Running Smallville Diary

[elnino14]

Since I've never seen the show, like at all, and I don't want to run into a whole bunch of spoilers in the other thread (SPOILER....CLARK LIVES!), I'll put it in here where I'll keep a running diary of my thoughts on Smallville.

First off I should say, I have very little knowledge of Superman and most of it is the little crossovers he's had with Batman in Hush and Dark Knight Returns, the Batman animated series, and his own series of films. I really liked the first two, never watched the second two, and I thought Returns was boring. Overall in the first two, some of it was a little goofy and there's more gags in the second, but I still liked them. They're entertaining stories, and the first one has an absolutely awesome origin.

I only recently watched the older Superman films, I never got into the character because frankly, I find the character to be rather dull, his rogues list is almost non-existent, and frankly I don't like how invincible he is. So this is my mind-frame coming into this show.

I watched the first two episodes last night:

Episode 1: Pilot, Episode 2: Metamorphisis -

It's funny that they couldn't even give a title, I guess the title of the pilot is Smallville.

I really enjoyed the opening scene. Outside of the special effects being rather low-budget, (I almost laughed when I saw Lana's parents get crushed), the scene really helps portray what seems like a theme throughout much of the first season (Clark's arrival caused a lot of strange and sometimes tragic things to happen in Smallville). We get an introduction to the adults of the series and subsequently an origin (in a way) of the three young'ns, main characters, of the series.

The rest of the series reminds me of a mix of X-men and early Buffy. Clark right off the bat has two friends in high-school who immediately remind me of Xander and Willow. They have this scene where there is a ton of exposition and the wall of weird in the background. The high-school setting, of course, and the superpowers, of course remind me a lot of that. Although Buffy had much better dialogue and wasn't so ham-handed as it is here, at times. Overall it's still enjoyable I just hope that some of the speechy, melodramatic Dawson's Creek elements will be toned down a bit.

As for the X-men comparison, I'm talking about the way Clark wants to be normal, he really does act like a younger mutant, a teenager with powers, would. It's a completely different impression than I had of Superman before. I always viewed Superman as who he is, comfortable in the suit, comfortable with his powers, comfortable with his position in life and Clark as the disguise. Here, we see that Clark kind of who he is, and with the help of his parents, especially his father in these episodes, and through his life he will develop a Superman aura, identity, along with the strong moral compass. We can see his willingness to self-sacrifice right from the outset with his constant saving of people, but even more than that is the conclusion to episode 2 where he puts Lana's necklace on her door without the need to gloat that he found it.

I like Lex, he comes across as polite, yet sneaky and mischievious. It's interesting and better long term planning that Lex stays in the background and gets built as a villain while the jock pretends that he's a somebody. The dynamic between Lex and Clark is really fun to watch in these early gray episodes, as Lex is less black and white, and there seems to be a little fighting for Clark's soul. I like that Clark's moral compass isn't completely set yet.

The other villains are really nothing to write home about, the first episode has an electric boy or Electro, and the other episode has bug boy, or Toad. Neither one is that deep, and they're there to be the villain of the week, while the series builds up greater threats (I hope). It's fine for the early part of the series, but on a long term basis, this villain of the week thing will get boring. I actually really enjoyed Bug Boy's outing, as they spent more time building up an origin, a background, and everything, making him more than just a throw-away villain. The electric kid was little more than just a throw away villain. It really irked me that Clark won both fights by accident, if this becomes a recurring occurence, it'll get boring really quick.

Lana is really one-dimensional here and serves no more purpose than to look and act cute. She does it well. Clark's friends didn't really do much, outside of help with detective work, exposition, and comedic relief. I can see Chloe having a bigger part later, but not quite yet. Clark's father gets a lot of screen time in these early episodes as he really does get speechy and fills us in on Lex's father, as well as his own moral compass and place in the world. He doesn't seem all that bad in these early episodes and actually tries to help Clark out a bit.

