Thursday, June 28, 2012

Smallville: Top 5 Of Season One



     I miss Smallville, plain and simple. I know I talked a lot about how most of the final seasons were unnecessary (first article “Smallville: Less Is More, check it out), but as I stare at the ten seasons sitting upon my shelf, collecting dust, I wish I could sit on my couch every Friday night and watch new episodes. But instead of sulking over what will never return I have decided to honor what will never be forgotten by choosing my top five episodes of each season (it’s the least I can do). I will go in depth, analyze, critique them and cherish them. Here they are, the top 5 episodes from Smallville season one.

5. ROGUE
      The first of many times throughout the series where Clark unknowingly uses his abilities in front of witnesses, only this time, it’s a cop, ready to blackmail Clark and make him do whatever he says or the secrets out. We see Clark ready to kill a man with his bare hands, and he almost does too. It gives us a true look at what a teenaged Clark Kent would have to go through in order to protect his secret, and what people like Phelon would do to exploit it. Eventually, Clark is able to keep his secret under wraps and frame Phelon for robbery in the process, atta boy Clark!
Favorite Moment: Lex Luthor watches security footage of the bank Clark and Phelon visited the night before and he spots something interesting, something speeding down the hall… a blur.

4. JITTERS
      Clark’s class is taking a field trip to the Luthor Corp fertilizer plant recently established in Smallville, but unaware to the students is a crazed, meteor-infected ex-employee, suffering from severe seizures and quakes, and searching for Level 3 of the building, which apparently doesn’t exist. It’s a good thing the class has Clark there to protect them, unfortunately whenever Clark comes within a few meters of Earl, he is affected by the meteor rock’s radiation. Now a weakened Clark must find Level 3, prove it’s existence, and save his classmates, all while keeping his distance from Earl, but not without the help of his best bud Lex Luthor. Clark is left powerless for one of the first times in the series and must even use a great amount of strength to save his friends, even with the crippling radiation of the meteor rocks.
Favorite Moment: Earl begins to shake along a railing, which collapses forcing Clark to summon all of his strength to save Lex and Earl. Even I questioned how he did it with “kryptonite” close by.


3. LEECH
      Clark has always complained about being “gifted”. He wishes he were like everyone else, normal. Clark has lost his powers many times throughout the series, but he always seems to retrieve them; want hem back because he realizes he has a responsibility to use them for the good of mankind. Well this is the first episode without his powers. After a freak accident involving a lightning bolt and a few meteor rocks, Clark’s powers are transferred to a classmate who eventually misuses them and force Clark to recreate the accident, which transferred his powers in the first place. Clark learns an important lesson in this episode. His powers are for him and him alone, and should never be abused or used for selfish reasons.
Favorite Moment: Clark finishes gym class for the first time without his abilities and is completely exhausted. While in the next room, Eric is maxing out the weight-lifting machine with ease.

2. TEMPEST
      Smallville was always the best at creating good season finales and leaving us fans with thrilling cliffhangers, and the first season has one of the best ones. Clark’s spaceship that brought him to Earth has been activated as it flies into the trio of enormous tornados, currently destroying most of the town. Whitney leaves to join the military and Lana and her truck are sucked up in to the heart of the tornado as Clark leaves his date with Chloe in order to save her. One of the most action-packed season finales of the series and the second best episode of the first season.
Favorite Moment: Lana accidentally crashes her truck off the side of the road. She gets out and looks into the distance, noticing the three tornados combining into one massive problem for Smallville.

1. PILOT
     It’s the first episode and the best of the first season. This episode will always be remembered as a classic. Not only does it feature brief origins of most of the characters, but it also features the first meeting of Clark and Lex. Clark also discovers the spaceship after his Jonathan Kent explains to him how he and Martha found it during the meteor shower. It is at this point that he realizes he is an “alien”. Speaking of the meteors, they are the greatest special effects used in the entire season and can even be measured up to some of the other visual effects in the entire series. A great beginning to an even greater show, the Pilot receives the number one spot on my top 5 list of season one (I’m nostalgic, what can I say?).
Favorite Moment: Pretty much the whole meteor shower scene. Ain’t nothing else like it!

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