original airdate: Oct. 16, 2001
The premiere episode ran 8:51 minutes over the hour.

How the story begins

The creamed corn capital of the world, Oct. 1989 Smallville, Kansas prepares for homecoming.

The Kents: Martha and Jonathan Kent visit the town's flower shop. Martha talks to little Lana, playing make-believe. Lana asks Martha to make a wish, and she grants it with her magic wand. All Martha ever wishes for is a child. The Kents drive along a country road as the meteors crash down. A small boy finds them, wandering towards the truck. Martha wraps him up, carries him as the three investigate the scene.

Lex Luthor: Child Lex is frightened as he and his father land the helicopter in a cornfield. As he wanders the field, Lex finds a teen boy tied up to posts like a scarecrow, as the meteors crash down. Mr. Luthor later finds his son in the flattened cornfield, bald and shaking in fear.

Lana Lang: Outside her aunt's flower shop, young Lana waves to her parents, who just pulled up across the street. A meteor strikes down Lana's mom & dad as she cries in horror.

How the story continues

Smallville, the meteor capital of the world, today.

The football team: Clark wants to be on the football team, but his parents refuse permission, trying to protect him. Clark's friend Pete wants to get on the team, too. Both want to avoid being chosen as the freshman homecoming scarecrow, the gruesome prank carried out by the football jocks. Whitney, Lana's boyfriend is on the football team. (Did you notice the stylized "S" on Whitney's Smallville High School letter jacket when he kissed Lana at school?)

Lex: is now a rich young man, speeding along in his Porsche 911. He loses control of the car, hitting Clark, and plunging off a bridge into the water. Clark rescues him. Lex thanks him for saving his life. He tries to repay Clark with a new truck. But Mr. Kent won't let Clark keep the truck, due to Lex's dad, Mr. Luthor's past business dealings. When Clark visits Lex at the estate to return the truck, Lex tells Clark of his out-of-body experience, how Clark brought him back after the accident, and their destined friendship.

Whitney: visits Lana on her front porch next door to Clark's barn. Whitney is hopeful about the weekend football game and being discovered by scouts. Lana gives Whitney her meteor necklace for good luck.

Jeremy the scarecrow kid: The homecoming scarecrow victim from 12 years ago reappears, looking for revenge. He now has electrical powers, and is going around town electrocuting the former jock assailants.

Clark learns of his past: Dad tells Clark his history, giving him a metal object with writing on it from his home planet. He also shows Clark the spaceship he arrived in, now hidden in their storm cellar. Clark can't accept the truth. He meets Lana by chance at the graveyard that night. She's there with flowers to talk to her parents. She shares her memories of them with Clark, and introduces them at their graves. Lana shares her loneliness. Clark reassures Lana. After they walk home, Lana says she'll save him a dance at homecoming, and kisses him on the cheek goodnight. Whitney sees this, hidden in the darkness of the porch.

Clark as the scarecrow: Jealous, Whitney and the jocks jump Clark, who is powerless near Lana's meteor necklace that Whitney has. Whitney unknowingly puts the necklace around Clark's neck. Jeremy the scarecrow kid, finds Clark in the cornfield. He doesn't help Clark down, saying he's safer in the fields. Jeremy plans more revenge at the homecoming dance. Lex recognizes Jeremy from a flashback, and is led to Clark. Lex frees Clark, and the meteor necklace breaks free, retrieved by Lex. Clark has his powers back.

Clark saves his friends: Clark finds Jeremy at school plotting to hurt the students at the dance. Clark is unaffected by the electricity, Jeremy tries to run Clark down, crashing the truck into him against a wall. Water fills the truck, Jeremy gets short-circuited, and wakes up, out of his vengeful state. At the dance, Clark sees Lana dancing with Whitney. Outside, Clark pulls his prank, stacking up two other trucks on top of Whitney's truck.

How it ends: In the barn, Clark looks at the stars through his telescope. Dad asks if he's OK. Clark says he's glad the Kents found him. Dad says it was Clark who found them, and says goodnight. Lana appears at the barn in her gown, for the last dance...or so Clark imagines.