My Thoughts On Season 3

[JB1986]

I think the best way to sum up Season 3 is that it's a whirlwind. This has always been one of my favorite seasons, right up there with seasons 5 and 6. So far in my rewatching of the series adventure, Season 3 definately took the least amount of time. I started it on a Tuesday, and finished on a Friday. Let's just say it kept me hooked. Personally, I am a huge fan of the darker turn the show took this season. I have absolutely no complaints to make about this season. Okay, the episode "Velocity" wasn't all that great, neither was "Magnetic," but they are at least tolerable. The essentially two part premiere of "Exile" and "Phoenix" got season 3 of to an amazing start. Both of those episodes are just flat-out stunners. Chloe's "deal with the devil" with Lionel Luthor was so well done, and I love that they gave Chloe something more interesting to do than do research and mope about Clark and Lana with that storyline. Pete got short-shifted a little bit, but alas I was sort of happy when he left. I like Pete and all, but he did grate on me slightly towardsthe end of the season. Also, just as a personal preference, I much prefer the Clark-Chloe interaction that began in season 5. I even dug the Adam Knight storyline. At least it made Lana whine about Clark a little less. You know, until she began with the "secrets and lies" crap. Man, she's like a broken record. Johnathan's storyline was heartbreaking to watchm whatwith his heart problems. It's made all the worse by having the knowledge of what's to come later on in the show. Who seriously didn't gasp at the end of "Hereafter" when Clark found Johnathan lying on the ground? And Lex had such an amazing storyline this year. "Shattered" was truly a tour de force performance by Michael Rosenbaum. From beginning to end he was perfect in that episode. Tom Welling was amazing this season as well, but I am going to give the MVP award this season to Michael. Other favorite episodes include "Extinction," "Slumber," "Perry," "Relic," "Delete," "Obsession," "Crisis," "Legacy," "Truth," and "Covenant." The episode "Memoria" holds the honor of being my second favorite episode of the entire series. This episode is simply phenomenal, and the ending between Clark and Martha always makes me cry. All in all, this was an amazing season, and certainly a favorite of mine. :D

[Supsfan]

I am currently on a rewatch and just finished Forsaken. To be honest I have to say it's the worst of the first 3 seasons. I just didn't like the tone of the season in general.

Positives
- the Lex and Lionel storyline was the strongest for both in any season
- one of the better finals for any season

Negatives
- Clark seems to have a strained relationship with everybody at some point and it gets straining that it hard to see him be happy for more then one scene here or there
- Clana takes a real bad turn around Shattered, which lasted till the end of the season
- As much as I liked the Lex vs Lionel storyline to often it took away to much focus from Clark and at times I didn't even care for turns in that storyline(mainly I could have done without the amnesia arc)
- I rate Exile the worst season opener ever, so the season already started off on a bad note

- the secondary characters besides Lex, Lionel and lesser degree Chloe had bad storylines

Adam Knight/Lana
Jonathon makes a deal with Jor-el
Lana wants to go to Paris
Pete was practically non existant and in Velocity I wish he was non existant
Didn't like the turn for Dr Swann in Legacy
Helen Bryce, hated what they did to her in Exile
In general, it just seemed like this was the first season that Clark's importance was reduced for other characters(although I will admit this got progressively worse as each season went on) and the storylines for Clark in general seemed to put him in alot of situations where we see him depressed/upset about stuff going on in his life. I don't think it was the strongest season overall for Clark, but if somebody a fan of Lex, Lionel or Chloe I can see enjoying this season a bit more then the first couple.

[vyperman7]

Sups,

That is actually a fair review and you make some good points. Clark should be the main focus on the show and as much as I loved the Lex/Lionel storyline it does put Clark in the background. I also agree that Clana was unbearable this season and the Lana going to Paris storyline did seem to come out of nowhere. The thing that I hate about Legacy is how Swann gets the key and it is never explained. I also agree that it makes Swann look like a shady character and I didn't care for that either. I think that it would have been better in regards to Helen if they had her come back at some point. I really would have liked to see both her and Lucas return. Finally, have you noticed that anytime a character learns Clark's secret they become less interesting? Pete started to contribute less and less after Duplicity and was practically non-existant in S3 as you pointed out, Lana played house with Clark in S7, and Chloe became Clark's sidekick/hacker for hire.

