SMALLVILLE - SEASON ONE
"You have to reach out to every audience. You have to make it intellent. You have to make it fun. You have to make it smart. And you have to respect you audience." - David Nutter on SMALLVILLE
Superman. Honest. Loyal. Romantic. Strong. Boy Scout. Men want to be him. Women want to be with him.
I have been a fanatic of Superman since I was pretty much born. Richard Donner's Superman was the first film i ever remember seeing. On TV. I collected the comic books for years. Every birthday was a Superman theme. On Halloween, I was Superman. Three years in a row. The older i got my love for Superman slowly faded away. I still followed the development of the new Superman film. Read everything I could about it. With the many directors, scripts, and false starts, I had given up hope that I would ever see Superman again on the screen. That was until the fall of 2000 when I read on AICN that WB had passed on a Bruce Wayne TV series, and instead were going ahead with a "Young Superman" TV series. No Flights, No Tights was their motto. Interesting, I thought. I didnt know anything about the cast, writers, or directors. I didnt care. I just wanted to see Superman again. The first promo aired in the summer of 2001. Big budget. Cool effects. And a young cast that "looked" the parts. I was highly anticipated to see this thing. Then, September 11, 2001 happened. I was in agony. As was the world. I cried that entire day. I knew Superman is only a fictional character, but we needed him now more than ever. If only to bring joy to our lives, in our time of need. People needed something hopeful. Something inspiring. That day came in October, 2001. The day "Smallville" premiered. Superman had now come to life, in a way never before seen. The acting, writing, cinematography, and design of the show were amazing. I was hooked. All other live action Superman incarnations will be judged by this show. The following is my overview/review of all 21 episodes of Season One.
Episode 1 - PILOT
Beautiful and thrilling introduction done in a fresh and modern way. Very serious, but still fun. Tom Welling is very green, but has a strong presence and look. Whatever limited range he has as an actor in the pilot, he makes up for in his soulful eyes. His eyes speak volumes. Kristin Kreuk and Sam Jones are both adequete as Lana Lang and Pete Ross. John Glover is a god-send to this series. He brings everyone up to a different level as Lionel Luthor. Annette O'Toole is warm and sincere as Martha Kent. John Schneider needs to thank his agent for having people know him as Johnathan Kent now, not as Bo Duke. He's that good. The real standout in the pilot, and the entire series in general, is Michael Rosenbaum. Known mostly as a comedic actor, he brings a dark and mysterious layer to the young and "good" Lex Luthor. In my opinion, hes one of the best dramatic actors working in television. Villian is one-dimensional, but needed for the scarecrow plot. Great scene in the graveyard. Rating: 9/10
Episode 2 - METAMORPHOSIS
Very good continuity that picks up seconds after the pilot ended. Good performances, even from the villian. Making the "jock", Whitney, into a good guy that actually cares for Lana, is welcomed. You can see that the show is still trying to find its focus, but the characters and plot are so well-written, you forgive its faults. Rating: 7/10
Episode 3 - HOTHEAD
Lame villian, but great to see Dan Lauria, from Wonder Years, on tv again. Fencing scene with Glover and Rosie is fun. Rating: 5/10
Episode 4 - X-RAY
Episode when show starts to come together. Awsome effects. Clever and interesting villian. Welling finally grabs hold of the character and hasnt let go Fun episode all around. Rating: 8/10
Episode 5 - COOL
Standard womanizing, killer villain. Fun seeing Lex as a pimp trying to hook up Clark and Lana. Rating: 4/10
Episode 6 - HOURGLASS
One of the best episodes of the season, also has one of the best scenes in the series. A terrifing vision of a President Lex in a rain of blood. Clark learns his purpose is to help people. Lame villian, but good performance from Eric Christian Olson. Rating: 10/10
Episode 7 - CRAVING
Great performance from future Oscar nominee, Amy Adams. Deer scene is gross. Plot for rest of season kicks into gear with introduction of Dr. Hamilton. Rating: 7/10
....more later
"You have to reach out to every audience. You have to make it intellent. You have to make it fun. You have to make it smart. And you have to respect you audience." - David Nutter on SMALLVILLE
Superman. Honest. Loyal. Romantic. Strong. Boy Scout. Men want to be him. Women want to be with him.
