Smallville: The Complete Ninth Season

At the end of Smallville's 8th season, I believed that the chemistry between Tom Welling (Clark Kent) and Erica Durance (Lois Lane) had been fired up full blast... I WAS WRONG. It did sizzle at the conclusion of Season 8 and for the first five episodes of this 9th Season. But, to my amazement, the sizzle turned into a wild fire by the end of the sixth episode, appropriately titled: Crossfire.I am a classic movie lover. In my humble opinion, most films made after 1965 are unworthy of my time and money. However, every once in a very rare while, a modern film or TV series comes along that totally captures my heart. Smallville Season 9 is one of those precious rarities. The Welling/Durance onscreen romance is something reminiscent of the films of yesteryear. Because the old studios had so much talent under long term contract, they could try out different pairings and see what struck gold: Fred and Ginger, Bogie and Bacall, Clark Gable's Rhett Butler to Vivien Leigh's Scarlett O'Hara and my personal favorite, Cary Grant and Rita Hayworth in "Only Angels Have Wings." It's a darn shame those two greats never made another film together. But the few scenes they did share in that film stole the spotlight from the film's actual leading lady, Jean Arthur. It catapulted Rita Hayworth to stardom until she reached iconic status in "Gilda" and it cemented the legendary Cary Grant sexy bravado that would serve him well for the rest of his career. Well, striking movie/TV magic is not common at all now. But, gold and platinum were, in deed struck in a serious way this year in the quiet town of Vancouver on the set of the most underappreciated, underrated and misunderestimated ;) show on television today in the form of my generation's Cary and Rita: Tom and Erica. I have to say that I admire them. We have all been witness to countless stories of indiscretions on the sets of film and tv done by actors who don't have a fraction of the chemistry that is UNDENIABLE between Welling and Durance. The will and character of these two young talents are made from tough stuff. If they weren't otherwise involved though, I'd safely bet my entire classic movie collection that these two belong to each other PERIOD.DVD Features:1. Commentary on "Kandor" by Callum Blue(Major Zod), writers/producers Al Septien and Turi Meyer2. Commentary on "Idol" by Erica Durance(Lois Lane) and showrunners Kelly Souders and Brian Peterson3. "Kneel Before Zod" Featurette4. "Justice for All" Featurette (Focus on Justice Society of America of Episodes 11 and 12)5. Unaired scenes: Rabid, Roulette, Disciple, Persuasion, Conspiracy, Upgrade, Charade and Salvation6. All 22 Season 9 episodes in anamorphic widescreen on 6 discs with artwork7. Booklet with episode descriptions and dvd contentsEpisode List:1) SAVIOR: GRADE A- ...Tess is the savior of Kandor. Zod is the savior of his Kryptonian army. Chloe savior of organized hero-hood, Oliver- would-be savior down on his luck, Clark the savior of all and unbeknownst to everyone, including her, Lois the savior of Clark.2) METALLO: A ...John Corben - Brian Austin Green as I have never seen him before: confident and oozing sex appeal. After five years since Smallville's Season 4 premiere, Clark Kent finally becomes AWARE of his romantic feelings for Lois Lane.3) RABID: A++ ...Zod's minion releases zombie virus. Please, DO NOT let the gory zombie make up deter you from watching this episode. It is POWERFUL. Clark definitively and literally closes the book on Lana Lang, puts an end to the "buddy" relationship he maintained with Lois Lane for five long years and opens the door to his now acknowledged budding love for her. I DARE you to not cry during the rain scene! DELETED SCENES4) ECHO: A- ...Jor-El temporarily gives Clark the power to hear other's thoughts. Encouraged by the attraction for him that Lois has kept gaurded since episode 8.17 Hex, Clark asks her out on a "not date" reigniting her crush on him. For her own protection, he ends by standing her up and making her cry. (She shows up at the Daily Planet the next morning wearing sun glasses.) Oliver tries to kill himself.5) ROULETTE: B ...The conclusion of the Oliver downward spiral courtesy of Chloe. Clark and Lois have movie and laundry night. Clark makes Lois cry for the second episode in a row by lying to her about the seriousness of her former boyfriend Oliver's condition. DELETED SCENES6) CROSSFIRE: A++ ...Zod's new company strikes "sun" deal with Tess. Chloe meets her hacking match. Oliver gets a sidekick and does his best to reignite his former