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Tue

Aug

Summer of Smallville -

The Biggest One Yet

Today, we have four episodes worth of the Summer of Smallville. I originally wanted to do six, and I originally wanted to post them on this past Friday. Due to some hardware issues and life complications from moving and people constantly at my house, though, it’s been tougher to get done than I would like. But enough complaining. On to….

Season 1 Episode 7 - Craving

Written by: Michael Green (second writing credit on the show)

Directed by: Phillip Sgriccia (second directing credit on the show)

Synopsis - We are introduced t Jodi Mellville, a girl in Smallville who struggles with her weight. (And who will one day be publicist, personal assisstant, and lover of Ricky Bobby.) (That’s a Will Ferrell reference.) In an attempt to lose weight, she begins a diet of veggie shakes made with vegetables grown in meteorite-rich soil. (Or as Emeril Lagasse would say, “We’ve kicked the veggie shake up a notch with a little Kryptospice.” “BAM!”) The shakes help her lose weight…rather quickly and dramatically and leave her with an unnatural need and ability to “suck” the fat out of people. As Chloe puts it, she becomes “a fat sucking vampire.” Meanwhile, Lex is given a physical and told by his doctor of an unusually high white blood cell count. The doctor says he sees a lot of it in Smallville, and to prove he is healthy and his plant has nothing to do with the phenomenon, Lex orders a battery of tests to be done. The incident does spur him on to look into the effects of meteor rocks though. He talks to Chloe about her theories and is put on the trail of Dr. Hamilton. By the end of the episode, Lex has Dr. Hamilton in his pocket, thus causing our Lex plot to thicken. While all this is going on, Lana is getting ready for her sweet sixteen, and Clark is stressing about what to get her for her brithday. Pete gets a date that goes wrong, a digital deer bites the dust, a greenhouse explodes, and Bugs Bunny makes a cameo. As far as foreshadowing moments or neat line go, there is only one and it’s delivered briefly enough to be considered a throw away line to the casual observer. Clark tells Chloe, “I’ve gotta fly,” as he is leaving to work on Lana’s birthday present.

It’s neat to get to see Pete not just in the buddy role in this episode, but we really get to see how good of a guy he is. When other guys are picking on Jodi because she’s fat, Pete is quick to stand up for her. Of course, Chloe is there to help out, but I think we expect Chloe to be good hearted, Pete, I think the audience would forgive. There is also the chance that the creators of the show would use this episode to be the one where “one of Clark’s friends learns an important lesson about kindness…tonight…on a very special Blossom.” (Sorry, mixed references.) You get my point I hope. It’s nice to know that Pete is a good guy, not just the funny buddy. He does have a great line when Jodi asks him to Lana’s party…”Women dig me, get used to it.” Good stuff.

There is a moment with a digital deer. I point out that it’s digital simply because when it walks on screen it’s fairly easy to spot the digitalness of it. It sort of brings you back into the “this is a television show not a movie” world. It’s not a complaint or a harsh criticism, just a fun observation. The digital deer, however is the reason for auto mishap number 5 (4 wrecks and an explosion) in the show!

Once again, this episode puts Clark in the position of deciding to save lives or go after what he wants. He chooses to save lives as he realizes that Jodi is responisible for turning the deer she hit into jerky, making the kid who made fun of her look like he has plageria, and that now she may put Pete in danger. He and his parents have a good talk about the sacrifices he will have to make if he is to do what he needs to do with his gifts. (I appreciate that they refer Clark’s powers as gifts or abilities. It makes him more human, and let’s us see how they see him, not as a strange visitor from another planet, but as their gifted son.)

The Clana relationship gets ramped up just a touch as he gives her the best birthday present she could have received by setting up a screen and projector against a barn and treating her to Drive-In movie cartoons the way her parent’s did when she was little. (All set to the tune of “I could be Your Hero.” Girls everywhere were “awwwwww”ing.)

For me, this episode was good, but at only seven episodes in, the Freak of the Week thing is getting a little tired. The one thing this episode does address with very little preaching is an issue that most (if not all) teenage girls (and guys) face. Dealing with unhappiness about one’s appearance is something that just about everyone can relate to. The story of Ricky Bobby’s future girlfriend is a sci fi way of showing the dangers of real eating disorders and how easy it is for people to get caught up in them. The reality of the situation for Jodi is what makes it easy to suspend disbelief about the story. Ultimately, though, the real story of this episode is the introduction of Dr. Hamilton and Lex’s curiosity about the effects of meteor rocks. Because of the way the overall story arc is progressed, I have to give the episode a 3 out of 5 whatever I am potentially give 5 of.

So we go from fat suckers to super shakers with….

Season 1 Episode 8 - “Jitters”

Written by - Cherie Bennett and Jeff Gottesfield

Directed by - MIchael Watkins and Greg Beeman (This is the second directing credit for both of these guys. The second of many for Beeman.)

Synopsis - In this episode we are introduced to Earl Jenkins and a condition that has nothing to do with super powers brought on by over exposure to the meteor rocks. Earl Jenkins is trying to get an audience with Lionel Luthor to find out what was being used on Level 3 of the fertilizer plant in Smallville when an explosion caused Earl to begin shaking incredibly violently. In his quest to find out how to cure himself, Earl accidentally kills a man, crashes a party at Clark’s house, takes a high school group of kids hostage, is thought to be crazy, and almost kills Lex. While Lex and Lionel both deny the existence of anything happening on Level 3, Lionel knows that Level 3 not only exists, but that there were also experiments being done with meteor rocks to see what effects they have on crop growth. Jonathan and Martha celebrate their anniversary in Metropolis leaving Clark home alone. Clark decides to have a few friends over and it explodes into a huge party. In the end, Clark has to save not only Lex and Earl, but the fertilizer plant as well. We get to see an incredible comparison between The Luthor family and The Kent family. A couple of neat little things in this episode that make me smile:

- As Clark is listening to music through some headphones, Martha is leaving instructions. Clark is going about getting something to snack on and seems oblivious. Martha takes off the headphones and asks for confirmation that Clark hears her. He repeats what she’s told him and Martha says, “It’s good to see you’re hearing hasn’t changed.” It is an obvious cue in the direction of Clark’s super hearing (Which he won’t get fully until season 3).

