I am going to review the new (relatively) Series called Smallville. It's yet another Superman show, but this time there's a twist: He's a freshman in High School. He's still learning about his powers, and trying desperately to win the hand of the lovely young Lana Lang. However, he is constantly foiled by her "Captain of the Football Team" Boyfriend, Whitney Fordman. There's another complication. He gets sick every time he gets near her, because she wears a necklace made of Kryptonite. It's a piece of the Meteor Rock that killed her parents when she was three. Another interesting complication is the fact that Clark Kent is Friends with Lex Luthor.
The plotlines are predictable, every episode, someone is granted strange, eerie powers, by the remaining "meteor Rocks" from Clark's arrival in Smallville. These people don't start out evil, but inevitably, absolute power corrupts absolutely, and they turn baddie, and Clark has to go save them. Alhough predictable, it is always enjoyable to watch and figure out just how he is going to beat the bad guy, and just what lengths the bad guys will go to.
There are also two new characters that were not discussed in the comics, Chloe Sullivan, and Pete Ross. They are Clark's best friends. Chloe is the editor of the school newspaper, and Clark helps her out with that. It has been implied since the first episode has a crush on Clark ever since the pilot episode, though it's never been directly addressed.
Casting for this show was well done. Tom Welling,(Clark Kent) does a remarkable job in his role as the conflicted teen who just wants to be normal. An added plus in my book, is that he looks a good deal like Christopher Reeves, the most famous Superman to date. Kristin Kreuk,(Lana Lang) aside from being gorgeous, is a talented actress to boot. She is quite convincing as the lost little girl who misses her parents, and can't decide if she likes the football captain better than this other strange guy who "is never around when you want him, but always around when you need him". Michael Rosenbaum,(Lex Luthor) does a wonderful job convincing us that he is a spoiled rich kid who hates daddy, but who also has been reborn since the car crash in the pilot episode, in which Clark saves his life. You can tell he has a dark side, but he still tries to do good. Sam Jones,(Pete Ross) is just your average run of the mill High School student. He is kind, and compassionate, and doesn't want to be seen as a loser. Allison Mack(Chloe Sullivan), is a die hard reporter. She has collected a gargantuan amount of information on the strange things that have happened since the meteor shower. She has collected newspaper clippings and magazine articles, and built them into a shrine that she calls "The Wall of Weird". Eric Johnson(Whitney Fordman) is the quintessential jock. Popular, and talented, he had a full football scholarship to Kansas State, but he lost it when his dad had a heart attack. Annette O'Toole (Martha Kent) is the concerned mother, and proud parent, whose heart breaks for her son because he can't fit in. John Schneider (Jonathan Kent) is the stubborn farmer and the strict father. He trusts his son, but still worries.
Despite a few minor drawbacks this series is definitely worth looking into, so take the time to download a few episodes, or watch on The WB network Tuesdays at 8:00PM CST.