romance with Lois. And Clark ... he becomes a MAN (This is where Smallville's Clark FINALLY measures up to his original namesake: Clark Gable - Superman creators Siegel and Schuster named and modeled their Man of Steel after the "King of Hollywood" - appropriately and deservedly so). The save he does on the roof, his first and last scenes with Lois are three of my all time favorite moments from the entire series.7) KANDOR: B+ ...PRICELESS scene between Clark and Chloe discussing his first kiss with Lois. Entire desert scene is fantastic. Clark continues in his Manhood and holds his father in his arms before he dies, finally appreciating his sacrifice in sending his only son to Earth. COMMENTARY:Callum Blue(Major Zod), writers/ producers Al Septien and Turi Meyer8) IDOL: A++ ...Comic Book PERFECTION. Anne Saunders writer and Glen Winter director deserve and Emmy for this. Erica Durance and Tom Welling deserve a raise. They become the definitive, preeminent and ICONIC Clark Kent and Lois Lane - leaving all former (and quite probably, all future) incarnations in the dust. The guy who plays the D.A. is deliciously cool and sexy (in a menacing way) and Randall, the Daily Planet city editor, always has a fun and funny interaction with his star reporter. The Wonder Twins(and their space monkey Gleek on a cell phone) make an unforgettable appearance. COMMENTARY:Erica Durance(Lois Lane)and showrunners Kelly Souders and Brian Peterson9) PANDORA: A+ ...Heart-pumping from start to finish. This is Tom Welling's best performance to date- and I'm not just talking about the Clark/Lois sex scene! This was an epic episode - sort of Smallville's version of "Brave New Metropolis" from Superman the Animated Series - it's only after Lois Lane's disappearance that Superman finally becomes aware of his deep love for her and resolves to actually do something about it. ALL the Tom/Erica scenes were heart-wrenching. Either these two are the best actors the whole of the world has ever seen or they are genuinely in love with each other (much like Lois and Clark were in seasons 4-8 ...everyone around them knew it except them). Not even the classic movie couples I mentioned earlier portrayed being in love as well as these two - except for Humphry Bogart and Lauren Bacall but they actually were the love of each other's lives. (They fell in love at first sight on the set of their first film, "To Have and Have Not." What's more, Bogart turned down the male lead opposite Rita Hayworth in "Gilda" - he thought her too captivating and he had just married Bacall.)10) DISCIPLE: A- ...Oliver's past comes back to bite him in the ass. Zod tries to pressure Clark through Lois. Callum Blue rivals Michael Rosenbaum as best show villain ever. He is so much fun to watch! His interactions with Clark and Lois in this and the previous episode are electrifying. They play really well off each other. Never been a Green Arrow fan, but I love Justin Hartley's take on him. He makes you want to hold him - his scenes with Lois were so tenderly bittersweet - it's no wonder she's the love of his life (that is until Black Canary comes around to "rescue" him). I also love the big brother/little sister relationship he's developed with Mia. I'm loving Clark more and more each episode. He is fabulous! The way he is with Lois and the way she is with him - it's like these two were magically plucked out of the 1930's-1940's and delivered to 21st century television - beautifully CLASSIC all the way! Writer/producer Jordan Hawley always seems to write an intense Oliver Queen, a clear-headed Clark Kent and a very vulnerable Lois Lane. DELETED SCENES11) SOCIETY (ABSOLUTE JUSTICE Part 1): A- ...The Justice Society of America led by Hawkman is forced out of retirement by a covert government agency. This episode dragged for the first 30 minutes until Dr.Fate showed up in full uniform. Actor Brent Stait (Dr. Fate) was hands down the MVP. He OWNED every one of his scenes.12) LEGENDS (ABSOLUTE JUSTICE Part 2): A+ ...Of all the "Smallville University" alumni, director Tom Welling has become its brightest graduate. After his dismal "Injustice" episode last year, he is back to form here. The action sequences are among the series' best and his Lois Lane is always at her sexiest and most vulnerable in his hands. Writer Geoff Johns outdid himself. He clearly loves the material and adores Lois Lane in particular. Her scene with Dr.Fate was simply AWESOME. One thing, though - this is the second episode where Clark strikes a "Hercules statue" pose during an action scene (the first was Disciple). Unless he's doing this on