Kara Zor-El has swooped onto Smallville, and brought with her an injection of Superman mythology set to push characters forwards in a very refreshing way.
Based on the current line in comics, this Supergirl was big cous' to the baby Kal-El on Krypton, but when her ship was submerged on landing in Smallville, she was kept in suspended animation until it surfaced -- 18 years later.
And a lot can change in 18 years. The infant Kal-El has grown up into Clark Kent, alien undercover as farmboy and a young man now more human than Kryptonian (as we are reminded almost constantly). Kara's world is shattered as she learns that her planet exploded, destroying everyone and everything she ever knew: a heart-wrenching scene at the end of "Bizarro" provides the first taste of this loss, but those not familiar with her backstory will understand when Laura Vandervoort powerfully communicates it to Clark in "Kara".
There is an interesting power play set up between the two cousins: sometimes sibling-esque one-upmanship, sometimes caring and mentoring. When Kara's flight is balanced with Clark's experience, the two are placed on an even footing which won't undermine our young Superman-to-be in the same way as some previous meta-guests. This new relationship restores some of the 'heart' which the show appeared to have lost.
Kara Zor-El is a dynamic new character played by a stellar actress who seems set to shake up the show in the style of Lois Lane's introduction in season four. That is why she deserves a thread just to bring the love -- so bring it.
