This week brings us an episode with no dopey subplots, virtually no comic relief, and a plot that moves forward with plenty of action and not too much exposition. It's like we dropped into an alternate universe where Smallville is awesome! Things start off with Tess doing Agent Waller and Checkmate's bidding by staging an awesome fight sequence in the streets of Metropolis. It's all a trap to capture the Green Arrow when he shows up to break up the fight. As it turns out, he's not the real target, but a means to an end. He manages to escape, but they grab Chloe, aka the Watchtower, who is their real target. It's all a part of Waller's plot to recruit heroes to fight against the alien invasion, and she needs Watchtower's intel to do it. Her tactics leave the good guys less than enthused. Even Tess ends up going underground in an effort to get away from them, since the only other way to leave is in a pine box.
With a good deal of teamwork, Oliver, Clark, and John Jones manage to save Chloe from Checkmate's castle headquarters. A reunited Oliver and Chloe share a sweet moment, but there's blessedly zero mope-filled romance this week. Meanwhile, John destroys the alien blood sample Waller stole from Lois a while back, effectively wiping out her evidence of alien life. He also wipes Waller's memories of the team's identities, but he has secrets of his own. It seems like he's working for some other mystery player, but he's been working in secret in order to try to keep the team off Checkmate's radar. At the end, Clark realizes he needs to work with Chloe instead of around her. In fact, they realize they all need to work together... which probably won't last long, but let's enjoy it while it lasts.
What would happen if the Amazing Race took a detour to Smallville? Would they be able to get through Chloe's dialogue with a straight face, or would they opt to bale hay instead? Get our take. Check back soon for the full recap.