purpose, he really needs to quit it because he looks like he's air jogging - it's laugh out loud HILARIOUS!13) WARRIOR: C- ...Director Alison Mack and writer Brian Miller ruined the Zatanna character with this one episode. I liked her in last year's "Hex" but here, they portrayed her as a cheap, selfish, domineering slut. Even more annoying was Mack's attempt to regress Clark to clueless wuss of seasons 1-8. I do understand the choice of Zatanna to be the troublemaker to the iconic romance, though. Other than Laura Vandervoort who played Clark's cousin, Serinda Swan is the only other actress to ever appear on the show who is as beautiful as Erica Durance so Lois was believably jealous. Thankfully, Lois dressed as Wonder Woman and the Tom/Erica chemistry came to the rescue and made this episode somewhat bearable. However, I DO hope this is Mack's last season on the show - I've never been a fan of her Chloe. Superman does NOT need a controlling "sidekick," a fascist "Watchtower," or a hypocritical "best friend." Producers, in the name of all that is the excellence of the Superman story, get rid of her already!!!!14) PERSUASION: A- ...Clark is infected by gemstone kryptonite giving him the power of persuasion. Though every one of his persuasive instances backfire on him, three good things do come out - 1.Tess learns that Clark's power will disappear if her towers go online 2.Chloe shows her true colors 3.Lois opens up to Clark causing them to draw closer. BEAUTIFULLY written and directed episode by Anne Saunders and Christopher Petry. Louis Febre outdid himself with the musical score. This is the best Clark Kent character advancement story thus far. DELETED SCENES15) CONSPIRACY: B+ ...A doctor the Kandorians experimented on takes revenge by abducting three of them. Then, he kidnaps Lois Lane to get her to write about the alien invasion. Zod tracks them down, gets shot, then Clark shows up in time to save his life, though it ends up having major, unforeseen repercussions. Clark and Lois agree to keep some mystery in their romance since both are aware of secrets neither is willing to share. The Tom/Erica chemistry comes to a level of mature sexiness. DELETED SCENES16) ESCAPE: B- ...Clark sings about Lois in the shower! HA!! It's the funniest scene ever! This is the first Chloe-centric episode in the show's history that I actually didn't mind because it's sprinkled with GOLDEN Clark/Lois scenes and it establishes the actual nature of each couple on the show for the rest of the season - Tess/Zod:Power merger; Chloe/Oliver:Friends with benefits; Lois/Clark:Old fashioned romantic love. Zod changes his strategy for world domination by impersonating the Blur. Actress Odessa Rae has a dual role as the inn keeper and the Silver Banshee. She underplayed both parts very nicely and effectively.17) CHECKMATE: B+ ...It appears that the powers that be on the show are now trying to turn Oliver and Chloe into "Lois and Clark the Sequel." It's not working. Hartley's and Mack's interaction with each other is just - blah. In truth, Oliver's scenes with Tess had much more spark and were considerably MUCH MORE fun to watch. Clark's action sequence was the highlight - it really did look like a comic book page come to life. However, Clark targetting Tess in every episode has gotten old and it was just plain STUPID to have him, yet again, throw a TOTALLY UNNECESSARY apology at Chloe of all people! The best part of this episode was the Martian Manhunter as played by Phil Morris. Hoped he'd be a regular next season (In the animated "Justice League" series, Jonn Jonz was in charge of the Watchtower)...by now it became obvious that shrump chloe was the writers' pride and joy - they should have just spared us millions of Superman fans and written a seperate show exclusively for her few thousand fans.18) UPGRADE: B+ ...Brian Austin Green returns as John Corben/Metallo. It's amazing how actress Erica Durance seems to have a special gift for generating chemistry with every one of the male actors she has ever been paired up with on this show. Green's chemistry with her is really good - not off the charts, smoldering perfection like Welling's but REALLY good, nonetheless. In fact, it's as good as the Lois/Oliver vibe of season 6. Once this show wraps, I hope they do a dramatic movie together. The first four minutes of this episode are killer! There's only one Clark/Lois scene but it's one of the BEST! Michael Rohl, who also directed "Rabid" and "Crossfire," seems to have the best handle on how to create the sexiest of all Lane/Kent moments. And, writers Andrew Landis and