What's up with Jonathan: Martha is worried about Jonathan as he works on the roof of the barn, but before she can convince him to come down he hears a piercing noise and falls. Clark is able to catch him and asks him what he heard. Martha said she heard nothing and Clark thinks it came from the octagonal key from the spaceship. Jonathan becomes upset and calls Clark "Kal-el" and tells him to leave him alone.

What's up with Lionel: The phone rings just as Lionel begins to squeeze the trigger of the gun that is in his mouth. He answers the phone and after learning "he's there" puts the gun away and heads to a waiting chopper. He interrupts Clark, who's in the caves trying to talk to Jor-el. Lionel is suspicious of Clark and believes he holds the answers to the mystery of the caves. Later, he tries to get Lex to join him in his search for answers, but Lex refuses.

What's up with Lex: Lex is still helping the FBI make a case against his father. The Feds hear all of Lex's conversations by bugging the mansion and getting Lex to wear a wire. They want to know why everyone's so interested in Clark, but Lex tells them to leave him out of it, he'll help them get his father, but won't help them learn anything about Clark.

What's up with Clark: Clark keeps pressing Jonathan to find out why he's so upset. Jonathan finally explains that his near death experience has left him questioning choices he's made in his life, but he tells Clark he's never regretted taking him in. After they talk, he gives Clark the key and Clark locks it in the barn. When Clark learns his dad has taken off without telling anyone he heads to the Talon and talks to Lana. She reassures him things will work out and in the moment the two kiss. Clark tells Lana he doesn't want to have any regrets but before he can continue she says he should be worrying about his dad and not their relationship. Clark reluctantly heads off leaving Lana wondering if Clark can truly change.

What's up with Dr. Swann: After failing to enlist Lex in his quest to unravel Clark's secrets, Lionel goes to see Dr. Swann. Lionel wants him to explain what's written on the cave walls. Swann says he can't help. He asks Lionel what his motivation is, and guesses correctly that Lionel is dying. Lionel tells him he's sure the secrets locked in the cave can save his life. He tells Swann that he's sure Clark stole the key back and wants him to talk to Clark to help him recover it. Swann refuses, but offers an arrangement.

How it ends: Clark finds Jonathan in a cemetery, by his father's grave. He tells Clark he doesn't know how to protect him anymore. Clark reassures him that's not his job and that he still needs him and so does Martha. When the two make it back to the farm they find it's been torn apart by FBI agents and Martha tells them the only thing they took was the key. Jonathan calms a vengeful Clark by telling him they got nothing as he holds the real key in his hands. Clark finds out from Lex that it wasn't the FBI that raided the farm, but Lionel's men and the Lionel went to see Dr. Swann. Clark confronts Swann about the claim and accuses him of betraying his secret. Swann calms Clark down and says him he's never let Clark's secret leave the building. He also shows Clark a message he's picked up in Kryptonian. The message originated from Earth and simply says "I'm waiting." Swann says he believes it's not meant for Clark.

When Clark gets home he finds out Jonathan has taken the real key and vanished once again. Clark believes Jor-el is trying to contact Jonathan and rushes to find him. Lionel has set up tons of equipment in the caves and scientists work away determined to unlock their secrets. Jonathan barges in with a shotgun and the scientists clear out. Jonathan attacks Lionel and demands he stay away from his son. During the fight the key flies into the wall of the cave. Clark arrives and pulls Jonathan off Lionel just as security forces storm the caves. Before they're able to haul the Kents off, Jonathan warns Lionel if he doesn't let them go, he'll expose him for illegally raiding his farm.

The next day Lana shows up at the farm. Clark tries to get back together with her, but she says she can't continue to stay focused on him because she has to figure out what's best for her. After she leaves, Jonathan tries to comfort his son. As they talk, Clark asks what Jor-el is waiting for. Jonathan tells him it's none of his concern. Then he tells Clark the key isn't in the wall of the cave, but is still out there somewhere. The key appears in a box, in the office of Dr. Swann.
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No Kryptofreak of the Week this time: it's a mythology episode as Dr. Swann returns to face off against Papa Luthor, who is also continuing to try to demystify Clark after being interrupted from his near suicide by news that there's movement afoot on the Kent farm. And afoot there is! Two feet! On the roof of the barn! Bo Duke is acting all screwy, being distant and broody after his near-death health troubles. It turns out he's stressed about some stuff he talked about with Clark's biological father Jor-El, whom Bo is communicating with by talking into the octagonal cave-wall key as if it's made by Verizon. Much of the rest of the episode involves shady deals: Papa Luthor finally meets Dr. Swann and proposes that they both get to the bottom of this farm boy's bottom. Lex is still trying to lead the FBI to his dad's crimes by wearing a wire. And Clark and Lana's feelings bubble up again with a passionate kiss, but in the end Lana decides she's tired of being jerked around and wants some time to herself. Again. This is about the tenth time this has happened. But rather than being All About the Lana this week, it's All About the Octagon. Grown men fight over it and the pretty colors it makes as it touches the hole in the cave wall. Bo and Papa Luthor even tussle on the ground over it. But in the end, Dr. Swann -- who seems to have motives of his own that make him more evil than we thought -- ends up with it after the key burrows into the cave wall and disappears. You know what? I'm sick of this f'ing octagonal key already. When is something significant going to happen on this show again that doesn't involve close-ups on tiny metal objects? (Or tiny Pink Princesses?)
By: Omar L. Gallaga (TWoP)

