Welcome back to Rewatching Smallville, my weekly dive into the iconic series that explores Clark Kent’s journey before becoming Superman. Whether you’re a long-time fan or new to the show, you’re invited to join in each Tuesday as I revisit episodes and share my thoughts and observations. Be sure to share your own memories and theories in the comments below!

Warning: Contains spoilers for Smallville Season 3 and mild existential crisis material

Look, we need to talk about “Hereafter,” the 56th episode of Smallville that aired on February 4, 2004. This isn’t just another meteor-freak-of-the-week episode (though it technically is). This is the episode where the show decided to get really philosophical about fate, free will, and whether Clark Kent is basically a cosmic cheat code for destiny itself.

The Setup: Death Becomes Him

The episode introduces us to Jordan Cross (Joseph Cross, because apparently the Smallville casting department had a thing for actors whose real names matched their character names). Jordan is your typical meteor-enhanced teenager with one tiny problem: every time he touches someone, he sees exactly how they’re going to die. Imagine trying to navigate high school hallways when a simple shoulder bump reveals someone’s final moments. Talk about social distancing before it was cool.

Jordan was born during the 1989 meteor shower when his mother was killed by a meteorite, making him yet another walking reminder that Smallville’s meteor shower was basically a supernatural drive-by shooting that kept on giving. His power manifested early – at age six, he tried to warn a woman at an amusement park about her impending roller coaster death, but naturally, nobody listened to the kid having what appeared to be a public meltdown.

The episode wastes no time establishing Jordan’s abilities when he touches Coach Altman and sees the man’s suicide attempt. But here’s where things get interesting: Clark actually manages to prevent it from happening. For the first time in Jordan’s life, one of his death visions doesn’t come true. Cue the metaphysical implications.

The Adam Knight Subplot: Batman Who?

Meanwhile, we’re deep in the middle of Season 3’s most frustrating subplot involving Adam Knight (Ian Somerhalder), Lana’s mysterious new boyfriend who’s about as trustworthy as a chocolate teapot. The episode continues building suspense around Adam’s true nature, with Chloe discovering him injecting mysterious substances and everyone generally acting like this isn’t a massive red flag.

What makes this storyline particularly interesting in hindsight is the behind-the-scenes drama. According to the show’s creators, Adam Knight was never intended to be Bruce Wayne, despite fan speculation based on his name (combining Adam West and “Dark Knight”) and his mysterious background with martial arts training and dead parents. The creative team initially planned for Adam to be a legitimate romantic interest for Lana, but when the chemistry between Somerhalder and Kristin Kreuk didn’t work, they pivoted the storyline in a “thriller Pacific Heights direction”.

Alfred Gough later admitted that the character’s storyline “degenerated into a science fiction story, and when that occurred, they decided they had to wrap it up quickly”. Translation: they wrote themselves into a corner and decided to science their way out of it with resurrection serums and corporate espionage. Because nothing says “grounded teen drama” like bringing someone back from the dead to spy on your lead character.

The Adam subplot in “Hereafter” serves as a perfect example of how Season 3 struggled with tonal consistency. One minute we’re dealing with profound questions about destiny and free will, the next we’re watching Lana interrogate her zombie boyfriend about his suspicious pharmaceutical habits.

Destiny vs. Free Will: The Big Questions

But let’s get back to the episode’s real meat: the philosophical implications of Jordan’s powers and Clark’s ability to change fate. When Jordan touches Clark, instead of seeing a death vision, he experiences something unprecedented – “a fluttering red cape and a tranquil, endless expanse of space and stars”. He tells Clark, “You don’t have an end like other people. It’s like you live forever”.

This moment is pure Smallville mythology building at its finest. The show is essentially telling us that Clark isn’t just special because of his superpowers – he’s special because he exists outside the normal flow of destiny. As the episode notes suggest, this is “one of the first episodes which strongly implies that Clark and the character of Superman is not merely a superhuman entity, but a supernatural one as well, as evidenced by his ability to literally change destiny”.

The episode presents two competing interpretations of how destiny works in the Smallville universe. The first suggests that Clark, being essentially immortal and existing outside normal temporal constraints, has the power to alter fate itself. The second, more complex interpretation argues that “Jordan is the one changing destiny, not Clark” because “only someone who has exact knowledge of the future, like Jordan, would be able to change it”.