Julia Swift (who also penned "Pandora") have earned their stripes in writing Clark Kent's manhood at its RAWEST. Officially went way over in setting Chloe on a pedestal but - whatever - that Clark/Lois "wake up call" scene was just TOO GOOD!!! DELETED SCENES19) CHARADE: A- ...Clark is jealous of himself - bringing the perrenial Superman/Clark Kent/Lois Lane "Triangle Built for Two" to Smallville. Lois in a playboy bunny suit. Tess, like the rest of us, is baffled why heroes keep Chloe around. Guest star Dylan Neal (Ray Sacks) is really HOT - for an older guy. And executive producer and showrunner Brian Peterson makes his directorial debut. Writers/producers Holly Henderson and Don Whitehead wrote this as a sequel to the season's earlier episode, "Idol." All the scenes with Clark and/or Lois felt like an old-fashioned, classic Superman show - and that is a high compliment. DELETED SCENES20) SACRIFICE: B+ ...Checkmate forces a Watchtower meltdown while Tess and Chloe are trapped inside. Tess names Chloe Plain Jane. Zod destroys Checkmate Headquarters. Major Zod becomes the full on, sadistic "General Zod" by killing his pregnant lover, Faeora, because she refused to kneel before him. Then, he unites his army and gives them all super powers. In short, all hell breaks loose.21) HOSTAGE: A- ...Annette O'Toole returns as Martha Kent (the Red Queen) and her real-life husband, Michael McKean returns as Perry White. The future Daily Planet Editor-in-Chief meets intrepid reporter Lois Lane. Jor-El's ace card against Zod's superpowered army "the Book of Rao" is recovered by the Red Queen (Ma Kent) and she gives it to her son, Clark - but with a warning.22) SALVATION: A++ ...Opening teaser genuinely ICONIC sequence. The Justice League and the Justice Society unite in cameos. MAGNIFICENT season finale. Producers/writers Al Septien and Turi Meyer also wrote season 7's best episode, "Apocalypse." Greg Beeman (Seasons 1-5 veteran director/producer) returned to helm this episode. His love and respect for the show, the characters and the actors shined through. He lovingly framed each scene with care, style and precision. WELL DONE! These were, quite simply, the GREATEST 22 hours of Superman entertainment EVER put on screen - and he hasn't even worn the suit yet. DELETED SCENESDirected at Erica Durance - should she ever read this: You once said in an interview that three actresses you admired were angelina jolie, jessica lange and ashley judd. I whole-heartedly hope that the day will come when you stop holding those three as your standards for acting success. Granted, that they have managed to gain name recognition and carve out a fan base for themselves. However, in all honesty, they don't hold a candle to what has been divinely gifted to you: a presence and inner radiance that harkens Ginger Rogers, Hedy Lamarr and especially, Rita Hayworth. If you must have acting role models, I wish you'll look to these truly great ladies whose legend has stood the test of time and are still the measure for cinematic grace, beauty and womanly grit. With all due respect, those three you mentioned will be eventually forgotten or, at best, thrown on the pile of dime a dozen performers who care more about their liberal political standing and panhandeling to the elite critics and "method" actor house of worship than they do about the art and joy of cinema and the respect owed to its audience. I hope you nurture your spirit, your heart, your connection to God and untether yourself from those who would use you to benefit themselves while holding you back and even bringing you harm. True love is not blind nor brainless, foolish, selfish, fearful, or cruel and will never ask you to allow something that will cause you embarrassment and leave you vulnerable to needless criticism. If ever in doubt, examine your own experience as Lois with Superman. You don't need to rely on ham actors and talent-poor wannabe "film makers" to empower yourself to draw from the natural wealth of talent deposited in you for acting, producing and you should try your own hand at writing and directing. It's because of your innate character that you embodied Lois Lane from the very first scene but it wasn't until Welling worked with you in Season 7 "Apocalypse" and Michael Rohl worked with you in Season 8 "Bloodline" that your raw talent for comedy and drama began to mature before our eyes. Mistakes are a fact of life but setting things right is what takes us from mediocrity to greatness. Respectfully, all the best to you.Directed at Tom Welling - should he ever read this: I'm sorry it took 8 years