Smallville, Season Eight (2008)

 

Our rating: 4 out of 5

Rated: TV14

reviewed by Charity Bishop
  

It is interesting to note the changes in this show as it has matured, but one thing about Smallville remains the same... it promises nonstop action for its hero, the budding Superman. But this is the first season in which Clark Kent actually takes strides toward becoming the caped crusader we all know and love.

More than a month after the collapse of the Fortress of Solitude, Clark Kent (Tom Welling) is are still missing. His friend and fellow super hero Oliver Queen (Justin Hartley) has returned to Metropolis and enlisted the assistance of two of his fellow crime fighters in order to learn the whereabouts of the Kryptonian. They discover Clark in Siberia, having lost his powers and some of his memories and working in a forced labor camp. His rescue and return to the farm house coincides with the arrival of the new head of Luthor Corp, Tess Mercer (Cassidy Freeman). The CEO of the company and one of Lex Luthor's closest friends, she determined to learn what really happened to him and if he is indeed deceased. As ruthless as he was, her presence in Smallville cast a domineering shadow over the locals and threatens the survival of the abnormal fraction of "Kyrpto freaks" that roam its streets. Because what Tess loves most is to study what influence the shiny green rocks all over the surrounding countryside have on ordinary people.

One of the victims of increased fascination with meteor freaks is Chloe Sullivan (Allison Mack). Having been kidnapped and put through a series of brutal tests in the hope that she might lead them to Green Arrow, her imprisonment comes to an abrupt end through the intervention of her friends but also makes her aware of the increased danger of her newfound healing abilities. Having taken over the Isis Foundation with her friend Lana Lang's departure from Smallville, Chloe is determined to reach out to other meteor infected teenagers, a job that introduces her to the charming, mild-mannered and good-looking Davis Bloome (Sam Witwer), a local medic with the fire department. His romantic interest in her places her in an awkward position with her boyfriend, Jimmy Olsen (Aaron Ashmore). In the meantime, Lois Lane (Erica Durrance) and Clark have been assigned desks opposite one another, which leads to friction as the one-day Superman realizes he just might have feelings for her after all...

But Phone Booths and voice synthesizers are not the only things in Clark's future, for it soon apparent that there is a much graver threat among them than he has ever faced before in the form of an adversary known as Doomsday. I admit that this season suffers significantly from one thing: the absence of Michael Rosenbaum. For seven seasons, his magnificent portrayal of the deeply distrusted and emotionally manipulated Lex Luthor first won over our affections and then slowly transformed into a diabolical villain of astounding proportions. He puts the ham-fisted, corny depictions of Luthor in the films to absolute shame -- and there was not a single episode this season in which I did not miss him. Smallville is just not the same without the Luthors, and his replacement villain did not even attempt to fill his shoes. That is not to say that Lex doesn't make an appearance, but that Michael was not involved. (And to be honest, considering what they did to his character in the last couple of seasons, I don't blame him for refusing.)

The best thing about this year is that Lois Lane actually has a significant role as more than an occasional source of frustration for Clark. There is a budding romance between them that is both profoundly sweet and beautifully awkward. Watching them struggle with their feelings for one another is what makes the season -- and it was all magnificent until Lana showed up. With all due respect to the talented Kristen Kreuk, it seems that whenever she is around, Clark Kent transforms into an emotionally immature, highly irritating child. I liked their relationship for awhile but when it never moved beyond eternal angst and lies, it got old. Once she returns, Clark forgets all about the eyes he was making at Lois five minutes earlier and resumes his puppy love. I know it's mean to have enjoyed the implosion of Lana and Clark (hopefully for good), but it has frayed so many of my nerves over the years that I LOVE THE FACT THAT IT IS OVER. More than that, I love the fact that Lex was behind it. He has now become my hero (although admittedly, I did cry on their behalf, a sort of obligatory squeezing out of tears because darn it if the actors didn't make me feel sorry for them, which is hard to do when moments earlier you were yearning to gouge your eyes out with a blunt instrument).

Basically, the bottom line is that Clark grows up a lot, and that's something we have needed to see for a long time. To be truthful, a handful of the early episodes are rather dull but the rest of the season is awesome. It returns some former villains in new bodies and introduces us to a few new ones. One episode that I absolutely loved was "Hex," in which Chloe wishes she could be Lois -- and is granted her wish. Erica channels Allison's mannerisms with such accuracy that she deserves an award for it. It is hilarious to see Chloe running around with Clark in Lois's body. The introduction of Doomsday was also a nice touch, but I will warn audiences that the end of the season brings more tears than laughter, with the death of a prominent and much-loved character.

Content is not really much of a problem but there is an episode in which a beautiful alien queen almost goes the entire way with a captivated Clark Kent. (She goes around lip-locking and then discarding men as she searches for the right one.) Chloe and Jimmy often have "sleepovers" in which he spends the night. She also engages in a heavy duty kiss with Davis. Lana obtains super powers and this makes it "safe" for her to have sex with Clark, which is implied on a couple of occasions with morning after shots. Oliver and Tess were once romantically involved and share several intimate scenes in which it is implied he has spent the night. There are a number of immodest and/or provocative outfits. Language is not really a concern but does contain a handful of mild profanities and insults. There is the usual amount of violence but none of it is particularly gruesome or excessively brutal.

This season is not perfect by any means, but it was an improvement over the year before it in terms of storytelling and bringing resolution to certain plot lines. It will be interesting to see what the ninth year brings and it is my hope that eventually, Smallville becomes more about Lois and Clark than anything. If nothing else, these episodes have at last shown their true potential for a very special romance.