- When Clark gets home from the hospital, the house is wrecked. A deep breath and Clark super speeds his way to a clean house. As he finishes and looks around proudly, Jonathan applauds his sons efforts. It’s just a fun moment to see Clark use his powers for an everyday tast and to see him in trouble.

The secrets of the Luthor’s begin to come to light a little bit in this episode with the whole level 3 issue. While Lex is apparently ignorant of any Level 3, Lionel certainly is aware. But let’s be honest, Lex isn’t without his secret projects.

This episode also marks the first time we see the negative physical effects that can be brought on by the meteor rocks. To this point, everyone we’ve see affected in any way by the meteor rocks has gained some kind of gift. In Earl Jenkins case though, his body is trying to expell the meteor fragments embedded in his skin, and the rocks kick that process up by about three notches, so that his body shakes supernaturally violently.

The real heart of this episode comes from the comparison we get to blatantly see between Clark’s family and Lex’s relationship with Lionel. As the group of kids is taken hostage in the fertilizer plant by Earl Jenkins are released, Clark and Lex are stuck inside. When everything finally settles down, Lionel uses Lex’s episode to spin the story to the media. Jonathan and Martha are genuinely relieved to see Clark. Lionel hugs Lex to make for a good picture in the paper. Jonathan and Martha are celebrating Clark’s safety with real affection. Lex watches the Kents together and the look in his eyes makes you truly feel sorry for him.

In my opinion, this is one of the better episodes of the season. While It doesn’t do much to move things along on a large scale, there is the discovery that Lionel, at least, knows of meteor rock effects. Clark gets to be the hero on a larger scale than he has yet to this point. There is no teen drama, but a couple of fun moments as we meet Chloe’s dad and he embarasses Chloe while the class is on the field trip. The drama of this episode comes from the desperate Earl Jenkins as he seeks to find out how to fix himself. If asked, I would give this episode a 4 out 5 whatever I’m giving 5 of just because of an X-Ray vision moment when the X-Ray vision is see-through vision and I feel like they should have that worked out by the eighth episode. So the story of a shaky former employee taking a group of kids hostage in a crap factory ends and that brings us to…

Season 1 Episode 9 - “Rogue”

Written by Mark Verheiden (The man who gave us “X-Ray”)

Directed by David Carson

Synopsis - This is the first episode ever of Smallville with no meteor freak. (Unless you don’t consider Earl Jenkins a meteor freak…and I do.)(Then again…if you’ve watched through season 6, you know that if Chloe is an episode, then the episode is never truly meteor freak free…but…we’ve got five years worth of TV to get through before we even know that, so..this is the first ever episode of Smallville with no meteor freak.) While at a museum in Metropolis, Clark steps out for a moment and stops a runaway bus from hitting a homeless man asleep on a bench. He is seen by Detective Felan of the Metropolis PD. A dirty cop. Felan is having trouble with Internal Affairs, and decides to use Clark to help him with his problems. When Clark refuses to help, Felan pushes him and his family. When Clark tries to swerve Felan, he frames Jonathan Kent for murder, landing Jonathan in jail. Victoria Hardwick, the daughter of one of Lionel’s top business rivals, makes her way to Smallville and into Lex’s life as she tries to bring Lex into her dad’s corporation. Lex decides to get Victoria to work with him so that they can overthrow both of their fathers. At the Torch, Prinicpal Kwan fires Chloe for printing wild stories about meteor freaks. While trying to help the situation, Lana finds herself editor of the Torch and at odds with Chloe. In the end, we see Clark vs. a bullet for the first time, Lex drawn even more into trying to unravel the mystery of Clark Kent, Lana and Chloe finally decide to be friends, and the man who Clark will be one day comes slightly more into focus. This is one of the best episodes of the entire first season. It seems that in any incarnation of Superman, whether it’s the comics, the cartoon, or another Superman television, whenever Clark’s secret gets out, it makes for an interesting story. One of the better episodes of the old black and white Superman television show was one where some people found out that Clark Kent and Superman were one and the same. It is no different here. Felan discovering that Clark has these amazing abilities and trying to use him to get out of trouble with internal affairs makes for a great show.

Not to simply rest on a great story, the creators had to ramp up the teen drama in this episode as Chloe loses control of the Torch to Lana. Lana does the right thing in the end though and publishes a story defending Chloe. Chloe gets the Torch back and she and Lana become friends.

There are some really cool moments in this episode.

* When Clark sees the armor that was worn by Alexander the Great (Which surprisingly, has a diamond shape on the chest with a snake in the shape of an “S” in the center of the diamond) he says that he can’t see himself wearing that as he goes into battle. Shyeah…we’ll see.

* It’s nice to see Clark in Metropolis for the first time on the show. But the best of Clark in Metropolis is yet to come.

* Jonathan and Clark talk about the fact that Clark wanted to kill Felan, but Clark didn’t. Jonathan reminds Clark that once he crosses that line, he can never go back. It’s interesting how the idea of Superman not killing, which came about as a reaction to an attack on comics in the forties or fifties, has become so important to the character.

* Then there’s the great moment of Clark being faster than a speeding bullet. This is the first time we’ve seen Clark go up against a bullet and it’s pretty fun to see the look of amazement on his face as he watches the bullet pass by.

There are a couple of little “roll your eyes” moments as well.

* When Lex tells Clark to give him five minutes and he will have a team of the best lawyers in the state. How many times does he make similar statements throughout the rest of the show? I should have counted that.

* When Felan calls in a false bomb threat to the museum, Lex is there and acts as the bomb squad. Who would let him do that? I don’t care if they’re just museum security or not, they wouldn’t let Lex just open up a box that potentially contained a bomb.

Then there’s the auto mishaps.

Clark makes a dramatic save when a bus driver suddenly has a heart attack and loses control of the bus. Clark steps in front of the bus and stops it cold. This makes auto mishap number 6 in the show. Then, as if he realized that there were no automobiles harmed in the filming of the previous episode, he drops a safe on Felan’s car from a third story window, doing quite the number on Felan’s car for auto mishap number 7.

