Reviews (23) 
Wrong turn for a great series
Season 2 & 3 are fantastic and worth owning and you should view these in order before watching anything from this season.Unfortunately, the show definitely went south this season.Nearly all of the elements that made the series entertaining, fresh, and compelling were no where to be found.Instead we were treated to a plethora of desperate and embarrassing gimmicks in a race to the bottom to get viewers.Amped up sexual content, blatant thematic rip-offs from other programs, and the retreading of stale ideas plagued this season like a bad case of diarrhea.
If you've seen seasons 1-3, do not expect the same quality here.Most of the episodes were "stand-alones" contributing nothing to any sort of developing plot or saga; this season thoroughly lacked season wide developments.All you need to know is that Lana became possessed by the spirit of an ancient witch evidenced by a supernatural tattoo on her body (they'll still be scrubbing off the stink from this idea next year) and everyone was busy chasing after three mystical "stones" connected to the caves in Smallville (there was zero information as to what or why, therefore no viewer interest could develop behind this story).That's about all the background you need.With that, go rent the discs necessary to watch the following episodes--avoid the rest.
Crusade (***--) resolves last season finale; mediocre.
Run (****-) 2nd best episode this season.
Transference (*****) best episode of the season.
Bound (***--) Avoidable stand alone, but well crafted.
Unsafe/Pariah (***--) an important development occurs that will carry over into season 5.
Krypto (***--) Avoidable stand alone, but well crafted.
Onyx (****-) strong dialogue and developments emerge only to be ignored in subsequent episodes.
Commencement (****-) sloppy, but introduces enough intriguing elements to make you want to see season 5.
If you must get an idea of how low the show fell, watch any one of the following:
Gone (*----)
Spell (*----)
Recruit (*----)
Lucy (*----)
Spirit (*----)
Ageless (*----)
Forever (worst episode ever made period.)
The 4th Season HAS TO COME OUT ON DVD!!!
I just recently bought the 1st season of Smallville, and when it had left me hanging with the season finale, I had to buy Season 2 and 3, and finished all in 1 week. This show is pretty addicting, and after reading all these reviews, I realized I had missed the entire 4th season, so I hope it does come out on DVD soon.
A cool season
I liked this season, there's a lot of solid episodes but the Premiere and Finale are no doubt the best episodes. I think those were the two best episodes of the season. In the season premiere Clark comes back from inside the cave walls but not as himself. Jor-el took over his body and is using it to collect ancient stones for the cave. While in Clark's body he meets Lois Lane (Erica Durance, who I hope becomes a full time cast member in season 5). She thinks he's just someone who lost his memory and brings him to the hospital. There he's reunited with Martha Kent who's there visiting Jonathan Kent. Jonathan is still unconcious after Clark's disapearence into the walls in season 3.
Anyway while there Jor-El saysthat he's not meant to live on the farm and that they aren't his parents and...flys away. Seeing Clark actually fly on the show is awesome whether he was doing the flying or not. Martha finds a way to save Clark and make him...Clark again.. Soon after that Clark is at the pronounced dead Chloe's grave where he meets Lois Lane. He uses his x-ray vision to discover that Chloe is not in her grave. So in the second episode he goes looking for her. He finds that, yes she didn't die and that Lex put her in hiding.
Besides that Lana comes back to Smallville but with a new mysterious mark. She also has a new b/f named Jason that follows her back to Smallville. At first they hide their love because he becomes a new assistant football coach and will be fired if it's discovered that he's dating a student. Anyway Clark starts playing football as well and has to figure out how to play the game and be there to save people at the same time. Also how to use his powers without hurting people.
A lot happens, Lana's mysterious tattoo turns her into a ancestor that looked like her. One that just happened to be a witch and burnt at the stake "or hung, I can't remember". When she's a witch she causes havoc in Smallville and is almost even too much for Clark to handle. In one Lionel trys to do a body switch into Lex's body and vice versa. So Lex sees what it is like in prison and feels his pain but Clark gets in the way. Lionel gets in Clark's body and learns all his secrets. Disapointenly he has no memoryof it conveniently at the end of the episode. He is no longer dieing though, Clark being in his body healed him. He then changes and has a new outllook on life.
