Smallville "Hothead" Talkback (Spoilers)

[Shriek]

Who else liked it? I think this episode is the best so far. It was nice to see more family related and friend related material than the villians. I know we still had inferno man, but I could live with that. The one thing I didn't like was that Clark recovered that fast from the kryptonite.

I'm sure I'll think of more later. So post away guys.

[optimal321]

It was good. Though, i think the second one has been my favorite so far. But i liked the overbearing parent theme in this ep.

[Periphery]

I will never step into a car in this town.

At this point, there have been more car-related accidents than episodes.

Still, I thought this ep was good. And they SHOW Clark use is super-speed. HUHU!

Next week looks good.

I think I am becoming a fan-boy.

[Shriek]

Next week definietly looks awesome. It looks like some sort of shapeshifter is around..... That's my take on it and only Clark can tell because he can see the bones!!! Woooo Hoooo. Words cannot describe how much I love this show.

[Oracle]

I personally prefered tonights episode over last weeks. The interaction between Clark and his family and friends made it very enjoyable, especially his relationship with Lana and Lex.

Next weeks ep. definitely looks schway. I am hooked already.

LOL! Periphery, you make a good point.:D

[Vin]

Originally posted by Shriek
Next week definietly looks awesome. It looks like some sort of shapeshifter is around..... That's my take on it and only Clark can tell because he can see the bones!!! Woooo Hoooo. Words cannot describe how much I love this show.

Yeah, the show is much better than I expected it would be. I kept telling myself that I wouldn't watch when I first heard about it, but I couldn't resist because it was Superman! But, I'm glad I tuned it. The show is very good so far. However, the whole "Villians got powers from kryptonite" seems a little weird. How many people could be affected by it?

[JusticeLeagueLegion]

Episode#3 was alright, though I don't think it was my favorite, I really liked the last two better. The next episode looks really cool! I am really looking foward to it!

[Failure]

It was a pretty good ep. I think maybe a little better than the 2nd. Unfortunately, I'm starting to notice a formula forming though.

I liked the parent-child relationships. The difference between Clark and his dad and how caring they are compared to how competitive Lex and his dad are, right down to the duel.

The football coach reminded me of from the coach from Varsity Blues.

I'm starting to get the feeling that the kryptonite angle's getting to be a bit too much. Why is everyone affected by the kryptonite? Why is it in every hole in Smallville? How can Clark even walk out of his house without going all pulsating?

And I'm not too happy with how they're dealing with the villains. Clark hasn't really faced a challenge yet. The villains have done themselves in by doing stupid things thus far. Electro guy electrocutes himself, bug guy squashes himself, fire guy engulfs himself. I think Clark needs more of a challenge. I think the show needs an overarching villain at some point. Besides Lex, since that rivalry could take years to fully develop.

Next week's X-Ray ep should be cool though. It's cool to see how Clark responds to new powers. I hope they go back on that no flights/no tights rule. What is Superman if he can't fly?

[Calhoun07]

I also enjoyed this episode, but I agree with most of the concerns here. I want to see Clark have a more direct confrontation with some of the bad guys popping up here and there. And they need to explain more how it is that Clark isn't affected thur out Smallville and the county itself as it seems there must be plenty of this kryptonite still in the soil.

And one more thing I am wondering about how it is that all these citizens of Smallville are developing these powers: are they saying something a tad more subtle about humans in this? I mean, everybody from Smallville (so far) who has developed powers turn around and use their powers for bad and evil and for personal agendas, and I doubt it's a trend that will change. I think the underlining subtext here is saying that people are inherently evil and the only person capable of handling the powers is an alien, somebody who isn't even a normal human being. And I think it's a message I am beginning not to like. If all these bad people are getting powers from the kryptonite, surely some good people who would use their powers for good should be getting powers too.

Then again, I am getting rather bored with how every villian in the series gets their powers from the same source. DC never resorted to such banality in creating their villians. How boring would it have been to give all of Superman's villians the same origin in the comics? It's getting boring now.

[Kal-el]

I have to agree with you Cal. The underlying theme that everyone who obtains these weird powers uses them for evil is unsettling. Are we that evil inside? I realy don't think so. The use of kryptonite is getting a bit old, but it's only the beginning of the series and I'm confident the stories will evolve differently. Next weeks ep dealing with x-ray vision looks very interesting. I too have wondered why Clark isn't stumbling all over the place if there is so much kryptonite in the ground. maybe the concentration isn't great enough (plus it would make for a pretty boring hero if he was always near death every time he walked outside).
The emphasis on Clark and his parents was nice. I hope they develop that aspect much more. The Lana thing is interesting too. She seems to be warming up to Clark quite a bit.
I did like the effect of the fire coming out of the sprinkler system. It looked pretty cool. The fight scene with Clark and the coach was ok. Clark was sure whipping him around pretty good.