Still though, it is my favorite season. Even though the main storyline did sideline Clark so to speak, it was the best overall arc of the show IMO. Plus, there were some truly fantastic eps in this season.

[Supsfan]

That is actually a fair review and you make some good points. Clark should be the main focus on the show and as much as I loved the Lex/Lionel storyline it does put Clark in the background

For arguement sake Lex vs Lionel was better then alot of other season storyarcs(Stones comes to mind, Clexana even more), but in the big picture that has minimal effect how I rate seasons unless I find the season long storyarc a real hinderance to the season(Clexana being the best example).


Lana going to Paris storyline did seem to come out of nowhere

It's sort of funny she spent more time talking about going to Paris, then she actually spent time on screen in Paris. I think what makes that storyline so annoying as opposed to when you first watch it, is you know where they going with it in S4(there is many episodes during the entire run of the show, that lose marks when I see how the season plays out because I just know where the storyline is leading up to), grant you one of the strong points of S3 was it finished up strong(Truth - Covenant) which probably makes it the only season that can claim that so the Lana goes to Paris was a minor annoyance.


The thing that I hate about Legacy is how Swann gets the key and it is never explained. I also agree that it makes Swann look like a shady character and I didn't care for that either.

From my understanding they had a big arc for Dr Swann planned for S4 that was scrapped due to CR dieing(I am guessing he was somehow going to be linked to the stones storyline, I also heard they might have made him Jor-El)


Finally, have you noticed that anytime a character learns Clark's secret they become less interesting? Pete started to contribute less and less after Duplicity

I didn't mind the use of Pete in S2, although they could of have used him a lil more as a sounding board for Clark on occasion.


Lana played house with Clark in S7, and Chloe became Clark's sidekick/hacker for hire

Can't say I was a fan of either of these. Basically anybody who is in on his secret should be used like the Kents were those early seasons(a sounding board for stuff going on in his personal life)


Still though, it is my favorite season. Even though the main storyline did sideline Clark so to speak, it was the best overall arc of the show IMO. Plus, there were some truly fantastic eps in this season.

In terms of ST Clark still was getting 20+ minutes so no complaints on that front, but as I pointed out above I usually get turned off by plots that involve Clark being depressed/upset. S1 + 2 for me just had more light hearted moment for Clark and he seemed generally happier. S4 more then any other I also thought put Clark in a happy positive light(then it became a soap opera in S5)

As for fantastic eps, I know I am polar opposite to most people in terms of how good Exile was, and while I liked the Lex centric eps alot(Memoria, Shattered, Asylum) none are really top of my list worthy(Onyx is probably my fav Lex centric episode of the series). Perry and to a lesser degree Obsession are my S3 favs. On the negative side besides Exile, I really disliked Relic, and Magnetic, Velocity and Resurrection don't rank that high either. The rest of the epsiodes seemed to rank from average to good

[SmallvillesBiggestFan]

ugh! I thought I was the only one who hated Relic. I cant even watch it in the my rewatch marathon for the summer. Also a popular fav i dont care for is memoria. It has some really nice moments, but Lex flashbacks jut sorta bore me. Very good moments between Lex and Chloe and Lex and Lionel tho.

In season 3, I love the Lex/Lionel shenanigans. Lana bugs me. I have a problem understanding the Lex insanity line. Was he being poisoned or was he naturally loosing it because the timing doesnt work out. Why would Lionel have started drugging him. He didnt know the "secret" untlil later.

Season 3 is my favorites season, followed by Season 2, then prolly season 9...gotta wait to see for sure when it comes out on DVD.

[Supsfan]

ugh! I thought I was the only one who hated Relic

Relic to me just felt like a convulted reason for TPTB to get Tom and Kristin to do and say everything Clana shippers wanted to see, but they couldn't because 2 episodes later Clana goes to hell. The whole Lana's aunt being an adulterer why Jor-El was a willing participant didn't really do Clark's dad any favors.