There's also a cool appearence by the Flash as a punk teenager who likes to steal. When the stealing gets him in deep trouble, Clark trys to get him to use his powers for good. It's cool to see the two race to see who's the fastest. As the season goes on it turns out that Jason was sent to spy on Lana by his mother. So she also wants the stones that Jor-El, Lex and Lionel all want. I guess she thinks Lana will some how lead her to them. In a cool episode Clark and Lana go to Japan to follow Lex and Jason "who works for Lex for awhile after Lex gets him fired as a coach". Lex and Jason are there looking for stones. While there Lana turns into the witch and her and Clark fight over the stone.
Plus Chloediscovers Clark's secret when she sees him using his powers. Clark doesn't know this though but surprisingly Chloe is cool with it and keeps it a secret. In another great episode Lex gets split in two. His bad side takes over his life and puts a "Man in the Iron Mask" type of Mask on Lex and locks him in the basement. No one knows that there's two of them, not even Clark. Bad Lex bad mouths Lionel and gives him what Lionel calls a wake up call when he becomes evil again. In one of the best episodes Clark loses his memory and we discover who he can trust and not trust. Chloe makes Clark believe that he trusted her with his secret and that she always knew. She confesses to him that she thinks he got his powers from the meteor rocks. Lex though shows he can't be trusted. He tells Clark that they worked on the cave walls together and gets Clark to tell him things he wouldn't normally tell him.
In the episode before the season finale, some strange kid makes the inside of a building look exactly like Smallville High. There he captures students and makes them make believe they're having a normal school day. He never wants things to change and doesn't wanna ever leave high school. If the kids don't go by his rules he freezes them with some sort of mold. In one of the most violent and shocking scenes ever. He freezes a pretty girl and throws her head down the stairs which then breaks into a million pieces. That episode is kinda creepy.
The best episode ever! I think is the season finale though. Clark's graduation is shortened when it's announced that a meteors are gonna hit Smallville. Clark talks to Jor-El and finds out that not even he can stop them. He tells Clark that he needs to find the missing stones. He tells his parents that he can't go with them in the truck and they say their byes. He doesn't know though that shortly after leaving, Jason stops their truck with a shot gun looking for Clark. He makes them go back to the farm and holds them hostage. After killing Jason's mom out of self defense Lana gets help from Lex.
Lex sends Lana on a helacopter when the meteors are about to hit. The helacopter goes down and Lana crawls out of it bloody. She finds a.... space ship and I can't wait to find out who or what is inside. A new villain hopefully. Anyway a meteor hits Clark's house with his parents and Jason inside. So we also have to wait to next fall to see if they're alive. Clark puts a stone in the cave wall which sends an energy wave to the Stone in Lionel's pocket. It knocks him out cold and it looks like it some how puts krypton knowledge into him. We'll have to wait until he wakes up to find out.
Anyway Clark steals the stone from Lex's vault "who locked it there when it flew out of Lionel's pocket". The vault had krptonite in it though and Chloe finds Clark passed out and drags him out of it. Lex just catches Chloe there and is pretty pissed at her. He drags her to the caves where Clark is there adding another stone. Chloe knocks out Lex though so he couldn't see Clark. Clark gets telaported to a snowy area and the episode ends with Clark throwing a crystal like stone.It also ends with so many questions having to be answered and die hard fans like myself not being able to wait until season 5.
A good season, but certainly not great...
Smallville is my favorite show on television. I have been a loyal fan since the Pilot, and enjoyed each season more than the last. You would expect the show to continue this tradition and offer an amazing fourth season. Especially since it was Clark Kent's senior year, and presumably the year that he would begin to grow into the man that he would become down the road in Metropolis. Unfortunately, the momentum that season three delivered did not carry over into the fourth season. If anything, I would have to say that it was the show's weakest season overall. However, the reason I feel that it still deserves a four star rating, is because it did have some of the best episodes of the entire series in it.
The season opener Crusade featured the introduction of Lois Lane, played wonderfully by the beautiful and talented Erica Durance, as well as getting to see actual flight on the show. When you combine the two, it means you are in for one amazing episode. That is what we got. It is funny, because I was just as skeptical as anyone about Lois being in Smallville during Clark Kent's teen years, and she turned out to be the bright spot of the season in my opinion. Run, featured the introduction of a teenage Flash, and this has to be my second favorite episode of all time. It was extremely well done. Other episodes worth mentioning are Tranference, in which Clark and Lionel switch bodies, Jinx, in which a teenage version of comic villan Mxyzptlk is introduced, Pariah, in which Chloe discovers the truth about Clark, Blank, in which Clark loses his memory and musy re-discover himself all over again, Onyx, in which we get to see the evil side of Lex when an experiment causes his evil half to come alive, and the great season finale Commencement.