I really liked how they worked in classic ideas and weaved them right into the story in a modern way, the "fortress of solitude," Lana's kryptonite necklace (which looks like it could play a big part in this series), the S on the chest.

I liked the continuity between episodes, it really helps with the serialized storytelling but at the same time doesn't tie it down where it's impossible to enjoy each episode individually.

Overall they are a couple of fun early episodes, not too deep, and not fantastic in terms of storytelling, plots, and pacing but there's a lot of potential here.

7/10 for both.

[KnightWing]

I liked the continuity between episodes, it really helps with the serialized storytelling but at the same time doesn't tie it down where it's impossible to enjoy each episode individually.

Actually, the first two episodes were originally aired as one two-hour pilot. I remember watching it as a kid and not even noticing that they were two separate episodes.

[JackFetch]

I remember watching it as a kid

..........................................................................

[KnightWing]

I remember watching it as a kid

..........................................................................

Yes, I was twelve at the time.

[elnino14]

I liked the continuity between episodes, it really helps with the serialized storytelling but at the same time doesn't tie it down where it's impossible to enjoy each episode individually.

Actually, the first two episodes were originally aired as one two-hour pilot. I remember watching it as a kid and not even noticing that they were two separate episodes.

Even though the second episode starts immediately after the first, they make it very noticeable on the dvd, with a "previously on..." separating the two, two different villains, two different themes (the first episode being an origin for the characters, the second episode circling the kryptonite necklace.

But speaking of younguns I was a kid too, but more like a highschool kid when this show started up.

[KnightWing]

Even though the second episode starts immediately after the first, they make it very noticeable on the dvd, with a "previously on..." separating the two, two different villains, two different themes (the first episode being an origin for the characters, the second episode circling the kryptonite necklace.

But speaking of younguns I was a kid too, but more like a highschool kid when this show started up.

Yeah, they edited the episodes together in the first airings.

Now that I've gone back and watched Smallville recently, I've realized that I inadvertently picked up a LOT of "advice" on how to talk to cute brunette girls from Clark. Meaning that I now watch the Clark/Lana scenes in Smallville and say "Crap; I said that line once. That was a bad idea. Crap, I've said that before too... crap again..."

Keep up this diary; it's a great idea. I made the mistake of not doing the same thing when I started going back and watching the show a few months ago, and now I'm already all the way into the middle of Season 2. I'll be interested to hear your thoughts on the show.

[elnino14]

Episode 3: Hot Head

The show is progressing pretty typically. While it makes great redemption for Clark to deal with all the weird things that have happened because of his arrival, it gives Clark a potentially limitless amount of stock villains to deal with, all that have different powers, but the villain of the week storytelling really reeks of beginner story telling. Which is fine for right now because frankly it is the beginning of the show, but I don't think I could go with this throughout the show. Usually good shows (such as Buffy) attempt to use the villains as metaphors things that happen in real life. Smallville also attempts to do that, at least with this episode, it's a very thinly veiled metaphor, but it's a metaphor.

The evil coach here is a metaphor for child abuse, biased teachers, and obviously extreme competitive spirit out of control. Not sure what the coach's fire is supposed to represent really and that's pretty common. Why is the guy in the first episode electric? No reason really. It's just amateur storytelling really, face value storytelling. I need more to my tv show and so far, especially in these episodes that are focused around a very particular plot, they're not doing it for me.

As for the other characters, this episode is about standing up for your-self, becoming your own man (or woman in Lana's case). That's the strength of the episode and it weaves through the "villain of the week" plot throughout the episode. It's supposed to help show the strength in Clark, Lana, and Lex as they all stand up for something they believe in and all stand up against their parents or guardians. It's all there to strengthen the characters, Clark once again wants to prove wants the trust of his parents to make his own decisions with his powers, Lana wants more out of her life and wants to stand out, Lex works to be a better businessman than his father.

