Smallville 10/23 - DVD Talk Forum
Smallville 10/23
10-23-01, 09:16 PM
I figured since I started the first one I might as well keep it going. Let everyone know what you think.
10-23-01, 09:50 PM
Ok. I will in about 2 hours.
10-23-01, 09:53 PM
They are not playing this music ...
10-23-01, 09:57 PM
What the hell was Clark thinking giving Lana the necklace back to her?
I've seen trailers that incorporated footage that wasn't in the film, but the previews for tonight's smallville were ridiculous - I don't even think they showed anything that was actually in the show.
It was a pretty decent show, but the Enterprise theme at the end made it feel like Dawson's Creek, which is always a bad thing - popular music always dates a show and makes it feel more adolescent in its ambience. If it ever gets so bad that they have to show the albums they took the music from at the end of the show, I will probably give up hope on it...
10-23-01, 11:10 PM
Ok, I started this thread before I saw it, but now I can comment.
Last week I indicated some apprehension about John Schnieder (Bo Duke) as Clark's dad, but this week I was much more comfortable with this casting decision. Of course, I still wish Clark's first car will be a Dodge Charger.
I didn't pay attention to the music at the end of the show b/c the phone rang, but so far I have been impressed with the music choices throughout the first two episodes. Granted, they will always be current hits or up and comers, but unless the Stones, Aerosmith, or some other classic band ponies up some money to WB that is the way it will be. Product placemennt is here to stay.
I am also pleased that the show seems to be taking the X Files route over teen drama. We are only two episodes young, but I hope we continue in this manner. I did notice the complete difference between the previews from last week to this episode. Somewhat surprising, but I would say that I would rather not know exactly what is going to happen in the next episode.
Finally, did any one notice the banner on the school entrance? "Fly to victory!" I love all the irony they have weaved into the show.
10-24-01, 12:16 AM
I'm really liking this show. I think the WB is doing interesting things with the whole Superman mythos without actually messing anything up.
Also, I'm not a big fan of modern music, but I think their choices are pretty good so far-- set a nice mood, IMO.
10-24-01, 12:29 AM
I'm actually getting pissed the music selections.
I dunno why, call me a purest.. but the whole out of time frame is really bugging me.
i'm also not likeing the whole factor of bringing every damn character in the superman universe into it.
whats next jimmy olson guest stars as something..
and lex as his best friend only really kills it.
10-24-01, 01:20 AM
"My dad built it. He calls it my Fortress of Solitude"
10-24-01, 01:25 AM
From reading pasts posts by you, this doesn't surprise me. It doesn't seem like your taste in music.
It's a re-imagining, modernized version of Superman. The same thing was done in the comics in the late '80s. Supes went from geek to school stud. Also, you can't very well have a show with Clark growing up in the 1950s like he originally did. When a character is around for more than 60 years, you have to push things up in the time frame.
If anything, the way the WB is treating Clark is bringing him back to his nerdy roots.
Besides Lex, who is there that shouldn't be? Not saying there isn't, but I can't think of any off hand.
They will probably do something along this line, but you have to take the good with the bad (although, you don't seem to see any good). I'd personally be interested in seeing Bruce Wayne drop in during his world travels (but I'm a Batman nut, so I'm way too biased to make sense here).
It's weird, yeah, but I think they're doing it well. Also, Lex-in-Smallville has been done countless times in the comics.
10-24-01, 01:31 AM
Actually, the 'Superboy' stories did have Lex in it. It wasn't till the '86 revamp that they took Superboy out completely.
Superman's stories have been done so many times now that its had to say what the 'official' story is.
Anyways, as for today's episode - good follow up to the premiere. I'm glad the production value seems to be holding up - well, except maybe for that scene where the badguy was jumping around. Anyone catch that 'Papa Roach' poster he had? Heh.
They need more story for Willow, er, I mean, Chloe.
10-24-01, 03:38 AM
The music selections have been pretty good so far..i can see why people think it messes up the time period but come on... this show is on the wb and look who the target audience is...besides its a formula that has worked well in other wb shows.