This second interpretation is actually more fascinating because it suggests that even Clark, for all his powers, is still bound by cause and effect. He can only save people because Jordan’s visions provide the necessary information to act. It’s a clever way of maintaining dramatic tension while acknowledging Clark’s growing powers.

The Price of Playing God

Of course, the episode can’t resist twisting the knife. Clark’s intervention in Coach Altman’s suicide creates a butterfly effect that puts Lana and Megan in mortal danger. When Jordan touches Lana later, his vision has changed – now she’s dying in the same fire that was meant to kill Megan. The universe, it seems, has a way of collecting its debts.

This leads to the episode’s climax, where Coach Altman, driven by grief over his daughter’s death, kidnaps both girls with the intention of burning them alive in a twisted act of revenge. As the episode notes point out, “Clark preventing Mr. Altman’s original suicide (thanks to Jordan’s vision) came with a consequence of him almost burning Lana and Megan to death, in his new suicide”.

The rescue sequence is vintage early Smallville – Clark using his powers cleverly but not too obviously, Jordan temporarily dying from smoke inhalation (because of course he does), and everyone learning valuable lessons about the complexity of fate. The fact that Jordan loses his powers when he briefly dies is both convenient plot resolution and thematically appropriate – he’s literally crossed over to the other side and come back changed.

Season 3 in Context: Building the Mythology

“Hereafter” works particularly well within Season 3’s larger arc because it addresses themes that run throughout the entire season. Season 3 follows “Clark’s constant fight against the destiny that his biological father, Jor-El, has in-store for him”, making Jordan’s story about seeing and potentially changing destiny especially relevant.

The episode also continues the season’s exploration of the price Clark’s family pays for his heroism. The overarching storyline involves Jonathan making a deal with Jor-El to gain powers strong enough to bring Clark home, “the result was a heart attack for Jonathan later in the season, whose body could not handle the powers”. The episode ends with Jonathan collapsing in the barn, setting up this major plot development.

This connection between Clark’s choices and their consequences for his loved ones becomes a recurring theme throughout Smallville‘s run. Every time Clark intervenes in destiny, someone pays a price – whether it’s Coach Altman ultimately dying anyway, or Jonathan’s body being damaged by Kryptonian powers, or Lana and Clark’s relationship being destroyed by secrets and lies.

The Early 2000s Time Capsule

Watching “Hereafter” in 2025 is like opening a time capsule from 2004. The episode features all the hallmarks of early 2000s television: the belief that home schooling is somehow more isolating than regular school (Jordan’s been sheltered but seems remarkably well-adjusted), the idea that teenagers would be assigned “mentors” for orientation, and the general assumption that a high school student could reasonably rent an apartment above a coffee shop.

The episode also showcases Smallville‘s particular brand of teenage melodrama, where characters regularly deliver lines like “I just wanted to be with my little girl” with complete sincerity. Michael Rosenbaum’s Lex gets some deliciously smarmy moments investigating Adam’s background, proving once again that even when the plot doesn’t quite work, the actors can usually sell it through sheer commitment.

Jordan Cross and the Larger DC Universe

One interesting aspect of Jordan’s character is how he fits into Smallville‘s approach to DC Comics mythology. Jordan is one of only four characters in the series to demonstrate precognitive abilities, making him part of a select group that includes Cassandra Carver and Kent Nelson (Doctor Fate). This places him in a specific corner of the DC universe where magic and destiny intersect with superhero narratives.

Jordan would later return in the Season 7 online comic “Smallville: Visions,” where he regains his powers after chewing kryptonite-laced gum (because apparently Smallville never met a kryptonite-related plot device it didn’t like). In that story, Lex tries to use Jordan’s abilities to constantly cheat death, which is both perfectly in character for Lex and a logical extension of the themes introduced in “Hereafter”.

The Adam Knight Conclusion (Sort Of)

While “Hereafter” doesn’t resolve the Adam Knight storyline, it does provide crucial pieces of the puzzle. Jordan’s cryptic comment that he thinks Adam “actually died” when he touched him proves to be prophetic. Adam Knight was indeed dead – originally known as Chad Nash, he died from liver disease before being resurrected by Lionel Luthor using the Lazarus serum and sent to spy on Clark Kent.

The fact that Jordan can sense this death-that-wasn’t adds another layer to his abilities and raises interesting questions about the nature of resurrection in the Smallville universe. If Jordan sees people’s deaths when he touches them, what does it mean that he can detect someone who has already died and been brought back? It’s the kind of detail that makes “Hereafter” more than just a standalone episode – it’s actively building the show’s mythology.