for me to become one of your fans but really, the fault lies with your seasons 1-8 writers/producers and your seasons 1-8 performance as Clark Kent. Your show's original theme, "Before Superman" was fine for the first 5 seasons and while season 6 gave hope that the show was moving to the next stage in Superman's development (i.e. Justice League, Jimmy Olsen, kissing Lois Lane and her becoming a reporter)season 7 backslided in most of what had been accomplished. Except for Lois at the Daily Planet, Michael Cassidy (After you in Season 9, THE most gorgeous man to ever grace the Smallville screen!), Supergirl and the directed-by-you episode "Apocalypse" - all of season 7 really, really sucked ROTTEN eggs! With the exodus of Al, Miles, Glover, Kreuk and Rosenbaum, my hope was renewed that Superman was finally on the horizon. Season 8's episodes 1-11 were the most promising string of stories in your show's history UP TO THAT POINT but then your "supergenius" show runners took a hatchet to their own show and maliciously destroyed all the good progress that had been made with the incredibly horrendous episodes 12-14. The Mack-directed-episode 8.13 Power was PARTICULARLY HORRIBLE!!! Your hack producers claimed that it was "female empowerment" themed. Uh, well, speaking as a young, empowered woman myself, I can tell you that to portray a woman who feels soooo inferior to the man she loves that she makes the conscious, deliberate decision to LITERALLY turn herself inside out in a desperate attempt to be his equal is not only SOOOO NOT empowering but it is morosely tragic and insulting!!! It simply had no place in the Superman story. Why? Did you let them do that?! Except for "Hex," "Stiletto" and your confession scene with Erica in "Infamous," the rest of the season really sucked and your Clark went back to being a (super) dork! I almost wished that Durance's Lois Lane move to Gotham City to date Batman because your seasons 1-8 Clark most certainly did NOT deserve her!! Superman was NEVER supposed to be an enabler of twisted behavior! He loves and celebrates all good women just as they are - especially his INHERENT equal, Lois Lane. Lois is to Wonder Woman what Batman is to Superman - the mortal versions of the most powerful, heroic figures in the world. Ms.Lane has never needed and never will need an artificial, skin-grafted "super suit" to stand toe to toe with her Man of Steel. Perhaps the only redeeming quality of that miserably misguided arc is Smallville's(inadvertant) point that Lana Lang was, is and always will be Clark's toxic kryptonite whereas Lois Lane was, is and forever will be Superman's strengthening, life-giving, human, yellow sun... Enter Season 9. Clark Kent is NOW assertive, passionate, full of conviction, intelligent, sexy, proactive and most phenomenally, emotionally strong -in other words, the male version of Lois Lane. One of your producers said that Season 9 Clark met HIS match in Lois. I couldn't disagree with that more. I see it as Season 9 Clark FINALLY embracing his core essence and thus became HER match in the process. Wow. For a guy who started this show not even being a Superman fan, with your role as co-executive producer, director and now STELLAR performance this season, you have become Superman's greatest fan and for that, I am grateful. Now, if you're interested in keeping me as your fan, here are some suggestions: #1 You being a private person is a good thing. I don't need to know too much about you. I'm glad you're taking a cue from the classic conservative stars of Hollywood's Golden Age. #2 Please, NEVER disrespect me by trying to set yourself up as the head of a "Tom Welling political voting block." (That's how Brandon Routh lost my fandom - permanently.)As the private citizen that you are, if you want to start endorsing politicians or become one yourself, it's your right - just don't count on my vote (especially if you turn out to be a closet liberal). Take a page from the great Ronald Reagan - choose entertainment OR politics and you may do each well but please don't mix them. #3 Please. PLEASE. NEVER stop being a gentleman. They seem so rare now a days both in real life and entertainment. That's why I mostly stick with pre 1965 classic movies. It may be an unpopular view but the truth is, they DON'T make them like they used to. But, hey, here's hoping you and the beautiful Erica Durance can start a new trend, or rather ... bring back a classic. And, here's hoping you capture lightning in a bottle two seasons in a row with season 10 - which I hope will end with Erica Durance in a wedding dress and of course you flying in the classic Superman suit. (A Louis Febre version of John Williams' Lois/Superman theme music will be nice, too.) All in all, well done, Smallville. Well done.

