19. Mercy
Lionel Luthor gets the Saw treatment from a disgruntled employee – and Martha gets caught in the crossfire. A tense thriller of an episode with some exciting stuff between Clark and Lionel.
8.5/10
20. Fade
Clark makes a dangerous new friend – a meteor freak hitman – in a so-so episode. Meanwhile, Lex and Lana’s relationship leaks out and there’s some fun Clark/Lois stuff. 7.5/10
21. Oracle
Jonathan’s ghost tells Clark to murder Lionel – but is it as it appears? Lots of interesting answers here as well as lots of new questions raised for the big finale. Zod is coming… 8.5/10
22. Vessel
Perhaps the biggest finale yet – as Zod brings hell on Earth and threatens the lives of our heroes. Very exciting cliffhanger but I wish more had actually been wrapped up. 8.5/10
Verdict: Smallville season five finally embraces the show’s comic book lineage, with appearances from two Justice Leaguers – Aquaman and Cyborg – and two supervillains – Brainiac and Zod. Not to mention the introduction of the Fortress of Solitude. On the personal side, it at last broke up Clark and Lana and instead paired her up with Lex, in an immediately more interesting relationship. The death of Jonathan was another big moment for the show, and Lionel’s apparent turn to the good side as Clark’s third father figure was unexpected and fascinating. It also sported the strongest and clearest story arc so far, immeasurably helped by having Buffy‘s James Marsters as the season-long big bad (a concept new to this show). That said, the third quarter of the series dragged somewhat and Brainiac disappeared for too long a period. All in all, though, this has got to be the show’s best season yet.
Fandom Factory 