Smallville - Season 1

Or: Why I Love Clark Kent, Lex Luther and Lana Lang

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Alright, as usual, I'm a bit late on reviewing the series but, hey, at least it's getting reviewed!

So, anyway, I just finished watching the entire first season of Smallville (21 episodes, an hour long each, except for the first, which is 2 hours long... and I watched every one in a single weekend), which details the life of Clark Kent (otherwise known as Superman) as a teenager trying to come to understand when and how to use his "super powers," while also trying to fit into the "normal" high-school world. Each and every episode of Season 1 is a new life-lesson for young Clark, and each and every moment is a testament to the power of family and friendship. The two people that have the most influence on Clark are, of course, his parents: Jonathan and Martha Kent. These two were definately cast perfectly for the show, and are always there for Clark in every episode, teaching him valuable lessons and giving advice on his powers; they have also been an integral part of numerous episodes.

Clark's friends, however, are what help make the show. From the first episode, one of Clark's best friend is a girl by the name of Chloe Sullivan, who obviously has a definate "thing" for Clark, but his super-human strength, speed and intelligence seems to blind him from that fact. Immediately after we're introduced to Chloe, we're introduced to the lovely Lana Lang (any relation to the comic book's "Lois Lane?" Maybe she has a name-change at some point, which, given her in-show circumstances, could make sense), who Clark has a very obvious enfatuation with. Though, of course, Ms. Lang has a boyfriend named Whitney who, at first, seems to be the typical jock/bully, but it seems that he is going to be playing a very important role in the series (he played a semi-significant role in Season 1, but nothing too Earth-shattering). Also, in the first episode (which is two hours long), Clark saves Lex Luther from near-death, and they instantly become good friends (though they are each others' arch-nemesis in the comic; which will provide for some very interesting plot twists in the TV show), much to Clark's parents' apprehension. And thus, Smallville is born.

The series is, without a doubt, one of the most amazing I have ever seen. The actors were very well-cast for their parts, and each do a great job in every episode. And, almost surprisingly, the show's writing is absolutely incredible. Being told that the series was about "the early days of Superman," I was very skeptical about the show, but having just watched 22 hours of episodes in 3 days, I can safely say I was wrong about my early judgements. A lot of the episodes in this season are simply Clark-beats-up-on-new-found-super-villian-who-got-powers-from-kryptonite-meteor-rocks to provide each episode with some decent action, but the best parts of each episode is the mystery surrounding each character. Lex Luther, played by Michael Rosenbaum, is one of the most intriguing characters I've ever seen in a TV series or movie. Being semi-knowledgable about the Superman comic, I know that Lex Luther and Superman end up being enemies, but right now, they are great friends; but Lex definately has a dark past, which is revealed bit-by-bit in the episodes, and provides for a lot of interesting mysteries; though the friendship he and Clark share has only gotten stronger with each episode. I must say, Lex is definately a badass throughout the whole series, and is one of my favorite characters in the series; which is not to say that the series has a shortage of lovable characters, I find myself "emotionally attached" to each and every one of the characters (though I can't seem to warm up to one of Clark's friends, named Pete, as he seems to have a very trivial role in the show, and only provides with some very mediocre comic relief).

I tend to judge my liking of a movie or TV series on how emotionally attached I find myself to the characters and, by that standard, Smallville surpasses all expectations. Each episode, I'm always dying to find out whether or not Clark and Lana get closer, or if Clark's parents will finally accept Lex as Clark's friend, or if Lex can seperate himself from his father's terrible reputation as an asshole of a major business tycoon. The show has one of the most memorable set of characters that I have ever seen, and its one of the things that makes the show so good (besides the amazing plot line, and action).

The only bitter part in this sweet, sweet, patch of episodes for Season 1 is that 90% of the episodes were roughly the same in their overall goal (bad guy gets super-powers from a kryptonite meteor rock, bad guy threatens someone close to Clark, Clark comes to save the day); though I am definately getting the feeling that this was simply to give each episode a purpose, while enabling the writers to give a massive introduction to the world of Smallville, and towards the end of the season, the episodes start getting darker and more mysterious, and tend to start breaking the chain. I expect Season 2 to have some amazing episodes, as there are A LOT of unresolved issues from Season 1 (which I won't spoil for you here).

Final Word: If you haven't caught Smallville on the WB network before, be sure to pick up the DVD box set for Season 1 (and the upcoming Season 2 DVD box set). Each episode is a memorable trek through the world of Clark Kent, and all the other amazing characters in this very well-written TV show.

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Glad to know others share my view of the show.
I've been watching since the start.
I haven't bought the DVD set just yet. But it's on the list.

I follow the show on a weekly basis.
So I know how it's twisting along.
I must say the writers are outstanding.
They sure do know how to keep us watching!

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