The burden of Clark’s secret is brought to the forefront in the episode. He can’t tell Lex why Felan is after him, and he can’t let Felan destroy his family. Lex’s curiosity about Clark is heightened and as Felan lays dying at the end of the episode, Lex presses him for information. Whatever it takes, Lex is going to get the knowledge he wants. In fact, the last shot of the show is Lex looking at security camera footage of a blur going through the museum.

I loved this episode. The drama of Clark’s secret being used against him, the passion with which Jonathan tries to protect his son, some great effects, a splash of intrigue with Lex and Victoria, and just a slight touch of teen drama all came together to make a 5 out of 5 whatever I’m giving five of on this episode. And they did it with no meteor freak…sadly, what we get next is not only the last review of this post, but also…

Season 1 Episode 10 - “Shimmer”

Written by Michael Green and Mark Verheiden

Directed by D.J. Caruso

Synopsis - Smallville misses a step as this episode focuses on an invisible person attacking Victoria Hardwick right in Luthor mansion. It turns out that the viewer thinks it’s Amy - the daughter of Lex’s housekeeper. In reality, it’s Amy’s brother trying to take up for Amy. It really is not fun. In fact, the real heart of this show comes from Lana and Whitney having trouble as Whitney pulls away from Lana. Clark decides to step in and make his move. Before he can though, he finds out that the reason Whitney has been on edge is because his dad is very sick with a heart condition. Whitney hasn’t told Lana because he doesn’t want to burden her with his problems after all that she’s been through. (That’s actually kind of selfless thinking on Whitney’s part.) Clark, then decides to step back from trying to move in on Lana and gets her to be there for Whitney. Yep, the teen drama is actually more appealing to me in this episode than the invisible boy helping his sister feel better about her obsession with Lex Luthor. A couple of cool moments:

- Pete tells Clark, “You’re not the flying type.”

- We see Cadmus labs for the first time as Victoria is going through Lex’s files…suddenly it seems as though Victoria isn’t as nice as we thought she may be.

- Lex and Lionel go at it about his relationship with Victoria. It’s always nice to see father and son have those conversations.

- When Clark asks Lex what he would do about Whitney if Lex were in Clark’s place, Lex tells Clark, “I’d go for it. But you wouldn’t.” Lex then talks to Clark about how Clark is a really good person.

The moment that all Clana fans hate is when Lana and Clark are in the loft to watch the sunset and after Clark tells Lana that she needs to be there for Whitney, she looks at the set sun and says, “Look, we missed it.” Because everyone knows that she’s not just talking about the sunset..she’s talking about her and Clark.

There is a line thrown in at the end as Clark is fighting Amy’s naked invisible brother (He has to be naked to be invisible.) where he tells Clark that he’s heard Lex talking about Clark like he’s something special. If Clark would listen, he’d know a little bit about what Lex is up to.

There’s really not much to say about this episode. While I really think they hit all the right notes in the Lana/Clark/Whitney triangle, and there was a great effect shot of Chloe’s fingers after she’s rubbed the invisibility oil on them, this episode was just a bit of a misstep after an episode like Rogue. Of course, Smallville suffers from this every season. There will be a WONDERFUL episode and they follow it up with a less than stellar episode so it seems worse than it really is. While it’s not Pete driving a car, it’s not very good either. I give this episode 2 out five. With all two points coming from the Clana/Whitney triangle. There was no big explosion, no car accident, but there was a cool shot of Clark getting hit in the face with a mace (Weapon from midevial times…not spray). So maybe we’ll go 2.1 out of 5.

Well, I know this is a long one, but we’ve got a lot of ground to cover. We pretty much halfway through season 1, and I know that there are few episodes coming up that I won’t be spending much time on…kind of like “Shimmer.” So hopefully, we’ll be done with Season one and into Season 2 by the end of the week. Check back often and tell your friends. As always, keep coming here to immerse yourself in total geekdom.

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Thu

Aug

The Summer of Smallville

Rolls on….Again…finally

In order to move things along, here are a few assumptions you can bring to the table unless otherwise noted:

1. I think the actors are all the perfect choices for the roles in which they are cast.

2. Lana Lang’s voice gets on my nerves.

3. Unless otherwise stated, the acting on the show is great in my opinion.

4. The reviews from here on will focus more on the story aspect of things than anything in the production…though I’m sure I will mention production issues here and there.

So, on with the Summer of Smallville. Expect a major Summer of Smallville update to follow this one tomorrow.

Now where were we? Oh yeah.

Season 1 Episode 5 - ”Cool”

Written by Michael Green
Directed by Jim Conter

Synopsis – Afer falling through the ice of a frozen over Crater Lake, Sean Kelvin is irradiated by meteors and finds that he can drain the heat out of things. This isn’t just a power, it is a necessity for him to stay warm. In his quest for warmth, this teenage Captain Cold sets his eyes on Chloe after killing his ex-girlfriend. In order to save Chloe, Clark has to abandon Lana on a “just friends” date set up by Lex Luthor. Meanwhile, Lex tries to convince Jonathan and Martha to let him partner with them on their farm to help out with their financial situation. Untrusting as ever, Jonathan turns down the offer and widens the gap in the Lex/Jonathan relationship. I’ll be honest with you, I was sure Clark was gonna get super breath in this episode.

While this episode was just what we would now look at as a “filler” episode (an episode that is there because there has to be an episode, no overall plots are moved forward in any substantial way), it wasn’t bad as far as filler episodes go. While this isn’t an episode that I look back on and claim as one of my favorites, there were some pretty neat moments. And did I mention that I really thought Clark was gonna get his super-cold breath in this episode.

First, the things that make one shake their head and groan a bit:

* The meteor freak in this episode was named Sean KELVIN. KELVIN! As in the temperature scale based on absolute zero. A temperature scale based on cold. Kind of cheesy but barely noticeable.

* Secondly, there are a few times when things like “You’re cold.” “Or that’s cold man” are uttered. Just slightly lame. But not so much as to ruin the episode.

* There are a few times where Clark employs a lame sense of humor. It’s pretty rough. (see the note under cool moments.)

* At the end of the episode when Clark is having his final fight with Sean, Sean brings up killing Lana. There really isn’t any reason for him to bring her up, so it’s a bit of inconsistency. Especially since Sean saw Clark save Chloe, one would think he would have used her name to get Clark riled up.

