Episode 2.1: Vortex

Vortex is a fantastic season opener and a great conclusion to the events that unfolded in last season's finale. We see Jonathan Kent fighting more than ever to keep Clark's secret safe and protect his family. Lex saves his father after a moment of hesitation and Lionel comes to see this as an act of weakness. Actually, Lionel doesn't see much of anything because an operation that he is given leaves him blind. Chloe's night at the Prom, as expected, ends in heartbreak when Clark rushes off to save Lana.

I genuinely felt sorry for Chloe in this episode thanks once again to the wonderful performance by Alison Mack.

Lex gets caught between a rock and a hard place when it is revealed to the Kent's that he knows Roger Nixon and might actually be the one who put him onto them. When he kills Nixon at the end it could just as easily be for his own benefit than that of Mr Kent's.

There is plenty of action in this episode as you would expect with any season opener. The moment when Clark goes up into the tornado to save Lana is brilliantly done and we later learn from Clark that there is a possibility that he was flying. It gives an insight into why he cannot usually fly in the series. It is because he simply does not have the will to do so.

Also, with a lot of other series, two-parter episodes have a tendency to drop the ball in the second part. Thankfully that isn't the case here. Vortex is just as satisfying as Tempest and the story is tied up nicely. 9/10