Smallville has become an entity worthy of its hero, no matter how grim the odds look for the series’ survival it dodges the bullet (or just takes it in the chest and keeps going, like with the loss of Kristin Kreuk and Michael Rosenbaum). It’s become the passion project of those still attached and has rather consistent fan and network support keeping it alive, despite an all-time series low in the ratings game. The drop in viewership isn’t a mistake though and owes largely to two things: the ninth season’s biggest plot point is horribly executed and they still haven’t put Clark into full-on Superman mode. The Smallville audience has been jerked around for the last 5 seasons (when Clark first started having Metropolis adventures) and the ninth season is no different. Oh, and Callum Blue is great, but he’s no Zod.
At the end of the 8th season, Zod’s emergence from the Phantom Zone has marked the start of a new chapter in Clark and Earth’s future. As the ninth season begins, we see Zod’s troops assembling only to discover that they don’t benefit from Earth’s yellow sun in the same way Clark (Tom Welling) does, however they do have a few allies in this world willing to help them gain their footing. Meanwhile, Chloe (Allison Mack) is still reeling from the emotional destruction the final battle with Doomsday left in its wake and has devoted herself entirely to Watchtower, though even she can’t track down Lois (Erica Durance) who vanishes off the face of the planet – only to reappear weeks later on a train with an unknown assassin in hot pursuit. Lois’s return allows her and Kent to get their romance back on track on both fronts, as the mild-mannered reporter and the blur who calls her at phone booths (yet another device used to draw out the transition to the traditional Superman look – which may never happen at this point). The season gradually climbs to a tepid climax between Zod and Clark with a heavy emphasis on the Green Arrow’s past dancing in and out of the focus. A clandestine operation known as Checkmate [Editor's note: changed from incorrect name of 'Castle' as originally written] steps in to prevent aliens from taking over the planet, but the subplot, like the season, fizzles out with a promise of future excitement while delivering nothing significant right now.
The Zod story never really picks up to the emotional or action heights the series requires and definitely doesn’t make full use of the rich history the two characters have had in the comics. To make matters worse, there’s no denying the wrong actor was chosen for the role. Even I, who think Callum Blue is fantastic and remember him fondly from Dead Like Me, but the man doesn’t even have the stature that Terence Stamp had (which wasn’t even enough then). Not once in the entire season does Callum escalate from an insecure man surrounded by stronger men and women into the military leader before whom men would kneel (and he throws around “Kneel before Zod!” with few reservations).
The most rewarding storyline of the season sees the involvement of Martian Manhunter and the secret organization intent on recruiting superheroes to fight against a hidden menace on the rise, a threat it gives credence to with examples from the current Kryptonian conflict unfolding on Earth. It’s the only element with promise in the whole season since even the self-contained episodes aren’t all that entertaining. Season nine definitely sags in comparison to every season thus far, and if it’s going to make it through the tenth season it needs to take advantage of a better story arch. Eventually you’ll get to the season’s big “event” wherein something akin to the Justice League pops up in a two-parter, but let’s not kid ourselves: the costumes look horrible and any attempt to create a Justice League without the key figures is a cheap ratings grab.
The show’s special effects are nothing to write home about, but the general presentation of the show has a fair amount of gloss and polish. The Blu-ray presentation swings both ways as it gives the episodes an added depth but also reveals the special effects budget for being what it is. The sound is nothing special.
Blu-ray Bonus Features
The deleted scenes and two episodic commentaries don’t warrant watching, and the Zod featurette is laughable in the face of how poorly the character comes through in the series. The most interesting extra in all of this covers the double episode that features some strange incarnation of the Justice League (whose very existence throws the whole DC universe out of whack due to a lack of both Batman and Superman as key figures in the equation).
"Smallville: The Complete Ninth Season" is on sale September 7, 2010 and is not rated. Action, Drama, Sci-Fi. Directed by Greg Beeman, James Marshall, Jeannot Szwarc. Written by Alfred Gough, Miles Millar, Joe Shuster, Jerry Siegel, Tim McCanlies, Brian Wayne Peterson. Starring Allison Mack, Callum Blue, Cassidy Freeman, Erica Durance, Justin Hartley, Tom Welling.
