Deutsche Version | Season 2 | Season 4
Disc 1
Exile
Synopsis: Clark hides out in Metropolis under the alias “Kal” and has become a criminal in order to finance his lifestyle. The Kents have to sell the farm, they and Lana are still looking for him. There’s one person who knows where he is but she’s promised him not to reveal it. Meanwhile Lex “lives” on a tropical island with some other guy and tries to get off it.
My Opinion: Great continuation of the story. Though I haven’t understood why Jonathan and Pete didn’t try to knock him out with Kryptonite. Ok, they did that last time but that proved to be successful. I understand that using the same plot twice is uncreative, yet if it were for real I doubt that they wouldn’t have tried it again.
I also liked Michael’s performance on the island, he did a better job than Tom Hanks (What a boring movie!).
Phoenix
Synopsis: Both Clark and Lex return to Smallville and both have to deal with what happened lateley. That means that Lex has to straighten out what really happened on that plane and if his wife had anything to do with it. And Clark has to deal with a Metropolis crime boss who threatens his parents and he has to apologize to a whole lot of people.
My Opinion: It was a good conlusion to this four-parter. Unfortunately it ends with Clark’s break-up with Lana against her expressed wish and he is retreating into his shell again.
I liked to see Rutger Hauer in the role of the crime boss, if it were for me, it could have lasted longer than these two episodes but unfortunately he had to share the fate of bad guys who know Clark’s secret.
Extinction
Synopsis: A “meteor freak” attacks Lana in the school pool and a secret vigilante shoots him to death. He has killed before and his next target is Lex whom he believes to be a meteor freak, too. Clark can save Lex once again but that makes him also a target. Unfortunately the shooter has found Clark’s Achilles’ heel and he uses Kryptonite bullets.
My Opinion: I liked the theme of the episode: Are all meteor-infected people murderous freaks? If I were in Clark’s position I wouldn’t have told her (Lana) my secret either. Her point of view at the begin of the episode was quite firm and although she said that she wouldn’t mind if Clark were bullet-proof (i.e. a meteor freak), I wouldn’t be sure that she really wouldn’t mind. This topic will surface again, especially in one of the key episodes of the fourth season: Pariah.
I also liked the Eastwood-y way he protected himself from the bullets and put Lana’s mind at rest (at least for a while).
Slumber
Synopsis: Clark has the weirdest day: He somehow can fly, he skinny-dips with Lana, Lex finds out his secret and a young girl is chased by a mysteriously hooded figure in the woods and disappears into the ground. But then he awakes, after he’s been asleep for 36 hours. He learns that new neighbours have moved into Lana’s old house and that there’s a young girl in a coma.
My Opinion: I wonder what insurance company insures the Kent’s truck and what garage does the repairing. It had been in several very heavy crashes and was even blown up. Maybe they just like the brand and the colour. 😉
I liked the episode because it had a different angle than usual.
Disc 2
Perry
Synopsis: A solar flares makes Clark’s abilities go kablooey. Unfortunately there’s a witness to his accidental uses of his powers: Perry White, a former reporter, whose career has been terminated by none other than Lionel Luthor. Now he works for a TV show that deals with paranormal events and Smallville is the Mecca for this.
My Opinion: I didn’t like that Perry White that much, most likely because of the way he’s portrayed. And I can’t imagine that a man like him would ever forget what he has seen in Smallville. So, when one day he is the editor of a certain “Daily Planet” and a young reporter called Clark Kent gets his job there, I doubt he would have forgotten that young man, especially when soon after a certain “Superman” appears. But then again, who says that this Perry White will ever become editor of the “Daily Planet”?
Relic
Synopsis: Lana visits his great uncle, who is convicted of the murder of his wife. It happened back in 1961 but some things don’t add up. He claims that there was a mysterious drifter and that drifter looked a lot like Clark Kent. Clark helps investigate this case and finds a “journal” hidden in the Kawatche cave: Jor-El of Krypton had been visiting Earth 40 years ago.
My Opinion: I liked the episode because it made Jor-El much more “human”. Before this we just knew his voice and his orders. Now we’ve learned that he had the same problems as Clark currently has. I also liked that there’s a link between Jor-El and Jonathan’s father Hiram. Martha said in the pilot that they didn’t find him, but he found them. How right she was. 🙂
Magnetic
Synopsis: A young man is attacked and an infection of his blood with kryptonite and an MRI give him the ability to move metal objects as well as control emotions of persons he touches. He uses this to “persuade” Lana to go out with him but Clark sees through the charade and tries to help.
My Opinion: FotW episode with Lana once again as the victim and Clark once again accused of jealousy.
Shattered
Synopsis: Lex is attacked in his mansion but can escape. He hides out at Clark’s and Clark tries to help him. But was Lex really attacked or did he have a mental breakdown?
My Opinion: One thing I have to admit: Michael Rosenbaum is a way better actor than Tom Welling. I really like Tom and I don’t know if it’s due the role or not, but his range of facial expressions is rather limited (smiling, backing off, lying, looking worried and a few others). Michael on the other hand did a great job in this one. I “loved” to see him go nuts and the end was great.
