Epic struggle of good vs. evil unfolds in 'Smallville'
By Kevin V. Johnson, Special for USA TODAY
Casual fans of Superman movies may get a strange feeling watching Smallville, the new series about Clark Kent's boyhood. They may feel sympathy for that devil, Lex Luthor.
The gleeful supervillain portrayed by Gene Hackman in the Christopher Reeve movies is markedly different as a youth in Smallville: He's soft-spoken, compassionate and considerate.
"He's kind of nice to everybody, unless you cross him," says Michael Rosenbaum, who plays Lex. "He does everything in his power to prove that he means well and that things don't fail. He's trying to make good for himself."
Tonight (WB, 9 ET/PT), Lex defies his father and teams up with Clark (Tom Welling) to rescue friends being held hostage by a crazed worker at LuthorCorp., then expose a part of the plant that is affecting workers' health.
Such incidents make the wait for the eventual turn to the bad side even more deliciously tantalizing.
In the meantime, WB's highest-rated new show is emphasizing details designed to highlight niceness, even as most Smallville residents show a wary distrust of the heir to the company owned by his cutthroat father (John Glover).
Among other events: Lex rescues Clark after upperclassmen at the high school tie him to a post in a field littered with kryptonite.
Later, he acts as a subtle emissary in conveying Clark's amorous feelings to Lana Lane (Kristin Kreuk), who is dating the star quarterback. Lex also offers to lend money to Clark's father (John Schneider) to save his failing farm.
And when Lex's father orders him to cut LuthorCorp.'s workforce, Lex figures out how to save money without putting anyone out of a job.
"In a weird way," says Smallville co-executive producer Al Gough, "he's fighting his destiny, as much as Clark is embracing his."
Gough and Rosenbaum liken Lex to Anakin Skywalker of Star Wars fame, who later becomes the evil Darth Vader. Lex, too, as viewers know, eventually goes bad.
The question is how.
In the Superboy comic series of the mid-'50s, a turning point comes when Luthor accuses Superboy of making his hair fall out, says Paul Levitz, publisher of DC Comics.
In an event played out in one issue, Lex, then a boy scientist, is trapped in a laboratory fire. Because the lab contains kryptonite, Superboy can't rescue Lex, so he blows out the flames instead. The combination of gases and fire makes Luthor bald.
What will occur on Smallville hasn't been decided. But Gough says that an event in May will launch Lex's move to the dark side.
Meanwhile, his fight to avoid his destiny makes Lex arguably the most interesting character in Smallville.
Levitz credits Rosenbaum with projecting an unsettling serenity that lets viewers "really feel the question of good and evil being battled out in someone's mind. He has a wonderful stylization. There's an aura of ominousness at the same time as he's stretching out his hand in sincerity."
Lex, explains Gough, "has the most to lose: his soul.
"As much as he hates his father, he wants to be liked by him. And he genuinely wants to be Clark's friend. But it's a classic mythological model: The worst enemies start out as the best friends."
THE MOST CONTROVERSIAL SPEECH EVER
GIVEN IN SMALLVILLE
Twenty-four years ago, the SHS prom theme was "Saturday Night Fever," Styx was voted band of the century, and in an unprecedented event, SHS valedictorian Laura Potter (mother of current SHS student Lana Lang) delivered a graduation speech that was never transcribed in the Torch due to its "controversial nature." Well, today, since the Torch is all about controversy, we have decided to reprint the address in its entirety, because, as with most censored speech, it contains the words that most forcefully speak the truth. We hope you get as much from it as we did here at the Torch.
Ladies and gentlemen, graduating seniors: good evening. Those familiar words open every graduation speech at Smallville High, and I use them deliberately because the rest of my speech will not be so reassuring. I never made a difference here, but maybe my children can.
When I first came to Smallville High, I was full of hope. Hope that I could make an impact. That it would be different for me. That I could change Smallville instead of letting it change me. Unfortunately, four years later, I stand before you as valedictorian of the graduating class of 1977, and all I can tell you is that you should be ashamed of yourselves.
I know these speeches are supposed to be about memories, about shared moments that will last a lifetime. But my best memory of Smallville is the day I realized I could leave this town behind.
Though my memories are few, my regrets are many. I regret that I didn't stand up for James Alexander when he was picked on in the cafeteria. That I didn't speak up when Sally Adams left town because she was socially excommunicated by a group of girls she called friends. I should have spoken out, should have said something, should have raised my voice in protest. But I didn't. I sat quietly with my mouth shut, just like the rest of you.
I put on my cheerleading uniform and my pom-pom smile, and when the going got rough, I recessed into a book. That's probably what got me here in front of you today. But I'd happily give it all back if I could. I'd trade in the pom-poms and the straight A's and the college acceptance for just one thing: the chance to stand up for what was right. So you see, you should be ashamed of yourselves, but no one is more ashamed than I.
Good luck with your futures. I hope you leave the cruelty and ignorance behind--I know I will.
