anyone else notice the nice cheap promo "in case you just joined us, Lana just died, now back to the 100th special episode of "Smallville" right before clark goes to his home and the writers hit the reset button.

I gotta watch that movie again because I mistakenly thought it was an homage to Superman II.

Yes. That only served to confirm to me that they'd pull a cheap reversal. Clark doing super speed in front of a bewildered Lex and the accidental death of Lana were too big a pair of leaps for this show. At first I was hopeful that they'd have the balls to push forward this way but I knew it wouldn't last.

One question, I missed an ep here and there so I have to ask... when the heck did Clark learn how to fly? I thought he was only able to do that when Jor-El "reprgrammed" him as Kal-El in the season four opener.

I'm guessing that you're referring to the scene where he picked up Lana and took her to the top of the fortress? He jumped. Y'know, leaps tall buildings in a single bound, type jump. Still can't fly (which I think is fairly weak).

That was my first guess (that it was a leap) but he seemed to float (well, not so slowly) in the shot so I assumed he was flying. That was one of the first things in this ep to make me go WTF.

To be fair, the original Superman back in the 30s didn't fly either in the first issues of Action Comics. I am not sure when he developed flight, but he leaped tall buildings in a single bound, exactly as the comic book creators promised he would do.

I agree that it was a jump, but didn't he fly whenever he was "Kal-El" at the beginning of Season 4? I know he can't do it now, but I thought he did it then.

No tights, no flight...except when it's sweeps and the 100th episode.

Over at Kryptonsite it seems most were disappointed with the episode:

Excellent 28.57%
Good 13.79%
O.K 8.87%
Disappointing 23.65%
*^%&#$%$!!!!! 25.12%

Sigh. I am SO tired of coming here and posting about how tired I am of that fucking reset button. STOP doing that. Don't tease me with ____ finds out Clark's secret, then pull it away. I'd rather have an episode where no one finds out Clark's secret, thanks.

Anyway, said to see Jonathan go. Would have been better if it was Lana, IMO. Ah well. Some stuff was good. Hope it pushes the momentum forward in the future.

I don't like the reset button either .... but

Isn't that part of the traditional comic book mechanic. Isn't that how they work??? How much persistance can be given to the superboy world and still stay true the mythos that is Superman.

Seems like the producers realize the precarious path this show could take and have deliberately chosen to play it safe. Most notably in the demise of a primary character. When given the choice between making a "better" television show or playing to a core audience that would take exception to any MAJOR deviation to the Superman mythos, I think the producers have made the only choice ... the safe one.

What would you do?

I would have had everything in the first half hour stay and not have
Clark go to the FOS and talk to Jor El to "Undo" things.
Cop out!

In the FOS with Lana, I think that was a (very fucking high) "jump" not a "flight"

I would have had him break up with Lana rather than tell her his secret at all. Then we have no reset button. I'd rather have him not tell anyone then to constantly have this big promotion "THIS WEEK CLARK TELLS LANA HIS SECRET" only to have it taken back by the end of the episode. Lame! Hella lame!