Clark (Tom Welling) and Martha (Annette O’Toole) are still coming to terms with the death of Jonathan (John Schneider), but the world, sadly, doesn’t stop while we grieve, and there is trouble afoot in Metropolis as a new female vigilante is on the streets. She arrives just in time to save Martha from some thugs, but they get away with Jonathan’s watch.

Vengeance was written by Alfredo Septien and Turi Meyer, this episode was first broadcast on 2 February 2006.

Clark has dropped out of his secondary education to look after the Kent farm, and even Lana (Kristin Kreuk) can’t seem to reach him. But when he hears about the Angel of Vengeance (Denise Quinones) from his mother, and the missing watch, he starts his own investigation.

Clark’s emotions about his father’s death seem to be getting the better of him. He’s completely devastated.

At the Daily Planet, Chloe (Allison Mack), who has been working on her own investigation into the vigilante, is shocked to learn that her clutzy, bespectacled colleague (sounds familiar), Andrea, is the Angel. It seems a heart transplant from someone exposed to the Kryptonite meteorite storm has gifted her with unusual powers.

And Lex (Michael Rosenbaum) and LuthorCorp are in for a bit of a shakeup. Lionel (John Glover) attempts a bit of a takeover, but Luthor is able to stave off the attack.

And speaking of attacks, Andrea learns that her mother’s murder may have been orchestrated by Lionel and the suits at LuthorCorp for getting too close to something, and goes after him. Clark has to make some choices as he wrestles with his own emotions.

We see Martha has some plans, that Lionel knows about, and there are plenty of changes coming for all.

It’s a fun episode from the superhero angle, but I really love the emotional arcs and story for Clark and Martha as they continue to process their loss. The emotional moments at the end of the episode with Lana and Clark are exceptional, and perfectly topped with the surviving Kents watching home movies.

Tomb was penned by Steven S. DeKnight, and it debuted on 9 February, 2006.

Once again, we get an episode with supernatural overtones; it’s like the showrunners kept peeking to see what Buffy was doing, or the suits were asking them to get the series more in line with it. As seen in the comics, the supernatural exists in the DC Universe (Hello John Constantine), but I wish the show didn’t do so many of them.

The body of a young teen girl is found in the wall of the Talon, and Chloe begins to act strangely (possessed?), including apparently a suicide attempt. She ends up checked into the hospital for observation, and it doesn’t help that she’s seeing and hearing things. And while she does…

Lois (welcome back Erica Durance) digs into things and finds herself on the trail of a serial killer who has been preying on young teens for ten years.

Things escalate quickly, and both Lois and the possessed Chloe confront the killer, which allows, maybe, for a spirit to finally rest in peace.

Clark helps out a little in this episode, but it’s predominantly a story for Chloe and Lois, and doesn’t move the overall season arc forward much. Except for Martha thinking about taking on Jonathan’s Senate seat, and the Lana/Clark romance, which may be winding down once and for all. And Lex is here waiting in the wings.

Maybe this is just a quiet breather before we run towards the season finale.