While still not up to the "Pre-Reckoning" era (I'm very very worried that this is how I'm going to start describing this season), last night's episode wasn't bad. Smallville has had a lot of fun pulling different pieces and characters from not only Superman's mythos, but from all over the DC universe over the years. Some episodes are just total fan service, and some are used to further the ongoing stories; last night's was a little bit of both. One of my biggest hopes for Smallville, is that they get to put an "end" on it. I want that final episode, and I want the team behind the show to know that they're making the final episode; not have it sprung upon them after it's already been done. I think they could do a lot of fun things there, having flash-forwards to his time with the JLA, pull in all the other characters they've shown - done right, it could make for a great finale. Enough with my visions of the future though, let's get back to the here and now. On with the show!

The episode started off with Vic Stone (played by Lee Thompson Young, most well known for his roles in The Famous Jett Jackson and Friday Night Lights) imprisoned in a lab facility. How much do you want to bet it's owned by Luthorcorp? Call it a shot in the dark. He promptly escaped, but was then hit by Lana, who was enjoying a nice leisurely drive in her SUV. Miraculously, after the smoke cleared, he didn't have a scratch on him. After he took Lana to the hospital, Vic met Clark and they found they shared more than they realized. Victor then told our gang about how he was actually killed in an auto accident and resurrected by Lex's scientists with the previously mentioned improvements. There's the typical chase as Lex's goons hunt down Vic, but eventually Clark comes through and rescues Vic. Nothing we haven't seen a hundred times before on Smallville.

As with earlier in the season, much more of the drama happened outside of the main story. I really enjoyed the manipulation going on with Lionel and Martha Kent. However, Martha has been played as much more intelligent than this, I don't like her being quite so easily manipulated; she is going through quite a bit at the moment, though, so I'll let it slide. But she better wise up quickly. I also think this Lana and Clark thing better come to a head quickly. I have a lot more patience for the show than most, and the status of their relationship is growing very tedious even for me. There was a look between Clark and Chloe, when Lana mentioned something about sharing secrets with your loved ones, that Lana would have to be mentally handicapped to have not seen or picked up on. We're also continuing to see Lex take more traditionally "evil" actions. This week he out and out lied to Clark and everyone else, he wasn't just a victim of circumstance as he has been in the past. I'm still not convinced that the show is as good as it was before the "Reckoning" episode, but this was a step in the right direction. Let me know what you think.

Comic Book References of the Week:
When Clark used his X-Ray vision, Vic's cybernetics were exactly like the Cyborg armor he has in the comics