To start, I'll say this: I am not particularly impressed with DC Comics' recent Supergirl reboot. I'm even less impressed by the evil!Zor-El angle of it. So from that, you can surmise how the Supergirl fan in me reacted to the Zor-El reveal in "Lara". Smallville did, however, make a wonderful casting choice with Zor-El. Christopher Heyerdahl (who some may remember as Halling and a bunch of Wraith in Stargate: Atlantis) has been a favorite of mine going back to his Atlantis days, he brings a presence to the role that is just electric. His voice is positively captivating, the man could read the phonebook and keep me enthralled.

I just wish they'd given him better material to work with. I had my reservations when Smallville indicated they were going to follow the DC reboot of Supergirl, having Zor-El and Jor-El at odds and at war with each other. I didn't think Smallville could pull it off (for the record, I don't think DC Comics can either), not with the tried and true Supergirl fans. Overall, however, I did enjoy the episode. It had its weaker points, but it did work well. Laura's initial scene with Christopher was absolutely wonderful; they looked and felt like father and daughter. The man we saw in the goodbye scene was not the Zor-El we see later on in the farmhouse, the change is too jarring and disparate.  (Leading some to suggest Brainsick may be involved. Wouldn't it be lovely?) The light switch character change is a common issue with Smallville and its villains. Either the foreshadowing has the subtlety of an anvil to the head, or it's nonexistent.

While aspects of the storyline they chose for Zor-El failed with me, their casting choice did not. Christopher, you make a fantastic Zor-El. From here on out, minus the jarring character development, when I think of Zor-El, it will be him that I picture. I can't say the same for Helen Slater's Lara. It was great to see her again, but I don't think she was well cast in the role. Truthfully, I think she would have been better used as Alura. This isn't to say she did a bad job, her performance was good, I had trouble getting my brain to engage with her as Lara. Physically, she doesn't resemble what I've always envisioned as Lara. It's a bit like seeing Superman turn up a brown-eyed blond. Just didn't compute. Casting aside, I did enjoy the episode, even if I wasn't happy with everything. As I said, the evil!Zor-El angle just didn't work for me. It feels too flat, one-dimensional. When I think of Kryptonians in general, I tend to imagine more intrigue, more depth. The heroic Jor-El triumphing over his insane brother and the great rift between Jor-El and Zor-El was Lara? Please. That felt hastily written, as if they needed to find a reason to destroy Kara's faith in her father so, oh yes! That's how we'll do it. Please, Smallville, in seven years you've never successfully pulled off a romantic triangle. What made you think you could do it in one scene? Despite that, this was really Kara's episode and Laura flew off with it (pun intended). Laura, Laura, Laura, you are a delight to watch, please keep it up! From Kara's intense search for the crystal to the scenes within her own memory, Laura worked wonders with some highly clunky dialogue. She's not alone in that regard either.

The girls of Smallville have absolutely stepped up this season and taken over. More importantly, they're doing so in a very organic sense. Chloe, Lana, and Kara's storylines are all wonderfully intertwined and expanding the mythos of Superman into familiar territory. You can almost see Superman's world unfolding before your eyes. Almost all the characters are neatly sliding into the positions they will hold in the future. The thing that really made this episode work is the thing that's making this season work and that's the character moments. From the scene between Kara and her father in the beginning and her arguments with Clark to Chloe's confrontation of Lana and Lana saving the day in a believable fashion. Each and every one of them is carrying their respective storylines in fine style. I need to point out the wonderful scene between Lana and Chloe here. Both Allison and Kristin were touch perfect. I wish we could have gotten a proper reunion scene between them, but they're doing quite well with what they've got. Smallville is usually not terribly subtle, they drop more anvils in one week than Wile E. Coyote in his entire career, but lately there have been actual layers to scenes. Please, Smallville, whatever you're doing? Keep it up!

Well, mostly. If you wouldn't mind giving me back my Zor-El and Alura? I'd be ever so grateful. However, if that's not in the cards? Just give Laura Vandervoort something interesting and stand back. It seems to be one of your strong points this year.