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This review may contain spoilers.

If ever "Smallville" needed a saviour it is now ...

"Doomsday" will forever be remembered as the most disappointing "Smallville" adventure to-date. And this year, with the return of Zod, a black-clad Superman and promises of a darker Clark Kent (Tom Welling), it is acceptable to be worried about where "Smallville" may tread in its ninth season.

But, after a train de-rails and the famous "S" shield is burned into a window, it's hard to stay mad at the series. And, while not the finest hour of "Smallville's" life, "Savior" gets enough right to push the series in the right direction for yet another year ... even if it lacks in the follow-through.

Completely devoid of the trademark quips of the show, "Savior" spends tremendous effort in taking something positive from "Doomsday" and moving on. Set three weeks after the anti-climactic events of last season, the episode keeps the audience in the dark just as much as the central characters as each of them tries to either move on or make-sense of "Doomsday."

Quick establishing the new villains of the series, the show uses its super-speed and casts an ambiguous shadow into the mix with hints that the villains may actually be the heroes and Clark Kent himself may be the villain. Or at least, the man Kent may become a year down the line. Of course, such an idea is preposterous as the Man-Of-Steel could never been te bad guy ... could he?

Clad in black and following the orders of Jor-El, enough doubt is cast on the future of the soon-to-be hero that he could conceivably be a threat to the human race before the Red-Blue-Blur ever evolves in Superman. As he stands atop a Metropolis skyscraper with his black coat fluttering in the window, film producer Jon Peters was surely sitting at home, screaming "I told you so," at his television set – in 1996 when it looked like the franchise was ready for another big-screen outing, it was Peters who demanded the Metropolis Marvel be clad completely in black, adding to the script that red and blue tights were "too faggy."

Shunning everyone he cares about, Clark has become a dark and brooding symbol of justice in Metropolis ... even if its people do not recognise him for what he is. But at the end of the day though, as he opens up with Chloe after a touching request to once again use the Legion ring, Clark Kent is revealed to be what he is – just a corn-fed boy from Kansas with the weight of the world on his shoulders.

What Worked

"Saviour's" opening train fight was incredibly ambitious and, despite the lacklustre visuals, works wonderfully as an introduction to the black-clad Man-Of-Steel and his self-imposed exile from the rest of the world. In a similar vein, the training sequences of Clark jumping off of the statue of liberty could have been an epic affair but thanks to the get-out clause of mental training it becomes a forgettable encounter.

The mystery of what has been happening inside the Luthor mansion which turns out to be far more interesting than the Watchtower or Oliver's cage-fighting however the lack of back-story limits the episodes reach at every turn. Zod is deposed and then reclaims his leadership over the Kryptonian rebels in an all too easy fashion, and brief info-dump leaves little room to how they found their way into the glowing purple orb – the question is why?

Casting again remains "Smallville's" strong point with Callum Blue portraying a more accessible – and possibly more sympathetic -- Zod than Terrence Stamp or even Michael Rosenbaum. He has the swagger of a rock icon and manages to take complete command when needed. If there were ever any doubts that he was the right man for the job they are erased with the cry "Kneel before Zod."

Also, former "Terminator" star Brian Austin Green as John Corben is far more impressive than Grant Gabriel ever was and is a romantic-interest worthy of Lois Lane.

And, in her usual style, Mack tugs at the heartstrings by the episodes end with her request to save Jimmy. It's an intimate affair and you can't help but hope against hope that Clark might say yes.

What Didn't Work

The teaser is far too info-dump with Chloe blurting out the events of the three-week gap between seasons. The choice of dialogue is clumsy and ultimately unnecessary

Alessandro Juliani also manages to claim the most pointless character award (and given the nine-year history of the show, that is quite an achievement). Dr. Emil Hamilton doesn’t have the same mystic mentor feel as, say for example, Alfred from "Batman." Last season he was just a Doctor and now he's the keeper of the Queen trust fund – and he also comes with the technology to scan, locate and track rips in the space-time continuum.

"Savior" also sports a handful of continuity errors, the most obvious being the dealings with blue kryptonite. In the past, green kryptonite has the ability to poison Clark from a distance while red, silver and blue kryptonite requires tactile contact. Yet, somehow, the chunk she-ninja Fiona uses removes both her and Clark's powers by being thrown to the floor, several feet away at any given time during the fight

Most annoyingly of all is Chloe, being the genius that she is, falling for the old "I need a sedative spiel."

Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due

"Smallville" stars Tom Welling, Erica Durance, Allison Mack, Justin Hartley, Cassidy Freeman and Callum Blue. "Savior" was written by Brian Peterson and Kelly Souders. The episode was directed by Kevin G. Fair.

"Smallville" airs Fridays at 8 p.m. ET on The CW.