First, I have to say I'm shocked by the level of blind-hatred several of the reviews on here have towards Lana and thus any story that features her. Despite the claims of some, this episode isn't terrible - it's just not brilliant either.
What this is, is the writers realising that they backed themselves into a corner with the Clark/Lana relationship and trying to resolve it once and for all. After 7 seasons of will they/won't they, Clark just up and forgetting about Lana for a relationship with Lois would be unrealistic (and using that sentence in relation to a show about an alien given super-powers by our yellow sun is saying something) and would make him appear very, very shallow. His feelings for Lana would forever be a shadow. So, the writers have two choices - 1) kill her, which would make the canon-fanatics scream blue murder or 2) turn it into a classic tragic romance.
What this episode does is serve as the set-up for the fall that is to come and in that purpose it serves admirably - it gives Clark everything he could want: an equal he can love and not be afraid to be himself around, someone who has the same strength's that he does, someone who can be his equal. It does so through yet another, admittedly clichéd, "Lex Luthor super-soldier project" (and those are far more tiresome than the Clark/Lana relationship) plot device. It also has a lot of flashbacks that cover how Lana changed from the irresponsible, power mad creature she became after sharing Clark's powers before to the responsible woman she is in this and the following episode. It's a nice nod to continuity that is desperately needed.
As Allison Mack's directorial debut, it's a good performance. Are there better directed episodes out there? Sure. But for a first time director this must have been a challenging episode - it's far from a standard "talking heads" storyline, a lot of back and forth, torture scenes and so on.
So, as I have said, not as bad as some on here claim - but it's not a stand-alone episode, it really needs to be seen as a two parter with "Requiem" to see the larger picture.
What this is, is the writers realising that they backed themselves into a corner with the Clark/Lana relationship and trying to resolve it once and for all. After 7 seasons of will they/won't they, Clark just up and forgetting about Lana for a relationship with Lois would be unrealistic (and using that sentence in relation to a show about an alien given super-powers by our yellow sun is saying something) and would make him appear very, very shallow. His feelings for Lana would forever be a shadow. So, the writers have two choices - 1) kill her, which would make the canon-fanatics scream blue murder or 2) turn it into a classic tragic romance.
What this episode does is serve as the set-up for the fall that is to come and in that purpose it serves admirably - it gives Clark everything he could want: an equal he can love and not be afraid to be himself around, someone who has the same strength's that he does, someone who can be his equal. It does so through yet another, admittedly clichéd, "Lex Luthor super-soldier project" (and those are far more tiresome than the Clark/Lana relationship) plot device. It also has a lot of flashbacks that cover how Lana changed from the irresponsible, power mad creature she became after sharing Clark's powers before to the responsible woman she is in this and the following episode. It's a nice nod to continuity that is desperately needed.
As Allison Mack's directorial debut, it's a good performance. Are there better directed episodes out there? Sure. But for a first time director this must have been a challenging episode - it's far from a standard "talking heads" storyline, a lot of back and forth, torture scenes and so on.
So, as I have said, not as bad as some on here claim - but it's not a stand-alone episode, it really needs to be seen as a two parter with "Requiem" to see the larger picture.