Having watched this series faithfully since it began over 10 years ago, I was pleasantly surprised when they announced following Season 8 that Tom Welling had signed a contract to star and help produce Smallville for another 2 seasons. While the eighth season had its high points such as Geoff John's excellent "Legion" episode, they seemed off-balance without Michael Rosenbaum (Lex Luthor) and some of the episodes were less than memorable. So while I rejoiced that the show had been given a "new lease on life" I wondered, "What will they do next?"I needn't have worried: Season 9 exceeded all expectations and then some. For the first time since its early years, Smallville was breaking new ground: challenging and dramatic episodes coupled with the first major rewrite of the Superman canon since the 1940's. Smallville was always at its best when it was pushing the envelope, challenging our assumptions about this "strange visitor from another planet" and what he really might be capable of, so what better way than to bring an entire Kryptonian city to Earth and force "Kal-El" to deal with them on his own terms?From the very beginnings of the Superman character to the classic 1978 Richard Donner film, Krypton had always been portrayed as a doomed paradise, its destruction a Greek tragedy of cosmic proportions. In the season-9 story arc we are shown a very different story: a planet of gifted people at war with themselves, their advanced civilization threatened by overreaching pride and arrogance, teetering on the edge of annihilation. This theme had been hinted at as far back as Season 2 when the Virgil Swann character (Christopher Reeve) was first introduced to help fill in the back-story of Clark's true origins, and served as the basis for several ground-breaking episodes in Seasons 3 thru 5, including the run-up to Pa Kent's untimely death and the revelation that squeaky-clean Clark Kent really did have a dark side, and a rather nasty one at that.The younger Major Zod (Callum Blue) proved the perfect foil for our still-struggling young superhero; their battle in this season's finale is quite possibly the high point of the entire series, a well-earned payoff for the ambitious storyline that kept both tension and anticipation high, each episode building to this stunning climax. At the same time, the series paid homage to the great heroes of comics past by pairing the nascent Justice League (Clark, Chloe, Oliver, Martian Manhunter) with the "grizzled veterans" of their recent past, the Justice Society of America. Another Geoff John episode which became a two-hour TV movie, this finely-crafted tribute story challenges our young "super-friends" to embrace the true meaning of teamwork, loyalty and sacrifice. In particular, Michael Shanks (Stargate) as "Hawkman" proved a very popular and enduring character, appearing in several subsequent episodes, continuing to serve as a mentor for Clark and eventually sacrificing his own life to save Lois Lane (Erica Durance) in Season 10.The overall tone was darker throughout the Season-9 episodes than in previous seasons, and some reviewers have cited this as a drawback. I respectfully disagree. The kids from Smallville High have long since grown up and are facing adult problems, struggling to pull their lives together. For me this grounded all the major characters in a more believable reality that allowed for truly dramatic episodes as opposed to the overwrought melodrama that sometimes over-powered these characters in seasons past. Another high point was the recurring theme that everyone has both good and bad within them, as demonstrated by Zod, Oliver, and particularly John Corbin ("Metallo", played by Brian Austin Green) when he confessed his love to Lois Lane. Erica Durance, who will remain the definitive "Lois" for many years to come, gave one of her finest performances in that scene, showing great empathy and honesty when she responded simply: "In a different lifetime, things might have been different."The Blu-Ray edition has some quirks that I found annoying, particularly in the episode menu-bar that is far less responsive than it should be. Aside from that, the hi-def quality of the shows is outstanding, as is the cinematography in nearly every episode. If you own no other season of Smallville, this is the one you must have. I guarantee you hours of enjoyment, some truly enjoyable moments and more than a few tears./wwc/