Smallville: Prophecy Review (4.5/5)

It's the second-last ever episode of Smallville, and it's safe to say that in Prophecy things are much better than they were in the last few instalments, even if there's still a lingering sense of treading water. The plot sees Clark and Lois head to the Fortress to tell Jor-El of their impending engagement, only for the scheming father to pull out one final trial for the couple (I won't spoil it, but think what happened when Clark and Lana were struck by lightning in Series Six and you might get the idea). Meanwhile, Oliver searches for the Bow of Orion to free himself from Darkseid's influence, while returnee Kara Kent searches for the same weapon to help Clark stop the oncoming threat. Laura Vandervoot does wonders again as the future Supergirl here, successfully bringing her tale on the show to a close in a heartbreaking yet totally necessary way that doubtless sends her off into the world of the comics. Justin Hartley is perhaps a little less impressive as Oliver, if only because his search gets sidelined for the aforementioned trial facing the Man of Steel elsewhere, but on the plus side that gives Erica Durance a chance to shine as a wonderfully more confident and respectful Lois who like Kara easily fits into her immortalised DC form. There are a few other returns and first appearances from famed DC heroes and villains that should get any comic book fan excited, and to keep the surprise as pleasant as it was for me I shan't give anything away! The only area where Prophecy failed to impress was in its contribution to the overall season arc of Clark's destiny, a trait which Smallville has struggled with for ten seasons and as I said earlier still gives a sense of treading water idly until the two-hour finale- there is a cliffhanger here, but one that should have be considered earlier this series instead of wasting time in the penultimate episode (hopefully the scene will be resolved quickly next week) and will honestly make fans question the event's feasibility. It just felt like an utter anti-climax when we could have seen Lex or Darkseid appear and have the surprises really cranked up from now on; thankfully, though, that's the only drawback in an excellent episode that had me wishing it didn't all have to end next week...