Smallville Season 5
18 July 2007, mid-morning
I finished watching Smallville Season 5 last night. I’ll probably buy Season 6 when it comes out on DVD. I have to admit that Season 5 is certainly a step up from Season 4, but on the whole, it was still pretty disappointing. You can put Erica Durance in a bikini, or you can put her in a shower, but that isn’t enough to carry a whole season. In the earlier seasons, Lex Luther was constantly conflicted about the choices he makes and the things he does. This conflict makes his character interesting, and warms the audience up to the character. By the 5th season this internal conflict is all gone, and with it one of the best things about the show. The relationship between Clark and Lex is purely antagonistic for most of the 4th and 5th season, which also removes one of the more interesting elements of the show. Lana and Clark get together and break up for what must be the billionth time, which is fast becoming a very tired plot point, and one the writers can’t seem to get over. I’ve already talking about how stupid Chloe’s character has become. Season 5 took me ages to get through. There was no real drive for me to finish it. I feel like I’m going through the motions with the show. Smallville used to be a really great show. I think the first three seasons were really solid television; at times it was melodramatic, but for the most part it was very enjoyable, and the plot and characters were interesting. I love the show so much I’m willing to put up with 2 seasons of mediocrity in the hopes they’ll turn things around in Season 6.