Back in 2006, my brother Nathan, then a senior in high school, got me hooked on Smallville
on DVD. In the months leading up to his departure for college, we
watched the first three seasons. Over the course of his freshman year we
watched two more. But since then it's been slow going in getting caught
up, so that we only just now finished season seven and are faced with
the fact that we're probably never going to actually catch up with this
show, since if past seasons are any indication, season eight will hit
DVD about a week before season nine premieres. Well, maybe we'll try to
cram it all into one week. Or maybe we'll just resign ourselves to
watching Smallville exclusively on DVD. Frankly, I'm pretty
surprised at the show's longevity, simply because it's a prequel, and
Clark's seemed on the verge of donning those tights for about three
seasons now. But I'm not complaining, and if I still have Smallville to look forward to after LOST concludes, so much the better.
Season seven of Smallville
is, in some ways, lighter than the sixth, in which Clark must deal with
the aftermath of a staggering personal loss and the impending nuptials
of the girl of his dreams to his best-friend-turned-arch-nemesis, all
while trying to round up a series of bloodthirsty intergalactic convicts
who make the meteor freaks look like minor irritations. It isn't that
the stakes aren't high in the seventh season, but the sense of peril is
less pervasive, and there's even a fair amount of domestic tranquility
for Clark, who really seems like an adult for the first time (though Tom
Welling looks exactly the same as he did when Clark was supposed to be a
freshman in high school). Though he's still a farm boy, he's now
running the place, with his mom Martha (Annette O'Toole) out of the
picture in Washington, D.C. Moreover, he's spending more and more time
in Metropolis, where intrepid reporter Chloe Sullivan (Allison Mack) and
dorky heart-of-gold photographer Jimmy Olsen (Aaron Ashmore) work for The Daily Planet,
soon to be joined by budding journalist Lois Lane (Erica Durance). Can
it be long before Clark joins their ranks? For the second season in a
row, an alternate reality sequence has him donning the iconic
thick-framed glasses and suit. Now if only phone booths weren't so hard
to come by nowadays...
Though political advancement removes
Martha from the equation, Lex's (Michael Rosenbaum) father Lionel (John
Glover) still has a significant role to play in Clark's life. It's
curious to see him playing the protective, paternal role, especially
since Martha is no longer there to act as a link between these two
powerful men. While Lionel often acts in ways that seem suspect, he
claims to be on Clark's side, and despite years of experience with
Lionel's villainy, Clark generally seems to believe that this tycoon has
turned over a new leaf. Lionel has been one of the show's most
compelling characters for me, in large part because of Glover's
brilliant performance; his theatrical background and his masterful way
of masking his character's motivations remind me very much of LOST's
Michael Emerson. And like Ben, the bug-eyed baddie Emerson portrays,
Lionel is a character I've been longing to see redeemed in the end.
Since I don't see how that can happen with Lex, I've transferred my
hopes onto Lionel. It takes a while for him to become a part of the
season, but once he does, his participation is crucial.
We've
also got Lana (Kristin Kreuk), who just won't go away no matter how many
times it seems like she may be off the show for good. Since I never
hopped aboard the Clark and Lana ship, and since I know he's going to
end up with Lois anyway, I'm not sure I appreciated Clark and Lana's
cohabitation in this season as much as I could have. I mean, poor Clark
has wanted this for years, and now he finally has a shot at domestic
bliss with his one true love, a woman who now knows most of his deep
dark secrets. But her tenure as a Luthor girl did nothing to improve the
toxic aspects of her personality; despite the sweet exterior, some of
her actions this season are downright diabolical, and it isn't long
before distrust and deceit starts to settle in at the Kent Farm.
