Deutsche Version | Season 4 | Season 6
Disc 1
Arrival
Synopsis: Accidentally Chloe has been transported to the Arctic where the united stones have just built the “Fortress of Solitude” for Clark. Clark is allowed to rescue her and to fight a new enemy that has arrived with the meteor shower but he has to return until sunset. Meanwhile Lana and Lex meet these newcomers.
My Opinion: Sure, they were lazy, but I still thought that it was too easy for Clark to get rid of those two(!) Kryptonians. I really would have liked a scenario where Lana wouldn’t have been knocked out and would have witnessed the entire scene (with or without Clark’s knowlegde). But maybe the writers thought it to be too soon to let yet another person in on Clark’s secret.
I wonder – if this were for real – whether Chloe and Clark have recapitulated their past, unfolding all the events where only Clark knew the whole truth, or if he told her that she already knew his secret (Rush).
Mortal
Synopsis: Three patients can escape from Belle Reve and they take Lana, Martha and Jonathan hostage. They force Clark – who has lost his powers because he disobeyed his father – to break into LuthorCorp and steal an experimental Kryptonite-based drug. In the past this wouldn’t have been much of a problem, but this time it turns out to be a good thing that he doesn’t have his powers.
My Opinion: It’s always funny to hear Clark saying, that he’s not to keen with heights. I also liked the comparison of Pete and Chloe in their role as “sidekick”.
But I also think, that the concept of “Belle Reve” and Lex’s influence there is a bit of a plot hole. Lex may not believe one particular loony in there but if he really has spoken with a few of them and promised them something and they would have told him all the same story about Clark Kent’s abilities (and there are quite a few in there that could tell such a story) then he wouldn’t need to resort to such crude investigation methods – especially when he adds his own experiences with Clark.
Hidden
Synopsis: Clark is still human and he and Lana have slept together and are very happy. Can it get any better?
In 60 minutes Smallville gets nuked and Clark lies in the hospital, dying from a gunshot wound. Can it get any worse?
My Opinion: Lionel takes up the role of Jor-El. In a weird way, Lex and Clark are now actually brothers. This episode marks the climax (pun intended) of Clark’s and Lana’s relationship. From now on it will go downhill. 🙁
What’s even more interesting about this episode, are the discussions on the internet about it. For example, people were seriously offended that he didn’t tell her about his true nature before they were sleeping together, because he is an alien. There were sentences like “If Lana were my child I would want to know that she’s sleeping with an alien.”.
Aqua
Synopsis: Lois is back in Smallville and she moves back to the farm. On a warm sunny day she, Chloe, Lana and Clark go swimming in the Crater Lake. Suddenly Lois nearly drowns and gets rescued – by Arthur “AC” Curry. AC can swim fast, even faster than Clark. But his motive to be in Smallville is not to rescue drowning girls but to save the oceans from a terrible weapon, created by LuthorCorp.
My Opinion: After the events in Arrival Lex has gone into full defense mode. It’s pretty ironic that he who wants to defend this planet from aliens will become the planet’s greatest threat by the end of the season.
I really liked the appearance of “Aquaman” and the hints they implanted in the script, especially when AC proposes the foundation of a “Junior Lifeguard Association” and Clark replies that he isn’t ready for the JLA yet.
And Tom seriously has to reshape his washboard abs, he looked pale in comparison to Alan Ritchson (AC) and he is supposed to be Superman.
Disc 2
Thirst
Synopsis: Lana tries to get into the “Tri Psi Sorority” at the Met U and gets accepted. But “Tri Psi” isn’t like any other sorority anywhere and Clark and Chloe become concerned about their friend.
My Opinion: Great episode! I didn’t really notice it before, but this episode was packed with cultural references, especially towards Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It begins with Chloe baptizing the head of the sorority as “Buffy Sanders”. James Marsters (Spike in Buffy and Angel) declares in his role as Professor Fine that “there’s no such thing as vampires”. Then the “Daily Planet”‘s editor (Carrie Fisher) calls her “Buffy the Vampire”. And when Chloe starts as a reporter in the basement of the “Daily Planet”, she declares that she will only go “up, up and away”.
Exposed
Synopsis: Chloe investigates in a murder and Lois helps her with it. The trail leads to Senator Jennings who happens to be an old friend of Jonathan’s. He claims that someone tries to frame him and not without good reason. Lex has just entered the race for the Senator’s seat.
My Opinion: If the previous episode was a homage to Buffy, this one was definitively a homage to The Dukes of Hazzard. But I have to say that time has been more merciful to John Schneider (Bo Duke in TDoH) than to Tom Wopat (Luke Duke in TDoH).
I really liked this episode, too. Not only because of the references, but also because that entire scene in the night club. I don’t know what I would have done in Clark’s place. 😀
Splinter
Synopsis: Clark cuts his finger on a fragment of silver Kryptonite. From now on he’s being paranoid that people could reveal his secret and that all people around him will betray him. He attacks his parents, Lex and finally Lana and only Professor Fine seems to be able to stop him.
My Opinion: I like Marsters. He makes an excellent villain. I saw him here on Smallville for the first time. I knew he was Spike in Buffy but at this point I had no real interest in the show. But his acting here convinced me to give it a try.
