Smallville.

[Kaelaroth]

Could be considered a comics thread, but what the hey!

Who likes it, who doesn't, why so, why not, how does it differ from comics, who is the best character, and who's the best actor/actress?

Oh, and BiZARRO:smile: !!!! Hell Yeah!

[Tom_Violence]

I quite enjoy it, but I feel that it suffers a little too much from what I like to call '24-syndrome'. That is, I miss one or two episodes, and then the next time I see it I've got no idea what is going, who's who, who's died, who's seeing who, etc etc. Its annoying because, while I want to watch it and follow it, if I miss it then I feel I may as well not bother again.

Its also suffers from what I am now going to call 'Lost-syndrome'. This one is the idea that the whole thing may well have been improved if they'd just kept it down to a handful of series, as opposed to the 7 or 8 that they're up to now. Given that it is the story of a young Superman, it would be nice to think that there might be an end to it somewhere in sight, but I fear that it may end up going on forever, getting more and more ridiculous with each series.

[ray53208]

smallville. what a disappointment it has become. instead of an exploration of the formative years of earths greatest hero, it has degenerated into melodramatic crapulence. instead of shedding light on how the small-town boy became the man of steel, its just a soap opera parade of pretty faces with vacant stares.

it was actually interesting right up until season 3. then, it would seem, that the IQs of the people making the show dropped sharply. and even worse, the show fell even further to become nothing more than a 44-minute commercial for whatever crap the network wanted to peddle. example: the "batman/acuview" episode. i gave up on the show that day.

the show lacks any common sense or emotional integrity anymore. the death of john kent was the last good episode.

the so-called "lost-syndrome" is not an actual syndrome. its the loss of those viewers with vastly diminished attention spans. lost is about the unfolding story, and is not going to spoon-feed brain-pablum to the masses like most of todays shows do.

it is my most sincere, heartfelt opinion that john glover is too good for this show. i enjoyed the one time i saw carrie fisher. i am not very happy with the possibility that welling could be superman in a justice league movie. of course im enamored of kristen kruek, shes a lovely girl who needs to move on to bigger, better, things. i absolutely loathe the lois lane character on the show. she serves no purpose other than eye candy.

[Tom_Violence]

the so-called "lost-syndrome" is not an actual syndrome. its the loss of those viewers with vastly diminished attention spans. lost is about the unfolding story, and is not going to spoon-feed brain-pablum to the masses like most of todays shows do.

What I meant by that was that Lost was originally only supposed to be going for a few series, but was doing so well that it was expanded beyond all reason, stretched out far too thin, so that most of it is now filler and a real slog to get through.

[Catch]

I used to watch the show with sort of girlish glee--I think I still have a crush on Michael Rosenbaum--but I maintain that despite the melodrama and teenage angst, Smallville stays true to it's roots, albeit in an alternate-continuity sort of way. There are certainly differences, no doubt, yet I wasn't particularly offended by them. Basically, I watched Smallville in a vacuum outside of the standard DC universe, so I was able to appreciate the show in and of itself.

[....]

Is Superman wearing the costume yet?

Isn't he living in Metropolis now and fighting supervillains and everything?

I've never really watched the show. Everytime I see it its just Lex Luthor staring out a window at a city and telling some hot chick how much he hates being evil or how he was friends with Clark.

Or else its Clark staring vaguely into the distance while some other hot chick says he needs to take responsability or something.

I did seem James Marsters as Braniac once. Which I think is a pretty silly choice.

[Glawackus]

smallville. what a disappointment it has become. instead of an exploration of the formative years of earths greatest hero, it has degenerated into melodramatic crapulence. instead of shedding light on how the small-town boy became the man of steel, its just a soap opera parade of pretty faces with vacant stares.

it was actually interesting right up until season 3. then, it would seem, that the IQs of the people making the show dropped sharply. and even worse, the show fell even further to become nothing more than a 44-minute commercial for whatever crap the network wanted to peddle. example: the "batman/acuview" episode. i gave up on the show that day.

the show lacks any common sense or emotional integrity anymore. the death of john kent was the last good episode.

the so-called "lost-syndrome" is not an actual syndrome. its the loss of those viewers with vastly diminished attention spans. lost is about the unfolding story, and is not going to spoon-feed brain-pablum to the masses like most of todays shows do.

it is my most sincere, heartfelt opinion that john glover is too good for this show. i enjoyed the one time i saw carrie fisher. i am not very happy with the possibility that welling could be superman in a justice league movie. of course im enamored of kristen kruek, shes a lovely girl who needs to move on to bigger, better, things. i absolutely loathe the lois lane character on the show. she serves no purpose other than eye candy.