Disc 3
Asylum
Synopsis: Lex has been in the Belle Reve Sanitarium for over a month now but he hasn’t swallowed the drugs they’ve given him. He still remembers Clark’s secret but promises him that he won’t tell anyone. Lionel decides that it’s time for more drastic measures.
But Clark has other “friends” in Belle Reve, too. It’s the guy that had his powers for a short time, the guy that could split himself in two and the freak killer. Together they try to break out and for this they need Clark.
My Opinion: “Freak Reunion” with Clark as the guest of honour. 😉 I find it sadly ironic that in the end it was Clark that killed Lex’s memories (albeit not knowing it). I also liked to see that Lionel realized that he had to pay a price when he erased Lex’s memories.
Whisper
Synopsis: A jewelry store is about to be robbed but Clark interfers. But an accident happens and he loses his sight. It is often said that the loss of one sense sharpens the others: Suddenly Clark becomes the perfect eavesdropper. And he will need that ability because Pete is in mortal danger.
My Opinion: This season he got his ability rather late, but better late than never. 😉 The “Ray Charles glasses” didn’t really fit him but the later glasses made an interesting change to his face – but I wouldn’t fall for that disguise. 😀
Delete
Synopsis: It have been hard weeks for Chloe. She got fired from the “Daily Planet”. Her father had been fired from LutherCorp. The “Torch”‘s computers were taken away. She had an argument with Clark and now he tries to kill her with is truck but can’t even remember it. Can it get any worse? It can.
My Opinion: And once again the Kent’s truck is demolished. 😉 I loved the fight between Lana and Chloe, it was excellently choreographed. But the writers still haven’t learned to use computers and computer terms correctly. It began with the removal of the hard drive while the computer was running and didn’t end with the allegation that an IP address is somehow bound to the hard drive of a computer. 
Hereafter
Synopsis: A new student has come to Smallville High. He has the “gift” of seeing the death of the person that touches him. This helps Clark to prevent a suicide but that changes the future of three other persons.
My Opinion: I found this episode interesting for several reasons. It implied that Clark may never die. To be perfectly honest I dislike that idea. Just like mind-reading I consider immortality more as a curse than a blessing. At first it sounds like a cool idea. But when you really think about it, it would only be cool if everyone else would be immortal, too. Or would you like to see you friends die all the time while you live on?
At the end of the episode Clark fears that his interferences could make things worse than they are. He’s right, they could. What would the world look like if he didn’t save Lex? It may be even worse than now. Luckily for us, Clark is like the scorpion from the tale of the frog and the scorpion (in a good way, of course): “I could not help myself. It is my nature.”.
Disc 4
Velocity
Synopsis: Jonathan has had an heart attack and Martha and Clark have brought him to the hospital. When they return from there, they nearly get hit by a car that is participating in illegal car races. The driver of this car is Pete who tries to emerge from Clark’s shadow. Clark tries to warn him about the danger but when Pete realizes this danger, it’s too late.
My Opinion: Episodes with illegal street races don’t work for me because these “dangerous speeds” they are driving (100 mph in this episode) is my average cruising speed on the autobahn. Granted, I wouldn’t drive that fast on a country road (and that would be forbidden even here) but still I am not really impressed. The other reason may be that I never was much into cars, for me they are a means of transportation from A to B.
Obsession
Synopsis: During a visit of a LutherCorp plant Clark is in an elevator with Alicia when the cable breaks and the elevator starts to fall down. Clark has to ram his hand through the wall to stop it. But Alicia has a secret of her own: She “beams” them out. Clark has finally found someone with whom he can be perfectly honest.
My Opinion: “To good to be true” would be the phrase here. I don’t understand why Clark isn’t allowed to be happy for more than one episode. I like Alicia and think they should have given her more time before she made her obsessed with Clark. But we will see her again and she will be an eye-opener.
Resurrection
Synopsis: Jonathan agrees to get a tripple bypass when Clark meets his friend Garrett in the hospital. Garrett’s older brother is waiting for a new liver but then he dies. He is brought to Metropolis but suddenly reappears in Smallville – alive (sort of). But then he collapses again and Garrett takes hostages to get a liver for his brother.
My Opinion: Parents can be cruel. Garrett’s actor’s name is James Nichol Kirk. James Kirk. I don’t want to imagine the childhood of that man.
As I said during my Stargate SG-1 marathon, I find it funny how you suddenly stumble over actors once you’ve come to know them. Back in Obscura Aaron Douglas (Chief Tyrol in Battlestar Galactica) played a deputy and now Tahmoh Penikett (“Helo” in BSG) played Garrett’s older brother.
When I watched this episode for the first time (and the others before this) I had no idea that the serum could be connected to Clark’s blood. Seems I am good at picking up details but making a line between two points is not my strong side.
Crisis
Synopsis: Clark receives an emergency call from Lana but when he comes to the rescue she isn’t in any danger at all. Clark didn’t imagine it, there’s a tape that proves that call was made. But who called if it wasn’t Lana? Or from when did she call if it was (will be?) her?
