The CW Network’s long-running drama depicting Clark Kent’s journey from teenager to Superman returned last night with the one hour episode “Savior.” Unlike previous seasons that have had events unfold in “real time,” season nine begins a mere three weeks after the end of last season. ***Major spoilers from here on*** Lois Lane (Erica Durance), who disappeared to the future at the end of the season eight finale, reappears suddenly on an elevated train. When a ninja assassin from the future arrives immediately after her, they fight as the train derails, plummeting to the ground. Fortunately, Clark (Tom Welling) arrives to save the day. Clark has gone through some serious changes of his own since telling best friend Chloe (Allison Mack) that he was giving up his human ties to pursue his destiny. Three weeks later, he is wearing a new black costume that features a trench coat and a silver version of the classic Superman logo. He has also finally begun the training his Kryptonian father, Jor-El, has been pushing him to begin since the show’s second season. At last, Clark has decided that in order to fulfill his destiny, he has to learn how to fly. Will the series’ writers make good on their promise this time, or will we be relentlessly teased for yet another season? The fans that have stuck by this series for so long deserve a legitimate payoff. Several episodes have been devoted to him discovering and mastering his other abilities, all within the confines of a single hour-long story. If this is indeed Smallville’s last season, as many have speculated, shouldn’t they pay off this part of Clark’s journey in a long, multi-part arc? Other than Clark, the only character that remains from the first season is Chloe. Not being a character from the comics gives her a sort of versatility that has kept her from outliving her usefulness. Given the “Justice League Year One” format the show has taken over the last several years, Chloe’s current direction really makes sense. Due to contractual stipulations, the Batman characters have been banned from appearing on Smallville. (Though, that Adam Knight storyline from season three had me going for a second there.) Chloe’s role as the makeshift Barbara Gordon/Oracle for the Smallville universe is an intelligent choice, especially considering Oracle’s prominent place with the superhero community in the recent DC Comics continuity. Series regular Justin Hartley also returns as Oliver Queen, aka Green Arrow. After apparently killing Lex Luthor last season, Oliver has been cut off from his superhero allies and has been fighting in underground cage matches. A great scene between Oliver and Lois clearly shows that she has moved beyond their previous romantic involvement and interested in Metropolis’ new hero, whom she does not realize is Clark. Oliver was a great addition to the show a couple years ago, helping Clark make the transition from anonymous savior of a small town to the anonymous, somewhat costumed protector of a big city. Comic fans know that Oliver will continue fighting crime as Green Arrow, but does that story really need to be seen here? What does Oliver have to offer to this year of Clark’s journey? The premier offers a mixed bag of antagonists and mysteries for the season. Lois’ would-be assassin reveals her self to be a Kryptonian from the future. She accuses Clark of being a traitor, revealing that the world will end in one year. She uses a blue Kryptonite rock to take away Clark’s powers, but still dies trying to kill him in the present. Also, Clark is approached by Chloe, who wants him to use his Legion ring to transport to the past and save her boyfriend Jimmy, who died at the end of last season. When Clark refuses, reminding her that the last time he travelled to the past resulted in the death of his father, Chloe leaves him in tears. Will Clark give in to her requests? Are we seeing the beginnings of why Chloe is not in present Superman continuity? An interesting new plotline follows a younger version of Clark’s Kryptonian enemy Zod (Callum Blue) that has arrived on Earth with a small army of Kryptonian warriors (including, it seems, the present version of Lois’ future assassin). Like last year’s Doomsday story, the Major Zod idea offers up potential for interesting parallels between his and Clark’s stories. Another new mystery is why Zod and his army apparently lack Kryptonian powers. Could it be that Clark’s future nemesis has been carrying around a blue Kryptonite rock for a very, very longtime? These new plotlines give Clark plenty of opportunity to resume the cycle of self-doubt and fear that have characterized the entire series. Is this his last opportunity to turn back? Signs point to yes, but if the show gets renewed for yet another season, odds are we will see Clark moving backward instead of forward. Much like this week’s Heroes premier, Smallville’s new episode leaves this examiner in a state best described as “cautiously optimistic.” Smallville has a tendency to overpromise and under deliver when it comes to Clark’s advancement in his journey. Last season was really good, but this year has to be even better. This late in the show’s run it would be a shame if they reneged yet again on promises to see Clark become the Man of Steel we all know he is supposed to be. If this is the last season, the show deserves to go out with a bang. Be sure to come back here next Saturday for the review of next week’s episode, which sees another classic Superman villain re-imagined for the Smallville universe in “Metallo.”