Product: Smallville: The Complete Ninth Season (2009)
Rating: 2.0
Did I see the same season 9 as the other reviewers?
I am confused. I read most of the reviews about season 9 of Smallville, and I just do not understand how anyone can rate the various elements as they did - that is to say, as great, well-acted, great plot lines, and so on. To start with my worst impression, the character of Zod as acted (euphemism, that) by Callum Blue. I found Blue to overact without fail; to have consistently repeated annoying mannerisms, especially facial mannerisms around his mouth and lips, positioning his tongue in the weirdest way I have ever seen in an actor, and very distracting. I also found him repulsive physically, and cannot understand the attraction of Mercer toward him. Alotogether, he spoiled every scene he appeared in. Ugh.Now - as for the plot - or plots. To me, the story line was a most confused, illogical, unbelievable mish mash of stories, somehow engineered to get us through every episode while pretending to be interesting, "advancing" the story in an orderly procession. Hm. Many scenes were either repetitious or unbelievable, again, shoved in the strange story line to try to tie it all together. My reaction to every episode has been WTF, and an impatience to get my viewing done with (to justify the expense of buying this season).I suspect that several reviewers forced themselves to like the story and to write a gushing review, instead of telling it like it is: this season is the worst, hideously plotted, badly acted, often not understandable, with story lines jumping back and forth like a jumping bean (that is, following no determined path). Or at other times, telegraphing the ending with so blatant obviousness that all I could react with was yaaaawn, and let's get on with it to the sad, weak end of that episode.One more thing: too often, the plot presented a deus ex machina (I should say, dei ex machina - I lost count) showing up to save the day too too conveniently, and in the nick of time, again, with an intolerable degree of obviousness. Such coincidences simply do not happen, one practically on the heels of the other, even granting this is a science fiction story. One can be asked to suspend disbelief just so often; in season 9, the limit of such indulgences was reached way too soon.There is more, but I grow weary of my own review, as I became weary of the plots having Tess jumping to and fro with no discernible intent, (ditto with Oliver Queen), with her changing allegiances from disc to disc, of Zod's off-putting mannerisms and chewing the scenery, of the odd behaviors of Kal-El (again, with no discernible logical progression), and so on and so forth ad infinitum and ad nauseam. And of the illogicality of presenting us with some 15 or twenty cloned Kandorians who somehow will repopulate a WHOLE PLANET with such scanty numbers (maybe they will use more cloning? Ugh - I could not even stand ONE Zod) (one reviewer decided that oh so luckily there was a huge group of surviving Kandorians.) And sadly, Senator Martha Kent appeared cadaverously thin and looked ill. Again, I wonder - did I somehow get a different season 9 in the mail than the others?Oh, there are a few good bits, here and there, and a weak chuckle, at times. But if season 10 does not improve, and drastically, over season 9, I simply will save my money and do without.