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This review may contain spoilers.

Zombies and Superman don't mix. Not because our hero has super abilities and should make short work of an entire horde of the undead but because the traditional approach to dealing with the brain-eating creatures is to mash, decapitate and skewer them in whatever way possible.

And what kind of hero would Clark Kent (Tom Welling) be if he was willing to kill those who needed his help? With that in mind, all of the fun zombie antics and deaths are curiously absent in this not-so-rabid encounter. Scenes of an entire swarm being immolated by heat vision or being crushed by a bus that has been thrown clear across the street in a semi-comedy fashion would have made this a memorable event. Instead, "Rabid" is bound to the ideals of the Superman franchise.

Fan of the zombie sub-genre will no doubt be disappointed (this is by no means a George A. Romero production) but that is not to say "Rabid" is without its merits. The opening teaser was artfully shot, almost of horror movie caliber, with a bleached out view of an abandoned Metropolis and makes use of bizarre angular shots that provide a broader look at the desolation and disruption of the city. A close-up of an empty syringe dripping with liquid Kryptonite quickly establishes how bad the situation has become and Clark embarks on a quest for answers.

The problem is though that the developing outbreak of rage is not nearly as interesting as the aftermath and, post-teaser, the episode spends too much time focusing on the identifying and analysis of the deadly virus. It is only when Metropolis becomes the barren wasteland glimpsed in the opening minutes that "Rabid" begins to live up to its name. Scenes of a shotgun toting Oliver Queen (Justin Hartley) and Tess (Freema Cassidy) going the way of the samurai and an undead Lois Lane (Erica Durance) are well executed and carry a sincere element of excitement.

What Worked

In amongst the zombie-fest are some fantastic character moments. At the top is Oliver as a drunken playboy on the rampage with an attitude problem for The Blur. The animosity between the two heroes is straight from the comics but from a "Smallville" perspective comes with a more interesting history. Clark has finally become the hero that Green Arrow wanted him to be from his origins in the series and now Oliver doesn't like what he has created.

Woven with darker threads, Ollie saying goodbye to the Arrow for the last time shows the normally upbeat and aloof character has hit rock bottom and is quickly becoming something of a likeable asshole. With the arrival of his sidekick on the horizon, it looks like there are more dark stories ahead for Oliver Queen.

But the most entertaining scene was the final one, revealing the origins of the rage virus to be an experiment by one of Zod's (Callum Blue) lackies. The belief that Jor-El has survived the destruction of Krypton will make some interesting storytelling over the new few episodes, especially with Blue as the man at the top. His screentime thus far may have been limited, but there is something about the way he mutters "Kneel…" that makes him the right man for the job.

What Didn't Work

And for the third week in a row, Alessandro Juliani's character is nothing more than a convenient McGuffin. He again provides a snap diagnosis (this time by watching two seconds of CCTV footage) and provides a convenient way to resolve the zombie situation. The decision to have the virus as an off-shoot of Davis Bloom's transformation was far too underplayed and could have had a larger impact given the weight of the "Doomsday" tragedy. Adding to the disappointment is the relative ease that Hamilton was able to revolutionize a cure for the spreading virus and also develop a dispersal method.

It's clear that Dr. Hamilton will be a cornerstone in Chloe's developing arc this season but the real problem is that these two don't have any on-screen chemistry at all and, as a result, their working relationship is far too artificial to be believed.

Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due

"Smallville" stars Tom Welling, Erica Durance, Allison Mack, Justin Hartley, Cassidy Freeman and Callum Blue. "Rabid" was written by Jordan Hawley and directed by Mike Rohl.

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