10-24-01, 09:14 AM
Luckily there's nothing else on during this time slot, or I'd be bailing. It's decent enough, but it's way too formulaic.
For the people that have a problem with Lex, more than enough of the Superman lore is based on Lex and Kent growing up together ... there's nothing wrong or odd about this.
I was glad they took the boyfriend and made him more of a flawed person than a bad person. It strengthens Lana's character quite a bit.
I know some people like the cute "Superman" references, but again there were way too many. Every time I turn around someone's winking at the camera with some silly "in" joke. Let it go. Just tell a good story. Maybe throw us a reference bone every few episodes or something, but 4-5 foreshadowing references per episode is overkill.
The A story with Kent learning about life was strong enough to make me return, but the B story about the bug man was really bad. He got bit by some bugs, so he turned into a bug? Yeah ... ok. And I can do without another Willow and Xander. One of each is plenty for me thanks.
10-24-01, 11:39 AM
Apparently, we're going to get a lot of this weird stuff. It appears that the effects of the Kryptonite meteor are the analog of the Hellmouth for this show.
That's not necessarily bad but I think they need stronger stories regarding these effects. Also, maybe longer story arcs. I have to agree that the bugboy was pretty weak and that made the episode disappointing overall, especially compared to the first one.
I could take another Willow and Xander if they are given interesting things to do.
10-24-01, 12:34 PM
I liked the progression of the discovery of Clark's powers in the course of everyday life.
We all dream of flying. Clark is actually capable of pulling it off.
The Bug Boy story was a bit on "The Fly" creepy side, though his obsession with Lana was also creepy (does everyone in Smallville have the hots for Lana?)
The slow-motion rescue of Pa Kent in the barn was well done for TV standards.
10-24-01, 12:37 PM
IIRC my Lana Lang lore, she was some Insect Queen character when the stories involved Superboy and The Legion of Super-Heroes (a group of teenage heroes from the 30th century). Just thought I'd throw that in in light of this episode with Bug Boy.
10-24-01, 01:12 PM
I tuned in by accident after Buffy. Didnt even know it was on; I decided to give it a chance...
Totally right in that, the whole 'meteor making Smallville weird', is a Sunnydale-Hellmouth thing they borrowed, which is kinda weak... I think the guy playing Clark really stinks, the rest of them are your standard pretty face actors looking pretty... And, Bo Duke will never be taken seriously by me, I just cant look at the guy without imagining him going "yeee-hawww!"... Yes, its pretty clear they are trying to meld the teen drama with X-Files/Buffy stories, but do we really need that? Honestly, I dont. Buffy is enough for me, and I've got better things to do instead of watching some imitation.
Last edited by Slumbering Fist; 10-24-01 at 01:15 PM.
10-24-01, 01:16 PM
Well, I don't have any real criticisms of last night's episode. I liked it. The "Fortress of Solitude" thing was kinda funny and I also noticed the "Papa Roach" poster in the Bug Boy's bedroom. Damn, that dude was creepy.
I like the fact that the writers are really showing a good side of Lex Luthor and that he is a good friend to Clark. It'll only make the breakup of their friendship and the beginning of their hatred toward each other more awesome. The writers have done their jobs well because I actually like Lex so far. I hope they don't turn him against Clark for awhile. I'd like them to develop the friendship a little more before we start seeing the evil Lex start creeping out.
10-24-01, 01:17 PM
Guess we won't see you posting in anymore Smallville threads then.
10-24-01, 01:30 PM
I actually think Tom Welling was splendid casting as Clark Kent. He plays it just right, a nice kid raised in Smallville, Kansas, with a good set of morals imparted by his adoptive parents, who happens to possess super powers. Plus Welling resembles Clark Kent/Superboy very much.
Smallville has more Superboy lore to explore, and I don't think it's a total rip-off of Buffy. I like Buffy, but the current show is almost rudderless. How many times can we be truly entertained by the demon/vampire of the week, do the research in the books/web, find their weakness, exploit it, and kill the demons? Buffy's pretty formulaic as it is as well, but it's got a great cast, and the character interactions are enough to warrant following the series. In time, I think Smallville will find its stride as well, and set up weekly conflicts which will require Clark to figure out to use his powers and still maintain a low profile. Plus Clark has more cool super powers than Buffy.
