That's My "Smallville" Part III

Tom Welling and Erica Durance as the just-introduced Clark Kent and Lois Lane (photo by David Gray)

The purist in me was against it, but amidst the many radical strands left by last season's finale (Clark beamed into space, Jonathan in a coma, Lana leaving for Paris, Pete Ross moving to Wichita...), Lois Lane's arrival in Smallville was a much-needed dose of sanity.

The show has always played the "strangers we've met before" card well. Lois is driving through a corn field, trying to get a lead on her cousin Chloe's disappearance when Clark crashes back to Earth, naked, with no memory of the past three months.

Lois gives Clark a ride to the hospital and uses her trademark pushiness to get him squared away. Meanwhile Kryptonian reprogramming keeps Clark's answers short: "I'm fine," "You talk a lot," "I'm leaving."

Martha, visiting comatose Jonathan, spots Clark leaving and tries to jog his memory. She finally does so with the aid of Dr. Swann's (Christopher Reeve) assistant, Bridget Crosby (Margot Kidder).

Martha: You don't know anything about my son!

Bridget: You're right. I don't. But I do know what it's like to love someone whose calling is greater than yours.

Martha: You and Dr. Swann?

Bridget: In another lifetime.

Bridget presents Martha with a piece of black Kryptonite, which she uses to separate Clark's persona from that of the Son of Jor-El.

The episode ends with Lois at Chloe's grave, vowing to find out what happened, even if she has to do it alone.

Clark: You're not alone...You're not the only one who misses her.

Lois: I'm just the only one doing something about it.

Clark: I get the feeling you like doing things yourself.

Lois: My father raised me to be independent and self-sufficient.

Clark: That'd be one way to describe you.

Lois: About the only thing I like about you at the moment is your mom. I figure you can't be as weird as I think you are with a mom that cool.

(Clark smiles)

This is gonna be fun.