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DVD Review: Smallville, Season 6

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By now it should be obvious that I’m a Smallville freak (not to be confused with a meteor freak). My story is simple: I bought Season 1 on DVD one day because it was selling for $20 and I had only ever heard good things about the show. I plowed through Season 1 in a few days and immediately ran out to get Season 2 (even though I was extremely sick and wasn’t moving out of bed at the time)! I managed to get through the first 4 seasons while Season 5 was still on the television. So I didn’t watch and waited for Season 5 to come out on DVD, watched it in 2 days, and then began watching Season 6 last September.

Of course, my schedule screwed me and I started missing shows so I stopped watching completely…which means that I had to wait an entire year for the f’ing DVDs to come out! I bought the DVDs earlier this week, watched them all, and still managed to miss the first episode of Season 7. Thank God I have DVR these days!

Season 6 was great. The show has grown-up so much over the last 5 years that it’s really become a great show with many adult themes. Sex, desire, marriage, lust – all of these play a major part in many of the episodes. This is the season that sees Lana Lang marry Lex Luthor and ultimately “explode” in the final episode. We follow Clark track escaped convicts from the Phantom Zone (which is where Zod exiled Clark at the end of Season 5). In fact, Season 6 ends with Clark fighting against the last – and strongest – escapee from the Phantom Zone.

One thing that really pissed me off about this season was the fact that Lana seemed to wind up in the hospital in the majority of the episodes. At one point, I think she was in there for a few episodes in a row! How long can you play out that storyline before it gets old? We get it, she’s physically weak, emotionally tempered, and sexually strong. We know! Move to the next friggin’ level of her character development!

The introduction of Jimmy Olsen was good for the show – or at least I think so. His interaction with Chloe really brings a different side of her character out for the fans to enjoy. It also clearly puts Clark in his own little world where he’s essentially alone. I mean even his Mother has Lionel Luther to lean on! Oh, and speaking of Annette O’Toole and John Glover, they (once again) steal the season with their acting. As do Chloe and Lois Lane (Erica Durance). Tom Welling is also great as Clark Kent as is Rosenbaum as Lex Luthor.

But honestly, at this point in the show’s history it is unnecessary to go over the excellence of the cast. They’re good – and if you don’t believe me then watch on Thursday nights at 8pm on The CW.

Season 6 was a great season and I’m looking forward to another excellent season!

Smallville Episode 604 Review: Arrow

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Green Arrow Bandit, they call him.

Poor Oliver Queen – he’s just trying to be the “good guy” in a bad place – literally stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. That’s not quite what Lois Lane thinks, though. This episode began with more reasons to believe that Smallville has the best wardrobe department in the history of television! As the cast attends a Luther fundraiser for Metropolis, the Green Arrow manages to swoop in and steal a necklace that Lionel gave to Martha.

First point – if Jonathon was still around, he wouldn’t have any of that shit.

But, after we watch this episode, the Arrow lets us know that the items he is stealing (including the necklace from Martha’s neck) have all be stolen from other countries and their rare collections. I won’t spoil the episode in terms of how this revelation comes about, but the story is mildly well-written, so be sure to catch a replay if you can.

This episode impacted the larger story in that Lex and Lionel test Lana’s loyalty to the Luther clan (sounds like a bad tongue twister). In addition, the Green Arrow finds out about Clark’s super powers and Clark finds out that the Green Arrow is actually Oliver Queen. That part of the episode is worth watching again – if just to see the veiled references to the future Justice League of America that these two help found.

All in all, a good episode – not the best one, but much better than some of the ones that we’ve had to suffer through over the last few years!

Smallville Episode 603 Review: Wither

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Although Smallville started their sixth season a few weeks ago, I haven’t had a chance to comment on any of the shows on the blog yet. So whereas I was able to make comments on the first two Lost episodes, I’m just going to start the Smallville episode reviews/comments with the third episode from this season. Thankfully, I won’t get a chance to comment on the second episode, “Sneeze,” in which Clark realizes that he has super breath because he catches a cold. Ugh…

That being said, I really don’t have too much to comment on the third episode, Wither. The ending was great with Clark sitting alone in his barn while all of the other major characters are getting some. It was actually the best written scene in the entire episode, I think – Clark just bouncing that ball against the wall all by himself. Poor guy.

Oh wait, he’s Superman.

As for the rest of the episode, well it wasn’t too too bad. It wasn’t really great, but it wasn’t really bad. Something about a tree woman who plants seeds inside of men just strikes me as overly hokey. Then again, I watch a show about a twenty-something Clark Kent…

The relationship between Lex and Lana seems forced (to me) at this stage. It was interesting before when it was new and taboo, but it really does seem like it’s a bit much. Lex undressing Lana in front of a fireplace at his mansion? Eh – Lana naked does it for me, not the whole forced romantic BS that the writers threw in there.

