TV Review: Smallville: Season 10 Premiere

Clark lives, Lois knows, Lex is alive (his DNA anyway), Tess wakes up, Chloe returns, Oliver has a tough night, and Jonathan Kent makes an appearance from the hereafter. So begins the tenth and final season of Smallville. When it ends it will become the longest running science fiction series in United States television history.

This episode would be difficult to follow and understand for anyone unfamiliar with the series. Clark saves Lois from a Lex Luthor DNA clone but it was a slim central action sequence. Mainly the episode sets up the characters and the season for what is to come.

Lois Lane (Erica Durance) finally learns Clark Kent’s (Tom Welling) secret. The twist is, Clark doesn’t know she knows which is a nice and welcome change to what has happened in the past. The chemistry between Welling and Durance is also better and they may have finally overcome the ghost of Kristen Kreuk’s Lana Lang. A good episode for moving the Lois and Clark characters down the road toward their relationship destiny.

Alison Mack is back as Chloe. She has been a stalwart for the first nine seasons and there were rumors she would not return and then would only appear in a few episodes. So far so good as her loyal sidekick character has been an important ingredient for the series. If there was ever a televison character that deserved a happy ending, Chloe is it.

In the premiere, Oliver Queen is held captive for some unexplained reason. Chloe’s worry about it, until they are reunited at the show’s conclusion forms the central task for both characters. How this romantic pairing proceeds will be an interesting element of the season.

Tess is alive and back. Her main task in the episode is to set in motion the Lex Luthor DNA angle. She continues to be an enigmatic figure although I tend to like her best when she is in full evil mode.

John Schneider makes a short guest appearance as Jonathan Kent. His character died several seasons ago, and he appears in a dream-type sequence as Clark continues his constant soul searching about his destiny and place in the world.

All in all a good start for fans of the show. A new evil is coming to threaten the world and the Smallville characters are ready. Stay tuned!