Smallville, Season Five

 

Our rating: 3 out of 5

Rated: TV14

reviewed by Charity Bishop
 

Some shows fizzle out long before the end. Smallville is living proof that others become more powerful the longer they are allowed to impress audiences. Season five is remarkable, from its opening credits to the final dramatic conclusion that paves the way for the mythology to come.

Much of Smallville, and subsequently the Kent farm, has been destroyed by a meteor shower created to conceal the arrival of two Kryptonian warriors unleashed to destroy humanity. The helicopter carrying Lana Lang (Kristin Kreuk) crashed into a field, making her a witness to the alien beings that emerge from the ship. She is found and taken home by Lex Luthor (Michael Rosenbaum) who has experienced a puzzling encounter with the Kryptonians, leading him to suspect they have ties to the mysterious disappearance of Chloe Sullivan (Allison Mack) and Clark Kent (Tom Welling). Both have been drawn through a portal into the snowy wilds of the Yukon, where Clark stumbles onto the Fortress of Solitude, a center of learning in which he will face his greatest nemesis. Pleading with his Kryptonian father Jor-El for Chloe's life, Clark risks the loss of his powers in carrying her to safety and returning to Smallville to battle the Zod. He arrives just in time to save Lana from being killed, but not in time to prevent him from missing his father's deadline for his return.

As punishment, Jor-El removes his super human powers. Believing his life will now be normal, Clark happily pursues a relationship with Lana, but being normal doesn't erase the past. Lies have deteriorated his friendship with Lex, who is fascinated with the pursuit of knowledge, and shows political ambitions that may send him straight to the White House. After Lana shows an interest in astronomy, Lex encourages her to join him in a study of the spacecraft he purloined from the field. Their working relationship draws them closer together, while Clark tackles the academic headaches of college life. Professor Milton Fine (James Marsters), an openly professing critic of Luthor Corp and its experiments, wants Clark to see a much bigger picture.

After a successful article on a group of kryptonite-influenced vampires at a local sorority group catches the eye of the editor, Chloe earns a position at the Daily Planet. But working in her dream job and juggling Clark's secret are far from easy. In the meantime, ex decides to prove once and for all he can escape the legacy his father has created and chooses to run for senator. Not able to stand the thought of a Luthor in public office, Jonathan Kent (John Schinder) decides to run against him, hiring Lois Lane (Erica Durance) as his campaign manager.  When Clark is shot and killed by a freak-slaying madman, Jor-El comes in the form of Lionel Luthor (John Glover) to restore his son's powers. More lie ahead for the citizens of Smallville as the senatorial race turns ugly, the Luthors engage in a power struggle over their multi-million dollar corporation, Martha Kent is seduced by the dark side, and Lana is torn between the two influential men striving to earn her love. With everything comes a price, and in exchange for Clark's salvation from moral death, the life of someone close to him will be forfeit.

Producers promised us season five would be different due to their newfound ability to play things on a more adult level. It makes for a much more tightly written and complex series, and their approach keeps audiences guessing. While all the characters are granted the opportunity to shine, the season really belongs to Chloe. Openly knowing Clark's secret grants her the privilege of being party to many of his rescue missions, and numerous episodes feature her reporting skills. Lex undergoes drastic changes, not always for the better. Audiences awaiting his turn toward the dark side will be rewarded, as he shows calculating and ruthless ambition to pursue his chosen ends. In one episode, he tortures someone for information. In another, he wants to implant a computer chip that will remove a bionic man's emotions. Now that the female characters are of a "legal age," it also opens the door for the love triangle steadily building over the past four seasons. It's a good season for Lex/Lana fans in particular.

Violence maintains a standard of bad guys being punched, kicked, thrown through walls, electrocuted, and shot. The first two episodes feature the increasing relationship between Lana and Clark, involving lots of passionate kissing that leads to  more off-screen. They wake up in the same bed one morning, before being discovered and yelled at by Jonathan. Dialogue in later seasons references Clark's frustration at not being able to continue a sexual relationship once he regains his powers, as well as Lana's disappointment at his constant rejection of her advances. Vampire vixens lure a boy into a hot tub and feed on his blood. One episode ("Exposed") revolves around a scandal involving a strip club. Lois is forced to go undercover and makes an appearance in a skimpy outfit. Immodestly dressed females wander around and dance provocatively. During Lex's campaign ("Fanatic") a woman drops her robe and reveals herself to him; he covers her back up and tells her to get lost. In "Hypnotic," a bewitched Clark becomes aggressively intimate with a half-dressed girl. "Fade" shows Lois' naked silhouette in the shower a couple of times; fearing an intruder, she arms herself with a shower scrubber and throws open the door... only to shock Clark.

There are some fantastic episodes this season. "Lockdown" is a tense Panic Room-like thriller. "Lexmas" includes a haunting glimpse of what Lex's life would be like if he chose to pursue love instead of money. In "Void," Lana plays dangerous experiments with drugs in order to see her dead parents. One of my personal favorites is "Tomb," a Supernatural-esque thriller in which Chloe must face down a serial killer. "Reckoning" will also reduce audiences to tears as they give a final farewell to a major character. Season four's constant antics had me doubting if the show could make a comeback. I was surprised to find this season back in the fantastic norm. It took a lot of big risks that paid off, and ignited new possibilities for a much darker future for Superman.