Amen, brother.

[Jerthanis]

I hate watching TV shows on TV, so I'm just picking up the seasons on DVD as I get the money and inclination to do so. I'm only up to the end of the second season so far, but I really like it. The show is tightly paced, introducing themes, characters, conflict and even providing resolution within each episode. My biggest problem so far is that the Chloe character was way more fun and endearing than the Lana character, but because Chloe isn't part of the larger mythos, she was doomed to be sidelined. Also, each season ended with such a terrible cliffhanger-y episode that it seems like the writers were phobic of people stopping watching the series between seasons. To me it just feels like I've got to watch an entire other episode, and acquire the entire next season, to get the other half of the story they started telling.

Still, the second season was a step down from the first, so I'd understand if the show continues to lose focus and become shakier as it goes.

As far as the nuts and bolts, the actors and their acting, the writers and their writing... I enjoy almost all of it. Lex and Lionel's dialogues are amazing, and are worth the price of admission alone. Tom Welling has the squarest jaw on the entire planet. If he never made it as an actor he could've made his fortune as a construction worker, as he'd always have something on hand (on chin?) to make perfect 90 degree angles. I actually retroactively started to dislike Brandon Routh's relatively soulless Man of Steel after seeing some episodes of Smallville, and seeing Welling's ability to infuse so much feeling in a glance.

Unfortunately, it sounds like the series didn't keep living up to its potential, from what other people are saying. Hopefully my admiration for the Man of Tomorrow will keep me enjoying it as I go.

[Kaelaroth]

I did seem James Marsters as Braniac once. Which I think is a pretty silly choice.

Lies! In whatever role he is in, JM remains perfect. He is in Torchwood, the DrWho spin-off this year.

Erica Durance (Lois) is how the others have said. She is there to annoy and to ogle. That is it.

Allison Mack (Chloe) is doomed. In the most recent season she was revealed to be able to ressurect, at the cost of her life energy. NOOOOOO! She was easily the greatest...

[ray53208]

early on i remember chloe saying that in order to get an article published she used her cousins name: lois lane. she figured it was okay because lois barely read anyway.

i had such high hopes that chloe would be the one clark ended up with. shes just smarter, cooler, and she really loves him. lana is nice, but shes just passing time with clark. she never even noticed him before.

when an actual lois lane showed up i was pissed off. mostly because she is freakin annoying. there were episodes where i just hoped that clark would show up too late to save her.

the show blows now. i used to love it, now it sucks. they shouldve gone out on top. sometimes i wish that i lacked the ability to make critical evaluations about tv shows and movies. then im sure id be able to watch crapulence with a smile on my face.

how many of you remember the episode that was a lame rip off of the saw movies? the saw movies are horrible to begin with...

[....]

Lies! In whatever role he is in, JM remains perfect. He is in Torchwood, the DrWho spin-off this year.

Yes, yes, and everything Joss Whedon writes is good by default.

And if only Firefly hadn't been cancelled it would have been the greatest television show ever created in all enternity and certainly wouldn't have degenerated into weird, convoluted crap like Buffy and Angel did.

[Kaelaroth]

Yes, yes, and everything Joss Whedon writes is good by default.

And if only Firefly hadn't been cancelled it would have been the greatest television show ever created in all enternity and certainly wouldn't have degenerated into weird, convoluted crap like Buffy and Angel did.

He speaks the truth. Buffy was so brilliant that it remained good when it became weird, convoluted crap. Go Whedon!

[Hawriel]

na buffy was crap. It was interesting for awile, got a little better than lost total appeal. Kinda like angle. I liked the first eight shows. the rest of the season was not to bad eather. then meh. the only thing that kepted me watching was amy acker. So cute.


