The third season of Smallville began airing on October 1, 2003, on The WB television network, and concluded its initial airing on May 19, 2004 with 22 episodes.
Summary[]
Clark returns to Smallville after his self-imposed exile in Metropolis to face his problems. His and Lana's relationship ends faster than it begins. He meets Perry White, learns more about his biological father, and gains a new ability (super hearing). Finally, sacrificing himself to save his father, Clark agrees to fulfill the destiny that Jor-El wants; pulled into the Kawatche Cave wall, he is transported into space.
Lionel conspires with his old friend Morgan Edge, who arranged for Clark's vial of blood to be stolen. He retrieves the sample and uses the vial in an attempt to cure his terminal liver disease, testing the treatment on a new subject, Adam Knight. When Chloe and Lex learn that Lionel killed his parents, Lionel conspires to make it look like Lex has a psychotic break and institutionalizes him, where he gives him a treatment to make him forget Lionel's misdoings. However, Lex is brought back home where he undergoes several psychiatric evaluations. In attempt to get rid of witnesses for his impending trial, Lionel plans attempts on Chloe and Lex's life.
Season Three takes place during Clark, Lana, Pete, Chloe and the rest of their classmates' Junior year at Smallville High School at ages 16-17.
Opening Credits[]
This was the only season where no main cast changes were made, nor was anything else in the credits, so the Season 3 opening credits were the same as the Season 2 opening credits, as follows:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Recurring Characters[]
The following Recurring Characters appear in more than one episode this season:
- Sheriff Nancy Adams - Camille Mitchell (11/22)
- Adam Knight - Ian Somerhalder (7/22)
- Dr. Lia Teng - Françoise Yip (5/22)
- FBI Agent Frank Loder - Gary Hudson (4/22)
- Morgan Edge - Rutger Hauer (2/22) and Patrick Bergin (1/22) = (3/22)
- Dr. Claire Foster - Lorena Gale (3/22)
- The voice of Jor-El - Terence Stamp (2/22)
- Dr. Helen Bryce - Emmanuelle Vaugier (2/22)
- Edge's Blonde Thug - Brock Johnson (2/22)
- Van McNulty - Jesse Metcalfe (2/22)
- Jor-El (Kryptonian) - Tom Welling (1/22) and Terence Stamp (1/22) = (2/22)
- Officer Mason - Tim Henry 2/22
- Dr. Lawrence Garner - Martin Cummins (2/22)
The following Recurring Characters appear in only one episode this season, but also appear in other seasons:
- Maggie Sawyer - Jill Teed
- Perry White - Michael McKean
- Mayor William Tate - William B. Davis
- Darius - Kwesi Ameyaw
- Ian Randall - Jonathan Taylor Thomas
- Eric Summers - Shawn Ashmore
- Connelly - Ron Selmour
- Mara - Moneca Delain
- Alicia Baker - Sarah Carter
- Dr. Yaeger Scanlan - Jerry Wasserman
- Dr. MacIntyre - Julian Christopher
- Dr. Virgil Swann - Christopher Reeve
- Lillian Luthor - Alisen Down
- Lara-El - Kendall Cross
- Joseph Willowbrook - Gordon Tootoosis
- Pete Dinsmore - Neil Flynn
- Emily Dinsmore - Amber Rothwell
- Gabe Sullivan - Robert Wisden
Recurring Locations[]
Episode List: 2003–2004[]
→ see also Category:Screencaps from season 3
| Image | Title | Writer(s) | Director(s) | Airdate | # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Exile | Writer: Alfred Gough & Miles Millar | Director: Greg Beeman | 10/01/03 | #45 301 |
| Clark is living a life of crime in Metropolis, so Jonathan makes a deal with Jor-El to bring him home. Lex is stranded on a desert island, while Lionel holds a funeral for him. | |||||
|
Phoenix | Writer: Kelly Souders & Brian Peterson | Director: James Marshall | 10/08/03 | #46 302 |
| Lex Luthor returns from the dead and faces his father and his wife. Clark also returns to Smallville and tries to repair his relationships with Lana and Chloe. Morgan Edge follows Clark to Smallville demanding the package Clark stole for him. | |||||
|
Extinction | Writer: Todd Slavkin & Darren Swimmer | Director: Michael Katleman | 10/15/03 | #47 303 |
| Van McNulty is avenging his father's murder by killing metahumans. Clark is shot with a kryptonite bullet. Lana has to deal with her growing prejudice against kryptonite-infected people, and Lex decides that his own physiology might be responsible for his uncanny ability to cheat death. | |||||