* I REALLY thought Clark was gonna get his super-cold breath in this episode. It could have made sense.

Again, these weren’t moments that ruined the episode for me. They were actually quite forgiveable if you’re not expecting Smallville to be Citizen Kane…and I’m not.

Here are the cool moments of the episode that either had some neat foreshadowing or referencing to the Superman mythos:

* As Clark and Chloe are coming into the party at the beginning of the episode, she mentions how cold it is and Clark says he doesn’t really feel cold. Quote Chloe, “What are you, from an ice planet?” A sly reference from the writers to the appearance of Krypton in the movie? That’s the feeling the question evokes to fans like me.

* There are a couple of times when we see Clark use his powers in non-heroic ways. For some reason this is always one of my favorite things to see super heroes do. Use their powers in everyday ways. For Clark, especially, it’s just who he is. It’s second nature and it’s nice to see that. One time is when the pop tart pops out of the toaster and he’s sped off and speeds back in time to grab it. The other is when he uses his X-Ray vision to do a card trick for Lana.

* We also get to see Clark use his super brain to do some math on the fly, which is great, but I really thought he was gonna get super-cold breath in this episode.

* As Chloe is helping Clark pick out something to where on his non-date with Lana she holds up a blue shirt and says, “Blue’s a good color on you.” Indeed it is Chloe…Indeed it will be.

* Clark’s lame sense of humor comes through in this episode. Yeah, I know I put that under the groans, but it’s great to see that Clark is a bit of a nerd when it comes to his humor sometimes. It’s also very innocent humor which is one of Superman’s strong suits that we don’t really get to see in the comics very much anymore. But when he comes into contact with a regular person who he’s having to save or who has never been around him, he has this really light hearted, kind of pick on the person without saying anything mean-spirited, with a splash of lame humor that sets the person at ease. So it’s nice to see that in Clark’s character.

As I have already stated, this episode is just a filler episode. While it does nothing to really move the overall story forward, it is not a completely throw away episode. We get to see Chloe really start to come into her character. She is that girl that is independent and smarter than everybody else, but still cool, if a little headstrong and offputting to some. Like every other teenager, though, she is just insecure enough and looking for that special someone enough to be duped by a heat sucking meteor freak. Poor Chloe, I hope she gets a happy ending in the series.

The Clark/Lana (Clana) relationship is further complicated as they go out on a “non-date” that is ruined by Clark choosing to save Chloe. This is the first of many times we see Clark have to leave Lana to help someone else. This is also one of the factors that fueled the show for 6 years.

You see, one of the main keys to a good teen drama is to set things up to go the way the audience wants them to go and then rip the carpet out from under them. This episode does that well, along with beginning to show the decisions Clark will have to make as Superman. Maintaining his secret really adds to the drama with his friends, especially Lana. At the end of the episode Clark asks why she’s still withWhitney and Lana tells Clark, “He makes me feel safe.” What a slap in the face that has to be. Who safer to be with than a guy that can and will save your life on countless occassions. At this point there are a lot of people (not me) screaming, “TELL HER!” All of this drama is key to why this show caught on. It’s a neat formula for future shows focusing on super heroes…focus first on the human relatable aspects and then go the sci fi route and everybody’s happy.

Ultimately, the story here felt a little lacking after The Pilot and X-Ray. The real highlight of this episode for me now is getting to see Chloe finally come into the limelight a little more. She does nothing but enhance every episode that she figures prominently into. I have to give it a 3 out of 5 whatever I’m giving a potential 5 of simply because of the fact that nothing truly progressed and I am still disappointed that we weren’t surprised with the emergence of super breath. However, we did learn a lesson. Don’t fight with your girlfriend while driving when a heat sucking meteor freak is on the loose or you get wreck number 3 for the season. That’s right, in five episodes, there have been 4 vehicles wrecked or blown up.

While looking back, this episode doesn’t get me super excited that’s ok, because we get to follow it with….

Season 1 Episode 6 - “Hourlglass”

Written by Doris Egan

Directed by Chris Long

Synopsis -

Clark agrees to help out at a retirement home for his high school community service because Lana is volunteering at the same place. He meets Cassandra, and interesting blind lady with the ability to tell a person’s future by touching them. Things get crazy as an old man disappears from the retirement home because the meteor rocks turn him into the Olsen twins’ brother. The Olsen boy goes about Smallville killing people related to members of a board that prevented him from attending the Metropolis Conservatory as an aspiring pianist. Clark, told by Cassandra that someone close to him will die obsesses over the safety of those around him. In the end, Lex gets involved and we see an interesting future for him, Clark begins down the road of embracing his destiny, and Martha Kent finds herself in one of the creepier situations we ever see anyone in on Smallville.

Right out of the gate I will go ahead and say that while the main story of this episode isn’t all that compelling, the main strength of this episode is the talk of Clark’s destiny. I am a sucker for anytime the creators of the show give us glimpses into Clark’s future. This episode not only speaks to Clark’s destiny, but Lex’s destiny comes to the front and center by episode’s end.

There is potential for some teen drama stuff to be played out in an interesting way as Lana discovers the Wall of Wierd in the torch. However, other than a conversation between her and Clark where she confesses her unhappiness with people treating her like she’s fragile because of her parents dying and the fact that she became that little girl on the cover of Time Magazine. This could have led to some interesting stuff between Lana and Chloe, but instead it kind of got shoved to the back for all the other stuff that was going on. It IS a neat juxtaposition to what’s going on with Clark. While Clark is struggling to go after his destiny, Lana is struggling to not be defined by her past. Oooh, that could be deep.

Instead, here are some of the cooler moments of this episode.

* I feel like this may be a line to pay homage to a line that was in most of the Superman movies in the seventies and eighties. Clark comes home and freaks out on Jonathan and Martha about how dangerous the stuff they do is. Jonathan replies, “Well, this is a farm, it kind of goes along with the territory.” In the Superman films, Lois and Jimmy told Clark on a couple of occasions, “Danger goes with the territory.”

* Clark has a conversation with Lex about Cassandra, Lex is skeptical, and Clark tells Lex, “You sound like my parents.” To which Lex quickly replies, “That’s gotta be a first.”

