What a great start to this new season of Smallville! General Zod almost takes over Earth for the first time (or again, depending on your age). We get to see Clark Kent kneel before Zod and trick him again (or for the first time). We see the Phantom Zone and those that inhabit it and how it's possible to escape it if you know the secret passageway. I watched in sadness as Lana Lang and Lex Luthor's relationship takes a new twist, as Lana is exposed to Kryptonian powers without somehow forgetting it by the end of the episode, but it is from Lex/Zod and not Clark Kent. Lana is forgiving of Lex and the terrible things that he did, but "he wasn't himself", so it's all good. Then we see Clark and Lois Lane share an emotional moment, then realize that it was not the norm for them, but they realize that they kind of liked it too. This could be a new beginning for them as they start to realize that their relationship could be more than big sister/little brother, and it wouldn't be so bad. FULL REVIEW:

This episode starts right where Season 5 ended, Clark Kent is trapped in the Phantom Zone and is hurtling away from Earth. Chloe Sullivan and Lionel Luthor are being attacked amidst the chaos of Metropolis. Lex Luthor/Zod and Lana Lang are on top of the LuthorCorp building surveying the destruction.

In the Phantom Zone, Clark is wandering around an empty desert when he is attacked by specters who overwhelm him with their speed and ferocity. A robed stranger intervenes and drives them off with a beam of light emanating from a talisman engraved with the Superman 'S'. Clark thanks the stranger, but then the stranger kicks him in the head knocking him out and the welcomes him to the Phantom Zone.

In Metropolis, a LuthorCorp security guard helps rescue Lionel and Chloe and brings them into the LuthorCorp building and they head to the rooftop. On the rooftop, Lana urges Lex to stop the destruction with the powers that Professor Fine gave him. Lex then tells Lana that he is not Lex, but Zod. Chloe and Lionel arrive on the rooftop only to see Lex grab Lana and fly off.

Chloe and Lionel go back to his office and they talk about how Clark failed to stop Zod. They talk about going back to the barn and getting the knife to kill Zod/Lex. They try to think of another way. Lionel mentions that he doesn't have the connection with Jor-El anymore. He will head back to Smallville, and Chloe will go to the Daily Planet to try and find an answer.

In the Phantom Zone, Clark is being held by the stranger. The stranger recognizes Kal-El and then shows him the talisman with the Superman S.

Lana and Lex arrive at a warehouse and Lex shows Lana the spaceship. Lana is trying get Lex to fight Zod from within. Zod brings Lana along to bear witness to the rebirth of Krypton. Lex extracts a key from the ship and the ship disappears.

Lois Lane and Martha Kent's jet has crashed in some snowy mountains. Martha wakes up and finds Lois injured adn unresponsive. She is half frozen and can't move. Martha finds that the cockpit of the jet has been destroyed and all the communication devices are destroyed. She looks out of the window and sees the Fortress of Solitude and it is glowing red.

Martha takes Lois into the Fortress. Jor-El communicates with Martha and tells her how Clark used the knife to kill Fine instead of Zod. He tells her that Clark has been banished. Jor-El tells Martha to retrieve the dagger and kill Zod to save her world. Martha accepts the mission and Jor-El thanks Martha for doing such a good job raising Kal-El. He then sends Martha and Lois back to Smallville.

In the Phantom Zone, the stranger, Raya, helps Clark with his injuries.They talk about how she has been trapped there. She was one of Jor-El's assistants on Krypton. He sent her away to the Phantom Zone to protect her from dying. She gives Clark the crystal with the S on it. He tells Raya that he has to get back or Zod will kill everyone he loves. Raya is fearful of Zod but will help Clark.

At the Daily Planet, Chloe is studying the kryptonian symbols that Lionel had written. She hears someone coming in, and grabs her gun and fires an errant shot. The intruder ends up being Jimmy Olsen.

Zod and Lana go back to the mansion and Lex pulls out the object from the ship and disables the virus. Lex tells Lana that the ship will send out an impulse that will start the transformation to Krypton. Lana attempts to attack Zod, but he takes the weapon from her and impales her hand to the wall instead. Lex then leaves for the Pentagon. After he leaves, Lana pulls her hand free.

In the Phantom Zone, Raya and Clark are heading to the gateway when they are attacked by the two Kryptonians who attacked Earth in Season 5. Clark is captured and Raya tells them that she was bringing him to them, as he can set them free. Clark is the only one who can open the gateway as he is the son of Jor-El.

Martha is at the barn and she finds the dagger just as Lionel walks in. They are talking about Lex when Lana walks in. They agree that they have to kill Lex, Lana agrees to do it as she will be the only one who can get close enough. She takes the dagger.

At the mansion, Zod comes back with a Pentagon computer. Lana is back and tell him that she has nowhere to run to and will give into her fate. Zod tells her that she will give him an heir, and she agrees that it will be the first of many. They start to kiss and Lana tries to stab Zod with the dagger, but her grabs it from her and breaks it. Zod uses the object to interface with the Pentagon computer and access the satellites.

At the Planet, Jimmy and Chloe are talking, when the Earth starts to shake and a high pitched noise is heard everywhere, The Planet starts to fall apart.

In the Phantom Zone, they arrive at the gateway. Raya cuts Clark's hand and draws blood. She then kills one of the attackers and frees Clark. Clark uses his blood to open the gateway, but it also sucks in others and they arrive on Earth.

On Earth the are massive earthquakes and at the barn, it is falling apart. Clark saves Martha and Lionel and finds out where Zod and Lana are. He goes to the mansion just as Zod is choking Lana. Clark arrives and destroys the object and stops the destruction on Earth. Clark and Zod start fighting with superpowers and Zod is winning. He tells Clark to "Kneel before Zod" and he will not destroy the ones he loves. Zod reaches out his hand and Clark grabs it and gives the crystal with the S on it to Zod. It emits a power and defeats Zod, driving him from Lex's body. Lex passes out and drops the S.

At the hospital, Lois is getting better and Clark arrives to speak with her. Lois tells her about how she doesn't know how the plane went down. She did wake up in a palace of ice and knew everything was going to be alright. Clark tells her that he is glad she is back and grabs her hand. They both realize they are sharing an awkward moment and recoil from each other.

Lex comes to the hospital and finds Lana, he tells her that the last time he remembers anything he was in the field with her and then all went white and he woke up at the hospital. Lana tells Lex that he caused all the destruction and that he wasn't himself. Lex tells her that he will work hard to fix things.

Clark goes to the Planet and finds Chloe and that she is alright. They embrace and they discuss the kiss from earlier. They both agree that it was nothing. Jimmy comes in and he is introduced to Clark, and he picks up on that Jimmy and Chloe like each other. They go off to get something to eat. Clark heads back to the Farm.

Martha is cleaning up in the barn and Clark comes back tells Martha that he took the crystal back to the Fortress for safekeeping. He tried to talk to Jor-El, but there was no answer. Clark tells his mother that the Fortress is dead. Clark says that everything is changing, he doesn't know what to do now.

At LuthorCorp, Lionel is drawing kryptonian symbols but isn't in a trance, he translates one as Power. At the mansion, Lex is holding a broken piece of the object form the spaceship and is examining it. At Iguazu Falls in South America, we see one of the phantoms from the Phantom Zone flying around, letting the audience know that danger is still out there.