I have been a fanatic of Superman since I was pretty much born. Richard Donner's Superman was the first film i ever remember seeing. On TV. I collected the comic books for years. Every birthday was a Superman theme. On Halloween, I was Superman. Three years in a row. The older i got my love for Superman slowly faded away. I still followed the development of the new Superman film. Read everything I could about it. With the many directors, scripts, and false starts, I had given up hope that I would ever see Superman again on the screen. That was until the fall of 2000 when I read on AICN that WB had passed on a Bruce Wayne TV series, and instead were going ahead with a "Young Superman" TV series. No Flights, No Tights was their motto. Interesting, I thought. I didnt know anything about the cast, writers, or directors. I didnt care. I just wanted to see Superman again. The first promo aired in the summer of 2001. Big budget. Cool effects. And a young cast that "looked" the parts. I was highly anticipated to see this thing. Then, September 11, 2001 happened. I was in agony. As was the world. I cried that entire day. I knew Superman is only a fictional character, but we needed him now more than ever. If only to bring joy to our lives, in our time of need. People needed something hopeful. Something inspiring. That day came in October, 2001. The day "Smallville" premiered. Superman had now come to life, in a way never before seen. The acting, writing, cinematography, and design of the show were amazing. I was hooked. All other live action Superman incarnations will be judged by this show. The following is my overview/review of all 21 episodes of Season One.
Episode 1 - PILOT
Beautiful and thrilling introduction done in a fresh and modern way. Very serious, but still fun. Tom Welling is very green, but has a strong presence and look. Whatever limited range he has as an actor in the pilot, he makes up for in his soulful eyes. His eyes speak volumes. Kristin Kreuk and Sam Jones are both adequete as Lana Lang and Pete Ross. John Glover is a god-send to this series. He brings everyone up to a different level as Lionel Luthor. Annette O'Toole is warm and sincere as Martha Kent. John Schneider needs to thank his agent for having people know him as Johnathan Kent now, not as Bo Duke. He's that good. The real standout in the pilot, and the entire series in general, is Michael Rosenbaum. Known mostly as a comedic actor, he brings a dark and mysterious layer to the young and "good" Lex Luthor. In my opinion, hes one of the best dramatic actors working in television. Villian is one-dimensional, but needed for the scarecrow plot. Great scene in the graveyard. Rating: 9/10
Episode 2 - METAMORPHOSIS
Very good continuity that picks up seconds after the pilot ended. Good performances, even from the villian. Making the "jock", Whitney, into a good guy that actually cares for Lana, is welcomed. You can see that the show is still trying to find its focus, but the characters and plot are so well-written, you forgive its faults. Rating: 7/10
Episode 3 - HOTHEAD
Lame villian, but great to see Dan Lauria, from Wonder Years, on tv again. Fencing scene with Glover and Rosie is fun. Rating: 5/10
Episode 4 - X-RAY
Episode when show starts to come together. Awsome effects. Clever and interesting villian. Welling finally grabs hold of the character and hasnt let go Fun episode all around. Rating: 8/10
Episode 5 - COOL
Standard womanizing, killer villain. Fun seeing Lex as a pimp trying to hook up Clark and Lana. Rating: 4/10
Episode 6 - HOURGLASS
One of the best episodes of the season, also has one of the best scenes in the series. A terrifing vision of a President Lex in a rain of blood. Clark learns his purpose is to help people. Lame villian, but good performance from Eric Christian Olson. Rating: 10/10
Episode 7 - CRAVING
Great performance from future Oscar nominee, Amy Adams. Deer scene is gross. Plot for rest of season kicks into gear with introduction of Dr. Hamilton. Rating: 7/10
....more later
Bootsy is a bit hard to say and type. 
