Brainiac touches his shoulder and says: "Not every man is destined to find a woman like Lois." Tsk-tsk, writers. You need to trust that you wrote Lois well enough in this episode that we'll get her awesomeness. Don't oversell it by having other characters pile on the love. Brainiac's like the non-ironic version of the Punch Lady extolling Lana's virtues at the reunion. Clark agrees that Lois is "one of a kind" and says he knows why he was sent here. "I had intended to be here with you," Brainiac says, "but you interfered with the ring." "You wanted me to see how things would be with Lois," Clark says. "And with the flying." Brainiac says that Clark's "darkness" isn't just in the past but in fearing the future. Clark says he'd always hoped his life would be like this. Except for when he used to want a normal life, but whatever. He'd given up hoping. Brainiac tells him not to worry because the future turns out fine. So we don't need to tune in for the finale or anything? Awesome! Brainiac advises him to "shed the weight of the past." Then he ribs Clark for stranding him in the "dark ages" then zaps them both back to the reunion.

Greg Arkin the Bug Man is just walking up to Lois to deliver that message for Clark. Clark and Brainiac are standing just a few feet away in a spotlight, but no one seems to see them. Let's just chalk it up to some kind of ring magic. "Clark is the reason a lot of us are still here," Bug Man says. "I got kinda caught up in my web of obsession and he set me straight." I had to go back and read Omar G.'s recap because I didn't remember this episode. It looks like Bug Man (then Bug Boy) and Clark fought and then Bugs dropped a big metal block on himself and turned into a bunch of roaches or something. Clark shouted "Greg, watch out!" somewhere in there, but I guess he did so with such caring and intensity of feeling that it really made an impact. Also, ew: Bug Man is made of reconstituted roaches. He's still talking to Lois, calling Clark a hometown hero. "Just tell him," Bug Man says. "Tell him 'thank you.'" Clark, talking to Brainiac, realizes he's lost sight of the present while moping about the past and future. "A hero is made in the moment," Brainiac says, "not in questioning the past or fearing what's to come." Well, a little of that is okay. Just don't be a dick about it, you know? Brainiac zaps himself away in a flash of light. Clark walks up to Lois and leads her onto the dance floor. (The two Torchettes are also dancing and kissing in the background. Enjoy your youth while it lasts, kids! You'll be 30 before you know it! And still playing teenagers on the CW!) Lois and Clark have just started dancing when the music ends and the lights go up. The reunion is over. Clark apologizes, but Lois is good-natured about it. For a change.