Advance Review Of Friday's Smallville Season Premiere: "Lazarus!"

Written by Craig Byrne - KryptonSite Webmaster

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The tenth and final season of Smallville begins on Friday, September 24, and thanks to The CW, we've gotten our hands on it a few days early.

Is it worth the wait?

In a word: Yes.

At least as far as I'm concerned. "Salvation" was my favorite Smallville season finale since Season 4, so whatever would come after it would have to be worth seeing. This, thankfully, is.

Before I start, here's The CW's official description, so we're all on the same page for what it's about and I don't accidentally spoil anything that you might not already know:

JOHN SCHNEIDER REPRISES HIS ROLE AS JONATHAN KENT IN THE FINAL SEASON OF SMALLVILLE - The season premiere picks up where the finale left off. Lois finds Clark’s lifeless body and removes the blue kryptonite enabling him to heal himself. Lois sneaks away before Clark fully awakens in order to protect his secret. Chloe is desperate to find Oliver, so she turns to an unlikely source for answers. Jonathan returns to the Kent Farm with a message for Clark, and Tess awakens in a LuthorCorp lab.

So there you have it - a synopsis that actually reveals more of the episode than they probably should have, as it answers most of the cliffhangers. Don't let that stop you though as there are many surprises that even I hadn't heard anything about going in. Before the credits roll there are at least two jaw-dropping surprises, and those aren't the only ones.

I'm glad Smallville seems to be pointing Clark more in the direction of being a hero, which is something else "Salvation" started to bring home. I was also happy that Clark was at the center of this episode, which had a whole lot of Tom Welling screen time. I'm also glad that Cassidy Freeman's Tess is still a part of the show, even though she seemed to have been burnt to a crisp at the end of last season. New layers have been added to her character that make me wonder a bit more about Tess Mercer's true nature and role on the show.

As it has been revealed in press interviews, and was hinted at the end of "Salvation," Erica Durance's Lois Lane now knows the secret, and she FINALLY puts that knowledge to good use, in a hilarious scene that reminds me of the end of "Hydro" - except this time, Clark is the victim of the teasing. I like the shift in how Erica is playing Lois here, with this new information, and I hope it sticks and stays once she and Clark inevitably talk about the situation.

The episode wasn't just inspiring laughter, though. There are genuine heartfelt moments that inspired me to tear up a little bit. I'll talk about it more after the episode's aired, but there were some things that brought out an emotion that I haven't felt watching Smallville since either the end of "Vengeance" or the final moments of "Arctic."

Another part of the show that I liked was that there were several moments that appealed to my inner fan-geek. The presence of a costume - as seen in the promo trailers - is definitely one of those things, but there is definitely more to come.

I think most have also figured out by now that the spectre of Lex Luthor looms over this episode, as well. I really hope this leads somewhere and we get an announcement about Michael Rosenbaum shortly, because the last time we were teased with Lex we got the "Darth Lex" of "Requiem" and as a character says in this season premiere, "There is only one Lex Luthor." Others could try, but Michael's presence is really a must. I'd rather have no Lex teasing at all if Michael can't come through. I know that might sound a bit harsh, but it's how I feel.

Allison Mack's Chloe is put to good use here, and her true heroic nature definitely comes into play. So often last season Chloe was written as a foil to Clark but here she seemed to again serve as his best friend.

One last tease I will share is that there were a few scenes in the Comic-Con trailer for Season 10 that are NOT in this episode. Which means that either they were cut, or they come from a later episode such as "Shield." I'll be curious to see where or if they make their way in.

I know most people like to go out on Friday nights, but I think reuniting Smallville and Supernatural for Friday nights is a very good idea and will hopefully bring back a tradition and a habit for viewers. "Lazarus" is definitely worth staying home for and I'm sure the Supernatural premiere will be, too.

Take a look at a gallery of images from the season premiere!

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