April 25th, 2009 4:33 pm

‘Smallville’ The Complete Seventh Season

Season seven of ‘Smallville’ is an exciting mix of intrigue, action and drama.

‘Smallville’ is one of the few shows that I watch exclusively on DVD. Originally not by choice, but because the show was jerked around so much by the networks here in Australia.

How can one honestly expect fans to follow a show over three different channels over seven years in various timeslots? Those who remember, the Warner Bros. series originally started out on the Nine Network, where it played out on and off in various timeslots for three seasons. It was then on-sold to Network Ten where it remained for a season or two. The series was then shafted to the now defunct Ten HD, which was the last time ‘Smallville’ was seen on free-to-air television in Australia.

Thanks to the popularity of TV shows on DVD, fans can finally catch up on Clark Kent’s younger years in ‘Smallville’ without the interruption of a lousy network.

Funnily enough, despite being a fan of the show, I never seem to give it enough credit. Perhaps the fact that my viewing habits for the show are somewhat sporadic due to the yearly gaps between DVD releases, I’m often one to say that the show should’ve been cancelled years ago. Looking back on this, I now acknowledge that the reason why used to say this was because I just hadn’t seen the show in over a year.

So when season seven of ‘Smallville’ finally came out on DVD last month, I was pleasantly surprised as just how wrong I was about this show. It was still just as engaging and addictive as ever.

What’s great about ‘Smallville’, is that you know where the show is heading. You know that Clark Kent will eventually become a clumsy spectacle ridden reporter for the Daily Planet. You know that Clark Kent is finally going to realise who his true feelings are for. And you know that one day Clart Kent is going to don the red cap and the blue tights and save the world.

With all these things in mind, watching the show is like watching the pieces of a puzzle slowly coming together.

Season seven reigns in some new series regulars and guest stars, including Clark’s tenacious Kryptonian cousin Kara played by Larua Vandervoort, the adorkable Jimmy Olsen played by Aaron Ashmore, who was only a guest star last season and Grant Gabriel, played by Michael Cassidy (‘The OC’, ‘Privileged’) who takes post as the new editor of the Daily Planet.

I’m always nervous when television shows bring in new characters, because I often feel as though the newbies are somehow invading an already formulated group of characters.

Understandably, the introduction of new characters on a series is to a) mix up the existing world of the characters and b) give the writers of the show something new and different to work with when constructing story lines.

Fortunately for ‘Smallville’, they’ve never introduced a new character which I didn’t end up liking by the end of the season.

So as expected, the introduction of Kara opens up a cavalcade of new story lines and plot twists which ultimately allow Clark to learn more about his birth parents and his home planet Krypton. Thankfully, we’re also not overwhelmed by these alien story lines and are given a more grounded relationship driven story arc between Chloe and Jimmy.

Let’s face it, this show needed a new power couple, I can’t even describe how much I despise the never ending Clark and Lana lovefest.

A particularly intriguing story arc this season follows Lex’s discovery of his father, Lionel Luthor’s secret society, Veritas. A group of wealthy society figures who protect the secret of the Traveler (Clark), and ultimately hold the power to control him.

This season also hints at what’s to come in Superman’s crime fighting future, with another taste of the Justice League. We’re introduced to Dinah Lance, also know as Black Canary, played by Alaina Huffman.

Other returning guest stars this season include James Masters as Brainiac, Dean Cain as Dr. Curtis Knox, Justin Hartley as the Green Arrow and Sam Jones III as Pete Ross.

The 6-disc set comes with a couple extras including:

• Audio commentaries on 2 key episodes
• “Supergirl: The Last Daughter of Krypton” featurette
• “Jimmy on Jimmy” featurette
• “Smallville Legends: Kara and the Chronicles of Krypton” mobisodes
• “Smallville: Visions” digital comic book

Season seven is an exciting mix of intrigue, action and drama, which sets up a thrilling launch pad for season eight.

If only I didn’t have to wait a whole year for the next season to roll around on DVD.