Smallville - "Perry"

Let's get the complaints out of the way. First, after seeing everything he did, Perry drew a conclusion based on bloody hands? And won't all of this seem a bit familiar to Mr. White when both Clark and a certain selfless superhero appear in Metropolis simultaneously? Perhaps Millar and Gough envision a Perry who has a "wink-wink" relationship with Clark, akin to Commissioner Gordon and Batman. (Does he know or doesn't he??)

But I can forgive both of those, because I loved this episode. Michael McKean succeeded in bringing new depth to Perry's character (as the creators predicted), and given his speech to Lex with the mention of the statute of limitations (a hint of murder in Lionel's past?), it seems like this won't be the last guest spot for the character. Even if this is a different Perry than we're used to, he's definitely set back on his path to destiny at the end. And I couldn't help but smile at the final exchange of the episode.

Plus, there are plenty of great little moments in the episode. Clark deduces that his powers are solar-related. Lex displays more of his dark side. Chloe meets her journalistic idol. Clark's journalism gets a mention or two. Pete actually has a speaking role. Lana comes to grips with her parents' deaths (come to think of it, whatever happened to Mr. Small?). There's a hint of a really dark secret in Lionel's past. And somebody finally takes notice of all of the coincidences surrounding Clark Kent.

Here's hoping the rest of the season is more like this ep and less like the last two weeks.