The following contains MAJOR SPOILERS for "Sleeper," the seventeenth episode of the seventh season of The CW?s "Smallville."

Given the grisly nature of ?Smallville?s? last two episodes, you can be forgiven for thinking of ?Sleeper? as out of place, too comedic and lacking any of the same intensity that has made recent adventures so enjoyable.

Most of that may be true, but hiding in the shadows is a deeper story that will no doubt play a larger role in the conclusion of the seventh season. Pretty much everything that has been developed over the last year and a half is relegated to background material to allow for some more in-depth exploration of Jimmy Olsen (Aaron Ashmore), only this time without the added charm of Lois Lane (Erica Durance).

Following her efforts to gain access to Government records, Chloe is flagged as a potential terrorist and so a special unit is dispatched to apprehend her and gain additional intelligence on her plans. And the easiest way to do that is through Jimmy.

Despite some of the fun-factor, ?Sleeper? is an episode that doesn?t quite know what it wants to be: at points the story revolves entirely around a James Bond setup between Jimmy and Chloe (Allison Mack), and at others takes a head-first dive into the swirling ?Smallville? mythology. There is no cohesive element to bind the two stories together with Clark spending most of his time in an off-screen visit to Lana or in a few short scenes of investigating the disappearance of Brainiac and Kara.

Even with the massive significance of Kal-El embarking on a trip home to Krypton, the episode doesn?t match the in-depth storytelling that makes ?Smallville? such an addictive series.

What Worked

We?ve been through all of the heartbreak stuff between Jimmy and Chloe before and it wasn?t exactly the most addictive relationship shakeup (even with the addition of Kara). This time, the story allowed for a lot more insight into the couple, particularly Jimmy whom until recently has been useless and forgettable on the series. Its nothing against Ashmore, he does a rather good job under the circumstances but with more interesting and super-charged characters from the comic mythos zipping in and out of Metropolis ? the likes of which include Green Arrow, Black Canary and Supergirl - it is quite hard to accept the ?wholesome Olsen? for what he is: the normal kid

What Didn?t Work

The dance sequence in the Ace of Clubs was incredibly out of place and didn?t quite live up to the 007 benchmark the majority of the episode was aiming for and served as an excuse to drag out the unrealistic table top hacking just long enough for the episode to meet its forty-minute quota. Still, it did include some impressive dance moves from both Ashmore and Mack

Chloe?s interrogation at the hands of Government agents couldn?t be further from James Bond and a photographer from the Daily Planet took out the highly trained operatives a little to easily.

Lex?s (Michael Rosenbaum) quest to reach Zurich was left in the background for far too long and the ease with which he was able to jet off to Zurich after being black-listed only raised the unbelievably meter to critical levels. The only good point to Lex?s antics being his final moments as he effortlessly lands M Mr. Olsen in his back pocket. A classic Luthor strategy.

Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due

"Smallville" stars Tom Welling, Michael Rosenbaum, Allison Mack, Erica Durance, Aaron Ashmore and Laura Vandervoort, and airs Thursday nights at 9 p.m. on The CW. "Sleeper" was written by Caroline Dries and Whitney Ransick, and was directed by Ken Horton.

Alan Stanley Blair is the assistant news editor for Airlock Alpha and its sister site Rabid Doll. He is currently studying for a diploma in freelance journalism and can be reached at anytime at ablair@airlockalpha.com.