* Cassandra is sitting with Clark and explains to him that she’s seen him before. She says, “I’ve seen such pain and despair, but then you were there and the pain was gone. I think that’s your destiny Clark, to help people to save them from fear and darkness…you can fear the future, or you can embrace it. “

* This is followed by Clark reaching out and sharing one of Cassandra’s visions with her so that he will know where he is needed. It is a great moment to see Clark begin to embrace his destiny of helping people…not just people he knows.

Then there’s the vision of Lex at the end. I want to try to break it down and dissect what we have just a bit. There is another time in a later episode where we get to see more of this vision, but for now, let’s run with what we’ve got.

First, there is Lex in the White House. This, of course points to his future to one day be President of the United States. In the comics at the time, Lex was President. It made for some interesting interaction between he and Superman, in this context it’s a great nod to what was going on in comics at the time.

Then, there is the fact that he is wearing white. The thing about Lex Luthor (at that time) in the comics was that everyone thought he was great. People saw Lex as the hero of America. The truth is that on Smallville he’s maintained some great outward appearances while carrying on some pretty underhanded things.

The white suit could also be a representation of how Lex sees himself. I realize that he can’t see the vision with Cassandra the way Clark could, but his personal vies of self may affect the way Cassandra sees him in her vision.

Then there’s the black glove. It’s only on one hand. As he touches a flower with it, death spreads outwardly. This could be representative of a couple of things. First, it could be the whole Lex doesn’t get his hands dirty thing. It his actions that cause death and destruction. But it’s not actually his touch on the situation. So the glove could be representative of that. Secondly, it could be the hand that was amputated because of the cancer caused by the kryptonite ring he will one day wear on that hand…it happened in the comics. In fact, during the Byrne era right up to the time that Superman died and shortly after there were some crazy things go on with Luthor. So, I’m just saying, it could be something very concrete and not an abstract part of the vision.

Everything else in the vision is pretty self explanatory. Lex causes death, and he embraces it. If you are unfamiliar with what I’m talking about or you’ve never seen this episode, check this out to see the vision of Lex in the future.

This episode also sets up the first situation where Clark realizes that Lex is looking into the events from the day they met. Lex still has the wrecked Porche, and he shows Clark. It’s interesting, as I think I’ve said before, that these type of things are the things that tear Lex and Clark apart. Up to a point, the deterioration of the relationship is as much Clark’s fault as it is Lex’s because Clark insists on being so secretive (with good reason). However, we will see Lex cross the line.

Finally, this episode has one of the creepier moments in Smallville. As Mary Kate and Ashley’s cartoon-monkey-looking brother goes to kill Jonathan, Martha gets in his way a bit so he begins to chase her down. This whole sequence carries with it several elements of fears people have and scary stories that have been told all over the place. First there’s the stranger showing up claiming to be something he’s not, in this case, the gas man. Then, there’s the realization by the victim that the stranger isn’t who he claims he is. The phone line has been cut. The stranger makes his way inside the house. All ways of being able to escape except for running are taken away. Then there’s claustrophobia and the fear of being smothered when Martha and Harry (Olsen twins brother) have their fight in the silo/corn bin thing.

There was no auto mishap in this episode (slackers) but an old man and his wheel chair did tump over into a lake…does that count?

I have to give this episode a very strong 4 out of 5. Why only four? The main story of Harry Volk just didn’t really capture my interest like the Cassandra story did. But, you couldn’t make one interesting without the other. Also, the writers missed a great opportunity to flesh out some conflict over the Wall of Weird situation which never really comes back up. Ultimately, it is the talk of Clark’s destiny and the final vision of Lex that really kicks this puppy up a notch for me. As a geek, I’m already Jonesing for some full on Superman action and hints toward who Clark will become and what Lex will become only served during this first season to really keep me locked in. This episode can’t be labeled a filler and while it doesn’t necessarily do anything to move any story arcs along, the seeds are planted for future stories and the big thing that will ultimately tear Lex and clark apart when Lex shows Clark his wrecked Porche…I guess it’s just not a Smallville episode without a wrecked vehicle in it somewhere…even if we have seen it before.

Tomorrow we will continue with six whole episodes. (Don’t know how I’m gonna swing that one.) Starting with a krypto diet gone awry and leading up through a couple of the best episodes of the season and one of the coolest Lex and Clark moments of the Season. Oh…and Jimmy Olsen’s twin makes his Smallville debut before going on to be Iceman.

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Tue

Jul

The Summer of Smallville

The 7th (and what I think will be final) season of Smallville starts on September 27th. That means there are roughly eight weeks to go before the Summer of Smallville has to come to a close. In the words of the theme song from Smokey and the Bandit, “We’ve got a long way to go and a short time to get there.”

So, there will be more in the Summer of Smallville later this week. For now, this is the rest of the first disc from season one. Each review will include a brief synopsis, my thoughts/rating on the episode,a tally of how many wrecks there have been on the show through that particuliar episode, and a running tally of how many times we find Lana in the hospital. (I just thought the last two would be fun.) So without further ado…

Smallville 1.3 - Hothead

Written by: Greg Walker

Directed by: Greg Beeman (who will go on to direct some of the best Smallville episodes in the series)

Synopsis:

Football takes center stage as the ill-tempered head coach of the Smallville Crows tries to solidify his high school coaching legacy. Coach Walt (heretofore known as Kevin Arnold’s dad, because that’s how we all know him.) (You know…the Wonder Years) gains the power to start fires with his mind due to spending time in a sauna that is steamed by hot meteor rocks. A man with an already bad temper is backed into corner, and, as a cheating scandal erupts at the high school due to some football players, Kevin’s Dad’s temper begins to get the better of him as he attempts to incinerate Principal Kwan, who is trying to get he players who cheated to come forward and confess that the coach provided them with Math tests. Then he goes after Chloe who is trying to expose the coach after seeing him abuse the players who were caught and trying to scare them into silience with his fire power. On the teen drama front, Lana quits cheerleading for a waitressing job at the Beanery in an attempt to find herself. Lex and his father have a confrontation over business decisions that Lex is making with the fertilizer plant. Clark gets recruited to play football in the absence of the cheating players and Jonathan doesn’t like it. In the end Clark finds himself in the middle of a struggle to stop a man so possessed with his coaching legacy that he will hurt or kill anyone who stands in his way. Though football and a firestarter are the main story, the relationship between the three principles and their parents are explored in interesting ways. Lana trying to fight Nell making her into the perfect small town girl, Lex fighting to shake off the authority of his father and become greater than Lionel, and Clark trying to fit into to normal life as Jonathan attempts to protect him by keeping his secret a secret.