|
Slumber | Writer: Drew Z. Greenberg | Director: Terrence O'Hara | 10/22/03 | #48 304 |
| Sarah Conroy moves in next door and immediately enters Clark's dreams. Clark and Lana learn that she is being artificially kept in a coma by her uncle who controls the money only as long as she lives incapacitated. While, Lionel demands that Lex undergo a full psychological evaluation. | |||||
|
Perry | Writer: Mark Verheiden | Director: Jeannot Szwarc | 10/29/03 | #49 305 |
| Perry White arrives in Smallville in search of alien stories for a tabloid news show. He devises a dangerous scheme to expose Clark's superpowers, and Lex learns that Perry has powerful incriminating evidence of Lionel's shady past. | |||||
|
Relic | Writer: Kelly Souders & Brian Peterson | Director: Marita Grabiak | 11/05/03 | #50 306 |
| Clark discovers that Jor-El was on Earth forty years ago. Lana helps Clark discover the truth about who killed her great Aunt Louise. Lex learns that his grandparents were murdered, and he begins to suspect his father. | |||||
|
Magnetic | Writer: Holly Harold | Director: David Jackson | 11/12/03 | #51 307 |
| Clark is jealous and suspicious when Lana suddenly becomes attracted to Seth Nelson and begins to act rebelliously. Meanwhile, Lex discovers Chloe has been investigating his father and offers her his protection. | |||||
|
Shattered | Writer: Kenneth Biller | Director: Kenneth Biller | 11/19/03 | #52 308 |
| Morgan Edge and Lionel conspired to break Lex's fragile psyche. Clark, Lana and Chloe try to help Lex, but Lana is very badly injured, and Lex is committed at Belle Reve Sanatarium. | |||||
|
Asylum | Writer: Todd Slavkin & Darren Swimmer | Director: Greg Beeman | 01/14/04 | #53 309 |
| Lex has been suffering for a month in Belle Reve, but when Lionel orders radical electroshock therapy, Clark finally decides to throw caution to the wind and break him out. Unfortunately, Van, Ian and Eric are ready to take him out. Meanwhile, Lana meets Adam Knight during her physical therapy. | |||||
|
Whisper | Writer: Ken Horton | Director: Thomas J. Wright | 01/21/04 | #54 310 |
| Clark is temporarily blinded by his own heat vision reflected through kryptonite. He develops super-hearing to compensate. While Nathan Dean kidnaps Pete, Lex fires Chloe's dad, and Lana tells Clark she is seeing someone new. | |||||
|
Delete | Writer: Kelly Souders & Brian Peterson | Director: Pat Williams | 01/28/04 | #55 311 |
| Clark and Lana each make an attempt on Chloe's life after receiving mysterious e-mail messages. Lex helps uncover the source of these emails and, Lana rents the apartment above the Talon to Adam. | |||||
|
Hereafter | Writer: Mark Verheiden & Drew Z. Greenberg | Director: Greg Beeman & James Marshall | 02/04/04 | #56 312 |
| Coach Altman is so distraught over his daughter's death that he tries to kill Lana, himself and Megan Calder. Jordan Cross foresees their deaths and enlists the aide of Clark to thwart the plan. Meanwhile, Chloe spies Adam Knight taking drugs, and Lex discovers something, too. | |||||
|
Velocity | Writer: Todd Slavkin & Darren Swimmer | Director: Jeannot Szwarc | 02/11/04 | #57 313 |
| Jason Dante threatens to kill Pete Ross. Clark has to lie, steal and cheat to save his friend. While Lana discovers that Adam Knight is Chad Nash, Chloe discovers that he is taking a serum of strange platelets, and Lex blackmails his physician, Lia Teng. | |||||
|
Obsession | Writer: Holly Harold | Director: James Marshall | 02/18/04 | #58 314 |
| Alicia Baker becomes obsessed with Clark and threatens to kill Lana. Clark discovers her weakness. Lana discovers that Adam Knight has been spying on Clark, and she asks Lex to help her evict him. | |||||
|
Resurrection | Writer: Todd Slavkin & Darren Swimmer | Director: Terrence O'Hara | 02/25/04 | #59 315 |
| Garrett Davis is holding hostages at the hospital until his brother receives a new liver. Clark steals a vial of a serum, which may revive him. Lana tells Clark Adam Knight's secret, and Lex tracks down Lia Teng. | |||||