EW Article Nov. 23 Issue
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Freshman Five
''Smallville'' heads up our list
of best new shows. See why we call it -- plus ''Alias,'' ''24,''
''Scrubs,'' and ''Undeclared'' -- the best of the fresh
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Show of Strength Superboy was always a dumb idea. In fact, when Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster created the Man of Steel in 1938, there was no Boy of Steel, no Smallville, no teenage adventures in tights. Kal-el, last son of Krypton, crash-landed on Earth, was discovered by the elderly Kents, and then smash-cut to adulthood and the whole superhero thing. But in 1945, DC Comics thought it would be neat to see Superman as a kid, and before long, Clark Kent was sporting spandex as early as age 7 and incurring the enmity of Lex Luthor by accidentally causing his hair to fall out (quite possibly the stupidest archenemy motivation in the history of stupid archenemy motivations). Dude, Superboy even had a super-powered dog named Krypto, which he dressed up in a friggin' little red cape! Like we said: dumb. Which just makes the WB's ''Smallville'' all the more impressive. For comic-book fans beholden to Siegel and Shuster's sacred text, this new take on Superman's formative youth is something of a water-to-wine miracle: It has transformed sacrilege into something indispensable to the mythos; finally, Clark Kent has an adolescence that actually makes sense. Better yet for the WB, the show isn't just for freaks and geeks. With a spandex-free approach that blends ''X-Files'' sci-fi and ''Dawson's Creek'' pathos with wide-screen cinematic flair, ''Smallville'' (airing Tuesdays at 9 p.m.) is luring in those who don't know kryptonite from crapola. Of course, having Tom Welling with his dreamy mug and abs of steel as Clark, and Canadian newcomer Kristin Kreuk with her emerald eyes and preternatural prettiness as Lana Lang, doesn't hurt either. ''Heart. Hero. Mystery. Family. And really in that order'' is how writer Alfred Gough (who reteams on ''Smallville'' with ''Shanghai Noon'' cowriter Miles Millar) distills the essence of the show. ''It's a delicate chemistry experiment.'' Smallville's architects have some surprises planned: A dream sequence in the Nov. 20 episode will offer peeks at Clark's and Lex's futures (hint: Rosenbaum was recently spotted filming on the ''West Wing'' set); later on, Lex gets a girlfriend and develops a kryptonite-centric business; plus, a certain future Dark Knight may pay a visit. One thing's for sure, though: There will be no Krypto. ''Nor Beppo the Super-Monkey, or Streaky the Super-Cat!'' laughs Gough. ''Man, there must have been a lot of three-martini lunches at DC Comics back in the day.'' -- Jeff Jensen |
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10/30/01 Entertainment Weekly Article
SMALLVILLE
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''No tights, no flights'' is the much-repeated quote from the creators of Smallville, a retelling of the youthful Superman story that's been given the full-court WB press: a chiseled star (super-cheekboned Tom Welling) who feels alienated in two senses (he's from another planet, like the hero of ''Roswell,'' and he feels like ''a total loser'' in his hick-town high school) yet who attracts a fabulous-looking girl (sparkly Kristin Kreuk as Lana Lang). Although he demonstrates superstrength and superspeed, Welling's Clark Kent won't don the famous cape and body-sock to do the it's-a-bird-it's-a-plane thing, either because it's a worn-out gesture after all those Superman movies and TV shows, or because it'd superinflate the show's budget. The creator-producers behind ''Smallville,'' Alfred Gough and Miles
Millar (''Shanghai Noon''), had to, if anything, considerably scale back
their hero's complex mythology. Over the years, DC Comics has told and
retold the Superboy tale in a number of different ''origin stories,'' and
comic-book aficionados
will have ''Smallville'' plays up adolescent loneliness and cruelty. In the premiere, that resulted in an eerie sight: Each year, we're told, the high school football team, the Crows, chooses an unlucky freshman ''scarecrow'' -- a stripped figure with a Smallville ''S'' painted on his chest, tied to a wooden cross. The imagery was multi-allusive: the ''S'' like the one on Superman's suit; the pose from the Crucifixion. But the scene -- used in print ads to promote the show -- also evoked the memory of Matthew Shepard, trussed up and left to die in Wyoming because he was gay. The episode even included a line questioning Clark's sexuality; his straightness was quickly reaffirmed. (A previous ''scarecrow,'' played by Adrian McMorran, became the pilot's vengeful villain.) That troubling echo aside, ''Smallville'' seems capable of becoming an intriguing mix of teen angst and bright adventure. B
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October 18th, 2001: Premiere Week!!!!!!!!!!!!
Studio Briefing reports:
The WB's young Superman series Smallville leapt two networks with a single bound in its premiere episode Tuesday night, producing the best ratings for a debuting show in the "fifth network's" history. According to Nielsen Research, the hour-long premiere averaged a 6.7 rating and a 10 share, beating ABC's Spin City (5.2/8) and the new Jason Alexander sitcom Bob Patterson (4.9/7) and also besting the final episode of Love Cruise: The Maiden Voyage on Fox (4.7/8). The hour was won by CBS's new drama The Guardian which delivered a 10.5/16 and edged out NBC's Frasier, which pulled a 10.0/15.
EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW
“SMALLVILLE”
by Edward Gross
Over the past several years, director David Nutter has become the person producers turn to when they’re trying to launch a new series, particularly one that operates within the sci-fi and horror genres.
Although Nutter has recently helmed episodes of ER and the HBO World War II series Band of Brothers, he made his name as a producer/director on The X-Files, before segueing over to the pilots and early episodes of Millennium, Sleepwalkers and Roswell, the latter for which he stayed most of its first season. He also, it should be pointed out, helmed episodes of the syndicated Adventures of Superboy series that starred, first, John Haymes Newton and, then, Gerard Christopher in the dual roles of Clark Kent and Superboy.
Now Nutter is helming the pilot episode of the WB’s Smallville,
the series that chronicles the adventures of 15-year-old Clark Kent as he begins
to discover the incredible powers that will ultimately lead to his becoming
Superman.
Q: Is there anything daunting about tackling a project like Smallville
and all the expectations it brings with it?
A: It’s extremely daunting, but to me I like that goal; I like being able to face a challenge. I remember that when I did the Millennium pilot, The X-Files was at its height and that, to me, was a great bar to attain to. I believed we reached that bar in the pilot. I also think we gave that show its distinctive signature. It wasn’t like The X-Files or a clone of The X-Files, which was very important to me. What I want to do with Smallville is do it in a way that’s hip; in a way that’s smart, in a way that’s fun and also do it in a way that is compelling storytelling. The script is fantastic and I think it’s kick-ass, very smart, a lot of fun and very involving for the audience. I really look forward to being involved with it, and it’s going to be a real surprise for people.
That’s another aspect that’s important, too: I want to surprise the audience. When you look at something like three alien teenagers in Roswell, New Mexico, a lot of people are going to laugh it off and not think much of it, but when they actually stopped to watch the pilot, it was surprising to a lot of people. It was touted as one of the top ten shows of the season. That’s what the key is, to try and do something that kind of balances the intelligence and also the emotional quotient to make them both very high.
Q: How do you describe Smallville?
A: I look at it as the story of a young man who has a secret. A lot of young people today can relate to that; because young kids have secrets and things they can’t tell other people. And it’s about a young boy who’s growing into a man. Clark’s abilities are progressing and they’re blossoming in many respects on the show. In the show we’re going to introduce Lana Lang, Lex Luthor, and a more involved Jonathan and Martha Kent. We’re also going to justify the mythology that you’ve heard about and thought about. There’s lots of origin justifying in the pilot. I was really quite proud of the script and where it goes.
Q: I’ve heard that it’s Twin Peak-ish.
A: It has some of those elements and a lot of those sensibilities as well. I think it’s a situation where, suffice to say, when the meteor shower hit Smallville, Clark Kent was not the only thing that landed. I don’t mean other people or other characters, but I think the meteor shower definitely made some odd things happen. Many odd and different things will blossom throughout the series.
Q: Are we ever going to see him in the costume?
A: All I can say is you’re not going to see it in the pilot. Like I said, I think the secret is to do a show that is going to surprise people. When The Fugitive came on this year, people thought it was going to be the biggest show of the season, but it’s not because it’s the same exact show that was on thirty years ago. There are no surprises. I think with respect to Smallville, those surprises will definitely be there. Of course it’s a situation like with any show: if the audience is clamoring for certain things, they’ll get them eventually. Right now we feel that the story is such that it’s not necessary to rely on devices. Remember there are a lot of dramatic situations to explore. Back in Smallville, Clark Kent was in love with Lana Lang and it was an unrequited love. There’s lots of those situations in the show that definitely involve the audience, as well as the relationship between Clark and Lex Luthor, who’s a bit older in this show.
*****Perhaps it is not a no flight/ no suit rule after all just temporary??******* ~~Minervalane
It’s a great project and a situation where I had a lot of trepidation about whether or not I should go forward. I was involved with the Superboy series years ago, so I didn’t know if I really wanted to do this again. But when I spoke to the president of the studio, Peter Roth, and really heard his profound excitement for it, I got excited about it. To be able to do a show that has ideals and heroes and all of those things that we all dream about in our fantasy lives is a lot more fun than doing a show about cops on the beat. To make a show like Smallville hip and accessible to an audience is a real challenge that I look forward to. To me, if there’s not a challenge there, why do it?
I think it’s as important to make Superman as hip as Batman. The real key for me is to do something in that respect. It will reach a whole new generation, Beyond that, I think it will touch an older generation that knows about the myth and knows Superman from their own past. I believe it’s going to be a really surprising, exciting and wonderful show for a broad audience. That’s all I’ve ever wanted to do: a show that can touch the whole spectrum. I believe that Smallville will.
their quibbles about this new version. For the general viewer,
though, ''Smallville'' is smart, tart, and tidy: Jonathan and Martha Kent
(''The Dukes of Hazzard'''s John Schneider and ''Superman III'''s Annette
O'Toole) find a toddler in the rubble of a meteor shower; he grows into a
strapping teen who flirts with cheerleader Lana while nursing guilt over
the fact that the crash debris caused by his flight from planet Krypton
killed her 
parents.