Superboy/Rites of Passage (1)

Rites of Passage (1)
Season 4, Episode 21
Airdate	May 10, 1992
Written by	Michael Carlin & Andy Helfer
Directed by	David Grossman
← 4x20 Metamorphosis	4x22 → Rites of Passage (2)
Superboy — Season Four

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Rites of Passage (1) is the twenty-first episode of the fourth season of The Adventures of Superboy, and the ninety-ninth episode overall.

Gerard Christopher (Clark Kent / Superboy), Stacy Haiduk (Lana Lang)

Also Starring: Peter Jay Fernandez (Matt Ritter), Robert Levine (C. Dennis Jackson)

Guest Stars: Stuart Whitman (Jonathan Kent), Salome Jens (Martha Kent)

Featuring: Richard Casey (Elder), Buddy Stoccardo (Thief), Shawn McAllister (Cop), Key Howard (Superintendent)

Plot Overview

Clark's birthday is initiated with his powers going haywire. Not coincidentally, Jackson gets a call that the purple crystal he recovered in an empty Smallville field 20 years ago has been active.

Arc Advancement

Happenings

• Clark turns 20 and soon his powers get out of control. He returns to Smallville after the Kents find the ship he came in is active. A hologram of his kind tells him that the issues with his powers is part of developmental cycle of their kind and to move forward Clark has to put the purple crystal into its receptacle. Without it, Clark is stripped of his powers.

• Jackson was based in a Kansas branch 20 years ago and went into a field to investigate a meteor. However, there was nothing there save for a purple crystal. Now, he has gotten a call from Washington that it's become active. It's to be sent back to Smallville, where it will be picked up by Jackson, accompanied by Ritter and Lana.

Trivia

The Show

• Clark being 20 raises a couple of issues. First, his appearance in the flashback indicates he might be older. Also, if one season represents a year, this would likely mean he would be too young for university in the first season, effectively retconning it out of continuity.

Behind the Scenes

• The concept of this two-parter had been conceived for some time, with the idea that Superboy would go through a type of puberty and graduate him into Superman.

Goofs

• When Jackson and Ritter enter the office, the shadow of a boom mic can be seen over Jackson's shadow.