Superman. The name is as well known as apple pie. Even if you know nothing about who he is or where he got his start, you at least know his name. It's surprising that a fictional character could have such a broad audience. Especially considering he started out (and still is) a comic book. Comic books, as popular as they have become over the recent years, are still looked at by some as a child's hobby. And yet, the name Superman still made its way into the homes of every person who ever wanted to be a hero.
Almost ten years ago now the CW (then the WB) premiered a show called Smallville, which was about the teenage years of Clark Kent. The idea of the show was simple, "no flight, no tights". It featured all the regulars, Lana Lang, Jonathan & Martha Kent, as well as a young Lex Luthor. The idea behind this was to have the two future enemies start out as best friends. A new addition to the cast was Clark's high school friend Chloe Sullivan. An eager young reporter who worked at Smallville High Schools newspaper and was constantly searching for clues as to the local mystery hero was.
Recently the show just finished its ninth season. The story for this season focused on a few different story lines. One was the relationship between Lois and Clark as they start dating as well as working together. Also we see formation of "Checkmate", a rogue section of government, unhappy with all the super beings popping up in the world. Chloe, now running a base of operations called Watchtower has found herself falling into a romantic relationship with Oliver Queen/Green Arrow. The main story, though, follows General Zod who has found himself on earth leading a small group of left over Kryptonians as they attempt to figure out how they came to be on earth and why they have no powers like Clark.
This season also introduces some other well-known characters from the comic book. In the second episode we see the creation of Metallo/John Corben. The way the creators handled his accident but also his "birth" as Metallo was quite good. Also how the look they came up with for his kryptonite heart was interesting. One can imagine that having to walk around with pipes sticking out of your chest could make you very upset.
Not only do we see new villains this season but also new heroes. The one episode featuring the well-known Wonder Twins was a lot of fun to watch. But the real episode to watch out for is titled "Absolute Justice". In it we get to see some of our favorite Golden Age heroes appear on the small screen. Hawkman, Dr Fate, and The Sandman all make appearances. It's to bad they couldn't fit more in but it probably would have difficult to keep the story together with that many people running around in it.
Overall the look of the show is the same. Very bright, colorful, even in dark alleys you never get the sense that isn't some place you would want to be and all the actors and actresses are very good looking. The only drawbacks to this season are really the same ones that have been with it since the beginning. The dialogue is still very "soap opera", the writers never really follow through when Clark decides to "go dark", and a lot of the storylines are too drawn out while others should be fleshed out more.
But a lot of these negatives are really not anything to be concerned about. The show is about to enter its tenth, and final, season. Overall this season was handled well, the current storylines were wrapped up neatly which new ones were laid down for the upcoming season. Superman was always about a man who stood up for what was right. Who didn't try to get involved in current affairs but chose to lead by example and let others be inspired to do better on their own. Smallville has always done an excellent job capturing the spirit of the character and it still does.
Grade: B+