10-24-01, 02:09 PM
It's going to be very hard not to compare/contrast this show with Buffy, since it's an almost identical premise. Kid with destiny and superpowers, lives in small town that attracts strange occurrences. Struggles to fit in and just be a normal kid. Has group of misfit friends that help solve weekly storylines. It's the same show. I find nothing wrong with that as long as it's approached intelligently ... most every show on television is a rip-off of something else anyway, especially the sit-com, which has barely changed in 50 years.
When Buffy came on the scene, it was a completely new concept. An intelligent teen show was completely unheard of ... let alone one involving the paranormal. They set the standard for all these other knock-off shows. Buffy's in its 6th year, and it's natural that they've stumbled some and had some stories that weren't the most innovative. And for the fans (not the fanboys that hopped on last season with all the publicity), we've been treated to more intelligent drama than we could possibly hope for.
The point I'm getting at is that it's fine by me if 'Smallville' takes the 'Buffy' formula and runs with it. But it's going to need to do more than just copy the 'Buffy' formula. It will need to take it to another level, or it's nothing more than a cheap knock-off. So far, I've seen signs of both. There's some real promise to what they're doing, but it's also one or two wrong steps away from becoming another Roswell/Dawson's Creek hybrid.
Btw, I really like Tom Welling as Kent, but he's a little too old for the part. One of the great things about 'Buffy' is that you saw her physically grow from a child to a woman as she learned her powers and her destiny. With Kent, he's already a man, even though we're supposed to believe he's a teenager. For some reason, it just doesn't have the same effect on me.
10-24-01, 02:54 PM
Patman, good call on the Insect Queen reference. Since we don't know what exactly happened with Bugboy and Lana, maybe they'll pick this story up again later...
I think how they handle the Lex character will make or break this show. They can't have him being too much of a good guy or be an arch-rival already. He's going to have to keep trying to prove Jonathan Kent wrong and help Clark but, at the same time hint at his future evil self.
As I said, I think in the first thread, as long as this show is more 'Buffy' and less 'Dawson', I'll keep watching.
10-24-01, 03:09 PM
It's sort of strange why a rich kid like Lex would want to insinuate himself into the lives of these Smallville kids, but I think Lex is smart enough to know that Clark Kent is not your typical teenager, and while some of his motives are "reciprocatory" in nature (plus, I think he would like to see Clark end up with Lana over some jock like Whitney), Lex seems to be a guy always working an angle, and that angle may not always be evil/bad, but in the end it's an angle that should benefit him and his causes. I think Lex is trying to "recruit" Clark and exploit his powers, but he's got to do it seductively, and not overtly.
The Clark/Lex dynamic is something that Buffy lacks.
10-24-01, 04:12 PM
I, for one, will not have this comparison problem b/c I have never watched Buffy nor do I intend to. It is not a rip against any Buffy fans, everyone watches "their" shows for their own reasons. While it doesn't necessarily matter to me, the WB would be wise to try to distance the show from being a blatant Buffy rip-off in order to keep the lead-in audience that Buffy provides for Smallville and keep viewers like das from changing the channel.
10-24-01, 04:22 PM
Which is why I'll keep watching. But there's a lot of Angel/Buffy to the Lex/Clark story. Angel was the one who knew how the real world worked and would swoop down and try to manipulate Buffy into doing his bidding. And to avoid Buffy spoilers in a Smallville thread, I'll just say that there are many other parallels, assuming Lex proceeds the way the comics portray him. But that's not really important ...
To answer your first question, though, Lex is hungry for power. It's not very well defined yet, but meddling in other people's lives, even if he thinks he's doing it for the right reasons, is a source of power for him. He can look back and say, "I hooked Lana and Clark up" or "I helped Clark ..." That's the character I see developing. He's a nice enough guy who wants to help out, but more importantly feeds off the power of helping out and needs others to acknowledge that power.