But this is about smallvile....

Smallvile pritty mutch turned out the way I thougth it would. Overly dramatised reactions to Clarks shyness. to mutch dawsens creek BS. As every teen targeted telovision show has been sence dawsens creek...oh no no no, make that 90210. yes smallville is not that bad but its still there and anoys the crap out of me. Then again its been awile sence I was the target audience.

For the most part i like the actores and character they portray. exept Lois. Change in contenutity is a given when taking a book, comic, play what ever and putting it on TV. Some things just need to stay the same. Lois is one of them. She should not be on the show at all. Clark is not suposed to meet her untill he works for the daily planet. I also think she is a porly written character, the actress does not fit eather.

Only other major complant is Lana. The actress is great. Totaly the girl next door you just cant stop thinking about. I just hate how they turned her into a total backstabing Luthor. I just dont like her development as a character. The bitter resentment between Lana and Clark becouse he has a secret is way over done. The lana I know has and would exept clarks privacy. Thats it. His big secret really isnt such an emotional assalt twords any of his friends they make it out to be. Lana is a smart and considerat person. They could have let her figure out clarks secret through just knowing him and putting together all the weird things that go on around him. Not the very sculdugery way they had her do it in the show. She would also just keep her peace about it, becouse its his secret to tell not hers to get pissed at for not being told.

[ray53208]

huh? sorry, i wasnt listening. you lost total credibility with me when you said buffy was crap.

as far as the continuity change for tv: for something like superman its not necessary. in the past 50 years no tv show has covered his origin beyond crashing and being adopted.

i suppose an argument can be made for the show seeking to tell a new story about superman for a new generation, but thats not really superman. he is iconic. while the subtle details of his story may shift, who he is remains. the opportunity for a new story was to be told in the few years at the end of his adolescence. about the critical years that made him the man he is; not a superhero, but a man. in this regard the show has failed.

[Dean Fellithor]

Hurry up and get the S.O.B to freaking fly already! So we don't have to put up with this Daytime soapie that it's turned into!

[Kaelaroth]

I admit this is thread about the horror that Smallville has recently become - especially with the introduction of Clark's complete set of abilities.

YET: Buffy is God. As are all the other characters in Buffy, including the dude who sang about mustard in his shirt. Angel is less good. But still pretty damn good. Firefly, had it not been cancelled, would have been nearly as good as Buffy. Serenity was a fantastic film, even though it changed a few things from original Firefly. OK? Good.

[PaulTheSamurai]

For the record big fan of the show so far... I just finished season two on DVD (thank you Netflix!). The whole Clark on a Motorcycle leaving a weeping Lana on the Farm after he delivers his "I am nothing but trouble" speech and then slips on the Red Ring and rides off towards Metropolis didnt really work for me. However... Lex waking up in his private jet and finds everyone gone (including his new wife!) and just in time to watch the jet crash into the ocean. Me likey!

By the way, if you havent already discoverd Television Without Pity I highly recommend you check it out. Because everyone needs yet another forum to read... :smallsmile:

[FdL]

I've always hated this show's concept. But anyway, the Justice League of regular teenager guys with brightly colored clothing is kinda ridiculous, isn't it?

I saw a banner or something for the new season showing a bunch of guys looking like that. They should decide if they want to have a teen romance show or a superhero/action one. 'Cause this is the proof that you can't have both, not like this at least.

Just my 2 cents.

[AngelicOne001]

What do I think of Smallville? I Love it! I've followed it from the Very first season until now. I almost wet myself when I saw the end result with Bizzaro! Hell, I loved every minute of every episode to date, even with the romances. Though I really wish Lana had just died. :belkar:
I love how they went through all the Jor-El stuff. I just can't wait until he revives the fortress and then FINALLY flies! Dear god fly already Clark, FLY! You were supposed to fly at 18 and know how to you dumbsh**! :sabine:

Either way I have loved the whole series as a whole.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Started just this kinda topic months and months back. It has my opinion on the first page here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44208).

