A rant, if I may:
This is truly one of the weirdest relationships I've ever had with a television show. I honestly cannot remember the last time I thought this was a good program, but I know I won't quit watching. Unlike any other show, Smallville is an endurance test. I've been there since the beginning and I'll be there for the end. Which, god willing, will be the end of this season.
I won't deny it, I dug this show in its early seasons. Bear in mind, I was also 13 when it started - my taste was more than questionable. For a good few years, I was truly engrossed by it, looking forward to it every week. But even then I figured this show, by it's very nature and title, had an expiration date, a set longevity. But the creators just never acknowledged it. It just kept going and going, and the flaws just got bigger and more noticeable.
In order to save my sanity, I won't go into everything that irritates me about the show, but I think its biggest problem is a bad case of tunnel vision (with a dash of astigmatism for good measure), particularly in regard to characters. Series mainstays and DC Comics guest stars pop in and out of the show at random, but are only ever relevant for the episode at hand. Is anything going to be mentioned of Supergirl again? Did Martian Manhunter overdose at an Oreo factory somewhere? What's Ma Kent up to in the senate? Hell, Lana's going around saving the world with all of Clark's superpowers but we never hear a damn thing about it. Even some slight nods to any sort of impact these characters have had would be nice. They might make an appearance again down the line, but it'll only be for an episode and then it's back into the ether. My personal favorite was Clark's crazy teleporting girlfriend Alicia who, besides having actual screen chemistry with Tom Welling - a rare gift, that - provided perhaps the only truly shocking moment in show history. She got hanged! In the middle of an episode! It was crazy! And Clark was torn to pieces about it...until the next week. And they never thought of her again.
Perhaps most egregious is the attemps to keep the name of the show relevant by setting a handful of scenes per ep back in the titular town. Never mind that it was established early on in the show that Metropolis is about a 3 hour drive from Smallville, nobody seems to mind driving back and forth multiple times per episode. I remember watching an ep where Clark called Chloe, who was in Metropolis, and asked her to come meet him at the farm ASAP and thinking about what a dick move that was when he could run to her in about five minutes.
The thing is, for all the bad, there has been some good. Smallville has a charm, I won't deny it. There has to be something dragging me back week after week. More often than not, it's the human antagonist for lack of a better word. The Luthors, and now Tess, are the most compelling characters the show has had. Often the highlight of any Smallville episode was the bitter back and forth between Lionel and Lex. With both gone, I've found Tess to be a suitable replacement. She's complex, for Smallville anyway, and does a good job of being suitably formidable. She's not just talk.
I've actually been liking the stuff with Zod this season. Callum Blue does good work and the Kandorian plot has made for interesting viewing. This last episode in particular was quite good really. I mean, it had the star of Warlock in it, so there was never any doubt it would be awesome. Highlight, though, was definitely Tess getting roughed up by Clark and appearing both frightened and totally turned on. Good stuff.
So of course next week is the Wonder Twins. You stay classy, Smallville...