If one were to look at the fourth season on an invidual episode basis, it was a great season. A lot of enjoyable episodes were in season four. But where season four ultimately failed in my opinion, is with its continuity and overall storytelling. We were introduced to many different storylines that never really got any resolution over the course of the season, and they managed to come up with the least popular storyline in the show's history regarding Lana and her connection to a witch named Isobelle that was after three Kryptonian relics. Also, Lex Luthor was always a central character in each of the first three seasons, and his screentime was cut short severely in this season. This also affected the quality of the season, as Michael Rosenbaum is the best actor on the show.
So for the most part, I still enjoyed season four. It had some truely great episodes, the introduction of a great character in Lois Lane, and a wonderful season finale that left us with some interesting things to come for season five. Unfortunately, season four still manages to fall short due to the lack of screentime for Lex, and the lack of overall continuity.
4/5
Smallville : Best Season To Date
While every season so far of the WB show have all been good, I find the current, and fourth, season of the hit to be the best one yet. Some agree, some wholeheartedly disagree. Season 4 is a transformation year. Maybe not as big as season 5 will be, but a transformation year nonetheless. Season 4 was an astonishingly fun and entertaining year and it is my favorite so far. Why?. The show seems to of gotten a spark, a spring in it's step, and just an overall freshness to it this year. A lot of it has to be contributed to the addition of the fabulous Eric Durance as the new Lois Lane. She is the best thing to of happened to this show. She's feisty, spunky, funny, gorgeous, sexy, and just brings a lot to the show that the series was lacking in before. The producers need to do everything they can to secure her for as long as the show runs. More on that later. Season 4 is senior year for our Smallville friends, and the show took on a more lighthearted approach this year which resulted in the show having more fun, while not losing any of it's edge or losing it's way in the Superman mythology. If anything, it only enhanced the series. The premiere, "Crusade", is a smashing season opener. Chloe's demise is still a mystery, and Clark tries to regain his memory. It's also special for Clark flying for the first time, and the appearance of Margot Kidder, filling in for the late Christopher Reeve. "Gone" finally lays to rest what happened to Chloe. It is a dynamic episode with a pretty cool villain. Clark(Tom Welling)wants to make the most of his senior year, and he joines the football squad in the 4th episode, "Devoted". Some think this is recycling a story from season one. It isn't. It's continuing the story and let Clark grown and do something he wanted to do a few years ago. Finally being able to enjoy his last year in high school and being somebody. More superb episodes include "Run", where Clark makes contact with another meteor infected kid, Bart Allen, with the ability to run fast. He will later become The Flash. "Transference" is the old switched bodies standby played to the fullest effect with Clark and Lionel switching. It has a lot of fun and teriffic performances by Welling and John Glover. An arc this year deals with Lana getting a strange tattoo on her back while in Paris. We find out that the tattoo is connected to an old witch, and this plays into her relationship with new beau Jason Teague(Jensen Ackles) and his mother Genevieve, played by Jane Seymour. The character of Jason is weak, and Ackles loses his welcome pretty soon during the run of the series. "Scare" is a solid hour of thrills as everyone's nightmares come to life after an explosion at the Luthor Plant. "Unsafe" and "Pariah" see the return of Alicia Baker. There are some flawed eps here, like "Krypto" and "Facade", but nothing too bad. The extended finale, "Commencement", is the biggest and best finale to date. The biggest this show has seen. I won't say any more. There are a few running story arcs for the season, and all are quite effective. Lana and the witch(which comes to bigger light in the silly, but fun, "Spell"), Chloe finding out about Clark, and the mystery of three sacred stones that come into play in the beautifully atmospheric and fantastic episode, "Sacred". "Onyx" is a brilliant episode with Lex being split in two and becoming the good Lex and the bad. The bad showing what Lex will become in the future. It's a superb ep showcasing what kind of person our friend Lex will become. There is a lot of good stuff for season 4, and it's unfortunate for the ones blasting it. It's a fun season for the final year of high school. Like I said before, Durance as Lois was the best thing to happen. Her humor is so welcomed(and was something lacking in the series). Her inneraction with Clark is teriffic and is something else that brings a lot to the show that it didn't have before. The show brightens up whenever she appears. The season continues to expand on and explain more in the rich Superman mythology, and there are plenty of great moments of that here, and they promise more great things in future seasons. With it's fun eps, some classic episodes, a more lighthearted approach, and the great addition of Durance, season 4 of Smallville has proved to be the best season to date.
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