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It's a rainy night. The Smallville High football team is in the middle of a game. Whitney improvises on one of the plays and draws the wrath of Coach Walt. Coach calls the same play and this time Whitney delivers. The Crows win the game.

In the locker room, Coach makes a motivational speech about how the other team is eating crow and how important the next game is (it will put the team in the State Championship as well as being Coach Walt's 200th win).

Later, Coach goes to rest in the sauna. He's in a towel and pours water over what are presumably heated meteorite rocks -- the steam is green. Just as he's settled, Principal Kwan knocks and enters. Kwan delivers the news that seven of the football players cheated on their math midterm, which means that they will be ineligible for next week's game. Coach seems unconcerned by this, and assumes that Kwan will be receptive to the idea of keeping it quiet until the off-season.

Kwan is not. Coach gets really pissed and starts talking about how he's been around for 25 years and that he has a legacy. Kwan basically says that he doesn't give a crap about Coach's legacy; that he's there to educate the students. He leaves saying that the players will be suspended, end of story.

Coach is so pissed that he slams his desk -- and it promptly bursts into flames and spreads. Coach looks surprised by this development.

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Out in front of the school the next day, Clark holds a copy of The Torch in his hands and reads the headline: "Football: Sport or Abuse?" Clark, Chloe, and Pete discuss Coach Walt and how he's been around so long that he coached Pete's brothers and his dad. Chloe says she's been getting hate mail about the issue, but she's glad because it means she's hitting a nerve.

The trio passes by Lana and Whitney, who are arguing about something -- ah, the cheating scandal.

LANA: Don't you even care about this?
WHITNEY: I don't see what the big deal is. (Proving that you're a schmuck.)
LANA: You don't think it's a big deal? I think it's a big deal.

Lana storms off, wearing her cheerleading uniform, by the way.

Coach Walt comes out to talk to some of the football players milling around. One of the players spots Chloe taking pictures and chucks a football at her head. Clark catches the ball right before it hits her (wouldn't it be GREAT to have a friend like him around?). He's pissed, and throws the ball back so hard that the player grunts in pain. Clark, Chloe, and Pete leave, with Coach looking after them with a speculative expression on his face.

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Inside the school, Coach walks up to Clark, Chloe, and Pete, who have stopped at the vending machines. Coach compliments Clark on his arm ("technique was lousy, but you got a lot of power") and asks why Clark's not on the football team. They have a discussion about Clark's dad vs. how Clark is needed on the field, and eventually Whitney and Lana (I guess they've made up?) show up.

Coach asks Whitney what he thinks of Clark being on the team and Whitney isn't opposed. To provoke Clark, Coach says that Clark seems afraid to be on the team. Lana defends him, but Clark caves and says they can count him in. (Who can blame the guy? After all, Lana says one thing but look at her boyfriend.)

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Whitney and Lana walk down the hall. She's clearly unhappy with the cheating and it's making her think about things in a different light.

LANA: It's just that things I thought I knew for sure don't seem so certain anymore.
WHITNEY: I don't understand.
LANA: I know how much you love football, and you're great at it, and I support you. (But not Clark, apparently.) I want to find something that I'm great at.

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On the Kent farm, Jonathan and Clark discuss the situation -- i.e., Jonathan tells Clark he'll have to tell Coach he can't play. Clark turns it into a matter of trust -- he feels that his father doesn't trust him. Jonathan explains that he does trust Clark, but accidents happen, etc. Then he says one of his best lines:

JONATHAN: Son, I'm happy when you wake up in the morning. I don't need to live vicariously through your achievements.

Of course, Clark's rejoinder is true, as well -- Jonathan doesn't have to live through Clark, because he did all those things on his own. The standoff ends with Clark saying that he's going to play whether or not Jonathan approves.

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At the Luthor mansion, three stooges are waiting for Lex. They've come to meet with him, though it turns out Lex canceled the appointment. They're taking their orders from Lionel Luthor, however, and won't be dissuaded. Lionel has sent them to tell Lex to cut his workforce. On the contrary, Lex plans to increase that number. The lackeys leave in impotent anger.