Smallville 10/23 - DVD Talk Forum
Smallville 10/23
10-23-01, 09:16 PM
I figured since I started the first one I might as well keep it going. Let everyone know what you think.
10-23-01, 09:50 PM
Ok. I will in about 2 hours.
10-23-01, 09:53 PM
They are not playing this music ...
10-23-01, 09:57 PM
What the hell was Clark thinking giving Lana the necklace back to her?
I've seen trailers that incorporated footage that wasn't in the film, but the previews for tonight's smallville were ridiculous - I don't even think they showed anything that was actually in the show.
It was a pretty decent show, but the Enterprise theme at the end made it feel like Dawson's Creek, which is always a bad thing - popular music always dates a show and makes it feel more adolescent in its ambience. If it ever gets so bad that they have to show the albums they took the music from at the end of the show, I will probably give up hope on it...
10-23-01, 11:10 PM
Ok, I started this thread before I saw it, but now I can comment.
Last week I indicated some apprehension about John Schnieder (Bo Duke) as Clark's dad, but this week I was much more comfortable with this casting decision. Of course, I still wish Clark's first car will be a Dodge Charger.
I didn't pay attention to the music at the end of the show b/c the phone rang, but so far I have been impressed with the music choices throughout the first two episodes. Granted, they will always be current hits or up and comers, but unless the Stones, Aerosmith, or some other classic band ponies up some money to WB that is the way it will be. Product placemennt is here to stay.
I am also pleased that the show seems to be taking the X Files route over teen drama. We are only two episodes young, but I hope we continue in this manner. I did notice the complete difference between the previews from last week to this episode. Somewhat surprising, but I would say that I would rather not know exactly what is going to happen in the next episode.
Finally, did any one notice the banner on the school entrance? "Fly to victory!" I love all the irony they have weaved into the show.
10-24-01, 12:16 AM
I'm really liking this show. I think the WB is doing interesting things with the whole Superman mythos without actually messing anything up.
Also, I'm not a big fan of modern music, but I think their choices are pretty good so far-- set a nice mood, IMO.
10-24-01, 12:29 AM
I'm actually getting pissed the music selections.
I dunno why, call me a purest.. but the whole out of time frame is really bugging me.
i'm also not likeing the whole factor of bringing every damn character in the superman universe into it.
whats next jimmy olson guest stars as something..
and lex as his best friend only really kills it.
10-24-01, 01:20 AM
"My dad built it. He calls it my Fortress of Solitude"
10-24-01, 01:25 AM
From reading pasts posts by you, this doesn't surprise me. It doesn't seem like your taste in music.
It's a re-imagining, modernized version of Superman. The same thing was done in the comics in the late '80s. Supes went from geek to school stud. Also, you can't very well have a show with Clark growing up in the 1950s like he originally did. When a character is around for more than 60 years, you have to push things up in the time frame.
If anything, the way the WB is treating Clark is bringing him back to his nerdy roots.
Besides Lex, who is there that shouldn't be? Not saying there isn't, but I can't think of any off hand.
They will probably do something along this line, but you have to take the good with the bad (although, you don't seem to see any good). I'd personally be interested in seeing Bruce Wayne drop in during his world travels (but I'm a Batman nut, so I'm way too biased to make sense here).
It's weird, yeah, but I think they're doing it well. Also, Lex-in-Smallville has been done countless times in the comics.
10-24-01, 01:31 AM
Actually, the 'Superboy' stories did have Lex in it. It wasn't till the '86 revamp that they took Superboy out completely.
Superman's stories have been done so many times now that its had to say what the 'official' story is.
Anyways, as for today's episode - good follow up to the premiere. I'm glad the production value seems to be holding up - well, except maybe for that scene where the badguy was jumping around. Anyone catch that 'Papa Roach' poster he had? Heh.
They need more story for Willow, er, I mean, Chloe.
10-24-01, 03:38 AM
The music selections have been pretty good so far..i can see why people think it messes up the time period but come on... this show is on the wb and look who the target audience is...besides its a formula that has worked well in other wb shows.