When Jonathan (John Schneider) begins to act strangely, Clark believes Jor-El is sending Jonathan messages through the key and is the cause for his father's withdrawal from the family. Clark goes down to the caves to confront his biological father but Lionel catches him there and begins putting the pieces together - leading him straight to Dr. Swann. As the two billionaires face off, a deal is struck and Lionel's true motives are revealed. Kristin Kreuk, Michael Rosenbaum., Allison Mack, Sam Jones III and Annette O'Toole also star.

Lionel: A son's love for a father - there's nothing to compare it to. After all, you only get one.

Lex: You know, Dad...they say mental illness is hereditary.

Lex; It's probably coincidence.
Lionel: Oh, coincidence! That's an explanation used by fools and liars.

Lionel: I believe we're put on this Earth for a reason, Clark. Our task in life is to find out what that reason is. Sometimes we can't do that alone.

Clark: What if you screw up something so badly you can never get it back.

Jonathan: (to Clark) And I see the way you and Jor-El fight, and I wonder if fathers and sons were the same on Krypton.

Lex: It's like the German poet Rilke said - a person isn't who they are during the last conversation you had with them - they're who they've been throughout your whole relationship.

Lex: My father's methods are often questionable, but usually there's a germ of truth in his madness.

Lex: Clark Kent's a nobady.
FBI Agent: A nobody who's pals with Dr. Swann.

Dr. Swann (to Lionel): I'm a scientist. I find curiousity to be a most admirable trait.

Lionel: I know that what can save my life is locked within the walls of that cave.

Clark: But I'm not human.
Dr. Swann: Humanity is not just about biology.

Lana (to Clark): You never have to apologize for opening up to me.

Jonathan (about his father to Clark): I wish I had his strength, his wisdom... Clark, I don't know how to protect you any more.

Lex: Lana you know you can talk to me about anything.

Jonathan: It doesn't matter Clark
Clark (yelling): How can you say taht?
Jonathan (holds up the key): 'Cause they didn't get what they came after.

Jonathan: This is your last warning - stay away from my son.
Lionel: If you'd raised your son the way I raised mine, maybe you wouldn't have to protect him. You know, weakness isn't something you're born with - you learn it. And Clark learned his from you.

Jonathan (to Lionel): Unless you want to explain to the police why you illegally invaded my house, I suggest you let me leave.

The introduction of the sigil of the House of El? Nope. This episode, the only recurring themes from Rosetta (and they are big ones, nonetheless) are the red, yellow and blue in the key, Clark in the cave, and Reeve. Reeve brings a lot, a LOT, but he can't carry a plot that is confusing.

And it was a confusing episode, in many ways.

Part of it is, again, the fault of the rather disturbing advertising gimmicks that the show has been using for the last year in an attempt to drag eyes to the show, and this is understandable, what with American Idol, but like spiking comic sales with "names", it's really cheap for the long term and devoted fans, such as myself.

We were expecting the sequel to Rosetta, and we get, well, an analogy.

Rosetta is to Legacy as Superman: The Movie is to Superman IV: The Quest For Peace. Do I have Superman IV on DVD? Yes. Yes, I do. And do I watch it once a year, when better, more important movies go by the wayside? Yes. Yes, I do. And why? Because it has some of the things I loved about the original movie. The actor, the characters, the basic gist, but things are just confusing, weird, and out there.

So let's hit the episode with the notes, shall we?

It starts out well. We have Pa Kent being stubborn old Pa Kent, hinting towards the future storyline (at least, in the movie) of the stress and antagonism that will lead to his heart attack, or at least his adverse relationship with many people around him, what Clark struggles to overcome.

Visceral reaction. My dad fell off a roof last year and broke his leg in a spiral fracture... I blame myself a good bit because I wasn't here to help him (I moved back to my hometown a few months back). So anyway, that's neither here nor there, but it made the moment stick out for me, meaning more.

We hit the same old LuthorCorp establishing shot (when are they gonna come up with a new one?) and there's Lionel, gun to his chin, ready to blow his brains out. No warning this time, though, which leads me to believe that the warning was indeed because Adam shoots Lana. God, the fetishizing of Lana Lang, per the words of other columnists... but I'll get there.

Bottom line, what, this many weeks later I'm still hacked we're not considered adult enough to be discerning about drama and furious, utterly furious of the continuing television, radio, and media witch hunt that is driving voices off the air in the land of the FREE SPEECH.

I was reminded of the movie Breakfast of Champions, based upon the works of the amazing, great, introduce 8 bajillion praising adjectives HERE, smart Kurt Vonnegut Jr., writer of some of my favorite books and a great inspiration to my personal style. In Breakfast, the main character is going insane with the aesthetic of his own life, and keeps trying to kill himself, but things interrupt him. (more...)
By Neal Bailey