Clark’s Growing Burden

Perhaps the most powerful aspect of “Hereafter” is how it deals with Clark’s growing awareness of his responsibilities. When Martha asks what’s bothering him, Clark responds: “I’m just wondering if that’s why I was really sent here: to change destiny. What if I make a wrong choice and I’m not there to make it right?”

This conversation encapsulates one of Smallville‘s core themes: the burden of power and the weight of impossible choices. Clark is beginning to understand that his abilities come with responsibilities that extend far beyond saving people from meteor freaks. Every intervention has consequences, every choice ripples outward in ways he can’t predict or control.

Martha’s response – that he has to focus on the good he does and accept that he can’t save everyone – sounds like standard superhero wisdom, but in the context of Smallville‘s long-term narrative, it’s actually quite profound. This is a Clark Kent who hasn’t yet learned to compartmentalize his responsibilities, who takes every death and every failure personally.

The Production Side: Making Magic

From a production standpoint, “Hereafter” showcases Smallville at its most ambitious. The episode featured extensive digital effects work, particularly for Jordan’s vision of Clark’s future cape, which was “created entirely by a computer” rather than using practical effects. As the effects team explained, “You get a hint of the ‘S’, but not quite” – they wanted to suggest Superman’s future without making it too obvious.

The episode also benefits from strong guest performances, particularly Joseph Cross as Jordan. Cross manages to convey both the character’s fear of his abilities and his desperate desire for normal human connection without over-playing the melodrama. His chemistry with Tom Welling’s Clark feels genuine, which is crucial for selling the episode’s central premise.

Legacy and Impact

“Hereafter” works because it takes its central concept seriously. In lesser hands, Jordan’s precognitive abilities could have been just another meteor freak gimmick. Instead, the episode uses his powers to explore fundamental questions about fate, free will, and the price of intervention.

The episode also represents Smallville‘s growing confidence in its mythology. By Season 3, the show was comfortable enough with its universe to tackle big philosophical questions while maintaining its core identity as a coming-of-age story. Jordan’s powers aren’t just a plot device – they’re a lens through which to examine Clark’s growing understanding of his role in the world.

Most importantly, “Hereafter” demonstrates that Smallville could be genuinely moving when it focused on character relationships and emotional truth. The friendship between Clark and Jordan feels real because both characters are struggling with the burden of being different. Clark’s guilt over changing destiny resonates because we can see the weight of his choices in every scene.

Final Thoughts: The Road Not Taken

“Hereafter” stands as one of Season 3’s more successful episodes because it commits fully to its premise. While the Adam Knight subplot continues to feel somewhat disconnected from the main story, the Jordan Cross material is strong enough to carry the episode. The themes of destiny versus free will would continue to resonate throughout Smallville‘s run, making “Hereafter” an important building block in the show’s mythology.

The episode also works as a snapshot of Smallville at a crucial turning point. By Season 3, the show was moving away from simple monster-of-the-week stories toward more complex explorations of power, responsibility, and destiny. “Hereafter” bridges those two approaches, using a meteor-enhanced character to explore themes that would define Clark’s journey toward becoming Superman.

In the end, “Hereafter” asks a simple question: if you could change destiny, should you? The episode’s answer – that intervention always comes with a price, but the attempt to save lives is still worthwhile – feels both mature and hopeful. It’s the kind of moral complexity that made Smallville more than just another superhero show, even when it was struggling with resurrection serums and zombie boyfriends.

And honestly, after watching Clark angst about changing destiny for 45 minutes, Jonathan’s heart attack at the end hits like a meteor to the chest. Because sometimes, the real destiny is the cardiac episodes we caused along the way.

---

I Published a Book!

In 2007, the American Film Institute released its definitive list of the 100 greatest American movies of all time — a sweeping celebration of the art of cinema. But do these classics still resonate today? Are they as timeless, powerful, or entertaining as AFI claims?

In this book, I take you film by film through the AFI’s iconic list — from Citizen Kane to The Godfather, from Star Wars to The Graduate. Trying to maintain a refreshingly personal tone, you’ll get film summaries as I share what they meant (or didn’t mean) to me. I’ll challenge the hype, celebrate the underrated, or call out the overrated.

Whether you’re a film buff, a casual moviegoer, or someone looking to deepen your appreciation for American cinema, this book is your ticket to a thoughtful — and sometimes funny — journey through Hollywood history.

Available in Paperback or Kindle