Looking back on 2001, I have memories of driving down the highway and thinking, “Look… up in the sky. It’s a bird. It’s a plane. It’s Superma…. Waitaminnit!! That’s just a billboard with a picture of a guy in a cornfield with a big ‘S’ painted on his chest.” That was pretty much my first introduction into the WB world of “Smallville.” At the time, I had read many articles and heard many rumors of this ‘hip new’ re-telling of the Superman saga. The series hit TV screens at a time when teenage Sci-fi was hitting its stride on the network. It had given birth to “Buffy, The Vampire Slayer” and “Roswell”, though both eventually ended up on UPN. Though I thought both of these shows were great, the thought of a “Dawson’s Creek-isized” Superman didn’t really appeal to me. And there was a general doubt all around that the show would ‘take off.’

When I finally saw the Pilot episode, I was surprised at how good it actually was. It wasn’t necessarily great, but there was something about it that was engaging. I started to have a feeling the WB might actually have a hit on their hands. As I continued to watch that first season, the characters started to grow on me and I was able to separate the series from its ‘Dawson-like’ persona. I thought that Tom Welling was and excellent choice to portray the young Clark Kent. He had the perfect look for the role, and it was easy to see that he had the capability to grow into the part. In the first few episodes, Welling was still a bit stiff and some of the teen ‘angst’ of wanting to be normal seemed a little forced. But over the course of the season, he improved immensely.

The one actor who sold me on the show immediately was Michael Rosenbaum. His portrayal of the young Lex Luthor was, and still is note perfect. As the son of a rich industrialist, he is a picture of weariness. He gets what he wants, and though he is not yet the villain he is destined to become, you can see it simmering just underneath the surface. His attempts to be the ‘good guy’ are often met with distrust and criticism, and this just adds fuel to the fire burning within. I’m still really hoping the series carries far enough into the saga to see Rosenbaum take the character fully into ‘Darth’ mode.

Rosenbaum’s performance was enhanced by the casting of John Glover as his father, Lionel Luthor. The ever-evolving plot between these two characters became nothing short of a Greek tragedy. Glover’s fine performance in the role was a highlight of every episode he was in and I hoped that the character would be expanded on in the second season. Fortunately, he was… in spades.

The only slight weaknesses I found in that first season were the stories in general. I wanted to see a greater plot evolve over the course of the season, and in some ways it did. But the individual episodes themselves were more like ‘monster of the week’ affairs with different Smallville citizens falling prey to Kryptonite and becoming ‘villains.’ It pretty much happened week after week, and it became a little tiresome. However, the series began to mature during the last part of the season, and that little plot device started becoming a little less used. By the time the series reached its final few episodes, it had become the series I hoped it would be, a positively charged pre-story of the icon-to-be.

I ended up getting completely sucked into the first season, first and foremost by all the references of things to come, most of them thrown out as little asides meant to be caught by Superman fans. As I mentioned, the beginning of the season took a while to find its footing so at first some of them were a little trite, but again as the series went on, they became increasingly clever and downright prophetic. I was also drawn in by the Lana Lang / Clark Kent / Chloe Sullivan triangle. Clark loves Lana, Lana loves Whitney, Chloe loves Clark and so on. What at first seemed a bit hackneyed eventually turned out to be quite emotionally compelling, and as we moved into the second season, downright tragic. Being a fan of the underdog (not the other superhero), I continuously rooted for Chloe (the lovely Allison Mack) to get Clark, but it was never quite to be.

One other small item I have to mention before I totally get into the second season is the fact that people get hurt in the series. And I don’t mean just in the big fights. I loved the idea that the main characters bruise when punched, and go to the hospital if thrown through a car windshield. They don’t just get up and shake it off (well, except Clark, duh). Its a little attention to detail that really added to the show.

Throughout the first season, we saw Clark starting to develop some of his powers. He could obviously already run reaaaallllyyyy fast, but was taken by surprise when he could see through the wall into the girl’s locker room. With the second season, more and more powers started becoming evident, the most notable being heat vision, which was presented as a metaphor for sexual-awakening, with some truly hysterical results. We also got ever closer to flying, with scenes of Clark saving Lana from a car sucked up in a twister and making the jump across the span between Metropolis’ Daily Planet and Lexcorp buildings. There is even an actual scene of flying, which is somewhat written off as it turns out to be a dream sequence. There are even two great episodes dealing with Clark’s experiences with Red Kryptonite, which make him turn bad. These episodes might have come off a little silly, but Welling does a great job of going all Jekyll/Hyde, and makes them wholly believable.