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Lana's packing up her cheerleader paraphernalia. Nell walks in, dismayed. Lana tells her aunt about the football players cheating, and how she wants to try different things. Nell thinks that Lana was already on a good track, but is supportive of Lana's decision (for the most part). Lana says she's been thinking about getting a job but refuses Nell's offer to let her help around the flower shop, saying she wants to do it on her own.

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Football practice. Clark is in uniform. He can't find Lana, but Pete tells him that his dad is in the stands. He goes over to talk to Jonathan, who says that he doesn't support Clark's decision; he's there to make sure no one gets hurt. (Doesn't he mean, he's there to witness someone get hurt, since there's not much he can do about someone =getting= hurt?) Of course, Clark is hurt and disappointed by this.

On the first play, Clark gets knocked flat when Whitney passes him the ball. Coach is pissed and starts chewing him out, which inspires Clark to do some whiz-bang stuff on the next run, leading him to the goal line. Jonathan is clearly disappointed, and gets up to leave. (What happened to being there to make sure no one got hurt?) When Clark looks over at the stands, his dad's gone, putting a damper on how good he feels about what he just did.

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Coach is in his office reviewing that day's plays when Kwan walks in, informing him that one of the players caught cheating says that Coach supplied him with the test. Coach claims that it's fiction, but seems unconcerned despite the fact that Kwan has already gone to the school board to ask that Coach be suspended.

COACH: You don't understand -- I'm an institution. Who'd you think the school board was going to believe -- some cheating little brat who's just trying to cover his own ass, or the man who's been leading this school to victory for 25 years?

Kwan says that the board might not believe one student, but if he can get all the cheaters to step forward, the board will have no choice. Coach gets pissed at this and suddenly the TV bursts into flames. Kwan wants to know what the hell is going on, but apparently thinks better of waiting for an answer and he leaves.

Outside, Kwan gets in his car with Coach watching from his window in the school. Kwan attempts to start the car but the steering column is suddenly engulfed in flames, as is his briefcase. He tries to get out but the door handle is too hot. He starts to scream, and we can see that Coach is grinning from ear to ear (evil, sadistic bastard).

Luckily for Kwan, Clark and Pete are exiting the school at this time and Pete runs for help while Clark rescues Kwan from the burning vehicle. Of course the car explodes, duh.

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At the Kent house, Martha hangs up the phone. She tells Jonathan and Clark that Kwan is okay but will be in the hospital over the weekend. This quickly deteriorates into an argument about Clark playing football and Jonathan insisting that Clark could have hurt his teammates.

Clark reveals that he is the starting tailback for the weekend's game but doesn't get the congratulations he was hoping for. He exits.

Jonathan discusses the situation with Martha, who is more sympathetic to Clark's plight. She points out that Jonathan himself was headstrong as a young man and the fact that Clark has never been able to live a fully normal life even as a child.

JONATHAN: His gifts come with responsibilities.
MARTHA: This isn't about his gifts, it's about his judgment. You're telling Clark that you don't believe in him.

Jonathan refutes this, saying that he just doesn't want Clark making a mistake and getting someone suspicious. He doesn't want anyone to take their son away.

MARTHA: Well, if we don't start trusting him, nobody's going to HAVE to take him away. He's going to leave all by himself.

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Chloe, Clark, and Pete discuss Kwan's car fire on their way into The Beanery. Once inside, they are confronted by Lana, who has gotten a job as a waitress there. She sucks at it, though. She's also not allowed to wear her necklace as part of the dress code, which makes Clark happy.

Chloe and Pete sit down in a booth, but Lana has forgotten her tray so Clark brings it over to her. They talk about her decision to quit cheerleading and the fact that Clark is on the football team now. He says he was hoping they would see more of each other, and she informs him that she has four shifts a week and can stop by whenever he likes (this is almost as encouraging as "I might save you a dance"). Lana's boss yells at her to be faster.

Trevor Chapel, a football player, comes in and tells some other football players who are there that Coach needs to see them on the field immediately. They all rush out and Chloe, ever the reporter, quickly follows. Lana, distracted by all this movement, runs into a man with her tray of drinks. Everything falls and crashes to the floor while everyone applauds.

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On the football field, Coach is chewing his players out. He wants to know who ratted him out about the math midterm. Trevor speaks up, saying that no college will accept them with cheating on their transcripts, which tells everyone that he was the one who narked. Coach's anger soon has the sprinklers shooting flames instead of water around them, and all the football players are amazed and scared. Doesn't look like they'll be squealing on Coach any time soon.

