Splinter debuted on 10 November, 2005, and was written by Seven S. DeKnight.

Lex (Michael Rosenbaum) asks Lana (Kristin Kreuk) to help him investigate the crashed spaceship that came down in the meteor shower. He also sends her a meteor rock in a box (or did he?), which Clark (Tom Welling) opens and has his finger pierced by a piece of silver kryptonite. This version of kryptonite apparently causes extreme paranoia and causes him to distrust everyone.

Jonathan (John Schneider) is contemplating running for office, but Clark’s issue may take priority. Lionel (John Glover) shows up on the Kent farm to offer his support in Jonathan’s run for the Senate, agreeing to help him against Lex.

And on campus, Milton Fine (James Marsters) is talking about pairs through history that started as friends and became enemies. Throughout the course of the episode, Clark gets more and more paranoid, and Fine seems to be fanning the flames. Is he manipulating things, and Clark? How much of what Clark is seeing is real, and how much is paranoid delusion?

Clark descends into complete paranoia and possible madness. He’seeing and hearing his friends and allies turning against him. He confronts Lex, and how much will come out about who Clark is in the conversation, or is it all in Clark’s mind?

And what happens when Fine begins to reveal himself to Clark? Fine removes the splinter and also claims to be Kryptonian, and calls Clark, Kal-El…

With everything that happens in this one, has Clark screwed up his relationship with Lana for good? But Chloe (Allison Mack) helps save the day on that front. But now, Clark has to figure ou what/who Fine really is.

A fairly solid episode, and you’re never quite sure what is real, and what is delusion. I enjoyed this one a lot.

Solitude was written by Todd Slavkin and Darren Swimmer. It debuted on 17 November, 2005.

Marha Kent (Annette O’Toole) is stricken with a mysterious illness. Fine, who is most likely behind it, convinces Clark that it’s something Jor-El has orchestrated. And the only way she can be saved, according to Fine, is the destruction of Clark’s Fortress.

Clark believes this is the end result of the deal made with Jor-El. Will Clark find a way to save his mom, and will it be without being manipulated by Fine?

Lionel comes to Chloe with suspicions about Fine, it’s getting obvious, very quickly, that Milton may be the big bad this season. Something Chloe shares with Lois (Erica Durance) – what will they discover? And will whatever they learn be in time to stop the destruction of the Fortress?

Maybe not.

And the more we hear about Fine, and the more he shares, the more he sounds like a Disciple of Zod, and he finally reveals his true nature to Clark, as a creation… Braniac.

But Chloe is once again instrumental in helping aid Clark. Clark seemingly destroys Fine, he disappears from the Fortress, Martha is healed, but there’s a change in the ship in LuthorCorp. Is he still there? Is he healing?

Lex, meanwhile, is working on his campaign, and the friction between he and his father begins to increase yet again.

I like the reveals that are going on, though I think it took long for the Fine reveal to happen.