My Opinion: None of the four episodes on this disc have impressed me very much. In this one I didn’t really understood Adam’s motivation to kill Lana.
Disc 5
Legacy
Synopsis: Lex works with the FBI to find evidence of his father’s crimes. Lionel once again tries to solve the riddle of the Kawatche caves. For this he visits Dr. Swann in New York and sends fake FBI agents to raid the farm – they are looking for the octagonal disc.
My Opinion: I liked this episode because led to doubts about Dr. Swann’s motives and it left the question how the disc came into his possessions. I seriously doubt that the writers intended to make the original Superman a bad guy. Unfortunately due to Christopher Reeve’s death we will never find out. 🙁
Truth
Synopsis: Chloe sneaks into a LutherCorp plant and gets exposed to a meteor rock gas. From now on everyone in close proximity has to tell her the truth when she asks him/her. While that may be the holy grail to a reporter, it endangers Clark’s secret and her own life on more than one occasion. Fortunately for her, Clark is still there to protect her.
My Opinion: Great episode but it confirms my opinion about mind-reading (this was a modification of that theme). But this episode had a ridiculous scene (though other movies and series use this kind of scene, too): Clark finds that scientist in a very battered place but he happens to have a cure in his even more battered refrigerator, even after all these years. If someone would raid my fridge I would be arrested for producing biological weapons. 😀
Memoria
Synopsis: Lex still tries to recover the memories of those seven weeks he’s lost (which would include the knowlegde of Clark’s secret). Clark and Lionel join forces to prevent exactly this, but Lionel double-crosses Clark. While Lex hasn’t remembered those seven weeks, he remembered a part of his past he suppressed for a long time and that memory is about the death of his baby brother Julian.
My Opinion: I wouldn’t believe for a second that Clark tried to prevent Lex from getting his memories back just to protect his secret. I still believe that he did it because – as he stated – he feared that Lionel could do something much worse to Lex if he poses a threat again. The flashbacks also explain a lot about the relationship between Lionel and Lex. I can’t even imagine how hard it must have been for that 12-year-old boy to take the blame for his brother’s death full knowing that if he didn’t, his mother would be dead in a second.
Disc 6
Talisman
Synopsis: Lionel has found another artefact in the Kawatche caves. It’s an ancient knife and it belongs to Naman. Professor Willowbrook still believes that Clark is Naman and thus the knife belongs to him, but one of his assistants steals it and has now the same powers as Clark. It is foretold that the blade can only be destroyed by Sageeth, the friend of Naman who turned into his enemy. The assistant believes that Lionel is Sageeth and tries to kill him but Clark cannot let that happen.
My Opinion: I liked Lex’ interpretation of that tale, that Sageeth may be the true hero of that story. Firstly, because it’s Clarks fear, too, that he was send to Earth to rule. Secondly, because it presents us with Lex’ POV, that he – a human – fights against a superior enemy and anything he does is for the good cause. The end justifies the means. Especially in the fifth and sixth season this will be his major motive for what he does.
Forsaken
Synopsis: Emily has grown a lot over the last months. She escapes from one of Lionel’s labs and returns to Smallville. There she impersonates the daughter of the new owner of the “Talon”. Lana has sold it because she is leaving for Paris. But that is exactly what Emily wants to prevent. Clark wants to come clean with Lana – he doesn’t want her to leave, too – but first he has to rescue her once again.
My Opinion: Pete has left Smallville. 🙁 I liked Pete but his character had always the problem that he was “just” the faithful sidekick. Chloe, Lana and Lex have stories of their own, but what do we really know about Pete? Interestingly Pete was the only character Clark ever told his secret. Everyone else had to find out by himself/herself (At least I think that he was the only one and I’m only talking about events that weren’t undone).
Covenant
Synopsis: A girl comes to Clark who calls herself Kara and she knows, that he is Kal-El, because she is from Krypton, too. She urges him, to return with her to the cave where his future is waiting for him. It is revealed, that Jonathan made a deal with Jor-El when he got the powers to return Clark from Metropolis. But first, Clark has to testify in court against Lionel and he wants to bring Lana to the airport.
My Opinion: Great cliffhanger. Imagine the show would have been canceled at this point. 
I liked it how they’ve used Superman mythology to mislead the audience (the real Kara is indeed from Krypton and she is his cousin, she’s more commonly refered to as “Supergirl”). They did that a lot this year. It began with the mentioning of Chloe’s cousin Lois Lane (who isn’t interested in journalism at all) and when Jonathan had his heart problems who hadn’t feared that he might actually die?
As I said the first part of the cliffhangers are always thrilling and now I want to see how it continues.
The Season – My Opinion: Summa summarum the season was ok. It had its share of good episodes but there were also a number of episodes that didn’t interest me that much. But we definitively left the era of FotW episodes and moved into the arc era. The experiments with Kryptonite and Clark’s blood have begun and will continue and the Kawatche cave will become an even greater mystery in the next season.