After nicely tying up the events of the season 6 finale, Smallville is back with the much anticipated episode “Kara.”  I say much anticipated because the episode is the first really good look at Clark's (Tom Welling) Kryptonian cousin, Kara (Laura Vandervoort).  As with most shows on the CW, the inclusion of a hot chick seems like some sort of rite of passage Dawn Ostroff cooked up for incoming shows.  At least with Smallville, the character actually exists in the mythology.  The trial by fire is this:  will she feel natural to the show, or will she feel like window dressing wedged into to beef up the horny teenage boy demo?  Read on.

The episode was a big departure from the high-octane super heroic action of “Bizarro,” a definite return to the character aspects of the show.  The two major forks seemed to be Lex's determination to track down Lana, and the introduction of Kara.   As it is an introduction episode done right, a lot of time is given to the dramatics, but there is a huge payoff that geeks will love, even if it doesn't exactly center around Clark.

A surprising aspect was how quickly the Lana/Lex situation was resolved.  Lex finds Lana, and there is some confrontation, and she will be coming back to Smallville.  There are some interesting entanglements that go along with that, like she knows Lex cloned her.   But at least Lex will be off the hook for her murder and free to finish his path to evil genius.

The Kara introduction is done with a race against time motif.  She must find her ship before it goes nuclear.  Nothing to bring a family together like a little impending doom.  The good news is, while her dress may be a little tacky, Kara is a solid character with a great actress behind her.  I'm feeling a lot less nervous about this season. There is a fantastic scene of Kara leaving Earth orbit and surveying her new home.  Breathtaking effects.

Lex is obsessed with finding Lana, which is where the episode ends off.  I only hope that phase goes as quickly as the reemergence of Lana.  Lex really needs to get burned bad this season if he is going to leave on the terms many suspect.  As a super villain.  Altogether, it looks like Smallville will only benefit from the inclusion of Kara.


- Jon Lachonis, BuddyTV Senior Writer
(Image courtesy of the CW)