Tim’s “Smallville S5 Companion” Review
So what did Tim think of the latest Smallville Companion book?
Was it a super-letdown or was it a wonderful addition to the companion books that are already available?
This was a great companion book. I particularly enjoyed Craig Byrne’s first Smallville companion book, the one on season 4 that came out a few months ago. I enjoyed this one a tad bit more, because I love season 5 for so many more reasons. There is a quote in season 5 that actually sums up for me how the series from season 5 goes: “One journey has ended, a new journey is about to begin.” I love season 5 because it seemed to be very Superman-ish in many ways. With Jonathan’s death, the arrivial of Brainiac, Zod, and many comic characters. SO it definitely made the book that much more enjoyable, by allowing me to relive those moments through that fifth season.
But the book itself was a very fun read. There were many highlights to this book that echoed my statements on the last companion book.
The first highlight was of course the foreword by John Glover (better known as Lionel Luthor). That really kicked off the book to a fantastic start. I enjoyed Mr. Glover’s great comments about the stress and hardships during those first several episodes when Lionel was being possessed by Jor-El. Another high point of that foreword, which kind of struck me, was his thoughts on the character of Lionel and the changes that he went through in that season. For many Smallville fans know, this is the season where Clark and Lionel began somewhat of a father-son relationship.
In fact, this companion book really brought to life many things about season 5 for me. This season really gave the show a second wind that has carried it from the WB to the CW all the way from then to now. Many of the things that happened in that season have been repeated in later seasons and have had an effect in later seasons. Now, I loved season 5 because (of many reasons) that was the season where I came into Smallville for the very first time. So this book has been a long time coming for me.
One thing I liked about the last companion book that this carried the trend of was the character descriptions, accompanied by actor interviews of those who played those characters. In the first three companion books, the regular cast was interviewed. In the season 4 book, the regular cast was interviewed as well. It also was intensifed by the addition of interviews and character profiles on recurring characters that really drove the season home (characters such as Bart Allen, Alicia Baker, and then recurring character Lois Lane). This continued in the fifth season companion with character profiles of Milton Fine/Brainiac, Aquaman, and Cyborg. I had really enjoyed their respective characters on the show, so I loved reading their character profiles in the book, especially Brainiac.
I really looked forward to reading the Brainiac interview, because he was played, in this fifth season, by the wonderful James Marsters (of Whedon-fame). I really looked forward to reading what James Marsters would have to say about his character and his story in the season. It was very cool for me.
Something that I noticed in the character profiles that featured our regular cast (Clark, Lex, Lana, Chloe etc.) was that the season was almost a reboot for the series, as I’ve stated before. The characters, who may have stagnated in season 4, have been revitalized for this new season. I almost envision this half of the series as part 2 of the Smallville saga that will hopefully end in a stellar eighth season.
Another thing I liked about this companion book was the in-depth look at episodes. This season contained many of my favorite episodes (Hidden, Oracle, Mercy, and Solitude to name a few), and I really enjoyed reading the cast and crew interviews regarding behind-the-scenes in the making of these different episodes. I particularly enjoyed the commentary on Tomb, where Al Gough said that Tomb “was one of [his] least favorites from season five.” It made me smile to read that, as I not only agreed with him on it being the worst episode of season five, but probably one of the worst of the whole series.
Every companion book focuses on a special episode that everybody remembers being the highlight of that particular season. In the last season companion book, the in-depth episode look was given for Crusade. This time around, the in-depth look was given to the milestone 100th episode, Reckoning. I actually think was the perfect choice for this season, as it is the episode that many fans remember for a volley of reasons. First of which is the fact that it was the 100th episode. In any 100th episode of a series, you always feel the need to kind of restate the mission statement of that series. I think Reckoning did that in spades. What that missions atatement was that the show was about these extremely well-defined iconic characters that we have come to love the past five years. Another reason why Reckoning was so memorable was that it featured the death of one of the show’s most beloved characters, Jonathan Kent. I think the show has drastically changed for this, and the main character of Clark had as well. I really enjoyed the in-depth interviews that were given for this episode, and everything leading up to it, especially that with John Schneider. I really enjoyed his viewpoints on his death on the show, and his viewpoints on being on the show.
Another thing that this book benefits greatly from is the fact that its author, Craig Byrne, is clearly a fan of not only the Smallville mythos, but also the comic book mythology of which many of us are so familiar. This book contained several anecdotes regarding things that have happened in this show that mirror very closely to the way they’ve happened in the comic books. One example is in the section about the episode, Hidden. In that episode, Clark Kent is shot. There is an anecdote that gives great detail regarding Superman being dead in the comics, also a brief stint of him being dead in the 2006 blockbuster, Superman Returns. Another example is in the section about Reckoning, where it gives the instances in the comics and in the Superman media (movies and TV Shows) the ways Jonathan Kent has died. I think those comic book anecdotes really add to the book and give you a back history on how Smallville fits into the timeline of Superman history.
Some more anecdotes that are worth noting are the newspaper bulletins that document certain key events in the season. In past companion books, we have been treated to clippings from the Smallville Ledger, The Daily Planet, and the Metropolis Inquisitor. In this book,. however, we get treated to a newspaper we have not seen and are unlikely to see again: the Tomahawk, the newspaper for Central Kansas University. I thought this was a nice twist to the book, as we were unaware that CKU even had a newspaper, let alone that it was called the Tomahawk. Some other clippings we were treated to and this will no surprise to longtime fans of the show were the blogposts of the Project: Mercury Blog. For those who are unfamilar, Project Mercury began in the last five episodes of season five. It was the project that brainiac and Lex used to develop the supervaccine that ended up being used to prepare Lex to be a vessel for Zod. I had not read these online when they were up so to read them in the book after having watched season 5 in its entirety was a real treat.
Another thing that this book had going for it was the additional webisodes that came with the season, The Vengeance Chronicles. This webisodes were masterfully covered in this book. If I were going to cover these as I did in my review of the Oliver Queen Chronicles, which can be found elsewhere on this site. I was pleased to see these webisodes covered so greatly, as they hold a special place in my heart. This is not only because they feature Chloe pretty prominently, but that they continue the storyline that was in season 4, and concluded (to a degree) in season 6: 33.1. I make it no secret that my favorite storyline in Smallville is 33.1. I thought that this storyline was touched upon greatly in the past 4 seasons of this show, and was greatly brought up in these webisodes, and wonderfully well done in season 6.
In conclusion, I would like to say that i thought this companion book, as with the previous one, was very well-done. You can tell from the end-product the hard work that went in to making this book (interviews, information etc.). I thought Mr. Byrne compiled all the information for each episode, each character and each section beautifully. This book really helped remind me why I liked season 5 so much. It really was a joy to read this book and revisit this wonderful season of a truly super show. I cannot wait to read the books on the other 2 seasons of the show.
RATING: 5/5