10-24-01, 09:14 AM
Luckily there's nothing else on during this time slot, or I'd be bailing. It's decent enough, but it's way too formulaic.
For the people that have a problem with Lex, more than enough of the Superman lore is based on Lex and Kent growing up together ... there's nothing wrong or odd about this.
I was glad they took the boyfriend and made him more of a flawed person than a bad person. It strengthens Lana's character quite a bit.
I know some people like the cute "Superman" references, but again there were way too many. Every time I turn around someone's winking at the camera with some silly "in" joke. Let it go. Just tell a good story. Maybe throw us a reference bone every few episodes or something, but 4-5 foreshadowing references per episode is overkill.
The A story with Kent learning about life was strong enough to make me return, but the B story about the bug man was really bad. He got bit by some bugs, so he turned into a bug? Yeah ... ok. And I can do without another Willow and Xander. One of each is plenty for me thanks.
10-24-01, 11:39 AM
Apparently, we're going to get a lot of this weird stuff. It appears that the effects of the Kryptonite meteor are the analog of the Hellmouth for this show.
That's not necessarily bad but I think they need stronger stories regarding these effects. Also, maybe longer story arcs. I have to agree that the bugboy was pretty weak and that made the episode disappointing overall, especially compared to the first one.
I could take another Willow and Xander if they are given interesting things to do.
10-24-01, 12:34 PM
I liked the progression of the discovery of Clark's powers in the course of everyday life.
We all dream of flying. Clark is actually capable of pulling it off.
The Bug Boy story was a bit on "The Fly" creepy side, though his obsession with Lana was also creepy (does everyone in Smallville have the hots for Lana?)
The slow-motion rescue of Pa Kent in the barn was well done for TV standards.
10-24-01, 12:37 PM
IIRC my Lana Lang lore, she was some Insect Queen character when the stories involved Superboy and The Legion of Super-Heroes (a group of teenage heroes from the 30th century). Just thought I'd throw that in in light of this episode with Bug Boy.
10-24-01, 01:12 PM
I tuned in by accident after Buffy. Didnt even know 
it was on; I decided to give it a chance...
Totally right in that, the whole 'meteor making Smallville weird', is a Sunnydale-Hellmouth thing they borrowed, which is kinda weak... I think the guy playing Clark really stinks, the rest of them are your standard pretty face actors looking pretty... And, Bo Duke will never be taken seriously by me, I just cant look at the guy without imagining him going "yeee-hawww!"... Yes, its pretty clear they are trying to meld the teen drama with X-Files/Buffy stories, but do we really need that? Honestly, I dont. Buffy is enough for me, and I've got better things to do instead of watching some imitation.
Last edited by Slumbering Fist; 10-24-01 at 01:15 PM.
10-24-01, 01:16 PM
Well, I don't have any real criticisms of last night's episode. I liked it. The "Fortress of Solitude" thing was kinda funny and I also noticed the "Papa Roach" poster in the Bug Boy's bedroom. Damn, that dude was creepy.
I like the fact that the writers are really showing a good side of Lex Luthor and that he is a good friend to Clark. It'll only make the breakup of their friendship and the beginning of their hatred toward each other more awesome. The writers have done their jobs well because I actually like Lex so far. I hope they don't turn him against Clark for awhile. I'd like them to develop the friendship a little more before we start seeing the evil Lex start creeping out.
10-24-01, 01:17 PM
Guess we won't see you posting in anymore Smallville threads then.
10-24-01, 01:30 PM
I actually think Tom Welling was splendid casting as Clark Kent. He plays it just right, a nice kid raised in Smallville, Kansas, with a good set of morals imparted by his adoptive parents, who happens to possess super powers. Plus Welling resembles Clark Kent/Superboy very much.
Smallville has more Superboy lore to explore, and I don't think it's a total rip-off of Buffy. I like Buffy, but the current show is almost rudderless. How many times can we be truly entertained by the demon/vampire of the week, do the research in the books/web, find their weakness, exploit it, and kill the demons? Buffy's pretty formulaic as it is as well, but it's got a great cast, and the character interactions are enough to warrant following the series. In time, I think Smallville will find its stride as well, and set up weekly conflicts which will require Clark to figure out to use his powers and still maintain a low profile. Plus Clark has more cool super powers than Buffy.