Though he stoops to some very dark deeds this season, at times, Lex
still manages to come across as a decent human being, particularly in
his associations with the newest member of the principal cast, a blonde
beauty named Kara (Laura Vandervoort) who happens to be Clark's
biological cousin. Yes, it just so happens that Kal-El was not the only
Kryptonian to escape to Earth, but Kara was stuck in suspended animation
for a couple decades longer. Her first act upon awakening in this
strange new world involves rescuing Lex from a watery death in a precise
parallel of what Clark did in the show's very first episode. Lex sees
her first as an angel of mercy, later as the key to solving the mystery
that has plagued him for so many years. Kara carries herself with an air
of innocence and youthful rebellion. Though she remembers the infant
Kal-El, Clark is now older than her, and since she's on his home turf,
he has to show her the ropes. Unlike Clark, she doesn't feel the desire
to keep her powers secret; convincing her to lay low is one of his most
trying tasks throughout the season. Meanwhile, he struggles with
revelations about an old family feud that cast Kara in a questionable
light and suffers the indignity of knowing this newcomer might be a
novice in the ways of Earth but is fully equipped to take to the skies.
On the whole, I found Kara a refreshing addition, injecting an extra
dose of youthful fun into the season and allowing Clark a different sort
of significant relationship in his life while opening a window to a
deeper understanding of his biological mother.
Because I've always loved Jimmy Olsen and because Ashmore captures the character's sweetness and goofiness perfectly, Smallville
has finally sold me on a Chloe romantic relationship with someone other
than Clark that I can root for, particularly since Chloe's status as
Clark's most cherished and indispensable friend is assured at this
point. Chloe and Jimmy share some of the most tender moments of the
season, as well as some of the funniest. Granted, their courtship has
its ups and downs, particularly since Chloe is afraid to reveal to him
that she has been endowed with a miraculous gift with potentially fatal
side effects, and Kara's immediate (and rather inexplicable) infatuation
with him complicates matters somewhat. But I'd much rather watch these
two characters I genuinely love and can sympathize with equally work
together through the trials that come their way than cringe over the
twisted couplings that surround them. I'm starting to think theirs may
turn out to be Smallville's grandest love story. It's fun to
throw Lois into the mix too, especially when she and Jimmy end up
working together, since their personalities contrast so magnificently.
While romantic sparks never fly between them, it's sweet to watch them
develop a deeper sense of respect and affection for one another.
Meanwhile, Lois's luck in love seems to change this season when the
hunky new boss Grant Gabriel (Michael Cassidy) takes a liking to her.
Some old faces resurface this season, including the silky artificial
intelligence known as Milton Fine (James Marsters); filthy rich,
gadget-heavy vigilante Oliver Queen (Justin Hartley), who secures a
surprising assistant in his quest to rid the world of injustice; and,
much to my excitement, the long-neglected Pete Ross (Sam Jones III), who
vanished without a trace back in the third season. Don't get too
excited; he's not in it for the long haul. But just getting a brief
visit with this terrific character, the Ron Weasley of Smallville,
is a true gift to long-time fans of the series. Other significant
characters, such as Jonathan Kent and Dr. Virgil Swann, are referenced
but not seen, while one sinister character maddeningly assumes Clark's
identity, which naturally leads to complications, mostly with his
relationship to Lana. Of course, every season includes at least one
instance of Clark being "not himself," either because he's under the
influence of some nefarious substance or because someone else has
assumed his form, but this is one of the more effective uses of that
device. On a related note, two otherwise ordinary people in Clark's life
suddenly develop unusual abilities, which leads to comical situations
but ultimately causes insecurity all around.
Most of the season's best episodes shine a light on past events. Lara and Blue both help Kal-El's mother to emerge from the shadows of memory as a vibrant, loving woman, while Fracture
offers a fascinating peek into Lex's labyrinthian mind, giving us a
compelling reason to consider him redeemable despite all evidence to the
contrary. This little-seen side of Lex emerges again in the chilling Descent. I also enjoyed the It's a Wonderful Life-like Apocalypse,
in which Clark has a chance to see what the world would be like if he'd
never made it to Earth. Throughout the season, surprising connections
among characters come to light, and the trustworthiness of various
characters remains unclear. It's a season that keeps us guessing, and
having a whole lot of fun along the way. It's a shame that, due to the
writers' strike, there are fewer episodes than usual, but even so,
season seven is top-notch.
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