The second season continued to get better and better with the story of Clark’s past being brought more to the forefront. The stories became ever more complex, and issues from other episodes began to creep up again with often surprising results. Between the discovery of prophetic cave paintings and the regeneration of his ship, this history and his ultimate purpose became ever more apocryphal. He began to wonder if he was really here to do good, or if he was meant to rule the planet. There wasn’t a weak episode in the season. My favorite had to be “Rosetta” which dealt heavily with this particular issue. I also love it because the cinematic history of Superman collided with its future as Tom Welling met the late Christopher Reeve.

Reeve played a billionaire scientist who had been ‘watching the skies’ as it were, and had intercepted seemingly coded messages being broadcast to Earth. He didn’t know what they meant, but things become clear as he learned about the existence of Kent. In the scene they shared together, the possibilities of Clark’s existence became ever more complex, punctuated by some of the music from the earlier Superman movies. Throughout the series, we would occasionally catch little notes from the score, but they were front and center in this episode, to goose bump-inducing effect. (Be sure to watch right after the end of the episode for a great little bit of business between Reeve and Welling.)

Warner Brothers is gearing up to release the third season of the series in yet another terrific 6-disc set, just a few weeks after the premiere of the fourth season on the WB. As far as I’m concerned the show just kept getting better and better. My wife and I had gotten so ‘into’ the series that we had to watch the third season episodes as they originally aired and we were continually blown away by the events that took place. The mysteries surrounding Clark’s origins came to a head as clue after clue revealed that his birth father Jor-El might have had plans for him that he doesn’t agree with. The beginning of the season offered Welling a further opportunity to explore Clark’s darker side as the first episode still finds him under the influence of Red Kryptonite, and his travels bring him to the teeming city of Metropolis.

We are also introduced to the character of Perry White, who we all know later becomes Clark’s editor at the Daily Planet. Here he is still battling the demons of alcoholism, as well as the stigma of having crossed Lionel Luthor. White is played by character actor Michael McKean (who is married to Annette O’Toole by the way), and he turns in a terrific performance. To make the season even better, Reeve also returns for one final appearance.

As good as each episode was in the third season I would be hard-pressed not to mention the season finale, “Covenant”, which is easily one of the most powerful episodes of the series. I don’t want to give anything away, as the plot definitely ‘thickens.’ Suffice to say, the closing moments of that episode are jaw-droppingly shocking, and the music that plays in the background adds to its chilling effect. We couldn’t wait for the fourth season premiere, let me tell you.

The third season DVD release from Warner Home Video is a must own for fans of the series (and if you watch it, you’ll become a fan, believe me). All 22 episodes are included here as well as a few nicely chosen extra features. There is a continuation of the “The Chloe Chronicles”, which are Webisodes featuring Allison Mack’s investigative reporter Chloe looking at some of the stranger events from around town. A few of the episodes also have deleted scenes, which you can access at those episodes, and there is a gag reel which is not to be missed.

As for the commentaries, there are three. Both “Exile" and “Memoria” feature executive producers Alfred Gough, Miles Millar, Greg Beeman, and Ken Horton along with actor Michael Rosenbaum, while “Truth” features director James Marshall, Allison Mack, and John Glover. All three of the commentaries are well worth a listen, especially as it is quite evident by listening to Gough and Millar that they truly have a love for the subject and really want to justice to the mythology. Add to this a featurette on some of the unsung heroes behind the scenes and you have a very well-rounded DVD presentation.

I was glad to see “Smallville” turn into a hit for the WB. It may not represent the life of the young Clark Kent as perfectly as many comic book purists might want it to, but I still consider it to be a case of re-invention done right.

Episodes:
Exile
Phoenix
Extinction
Slumber
Perry
Relic
Magnetic
Shattered
Asylum
Whisper
Delete
Hereafter
Velocity
Obsession
Resurrection
Crisis
Legacy
Truth
Memoria
Talisman
Forsaken
Covenant

Starring: Tom Welling, Kristin Kreuk, Michael Rosenbaum, Eric Johnson, Sam Jones III, Allison Mack, Annette O’Toole, John Schneider and John Glover
Extras: Commentary on Three Episodes, Unaired Scenes with Optional Commentary, The Chloe Chronicles Volume II - Webisode Investigations, Producing Smallville - The Heroes Behind the Camera, Gag Reel, Easter Egg - Michael Rosenbaum Interviews One of the Crew as They Role Play a DVD Executive Interview
Specifications: Widescreen, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Studio: Warner Brothers
Release Date: 11/16/2004
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website

We'll give Smallville: Season 3 an A.