TNMC
This site’s design is only visible in a graphical browser that supports web standards, but its content is accessible to any browser or Internet device.
Smallville
"Premiere"
Directed by David Nutter
Written by Alfred Gough & Miles Millar
Smallville, Kansas. 1989. A meteor shower rocks the otherwise quiet town of approximately 25,000. It's an event the repercussions of which will be felt for a long time to come. For this was no ordinary meteor shower -- it marked the arrival of a boy whom the world would later come to know as Superman.
Smallville is the latest offering from the WB, and will chronicle the teenage, formative years of Clark Kent, as he realizes his powers and comes to grips with his unique identity. And while on the surface it seems to have many similarities to UPN's Roswell (not the least of which is both premieres were directed by David Nutter), it's set apart mainly by the sheer quality of the production.
In the pilot, young Clark Kent (newcomer Tom Welling) is a high school freshman who just wants to be normal. He wants to play football, and naturally, he wants the quarterback's girl, Lana Lang (Kristin Kreuk). But he already knows he isn't at all a regular guy. His strength and speed are incredible, which is why his parents won't allow him to play on the team -- for fear that he'd accidentally injury the other players. He's never really questioned his abilities, until something happens that he just can't dismiss. Lex Luthor, the son of a rich businessman, accidentally hits him with his Porsche going over 60 mph, and both Clark and the Porsche end up at the bottom of a river. Of course, Clark is miraculously fine, and even saves Lex from drowning. Shortly after the incident, Clark's father is forced to tell him the truth -- that he arrived with the meteor shower and that he is not of this planet. Clark is understandably taken aback by the news. Unfortunately, Lana Lang's parents were killed by one of the meteors, and now Clark feels responsible. It's hard enough finding out that you're an alien, and this doesn't make things any easier.
That pretty much summarizes the first episode, save for an unnecessary sub-plot about an unpopular student who was picked on in 1989, was directly affected by the meteor shower, and comes back for vengeance against those he feels were responsible. There's more than enough good stuff here -- resorting to a villain in the first episode felt forced and out of place.
That really is my only complaint though. Otherwise, the premiere was excellent. The special effects were fantastic, and the acting perfect. Tom Welling does a fantastic job as Clark Kent, even channeling a bit of Christopher Reeve's mannerisms. It's not at all hard to believe that this Clark Kent grows up to be the Superman we already know from the movie franchise.
Superman fans also no doubt recognized Clark's mother, played by Annette O'Toole, as the actress who portrayed Lana Lang in Superman III. Besides that, there were a lot of nice touches that set this apart. For instance, Clark is a bumbling idiot anytime he gets near Lana. But there's a good reason: she wears a piece of a meteorite as a necklace -- and of course we know it to be kryptonite. And in a refreshing act of mischief, Clark stacks two pick-ups on top of Lana's boyfriend's truck outside the high school dance.
A couple of interesting notes: the episode ran almost ten minutes over, so it's sure to be edited down a bit more next time. Also, there was no intro segment. We'll have to wait another week to find out what the producers picked for a theme song. (I'm still crossing my fingers for seemingly perfect "Superman (It's not easy)" by Five for Fighting)
So it's a great first episode. The real trick, of course, will be translating that into a consistently entertaining series. And there's also the fact that prequels are inherently limited by the audience already knowing the ultimate outcome. But as Jerry Garcia put it so well so many years ago, the journey is the destination. And Smallville definitely has the potential to be a great one.
Episode Rating: 8 out of 10
What do you think? Talk about it on the Forums
