After Victor Stone, a former wide receiver for Metropolis High, is freed from a LuthorCorp laboratory, Lana accidentally hits him with her SUV, but is surprised to see him walk away unharmed. Clark investigates, and learns that he was in a car crash that killed his family and was supposed to have died. However, thanks to an experiment involving bionic parts, Victor (a.k.a. Cyborg) survived, and became a half-man, half-machine. Meanwhile, Lionel offers to help Martha deal with a blackmailer who knows Clark's secret.

My Review: If nothing else, I liked CYBORG for the introduction of yet another superpowered character, especially one who, like Bart Allen and Arthur Curry before him, didn't turn out to be a psychotic meteor freak. And so much the better that the character introduced is an actual comic book hero. IMO, Lee Thompson Young couldn't have been more perfect for the role, even though he'll be forever ingrained upon my memory as (the famous) Jett Jackson. The effects were also pretty cool. I especially admired the collision at the beginning, and the x-ray effects for Victor's bionic bod (Although his doesn't compare to my fiance's body...I still get brownie points for that, even if my fiance doesn't see it, right? ;D). I think it's also pretty neat that Clark found himself a bud just as strong as he is. Now, as for the subplot involving Lionel and Martha, I'm glad that it became part of a bigger storyline about Lionel knowing Clark's secret, and that the writers left it open as to *how* Lionel knows that secret. But still, it bugs me that they never really resolved certain aspects of the subplot, like whether or not Lionel was behind Martha being blackmailed. However, the episode overall deserves eight-point-four bionic parts out of ten.

Highlights: Victor's escape; Clark meeting Victor, and x-raying the bionic dude; Clark and Victor's talk in the barn loft; Chloe and Lana discussing Victor; Clark confronting Lex about Victor; Victor's insistence on visiting his girlfriend; Clark helping Victor to escape again; Victor's reunion with his girlfriend, Katherine; Lana's attempted talk with Clark; and Lionel calling Clark by his Kryptonian name.

While taking some of Jonathan's things to a homeless shelter in Suicide Slums, Martha is beaten and robbed by a gang of thugs who steal Jonathan's watch, but is saved by a masked vigilante. As Clark and Chloe search for the thugs and the watch, they discover that the masked vigilante, dubbed the Angel of Vengeance by Chloe, is actually Andrea Rojas, the new mild-mannered reporter for the "Daily Planet". They team up with Andrea, and are led to the gang of thugs and eventually, to the leader. However, Clark's bottled-up grief threatens to get the best of him. Meanwhile, Clark drops out of school, and Martha considers taking Jonathan's place in the Senate (see RECKONING).

My Review: Rather than having everything instantly return to normal, the writers chose to honor the memory of a character as influential as Jonathan Kent by devoting an entire episode to how Clark deals with the loss of his father and the guilt that accompanies, and for that, I applaud them. I also commend them on adding in Andrea Rojas, who, while being a superhero in her own right, served as both a tool of foreshadowing (the glasses, the mild-mannered reporter bit, and whatnot) and an emotional mirror to hold up to Clark. He felt drawn to her because she understood what he was going through, but at the same time, she represented the dark side of grief and exemplified what his rage could turn him into. This snapped him back from the edge, and forced him to face his emotions and mourn properly. BTW, I liked Andrea's outfit and the fact that she seemed to be almost the female equivalent of Clark. Almost, being the key word. On a side note, I found it very moving and appropriate that the final scene included an old home movie of Jonathan and a younger Clark, with Jonathan waving goodbye to the camera. Nice bit of symbolism, don't ya think? Eight-and-a-half masks out of ten.

Highlights: Clark and Martha's talk in the barn; Angel of Vengeance threatening Chloe and beating Clark; Clark and Chloe's attempt to draw out the masked vigilante; Clark and Andrea getting to know each other; Clark using superhearing and superspeed to track down the leader of the gang; Andrea changing in a phone booth; Clark saving Lionel for Andrea's sake; Chloe and Clark's conversation about Clark coming back from the edge; and Clark and Martha tearfully watch a home movie of Jonathan.

After taking Lana to the Fortress of Solitude, Clark finally reveals his secret and proposes, and Lana eventually accepts. That night, Jonathan is pronounced the winner of the Senatorial race, then Lana gets a call from a drunken Lex and goes to see him. After noticing the engagement ring, Lex comes to the conclusion that Lana knows Clark's secret, and in an attempt to learn it, chases after her, inadvertantly causing a car crash that kills Lana. Grief-stricken, Clark pleads with Jor-El, who allows Clark to relive the day but warns that someone else will die if Lana is saved. Upon reseting time, Clark foregoes telling Lana his secret, but asks Chloe to keep a close eye on her. However, Lana again slips away to visit Lex, who kisses her and immediately chases after her to apologize. Clark arrives in time to prevent an accident, but later, Jonathan suffers a heart attack.

My Review: Wow! For the 100th episode, the writers gave us an amazing rollercoaster ride, from the Clana engagement to the emotional, snowy funeral. I'm not particularly a Clana fan - in fact, I'm a Clois supporter all the way - but I'm glad that Clark finally got a chance to reveal his secret to Lana. And I love that they slipped in a Clois scene or two in the midst of a semi-Clana-fest. Of course, a good story's only as good as the acting, and vice versa. Michael made the most of the time he was given, making me hate him for setting off the fateful (and fatal) chain of events, while Tom, John, and Annette gave excellent performances. Kristin was great in her interactions with Tom and Michael, but Allison and Erica take the award for best supporting cast, conveying in the end their concern for Clark in mere seconds without the use of any words whatsoever. As for the limited music selections, the songs were well-chosen. In the new timeline, James Blunt's "You're Beautiful" plays yet again, with the exception being that the line "I will never be with you" is clearly heard as Lana leaves the barn, foreshadowing Clark's future with Lois, as well as the end of the episode. The song playing during the funeral, Peter Gabriel's "I Grieve", is overwhelmingly appropriate, in both its title and its tone, and perfectly complimented the slow-motion effect and falling snow. Those elements, combined with Clark sprinkling dirt and snow on Jonathan's grave, powerfully boosted an already somber and emotional scene. Ten time-traveling crystals out of ten.

