'Smallville' Season 10, Episode 7 Recap

['Smallville' – 'Ambush']

Lois and Clark's post-coital bliss was interrupted by a surprise visit from Lucy and the General on this week's episode of 'Smallville.'

While Clark dealt with the General's hero hate and worked on finishing his strict to-do list (No. 17: Scrub the bathroom floor with a toothbrush!), Rick Flag, who's developed a pretty intense Magneto complex, and his Suicide Squad executed a deadly plan to kill Lois' dad and the Vigilante Registration Act.

This is probably the most ambitious season of 'Smallville' ever. The Registration Act and the polarizing vigilante issue mirror the plots of great comic book series like Alan Moore's 'Watchmen,' Darwyn Cooke's 'Justice League: The New Frontier,' and even Marvel's 'Civil War' (not to mention our own real-life polarized political environment).

Season 10 is also doing a great job of balancing the relationship drama between Lois and Clark with the fun and geeky superhero stuff; something the show has had problems with in the past.

This week's ep was light on Kryptonian history lessons and superhero action, but it was still one of the most satisfying episodes of the season for a number of reasons.

First off, Michael Ironside was solid, again, as the hardheaded General. The character started out a little too one-dimensional for me, but the story allowed him to grow and finally learn to accept Lois and Clark as adults and respect their private life together. In a way, the show is asking us to do the same thing. Lois and Clark aren't kiddos flirting in the barn anymore, they're grown-ups involved in a serious relationship – very serious, if Clark's off-screen chat with the General means what I think it does (I wonder if he's picked out a ring yet!).

I've said it before and I'll say it again -- it's great to see 'Smallville' following through with the Lois and Clark relationship and allowing it to happen in a natural, entertaining and honest way. They had some believable conflict here, with Lucy and the General testing their resolve and complicating things, but they got through it and re-established their commitment to each other before the credits rolled.

One of the best things about 'Ambush' was seeing Lois stand up to the General in a tense face-off. Erica Durance, again, did an amazing job in this ep. Her performance ran the gamut from fun and flirty to conflicted, wounded and defiant. She continues to make 'Smallville' a better show even six years after she first walked on the set.

Clark and Lois weren't the only one dealing with someone's unfair expectations this week. Oliver clearly wasn't a fan of Tess' Watchtower makeover. He was missing Chloe, of course, and seeing Tess put her stamp over Chloe's territory wasn't sitting well with him. But Tess proved to be a strong ally for the good guys again this week. It's hard to fully trust Tess at this point, but it looks like she's headed towards redemption. Sadly, I can't shake the feeling that Little Lex 2.0 is gonna bust out of that room and stick a knife in her back before the season is over.

Ollie and Tess worked thing out in the end, but not before Ollie realized he had to give up Watchtower completely in order to protect Clark and the other heroes that depend on its secret location. Does that mean he's decided to give up on Chloe too? Not likely.

One of the most striking images of this episode was Rick Flag positioned under an American flag and declaring war on the anti-vigilante movement. That came after he launched a missile meant to explode on the General's face while reciting the 'Star Spangled Banner.' Yeah, this guy is pretty damn scary.

Other thoughts:

- Clark's new costume is growing on me, but what's the point of wearing it if no one's supposed to see him when he's out saving lives?

- Lucy Lane is, like, the biggest skank this side of Zatanna.

- Missed Little Lex this week. I wonder how much he's grown since last week's ep.

- Porch swing sex? That Lois is a naughty one!

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