Product: Smallville: The Complete Ninth Season (2009)
Rating: 4.0
A Definite Step in the Right Direction
Everyone who's seen this season dislikes something about it. And, just like any season of Smallville, there are plenty of things to dislike. Plotholes, filler episodes, etc. However, the show's ninth season shines for what it gets right.Finally, we see Tom Welling wearing the S. That's worth a thousand points right there. Sure, the man-in-black look might seem strange at first (The Batman comparisons have been overdone). However, when you look at the end of season eight, it really does make sense. The last time we saw Clark, he had just left Jimmy's funeral. Mourning (and, therefore, dressed in black) he announced that his human identity was finished. Naturally, when we see him at the start of season nine, he has jumped headfirst into his Kryptonian identity, sporting the S shield while retaining the black clothes. You can say he's mourning the "death" of Clark Kent. You can say he's mourning Jimmy. You can say whatever you want. But no mater what you say, you can't deny that any outfit with the S emblem is a step above the red-and-blue ensemble we've been overexposed to since the beginning.Clark's character is really the strongest part of this season. He doesn't take the backseat as much as he did in the earlier seasons (namely seven). We finally see him standing up for his beliefs and sticking to them. He comes to some very Superman-ly decisions; he thinks things through. Most importantly, he makes me believe that he could be a superhero by the end of next year. Let's hope the writers don't mess that up.Another strong point of the season is the Lois and Clark relationship. Sure, it has its missteps. There are a few scenes where the chemistry seems off. This is probably due to poor directing. In the majority of the scenes, however, Tom Welling and Erica Durance go together like... well, Lois and Clark. It's fun to watch, and it reminds us viewers of their impending destiny.Zod is a wonderful villain played marvelously by Callum Blue. His story is told too slowly or too quickly at times. However, his performances are consistently great to watch. I only wish he could have interacted with the main cast more often. Instead, we get scene after scene with him and Tess. Initially, this is fun. Eventually, however, their relationship is confusing and (to be honest) boring. What does he want? What does she want? Who knows?In fact, that's the biggest problem of season nine: determining the characters' motivations. Tess in particular is nearly impossible to figure out. One day, she's helping Clark save the world. The next day, she's helping Zod. The day after that... your guess is as good as mine. Chloe is in a similar rut, as well. I've consistently liked her character until this season. Gone is the fun, eager-to-help Chloe. She has been replaced with a rather abrasive, confusing character who I cannot identify with whatsoever. Sure, the death of her husband could be to blame for this. But Jimmy is literally mentioned a couple of times throughout the entire season. In my opinion, Clark seems to mourn for Jimmy's death more than anyone; Chloe gets three new love interests this season, if you really think about it. Only one of them amounts to anything past an episode or so, but still... It's pretty unsettling to think that the Chloe I have enjoyed viewing for so many years has become so shallow and fickle. The writers definitely lose some points on that one.Oliver, as usual, takes up way too much screen time for my liking and only serves to weigh the story down. It is enjoyable, at times, to watch him talk things out with Clark. More often than not, however, he seems to slow down the show's pace and I find myself wishing he would just go away for awhile. No offense to Justin Hartley. He's a great actor and I really do like Oliver as a character. I just think it's time for Clark to be the definitive star of the show.That's the problem I had with this year's big promotion episode: Absolute Justice. Technically, it's two episodes. Some will even claim that it's a movie, but it's really not. If you take Absolute Justice out of context, it makes absolutely no sense to any viewers unfamiliar with Smallville. In fact, it makes little sense to followers of the show. It's eighty-something minutes of information about characters that, in my opinion, aren't that interesting. Does Smallville really need Hawkman and Stargirl? Come on.Aside from these hiccups, season nine is a vast improvement over season eight. The majority of its episodes are a blast to watch, and it's wonderful to watch Clark move closer and closer to his destiny. The music this year has been top-notch, just like the special effects and (most of) the acting. The producers really brought a darker tone to the show this year, and I think it's been great for Smallville. Not to mention that the plotholes are nowhere near as numerous as the loose ends tied. This season, we learn why Clark can't fly yet. We see Martha Kent again. We see Perry White return the favor he's been owing to Clark for seasons. And... (spoiler ahead) we get some teases as to Lex's whereabouts.Bottom line, check out season nine. If you've watched Smallville this long, you owe it to yourself anyway.