Episode Summary: Christopher Reeve appears as Dr Virgil Swann, who tells Clark about his Kryptonian heritage. Forget Doctor Who's anniversary specials: this is the definitive example of passing the torch from actor to actor. Reeve's appearance in the series not only gave it a seal of quality for some sceptics, but also showed Smallville's willingness to embrace both its cinematic heritage and its comic book origins. Smallville was very slow off the mark with all things Krypton, probably to avoid alienating audiences who were actually interested in the romantic drama of the first season, so Rosetta was a landmark moment when Clark's home world was finally named. It's the moment when Smallville finally begins to slot into place in DC's history, and it was a huge relief for everyone who thought the show might never get to the most famous part of Superman's origin story.