[Eldermount]

Let me offer up an alternative theory on the people getting powers from the kryptonite being evil. So far, all three that we've seen develop powers tend to be angry at someone to begin with. The electric scarecrow wanted revenge on the football team. Bug boy had issues with his mom. And the flaming coach would flip out at the slightest hint of somebody threatening his "legacy". Perhaps there are more people in the town that have the potential to have powers come out, but it requires such this extreme anger to trigger the power. (I'm assuming that the electric guy lost his powers the same time he lost his memory of what he had been doing.)

That, or the kryptonite is making them psychotic.


As for the kryptonite affecting Clark, on that I'm assuming the size of the kryptonite effects how strong it's radiation is. The chunk that Lana wears a jewelry affects Clark at 10 feet or more. The smaller chips in the rocks last night stopped affecting him when he was pulled 5 feet out of the sauna (unless that was a lead lined sauna :rolleyes: )

So, I'm hoping they eventually define areas of Smallville that's been blanketed in a fine dusting of kryptonite. Not enough radiation to kill Clark, but enough to supress his powers. So when he's in those areas he's just like any human teenager.

[DarkAngel]

Originally posted by Failure
Besides Lex, since that rivalry could take years to fully develop.


How does everyone feel about the Lex/Clark relationship thus far? I like what I'm seeing a lot, though it seems like down the road its going to differ quite a bit from the Superman/Lex rivalry we've seen in the comics. With the two knowing one another now and having a lot of interaction, when it comes to Clark becoming Superman in the future, one would think Lex will realize immediately its Clark. By the time we get to that point, Lex and Clark will know one another so well, that I don't see how it could be any other way. Would that be an accurate assessment?

I like the thought of that, as it would give the eventual Superman/Luthor conflict so much more depth and create greater storytelling potential. Of course, I don't know what the plan is for Smallville down the road. They may not be looking to deal with events that far in the future, as the series would then be more Metropolis than Smallville. But I'd love to see that. Lex knowing Clark is Superman would make for far greater stories whenever the two would clash. It would be so much more personal and much more meaningful.

[Stupendous Man]

I agree with the consensus on this board.


Its almost unforgivable the formula that they keep
using repeatedly on this show.

Only 3 episodes so far and in each episode we have..

Clark pulling a victim out of a car by ripping the car door
of its hinge. ( The auto body industry in Smallville is gonna
skyrocket).

Twice the cars have exploded around him.

Every episode so far Clark has stumbled across
kryptonite allowing the villan to thrash him and get a
false sense of superiority.

Then the kryptonite is disposed of and Clark gives
the villan a whooping ..till the villan kills themself.


If the fourth episode has a car rescue ..Im writing my
congressman ! (not sure what good that will do but
whatever ..)

I challenge this show not to have a car rescue or kryptonite
in an episode.

How about an episode w out a villan just for the novelty
of it ?

*********************

[optimal321]

I think it'd be cool to have a villian that didn't either die or loose their memory. That way they'd be out to get Clark. And, imo, this series needs a little more emphasise place on the action.

[Stupendous Man]

Less action ...more character development .

Thats what this show needs.
You have to feel for Clark .

Then when there finally is action .. you have
a reason to root for Clark and it has greater impact.

Remember Lois & Clark ...great show first two seasons
then the network forced the producers to emphasize on
superheroics and action .

Then the show lost its critical appeal ..the stories were
silly , the effects cheesey ...and the show was cancelled.

Lets not get this show cancelled ....

Action should be well thought out and relevant.

They need to take a few more cues from the aspects of
Buffy & Xfiles that work.

Clark needs a mission ... to give the show a direction
and not allow every episode to be a stand alone , but
rather a chapter in an saga.

A cool concept would be a villan who challenges Clark and
corrupts Lex. Straining a Clark / Lex friendship.

[optimal321]

I'm not saying take away any of the character development. I just mean adding a little more to the action scenes. I don't like how there's always the Kryptonite keeping him from really beating up the bad guy. And none of the villians pose any threat to Clark at full power anyway. He just seems to throw them once or twice, and then they kill themselves. At least this is what's happened in the past two eps. I think the action in the premier was just fine.

I would prefer the show to be character oriented also. I would just like to see the action that is in the show taken up a notch.

But i don't have any real complaints on the show. It's just starting and i can't make an assumption on an entire series that's only aired three of its stories.

But that's just imo.

[Failure]

I think Brainiac would make a great overarching villain. That way Clark could learn more about his history, about Krypton, and about his parents. At the same time, Brainiac could try to convince Clark towards the "dark side." Only it wouldn't be that obvious. And at the end when Clark realizes Brainiac was evil, Brainiac would make a more powerful villain, a better threat, than the villains we'd have so far. And even when Clark defeats him, we know Brainiac never dies, so it keeps the options open for the future.