Again it's not really captivating stuff, and that could be because it's been a long time since high-school although these themes still ring true to me now in my mid 20's, but it's fun bubblegum stuff that needs a bit more polish in terms of characters, and more rhyme, reason and depth in terms of their plots. Worse than the pilot episode and second episode, it's not bad just not as good.

5.5/10

Episode 4: X-Ray

Again another villain of the week with thinly veiled metaphor, actually this metaphor is better than the last, as the villain wishes their life is more like others and thus takes on their facade. It's a nice little metaphor for jealousy of others.

Clark deals with a new power (take a guess which one that is?). There's a hilarious scene when they're in gym class and Clark's eyes go wonky on him and he gets a sneak peek at Lana's . It's awesome and really true to what most guys would be doing if they had the power, honestly, glad they acknowledged it.

Lex deals with being framed. It's pretty awesome, Lex bounces back and forth from doing somewaht good things to evil things. He's in a moral middle ground and there's a fight for his soul going on, but his position, his power (both of which he probably loves), makes harder to keep things straight.

Another metaphor is that this episode is all about people not being who they seem at first glance, Clark isn't just Clark he's more than that, Lana doesn't just want to be some cheerleader, she wants to be more than that, the villain isn't who they seem to be, the reporter isn't just doing his duty he's blackmailing, and Lex isn't just some spoiled brat, he's fucking awesome. The only person who really knows who they are and is who they are is Chloe, she makes no bones about who she is. It's refreshing everytime she's on screen really as she's the only one who acts really genuine while everyone else kind of acts like they're in a tv show (it's okay for Lex, because he's evil and evil is cool, and cool gets a pass).

Again another good but not great episode, it's fun but it doesn't really come together as well as I make it seem.

6/10

General thoughts on the series thus far:

Lex is awesome in this series.

Pete is absolutely useless in this series. He has done nothing of note, and I actually had to wiki the character's name because I keep forgetting it.

Like many characters in this show, Chloe has a one note role, but I like her character and I like the actress who plays her. Hope for more of her in the future.

I don't like how much kryptonite there is in these episodes, everyone has some, it's all over the town, and anytime Clark gets in conflict, the villain "just happens" to have some handy.

I hate that most of the villains kind of get injured/die seemingly on their own accord. Only episode 4 breaks the mold as Clark actually knocks Tina out. In the others, the electric guy frys himself, the lizard guy gets crushed because he pulls a lever, the fire coach blows himself up. What the heck.

[Koete]

Like many characters in this show, Chloe has a one note role, but I like her character and I like the actress who plays her. Hope for more of her in the future.

After Lex, she's the best character in the show.

[SuaveStar]

Like many characters in this show, Chloe has a one note role, but I like her character and I like the actress who plays her. Hope for more of her in the future.

After Lex, she's the best character in the show.

How dare you disrespect the Glove!

[Koete]

I can't believe I forgot Lionel. And Jonathan now that I think about it. Let's change that to she's the best character on the show right now.

[SuaveStar]

I can't believe I forgot Lionel. And Jonathan now that I think about it. Let's change that to she's the best character on the show right now.

That's better.

[elnino14]

Episode 5: Cool

Another villain of the week...this time he has the power of

This time the metaphor is for somebody who is basically a man-whore. It's basically using the cold as the way certain men may treat women as only sexual objects. Either way, the villains are still kind of just there. At least, Kryptonite isn't sitting around at the opportune time before the fight, instead, like many of the other power villains, he's received his powers due to it.

