Consistently solid with some major developments, the
fifth season of Smallville kicks the characters off to
college, but not before finishing the cataclysmic disaster that
ended the fourth season. With Chloe transported to the Arctic Circle
and Kryptonian supervillains in town, Clark (Tom Welling) is in the
Fortress of Solitude meeting Jor-El (voiced by Terence Stamp). He
gives up his powers, but to get them back will cost him the life of
someone he loves.
The even bigger development is that Clark and Lana (Kristin Kreuk)
finally give up their dalliances with others and become an official
couple. That means the other girls in Clark's life become fifth and
sixth wheels, so Chloe (Allison Mack) reveals the secret she's been
keeping from Clark and becomes a best pal. Super-gorgeous Lois's
(Erica Durance, now part of the opening credits) banter with Clark
loses its bite without any sexual tension so instead she meets
Arthur "AC" Curry, a fantastic swimmer who has an eye for Lois and
an accusing one toward Lex (Michael Rosenbaum) and LutherCorp. He's
not the only one; Clark's Central Kansas A&M professor, Milton Fine
(James Marsters) hires Clark to help him on his project, an expose
of LutherCorp. Lex is the pivotal character of the season. His
relationship with his best friend, Clark, now history, Lex has a
Christmas Carol-type dream in which he sees himself in a
law-abiding--and happy--life. (That episode, "Lexmas," also has some
amusing interplay involving Clark and Chloe.) Undeterred, he decides
on a life of power and dives into a state senate race against
Jonathan Kent with gusto, though a fanatical Lex supporter turns the
race into a literal one for life and death. Lionel Luthor (John
Glover) also makes a strong comeback in this season, pulling unseen
levers and making everyone wonder exactly what he knows.
There's some fun. "Thirst" is a tribute to Buffy the Vampire
Slayer, and another DC Comics character, Cyborg (Teen Titans),
appears. Carrie Fisher plays Chloe's editor at The Daily Planet,
and "Exposed" reunites Schneider with former Dukes of Hazzard
costar Tom Wopat, and the two go peeling out in a vehicle. But
things come to a head in the series 100th episode, when Jor-El's
prediction comes to pass and splintered relationships end up leading
in unexpected directions. Then in the season finale's cliffhanger,
Clark has to face three of his enemies. DVD features include
commentary on two episodes and a half-hour examination of the 100th
episode, from writing through production. --David Horiuchi
