Smallville. Is it a decent show? by OPPYH

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Smallville. Is it a decent show?

POSTED BY: OPPYH
UPDATED: Tuesday, September 14, 2010 13:34
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Friday, September 10, 2010 5:00 AM

I'm thinking to expand my geekdom just a bit further and start getting into Smallville. Is it a decent show? Are there standout seasons like Buffy?

Thanks.

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Friday, September 10, 2010 5:28 AM

ZEEK

Nope it's pretty bad overall. The characters, plot and dialog are no where near Joss standards. Even the special effects couldn't touch Buffy/Angel.

They do a decent job of getting hotties on the show though. So, they get an A for eye candy.

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Friday, September 10, 2010 5:33 AM

EVILDINOSAUR

It must be decent enough, I've stuck with it since the beginning. It has it's moments of both cool and stupid. It takes the Superman mythology in an interesting direction, I'm looking forward to seeing how it ends this season, I thought last season was pretty interesting.

I'd suggest giving it a try, if you don't like the first few episodes you probably won't like the series. It's pretty consistent in that way.

"Haha, mine is an evil laugh."

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Friday, September 10, 2010 5:38 AM

BRUCEPLUTO

I have to disagree with Zeek….sorry.

Smallville is quite an excellent show. Not that it compares to Firefly, but it does have it’s moments. I think there are nine season? The wife and I have seen about seven. We tend to catch them on seasonal dvd so that we can stop and begin again when we want.

The only thing I can advise is that you try the first two seasons. That should give you an idea if they’re your kinda thing or not.

BP

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Friday, September 10, 2010 11:37 AM

KANEMAN

I agree. Is it Firefly..no..it is more than decent

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Friday, September 10, 2010 11:45 AM

CHRISISALL

Can you deal with the actor that plays Clark?
Yes= go for it.
No= avoid it.

The bottom line Chrisisall

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Friday, September 10, 2010 11:52 AM

LWAVES

I too have stuck with the show from the beginning and I can safely say that I like it. It can be great but it can be very mediocre as well in some episodes. And I am definitely glad they are finishing it this season, they should have done it a few seasons ago - although last season was pretty good.

The bad bits:
The whole romance side of things is well overdone especially after the first few seasons and they do tend to drag these things out. Episode plots get repeated quite often between the characters.

The middling bits:
They play with the mythology quite a bit and take their own route but it's still better and more faithful than the Cain/Hatcher series.

The good bits:
Tom Welling actually makes quite a good young Clark Kent. They do have some great season arcs especially knowing that Jonathon Kent has to die at some point, Clark and Lana can't stay together etc etc. They have some great guest stars including Chris Reeve, Margot Kidder, Marc McClure and Michael McKean amongst others. The best part of it for me is the hints at what Clark is to become in the future - little comments or references to his costume, name, job etc keep the show aiming at the Superman we know.

As stated give it a few episodes, maybe half a season and see what you think.

"The greatest invention ever is not the wheel. It's the second wheel." - Rich Hall

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Friday, September 10, 2010 12:37 PM

THESOMNAMBULIST

SMALLVILLE is a decent enough show.

I'd second most of what Lwaves said but I'd like to add that Michael Rosenbaum is an excellent Lex Luther and the whole Clark/Lex relationship is well conceived and brilliantly executed.

Tom Welling is actually an extremely effective Clark Kent and many of the episodes he directed are actually really good.

You have to get a fair way into it before Erica Durance who plays Lois Lane comes in and she's actually a bit of fun on the show. Annoying but fun - as the character always was really....

I love the stunt work in Smallville (The first episode with Clark getting hit by Lex's porche into the river is an amazing stunt!) and they do the best throws on TV! Really great to watch, and some great car crashes too.

The downside is that they do repeat a lot of the themes, which can be pretty tedious, but it does expand on the mythology (eventually) and the mission statement of the show has changed quite a bit from the angst that kicked it off, so it does move along.

Depending on who you are and when you are, Lana Lang can be aggravating as hell! But I know some folk who think she can do no wrong so *shruggs* me personally I wanted her gone from the word go, but there are some nice stories with her to be fair.

In terms of best seasons... Season Four and Season Five...

Cartoons - http://cirqusartsandmusic.blogspot.com

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Friday, September 10, 2010 2:03 PM

DEWRASTLER

I used to watch Smallville back in high school, but got out of it during college. Recently I saw seasons 1-6 pretty cheap at Sam's Club (about 18 bucks each) so I picked them up.

Agreed, the whole Lana/Clark thing can get a little old, but it doesn't hold the show back. I just finished season 5 and am excited for 6. I've seen a few episodes from later seasons and am excited for what comes next (TheSomnambulist was right, the "mission statement" does seem to change from what I've noticed of the few later episodes I have seen).

All in all, sometimes it seems I am merely watching one episode so I can get to the next one. Other times, I am hooked.

