Tess and Clark's first interaction mirrors Lex and Clark's first interaction. In Pilot, Clark rescued Lex from his Porsche, which he had driven off a bridge, while in Plastique Clark rescued Tess from a bus which had just exploded.
Clark changes his clothes inside a phonebooth. In the comics and movies, Clark would change into his costume in a phonebooth.
Lois calls Tommy "Livewire", which is also the name of a Superman villain, but with electrical powers.
In the comics, Plastique first appeared in 1982, while attempting to blow up the Herald-Express, a New York newspaper. She becomes a member of the Suicide Squad and later the Justice League offshoot team "Extreme Justice" before reverting to her life of crime some years later.
This is the first time in which Lex Luthor is not seen in any way, shape, or form.