Are you as hyped as I am for "Pandora"? After months of merely glimpsing the future, the hour of truth dawns along with an underlying sense of dread. Why? Because while I hate not knowing the future, I absolutely despise the idea of one where the sun burns red, Metropolis' stands as rubble, the Kent farm serves as a concentration camp, and Chloe lies dead in the street. I hope you are prepared for the combined greatness and painfulness of this episode because here we go.

Medical update: Lois' repressed memories proved intensely traumatic, essentially causing a coma. Adding insult to injury, she disappears from her hospital room, kidnapped by Mercer the Merciless. (My new favorite nickname--thank you Chloe!)

With Stuart assisting, Tess links Lois' mind with some seriously crazy green kryptonite powered luthorcorp technology that accesses her memories of the future. Unfortunately for Tess, those memories flash across the computer screen as fragmented images rather than offering a cohesive vision of events. Her solution? Use the technology and sync her bainwaves with Lois', thereby reliving the future along with Miss Lane.

The future as witnessed by Lois (and Tess): Part One...

Lois wakens on the floor of an abandoned Daily Planet with the legion ring on her finger. Wandering outside, she discovers a blindingly red sun, empty streets, buildings destroyed, a huge tower bearing a flag far too reminiscent of the Third Reich, and one flying freak. Basquat wears a 'uniform' of black, his shirt emblazoned with the crest of Zod. (Basically, he dresses exactly as the Blur, only with a different symbol on his chest.) He informs a defiant Lois that her Blur is dead.

Lois wakens again, only this time on the floor of the Kent barn--a barn featuring fences with barbed wire, Kandorian guards, and fearful humans huddled within. Lois confronts Alia and requests food. When her Kandorian captor demands a trade, Clark appears and offers his father's watch as payment. Through him, Lois learns that one year passed since her fight with Tess and aliens (not the Wizard of Oz) invaded the earth. Clark realizes that through the legion ring she travelled to the future and warns her to protect the ring, just as Basquat drags her away.

Within the walls of the Luthor mansion Zod and Tess greet Lois. When she refuses cooperation, the General decides a double execution of Lois and Clark will send a message to the human resistance. Before the execution can proceed though, a band of merry men led by Chloe and Oliver interrupts bearing weapons carved from meteor rock. Zod escapes, but Tess falls victim to one of Chloe's arrows.

Returning to the present, Tess, traumatized by the vision of her own death, breaks her connection with Lois and orders Stuart to erase all Lois' memories of the future. When he refuses, Tess shoots him. (Breathe Stuart fans, he survives.) At that moment Clark arrives and despite the overwhelming presence of the green kryptonite, he knocks Tess unconscious and syncs his own mind with Lois'.

The future as witnessed by Lois (and Clark): Part Two...

At the headquarters of the human resistance, Lois, Clark, Chloe and Oliver form a plan for disabling Zod's tower, releasing the yellow sun, and returning Lois to the past where she can prevent this future ever happening. Lois and Clark spend their final evening together--need I remind you of the skin so prominently featured during Lois' flashes of memory? I am sure Clois fans are rejoicing the world over.

Morning always comes though and this one finds Lois, Chloe and Oliver reclaiming Watchtower. (Which prompts my favourite Lois line of the night: "Okay Chloe, remember when we were ten and I kicked you out of my clubhouse for spilling soda and you said you'd just build a cooler one? You win.") Once her computers are online, Chloe hacks Zod's tower and releases a virus that disables the radiation beam turning the sun red and providing the Kandorians with all their powers.

As Chloe flees Watchtower, Alia corners her and runs her through with a sword. Oliver sacrifices himself too, as swarms of flying Kandorians converge on them. Lois escapes and reaches Clark just as the yellow sun returns. His powers regained, Clark confronts Zod, but even as he retrieves the legion ring, Zod stabs him with a green kryptonite dagger. As Clark collapses, he forces the ring onto Lois' finger returning her home--though Alia follows too, grasping hold of Lois at the last moment.

Back at the Daily Planet, Clark ambushes Lois with a DTR moment. (Please note that Emil successfully wiped Lois' memories of the future and she believes she is simply 'hypoglycemic'.) Lois freaks for a moment, but only a moment, and the scene ends with her taking Clark's hand.

Later, Clark discusses the furture with Chloe and Oliver. Despite their arguments for destroying Zod before he becomes too powerful, Clark follows his father's counsel and determines to save Zod from himself. Dressed as the Blur, he presents himself before Zod and the other Kandorians, which prompts the most shocking moment of the entire episode as Zod commands his soldiers: "Kneel before Kal-El!"