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78 of 85 found the following review helpful:
 SMALLVILLE HITS ITS STRIDEMar 19, 2004
By Tim Janson
I have to admit when I first heard about Smallville I had many doubts. A show about "Superboy" essentially??? No costume? No Flying? But the producers succeeded in making a superhero show that is not about a superhero. Tom welling's brilliantly downplayed role as the young Clark Kent, learing and coming to grip with his powers has been a wonderful surprise to TV viewers and a nice addition to the Superman mythology without making any drastic changes. While the first season was kind of a "monster of the week" routine with Clark battling a new Kryptonite spawned villian each week, Season two really hits it's stride. A plot thread is begun exploring just who Clark is and why he is on the Earth...and it may not be very pleasant. We see More development of Lex and Lionel Luthor as they battle over their company, the Kents, and Lex's soon-to-be wife. Clark finds out about his father, Jor-El...and Jor-el wants Clark to do his bidding. I won't go over all the episodes but hear are some of the season two highlights: "Heat" Clark discovers a new power...heat vision. "Duplicity" Clark's best friend, Pete, discovers Clarks Secret. I still don't like that this happened myself. "Red" Clark gets his class ring only to find out it was made of red kryptonite. Red Kryptonite effects Clarks mind. Making him arrogant, rebellious, removing his inhibitions, and he abuses his powers. "Suspect" Lionel Luthor is shot at the beginning of the episode turning this one into an old fashioned "who done it". Suspects abound including jonathan kent and Lex. "skinwalker" Clark discovers some ancient caves with drawings on the wall that reveal secrets about his origins. "Rosetta" Perhaps the most important episode of the season. Clark discover the octagonal key to his ship also perfectly fits into a spot on those ancient cave walls. When he inserts the key, he is grabbed by a high power. Later, Clark goes to meet a myserious scientist played by Christopher Reeve. He reveals to Clark that he picked up a strange transmission during the meteor storm that brought Clark to Earth...And He reveals Clarks real name..Kal-El. "Exodus" The season finale and cliffhanger. Clark Destroys his ship but in doing so his parents are cought in the blast and martha loses the baby. Distrought..Clark puts on his red Kryptonite ring and heads for Metropolis. Meanwhile, Lex's new wife drugs him, and sends him off in an unmanned plane, straight to the ocean. Season two really began developing the major characters especially Clark, Lex, and Lionel Luther. The series gets stronger and stronger!
12 of 12 found the following review helpful:
Tom Welling IS Superman!Jul 07, 2004
By Timstuff
"tim16733"
The second season of this show is even better than the first one! The writing and acting improved drastically, and Tom Welling's acting ability blossomed considerably in this second season. The focus on character relationships is alot better than in the first season, and there's alot of character developement. There's still a heaping helping of Kryptonite mutants for Clark to square off with, however it's not as formulatic as in the first season. Also, the best episode of the season by far is the episode "Rosetta", featuring Christopher Reeve! It was a great episode, and not only did it delve into Clark's origins, but it felt almost like a passing of the torch, from one man of steel to the next. A great season, and definately a must own DVD set for Superman fans, along with the first season. I sincerely hope that Warner Brothers chooses to use Tom Welling and the rest of the Smallville cast in a Superman movie. Smallville really does feel like it's a prequel to a Superman movie series, and it'd be a terrible shame if this vision is never realised. Christopher Reeve himself has endorsed Tom Welling as the next Superman for the silver screen, and is lobbying to get him into the new movie. Also, the performances of John Schneider, Annette O'Toole and Michael Rosenbaum are excellent as well, and it would be wonderful to see their performances carried into the new movie series.
14 of 15 found the following review helpful:
Great series so farJun 23, 2006
By magellan
First, I'd like to say a few things about how the second season differs from the first season, and then I have somemore general comments about the series so far.
In the second season, the plot lines introduced in the first season are developed even further. Clark's relationships with Chloe and Lana become even more difficult, and the bad guys get even stronger powers from the Kryptonite. We see Lex going even further to protect Clark and his family, but he has even more serious problems as well, both with women and his relationship with his father. Finally, even Clark's character takes a turn toward the dark side at the very end of the second season due to contact with "red Kryptonite," which has an effect on Clark's brain, different from the weakening effect green Kryptonite has on his body.
As a boy growing up in the 60s, I was an avid fan and reader of Superman comics. I didn't catch this series when it first aired, but I found it at my local movie rental store and my curiosity led me to rent it. So far I've seen all of seasons one and two and a few episodes of season three, and was impressed enough that I wanted to make a quick comment.
So far I haven't enjoyed a TV science-fiction series this much since the original Star Trek. The series's strengths are the engaging story ideas and the strong cast, all of whom strike just the right notes in their roles, and are really excellent. And for a TV show that's probably operating on a limited budget, the special effects are impressive. Clark is great and also Lana Lang. But the real show stealer is Michael Rosenbaum, who is terrific as Lex.