On the other hand, I am a fan of the Green Arrow and his relationship with Lois. Though I’m having trouble rectifying how a twenty-something Lois Lane and a twenty-something Clark can have such bland feelings towards each other now and eventually wind up wanting to pump each other. And with Chloe’s relationship – she really ought to be getting it on with Clark and not this photographer guy from the first or second season.

I would give this episode a C – it was very average. The ending, though, gets a strong B.

DVD Review: Smallville, Season 5

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It’s unbelievable that the last Smallville Review that I wrote was back in February. Seems like such a long time ago…

If I had to categorize Season 5, I would say that this was the “growing up” season of Smallville. One of the biggest complaints that I always hear about this show is that some of the show plots are high school-ish and juvenile. Well, I agree with that going back a few seasons – you can’t really deny it. However, Season 5 was really the season where the writers obviously had enough of being labeled a preteen show and wanted to prove that they could write stories at a more mature level.

So did they succeed?

Partly.

Sure the season was a lot more mature-minded, but I think that they forced themselves into growing up in areas where it wasn’t really necessary. The most obvious example was killing off Jonathon Kent. I don’t know if his contract was coming up and they needed him off the show or if something outside the “Smallville” world pulled him away, but his death was poorly written at best and leaves a gaping hole in the overall plot of the show.

Now, I’m not going to completely write off Daddy Kent’s death because the writers can prove that there is something bigger going on. They could continue to use him in the occasional episode and he can continue to be a positive influence in Clark’s life. However, if that doesn’t happen, then I see very little redeeming value in getting rid of Jonathon.

Almost as confusing was the beginning of the awkward relationship between Lana and Lex. And the way Season 5 ended left no clues about where any of that is going (which is a good thing). Actually, let me say that the final two episodes of Season 5 were fantastic. Oh, and good for the writers for not ending the season with a meteor shower or some other “bleh” scenario. The coming of Zod and the abolishment of Clark leave a nice opening for the first episode of Season 6…which started the other day and I missed!

As if you even were wondering…I highly suggest watching Smallville Season 5 and tuning in on Thursday nights to see Smallville on The CW.

DVD Review: Smallville, Season 4

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It’s obvious that I’m a Smallville fan now – thanks to Peetah for turning me on to the series. Season 4 was probably the best of the lot as far as I’m concerned (so far).

The storyline about Lana’s connection to the witch who was burned at the stake and how that witch was sentenced to death by Jason’s ancestors – really interesting stuff! Also, the interplay of how each of the main characters wants the stones of power is very well written. I’m not sure how I feel about the episode where Lex is split in two and thus turns his father back into his old, nasty self, but we’ll see how that plays out in Season 5.

I’m a big fan of Erica Durance and her Lois Lane character. Not just because she’s banging, but she does a good job of being a nuisance to Clark. I’m also a big fan of that crazy girl who transports showing Chloe Clark’s secrets and the episode where Clark loses his memory and Chloe protects him from the outside world. Is it just me or is Chloe getting progressively hotter as the seasons go on? Good for her!

As the rest of the Smallville freaks will tell you, it’s cool that the Flash was introduced to the storyline – there really is endless potential especially since his powers are not a result of the meteor shower. And speaking of meteor showers – what a great final episode, huh? As I said in the Season 3 Review, the Smallville writers have a way of ending each season by blowing up enough of the storyline to start fresh, yet keep some of the more important characters and stories going. Another good job.

I’m not sure I really enjoyed the whole feeling of Clark as a football player. I mean he’s Superman for Christ’s sake – I don’t know if he needed to be a football hero in the story, even if it was only a short-lived fling. I will also say kudos to the writers for handling Christopher Reeve’s death in a classy fashion and for bringing in one of the only guest stars that could have taken his place – Margot Kidder. For those of you that don’t know, Margot played Lois Lane opposite Reeve in the Superman movies.

Though I will say that I don’t think she had a big enough role on the series and I really don’t like how her character was killed off and how her death was only mentioned as a passing note in the Lionel vs. Genevieve dialogue. Oh – how sweet is it that Jane Seymour was brought in to play Genevieve? She’s an excellent actress and she did a hell of a job playing a really tough role.

Anyone else think that the episode where Lana, Lois, and Chloe get possessed by the medieval witches was REALLY hot? Those three are ridiculously gorgeous.

This season also had some stupid high school-ish drama with the weirdo who tried to recreate Smallville High and turned everyone into mannequins. I thought the China episode was good and really showed how great the series can be when it pulls away from these stupid high school storylines. There was also the obligatory tragic death this season with Alicia being killed off, which I guess had to happen since the only way her role in the story could progress is by her becoming more involved with Clark (which is a big no-no with Lana and Lois around).

Season 4 was sweet, but my only problem now is that we’re 7 months away from when Season 5 comes out on DVD…so what the “f” am I supposed to do now?! I can’t start watching the series on TV – they’re already into like the 12th or 13th episode! Maybe I can find a place to buy the episodes from Season 5 online somewhere. Any advice that you folks have is greatly appreciated!