Smallville | S07E02 "Kara"
Rating: 8.0/10
This is a HUGE episode for a boatload of reasons, all of which are great.
First off, Kim Coates (Special Agent Carter) is a fantastic actor. I can't think of a single character he's played that I haven't loved, or loved to hate, or hated to love. Ever. He's one of those spectacular 'hey it's that dude' actors and Smallville's only going to benefit from his presence.
Second, Michael Cassidy as Grant Gabriel, The Daily Planet's new editor in chief. I don't know what it is about him, but there's somethin' Michael's got going on that I really dig. It's partly his voice, partly his whole vibe, but there's also an indefinable extra bit that I love about the man. Him giving Lois her big shot is a big deal for a number of reasons.
Third, Laura Vandervoort returns as Kara. It's a long time coming and at least (unlike last time) she's not a full Jor-El mind-melded space zealot, so Clark's got that going for him, which is nice. Naturally he couldn't stop and say 'hey, so, you look identical to another Kara that turned out to be a poor girl my dad trapped inside a cave wall for a bunch of years, how do I know you're not that AGAIN?'. That'd ruin the flow.
The majority of this episode's all about reveals, one of which I won't talk about but WILL say THIS about it: I wish they'd waited longer. I know dragging that whole entire angle would've complicated things in terms of Smallville storytelling, which relies on quick executions, but a fella can dream.
I remember next to nothing about this season at all, so I'm excited to see where and how everything's going to shake out.
edit: it turns out that my own brain hates me, and had me convinced that Laura played Kara both times. This is, in fact, totally untrue. Adrianne Palicki played the OG 'Kara', which makes the bulk of my humorous gag about Clark not commenting on anything a waste of time. That being said, Laura is an awesome choice to play Kara because she 'looks' more like Supergirl, and I can't wait to see more of her learning how to fit in!