Terrible TV Show: Smallville

[Ash]

Ugh!  Ugh!  Ugh!

I absolutely abhor this show.
Every week, my roommates tune into this horrible tripe.
They are into this show so much, they plan their entire evening around watching it.
They are obsessed with it.
It's almost like they turn into jr. high school girls for one evening each week.
I leave the room and go watch TV downstairs.

I have given this show more than a few viewings and lemme tell ya, it is truly bad beyond belief.
I couldn't put my finger on why I felt it was so bad until I found a great article.

The guy who wrote this has hit the nail on the head.
He is 100% correct and I agree with him all the way.

He says:

"Really, that’s what we’re seeing: A Superman story with everything except Superman. Take away the powers, and you have an ordinary guy who just happens to be a good-looking alien. Take away the double identity, and you have no way for Clark to escape the troubles of day-to-day life. Take away Metropolis, and you’ve got a small farm town in the middle of nowhere. So we’ve got this human-looking alien who’s a little tougher than most folks. He can’t fly, can’t pretend to be someone else, and has to deal with mundane life all day, every day. Occasionally, there’s a monster or some other super-powered kid to deal with. But Clark has to take care not to be seen fighting this menace for fear of scaring away his friends and bringing more trouble onto his parents.
Christ, it’s like Spider-Man without a mask. How wrong is that?"

He also goes on to say:

"“Smallville” seems to be making a conscious effort to insult and even destroy everything great about the Superman character. Consider: the identity of Superman gives Clark Kent the means to help people all over the world. It also helps Clark’s career as a reporter. His powers help make his life a little easier than most people’s. Superman helps Clark Kent get through the day, while Clark Kent gives Superman the perspective of the people he protects. If there’s one thing superheroes all have in common, it’s the idea of escape. When life gets Clark Kent down, he can always fly. If there’s one power Superman needs, its flight. Traffic jams? Crowded elevators? Rainy day? No problem. Just jump up and take to the sky, and all your problems are beneath you. Take away the powers, the very identity of Superman, and what are you left with? A boring dork like the rest of us. And who wants to see that?"

GO HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE

If I try to explain this to my roommates, it goes in one ear and out the other.
They refuse to accept the logic of it.
The WB has their terrible talons firmly into both of them and it's sad. (they watch the WB on a regular basis and they're both approaching 30 years old)

Can any of you stand this show?
Do you agree with his opinion?


(and Freep...don't answer this question)



Post Edited (09-19-04 06:29)

[dean]

Whilst I don't think it's a particularly well done show, I do enjoy it.  I really don't see anything too horrible about it.  Besides, it could be worse, the other day I saw three 20year old guys gossiping about a recent episode of the OC, just like little old ladies and the Young and the Restless.

It was quite funny really.

[AndyC]

I thought it was pretty dumb that they had Clark and Luthor growing up in the same town. But I wrote it off as hopelessly idiotic when I happened to catch part of an episode where it was explained that they not only knew each other, but Clark's spaceship crash was the cause of Luthor's baldness. WTF?

[trekgeezer]

Watch it every week, it's a good show with a different twist on an old story.  There have already been several variations on the origin story of Supes, another one doesn't hurt.

[Law Dog]

::
I thought it was pretty dumb that they had Clark and Luthor growing up in the same town. But I wrote it off as hopelessly idiotic when I happened to catch part of an episode where it was explained that they not only knew each other, but Clark's spaceship crash was the cause of Luthor's baldness. WTF?::

In the pre-crisis D.C. Universe, Clark and Lex were growing up in the same community. Also, Superboy was accidentally responsible for causing Luthor's hair loss (in this case, he blew out a lab fire, which mixed chemicals that caused it. ). Both touches are nice reminders of the old D.C. continuinty.

[BeyondTheGrave]

i never really got into the show. people always tells me  your a comic fan how come you dont watch smallville. the thing is i dont like teen shows like the o.c. for example.

[JohnL]

I didn't watch it from the beginning, but I've been watching it the past year or so. Some parts of it annoy me, but overall, I like it. BTW, according to the previews for the new season, it looks like he'll finally be able to fly.

[trekgeezer]

I think he only flies for a minute in the opener, but he supposed to exhibit a new power this year.  The only one left is his cold breath.