If a show has a strong beginning the way Smallville did, the test of the show is how good the episodes are about two or three months down the road. How well do all of the characters connect to the viewer? Is there the sense of evolving without pushing the viewer too much? Smallville continued to run strong through this episode. The use of Dan Lauria as Coach Walt Arnold was a solid piece of casting not only because he did a great job, but because he was recognizable without overshadowing the rest of the cast this early in the show. By the way, using the last name Arnold is just one of the many things the writers do on this show to give a wink to the viewer. It’s a fun part of the show.

The main story was handled well, as Clark gets duped into playing football against his dad’s wishes only to stumble into the need to stop another meteor freak. But what really keeps the show going is the drama between Clark and Jonathan, Clark and the newly self-empowering Lana, and Lex and Lionel.

It’s interesting that the desire to remain innocent and good is what causes Lana to leave the life of popular cheerleader and try to find something new for herself. This dynamic on Lana is echoed loudly at the end of season 6 when she leaves Lex for some of the same reasons. She is truly a good person at heart.

Chloe is thrown into the thick of things and in some ways used only as a Lois substitute in this episode. The truth is, as we all know, she is so much more…but they’ll get there.

The Lex and Lionel relationship is right in our face as they fence (swordfight to the ignorant) for the call of Lex’s business plan to add 20% to his workforce. Lionel of course wins, coldly and arrogantly. He is like Darth Vader taunting Luke during their first fight in The Empire Strikes Back. The great thing about this moment is the fact that we will see it played out again in Season 4 with much different results.

This is juxtaposed next to the Clark/Jonathan relationship which while strained in this episode is strained for different reasons. Jonathan sums up his feelings in this one sentence, “I’m happy when you wake up in the morning….” That’s a dad.

The rest of the supporting cast was great in this episode. Whitney still the typical jock, but played friendly enought so that we don’t totally hate him. Jonathan’s concern for Clark mingled with his stubborness about how things should be handled give Schneider a fine line to walk. He has to play stubborn without being a total jerk to his son. He does a great job.

The writers even do a great job of showing what a political and overly powerful thing high school football can be. With so many TV shows and movies doing this, I wonder why nothing has changed. But that’s a whole other blog.

Even with a few “meh’s” about the episode, (Kevin’s dad learned to control his power pretty quickly, and there was that overly cheesy Brady Bunch moment at the end with Jonathan and Clark) I have to give it a solid 5 out of 5. The episode still holds up.

A few of my favorite moments and quotes:

Jonathan to Clark - “You were meant for much more important things than winning football games.”

Clark coming through the fire to get to Coach Walt. Wonderful.

Coach Walt to Clark -”It’s in your genes, Kent.” Clark - “Actually, I’m adopted.” Funny stuff.

Lex to Lionel - “…you have no idea what I’m capable of.”

We get a great car explosion. That’s 2 explosions and 2 wrecks on the season. More to come.

After Clark faces a firestarting head coach in Hothead, we are treated to the gem that is

1.4 X-Ray

Written by Mark Verheiden

Directed by James Frawley

Synopsis:

Clark begins to have headaches and see through things as Lex robs a bank. Or at least someone who looks a lot like Lex. In fact, it’s Tina Greer, a teenager born with a bone deficiency and infected by meteor rocks to be given the power to changer her appearance to look like anyone. After accidentally killing her mom, Tina snaps and a desire to be like Lana leads to an obsession with Lana that places Lana’s life in danger. A reporter, Roger Nixon, from the Inquisitor shows up with the story of “Lex” robbing the bank and blackmails Lex , saying that if he doesn’t pay up , then Nixon will begin to print a series of stories on Lex’s wild teen years, and he mentions an incident at Club Zero. Lex, not to be bullied, flexes his financial muscle to make Nixon back down and gives him the assignment of finding out what happened the day of his accident on the bridge. All the while Clark is trying to get used to his new ability and discover the answer to the mystery behind Lex’s alleged bank robbery. This all of course leads him to a final showdown with the crazy shapeshifter as he finds himself having to save Lana’s life.

The standard for Smallville is that pretty much any show when Clark gets a new power is a good one. This is the first time we see him get a new power. Throughout the episode, Clark’s X-Ray vision works at times like an X-ray and at times like see-through vision. When he first controls it on his own, it’s see-through vision. At the end of the episode, it’s see-through vision. The rest of the series…it’s X-ray vision. I don’t have a problem with that, but I wish that if they were going to jump around like that in the very first episode that he has x-ray visioni, that they would give him the same ability throughout the rest of the series. Minor gripe…but a gripe nonetheless.

It pretty much goes without saying that the actors on the show do a great job. Seldom am I disappointed by any acting by the regulars on the show. A perfect example of this is Michael Rosenbaum in the teaser of the show. While, if you’re watching for the first time, you don’t know that it’s not really Lex robbing the bank, when watching on repeat viewings, you see that Rosenbaum picks up a lot Lizzy Caplan’s (Tina Greer) voice inflections and mannerisms and uses them expertly in that scene.

Kristin does a good job as well when the audience is teased with Tina-as-Lana kissing Clark. Lana in that moment is so much more intense than we’ve seen her thus far. So much so that, just like Rosenbaum, if you know what you’re looking at you can see the great acting.

As far as the guest goes, Lizzy Caplan does a nice job of playing Tina as the young girl who is frustrated by not being able to use her powers, makes a mistake and then snaps. There is a point where she reaches the point of no return in her insanity and she does the turn with a subtly that isn’t over the top, but it is quite creepy..

This episode is also the first time that we see a parent who knows her child has abilities but tries to supress them. This opposed to Clark’s parents who said, “use them, but try to keep it a secret.”

