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Sunday 19 December 2010

Advent Calendar Day Nineteen: Smallville Season Two

Smallville started to find its legs with Season Two, moving from its irritating 'Monster of the Week' format to a narrative which forced Clark towards his destiny step by step as he learnt more about his Kryptonian heritage and future responsibilities every week. Trouble is, there's also the nagging sense that Season Two moves to 'Emotional Dilemma of the Week' frequently when Clark and pals deal with competing romances, pregnancies, secrets and consequences on a weekly basis. Very few episodes lack at least one plot thread which advances a relationship or dilemma further, and while this works for the majority it also means that the original strength of the show that viewers could miss an episode then return the next week unconfused is well and truly gone. Classic-Superman Christopher Reeve makes a great appearance as the enigmatic Dr. Virgil Swann late on, revealing secrets of Clark's dead planet Krypton and thus advancing the story of Superman much further on than in any Season One story. The finale, 'Exodus', feels less effective than last season's 'Tempest' in that it lowers the scale and tension, though the cliff-hanger is a steep one for the Man of Steel, turning the show in a way not seen before. Overall, Season Two is a major improvement on the original, but it needed more action, less emotion!

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