The spoilers for next week seem to indicate that it'll be pretty good.

I'm curious regarding the "freak of the week" hatred. Do/Did people who don't like the FOTW eps read comic books?

I'm sure people don't moan when a new super viilain shows up in every issue of the Superman comic. The whole "meteor freak" thing is clearly a television move to rationalize to non-comic reading tv viewers why Clark's foes have super powers. Personally I think the show should have embraced its roots and just had super powered baddies from the get go. Forget metor exposure, serum, gas, etc. Some people just have powers. Simple as that. Now have at it.

I don't necessarily mind FOTW. But Glassman got superpowers because the meteor hit when he was in a stained-glass shop? Give me a break. So if someone was working in a brewery when the meteor hit, they would have telekinetic power over beer?

If the Superman series of books were as consistantly poorly written as this series has been for five years, I wouldn't be collecting them. I'm not saying every single issue has been GOLD, but the batting average on the printed page is a HELLUVA lot better than the boob tube.

I think FotW doesn't translate from comic books as well. There is a lot more dialog and it is a weekly series. Especially in todays TV, viewers have come to expect a lot more depth than just a bad guy who gets captured and then someone presses the reset button.

I grew up watching George Reeves play superman and I was an avid Superman comic book fan. I still PVR the shows when they are on. When I look back on it, I realize how simplistic everything was and it frankly cannot hold my attention.

Smallville is not targetted toward young. My guess is (at least this season) they are shooting squarely for the 18-49 demo. The evidence of that would be some of the more provactive scenes that would never ever appear in the comic books or traditional series (ie lois a stripper).

Spend some time with the covers of the comic books at http://www.superdickery.com/dick/1.html and realize how absolutely sophmoric it is. That doesn't mean it isn't great classic fun. I know this will piss off a lot of superman fans, but I am one of them .... At least I am not trashing Buffy

If Smallville was ever that bad it would have been cancelled already. I expect more from this show. I know it is capable of more. It just hasn't delivered much this season.

The highlight for me was the nice close-up on Lois and her tasty ass as she rolled over after the car explosion.

I thought this episode was okay - total filler but moved a few plot points along. I'm not too thrilled about Lana and Lex, but I guess I have to resign myself to the fact that having Clark and Lana in a healthy relationship (and her knowing about his powers) is too hard for the writers to handle.

Actually, Smallville targets the 12-34 demo.

decent episode, clark was good w/ the kid

I wasn't impressed with this episode. Actually I haven't been impressed with all of the episodes that have aired after the 100th episode.

I hope things improved before the season finale.

Ewwww... Lana and Lex is gross.

I'm pretty much done with this series. This is the first episode I've watched in about 6 weeks and I don't think I'm going to watch another one until the season finale.

What I don't understand is why wouldn't they want to hype the show up so that the movie can piggyback on it's popularity. I mean if the show sucks it's gonna put off some people to see Superman Returns.

Well, I haven't seen Superman in a while, but if my memory serves me correct, he was just a young lad when he took of the the Fortress to learn all of his buisness. It took him like 10 years or so to get it all down pat I guess. With Smallville, Clark already knows how to use his powers and he already has the Fortress, maybe he will just go there to learn to master what he has, develop his super breath, sleep for a few years 'cause he spent all of his teen years saving people, and then take off to Metropolis where he will look completely different and turn into Superman. I don't think Smallville will ever get this far, but how else could it go down??

Well, Clark probably does drop off the map during his years after college (to do his other post-graduate work Kryptonian-style), perhaps 4-5 years, and upon his return to Metropolis, wearing glasses, looking like a mild-mannered reporter, there is a different group of people around him that weren't in his circle of friends back from Smallville. Now, Lois will most likely finally piece it together after a few Superman appearances, but I suspect she would be the only one who knows (besides Pete), as I expect Chloe to bite it before Clark returns to Metropolis.

As to how Lex wouldn't put 2 and 2 together w/r/t Clark/Superman in Metropolis, I guess that's an exercise for the writers to come up with something plausible.

Oh I'm sure there will be a reset button to the 10th power for Lex in the series finale.

True, Clark may have to give Lex a nice kiss of forgetfulness to kick in some major amnesia (of their entire history in Smallville).

What's funny is that Michael Rosenbaum has been the highlight of this series. I assume he shaves his head in real life. I really wish they had done the classic story of his baldness in this rendition.

Of course, Michael I think, has been the breakout star of the show. He plays Lex to perfection.

That was one of the most awkward on-screen kisses I have ever seen. Kreuk and Rosenbaum looked like they were each kissing a wall.

Well in the movies, he did come out of the Fortress as a completely different person.

As for what to do about Lex, it's simple: "Clark! You've been hypnotized! That's why you look so much like Superman!"

I imagine the series ending with Perry returning the favor he 'owes' Clark by giving him a job and Lois bitching because he hasn't earned it

I can't see any other way to spin it, but I'm sure the writers will come through with something that is pure genius

It will probably be a Krytonite hail storm that takes everyone's memory away and they won't be able to tell the difference from Clark and Superman.

"Fragile"

Fra-gee-lay. That must be Italian.

Geez, I love Smallville and watch it every week, but this has kind of got me wondering. I kind of wish they would just speed this series up and get to the end so we can all see how it ends up!!!

If you look really closely Martha had one of those Lamps in her Living room.