Chloe is taking pictures in the bleachers.

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Lionel Luthor storms into Lex's office. He's disbelieving that Lex actually put his plan into place. Lex is, as usual, cool as a cucumber. They have one of their typical standoffs, with Lionel being arrogant and authoritarian; Lex is casually insulting and only slightly less confident than normal.

Lionel suggests that they solve their impasse with a fencing match. If Lex wins, he can go ahead with his plan. If Lionel wins, Lex will have to cut 20 percent of his workforce.

Their barbs during the fencing match:

LIONEL: Look at your moves, Lex. They're rash ... no thought to their consequences.
LEX: If I wanted a running commentary, I'd buy one of your books on tape.
LIONEL: You know what your problem is?
LEX: Enlighten me.
LIONEL: You're ruled by your emotions. You always have been. And that can be a fatal flaw.

(I transcribed the above because I think it's going to be key in upcoming character and plot developments, particularly in his relationship with Clark and ... dare I say, Lana?)

Lionel wins the match, leaving Lex fuming and frustrated.

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Clark's in his loft trying on his football uniform. Martha joins him, telling him how handsome he looks. She tells Clark that she told Jonathan she thought Jonathan was being unreasonable, but that Clark isn't guilt-free. She asks Clark to give his dad a chance; they both want to trust him.

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At the pep rally, Chloe corners Trevor and asks him if Coach supplied the players with the math midterm. Trevor cautions her to leave it alone, but she shows him her digital camera with a picture of the Coach with the players, the streams of fire shooting around them. Trevor doesn't answer her and leaves quickly.

Coach accosts Trevor in the parking lot, clearly convinced that Trevor squealed to Chloe. Coach has grabbed Trevor's arm and is burning him -- the teenager is crying out in pain. Trevor tells Coach that Chloe has photographic evidence of the sprinklers. Coach walks away.

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Chloe is in The Torch office working on her computer. The front story is about the football team. Coach watches her from outside the office by the stairs. He closes his eyes and suddenly her computer -- you guessed it -- bursts into flames. In fact, the whole places goes up like a match, spreading from her desk to the floor, following her.

Outside, still at the pep rally, Pete asks Clark if he's seen Chloe. Luckily, the pep rally is close enough to the school that when Clark turns around, he can see Chloe waving her arms out the window, calling his name. Clark takes off.

Chloe does what she can to keep herself safe from the blaze, but clearly she's a dead reporter if someone doesn't get there quick. Clark is running to her at super speed. He shouts her name, which startles Coach and the fire abates. Clark reaches her and they hug while Clark stares at the burned office.

A bit later, they're still in the torched Torch (don't blame me; that one was Clark's) office, and Chloe seems to think that Coach has something to do with it. She points out that all the fires were started after Coach had been antagonized. Clark seems to be able to buy that Coach starts and controls fire but doesn't believe that the man is behind the cheating scandal as well. Oh, brother.

Clark does point out that Chloe doesn't have any proof, and she admits that it would be difficult to recover her files now. However, there is still someone who might know something -- Trevor.

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Lex is at The Beanery going through his files. Lana shows up, ready to serve. Lex is surprised. They talk about her move from cheerleader to waitress and he's super sweet to her. Just as she's about to leave to get his order, Clark shows up. He's looking for Trevor, but Lana hasn't seen him. She says that today is one of the days she just wants to scream and that she's sorry she won't be able to see him play tomorrow, as she has to work. Lex is grinning, watching them talk.

Clark and Lex talk about Clark's new status as a football player as well as Jonathan's unhappiness with the situation. Lex goes into how he's trying to decide who to fire since his dad's making him cut 20 percent of his workforce. Lana shows up with their drinks. Lex's is a tall mug with lots of whipped cream on top -- somehow doubtful that that's a cappuccino, which is what he ordered.

LANA: If it makes you guys feel any better, you should have seen the look on my aunt's face when I took this job -- not that I was eavesdropping or anything.
CLARK: I guess we're all in the same boat.
LEX: No, no. You both stood your ground and are doing what you want. I caved. You two have inspired me.

