By Clint Morris
any other show that’s run for over 8 years, ”Smallville”’s had it’s fair share of filler, less-fantastic episodes. Unfortunately, many of them can be found in this, the ninth season.
The original concept of Smallville was to chronicle the teenage years of Clark Kent (Tom Welling), as he grew up at his farmhouse with adopted parents Jonathan and Martha Kent, and spent his days adoring neighbour and schoolmate Lana Lang.
Eight seasons later, the show barely resembles itself. More ”Lois & Clark” than a Superman prequel series, ”Smallville”’s a victim of the cast-replacement syndrome; Most of the original characters – even Lex Luthor – are gone, and in their place are Lois (Erica Durance), Oliver Queen/The Green Arrow (Justin Hartley) and numerous ‘guest’ superheroes who pop in and out of the show. It’s still quite an entertaining 42 minutes, but it’s definitely a different beast now. Aside from the cast changes and emphasis reshifting from Clark’s teen angsty issues and adoration for Lang (also gone), the show isn’t so much set in Smallville now as it is Metropolis – the home of the Daily Planet and, of course, Superman. It’s a refreshing change I guess, but it does drift away from the original stratagem.
In this season, General Zod (Callum Blue) comes to Metropolis to settle a score with fellow Kryptonian Kal-El/Clark. In between battling the spacely rogue, Kent finds time to fall in love with – you guessed it – Lois Lane. And with their relationship taking an interesting, exciting turn, Kent decides it’s time to tell her his ’secret’.
“Smallville” is definitely running out of steam but there are quite a few good episodes – mixed in with the poor – here. Season 10 is a tad better.
Extras
Commentaries, featurettes and deleted scenes. Can’t say anything in the bonus bits department did much for me.