It's a really weak episode and they tackle a plot-line I didn't care too much about, the Kent farm storyline, although it does get Lex involved more in the Kent's lives and involves more business like matters which is what Lex becomes a mastermind at. Overall though I wasn't a fan of that plot thread. The better plot was the one that had to do with sacrifice for Clark. Lana wants to spend time with Clark, but Clark is caught in a very Peter Parker-like scenario, doing good in the world or being with the special someone. Clark ultimately decides he needs to use his gifts and goes off to be the do-gooder at the upsetting of Lana. Like I said, very Peter Parker like scenario. I expect this to be a theme throughout the season if not longer, Clark's moral responsibility coming in the way of his wanting to be with Lana, friends or family even. It's not a half bad idea, and they've already established that Clark feels responsible for a lot of the bad that's happening and going to happen. It helps sets up the self-sacrifice we see from Superman.

Also getting more of a spotlight this episode is Chloe, who gets to show more depth that the regular super-reporter side. She shows that much like the rest of the town she's quite much like a normal girl, despite her strong, smart front. She also is capable of vulnerability and she is even willing to give a well-known douchebag a chance.

Still most of the plot is spent with ICE-Raper, and it's not that great.

Like the earlier episodes, it falls to the typical, boring villain plot, good character plot. When it finally meshes, the scores will go higher. But until then this show is still getting crappy scores.

6/10

[elnino14]

Sorry I haven't been around, I was sick for the past 3 days, and during that time I finished up Battlestar Season 1.

Episode 6: Hourglass

The first episode that really combined all the elements excellently. The whole story follows an overall theme of time. The villain is stuck in the past, the old woman can see the future, and everybody else has to deal with the consequences of the past and future clashing into the present when they don't belong (the villain) and/or are not ready to deal with it (the future, especially with Lex).

First off, the coolest thing about this episode are the visions of the future that the audience gets. Lex doesn't believe in prophecy and feel an individual can create their future, Clark believes in prophecy but doesn't what likes what he sees and works to change it. The villain is another one of those elemental villains that we've been seeing lately, but it works just fine because it doesn't overpower and overwhelm the strength of the character story being told here.

Even the villain is kind of creepy, from how things are played out when he's just an old-man to later. It's fits very much into how we view different age groups, the pesky, vile, evil teenagers, and the innocent, respectable, old men. Imagine if the teenagers are just a little bit younger, they'd be innocent again. The circle of life.

I really liked this episode, and it's easily the best episode yet. 8.5/10

Episode 7: Craving -

From one of the best episodes yet, to one of the worst. This is a case where the villain does overpower the story. The whole story is about the villain with really crappy effects, and really an annoying character. It's obvious they're trying to throw a theme against eating disorders and poor self-image, but it's just so heavy handed that it's kind of been there, done that.

The stuff in terms of Lex, Lana, and Clark still moves along quite well. But it's all a blur because much of the time we're watching the villain go on a spree. The plot needs to pick up soon, like I said the villains of the week can only last so long.

I really liked Lex's machinations this week, he's making an assertive effort to find the truth behind the happenings of Smallville and Clark himself. He's also constantly positioning himself in a favorable position by helping Clark, but at the same time, only as a way to know the truth. It's very fun to watch him wheel and deal in the background.

Still incredibly poor episode 5/10.

[KnightWing]

Yeah, Hourglass was one of the best episodes of season 1. Great stuff all around.

What I find funny about Craving is that the villain-of-the-week actress is the same one who played Princess Giselle in Enchanted.

[elnino14]

Episode 8: Jitters

First off, the jitters effect wasn't scary, it was hilarious. Laughably bad.

Second this episode breaks away from the norm: it's got a villain who's not really a villain, and the "not really a villain" is an adult this time around. It's refreshing to see that not all the villains are teenagers, and it's also good to throw in a sympathetic villain who is also a victim of circumstance and desperation. Also the villain's connection to Clark and the Kent family is more believable than it has been in the past (a study buddy in Cravings, and random jock that he goes to school with that's macking on Chloe in Cool). The villains story does take up a lot of time because it's the main story of the episode, sure there's some humorous filler early on about Clark throwing a party while his parents are away, but it's just that filler.