It is in this episode that I am impressed also by the way writers are able to perfectly capture some things about being a teenager. While the sci fi situations may be out there, the look at the thought processes of teenagers isn’t really. For example, what causes Tina to snap is not necessarily that she killed her mom, but that she looks at Lana as having the perfect life and when Lana is reluctant to let her be a part of that life, she goes nuts. Kids look at other kids no matter what the circumstance and think that those kids have a better life.

This show also brings out a few arcs that continue through the rest of the season and even the rest of the show. In fact, Lex using Roger Nixon to look into the car accident the day he met Clark is the start of a situation that will ultimately tear Lex and Clark apart. Club Zero also gets it’s first mention. And of course we see that while Lex isn’t what one would call full on evil, he doesn’t have very many inhibitions and he’s not scared to do what he wants for the result that he wants.

Outside of writing and acting, the special effects are here en masse. The morphing used in Tina’s transformation scenes are right out of a movie. The x-ray effect. Again, this is a television show that doesn’t know it’s a television show.

Overall, I give this episode a 4.9 out of 5. I don’t give it a full on 5 because of the inconsistent use of x-ray vision. Which wouldn’t be a problem if the use was inconsistent for the next few episodes, but it’s not. So…4.9.

Some of my favorite moments:

Clark to Lex - “A criminal mastermind would have worn a mask.”

Clark to Jonathan when Jonathan thinks Clark has seen his pocket knife through his hand - “You always carry your knife if that pocket.”

Clark’s enjoyment of x-ray vision when he looks towards the girls locker room.

Pete - “Even when I think you’re wack I show up ready to rumble.”

There was a fender bender when Tina-as-Clark tried to run over Martha, but there are so many really good wrecks and explosions why count that one.

That’s it for now…I’ve really got to figure out how to shorten these things.

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Tue

Jul

The Summer of Smallville Begins!

Every Summer for the past few years, I have watched Smallville starting with season 1 and working my way up to the point that I’m ready for the release of the previous season on DVD. Then, it’s a rush leading up to the new season premiere. This Summer is no different, with the exception that I am finally getting my thoughts online.

Now, we’re talking roughly 130 episodes of Smallville which translates into about 97 hours of television (thank goodness for no commercials on DVD.) Most likely the format will be one disc at a time for the next few weeks. Today, however, it’s just the first two episodes of the series. The Pilot and Metamorphisis. So without further ado, let the Summer of Smallville begin…

While I’m not going into an in depth summary of the episodes, there will be spoilers, so…if you’ve never watched Smallville, and you are planning to….AND you don’t want to be spoiled, tread carefully.

1.1 Pilot

The pilot episode of Smallville was written by the creators, Alfred Gough and Miles Millar. David Nutter Directed.Leading up to the premiere of the series, we know the main rule of the show…no flights, no tights. As the show opens with a shot from the other side of the moon, we realize immediately that this is a television show that has no idea that it’s a television show. The creators of Smallville write, direct, and produce as if they’re making a movie. Which brings us to the special effects of the show. While the digital work is not the best of ILM or WETA, it is significantly better that what was being offered on television in 2001. At this point many of the “special effects” were set gags used to do things practically. In this case, your stunt people and stunt coordinators come in. The big stunt of the show is Clark getting knocked off the bridge by Lex’s porche. If that’s not an actual person flying off of that bridge, it’s one of the best dummies I’ve ever seen. What you get in that moment is a shot that holds up so well that it is used in the credits for a couple of years to come. Granted a few beats are missed…I’m looking in the direction of a red truck driving out of view into smoke and a sound effect to let us know that Jonathan and Martha wrecked. But that’s so easily overlooked because of all the great wrecks to come in the series.

Storywise, the pilot does everything it needs to do and more for this show. We are introduced to all the primary characters in the teaser in so that we get a bit of origin. Lex as a child being caught in the meteor blast, Lana watching her parents die, and Clark walking up to a wrecked Jonathan and Martha. Then, we are introduced to the characters again as the show gets going by seeing Clark beat the bus that he missed to school, Lana as the typical cheerleader (for now), and Lex as the son who is banished to Smallville by his father to prove himself.

The supporting cast is introduced nicely as well. Pete as the loyal best friend. Chloe as the quirky, pushy reporter friend. Jonathan and Martha as the protective yet wise and understanding parents. Then there’s John Glover’s Lionel Luthor. As one of two new characters introduced into the Superman myth by this show, Lionel makes the bigger splash early on. The most defining moment of who Lionel is takes place with no words, just a facial expression. As Lionel finds Lex in the corn field after the first meteor strike, his face shifts from concern to disgust. In that moment, we immediately begin to hate Lionel Luthor…and we should.

The meeting of Clark and Lex is not only a plot device to cause the two to bump into each other (no pun intended…seriously), but the wreck will define Clark and Lex’s relationship for years to come and Lex’s view of the wreck will evolve into the very thing that causes the relationship to ultimately crumble in season 5.

The pilot also introduces us to one other character that will play a role in the first season, Lana’s boyfriend Whitney. The writers do a decent job of showing that Whitney isn’t all bad as he seems like genuinely nice guy around Lana, and he doesn’t purposely treat Clark badly…at first.

The stage is set for the Freak of the Week villian that we will see in every episode during the first season, and we learn that weird things have been happening in Smallville since the meteor shower.

Overall, the pilot still stands up as an enjoyable episode of television six years later. It’s really fun and interesting to watch knowing the direction things will take. The creators did an outstanding job of casting everyone from Tom Welling as Clark to Eric Johnson as Whitney. And who woulda thunk it? John Schneider as Jonathan Kent. When I first saw this, I scratched my head…within one episode though, I knew that he was the man for the job.

Don’t be deceived though, Smallville isn’t Smallville without a certain dose of cheesiness. Examples:

1. John Schneider’s delivery of “What’ve you got there son?” Seems right out of an episode of the Brady Bunch.

2. Clark’s daydreaming…I feel like this is an idea that they may have wanted to run throughout the show but thankfully abandoned.

3. Kristin Kreuk’s voice. It just grated my nerves. Love Kristin, think she’s great…but her line delivery could be bothersome.

