Product: Smallville: The Complete Ninth Season (2009)
Rating: 4.0
A light at the end of the tunnel
First off, I want to let it be known that this review will reflect season 9 and not the discs that the show is formatted on. So with that out of way, let's start shall we?The past nine seasons of Smallville have certainly been a wild ride. Never before has a show managed to stir up so many emotions within myself. For every moment of pure happiness and sadness, there were just as many emotions that dwelled in the realm of utter distaste(read my previous reviews if your so inclined to know what those reasons might be).I had little hope of this show rejuvenating my interest in the ninth season. Over the past eight seasons Clark has managed to defeat the likes of Braniac(twice), Lord Zod, Bizzaro, and Doomsday. Keep in mind that Clark won all these battles while not only living in Smallville, but he still hasn't reached his full potential(in other words, you still can't call the guy Superman). Speaking of Smallville, I find it rather unusual that every character with the exception of Clark has managed to move on. It's even stranger when you consider that not only is he working alongside Lois Lane at the Daily Planet, but he's been seeing Lois as well(yes you read that right, Lois and Clark are DATING!).The season eight finale revealed that Lord Zod would once again be entering the realm of Smallville. After already having a feeling of "been there done that" established, and Clark being fully capable of handling all threats in Metropolis from the confines of the farm house, it leaves little hope for any originality in what is essentially now Smallville's twilight years. I've never been more happy to be proven wrong.The Lord Zod that emerges is actually a clone, and while that would certainly seem like a cheesy gimmick, fortunately he's not alone. A decent size of the Kandorian army were cloned as well, including Jor-El, Clark's biological father. I was amused by this, but I still didn't know if this would lead to anything meaningful. Thankfully this choice allowed Clark to grow as an individual and become more independent. Because despite being clones, this meant that Clark was no longer the last remaining Kryptonian. He learned first hand that Kryptonians were indeed a civil race, and that Jor-El wasn't the bad guy he perceived him to be. But every race has it's share of good and bad alike, and despite giving it his all, Clark learns that sometimes you just can't alter destiny. Because in a rather interesting twist, we learn early on that Zod was cloned back when he still had a defining rank of major. This gave the writers a chance to get inside Zod's head and show that despite being a clone, he will ultimately end up making the same choices that will lead him down the same path as the original Zod.Naturally there ends up being a divide amongst the Kandorians as to whom they should be following. Do they follow their commanding officer, or the true last remaining Kryptonian? Zod attempts his best to sway their loyalty by promising that he will find a way to activate their abilities, because for reasons unknown to them, they arrived on earth without the same powers that Clark possesses. And Zod will stop at nothing to see this come to fruition. After all, the only thing powerful men crave is more power.Sprinkled throughout this season were episodes that highlighted special appearances from staple DC characters. The two hour Justice Society episode was particularly special for those familiar with the DC universe. The introduction of Metallo however was strangely unusual. Here you have a character that is infamously known as one of Superman's rivals, yet they portray him as a misunderstood individual with a heart of gold. As quick as the writers were to write off every "meteor freak" as nothing more than a villain, I'm surprised at the path they took with Metallo.What I loved best about this season was that it stayed focused on one goal. No longer were there episodes detracting from the plot line that had been driving this season. Never before has Clark been more focused on fulfilling his destiny. Here's hoping the writers can manage wrap up this alternate take on Superman in a way that is not only logical, but meaningful.