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SMALLVILLE
THE COMPLETE FOURTH SEASON
REVIEWED BY CHARITY BISHOP
Our rating: 3 out of 5
Because of: violence, sensuality, thematic elements
Rated:
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.
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