Highlights: Clark taking Lana to the Fortress and revealing his secret; Lois's talk with Lana (a great foreshadowing scene); Clark's talk with Chloe; Lana answering Clark's proposal; Clark's emotional reaction to Lana's accident; Clark in the Fortress, pleading with Jor-El; Clark proving to Chloe he reset time; Lex's talk with Lana in the new timeline; a concerned Clark saving Lois (:D); Jonathan's talk with Lionel; Clark's and Martha tearful conversation; and Jonathan's snowy funeral (see above).

After getting shot on Christmas Eve, Lex dreams that he's married to Lana, they have a son named Alexander, and Lana's expecting their second child. In the dream, Lillian appears to Lex, and tells him that he can have that life, provided he makes the right choices. As the dream plays out, Lex finds that Lionel cut him off financially after he forfeited the Senate race to Jonathan, but discovers that he's still good friends with Clark and Chloe and that Jonathan loves him like a son. Meanwhile, in the real world, Lionel arranges for Lex to undergo life-threatening emergency surgery, and Clark gives up Christmas with Lana to help Chloe deliver presents to needy children.

My Review: LEXMAS is another episode I enjoy that, for reasons unknown, is considered by most fans to among the show's worst. Personally, I love holiday-themed and alternate-reality episodes, and so much the better that the writers were able to combine both so well. I also liked that the writers didn't focus entirely on Lex, but gave us the gift of a subplot involving the hunky Clark. And speaking of which, how sweet was it that Clark was playing Santa, even going so far as to devour the milk and cookies that were left out. :D Anyway, moving on. Michael Rosenbaum gave an outstanding performance. Not that he's less-than-stellar in every other episode, mind you, but he was awesome in this episode, from his confusion at waking up next to Lana, to his happiness at having finally found where he belongs, to his grief and hopelessness at Lana's death. Ten Christmas trees (or Hanukkah bushes, or whatever) out of ten. Though as much as I love this ep, I have to wonder where exactly was Lois in all this, and why wasn't she spending Christmas with the Kents? I mean, that could've been her in Clark's arms, instead of Lana. Well, not really, but y'all know what I mean.

Highlights: Lex awaking to his new life; Martha trying to keep Jonathan away from the cookies; Chloe interrupting the almost-Clana kiss; Lex going tree-shopping with his son, and running into Clark and Chloe; Chloe recruiting Clark to help deliver the toys (Clark in the Santa hat was just priceless!); Clark's talk with the drunken Santa; Lex and Lana at the Kents' Christmas party, and Lex wondering how he ended up with Lana; Chloe getting help from "Santa"; and the Kents' Christmas party, including Clark and Chloe's debate over "Santa".

After pricking his finger on a silver meteor rock that was sent to Lana, Clark is run off the road by a mysterious black truck, then receives a call from someone who claims to know who he is. Not long after, he discovers that Chloe's been receiving emails from Lionel, and believes that she's been feeding Lionel information about him. Later, when Lionel stops by the farm to offer Jonathan his support in the upcoming election, Clark begins to suffer from the belief that his parents are working with Lionel to have him locked up in a lab and studied. As he grows increasingly paranoid that Chloe and his parents are conspiring against him, he feels more and more that Lana is the only one he can trust and turn to, until he "witnesses" Lex kissing Lana. Infuriated, he attacks Lex and nearly kills Lana, until Professor Fine suddenly appears, revealing his powers to Clark and removing a sliver of silver kryptonite from Clark's system. Meanwhile, Lex shows Lana the spaceship that crash-landed during the second meteor shower, and Chloe reveals that Lionel's been feeding her information on Lex's campaign.

My Review: SPLINTER ranks nowhere near my favorite episodes, but that doesn't mean that it's not good or that I can't appreciate what an awesome job the actors did. In fact, the acting is the only saving grace of this episode; that, and the furthering of the Brainiac storyline, coupled with the introduction of a "new" kind of kryptonite. It just irritated me that Clark was having to suffer from all these hallucinations, and wouldn't listen to reason. However, I'll admit that Tom gave a wonderful performance as someone slowly slipping into paranoid delusions, and the other actors - Kristin, Allison, and Michael, in particular - were fantastic in their reactions to Clark's newfound paranoia. I also liked that the audience got to see both sides of Clark's madness, from his delusions to what was going on in the "real world". We saw what Clark saw and how it furthered his paranoid beliefs, but we also got to see through the eyes of the people around him and how he was slowly losing touch with reality. Not many TV shows, or movies for that matter, can pull off that kind of perspective. OK, so I like the episode a little more than I care to admit, but overall, I give the episode eight silver rocks out of ten.

Highlights: Clark discovering the silver meteor rock; Professor Fine's lecture; Clark showing up at Lana's dorm, paranoid; Lana confronting Lex about the silver meteor rock; Clark attacking Lex in his paranoid state, then Clark looking for Lana; Professor Fine stopping Clark from killing Lana, while showing off superpowers of his own; Clark visiting Lana in the hospital (imagine that, I actually enjoyed a Clana scene!); Clark and Chloe talking at the hospital; Lionel's "fatherly advice" to Lex, as well as Lex's unamused expression; and Clark's talk with Professor Fine.