The upshot is that Clark has gained the confidence that he was missing most of the season, and that effectively resolves the question of whether or not he will be tempted and controlled by Darkseid. It renders a few elements from earlier in the season somewhat moot, however, smallville dvd and given how Clark’s personal hangups were a huge part of the series, it would have made sense for him to overcome Darkseid more directly as a metaphor for his final transformation.

On the other hand, Oliver’s issues have always been the one thing holding him back, and has always been a point of contention between Oliver and Clark. His anger has been his Achilles heel, and it makes sense that Desaad would be able to exploit that and brand Oliver as a result. Granted, smallville dvds portraying Chloe as incorruptible is a bit of a stretch, given her decision to work with the Suicide Squad as a means to an end, but the writers have also placed Lois on the same pedestal, so it’s not the first time. But wasn’t Chloe a good match for Oliver because they both were more willing to play the moral relativity game?

With only six more episodes to go for the long-running series, there’s still so much to be resolved that I can’t believe they are tackling something like the introduction of Superboy to the “Smallville” canon. Was this really necessary? I suppose it comes down to whether or not Conner Kent gets integrated into some of the other lingering plot threads, stargate atlantis dvds but it seems a bit late in the game to be exploring this concept in such depth.

If the writers are going to integrate Conner into the overall Darkseid storyline, they have the groundwork established to make it viable. Conner’s darker impulses are much more violent than Clark’s ever were, stargate atlantis seasons thanks to that inclusion of Luthor DNA. This episode’s use of red kryptonite to shortcut the process of revealing Conner’s dark side may have been a cheat, but it served its purpose. While the series always asked the “nature vs. nurture” question, it’s been long since established that the Luthors are tainted at the core.

Of course, part of me wonders if this is some kind of semi-stealthy way to float the idea of a spinoff. I mean, this is exactly how producers and networks usually introduce a spinoff towards the end of an existing show: develop a subplot around the new character. Maybe this is another way to attempt to sell a pseudo-”Justice League” series, but after ten seasons of “Smallville”, I’m actually hoping they let well enough alone.

I’m less pleased with the use of the alternate Lionel Luthor so far. His rise back to power was far too quickly accomplished, especially when Tess was able to topple him back off the pedestal so quickly and methodically. It renders his takeover of LuthorCorp rather moot, doesn’t it? But it does give the whole Lutessa thing a bit more relevance, six feet under dvds so I applaud it on that level. On the other hand, the constant reminders that Tess is a Luthor, along with reminders that Luthor DNA brings evil impulses with it, continues to point to a betrayal down the stretch.

I suppose, after the blatant ripoff of “The Matrix” not so long ago, that I shouldn’t be surprised that the writers would also crib from “The Hangover”. Granted, this episode doesn’t go nearly so far as the film, since there are limits to what the show can do (even on the CW network), but the source inspiration is obvious. That said, I thought this worked better than the “Matrix” clone, and provided just the right level of comedic charm as a breather before the darkness to come.