Smallville, Season Four

 

Our rating: 3 out of 5

Rated: TV14

reviewed by Charity Bishop
 

It was the year Lana was wanted for murder, Clark got married, Lex indulged his dark side, and Lois Lane came to town. After low ratings on the third season of Smallville, producers decided to incorporate more adult issues into the lives of our heroes. The result is a mixed blend of questionable material and ingenious twists that will leave Christian audiences facing an uncomfortable gauntlet of conflicting emotions. Many of my friends quit watching midway through the season after being bombarded with inappropriate material, but those who stuck it out through the rough patches were ultimately rewarded with the stellar final third of the season wrought with romantic complications, moral quandaries, and unexpected revelations.

While Lionel Luthor (John Glover) is incarcerated in the state penitentiary for the ruthless murder of his parents for their insurance money, his long reach stretches beyond cold iron bars into the charming rural town of Smallville, where nothing is as it seems. Meteor showers in the area left the surroundings bombarded with unusual phenomena. Only a handful of people know that the shower was concealment for a small spaceship that landed on earth bearing a baby boy. Clark Kent (Tom Welling) has been reborn into the image his futuristic father wanted: a warrior capable of taking over the world. Landing insensible in a corn field with no memory of his past life, Kal-El has returned to find three crystals to give him ultimate power. Driving along the highway in search of the Kent Farm is Lois Lane (Erica Durance). Finding Clark and taking him to the local hospital, Lois is rapidly drawn into the mystery of Clark Kent. She and Clark unite to determine what happened to her cousin Chloe (Allison Mack), believed dead at the hands of Lionel Luthor in a vengeful assault on those responsible for incarcerating him.

After his near-brush with death, Lex Luthor (Michael Rosenbaum) is pursuing his father's search for power and wisdom. This leads him to the writings of Margaret Isobel Theroe, a 14th century witch whose tomb lies in Paris. It is inadvertently disturbed by Lana Lang (Kristen Kreuk), who awakens the following morning in her apartment with no memory of the previous twelve hours and a curious insignia burned into her lower back. Recognizing it as one of the symbols from the cave in Smallville, Lana returns to her hometown for answers. She is followed by Jason Teague (Jensen Ackles), the rebellious son of an independently wealthy woman with an unhealthy interest in Isobel (Jane Seymour). The crystals dominate the lives of our heroes and heroines as they begin to scratch the surface of the legends surrounding Isobel, the kryptonian stones, and wage a battle for ultimate power.

In the midst of this is the strained friendship between Lex and Clark, the wonderful chaos Lois brings into their lives, and the occasional "freak of the week." When paralleled with earlier seasons of the "classic American drama," this one is wrought with disappointing decisions on the part of the writing and creative team to sex up the lives of characters we've grown to love. The best upgrade is the addition of Lois Lane, who brings a marvelous blend of spunk and attitude to the program. She is the bane of Clark Kent's life, and the audience loves it that way. Spirited, prone to speaking her mind and constantly at odds with our plaid-clad hero, Lois is the bubble in the champagne. The season also strays from the star-crossed lover complex that frequented earlier episodes. Lana is now interested in someone else, and even Clark finds temporary happiness in a relationship with a teleporter. The episodes are more fun than previous seasons with lighter storylines and more comical moments, but at its heart it retains the very real emotional issues that our heroes must face.

Lionel claims to have a change of heart due to a "religious experience." Lex is dissuaded from his philandering ways after being inadvertently involved in a horrific crime. One of Clark's friends learns his secret. Appearances by the delightfully villainous Jane Seymour reek of femme fatales with deadly intentions. Run introduces Flash Gordon from the comic books, Krypto finds Clark a dog who has a lot in common with him, Lucy involves a good old-fashioned bout of criminal intrigue, and the celebrated Onyx shows us what Lex will be like after succumbing to the dark side. (Hint: its fantastic.) Sprinkled throughout are the usual heart wrenching moments: Chloe learning what became of her mother, Clark facing incredible loss for the first time, and Lex having a change of heart. If it weren't for rampant sexual implications and content, I would have just as high of praise for this season as those that came before it, but with the characters reaching eighteen years of age, the networks have more liberal freedom for misbehavior.

Half the episodes contain some kind of inappropriate content, including a couple of instances of partial and implied backside nudity (Crusade, Pariah), innuendo, passionate make-out sessions between cheerleaders and their boyfriends (a girl's bare back is seen as they neck in the shower, and he removes her top; this episode also includes a girl kissing another, for non sexual purposes; Facade). Clark has to distract a cheerleader so Lois can steal something from her knapsack and winds up underneath her in the locker room (Devoted). In Scared, the episode opens with a dream sequence where Lana and Clark heavily make out. One disconcerting episode revolves around Lex's previous sexual indiscretions, opening with passionate kissing in an elevator with a brunette and winding up in bed (Bound). Dialogue throughout the rest of the episode deals with serious issues concerning one-night stands. Lex is eventually remorseful for all the emotional harm he's done to his girls. Under the influence of witches, a simple gathering turns into an underwear party in Spell. Several collage girls lure Clark into the dorm, push him down on the bed, and unbutton their tops (Recruit).

The raciest it gets is with Unsafe, which comes with a disclaimer at the end talking seriously to teens about premarital sex, but becomes too graphic in outlining the message. Clark's girlfriend slips him red kryptonite to bring out his sexual side. They make out on the couch, stripping her down to her underwear, before deciding to zip to Las Vegas and get married. Heavy foreplay is involved in a hotel room before Clark snaps out of it. Lana fears losing Jason because their relationship hasn't progressed to the next level and offers to sleep with him, but he declines. Alexander, Lex's evil counterpart, slaps his female fencing instructor on the behind and makes a play for Lana (Onyx). Lionel takes over Clark's body and behaves mildly sensually to the women in his life. Chloe cautions Lana against giving up her virginity, expressing regret that she lost hers over the summer. Violence is customary for the genre, with numerous fistfights, instances of people being knocked unconscious, punched, kicked, pistol-whipped, and tortured. They're doused down with water and electrocuted, zapped with stun guns, and attacked with revolvers and knives. Primary characters get away with murder. 

Witchcraft is also heavily present. Isobel transfers her spirit into Lana by tricking the girl into reading from an ancient spell book, and takes possession of her on several occasions (Spell, Sacred, Commencement), once inviting the spirit of two more witches into Lana and Chloe to wreck havoc on the town. Clark can do nothing against them, and is drained of his powers. In Spirit, a young woman in a car accident temporarily takes over the bodies of various main characters. The faults are troublesome, but the series has a dynamic and powerful conclusion. It doesn't go so far as to become utterly absurd, but does have some wonderful moments. Long time audiences will be devastated as they watch Lex's gradual descent to the dark side, but root for Clark as he struggles toward manhood. Smallville has undergone changes, and they're not necessarily for the good, but die-hard fans will not be dissuaded. The series does have some valuable lessons to impart, I just wish they'd shown a little more restraint in how to present them.