While attending a reception with Lex at the Metropolis Museum, Clark witnesses a city bus veering out of control. To save a sleeping homeless man and his dog, Clark jumps in front of the bus, stopping it in a massive collision. A seedy Metropolis detective witnesses his superhuman powers, and tracks Clark back to Smallville to blackmail him into doing his dirty work.
After a visit from Detective Phelan, Lex warns Clark. Lex knows the rogue detective, as he worked in his father's employment, being paid to "take care of things." The detective has the dirt on Lex, and tries to use it to his advantage to get information about Clark.
Lex's ex-girlfriend from British boarding school, the wealthy and beautiful Victoria Hardwick surprises Lex with a visit and business proposition. Knowing his tense relationship with his father, Victoria proposes Lex sell his shares of LuthorCorp. to her father's rival company, where she is now Executive V.P. Lex suggests the two consider joining forces to compete with both of their fathers. Meanwhile, Victoria cozies in as house guest in Lex's bed at Luthor mansion.
When Clark tells his parents of the dirty cop and what he proposes, Jonathan tells Clark to stay away, that he will handle him. When he meets the detective at The Beanery, Jonathan loses his temper as the detective further threatens to exploit Clark. Mr. Kent realizes the threat to his son and the danger he faces from the detective.
Principal Kwan dismisses Chloe from her job as editor, accusing her of "tabloid journalism" as she continues to print stories about the dangers related to meteor rocks. When Lana tries to make a case for Chloe, the principal appoints Lana as the new editor. Although Lana and Clark suggest Chloe continue as a ghost writer for "The Torch" while they work on her re-appointment as editor, Chloe is hurt and can't accept the new situation.
After threatening the Kents, Phelan coerces Clark into obtaining sensitive files from the safe in an apartment of the Chief of Internal Affairs of Metropolis Police. Clark throws the safe from the sixth floor window onto the detective's car and leaves the scene as the police arrive, double-crossing the dirty cop. The next morning, Smallville Police appear at the Kent home, arresting Mr. Kent after finding a gun in the truck and a dead man in the barn. Its the work of the detective, getting back at Clark for the double-cross. As his own emotions threaten his moral judgment, Clark is so enraged he has to restrain himself from killing the detective.
As Lana struggles to edit "The Torch," Clark drops by disturbed by his father's arrest, blaming himself. Lana gives him a pep talk, and sends him on his way. Later Chloe is re-appointed editor of "The Torch" by the principal, due to Lana's intervention. Chloe privately hints at feelings for Clark in an explanation of her behavior towards Lana. When Lana tries to back away, picking up the vibes of a possible relationship between Chloe and Clark, Chloe says "we're just good friends." Lana repeats the same sentiments to Chloe about her relationship with Clark.
After more threats from the detective, Clark again goes with him for another job in Metropolis. Unknown to them, Lex follows. The detective's new scheme is to have Clark assist him in stealing a bejeweled, rare breastplate armor from the Metropolis Museum. The detective disarms the alarm system, and calls in a phony bomb threat, causing museum security to exit the building. Clark and the detective get inside, and Clark bends the bars and breaks the glass of the display case. The detective removes the breastplate armor, wrapping it inside a bag. Using his x-ray vision, Clark spies security outside the building, grabs the bag, and throws it through a window outside to the street. Clark tells Detective Phelan that his fingerprints will point out the blame for the theft. Enraged, the detective shoots at Clark, but Clark is "faster than a speeding bullet," and avoids injury. Clark escapes as security and Lex storm in, with Detective Phelan getting shot. As he lay dying, Lex asks the detective what he had on Clark. "Go to Hell," the detective replies, taking Clark's secret with him to death. Later, always curious about Clark, Lex watches the security videotape from the museum, studying and trying to understand the one frame of the blurred figure that is Clark.
Starring: Tom Welling (Clark Kent), Kristin Kreuk (Lana Lang), Michael Rosenbaum (Lex Luthor), Eric Johnson (Whitney Fordman), Sam Jones III (Pete Ross), Allison Mack (Chloe Sullivan), Annette O'Toole (Martha Kent), John Schneider (Jonathan Kent)
Guest Stars: Kelly Brook (Victoria Hardwick), Cameron Dye (Sam Phelan), Hiro Kanagawa (Principal James Kwan), Mitchell Kosterman (Sheriff Ethan Miller), Danny Wattley (Deputy), Costa Spanos (Phelan's Snitch), J.B. Bivens (Museum Security Guard)
Written by Mark Verheiden
Directed by David Carson