Smallville's rogues gallery has been a very mixed bag over the years. There have been some real gems and even some pulled right out of the pages of DC comics but the majority has left a lot to be desired. Curtis Knox will definitely go down as one of the more memorable villains the show has ever had. Played wonderfully by former Superman Dean Cain (Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman), Curtis Knox is a well-developed villain with a clear motivation and unlike most of the freaks of the week - a real threat to Clark Kent.

Obviously based on Vandal Savage from DC Comics, Knox is an immortal that has found himself growing lonely throughout the centuries as he has watched loved ones die. This time around he intends to turn his true love into an immortal by stealing kryptonite-infused body parts from the meteor-infected. We appreciate the attention to detail like the machine he is using to keep his lady alive; it's a mish-mash of technology gathered over the past few centuries. Unlike the majority of Clark's villains, Knox's millennia of experience make him a sound tactician and a cunning adversary but unfortunately we don't get to see the full breadth of what the character is capable of in this episode.

Over the last few episodes, Chloe's world has crumbled around her. With the discovery that she is a meteor freak, her tumultuous relationship with Jimmy Olsen and Lois grabbing the spotlight at the Daily Planet, we didn't think things could get much worse - well they just did. The usually levelheaded Chloe is so desperate to rid herself of her healing ability that she makes a rash decision and entrusts Dr. Knox with her wellbeing. Chloe suddenly feels like an outsider on the show, floating on an island made of her own despair and Allison Mack has done an excellent job of portraying her character's confusion and anguish.

Jimmy and Chloe's relationship has been on shaky ground for some time and the avalanche of events that go wrong in this episode finally put it to an end. Even though the demise of their relationship was inevitable, it was Jimmy's overreaction that put the nail in the coffin. Our first response was to say that the dialogue Jimmy was given had been very forced and it seemed like a rushed conclusion but Jimmy had a similar reaction to Chloe and Clark's friendship last season and we realized that this was very much in character for the young photographer.

Lana's presence was kept to a minimum this week but her few moments of screen time weren't wasted. Her opening scene with Clark, Martian Manhunter and Kara was fun to watch and you could really tell that the whole situation was overwhelming for her but Lana keeps her cool and really holds her own during the super-powered powwow. That's probably because she has her own secret underground operation utilizing the ten million dollars she stole from Lex. We have no idea what she's up to but her secret apartment with a wall full of television monitors, each showing a room in Lex's mansion, was a nice touch. This story actually looks like it might be going somewhere interesting.

Martian Manhunter returns to reinforce the warning that Jor-El gave Clark a couple of weeks ago about Kara's intentions here on Earth. As expected, Kara denies the whole thing but Manhunter is pretty insistent, threatening Kara right in the middle of the Kent kitchen. This sends both Clark and Kara on a race to find the missing crystal from the destroyed spaceship. While nothing is resolved due to Clark being side tracked by Curtis Knox, it's still great to see this story moving along at a good pace.

"Cure" is a well-paced episode that not only spends plenty of time on character and plot development but also introduces an exciting new villain to the fold who doesn't fade into the background so easily. We wish more episodes juggled this much content as soundly as this week's outing but at least we can hope for more Vandal, err, Curtis Knox in the future.

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