We rejoin the group sometime after they've cooled off a bit. They've gathered around the table. Hawkman promises that once they've taken care of the Icicle, his gang will fade away again. "We're not asking you to," Clark says. (Smallville budget department: "Yes, we are.") Carter, no longer wearing the Hawkman mask, says all they want is justice. Oliver gets all huffy. "Everything we've heard about you is a little blurry when it comes to justice." Courtney protests, but Oliver cites their long criminal records. Oliver, dude, your house is made of glass; quit throwing stones. Chloe doesn't have enough Bactine to dab all the wounds you'd incur. Courtney says the records were falsified, but Carter cuts her off because it's none of their business. John says they're making it their business. He goes on to tell them that even when he had the power to leave Earth, he didn't, and for one reason: "Hope." Humans have a capacity for violence, but a greater capacity for hope. Everyone looks thoughtful. Clark reminds them that there's a murderer out there and he's not going anywhere as long as the JSA knows something about him.

Daily Planet. Lois Lane walks into the office, talking a mile a minute. She's telling an unseen Clark about her crappy morning and being late for their breakfast and her broken-down taxi. To top it off, a bus drove through a puddle and splashed her with mud. By the time she got to her interview, she was interviewing the cleaning crew about how to get the stains out of her clothes. This whole time, she's been talking to some guy's back who doesn't even really look like Clark from behind except in the most basic "tall guy with dark hair" sort of way. She pours two cups of coffee. "Clark," she says to the guy's back. He turns around to face her. He looks vaguely like old-timey comics Clark Kent, with neat, oiled hair and black-rimmed glasses. He thanks her for the coffee and leaves. What in the hell was the point of that? To show Lois has all the observational skills of a block of cheese? She scoffs, thinking of the real Clark. "What could be more important than a breakfast date with the great Lois Lane?" There's not enough room in this recap for me to list all the things. Just then, a black-and-white checkered box is dropped onto her desk. She eagerly opens it to find all the JSA's criminal records and a note that reads, "The truth will set you free." Tess Mercer comes up behind her and snarks about Lois's dirty attire. "Mud-wrestling again, Lois?" You wish. Lois stuffs the files back into the box and turns to face her boss. Lois asks what Tess is doing there. Well, the writers finally remembered she exists, for starters. Tess sees the box and says the package is for her; the mail room must have just sent it to Lois by mistake. Lois points out that the package was addressed to her, not Tess. "Guess I haven't had any problems," Lois says. "No, but you will," Tess promises. Lois stares after her blankly.