From aliens attacking from outer space, back to Smallville to visit Clark’s home and family, Superboy certainly keeps up the variety.  The tenth episode of this first season sees trouble at the Kent farm, as neighbouring farms are being encouraged to sell up to a big business in the episode Troubled Waters.

The bank is ready to foreclose on the Kent family and their fellow farmers, and the farmers are ready to sell their land over to a businessman, but Jonathan Kent (Stuart Whitman) believes that the businessman doesn’t want the farms – he wants what’s under them. Openly, Kenderson gives the farmers a week for Kent to get further information but, privately, he wants Kent out of the way.

Back on the farm, Jonathan’s tractor goes haywire and Martha (Salome Jens) is afraid of the worst.

Family friend, Ellen, calls Clark from the hospital and tells him of his father. Clark makes plans to return to Smallville but Ellen is overheard by one of Kenderson’s men.

Clark arrives in Smallville and is pleased to hear from Ellen that his father is recovering fast.  Then the situation goes downhill when they are both roughed up my Kenderson’s men.  Clark restrains himself to avoid giving away his secret identity.

Once at the farm, Jonathan tells Clark that he was on his way to get the land survey done before the incident with the tractor.  Clark waits for Ellen to leave, and then he does his own survey.

Clark uses his x-ray vision to search for minerals, but he doesn’t find any so he returns to the farm.  Meanwhile, Kenderson’s men have a particularly nasty rolling explosive ready to destroy the Kents and their farm.

Helping his father, Clark hears a truck’s engine revving up. He takes to his heels to check it out.

Clark races towards the truck, stopping its deadly journey.

From within the burning wreck, Superboy watches the men drive away.

At Kenderson’s office, Clark warns Kenderson about any future “accidents”.  Outside, he overhears a telephone conversation. Kenderson wants what’s under the farms alright.  He has a lucrative water deal and there’s a large underground river underneath the properties.  Before he can leave, Kenderson sends his thugs after Clark but Clark proves that “college boys” can “pump iron” with the best of them.

Clark tells his father about the water deal at a meeting with the other farmers.  The farmers are just waiting on a government deal that will let them export their grain and pay off their loans.  The bank is prepared to wait, but only if Kent can prove that they have full silos to Ellen (who works at the bank).  One of the farmers reports this to Kenderson, for a fistful of dollars.

Early next morning, at the silos, Kenderson’s men pump hydrogen into the grain storage and set a trigger switch.  They’re interrupted by Kent and Ellen who are left for dead near to ground zero.

At the farm, Martha tells her son that his father is late and Clark gets suspicious.  He takes to the sky at super-speed.  After rescuing his father and Ellen, Superboy goes after Kenderson and his thugs.

Just as Superboy catches them, Kenderson prepares to trigger the explosion.  Quickly, Superboy uses his heat-vision.

Finally, Superboy tells Kenderson that he can get all the water he wants – once he’s behind bars.  Back at the farm, Lana calls up to ask after Clark’s father and to mention T.J.’s name – in case we’re missing him.

Troubled Waters is Superboy‘s answer to Smallville.  It’s of more interest as a background piece, introducing his family to us and a little romantic rivalry between Lana and Ellen.  While Clark’s father would return in the future, I think this is all we see of Ellen.  In a traditional Superman story, Ellen would be the Lana character and Lana would be the Lois character.

Featuring as Clark’s father is screen and TV legend Stuart Whitman, and his mother is none other than “DS9’s female Changeling” herself, Salome Jens.  All the big names this time around.

The actual story is another forgettable affair with its typical 80s plot and cliche, but we’re not watching it for the story this time around.