Smallville - Season One: My Impressions

[Reaver]

I'm late to the party, as usual.

Last night I finished watching the first season of Smallville on DVD, and it was my first viewing of the series at all. I was lucky enough to pick it up at Target for $18.00, and I would say it was money well spent. I'll briefly run down my thoughts in bulletpoint fashion.

First, the CONS:

* Sadly, the guy they have playing Clark Kent really isn't all that interesting. He more than looks the role, and his portrayal of his abilities has so far been good, but I have a hard time believing a guy as good looking as he is is also so awkward and unpopular. Had he been in my school, he would have owned the place. With eyes that blue, a smile that wide, and with that physique, it just seems too convenient that he's also that mousy. Still, Chris Reeves did much the same with his work as Clark Kent, so perhaps it isn't that strange after all. Still, I'll like the guy a bit more when he can open up and let his character breathe some.

* Okay, I know that Smallville was the place where a lot of Kryptonian meteors fell, but DAMN! That place should glow at night like a damn toxic spill with as many meteor rocks as it has imbedded in it. I don't see how Clark gets out of bed! The very air should be choked with it. And, as a byproduct of it, the Monster Of The Week deal has got to stop, and I'm hoping that future seasons will focus more on an ongoing arc. So far I've seen just about super villain cliche there is, and it needs to move on from that.

* The only character I really don't care for is Lana Lang, played by Kristin Kreuk. Now, don't get me wrong. She is smoking hot, and I certainly don't mind having the eye-candy on the screen, but there is just something about her portrayal of the character that leaves me a bit cold. Her smile is just a little too... manufactured. I can't explain it any better than that. Of all the main characters, she is the most contrived, and by extension, Whitney suffers too.

* Speaking of which, Whitney is a bit weaksauce too. I think I liked him better when he was more of a badguy. Clark can beat the holy hell out of suped-up antagonists, but a snarky guy in school is beneath his ability to handle easily, so it would have been more interesting to give him a foil on that level, one that seemed on the up on up to everyone else, especially Lana, but whom Clark knew the truth about, and it was that struggle between them that fueled turmoil with Lana as well. A bit of a dropped ball here.

And now, the PROS:

* By far, the best character on the show is Lex Luthor, played wonderfully by Michael Rosenbaum. He is as good in his role as James Marsters is as Spike in Buffy, and for much the same reason. He owns the role, he revels in the complexity of his character, and whenever he's on screen he is stealing it from everyone else. He alone makes ths show worth watching.

* Another character I really like is Chloe, played so sweetly by Allison Mack. She is everything that Lana isn't. She is a complex character, her expressions and moods seem perfectly logical, and she strikes me as an honest to god High School character. Were I Clark, I would have dated her long before I ever worried about Lana. And, it doesn't hurt that is amazingly cute and genuine. Please don't tell me that she falls off the side in coming seasons, because that would be a tragedy.

* Surprisingly, I really like John Schneider and Annette O'Toole as the Kents. Jonathon Kent's animosity toward Lex gets a bit old, and his flatout refusal to accept money for something he has every right to get is stupid, but he still plays it well, and in the end I think they bring a lot to the show. They both seem very genuine, and they make Tom Welling's Clark make that much more sense. I had anticipated these characters being relegated to the back of the bus, and I'm glad I was wrong. Nicely done.

Now, in the end, I really enjoyed watching the show. It suffers a bit from trying so hard to ape Buffy (hell, they've taken just about every aspect of Buffy and just swapped out Kansas sets for Sunnydale's), but first seasons are always rough. I'm sure it will pan out as time goes on, and I look forward to seeing where it goes.

My rating for this first season: 6 / 10

[Pirate]

Nice review Reaver.

I'd give season 1 a 5/10, but season 2 was a solid 8/10 IMO. I don't think the show really took off until season 2.

-PH

[MooglePorn]

Personally I don't think it got much better in Season Two. As I posted in my little "I got these for really cheap" thread, the show is good, but not great, and if Season Two is the best there is, which most people tell it is, thenthe show will never be great.

It's not a bad show, but it's just not special or great at anything, and some of the character problems are just downright annoying. I agree with a lot of what Reaver said up there, and I too would give the show a 5 or 6 out of 10 like Piratehunter. I just don't think Season Two rises above that in any large way.

[Squid Lips]

I came into the show later on DVD as well but have enjoyed all four seasons. I am going through 4 now and have not yet watched the TV run of season 5 so will wait for the DVD run of that too.

I think Season 2 was great but have been equally happy with 3 and 4. I like the way they are taking the relationship with Lex and Clark as you slowly watch as they dwindle from friends to opponents. The fact that I hate to see them getting there tells me I like the show....

I think the relationships are the best part of the show and that the up and down trials they all face with each other is pretty cool. Since we all know the ultimate outcome for Lana, Lex, Clark and Lois it is interesting to see this take on how they get there. I always thought I was going to have a hard time adjusting from the Clark/Lana relationship to the Clark?Lois one but I think they are doing that one well too.

I give the whole series so far a 7 1/2 to 8 out of 10.

[GaLvAtRoN187]

yea it really picked up in season 2, season 3 was good as well; though it went a little darker than the previous seasons. Season 4 had its good points and its bad, but the good parts definately outshined the bad. James Marsters is in season 5 as Braniac and he totally kicks ass so far

[Reaver]

Hey hey hey, let's keep the spoilers to a minimum, yeah? Like I said, I've never seen the show until now, so I'd like to know as little as possible about what's coming up. Thanks.

[palebluedot]

IMHO, the best episodes of all seasons are the first few and the last few. Season 1 may be the exception if you include ones where Clark learns about his powers, but for the most part the middle eps are fairly irrelevant. They are typically focused on the monster of the week and let the mythology come to a standstill.

I like Chloe as well, even tho she's the only main supporting cast member that wasn't from the comic books or the movie. No she doesn't get pushed to the side. In fact her character development is one of the best.

I was very impressed by Annette O'Toole, and until Season 2, didn't even realize she played Lana Lang in Superman III. I was a bit worried about John Schneider at first, being a long time Dukes of Hazzard fan, but he really does a good job as the father.

Myself, I still watch Smallville, now in Season 5. Other's may argue, but I'm in it for the long haul.