There is a moment in the latest Smallville episode "Kandor" that is both delicious and satisfying to me as a longtime fan of the show.
It's a scene the series has been building towards for years, though like the Man of the Steel himself it comes and goes with the speed of a bullet.
It's impact, though, represents a terrific payoff after all this time watching Tom Welling play Clark Kent so well.
Clark has just learned that his Kryptonian father, Jor-El, and Krypton's destroyer, Zod, are both alive and on earth in some form, transported through time by cloning technology and comic book fantasy.
These are men with whom Clark has issues as vast as the universe.
Jor-El and Zod are the two people most directly responsible for the nature of Clark's existence, and for the burden of his powers and his calling.
Tess Mercer (Cassidy Freeman) has captured Jor-El and is the key to Clark finding both of them.
Chloe Sullivan (Allison Mack) and Oliver Queen (Justin Hartley) quickly counsel Clark against rushing towards Tess and epic confrontation.
They consider Clark too emotionally invested to think clearly, suggesting he stand down and let Oliver talk to Tess first.
Throughout the series' run we have seen this same scene between Clark and these two characters, in one form or another, many times over.
Due in part to a childhood spent controlling his abilities, and in part to a life spent considering their consequences, Clark is a sensitive and thoughtful man.
Both Chloe and Oliver have very strong personalities full of charisma, and neither one is above a little manipulation now and then.
They have often steered the powerful hero in the direction they wanted him to go.
And Clark, who is so reluctant to see the dark side in anyone, has often allowed himself to be manipulated.