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55 of 70 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Probably the Best Season Yet., June 25, 2009
I am one of the rare "Smallville" fans that greatly prefer the darker seasons of late to the light-hearted, freak-of-the-week seasons that the show started with. Season 8 introduced the marvelous Tess Mercer (as excellently portrayed by Cassidy Freeman) who filled the shoes of an MIA Lex Luthor with more charisma and grace than, dare I say it, the great Michael Rosenbaum in the past couple seasons. Also among the characters this year is Davis "Doomsday" Bloome, who is taken to the next level by Sam Witwer, who plays the role in such a way that the viewers can actually sympathize for the tortured, lonely murderer that Davis has unfortunately become.
There are only two problems that I have with season 8. The first is that around episodes 8.03-8.05, the show lagged. A lot. The episodes, I thought, were quite boring and just not the best work that the "Smallville" writers have put forth. Specifically 8.03 "Toxic," which could've been a fantastic exploration of Justin Hartley's Oliver "Green Arrow" Queen character but ended up being a bland, practical snorefest.
The second problem is the Lana-arc in episodes 8.10-8.14. While 8.10 "Bride," 8.11 "Legion," and 8.12 "Bulletproof" were all outstanding and Kristin Kreuk delivered on every front in her reprisal as Lana Lang, the storyline of giving Lana super powers was extremely unwelcome to most fans (myself included) and, if anything, ruined what could've been a perfect end to the lengthy Clark/Lana storyline that has haunted "Smallville" since the first episode. 8.14 "Requiem" is a good episode, mind you, but the poorly done super!Lana storyline brings it and 8.13 "Power" down as the worst episodes of the season.
Now, there are definitely some blockbuster episodes that were perfect, in my eyes. The entire slew of episodes from 8.15 to 8.21 were brilliant - specifically 8.15 "Infamous," 8.16 "Turbulence" (a brilliant and emotionally raw exploration of the characters - specifically Jimmy Olsen), 8.18 "Eternal," and 8.21 "Injustice." Watching this season, I was in awe at how much the actors and actresses - and their characters - have grown since they were first introduced to us and I have yet to be disappointed by the work turned in by the fantastic Tom Welling, the outstanding Allison Mack, and the stunning Erica Durance.
Overall, I highly recommend that new viewers catch this season when its on sale and all "Smallville" fans should purchase this boxset as soon as it's released. As we enter season 9, which may very well be our last "Smallville" season, I have high hopes that the show will kick it into high gear and go out with a bang.
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10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Here's the real scoop of Smallville Season 8 CONTAINS SPOILERS*, August 31, 2009
I've been tuning into Smallville since Episode 1, and have been a fan of Superman since I was a little kid.
Smallville is one of the greatest interpretations of Superman ever created in any type of medium (comic book, TV, etc.) And I was disappointed to see that Smallville Season 8 only received an average rating of 3.5 stars.
Most of the lower rated reviews include complaints about how the show is starting to lose credibility with it's comic counterpart. In other words it doesn't tie into the comic book that well, the finale of Season 8 was anti climactic, how the writing is starting to dwindle, so on so forth.
Smallville is an INTERPRETATION of the comic book story. It is NOT the comic book itself. So to bash Season 8 because it doesn't tie in to the comic that well is pretty silly, cause there have been apparent changes from the comic book since Season 1. And if you are a long time fan of Smallville, why bash season 8 for something that's been going on since .. well .. forever?
Smallville has always stayed true to the basics of the Superman mythos. Clark and Lex are enemies. Lois and Clark will fall in love. Clark will become Superman, etc.
And I don't believe for a second that Lex is truly dead. And if he is then damn the writers to hell. Although it is highly unlikely that Rosenbaum will return to the cast of Smallville, I am for certain we have not heard the last from Lex. He cant be dead ... come on ... he's Lex Luthor.
The writers have done an amazing job picking up from Season 7. Despite the loss of Michael Rosenbaum (Lex Luthor), they still do a great job of tying in Lex to the story without actually having him on screen.
Tess Mercer fills in for Lex as the new CEO for Luthercorp. Pretty much the new "bad guy" to give Clark and his friends a hard time. And although Lex is missed (A LOT!!!) She's good. Nuff said.
Also in this season we are treated with the ever growing romance between Lois and Clark. Love is in the air in season 8! (Is love ever NOT in the air?) But I have always admired Smallville for it's character development, especially with Clark's love interests (well mostly Lana). But Lois and Clark are as equally intoxicating to watch as Lana and Clark in previous seasons.
Erica Durance plays the best Lois Lane I have ever seen. She nails her personality flawlessly. Naive, cocky, rude, Clarks opposite ... his perfect match.
And what about the final battle between Doomsday in the Season Finale? What about it? Nothing short of ... awesome can you say? Many complained that the battle was too short and anti climactic. It depends on how you see it. In my opinion, the battle had started the day Clark met Davis Bloome (Doomsday). It wasn't the physical battle so much as it was the emotional battle that Clark went through, and the writers did a superb job presenting it.
Can Clark overcome the beast without killing him?
Time and time again through Season 8, Clark is tempted by his friends, and even his fellow heroes that sometimes the only way to save the day is to kill. That killing is a sacrifice a hero has to make once in a while to benefit the greater good of mankind.
But Clark shows why he isn't a hero. He shows why he is a superhero. He can make the decisions that no one else can make, not even heroes like Green Arrow. That there is always a way to save the world without crossing the line, and that a life is a life no matter who it may be.
Season 8 is awesome, and even after 8 years, Smallville has not lost its quality when compared with previous seasons. The drive of the show, the ambition of the show has remained the same.
If you are a fan of Smallville don't compare it to other mediums of Superman, but cherish as is.
If you do you wont be disappointed. 5 stars.
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
More hit than miss ***WARNING - SPOILERS***, October 1, 2009
Smalliville Season 8 has come and gone--and is back on DVD / Blu-ray. Season 8 is more hit than miss. I enjoyed episodes building on the Clark/Lois relationship, especially a "throw-away" episode called "Committed," in which the development of the relationship is revealed through lie-detector-prompted electrocution. The episodes featuring the development of Davis/Doomsday were interesting. Unfortunately, the development was cut short, and there was really no day-of-doom that came to fruition, or even really threatened Smallville & Metropolis. The hits for Season 8, however, were the actual character development of Davis, Clark, and Lois. Davis/Doomsday especially is a well-acted and interesting character. (Sidenote: my kids LOVE seeing their Sith-turned-Jedi actor as Davis/Doomsday. See the video game "Star Wars: Force Unleashed," which has a better plot line than ANY of the new Star Wars episodes, 1-3.)
Now the misses. There are some AWFUL ideas that actually made it to the small screen, including Lana returning for several painfully bad episodes, especially one entitled "Power," in which Lana becomes a Krypton-powered Super Girl. Really, this is horrible. I was *happy* to see her leave the show for good. Good riddance. My wife thinks the show has already "jumped the shark" and this episode seemed to confirm her conclusion, however I hold out hope for a nice finale in Season 9.
It is interesting to watch Clark become the Red-Blue Blur, but there really needs to be quicker advancement to Superman, as hopefully Season 9 will do. I am being generous by giving this 4 stars.
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