Smallville

NYPress.com
BOY WONDER
‘Smallville’ grows up

In the aftermath of Virginia Tech, it’s hard to watch the CW’s “Smallville” in the same way. With nearly six seasons under its belt, and a mythos that goes back 70 years, this contemporary retelling of Superman’s upbringing in a Kansas farm town is a polished adventure series. But suddenly, a hero who regularly flings speeding bullets out of the paths of his college-age friends seems especially welcome. And the disturbed, twenty-something villains with twisted motivations are particularly disturbing.

Three flavors of evildoers coexist on “Smallville” this season: Lex Luthor and his ominous medical experiments; the escaped alien criminals from the Phantom Zone who give Clark Kent the occasional bloody nose; but the most horrifying and symbolic are the “meteor freaks”—young people who were exposed to kryptonite and develop worrisome powers. They’re attractive members of society who snap when their body chemistry freaks out. One sweet girl, for instance, turns into a killer plant that reproduces by implanting seeds in the men she strangles.

The show’s early seasons handled Superboy’s growing pains with a wry mix of comic book legendry and sex: His heat vision would trigger prematurely at the site of a hot substitute teacher, and he’d go weak at the knees when talking to pretty Lana Lang (turned out she was wearing kryptonite jewelry). Back then, Lex was his good friend and the longevity of the series has allowed for their mutual hatred of each other to grow at a wonderfully slow boil. Similarly, Lois Lane pops in and out, but reveals herself to be more of a Green Arrow kinda gal for now.

After a demonic high school prom, the show toyed with college life. But, with the exception of an otherworldly evil professor, the writers—bless their innocent hearts—seemed unable to conjure up enough campus terror to sustain interest. The Daily Planet, the Kent Farm and the Luthor estate provide the fertile ground these days for Clark’s exploits. Entering manhood, he faces not only the usual tricky romantic problems faced by most, but also the possibility that he was sent to Earth not to help earthlings, but to conquer them. After all, he’s an outsider from a (quite literally) broken home—with too many secrets and unmatchable firepower.
- Stan Friedman   April 25, 2007