The rest of the episode is Earl Jenkins asking for help and trying to find out what is wrong with him and his disease's connection to Luthor Corp Testing. The idea of desperation is the kind of the main connection in this episode, Lionel is desperate to diffuse the situation and not have any negative press, Lex is desperate to be better than his father at any cost, Clark is desperate to help his friend, the Kent's are desperate to get their boy out. It shows how such a thing can escalate very very quickly. It also compares the relationship between Clark and his family to Lex and his father.

Outside of the filler, it's a pretty good episode, although some of the acting and the jitter effects are laughably bad.

7.5

Episode 9: Rogue

I really like this episode as they really make Clark see the consequences of his consistent use of his powers. Even at one point it's a throw away line reference to his other life-saving events, it still makes me giddy that the show knows somebody would put the pieces together.

Again, like much of the earlier episodes, this episode makes me think of X-men just due to the comparisons of hiding your powers and not being seen in order to be normal. It's got a great character building scene with Kent's father as he does everything he can to try and protect his son.

Clark takes after his father's lesson and does everything to protect his family. You can see the strong moral compass being built as Clark goes through these dilemmas. Also I really liked that they touched on Clark's want to kill the villain. It really makes Clark seem flawed and it works because he isn't Superman yet, he's still got to work out the kinks, especially in cases where the villain gets close to his heart. It's not just random civilians the villain is threatening it's his family. We know all superheros become emotional when their family is involved (I mean look at Spider-man, he made a deal with the devil just to save his dying Aunt).

Lex moves closer to find out the truth about Clark which is interesting but his interaction with Victoria Hardwick was really not, they tried to make it see like an exciting corporate game of cat and mouse but it was far from exciting.

Finally the C-story of Chloe losing her job as School Paper editor was really a nice piece of character building, very highschool-ish but considering that they are in high-school, it works. It gives Chloe more screen time, shows more of the true feelings that Chloe has for Clark, and Lana now realizes it, I think. Meaning that Clark will probably be hooking up with Chloe before Lana because of Lana's sincerity.

Three very separate stories with very little thematic connection this time around. But still one of the more entertaining and well-paced episodes yet, with a villain who doesn't have powers. That's a few good episodes in a row...we'll see if they can keep it up.

[elnino14]

Episode 10: Shimmer

This episode is all based around a single mystery, it's not the greatest mystery ever, but did you really expect it to be.

This is a very Season 1 Buffy-type episode, and actually the concept is very similar to one of the episodes from that show. The invisible teenager is also the teenager who is the least known, the most quiet and as they say it's the quiet ones you have to watch out for. It's predictable but it's not too predictable.

Anyways, the main issue here and the more interesting issue, is the stuff that has to do with Clark, as always. Clark shows himself to be a better man than Whitney, by sacrificing his own feelings for Lana in order to help her repair her relationship with Whitney. In the end, Whitney isn't a bad guy, he's a pretty typical jock, kind of immature. Clark is just morally better, and an all around idealist. His ideals and his devotion to these ideals are what is so interesting in this episode. Even with his best friend telling him that he'd make the moves, but he's not Clark, and that's why he likes Clark so much, Clark still makes the tough decision and moves on.

The rest of the plot, the villain plot really isn't that interesting, sure it gives us more insight into Lex but it's still kind of bland, and been there done that.

7.0

Episode 11: Hug

This episode is my least favorite on the disc but it's still not quite as bad as earlier episodes and I can't remember much of it. It's just that the concept is a bit bland. It's a very environmentalism heavy episode. It's a very business dealings heavy episode (which is fine when it deals with Lex, but I don't really care that much outside of him). It's just kind of boring.

Until the climax. Uzi's, Clark vs. gun, and Chloe kissing Clark (okay maybe that last one doesn't happen in the climax), but there's some awesome moments in the climax and the action scene of the episode.

