this pursuit of helping people, "I'm not doing it alone." This part was strange as it was always Chloe, or Oliver, who were always decisive in telling Clark what he needs to do. Now since coming out as a hero, Oliver seems to need reassurance from Clark.
At the barn, Lois finds a disco ball and Clark dressed in shirt and tie, wanting to have their missed dance. In a rare moment, he tells her to shut up and get over here. Lois steps onto Clark's shoes and carried away in the moment, Clark finally confessing, "I love you." As she repeats the same. They finally float off the ground as they dance.
Smallville keeps up the tease with the music attributed to the Superman theme and shows how Clarkie will finally be known in the future, as Superman. This 200th episode only featured Brainiac in their reunion, having to make do with flashbacks for Chloe and Lana, but it wasn't in danger of wasting the episode by turning it into a clipshow as most other shows would have done. Clark not noticing his name in the future, but only that he turns all geeky. Seemed a bit rushed in places, but overall not bad for a 200th episode, with references to Clark's past and school days earlier on in the seasons, to which avid fans won't need any reminders.
Clark was doubly reassured by seeing himself in the future still with Lois, so it makes me wonder if he needed that to actually get their relationship going and back on track. Providing him with the confidence he's been lacking in himself and his ability to do his work as the Blur. Lois being rescued in the helicopter was a nod to Superman: The Movie (1978). It's finally spelled out that Clark isn't evil, what with all these allusions to his darkness, but that this darkness stems from his "human" side: that he's failed people, his father and blames himself for not accepting what happened in his past.
Just the right amount of sentiments without going too overboard. Also good to see Brainiac was the buffer to bridge the gap between time for Clark and to draw him out of his "darkness." Another added touch was Chloe's message to the two who are running The Torch, "Glad to see you're carrying on my Torch. CS." Showing that she's out there and still keeping a watchful eye out, even if it's not from Watchtower.
The song, Everything, playing at the dance, by Lifeline was also playing in the Pilot, when Clark realizes he's smitten by Lana. The flashback to the episode with Jonathan, Reckoning was also the show's 100th episode.
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