Starkville’s House of El Podcast

A new season of Smallville means all new site reviews by our very own Angellwings!

Click the jump to see what she thought of the eighth season premiere of the show and whether or not she still finds Smallville super!

You can also weigh in on the episode at our new SHoE forums or give Angell feedback directly here! 

 

Well, SHoEligans, with the airing of “Odyssey” it’s that time again. Time for the fall television season to start, and what a way to kick it off! That also means I’m back to reviewing. So here we go.

Season 8 has certainly started with a bang, and while “Odyssey” was not my favorite premiere it certainly was a great one. I’m sure we were all a little nervous about Smallville’s first episode without Michael Rosenbaum, and I must say that even though he was missed and will continue to be missed the episode did not feel like it was really lacking the ever imposing presence of Lex Luthor. 

Let’s start off with my favorite scenes before we get too specific. The fight scene during the teaser was something that made the comic book fan in me extremely happy. I was thrilled to see Aquaman, Black Canary, and Green Arrow all fighting together. I felt that Aquaman popping out of the ice was extremely impressive, and I loved the slightly touched up effect of the Canary Cry. I also loved the scene between Tess and Regan before that. It immediately eased any worries I had about Cassidy Freeman joining the show. The scene between her and Erica after the credits was one of my favorite scenes of the night. I’m excited to see what happens with the tension that has been developed between Lois and Tess. Tess seems to be very loyal to Lex Luthor and, even though Lex is the villain, I can respect that about her.  Once again it seems Smallville is using dark colors in the wardrobe of the darker characters. Most of Tess’s outfits were composed of darker colors. She wore black for a lot of this episode and a little bit of dark red. The only color that she wore that strays from the villain color key was a blue blouse. I’m waiting for purple to show up in her wardrobe sometime soon. 

Another one of my favorite scenes was Oliver’s rescue of Clark. I think Oliver was having a little too much fun pounding on Clark, but that’s what made the scene so much fun. I loved that Oliver gave the alias of “Roy Connor”. It’s one of those references that provides truly geek out moments for comic book fans. I also loved the banter between Lois and Clark while they were inside the Black Creek facility. The dialogue in this episode was truly entertaining whether it was exposition, humorous, or suspenseful it never disappointed. Now my last absolute favorite scene from this episode was the final scene between Lois and Clark at the Daily Planet. It was one of those scenes that had Superman fans everywhere rejoicing. You had Clark finally embracing his heroic destiny and admitting he wanted to be “in the middle of the action” as well as the teaser of a Lane and Kent team up. Tom Welling certainly stepped up his game in that scene and began to act like the iconic Clark Kent we all know and love. 

Now let’s start discussing the specifics. Smallville has a top notch technical and creative team, and that has not changed with Season 8. The script, the direction, the effects, the wardrobe, the sets, the cinematography, and the underscoring were all as close to perfect as they could get. In particular I loved the underscoring for this premiere. The score and what you were watching on the screen complimented each other extremely well, and intensified the emotions in all the appropriate places. The script which was penned by all four executive producer was masterful. The way last season ended was one of the most unique endings for a Smallville season we’ve ever seen, and then to come back and wrap that up very nicely without three of your main cast from the previous season is just astonishing. Kelly, Brian, Todd, and Darren were able to keep the episode feeling as full and jam packed as it could. This episode could have left viewers feeling empty and awkward, but it definitely did not. This premiere was not lacking in any way, and easily could have been. 

How about performances? Well, the top performance of the night for me came from Tom Welling, but I feel that I should mention that Justin Hartley’s performance was outstanding as well. What puts Tom Welling at the top of my favorite performances list is the way he finally took on and portrayed the start of Clark Kent’s journey toward a dual identity. He didn’t make you feel like the revelation came out of nowhere, and you could clearly see Clark’s logic behind his decision to essentially leave life on the farm and in Smallville behind. I also loved Clark’s willingness to help and to fight even without his abilities. He’s stepping closer and closer toward becoming the Superman we’re all familiar with. 

Justin’s performance really impressed me though. I’ve always like Oliver Queen, and felt he was a great addition to Season 6. But even I have to admit that he was immensely more likable in “Odyssey” than he was in “Siren” or any of his Season 6 appearances. If anyone was worried about Justin being back as a part of the cast then Justin’s portrayal of Oliver in the premiere should have offered some major comfort. I’m extremely pumped to see what direction Oliver’s story takes this season. 

I would also like to say that I’m very glad Allison Mack AND Chloe are getting the treatment they deserve. Chloe has long been one of my favorite aspects of Smallville, and to see her becoming so deeply involved in this season’s plot is extremely enjoyable. Big things are on the horizon for Chloe Sullivan and I’m excited to see what happens. I’m also glad to see Erica step up and really try and become “Lois Lane, intrepid reporter”. Erica was much more in character in this episode than she’s ever been, and now with Clark setting up shop at the desk in front of her I know we’re going to see more of the Lois and Erica we saw last night. 

All in all I would say season 8 is looking extremely promising. I look forward to seeing where things go from here on out. I have a feeling this season will progress our characters toward their destinies more than any other past season. I give this premiere four cases of Russian Caviar out of five!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 24th, 2008 at 2:18 pm and is filed under Reviews. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.