Previously on Smallville: Clark went to train with Jor-El; Oliver bought out LuthorCorp, then was nearly kaploded to death by the Toyman, aka Winslow Schott; Oliver killed Lex with malice aforethought and pinned it on the Toyman; Clark felt that was a wee bit over the line; Tess and Oliver had a little somethin' goin' on but it's over now; Oliver has been trying to pickle his liver.

Tense, drumming music of the "time is running out!" sort plays while a dozen or so people sit bound and gagged in some kind of factory. There are a lot of factories and warehouses on this show, don't you think? Nothing ever happens at a department store or a Cinnabon stand or the DMV. If you want to survive in Metropolis, just stay away from the warehouse district and you're halfway to a longer, healthier life. Another hostage wearing a shirt and tie sits in a chair with a bomb strapped to his midsection. He's also wearing a creepy mask that looks like if one of those Easter Island heads had a baby with Chucky. Outside, cop cars and SWAT vans are gathering while a helicopter circles overhead. A cop in a bulletproof vest orders a barricade so that no one will get in the way. Cue Clark in his Emo Blur outfit, zipping up onto a nearby roof. Then he just stands there and looks around, right under the helicopter. In broad daylight, by the way.

Inside, the hostages sit and wait, as hostages are wont to do. One by one, they get zipped out by Clark until only the masked man is left. Then Clark burns a gigantic flaming S symbol on the ground within about five feet of this bomb-clad dude, which seems ill-advised. Clark addresses Masky: "Don't bother pulling the trigger." Uh, what? It seems sort of blatant that this guy is a victim. Clark speeds over to him, rips the bomb off, and then backhands him right out of his chair and across the floor. The mask falls off, revealing this poor sucker's unconscious face and duct-taped mouth. A digital timer flashes in the mask's eye. Clark looks at the bomb in his hand like, "Oh, shit!" He hunches down and covers the bomb with his body to lessen the blast. Still, the explosion blows out one side of the factory and sends two SWAT guys outside cartwheeling through the air. Clark shakily starts to stand up, but his hearing goes all wonky. There's a flood of jumbled, muted sound from the police radio outside and a flurry of indistinct voices. Plus, everything's sort of too-bright and slo-mo, so you know something superfreaky just happened.