His plot gave him the perfect foundation to gain Clark’s trust. Well done. I also liked it how Clark mixed up real events and imagination during his exposure.
Solitude
Synopsis: Martha gets struck by something and Clark finds her unconscious on the driveway. Then she develops a weird bruise and Clark fears that his biological father has come to collect. In his fear that he might lose his mother he turns to Professor Fine who actually can help. But he can’t stop the infection, just ease the pain. In order to prevent Martha’s death Clark has to destroy the “Fortress of Solitude”.
My Opinion: Fine played him perfectly. And if one wouldn’t knew who Zod really is, who wouldn’t believed Fine? We mustn’t forget that Clark destroyed his own spaceship because there was a message that said he was sent here to rule this planet. Too bad that Fine’s story has ended so soon (for now).
Funny thing is I just found out that the voice of Jor-El belongs to Terence Stamp. Ok, that I knew before now but the name didn’t ring any bells until IMDb told me that he was General Zod in Superman II:
But everytime I hear the name “Zod” I cannot help it but to think of Mallrats:
Disc 3
Lexmas
Synopsis: Lex gets shot while he was digging up dirt on Jonathan Kent. While he’s hanging between life and death he sees a possible future where he has left the old ways behind, he has married Lana and has two children with her. Wouldn’t that be nice? But what if something would happen in that future that he only could have prevented with the powers he’s had in his former life?
My Opinion: It was an interesting insight into Lex’s mind. I don’t assume that it was really his mother showing him anything, I believe it was his mind showing him his deepest wishes – and fears. But I also liked the “Santa Clark” part of the story even with the mysterious Santa – but hey, it’s christmas!
Fanatic
Synopsis: Jonathan hires Lois as campaign manager to help him running for senate. But Lex is a formidable opponent and he has faithful followers. Even so faithful that they would stop at nothing to make sure Lex becomes Senator. Thus they try to threaten Jonathan and even kill them.
Meanwhile Lana and Clark have an argument again because both are keeping secrets and their relationship is getting nowhere.
My Opinion: That was an OK episode. I wasn’t much interested in the assassination plot and it hurts me to see Lana and Clark breaking apart.
Lockdown
Synopsis: A former deputy takes Lex hostage – sort of. Lex can get into his panic room but he’s stuck there. The deputy wants to know the location of the spaceship but Lex isn’t giving up. But then he also captures Lana. He knows that she was there at the landing, because he was there, too. And now Lex has to make a choice.
My Opinion: I thought it was sad that the sheriff died, she was an interesting character. The actions in this episode will have great ramifications and they weren’t even revealed here – I found that very interesting.
Reckoning
Synopsis: Clark decides that he can no longer lie to Lana. He reveals his secret. Everything, from his origins to the “Fortress of Solitude” and he asks her to marry him. Later that day she says yes and Jonathan wins the election. It’s a great day, isn’t it?
My Opinion: This is a very good and emotional episode. It’s also another turning point for the show. Superman mythology demanded that sacrifice and from now on Clark has to make the decisions without his father’s advice. 🙁 It was sad to see John Schneider leave the show but at one point it had to come to this.
Disc 4
Vengeance
Synopsis: Martha is bringing Jonathan’s clothes to a shelter but then she’s robbed and hurt. A female vigilante is saving her but the robbers can escape. Clark wants to go after them but for this he has to find that woman. He hopes that she can identify them.
My Opinion: A very good episode to show Clark what could become of him if he would “go to the dark side of the force”. I liked it how they’ve used Superman references but didn’t simply copy them, e.g. when her glasses aren’t just disguise but without them she actually can’t see much.
Tomb
Synopsis: After lightning has hit the “Talon” Chloe is possessed by a ghost that has her wrists cut open. She is brought to the hospital because everyone thinks it was a suicide attempt. Lana and Clark try to help her in different ways.
My Opinion: I am really glad that Clark kept his mouth shut. I would have hated to see an episode where he would have told someone about Chloe’s mother in an attempt to help her and then see her accusing him because she kept his secret. Writers seem to love such dramas. But we have too much of them in Smallville already. Thus I am glad it turned out the way it did.
Cyborg
Synopsis: A man escapes from a lab and runs straight into Lana’s car. The car is a wreck, Lana’s is injured and the man has no scratch. He’s a cyborg, “made” by LuthorCorp and he should have died in a car crash several months ago. Now he tries to find his girlfriend and to prevent from ever having to go back to that lab. Of course Clark is a big help in achieving those goals.
My Opinion: Interestingly this episode combines the previous episodes into one story. Victor (the cyborg) is of course another reflection of Clark’s. And once again I am glad. It would have been easy for the writers to let Victor’s girlfriend be scared to death about what has become of her boyfriend and thus confirming Clark’s worst fears. But they didn’t do that. It also wouldn’t be plausible anymore. In a straight timeline it never happened but Clark knows now how Lana would react if she’d ever find out, they can’t use that anymore as a reason for not telling her.