________________________________
People who don't care about anything will never understand the people who do

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Saturday, September 11, 2010 3:31 AM

OPPYH

Quote:
Originally posted by chrisisall:
Can you deal with the actor that plays Clark?
Yes= go for it.
No= avoid it.

Yeah, I guess I can.....as long as the story lines are interesting enough. Oddly enough, a friend called the show a Buffy clone. If it's 70% as good as Buffy, then I will be happy.

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Saturday, September 11, 2010 4:02 AM

GWEK

The comparison to BUFFY is definitely valid... and shows where the show fails. What ultimately elevates BUFFY to greatness (other than the quality of writing) is that the show is about a female character in a role that is traditionally male. Flip it back to a male lead and there's really nothing special about it.

Having said that, the show is decent overall. It has a lot going for it, including a fairly strong cast. Allison Mack, Jon Scheider, and Marc Rosenbaum are all amazing. Tom Welling does a solid job as Clark, and most of the others are strong. Kristen Kreuk, unfortuntately, is terrible, and the Lana/Clark relationship, which should be sweet and endearing, is consistently flat and empty. (In late seasons, Erica Durance, as Lois, brings the same "I don't quite belong on this particular show" feel).

The creators do a good job of making the Superman mythos interesting, which is hard to do in the long-term because he's so... super. Like BUFFY, each season has a season-long arc, but unfortunately, a few of the seasons fall totally flat, so when you start a new season, you never quite know what you're going to get.

The show relies fairly heavily on guest stars, both other characters from the DC Universe and "stunt-casting" stars. In general, there are more successes than failures in both cases, but when they fail, they can fail spectacularly. Some of the "guest" episodes are almost as painful to watch as Schwarzenegger in a Batman movie.

All in all, though, if you're looking to expand your geek empire, SMALLVILLE is a good, solid choice. I would recommend SUPERNATURAL first, however. The first season is a little spotty, but it gets consistently better with time.

www.stillflying.net: "Here's how it might have been..."

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Saturday, September 11, 2010 12:22 PM

OPPYH

Quote:
Originally posted by GWEK:

I would recommend SUPERNATURAL first, however. The first season is a little spotty, but it gets consistently better with time.

I have seen a few episodes of Supernatural and really enjoy it. I see they have the Blu-Rays out of most seasons. I am certainly going to get into that show also.

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Monday, September 13, 2010 11:21 AM

MALACHITE

I couldn't get into it. I thought the pilot was surprisingly good, but the show got old quickly. I kept comparing it to Buffy and it just consistently fell short in the humor department, particularly.

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Monday, September 13, 2010 11:45 AM

PHOENIXROSE

You think you know--what's to come, what you are. You haven't even begun.

I stopped watching after season five, I was pretty annoyed by that point. The creators of the show promised that it wouldn't become a zombie, that they would end it after five years, and that they wouldn't leave Smallville and Clark wouldn't become Superman. They lied. They lied!
It did start out as a pretty fun show, though. I'd ask less whether you can stand Clark and more whether you can stand Lana. That girl really got on my nerves.
I also think it's funny that Tom Welling wouldn't even consider playing Superman in the movie, because he "didn't want to always be Superman." Well, guess what, Tom...

[/sig]

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Tuesday, September 14, 2010 4:26 AM

ZEEK

Quote:
Originally posted by GWEK:
The comparison to BUFFY is definitely valid... and shows where the show fails. What ultimately elevates BUFFY to greatness (other than the quality of writing) is that the show is about a female character in a role that is traditionally male. Flip it back to a male lead and there's really nothing special about it.

I think it's all the writing personally. The Smallville writing has like zero wit to it. The only villainous character with any depth is Lex. The villains are all about build up and they never seem to pay off at all. It always seems like things are building to a big showdown. No, there's never any big showdown.

Really only the Lex/Clark relationship was ever any good. It could only stretch out so long though.

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Tuesday, September 14, 2010 12:06 PM

STORYMARK

Quote:
Originally posted by OPPYH:
Quote:
Originally posted by GWEK:

I would recommend SUPERNATURAL first, however. The first season is a little spotty, but it gets consistently better with time.

I have seen a few episodes of Supernatural and really enjoy it. I see they have the Blu-Rays out of most seasons. I am certainly going to get into that show also.

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70's TV FOREVER

I just started watching that myself, after catching some re-runs over the summer. It hooked me FAST, now I'm tearing through the DVDs.

"I thoroughly disapprove of duels. If a man should challenge me, I would take him kindly and forgivingly by the hand and lead him to a quiet place and kill him."

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Tuesday, September 14, 2010 1:34 PM

WHODIED

Most points made (in favor) so far seem spot on to me: I say do it.

I only add, as it's been hardly brushed upon, LEX ROCKS. Remember how lamely Annikin sprinted from creepy/cute little kid, to arrogant teenager, to galactic, mind-killing bad ass? Well Lex goes insane, (ever so) slowly, for five long years. His path(y) alone is worth the price of admission.

Hope you enjoy!

--WhoDied

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