As Season 2 of Smallville tried to advance the Warner Brothers show past its tired 'Monster of the Week' format, so to does Season 3 by attempting a longer, cohesive narrative that stretches the length of the run instead of simply 22 episodes each with wildly different dilemmas. It's a risky move for a weekly drama, but from what I can see in the first eight episodes it's one which pays off for the most part: Clark struggles further with his impending destiny, Lana is conflicted by her attraction to our hero but the inevitable danger that comes with it while Lex faces his inner demons during his time stranded on an island and in the Belle Reeve mental asylum later on. These plot arcs also allow for more classic DC characters of the Super-Man lore to be introduced, for example future head of the Daily Planet Perry White and scheming crimelord Morgan Edge make appearances regularly here. The problem with the wide narrative of Season 3 so far is that when the writers choose to stray for one-off stories, these can feel disjointed and slow as viewers try to make it through just to see any progressions in the main arc. For my conclusion to this look back at Smallville Season 3, and eventually for reviews of the other six series (and Season 10!), check back in 2011.
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Tuesday, 21 December 2010
Smallville Season 3 Retrospective- Part 1
As Season 2 of Smallville tried to advance the Warner Brothers show past its tired 'Monster of the Week' format, so to does Season 3 by attempting a longer, cohesive narrative that stretches the length of the run instead of simply 22 episodes each with wildly different dilemmas. It's a risky move for a weekly drama, but from what I can see in the first eight episodes it's one which pays off for the most part: Clark struggles further with his impending destiny, Lana is conflicted by her attraction to our hero but the inevitable danger that comes with it while Lex faces his inner demons during his time stranded on an island and in the Belle Reeve mental asylum later on. These plot arcs also allow for more classic DC characters of the Super-Man lore to be introduced, for example future head of the Daily Planet Perry White and scheming crimelord Morgan Edge make appearances regularly here. The problem with the wide narrative of Season 3 so far is that when the writers choose to stray for one-off stories, these can feel disjointed and slow as viewers try to make it through just to see any progressions in the main arc. For my conclusion to this look back at Smallville Season 3, and eventually for reviews of the other six series (and Season 10!), check back in 2011.
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