He toasts them with his drink, taking a sip. He gets whipped cream on his upper lip nose.

LANA: How is it?
LEX: It's perfect.
LANA: Okay. (She exits.)
CLARK: Is that what you ordered?
LEX: Not even close.

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Clark goes to visit Trevor's house. After not getting a reply when he was outside, Clark apparently felt that it was then okay just to enter. He finds Trevor in a dark room. He and Trevor talk about Coach Walt and Trevor tells Clark that the coach did give him the math midterm and has skeery, skeery powers. He's afraid that Coach will come after him if he says any more. But Clark sees the burn mark on Trevor's arm ... and it's in the shape of a human hand.

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It's game day and Coach is in the sauna relaxing. Clark bursts in. (Can't a guy just get some relaxation around here?) They have a confrontation about Trevor but suddenly the steam created by the meteorite fragments hits Clark and he feels sick. Coach takes advantage of the situation by throwing Clark into the sauna, which knocks the rocks down to the floor where Clark is lying. Coach leaves, locking the door behind him.

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Game time. Coach is on the sidelines. Whitney's on the field. Chloe joins the Kents in the stands. None of them are able to find Clark.

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Back in the sauna, Clark attempts feebly to hurl the green rocks at the small window in the door.

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Field sidelines. Jonathan runs up to Pete and asks if Pete has seen Clark, who hasn't. Coach says that parents are not allowed on the sidelines.

JONATHAN: I'm looking for Clark.
COACH: Join the club. I need him out here. I guess he doesn't have what it takes to be a winner, huh? (He does TOO, you evil bastard!)

Jonathan reports what the coach said to Chloe, who says that she thinks he's lying. Jonathan tells her to check the school while he checks the locker room. Coach watches them leave and looks none too pleased. He tells his assistant that he'll be back shortly.

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Poor Clark is still throwing rocks, trying to break the small window. At last he's successful, but is exhausted from his efforts. Jonathan walks into the locker room, calling Clark's name. He spots the sauna and sees Clark inside. After some effort Jonathan's finally able to get the door open and pulls Clark out.

Unfortunately, Coach has arrived and conks Jonathan over the head with a fire extinguisher (don't you HATE it when that happens?). Jonathan and Clark both fall, but away from the meteorite steam Clark recovers his strength. When Coach attacks him Clark is able to block the other man and throws him amazingly far, right through a glass wall.

Coach begins another raging fire, but Clark steps right through it.

COACH: How did you do that?
CLARK: It's in the genes.

Coach's rage escalates and forces Clark to throw him into the shower room. Fire starts coming out of the shower heads and the coach is soon engulfed.

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Lionel Luthor stalks into Lex's office, pissed off. He's waving a file at Lex, demanding to know what it is. Lex has found a way to cut the operating budget by 20 percent without losing a single job. Lionel is still infuriated. He doesn't care that Lex has found a way to do what he wants without the bad PR. Lionel tells Lex that Lex gets only once chance to defy him.

LEX: I can't figure out what you hate more -- the fact that my plan works, or that you didn't come up with it first.
LIONEL: Just remember -- empires aren't built on clever bookkeeping.
LEX: Dad ... You have no idea what I'm capable of. (smiles)

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At Smallville High, Clark and Jonathan make amends. Jonathan tells Clark that he was at the game to support his son and that he does trust him. Clark says that he knows some of the things he said were out of line. They smile. Awwww.

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Clark at the empty football field, I'm thinking the same night. He looks around, looking a bit sad. Lana shows up and Clark is surprised, saying he thought she had to work. To no one's surprise, she was fired. They begin to walk toward the middle of the field ... no one really knows why.

Lana asks Clark if he's going to play next season, and he says that he doesn't know if football is for him. He quotes her words back to her when he says that since it runs in his family, maybe it's time to "break the vicious cycle." Then he says something extremely revealing:

CLARK: I guess I got out on the field an realized my reason for playing was gone.

(Given that none of the people he wanted to impress -- his parents, Lana -- were all that impressed.)

LANA: Are you going to be okay?
CLARK: Sometimes I just want to scream.
LANA: Why don't we?
CLARK: Why don't we what?
LANA: Scream. I'm game if you are.

And they do, opening their arms and lifting their faces up to the sky.

The End