Saturday, May 28, 2011
Smallville: Season 9
As I get around to watching season 9 of Smallville the series finale in Season 10 has just been announced. The shows I watched on live TV before I gave up on it are fast disappearing. One wonders for example how much longer One Tree Hill can survive.
Like OTH Smallville began as a high school teen drama and has had an uneasy transition to adulthood. People have come and gone high school buddies moving on. For a while the show toyed with the Justice League but Jensen Ackles, for example, moved on to his own show--Supernatural. The departure of Lex Luther, a staple of the Superman Canon, was rather a shock though in a world ruled by Meteor Rock and the Wall of Weird anything including resurrection is possible. The death of Jimmy Olson was another surprise. Season 9 spends considerable effort on who will be paired with whom and Clark’s on again, off again thing for Lois Lane. The duality of her fixation on his Superman alter ego to the exclusion of the reporter who sits opposite her adds novel tension.
This season Tom Welling appears shirtless for the first time and it would seem his handlers failed to persuade him to adhere to a rigorous gym schedule and diet. In contrast clothes are wasted on Justin Hartley whose ripped physique puts Superman to shame. In an attempt to enrich rather thin plot-lines in the absence of Clark’s arch nemesis Lex more survivors from Krypton appear including a brief poorly handled appearance by Jorel, Kalel’s Father. In the final episodes of the season Martha Kent returns to the farm. Interesting note, when Clark makes his whosh entrances there the door is never locked, surely the place needs more protection than that given by the family dog Shelby.
Like OTH Smallville began as a high school teen drama and has had an uneasy transition to adulthood. People have come and gone high school buddies moving on. For a while the show toyed with the Justice League but Jensen Ackles, for example, moved on to his own show--Supernatural. The departure of Lex Luther, a staple of the Superman Canon, was rather a shock though in a world ruled by Meteor Rock and the Wall of Weird anything including resurrection is possible. The death of Jimmy Olson was another surprise. Season 9 spends considerable effort on who will be paired with whom and Clark’s on again, off again thing for Lois Lane. The duality of her fixation on his Superman alter ego to the exclusion of the reporter who sits opposite her adds novel tension.
This season Tom Welling appears shirtless for the first time and it would seem his handlers failed to persuade him to adhere to a rigorous gym schedule and diet. In contrast clothes are wasted on Justin Hartley whose ripped physique puts Superman to shame. In an attempt to enrich rather thin plot-lines in the absence of Clark’s arch nemesis Lex more survivors from Krypton appear including a brief poorly handled appearance by Jorel, Kalel’s Father. In the final episodes of the season Martha Kent returns to the farm. Interesting note, when Clark makes his whosh entrances there the door is never locked, surely the place needs more protection than that given by the family dog Shelby.
# posted by garthmailman@gmail.com @ 1:58 pm 
