Smallville season 4 (2004/2005)

(Confession: I haven't seen all the episodes of Smallville this season. I've missed the Krypto and the photographer episodes - hoping to catch them in the reruns. If I do, I'll update this.)

Having been a big comicbook geek in high school and early college days (until I couldn't afford comics anymore), I have been watching this show from the get-go. And I have to admit that I liked what they've done.

The comicbook fundamentalists I'm sure are whining up a big storm. What's Lois Lane doing in Smallville? Clark didn't meet her until he joined The Daily Planet! Well, get over it, geek boys! This ain't the comic! Besides, Pete Ross wasn't black in the comics either! Who cares? Go read the comic and quit watching the show if that's the way you feel!

CLARK'S ROMANCE LIFE
I did like the inclusion of Lois Lane this season. I thought they captured the character real well. It's easy to see how this former chain-smoking, talkaholic, bossy girl who lost her mom and was raised by an often absent general becomes the crazy reporter. And I love the way Clark can't stand her and finds her annoying. It showed nice restraint that they didn't make her a new love interest for Clark.

Clark's love interest this season, though, was an interesting character. Alicia, the transporter, came back, released from the psych hospital. I guess I could relate to her having spent a few days in a psych hospital myself. I did have trouble with Clark taking her back after she basically drugged him with red kryptonite. but if you could get past that, it was a touching story - Clark having someone he could share his secret with. So, of course, she has to die the very next episode! Gee, we can't let Clark have a good romantic life for more than one week!

And I'm not sure what to make of this new Lana-Clark romance. Clark claims it will be different this time. How? He hasn't told her of his powers. So he still needs to run off when there's trouble. He still hiding stuff. So how's it different? I think he should just tell her. Then I think they should have Lana freak out because she's already had too stress in her life. And then Chloe can get all pissed because Clark confided in Lana but not her. Let the cat fight begin!

IS IT CHLOE'S OR CLARK'S SECRET?
I did like the fact that Chloe learned Clark's secret and that Clark doesn't know it, though he obviously suspects - I think. In Smallville - like comics, anything can happen. Things that are obvious to normal human beings are not quite so simple here. But let's face it, if were that simple, everyone would know about Clark and we wouldn't have much of a show. If you're going to watch Smallville, you have to accept the premise that the people aren't quite with it as real human beings. Actually to be quite honest, that's a premise you have to accept to enjoy a LOT of tv shows!

But Chloe knowing Clark's secret without him knowing that she knew it (if you follow all that) has provided a lot of fun irony. The biggest irony when Clark lost his memory (again!), and Chloe had to explain all his super powers to him. The premise that Clark wouldn't even remember he was super was a little far fetch. I'd liked to know if a skilled athlete lost his memory, would he forget he can play the sport? And play it well? A fast runner is going to forget he can run faster than the most of the human race? Perhaps, but it sounds kinda hokey.

Anyway, if you can accept that premise, you had a fun episode with Chloe having Clark bend crow bars in his bare hands and chase after motorcycles.

YOU CAN NEVER ESCAPE THE COMICS!
I also like the inclusion of more comicbook elements into the series. The story with Mister Mxyzptlk was interesting. I like the interpretation they did of him. I don't think having a midget prankster popping in from another dimension would have worked on Smallville.

And the inclusion of The Flash was a lot of fun. I always find the idea of people moving faster than us all interesting. We've all thought about what we do if we could slow people down. I also liked the touch with fake id's - the first one, Jay Garrick, was the secret identity of the 40's Flash, and the second, Wally West, was the secret identity of Kid Flash who became The Flash after the death of the Barry Allen Flash. (Don't worry, Barry Allen came back. Deaths in comic books are like the "retirement" of rock groups!)

And I already talked about Lois. And I haven't seen the original episode with Krypto, so I can't comment on that. But I am waiting for a young Bruce Wayne to turn up in Smallville. Maybe Lex can have a run-in with Wayne Enterprises! Actually, to be quite honest, I'd really like to see Gotham - a show about Bruce Wayne's time between when he lost his parents and before he went off to study fighting or go to college for a degree in Criminology and Law.

CONCLUSION
So, anyway, back to Smallville. I like where they've been taking Clark. We have now have some interesting themes running through the series - like wild experiments with Kryptonite, the evil Kryptonian stones, and poor Lana's possession by a witch, to mention a couple. This is quite an improvement compared to the first season which was basically Clark vs. the meteorite freak of the week. And now, some of the best shows are without any villain at all - like the episode with Lana and Clark finding the fast growing child.

And after four years, they've realized Clark can stay in high school, so I'm looking forward to season 5 and Clark's new life to Metropolis U!


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