10-24-01, 02:09 PM
It's going to be very hard not to compare/contrast this show with Buffy, since it's an almost identical premise. Kid with destiny and superpowers, lives in small town that attracts strange occurrences. Struggles to fit in and just be a normal kid. Has group of misfit friends that help solve weekly storylines. It's the same show. I find nothing wrong with that as long as it's approached intelligently ... most every show on television is a rip-off of something else anyway, especially the sit-com, which has barely changed in 50 years.
When Buffy came on the scene, it was a completely new concept. An intelligent teen show was completely unheard of ... let alone one involving the paranormal. They set the standard for all these other knock-off shows. Buffy's in its 6th year, and it's natural that they've stumbled some and had some stories that weren't the most innovative. And for the fans (not the fanboys that hopped on last season with all the publicity), we've been treated to more intelligent drama than we could possibly hope for.
The point I'm getting at is that it's fine by me if 'Smallville' takes the 'Buffy' formula and runs with it. But it's going to need to do more than just copy the 'Buffy' formula. It will need to take it to another level, or it's nothing more than a cheap knock-off. So far, I've seen signs of both. There's some real promise to what they're doing, but it's also one or two wrong steps away from becoming another Roswell/Dawson's Creek hybrid.
Btw, I really like Tom Welling as Kent, but he's a little too old for the part. One of the great things about 'Buffy' is that you saw her physically grow from a child to a woman as she learned her powers and her destiny. With Kent, he's already a man, even though we're supposed to believe he's a teenager. For some reason, it just doesn't have the same effect on me.
10-24-01, 02:54 PM
Patman, good call on the Insect Queen reference. Since we don't know what exactly happened with Bugboy and Lana, maybe they'll pick this story up again later...
I think how they handle the Lex character will make or break this show. They can't have him being too much of a good guy or be an arch-rival already. He's going to have to keep trying to prove Jonathan Kent wrong and help Clark but, at the same time hint at his future evil self.
As I said, I think in the first thread, as long as this show is more 'Buffy' and less 'Dawson', I'll keep watching.
10-24-01, 03:09 PM
It's sort of strange why a rich kid like Lex would want to insinuate himself into the lives of these Smallville kids, but I think Lex is smart enough to know that Clark Kent is not your typical teenager, and while some of his motives are "reciprocatory" in nature (plus, I think he would like to see Clark end up with Lana over some jock like Whitney), Lex seems to be a guy always working an angle, and that angle may not always be evil/bad, but in the end it's an angle that should benefit him and his causes. I think Lex is trying to "recruit" Clark and exploit his powers, but he's got to do it seductively, and not overtly.
The Clark/Lex dynamic is something that Buffy lacks.
10-24-01, 04:12 PM
I, for one, will not have this comparison problem b/c I have never watched Buffy nor do I intend to. It is not a rip against any Buffy fans, everyone watches "their" shows for their own reasons. While it doesn't necessarily matter to me, the WB would be wise to try to distance the show from being a blatant Buffy rip-off in order to keep the lead-in audience that Buffy provides for Smallville and keep viewers like das from changing the channel.
10-24-01, 04:22 PM
Which is why I'll keep watching. But there's a lot of Angel/Buffy to the Lex/Clark story. Angel was the one who knew how the real world worked and would swoop down and try to manipulate Buffy into doing his bidding. And to avoid Buffy spoilers in a Smallville thread, I'll just say that there are many other parallels, assuming Lex proceeds the way the comics portray him. But that's not really important ...
To answer your first question, though, Lex is hungry for power. It's not very well defined yet, but meddling in other people's lives, even if he thinks he's doing it for the right reasons, is a source of power for him. He can look back and say, "I hooked Lana and Clark up" or "I helped Clark ..." That's the character I see developing. He's a nice enough guy who wants to help out, but more importantly feeds off the power of helping out and needs others to acknowledge that power.