['Smallville' – 'Luthor']

John Glover returned to chew the scenery as the villainous Lionel Luthor this week on 'Smallville.' And judging by this episode's cheeky final scene, it looks like he plans to stick around for a while to see "how it all turns out" as the show comes to a close this season.

And that's just fine by me. Glover's big-haired baddie was always a force to be reckoned with on 'Smallville,' and now he's back with a vengeance. Stripped of the white hat that he wore during his last few seasons on the show, he's bound to cause more pain and havoc for Clark Kent and friends than Rick Flag and Darkseid combined. Did you see what he did to Jor-El? This guy means business.

Glover didn't miss a beat. He was clearly having a blast playing the manipulative, conniving and just plain evil Luthor patriarch again, and I had a blast watching him cut down Clark and Tess in some of the season's darkest scenes yet. (Seeing him beat Clark with a belt was intense and a little disturbing.)

But Glover wasn't the only one who delivered a memorable performance here. Cassidy Freeman's portrayal of Tess Mercer is getting better and better as her character moves closer to redemption. It's a shame that her dear little Alexander, who's a "big boy" now, is probably gonna kill her before the season ends. Tess has become one of my favorite characters on the show, and Freeman did some of her best work of the series in this ep, playing two vulnerable versions of Tess.

This was an alternate reality episode that allowed the show's major players to portray darker-edged versions of their characters. In Earth-Two, up was down, down was up, and ... Clark and Tess, stepbrother and stepsister, were a heavy-petting couple! Disturbing? Check. Kinda hot? Check (for some of us anyway!).

In a fun and surprising turn, star Tom Welling showed a little range playing the murderous Clark Luthor from Earth-Two. For the first time in a long while, Welling looked like he was having fun on screen -- taking a cue from Glover and just going for it, making evil look good.

Two essential 'Smallville' truths were at the heart of this episode. Number One: Lionel Luthor the man, not Luthor blood, can corrupt even the noblest spirit. Exhibit A: He turned Clark into a monster. Number Two: Clark and Lois are meant for each other. Our favorite super-powered farm boy charmed even Earth-Two Lois, who was engaged to Oliver and had grown to hate Clark Luthor.

'Luthor' was a bit of a diversion from the season's major storyline. No one even mentioned Darkseid, Rick Flag or the Vigilante Registration Act. Still, this was one of the most entertaining episodes of the season. Lionel essentially breaking down the fourth wall at the end was a great nod to the fans (especially the ones who gave up on the show years ago and have returned for the final season), and it reminded me of how 'Smallville' has finally come to fully embrace its comic book roots.

This ep was also loaded with important character beats, especially between Tess and Clark. In a tender scene, Clark offered Tess support and took back his earlier remark about the "poisonous" Luthor blood. She admitted that even though Lionel was a sick and twisted villain, she was still hurting because he abandoned her when she was a child. Hmmm ... will Tess' daddy issues make it easier for Earth-Two Lionel to manipulate and eventually corrupt her? Time will tell.

Quotables and Other Thoughts:

- Did anyone else have a good laugh when Clark was zapped back to Earth-One and surrounded by the bruised and beating trio of Oliver, Tess and Lois pointing kryptonite arrows at his face? I hope the Watchtower has maid service.

- Lionel to Clark: The Man of Tomorrow -- Clark Luthor!

- Oliver to Clark: So Clark Luthor is the mysterious Ultraman of Metropolis. That name sucks by the way. Did it look good on paper?

- Lionel to Clark: There's certainly not getting Lex back. You saw to that.

- Clark to Lois: Nothing says "Sorry My Doppelganger From A Parallel Earth Tried To Kill You" like flowers.

- Lionel Luthor: I'm from out of town. Unexpected visit. But I guess I'm back in the nick of time. Wouldn't want to miss how it all turns out.