In terms of themes, we see something that'll come up in the very next episode but just executed so poorly it's barely even noticeable, two people having the same power and using them in different ways. Why is it not noticeable, well, it has very little relevance on Clark or any of the other main characters, it's all based on the one-off characters we'll see only in this episode. So we kind of go over it in passing. And we forget.

Most of the episode though is just bland. Whitney boohoos about Clark causes problems with Lana/Clark friendship, and it's all wrapped up kind of stupidly and nonsensically. I didn't like this episode.

6

Episode 12: Leech

This episode has some great thematic relevance but the plot devices used to get there are just implemented so poorly...lightning really...REALLY!

First the bad stuff, LIGHTNING can apparently strip you of your powers and change your DNA, which is what happens to Clark here. He switches DNA with a normal person, and he in fact become normal. I can't stress this enough, LIGHTNING makes people switch DNA. It's stupid. The normal kid gets Clark's powers and deals with bullies, and unforgiving parents.

Anyways, once that is out of the way, we see Clark get to enjoy normal life. There's some interesting notes on identity and the use of power to establish identity. The coolest difference is to see what Clark does with his powers, responsible, life-saving actions compared to the other teenager who uses his powers for personal gain and to crush adversity (not unlike a certain friend of Clark's). Clark sums it up quite well on why the two are so different, Clark's parents. The other big difference is in how the public view the two, because of Clark's carefulness in hiding he's never seen as a freak or an experiment, even though his parent's know, they still treat him as their son. The other student never felt treated like a son, never felt loved, and thus is seen as an opportunity for research by his father, and a freak by his mother. That really is the difference in how the two end up using their powers.

Unfortunately the climax could/should have been interesting as a normal Clark takes on the powered student, but it just uses the stupid plot device to get everything back to normal. It's stupid and lame. And really puts a dent on an episode that has lots of fun thematic relevance.

7.5

Halfway through the season and I fell a bit of mid-season slump. It's still fluffy entertainment, and really, the quicker Season 1's constant one-off plots end, the better.

[elnino14]

In all honesty I don't remember much from all the episodes as I watched them early last week, outside of Ep16, which I watched last night.

Episode 13: Kinetic - Really didn't like this episode much. The washed out athletes with tatoos were pretty annoying throughout the episode and really their dumb as rocks to pull off any kind of scheme. It's more of the same, super-powered kryptonite villains do things, threaten people, Clark saves them. The only good thing about this episode is that it builds Whitney a bit more, as now he's lost his scholarship and kind of a defeated teen who feels like he'll fall into the same fate as his old man. 6/10

Episode 14: Zero - This was a rather cool episode as it kind of shows everybody having something to hide, gives more insight into the type of man Lex has been, Lex's past and the trouble he's caused (although all of it with noble intentions). The mystery behind the dead man is a lame deus ex machina, cop out and it's disappointing after they've built such intriguing mysteries. 7.5/10

Episode 15: Nicodemus - I really liked this episode, what could have easily been a throw-away episode is a great study on what happens when emotions are uncontrolled. It allows some of the cutesy characters in the series be bad for an episode and it looks like they're having a blast doing it. Everybody does a great job here, and it's a really fun episode all the way around with some interesting insight into some of the deeper feelings of the characters. Lex also got some development as he is always been smirky, and sneaky, but never a bold-faced liar, he was one in this episode to Clark no less. The climax between those two was rather intense and an absolute fantastic scene. 8.5

Episode 16: Stray - Another solid episode that doesn't feel too formulaic, it's slow but all the interactions are pretty good, the comparisons between Clark and the Stray are plentiful, and the relationship that the two build felt genuine. But overall, the show is spinning it's wheels, the characters are still not really developing and I feel a very circular motion going on and I usually vomit from those types of rides. 7/10

The show has gotten more solid as it went along, but it's still not great, it's still bubblegum and cotton candy entertainment.

[elnino14]

Finished the FIRST SEASON last night, it's actually a very rough first season.

