Lex pays Lionel a visit at LuthorCorp, demanding that he hand over the second key to the Veritas group’s lockbox in Zurich. After Lionel refuses, Lex pulls a gun on him and forcefully rips the locket containing the key from his neck. Lionel warns Lex to not open the box, concerned that if he does he’ll completely give into his darker nature. Lex tells his father that he’s done living in his shadow and pushes him out a window and to his death.
After finding out about Lionel’s death, which is presumed to be a suicide, Clark remembers that Lionel tried to give him his locket the last time they met. He also can’t believe that Lionel would kill himself, even after Chloe tells him about Lionel’s hysterical rant earlier that evening. Clark decides to investigate further and finds a farewell message from Lionel to him in his personal safe. In this message, Lionel tells Clark that if he is listening to it that means he’s dead and can no longer protect him. He tells Clark that he has to find both keys to the box in Zurich, a box which contains something that can control him.
Lex’s personal assistant Gina comes to offer Lex her condolences, but after noticing that he has Lionel’s locket she realizes he murdered his own father. Instead of being angry she pledges her undying loyalty to Lex and promises to keep the truth about Lionel’s death a secret. After Lex informs her that the key in Lionel’s locket is missing, Gina agrees to help him find it. Meanwhile, Jimmy informs Lois that he has photographic proof that Lionel was pushed to his death. Unfortunately, the photo he has needs to be sharpened. Since his computer isn’t powerful enough to do this, Jimmy tells Lois they need to use Lana’s equipment at the Isis Foundation.
Chloe discovers Lionel’s key in her desk at the Daily Planet. Though she tries to hide the key from Lex, he finds it while rummaging through her desk. Lex then proceeds to fire her on the spot for lying to him about not having the key. Moments later, Gina finds a message on Chloe’s cellphone from Jimmy and Lois about the photo they have. Gina holds the two at gunpoint and demands they tell her where they uploaded the photo to. Lois tries to attack Gina, but gets shot in the shoulder for her efforts. Jimmy ends up telling her they uploaded the photo to the Isis Foundation’s system.
Suspecting that Lex killed Lionel over one of the two keys spoken of in Lionel’s farewell message, Clark breaks into Lex’s mansion to try and find them. All Clark finds is an empty locket. As he takes his leave, Lex stops him in his tracks and the two engage in a heated conversation that ends with Clark telling Lex that he not only knows that he killed his own father but he has proof. Meanwhile, Gina breaks into the Isis Foundation and knocks Chloe out. She proceeds to destroy the photo that Jimmy took. After hearing Clark come into the building, Gina hides in the shadows to find out why. Clark revives Chloe and they engage in a conversation about the keys and their connection to him, inadvertently informing Gina that Clark is the “traveler”. She calls Lex and leaves a voicemail message informing him that she knows who the “traveler” is, only to be killed moments later by someone.
In the end, Lex holds a funeral service for his father that only he can attend, keeping his final promise to his father that nobody would remember him when he was dead. To further keep his promise, he has Lionel buried in the midst of the Metropolis cemetery, instead of giving him a more notable burial spot befitting a man of his stature. Clark pays a visit to Lionel’s grave, staring down Lex for a defining moment before he leaves. There is no turning back for Lex now, for he has truly crossed over to the darkside. Clark knows it’s his duty to stop him. Their epic battle, which has taken shape over the course of the last seven years, has truly begun.
Starring: Tom Welling (Clark Kent), Michael Rosenbaum (Lex Luthor), Kristin Kreuk (Lana Lang), Allison Mack (Chloe Sullivan), Erica Durance (Lois Lane), Aaron Ashmore (Jimmy Olsen), Laura Vandervoort (Kara), John Glover (Lionel Luthor)
Guest Starring: Anna Galvin (Gina), Connor Stanhope (Alexander), Jill Teed (Maggie Sawyer)
Written by Don Whitehead & Holly Hendersen
Directed by Ken Horton