Disc 5
Hypnotic
Synopsis: A girl hypnotizes Clark and he subsequently breaks up with Lana. He (unwillingly) reveals all his abilities to her and does whatever she wants. What he doesn’t know is, that she was hired by Lex, but luckily for Clark she double-crosses Lex and doesn’t expose him to Lex but instead tries to kill him (Lex). But Lex has other things on his mind, too. He’s located Milton Fine in Honduras and he believes that Milton is a government agent.
My Opinion: Spike Milton is a hard-to-kill kind of guy. It’s good that he’s back, that means that the Krypton arc is back in the game.
I am sorry and relieved at the same time that the relation of Lana and Clark is over. Sorry for obvious reasons and relieved because that entire hide-and-seek was getting tiresome. Of course it won’t completely stop but the amount of lies can go down to normal Clark-level.
Void
Synopsis: With the help of a Kryptonite drug, Lana dies and comes back from the dead. But while she’s dead she can talk to her parents. The problem is that one can only die so many times before one stays that way. Both Clark and Lex try to help her and get killed in the process.
My Opinion: This is my third attempt to write this paragraph. I don’t know why, but somehow it didn’t felt right. I’ve never been religious, yet I’ve never had any problem with the concept of an afterlife in a fantasy show. Xena has been to several places for the dead (the Elysian Fields, Tartaros, the Amazon afterworld), Buffy was in Heaven and there were several hell dimensions and still I didn’t like the idea that Clark could talk to his dead father and that he could give his son a warning. Sorry, I can’t really explain why, but that’s how I feel.
Fragile
Synopsis: Maddie is the foster daughter of Martha’s chief of staff. Then her foster mother gets killed and she lives at the Kents’s until new foster parents can be found. But Maddie is special, she can control glass with her mind. Has she killed her foster mother?
My Opinion: The actress of Maddie (Emily Hirst) strongly reminded me of Emma Watson (Hermione Granger) in the first Harry Potter movie. I also found it interesting how they managed to make her the prime suspect just to reveal that her father (Callum Keith Rennie, Leoben in Battlestar Galactica) has the same abilities. The concept of second generation meteor freaks has been mentioned before but it was still interesting.
Mercy
Synopsis: Lionel nearly gets killed when his limo is rammed by a train. But this was no accident, someone has made a game out of the attempts to kill Lionel. But soon it’s not only Lionel’s life that is endangered, it’s Martha’s as well.
My Opinion: Everytime I watch that episode, I am sure that Ian Tracey has had a previous appearance on the show, that I’ve seen him there before. But IMDb tells me, that he hasn’t.
While I found the tasks to be interesting I nonetheless recognized the obvious television/movies errors, such as a train that doesn’t even stop after it has hit a car or Clark catching a falling elevator without hurting the occupants, even though they’ve just fallen several hundred feets.
Disc 6
Fade
Synopsis: Clark saves a man who was about to be hit by a car. Soon after this man – Graham – kills a key witness in an important trial. Then he tries to thank Clark for saving his life by giving him expensive gifts. Clark – who has now idea what Graham has done – can’t accept these gift but Graham wants to repay his debt and he believes that killing Lex would achieve exactly that.
My Opinion: This was a good episode to set Clark’s moral compass straight. Ok, there was nothing wrong about it, but it ensured the viewer about the things Clark would or wouldn’t do. And I liked the comparison to medical personnel or firefighters. Clark wouldn’t be Clark if he let someone die just because he might turn out to be a bad person. That’s reassuring.
Oracle
Synopsis: Jonathan appears to Clark and demands of him to kill Lionel because Lionel puts the entire planet at risk. Meanwhile Lex has managed to create the most powerful vaccine in the world. With it the human body can withstand practically everything. But he has underestimated Milton Fine, who has double-crossed him. Lex created the vaccine without the knowledge of Fine – or at least he thought so. He did exactly what Milton wanted.
My Opinion: Great opening to the season finale. Lex was played perfectly by Fine just as Clark was earlier this season. Fine is truly worthy of the name Brainiac (=Brain InterActive Construct).
Vessel
Synopsis: “Zod is coming!” When Fine was impersonating Jonathan he demanded that Clark would kill Lionel. But now Jor-El (the real one) is demanding that Clark would have to kill the “Vessel of Zod” and that vessel is Lex. But does Clark really have the guts to kill anyone? If not, the world as we know it will come to an end.
My Opinion: Great finale. Lionel said that sometimes a price has to be paid to achieve a greater good, but I say it again, then it wouldn’t be Clark if he would pay that price. But one also has to admit, that everytime he defies his father, a lot of people get hurt in the process. One day it has to boil down to a choice of idealism versus pragmatism. Of course I have to continue watching at once.
The Season – My Opinion: For the characters this might have been a bad season, with Jonathan’s death, Lana’s and Clark’s break-up and so on. From a story-telling POV I liked it much better than the previous one. The preparation for Zod’s arrival over the course of the season was much more believable than that entire witch arc and Brainiac was an interesting opponent. And while I might not like the road Lana is going down, I still like it that her character has finally left the “helpless girl phase”. Of course there will always be opportunities for Clark to save her, but he saves everybody once in a while.