Lex Luthor (Michael Rosenbaum) wavers at the threshold of villainy. Lana Lang (Kristin Kreuk) leaves Smallville for Paris. Chloe (Allison Mack) discovers the devastating sting of Lionel Luthor's (John Glover) wrath. And a girl named Kara seems to be a "Supergirl" from Krypton?

It's an action-packed finale suggesting welcome changes are on the Season 4 horizon. Caught in the wake of these events is our indestructible hero Clark Kent (Tom Welling), whose keen fashion eye always demands a red or blue shirt. This is a cool wink to his impending future as Metropolis' "Man of Tomorrow."

In fact, it's the little additions the show's creators slip in that sometimes make the ride so enjoyable. As a DC comic reader, it's nice to see Belle Reve Prison (designed with super villains in mind), or even Coast City (Green Lantern territory) and the clone-happy Cadmas Labs mentioned. Each location plays a significant role in the comics. And how can you overlook Lex's future as President of the United States, foreshadowed in Season 1?

I'm not sure who deserves credit for incorporating so many comic book references, but it's a welcome trend. Too often DC material is treated with indifference by Hollywood. Take the upcoming film "Catwoman" for instance. Enough said.

"Smallville's" Consulting Producer Jeff Loeb, a heavyweight writer at DC, is a likely source for grounding the show to many of its roots. The comics represent a wellspring of great stories, heroes and supporting characters. His current best-selling "Batman/Superman" book is an good reflection of this.

Obviously, I'm not much on the whole "no other Kryptonian," "no flying," and "no costume" statements reportedly made by the show's creators. After all, who doesn't want to see a major throw down with General Zod? These are unnecessary restrictions for a creative staff who've already proved themselves capable of treating the Supeman legend with a sure hand.

At a minimum, these restrictions could be revoked at the conclusion of "Smallville's" run, making way for a complete interpretation of the Superman legend in a spinoff called "Metropolis."

Another area the show should explore is the addition of a recurring supervillian who can give us a season final blowout that would shame the Metropolis brawl in "Superman II." We've seen the effects the show is capable of (some very impressive), and fans would love it.

As for the final, "Covenant," penned by Miles Millar and Alfred Gough from a story by Todd Slavkin and Darren Swimmer, Clark is forced to confront his destiny with his biological father, Jor-El (voiced by "Superman II"'s Terence Stamp, aka General Zod).

It's this climax that leaves me at a loss. This is undiluted "Elseworld" territory, a term tagged to DC stories not following the established history of its characters and events. I can't imagine where Jor-El is seeking to take Clark. Krypton is destroyed. Perhaps it's the Phantom Zone, a dimension Kryptonians discovered and even used for banishing criminals. If this is the case, is Jor-El even Jor-El? After all, he took the name of Clark's true cousin, Kara (destined to someday arrive on earth as "Supergirl"), and tagged it to a homicidal girl. Are these the actions of a benevolent father or a phantom zone criminal making a power play? Another possible twist could be Clark's parents were never benevolent. Perhaps they were criminals intent on annexing other worlds.

Regardless, Clark is already seeing signs of his ultimate villain unfolding. The role of Lex as Clark's friend and eventual adversary is a strong point of the series. Credit Rosenbaum. His performance is dead on, capturing the essence of Lex like I'd never imagined.

Taken as a whole, "Smallville" continues to soar. It explores a time in Clark's life rarely addressed. Though the comic reader in me may gripe about small issues, I'm looking forward to witnessing Clark's long path to Metropolis and his legendary rise as the man of steel.

Covenant
Smallville

Writing: A
Story: A-
Acting: A
Directing: A

Overall: A-

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