It seems that seven is Smallville's lucky number. Don't pinch me people, if this season is a dream then I don't want to wake up. With the exception of the Green Arrow arc, I've never been more satisfied with the show. NEVER.

The surprising part for me is that Lana Lang has a lot to do with it. I've always been very fond of Kristin's work, but that fondness did not translate to her character. The show's approach to Lana (and her romance with Clark) was a surefire way to send me diving for the remote.

I really did not think this was possible, I didn't, but I came out of  the episode completely satisfied with Lana Lang. I actually was heard to utter the phrase "An episode of Clark/Lana and I didn't get nauseated once!"

More than that, I actually enjoyed their scenes. Loved even. I cannot tell you how pleased I am by this. Using the word giddy would not be a stretch.

There's been a shift in Smallville's approach to Lana. With apologies to Pinocchio, Lana Lang's a real girl! She's got depths, consequences, and even a homage to Stephen King.

In a scene right out of misery, Smallville's very own fairytale princess had Lionel Luthor abducted and chained to a bed. She whacked him in the face with a shovel! Um. It should be embarrassing how much this pleases me.

Better than the face whacking, she's actually going to face the consequences. Lionel knows.

I really have to applaud Kristin and John for that scene. It was a thing of beauty. Smallville may be the land of anvils, but that scene had real layers going on. Lana may be more Lady Macbeth than Fairytale Princess, but she's still in over her head. She's a guppy swimming with a set of Great Whites and I really can't wait to see where they go with her story next.

I wish I could say the same for Lois.

In my opinion, Erica Durance is by far a better casting choice for Lois Lane than Kate Bosworth will ever be.

As they say, the girl's got moxie and, when the writing is with her, she brings a passion and a flare to Lois that's a blast to watch. The problem is that, more often than not, the writing is not with her. It certainly wasn't in "Action".

Any decent editor would tell you to show and not tell. Smallville keeps telling us Lois is a hotshot reporter, but rarely shows us that. Supposedly, in early drafts of the script, Lois's confrontation with Lex was a set up so she could follow him to the cabin. As that was cut, we're left with a scene where Lois pats herself on the back and promptly gets a kick in the butt. I can appreciate irony as much as the next girl, but this is Lois Lane we're dealing with. Come on Smallville.

Fortunately, they did show us plenty of other things in this episode. Oh, Michael Rosenbaum, how I adore your Lex. In my opinion, Michael has turned out one of the finest portrayals of Lex Luthor we've ever seen.

As this is Smallville, the writing isn't always up to par, but Michael almost always shines through the material anyway. He plays a Lex Luthor worthy of being Superman's arch-rival. Most of the time in other venues, Lex is written and portrayed as the buffoon. Rosenbaum's Lex is nobody's buffoon; call him that and they'll never find your body. Watching him in "Action" was a thing of beauty. As much as they fumbled the confrontation on Lois's side, it was positively glee-inducing from Lex's. It was all there in his demeanor. Lex was smooth and calculating, and if he's reformed, I'm Mother Theresa.

Throw in his scenes with Welling and Glover and I loved every second he was on screen.

Also on the side of love, while the Warrior Angel plot was mildly amusing, it did set up that final scene and for that? I will love it forever.

The shot of Clark with the cape reduced my inner DC fangirl to sheer incoherence. Oh, Smallville, if there's anything you do well, it's those iconic scenes. Keep them coming, honey, and I can forgive you almost anything.

Almost.