Episode 1.15: Nicodemus

I always seem to forget how good a lot of these first season episodes are. This one is no exception.

Doctor Hamilton has brought an extinct plant back to life using the meteor rocks. It is called the Nicodemus and when it is stolen by a member of LutherCorp it sets of a chain of events that are both thrilling and highly amusing. The plant causes people to act without any kind of emotional barriers.

The first ten minutes, in which we see Clark's dad acting totally out of character, is just hilarious. When he burped in Lex's face it had me in stitches. We also get to see Lana all sexed up and Pete goes gunning (quite literally) for Lex.

The whole episode feels really tight, without any baggage, and is yet another high point in a cracking series. The entire cast seems to be having a ball, especially John Schneider and Annette O'Toole as Mr and Mrs Kent, who fool around in the kitchen like a pair of randy teenagers.

On the serious side, the effects of the plant do eventually lead to the death of those who have been exposed. There is a great scene with Clark and Martha (again brilliantly played by O'Toole) which shows the skill of all involved in their ability to balance the comedy with the more dramatic stuff. Lex also lies to Clark to an extent that he has not previously done before. He has held things back in the past or managed to prove his innocence in times when he has looked guilty. But this time he just flat out lies in order to cover his own arse.

A brilliant mix of comedy and drama. 9/10

Episode 1.14: Zero

In this episode we finally get to see what happened at Club Zero, with Lex, something that has been alluded to several times already over the course of the first season.

Zero, like many other episodes, explores the idea that every action has consequences. The slogan of the night club that Lex visits is 'zero consequences' but Lex learns quickly that there is no such thing. Three years ago he deliberately took a woman to the club knowing full well that her fiancé was going to be there with other women. This was a bad move on Lex's part that is about to have nasty repercussions. There is also a sub-plot involving Chloe in which she starts to dig up information on Clark's adoption for a school project.

There is quite a lot going on here but it all comes together nicely. It's good to see Phelan pop up again (in flashback) after his previous mention of his involvement in the Club Zero incident. Once again, this episode is without a meteor infected villain and appears to be all the better for it, allowing the story to take a more personal look into the history of its darkest character.

The sub-plot with Chloe is just as interesting, adding a lot more emotional weight to her relationship with Clark, as she too is now torn, as Lex has been, between digging up Clark's secrets or leaving well alone. In the final moments we see that her reporter's instincts seem to win out and we are left wandering what the consequences of her decision might be in the future.

Another great episode. 9/10

Episode 1.13: Kinetic

It's official, football jocks do not make for interesting bad guys, just unintelligent and dull ones. Their ape-like behaviour and ridiculous school yard mentality just makes them damn annoying.

Kinetic focuses on the character of Whitney Fordman who, quite frankly, has always been something of an annoyance. His attitude towards the people around him shifts and changes so many times you could be forgiven for thinking that he had some sort of multiple personality disorder.

This is not a bad episode. On the contrary. It's actually quite entertaining. The idea for the story is an interesting one and the plot sufficiently explores the problems of peer pressure. It's just that they need to start moving away from the idea of the jock as bad guy. Even when they are not the freak of the week they still seem to pop up like the bad penny to give whoever is the freak of the week their motivation.

Entertaining stuff. Just lose the jocks! 6/10

Episode 1.12: Leech

Another outstanding episode from season one. Every time they take a misstep they seem to come back all guns blazing. Leech is heavy on the action and special effects without skimping on the great character moments too.

The story centres around what happens when Clark's powers are given to someone else who hasn't had the same upbringing as he has. The results are fairly predictable but no less fun for being so. This new 'Superboy' leaves a wake of destruction in his path and Clark takes on the burden of stopping him even though he is now just a regular person without his powers.

At first Clark enjoys the new found freedom that comes with not having to carry the responsibility of his powers. He is able to play basketball for the first time without worrying about hurting anyone. I don't think I've ever seen anyone so happy about losing. In his current predicament Clark is also able to throw an ever more suspicious Lex off the trail as his cuts and bruises seem to show that he is 'just human' after all.

It's nice to see Clark experience how hard his father must work to keep the farm going. It's quite a shock to his system as he spends two hours doing chores that would have previously taken him five minutes.

There is a moment in this episode that feels like something of a turning point in the relationship between Clark and Lex. It's when Lex confronts Clark about what really happened the day he crashed his car. You can totally understand where Lex is coming from, and how alone he really is, telling Clark that he's the closest thing he's ever had to a real friend. You always get the sense that if someone would just be straight with him then it might prevent him from heading down the inevitable path of super-villainy. Yet it is also understandable why Clark refuses to divulge his secret to anyone.

Funny, exciting, and a little tragic. 8/10

Episode 1.11: Hug

This episode is an awful lot of fun. Rick Peters is suitably smarmy as industrialist Bob Rickman, the man with a handshake that can seal any deal, even if it was a deal you did not wish to make. There is a great moment where he tries to use his powers of persuasion on Clark. But he doesn't quite get the reaction he was hoping for. Suffice to say it does not work and all he gets for his trouble is a sore hand.

There are plenty of other stand-out moments throughout: Chloe, whilst under the influence of another 'persuader' Kyle Tippet, makes a pass at Clark; Lex unleashes a flurry of bullets at Clark with a machine gun; Jonathan's confusion at his own decision to sell the farm...

The only problem with this episode is the ending when Lex is 'under the influence'. Tippet states that the power of persuasion he and Rickman have is so strong that anyone they have under their spell will only be free once they have completed the task they've been given or if they suffer some kind of shock to break them from the spell. So why does Lex suddenly go all out to kill Clark when it is Tippet he has been sent to kill? Surely he'd have put a bullet in Tippet while he had the chance. This is a minor quibble that does not detract too much from a highly entertaining episode.

9/10

Episode 1.10: Shimmer

The 'twist' in the tale during this episode is so predictable that the story becomes quite a bore. The inevitability of the invisible assailant being the brother, not the sister, is so blatantly sign-posted that it just saps any tension out of proceedings. The fact that you can see the predator-style outline of the invisible person in the opening scene instantly rules out the sister once strange things happen in her presence.

Kelly Brook has clearly been added to this season because she looks pretty. It certainly cannot be for her acting ability. She has none! There is also a sub-plot involving Whitney (yes, that other bag of acting talent) as he struggles with some bad news about his father. This news prevents a sympathetic Clark from making any moves on Lana. Though this plot has slightly more emotional resonance than the freak of the week plot, it still feels a little mundane, and the whole episode feels like something of a step back compared to the two previous outings.

Not without its charms though it will hardly be remembered as a Smallville classic. 6/10

Episode 1.9: Rogue

WOW! What a tremendous 45 minutes of television this edition of Smallville is. It is even better than the previous episode, which had been the season highlight up to that point, clearly showing that the makers of the show have begun to hit their stride.

Without a single meteor freak in sight Rogue offers up a traditional and more human nemesis for Clark to pit his wits against. The villain of the piece is Sam Phelan, a dirty cop, with blackmail in mind. Phelen offers a new challenge for Clark in the sense that Clark must defeat Phelan by outsmarting him instead of merely overpowering him.

The performances are great all round with the possible exception of Kelly Brook. She seems a little wooden, but as this is her first acting gig she may just require a little more time to get used to the part, so she gets the benefit of doubt for now. However, there are particularly notable turns from Alison Mack as Chloe, John Schneider as Jonathan Kent, and Tom Welling who gets to show a side to Clark that we have not previously seen when Phelan begins to push all the right buttons. Clark is pushed so far in fact that he actually considers killing his enemy.

A great episode and probably the best of the season so far. 9/10