4. Clark’s “Don’t you die on me.” As he’s trying to revive Lex.

5. Smallest group of cheering teens I’ve ever seen leave a school about midway through the show.

However, these moments are outweighed by the writing and cool foreshadowing moments:

1. Teen drama is captured practically perfectly. The relationship stuff and Whitney’s desire to get out of Smallville.

2. The great shot used to promote the show, Clark hanging on a post with an “S” painted on his chest.

3. Clark and Jonathan’s relationship. It’s the relationship every guy wish he had with his dad.

4. Cool line referencing the future: “So what are you Clark, man or super-man?”

5. Clark: “I’m the Fort Knox of secrets.” This line defines Clark and Lana’s relationship for the years to come.

6. Cool line referencing the future: “Do you believe a man can fly?”

7. Clark’s feeling responsible for the things caused by the meteors.

8. Clark’s response to Jeremy, the meteor freak, after Jeremy tells him, “I have a gift, a purpose, a destiny.”: “So do I.” Cue the Superman theme.

Through the pilot we are not only introduced to the characters, but Superman fans and non-fans alike are given reasons to invest in the characters. Whether it’s the Clark and Lana relationship, the Clark and Lex friendship, or the desire to see Clark become the man he will one day be, the show strikes the right note on so many different levels. Then we get…

1.2 Metamorphisis

This episode was written again by the creators Gough and Millar and was directed by Michael Watkins and Philip Scgriccia.This episode gives us a couple of firsts. This episode is the first to have the great intro music by Remy Zero. Let’s face it. “Save Me” was meant to be the lead in for a Superman show. The second we’ll discuss in a moment. Metamorphisis is a great compliment to the pilot. In fact, it picks up right where the pilot left off. Because of this, there is more information that the casual viewer is introduced to.

The show opens after the teaser and opening credits with flying shot over Smallville and into Lana’s window where she is sleeping. We see that it is Clark floating over her bed. She looks at Clark, tells him that it’s all his fault, and goes back to sleep. This jars Clark awake. To steal a line from Bill Murray in Ghostbusters, he is sleeping above the sheets…three FEET above the sheets. He immediately crashes into his bed. So, this is the first time we get to see Clark flying in any way.

Another first we get is later in the episode when Clark saves his dad from falling onto a big piece of farm equipment. This is the first time we see superspeed from Clark’s point of view. The Matrix-like “bullet time” effect would become a standard for Smallville. In fact, though this type of shot has it’s origin in The Matrix, Smallville made the effect all it’s own.

The other first we get is Clark’s reaction to Kryptonite. I know we saw it in the pilot, but as Clark is standing in the field testing it out, we see what it actually does to him physically.

Is there anything that doesn’t work in this episode?

Sure, Jonathan Kent carrying a tiny little fire extinguisher as if it’s going to do anything about a fire caused by an exploding truck is a little silly. I didn’t too much enjoy the portrayal of Greg’s mom. And just because Greg’s a bug boy doesn’t mean he has to spout bug facts in nearly every scene. And yes, I don’t like Lana’s voice. (You will see this point made by me until season 4.)

Again, these are just things that get on my nerves or, in the case of the tiny fire extinguisher, make me laugh at a point when I’m not supposed to.

What works well though, works well on so many levels.

First, there are the great moments:

- Clark driving a nail like it’s a thumb tack.

- Great use of ham in Greg’s shower scene.

- When Clark tells Lana of the loft, “My dad calls it my fortress of solitude.” Both fathers would give him this gift. Granted Jor-El kinda one ups Jonathan…but what are you gonna do?

- The moment after Greg attacks Jonathan and Clrak when Clark explains to his dad what he thinks happened. When Jonathan expresses doubts about Clark’s theories, Martha says, “This coming from a man whose been hiding a spaceship in his storm cellar for 12 years.” The look and timing of the look that Jonathan gives is perfect comedy.

- Clark’s fear of heights introduced by Pete. This comes into play spectacularly in Season 2.

- Clark saving Whitney after their confrontation and later not using the necklace to win Lana over show what makes him a hero. He is a good guy. Period. Even without his powers, Clark would be a great guy. The shot of him walking the lonely road home is one of those great defining moments.

Overall, this is a great compliment to the pilot, At this point, viewers were completely invested in Clark winning Lana over. Whitney redeemed himself and became one of the more well written characters on the show from this point on. His ups and downs during the first season really make me miss any similar characters in seasons to follow. Jason comes close, but because of his completely evil turn in the end, he falls short. And who trusted Adam Knight? I don’t see any hands….but I am getting way ahead of us.With these first two episodes, the audience is introduced to Clark’s physical strengths and weaknesses and one of the strongest casts on TV to that point .Micheal Rosenbaums Lex is played perfectly as the older friend. He also does a great job of not being evil, just a bit edgy.

John Schneider delivers his fatherly advice with such sincerity that it doesn’t come off as cheesy as it should. The fact that the writer’s show his vulnerablility at being unable have all the answers for Clark make him that much more accessible.

Kristin played Lana with a gentility and subtle strength that is only fully realized by her arcs in Season 3 - 6.

In these first two episodes, we only get small glimpses of the invaluable part that Chloe will play in the life of Clark. But, we do begin to see that she has feelings for Clark feeding into the teen drama for the non-Superman fans. We do learn that Allison Mack can deliver plot exposition like no one else. This is a skill that she uses throughout the life of the show.

And Pete…We miss you so Pete. Pete grounds everything with Chloe, Clark, and himself in reality. His priorities are every teenager’s priorities.Annette O’Toole….Her Martha Kent is perfect. She shares her husbands fears and dreams for Clark, but it is all tempered with a mother’s love. And she pulls it off wonderfully.A great start to what becomes a great show.What strikes me most is how well these episodes, and, in truth, the entire first season hold up compared to where we are now in the hiatus between seasons six and seven. This is the third summer I’ve gone through these DVD’s, and the show is as enjoyable now as it was when it first aired. One of the things that make it so enjoyable is the anticipation of knowing what’s coming and seeing even the smallest seeds planted to bring us to the point we are now at in the story.If you’re not into the show, use this summer to catch up. If you love the show, let me tell you, have yourself a summer of Smallville…you won’t regret it.

The rest of the reviews won’t be this long. The format will most likely shift as I find out what works best for the blog.

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