['Smallville' – 'Homecoming']

Clark took a stroll through the past (and the future) as 'Smallville' reached another milestone – it's 200th episode – and The Blur finally learned what it takes to be a Superman.

'Homecoming' was a fun and emotional ride. It was also warm, compelling and pretty easy to follow – which is rarely the case when shows zip back and forth through time more than Bill & Ted in a broken phone booth (hello, 'The Event').

We finally learned the true source of Clark's darkness: He holds on to the past and fears the future. Makes sense, I guess (if you don't think about it too much). Brainiac 5 (a game James Marsters) showed up give Clark a big push forward into Superman territory while teaching him that "heroes are made in the moment, not from questioning the past or fearing what's to come."

'Homecoming' offered comic book fans and fans of the series the best of both worlds – key scenes and moments from the show's early years and glimpses of a world with a Superman inspired by Richard Donner's original Superflick and DC Comics lore.

This ep reminded me of how far the show and its would-be Superman have come in the past 10 years. Like Suzanne Capra said, Clark's no longer the nerdy introvert skulking in the corner. He's a big boy now, but he still had some issues to work out – the biggest being his guilt over his father's death.

The most emotional flashback came when Brainiac and Clark witnessed Jonathan Kent's final moments. I had forgotten how brutal that scene was, with Pa Kent going postal on Lionel Luthor (John Glover) as his heart gave out. But Clark finally made peace with Pa Kent's passing and let go of his guilt in a hard to watch (yeah, I'm a softy) but satisfying scene at Jonathan's grave. Clark shook off his guilt, but he pledged to hold on to Smallville, the place where he learned to be a hero with a big heart.

Sadly, Allison Mack only showed up in a flashback scene showing off the classic "wall of weird." I almost lost it when Clark walked into the Torch office and started thinking about high school Chloe and her big innocent smile. Chloe later made her presence known via a text message to the Torch 2.0 kids – so we know she's still out there ... somewhere.

Apparently Bug Boy Greg Larkin (Chad E. Donella) is still kicking. In a nice twist, he arrived at the reunion intent on thanking Clark instead of seeking revenge.

We know Lana Lang (Kristin Kreuk) is still out there too. Thankfully, she saved Clark a kryptonite-induced headache by skipping the reunion, but her presence was still felt in another quick but tender flashback ("So what are you, man or Superman?").

It looks like Clark has let Lana go and has found his true love in Lois Lane. Finally! It was a blast seeing Erica Durance fast-talk her way through the future scenes at the Daily Planet. Now that was Lois Lane! She was strong, sassy, smart and sexy – what else could a superhero ask for? And Clark finally realized how important and inspiring Lois could be in his life. She even inspired him to fly (well, hover) in the ep's final seconds. And, yeah, they both said, "I love you." (Tear.)

One of the best future scenes involved Clark meeting his older self in the elevator. ("How did I become so uptight ... and nerdy!?") Tom Welling really nailed that punchline. Who knew he could be so funny?

Clark also learned that it was important to be there for his friends – namely Oliver Queen (Justin Hartley), who was taking a beating in the press after revealing his own superhero secret to the world. Clark reminded us about Superman's power to inspire by supporting Ollie during his first post-coming out TV interview. Green Arrow finally showed the world who he really is – a hero, not a fraud or a corrupt politician or an "armchair blogger." He's a guy who's trying to make a difference in the world, and frak you if you don't get that, judgey reporter lady! "Youre damn right I'm a hero," he said, and he's not alone.

Clark hasn't earned the cape just yet, but he's almost there.

Whattayasay 'Smallville' junkies? Was this a good way to celebrate 200 episodes?

'Smallville' airs Fridays at 8PM ET on The CW.