But for those who don't want to travel, here is my opinion on the show which still holds true even 5 months later.

Despite the fact I've never even read a single comic book I seem to be drawn to superhero shows/movies and have kinda watched Smallville off and on for a couple years.

I'll watch it and then it'll frustrate me so bad I want to spit in the producer's face, but then I somehow gett hooked again.

Honestly, despite the horrible, hideous pseudoscience, even within that the show drives me up the wall. Whenever Lionel and Lex are involved my interest is piqued because great subtelty and imagination is put into the stuff they do. Really deep thinking on their parts, which is fine, they are supposedly geniuses. Then you bring in the others and the show becomes DUMB.

Frankly I detest Clark and Lana. Always have, always will. Love Chloe to death though. She's like the only ounce of intelligence and common sense in any bit not including the Luthers.

But anyways, I know they need to set boundaries for the show, but I swear I am sick to death of Clark being able to run circles around bullets yet he can be swatted by folks with great strength. Most aren't moving any quicker than normal humans, so why can't he move? This also goes for folks who open the door and surprise him in the act of something. Even if you ignore that, he has super hearing that never ever works... except when the plot dictates. The problem is, its so blatantly and unprofessionally obvious.

Then there is the stupid relationship thing. Clark never explains. Despite the fact that everyone of them has acted really really odd because of kryptonite or possession or other whacky stuff they never seem to grasp that, *gasp*, maybe this happened to Clark? And HE WON'T TELL THEM. He's just 'I wasn't myself'. Hey idiot, it won't spoil your 'secret'. They've bloody well done the same thing.

I've been watching the earlier episodes to figure out how this and that happened and this latest one is what finally pushed me over the edge. Clark, while under the effects of red kryptonite that takes away all inhibitions, marries this girl, goes on a fling, blah blah blah. His mom is all 'Clark, how could you?'

'Uh, I was on the red stuff?'

'Clark, I thought we'd raised you better!'

'I WAS UNDER THE INLUENCE OF MIND AFFECTING SUBSTANCES.'

'Oh Clark, I am so disapointed.'

Martha, for all thats sane and good in the world, use a couple brain cells and SHUT THE PIE HOLE YOU BOOPING TWIT.

Man that felt good to say.

What gives? No one in this show acts sane or reasonable. Ever. No one makes ANY sense.


Which only makes me wonder all the more why I watch it. The diamonds in the rough are too minor karats to be worth all the gravel I gotta shift through...


By the way, if you havent already discoverd Television Without Pity I highly recommend you check it out. Because everyone needs yet another forum to read... :smallsmile:
*grins*

I love those forums to death, though only really read the reviews for Heroes and Supernatural, my two favorite shows. I might go check out Smallville's stuff.

[Otterella]

I'm not reading all the posts, because I'm only into season two on DVD and I don't want any spoilers. I just wanna say that Lex Luthor rocks my world. Clark Kent is one of the most flat boring characters ever. So far, Lex's story is what Anakin Skywalker's story SHOULD have been. Besides, he's dead sexy. Lex, I mean, not Anakin.

[StickMan]

See now I love the show and I'm glade it is going for as long as it is. For one thing its the adventures of Young Clark and we have years of that left. College and his travels around the world are noted in most superman time lines. So we still have like 3 more years of college and some world travels give or take.

I know I know they re-wrote the story line my god they do that in comic book to get over it. Its a bloody TV show just enjoy it on a stand alone when you try to put these things next to each other all we geeks ever seem to do is go hey they changed that, there for I hate it.

At what point do you think the boy hood of a guy who has super powers and has to keep them secret while fighting super power freaks and keep a relationship and friends would not be filled with drama. See now if you just wanted him to be fighting bad guys all the time thats great but its not a realistic story now is it. I've know people that don't have super powers that have lives that play out like bad soap operas.



Now on a happy note for me that I'm sure you all hated and what I was originally going to post before you all killed by buzz:
OK so I totally love the part where he evaporated the water with the heat vision it was more than a little over the top for what we have seen him do in the past but I love the moments that is like "I see a little Superman there". Also the girl the have playing Supergirl is hot but in a wired way, which is good as she is from another planet.