Holly Harold wrote Void, which first aired on 6 April, 2006.

Clark (Tom Welling) heads to Honduras (still obviously Vancouver, with a little dressing up) to look for Milton Fine (James Marsters).

Lana (Kristin Kreuk) gets hooked on a kryptonite-laced drug which allows you to flatline, and possibly encounter deceased loved ones. Clark sees the terrible shape she’s in when he comes to see Chloe (Allison Mack), but with the breakup, he’s not in a place to be able to ask about it. So Chloe has some more work on her hands to help her friend break this habit.

That habit is going to be tough to break. She even attempts to rob Lex (Michael Rosenbaum).

And as a surprise kick, Clark discovers that Lionel (John Glover) knows his secret.

Martha (Annette O’Toole) is settling into her role as a senator, with Lionel helping her out. She also has to remind him that they will be nothing more than associates; there will be nothing personal between them.

Thanks to Lana’s choices, a couple of characters get to have flatline encounters, though none of it works as well as the original film. Guess who shows up when Clark gets injected.

This one feels fairly standard, and almost feels like it’s treading water. We’re circling the fact that we know Lex is going bad, and that however we feel about things, Lana and Lex seem to be getting ready to happen, and Clark is reminded that he will do great things.

So let’s get on with it! With all this stuff circling Fine, can’t he just step to the fore and be a Big Bad already?

Fragile goes a little Carrie. Written by Darren Swimmer and Todd Slavkin this episode was first broadcast on 13 April, 2006. It was directed by Tom Welling, his directorial debut.

Maddie (Emily Hirst) has some telekinetic abilities and is having trouble controlling them. Clark befriends her, and maybe he can find a way to help her, even as he learns her family history, connecting her to the first meteor shower that brought him to Earth.

Following an event she triggered that claimed her foster parent, she ends up on the Kent farm. Clark and Lois (Erica Durance) try to help her, but trouble comes to the farm with the arrival of her biological father, Tyler McKnight (Callum Keith Rennie).

Yes, the Lex/Lana arc continues as the pair appear to be getting closer, with Chloe standing in for most viewers being not happy with the idea.

Lois goes to work for Martha as her Chief of Staff.

Welling turns in a solid directorial debut, but again, we’ve got another episode that lets the characters tread water, with the only real big narrative push being the Lex/Lana relationship moving forward. In a series that has had some fun and big moments, this one just seems to be dragging its heels a bit, like they’re trying to decide on whether or not to take a big leap forward and hesitating each time it gets close.