Friday, September 14, 2007

SMALLVILLE Returns 9/27/07

I've been a SMALLVILLE fan since its premiere, which is strange since I've never been a huge Superman buff and always leaned more towards the screwed-up vigilante types (Batman, Daredevil) and heroes wrestling with their own internal strife (Spidey, Hulk). But there was something about SMALLVILLE's fresh take on The Boy Scout's early years and the performance of Michael Rosenbaum as future super-villain Lex Luthor was extraordinary right from the start.

In recent seasons, though, the show's producers have upped the ante, expanding the show beyond the Superman storyline thanks to the introduction of other DC superheroes like Green Arrow, Aquaman, Flash and Martian Manhunter. An episode from last season which featured the Justice League in its nascent stage literally gave me chills. (Suffice it to say that I still hold out hope for an episode which takes mild-mannered Clark Kent to Gotham City where he encounters a young billionaire playboy harboring his own dark secret. Hey, a guy can dream can't he?)

Unfortunately, I missed the Season 6 finale of SMALLVILLE and waited patiently as the series worked its way through summer reruns. Luckily, my patience was rewarded last night and I got a chance to catch the superb, action-packed finale complete with terrifying glimpses of Luthor's army of Phantom Zone-fueled soldiers, an idea of what Chloe's meteor-inspired power is, the return of the Martian Manhunter, and, yes, Bizarro Clark Kent.

So, what does Season 7 – premiering on September 27th – have in store? Check out the extended commercial for some glimpses into what promises to be, to paraphrase Comic Book Guy, the best season ever.

3 comments:

Cinema Suicide said...

Are you serious? I saw the first episode and never watched another one. My impression was that it was trying to do all this crossover drama stuff to capture the same sort of mostly-female Buffy audience.

They added in all these other characters, though? And it's good?

I might have to tune in.

Dan said...

I'm a huge fan. There was certainly a heavier Lana/Clark love vibe thing going on in the earlier seasons but it was still one of my favorite shows on the tube. The last few seasons have been great and after a shaky start last year they turned the corner when the Green Arrow came on for an extended story arc and it's been kicking ass ever since. They do nice twists on some of the villains and heroes we're familiar with from the comics. It bums me out that the network didn't stick with BIRDS OF PREY longer so it could find its legs.

Synd-e said...

I'm a latecomer to Smallville, and still wondering why I didn't try it sooner. Currently at the beginning of Season 4 via Netflix, will have to TiVo and save this season until caught up. (And I'm kinda peeved that I just can't jump right in this Thursday!)

The first two seasons were very "freak of the week", stand alone episodes, (and yes, waaaaayyy too much of Kent moping over Lana) but in S3, things finally started to congeal.