|
Crisis | Writer: Kelly Souders & Brian Peterson | Director: Kenneth Biller | 03/03/04 | #60 316 |
| Clark receives a panicked call from the future. Adam is going to shoot Lana. Lex finds his staff murdered and suspects it's Lionel. | |||||
|
Legacy | Writer: Jeph Loeb | Director: Greg Beeman | 04/14/04 | #61 317 |
| Clark discovers that Jor-El is sending Jonathan messages through the key. Lionel makes a deal with Dr. Swann. Meanwhile, Lex continues helping the FBI investigate Lionel, and Lana gives up on a relationship with Clark. | |||||
|
Truth | Writer: Drew Z. Greenberg | Director: James Marshall | 04/21/04 | #62 318 |
| No one can lie to Chloe after she accidentally inhales a mysterious kryptonite-gas, but it has fatal side effects and Clark must find an antidote before she dies. | |||||
|
Memoria | Writer: Alfred Gough & Miles Millar | Director: Miles Millar | 04/28/04 | #63 319 |
| Lawrence Garner tries to help Lex regain his lost memories. Clark tries to stop him and ends up receiving the same experimental treatment. | |||||
|
Talisman | Writer: Kenneth Biller | Director: John Schneider | 05/05/04 | #64 320 |
| Jeremiah Holdsclaw steals Palak from the Kawatche Caves and receives super powers leading him to believe that he is Naman. Clark must stop him before he kills Lionel. Meanwhile, Lex and Lana sell the Talon, and Chloe discovers that Pete's parents are divorcing. | |||||
|
Forsaken | Writer: Kelly Souders & Brian Peterson | Director: Terrence O'Hara | 05/12/04 | #65 321 |
| Emily Dinsmore returns to prevent Lana's departure to Paris. Clark decides to tell Lana his secret to prevent her departure to Paris(but he chokes up at the last minute). Pete decides to move to Wichita after Frank Loder tries to beat Clark's secret out of him. While Chloe finally comes through for Lex, and he restores her deleted voice mail confession from Lionel. | |||||
|
Covenant | Writer: Todd Slavkin, Darren Swimmer, Alfred Gough & Miles Millar | Director: Greg Beeman | 05/19/04 | #66 322 |
| Kara comes to entice Clark to return to Jor-El. Jonathan reveals the deal he made with Jor-El. Lionel helps Clark discover Lex's room of obsession, and Lana leaves for Paris. Meanwhile, Lionel is denied bail, but Chloe and her father are killed in an explosion. | |||||
Notes[]
- Jonathan temporarily gains Kryptonian powers which affect his health for his remaining appearances. ("Exile")
- Clark develops one new ability this year: super hearing. ("Whisper")
- Clark discovers the significance of the sun's effect on his powers. ("Perry")
- Lex breaks free from his father. ("Forsaken")
- Lana stops managing the Talon. ("Forsaken")
- Lionel Luthor can be seen as the main antagonist as well as Jor-El of Season 3.
- Pete moves to Wichita when his parents divorce. (Forsaken)
- Helen Bryce, Eric Summers, Ian Randall and Emily Dinsmore make their final appearance this season.
- This make the last consecutive seasonal appearance of Julian Christopher as Dr. MacIntyre ("Resurrection"), though he appears in the Season 6 episode "Fallout".
- Jill Teed returns as Maggie Sawyer in the episode "Exile", previously playing her in Season 2's episode "Insurgence". She returns in the Season 5 episode "Exposed".
- Virgil Swann also makes his last appearance, as Christopher Reeve (who played him) died the next year. He is, however, referenced again in Season Four and Season Seven.
- Lois Lane does not actually appear in this season but she is referenced by her cousin in "Delete".
- This season's finale was followed by the end of the fifth and final season of Angel.
Smallville comic trivia[]
- The following comic book stories were distributed during the season:
- "Sojourn"
- "The Few, The Proud"
- "ID"
- "Magic"
- "Chronicle"
- "Parenthood"
- "Exploit"
- "Captive"
- The following stories take part during specific points of the season:
In Other Media[]
- Smallville versions of Morgan Edge, Perry White, Claire Foster, Belle Reve and Lara-El debuted in this season.
Gallery[]
Promotional images[]
"He used to be the good guy."
See also[]
Season Three in Smallville
|
|---|
Seasons in Smallville
|
|---|