Episode 17: Reaper - Really...Smallville takes on assisted suicide, REALLY! The villain in this episode is really just terrible. The biggest situation is that this issue takes up most of episode, the only thing that keeps these bad episodes a float is the political machinations in Lex's storyline. The differences in the father/son relationships throughout this season between Lionel/Lex, John/Clark are fucking fascinating and it's explored a bit here, as well as the John Kent and Lex non-relationship.

Episode 18: Drone - Oh My Goodness, huge leaps in logic here. A girl gets stung by lots of bees she MUST be the Queen Bee now. The FUCK? The class president Clark Kent campaign is actually really fun as he searches for slogans and becomes popular, but the main plot is garbage. Again the only thing keeping these bad episodes afloat are the Lex storyline, here Lex deals with a reporter trying to slander his name. It's a good thing Lex isn't in the high-school because then he'd get caught up in these stupid ass main plots where crazy meteor induced teens go on a rampage. He's kind of on the fringe in his storylines and it's fun to watch him there.

Episode 19: Crush - After the last two episodes, this villain doesn't seem half-bad. He's got legitimate gripes with certain people but his penchant for revenge is just too consuming. The Clark/Chloe relationship gets pushed to the front, and it seems all too quick, sure they were hinting at it throughout the season, but it seems like they skipped a gear somewhere along the way. We go from 3rd to 6th gear here and it's kind of an awkward but nice change of pace as the mid-season was kind of dull to be honest. It's not a great episode but it's a good one as we finally see some progress.

Episode 20: Obscura - This is actually an interesting plot and it feels closer to home as Lana is the one who gets meteor induced powers this time around. Chloe is the one who gets in trouble, and it all just feels closer to Clark rather than some student who goes crazy who happens to be Clark's tutor. Here it's all real, and it's all happening to people Clark cares about. Also it's nice not to get a meteor induced villain for once.

Episode 21: Tempest - I hate cliffhangers as season finales. It's okay to cliffhang some things, but the season should have a clear theme and closure every or at least every other season. Instead Smallville leaves everybody on a to be continued basis and it grinds my gears... Outside of that, Lionel Luthor is awesome, he's been awesome in his sporadic appearances all season and he's a great ploy to Lex. Clark, Chloe, Lana, and Whitney are all left up in the air in terms of relationships and for Lana in terms of safety. See it's okay to have Lex/Lionel tension that's perfect type of cliffhanger, it's okay to have uncertainty for all kinds of relationships, it's great to have this guy following them around trying to discover what's really going on, it's great to have the spaceship come to life, that's all great stuff, but to throw a couple of twisters into the mix, fucking stupid. You should have twister thing ended, and all the other stuff left in the air. That's really how you should have ended the season. Frustrating, but really excited all the same.

In terms of the entire season, it's kind of dull and not that great, but there's a lot of potential here. This season they just did a lot of world-building in terms of the Smallville town and the threats that Clark faces. They also did a lot of relationship building and then changed up the status quo the last few episodes. This episode was just small adventures with lots of talk about Clark hiding, but not much being done with that. It seems like next season they're going to do world-building of Clark's past, and actually expose Clark a little bit as the threat is much more real now.

[KnightWing]

I actually went back and watched the first season of Smallville a few months ago, and liked it a lot. Most of the problems that I have with the show actually come in much later, so maybe it's just that Season 1 looks great in retrospect.

[SuaveStar]

I actually went back and watched the first season of Smallville a few months ago, and liked it a lot. Most of the problems that I have with the show actually come in much later, so maybe it's just that Season 1 looks not terrible in retrospect.

Fixed.

[KnightWing]

I actually went back and watched the first season of Smallville a few months ago, and liked it a lot. Most of the problems that I have with the show actually come in much later, so maybe it's just that Season 1 looks not terrible in retrospect.

Fixed.

Kinda. But I really liked Season 1 a lot. I actually think I'd rate it a 4/5. Season 2 is somewhat more annoying, unfortunately.