I note one dour sounding reviewer here who says it's a terrible show and the acting is horrible, but come on, it's a TV show based on the famous comic book series, and to me it seems just like watching it on the screen instead of reading the comic. The teenagers and adults seem more like real people who might have grown up in a small midwest town like Smallville rather than polished, professional actors, and I liked that. They're not making Citizen Kane or War and Peace here, and if I want to increase my cinema I.Q. a few points, I can always rent those. Personally, I'll take Smallville, which is a lot more fun. :-)
So I think the acting and performances are just fine and strike just the right note, especially Lex's. But this is a Lex with a difference. He isn't the evil mastermind of the comics out to get Superman. Here he's a good guy and Superboy's friend, and although sometimes he does resort to, shall we say, certain morally questionable and expedient means to accomplish his goals, he truly wants to protect Cark and family and friends. There is no doubt he has a dark side, but it's mostly kept in check and when it does come out, it's usually to fight an even more evil bad guy who's out to expose or exploit Clark or to hurt his friends or family. In other words, to fight evil, you need an even sneakier and more ruthless bad guy who's still on the side of good. :-) It's a brilliant concept and one of the ideas that really make the show stand out from the herd.
John Glover as Lex's father is also great, and their continual attempts at one-upmanship create much of the tension and drama in the show, as you wonder who will win this round and what will they be up to in the next episode--which is almost always something. :-) Glover looks like he is enjoying himself more than any other person in the cast, and he is the one indubitable bad guy. I've never considered the matter before, but I think actors enjoy playing bad guys even more than good guys, since that's one thing you can't do in real life without negative consequences.
I've spent a lot of time on Lex and his father so I don't want to overlook the other characters, but as I just wanted to write a brief review, I'll just say they're all really great in their roles too, especially Tom Welling and Kristen Kreuk. I just think that Allison Mack overplays the jealousy thing for Clark and Lana a bit too much, but otherwise she's great as the intrepid reporter for the Torch who has a promising career ahead of her in journalism.
One other interesting idea is that the Kryptonite meteorite fragments are creating strange abilities and talents in different people, aside from its property of being toxic to Superboy. This idea wasn't in the original comics that I can remember, but it's a great idea nevertheless.
So far I think this is great series and the best thing in a sci-fi show to come along in a long time.
42 of 52 found the following review helpful:
Smallville Season 2 another great season & a DVD set to own!Feb 21, 2004
By Porfie Medina
"Porfie Jr. Medina"
Smallville: The Complete Second Season on DVD! Before the Legend...Before the Icon...He was a teenager growing up in Smallville. The Complete Second Season of the hit series about the life of the young man who in time would become Superman is now available. This wonderful TV show is coming to DVD in a 6-disc collector's edition with 23 episodes and with a ton of bonus features. You can also access a number of deleted scenes from episodes as well as view original pre-production storyboards and WB promotional spots, season 3 sneek peek and DVD-ROM owners can use the discs to access more features via the Smallville web site. Smallville is truly a great show and icing on the cake for those who are Superman fans. I can only hope they release "Lois & Clark The New Adventures of Superman" on DVD soon. Smallville The Complete Second Season 2 DVD Episode Guide 22. Vortex
23. Heat
24. Duplicity
25. Red
26. Nocturne
27. Redux
28. Lineage
29. Ryan
30. Dichotic 31. Skinwalker
32. Visage
33. Insurgence
34. Suspect
35. Rush
36. Prodigal
37. Fever
38. Rosetta
39. Visitor
40. Precipice
41. Witness
42. Accelerate
43. Calling
44. Exodus
10 of 11 found the following review helpful:
And we thought season 1 was good!Apr 29, 2004
By Simon
The first season of WB's young Superman show "Smallville" was great, but season 2 completely tears it apart and steps on the pieces. Clark gains new powers and a new confident; Lex and his father (John Glover, now a series regular) take their power struggle to the next level; Lana discovers her dad and moves in with Chloe; more is revealed about the day of the meteor shower; and in a surprising appearance by Christopher Reeve, the overall mythology is pushed further along than anyone could've expected. It all culminates in a shocking season finale that completely tears apart the series even more than the twisters did the first time around. If I have one gripe with Smallville though, it's that the show writes off its supporting cast way too quickly. A few characters that we remember from season 1 take their last bow here (including Eric Johnson as Whitney), and new supporting characters introduced this season don't seem to last very long. This problem has grown more obvious as Smallville rapidly approaches the end of season 3. Hopefully it's something the series writers will take into consideration for future seasons. Season 2 looks to be another decent set from WB. There are a few more extras this year, including the "Chloe Chronicles" that were featred on AOL, and commentary by the cast. If you like Smallville, grab this box set. It's probably the strongest season of the series thus far.
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