Smallville pilot. Man, it’s a trip!
It starts with that crazy meteor shower in ’89. Little Lana’s there with her aunt, watching her parents get wiped out. Talk about a gut punch right off the bat.
Meanwhile, the Kents are driving when this spaceship nearly takes them out. They find baby Clark, and Martha’s all googly-eyed. Jonathan’s hesitant, but you can see he’s already falling for the little guy. Just decide to keep him right then and there. (is that legal?) Talk about a wild start, right?
Fast forward to 2001, and Clark’s this tall, awkward teenager. There’s this great scene where he’s daydreaming about playing football, just demolishing everyone on the field. But reality hits, and he’s back to being the shy farm boy.
We meet his buddies, Chloe and Pete. Chloe’s running the school paper, all about that “Wall of Weird” – tracking all the freaky stuff that’s happened since the meteor shower. Pete’s the loyal sidekick type.
Now, Lana. Clark’s got it bad for her, but he can’t get close because of her Kryptonite necklace. It’s her connection to her dead parents, but it’s Kryptonite, so Clark gets all weak-kneed around her. Talk about a cosmic joke, right?
The big turning point is when Clark saves Lex Luthor. Lex is driving like a maniac (on his flip phone), hits Clark on this bridge, and they both go into the river. Clark rips the roof off the car, saves Lex, and boom – a legendary friendship/rivalry is born. Lex is all confused about how he survived, and you just know this is gonna be a thing.
We get introduced to the whole “scarecrow” tradition. The jocks string up a freshman in a cornfield every year. Turns out, Jeremy Creek was the victim back in ’89. He got all electrified from the meteor rocks and now he’s back, zapping people left and right.
There’s this whole subplot with Lex trying to butter up the Kents. He sends Clark this sweet truck, but Jonathan’s having none of it. You can see the tension between the salt-of-the-earth Kents and the slick, rich Luthors.
Throughout all this, Clark’s trying to figure out who he is. There’s this great scene in the loft – his “Fortress of Solitude” – where he’s talking to his parents about being adopted, about being different. It’s heavy stuff, but it really shows the heart of the show.
Things come to a head at the homecoming dance. Whitney, Lana’s boyfriend, strings Clark up as the scarecrow. Lex finds him, and there’s this moment where you see Lex isn’t all bad. Then Clark’s off to save the day, stopping Jeremy from frying everyone at the dance.
In the end, Clark’s watching the dance from afar, all broody and heroic. And Lex? He’s in his castle, obsessing over the accident. You just know these two are on a collision course.
What really stuck with me was how they nailed Clark’s outsider status. He’s got these amazing powers, but he’s still this awkward teen trying to fit in. And the way they set up all these relationships – Clark and Lana, Clark and Lex, the Kents and the Luthors – it’s all there from the get-go.
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There’s a ton of foreshadowing and Superman symbols sprinkled throughout the episode. Let me break it down for you.
First off, the color scheme. Clark’s constantly rocking red and blue. It’s subtle, but once you notice it, you can’t unsee it. His red jacket and blue shirt combo? Classic Superman colors right there.
Then there’s Clark’s “Fortress of Solitude” in the barn loft. It’s not the ice palace we’re used to, but it’s a clear nod to Superman’s future hideout.
There’s also this blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment where you see a copy of the “Warrior Angel” comic in Lex’s mansion. It’s not the Superman logo, but it’s clearly a stand-in for superhero comics in the Smallville universe.
And how about Lana’s necklace? It’s not exactly the Superman symbol, but it’s got that similar shape. Plus, it’s Kryptonite, so it’s doubly significant.
The whole meteor shower origin story is a clever twist on Superman’s arrival to Earth. Instead of just one ship, they’ve got this whole event that affects the entire town.
Man, now that I think about it, this episode is packed with these little nods and winks to Superman lore. It’s like they’re saying, “Hey, we know where this is going, but we’re gonna have fun getting there.”
I hope I have this much fun the whole series.
Looking forward to diving into episode 2 next week. It’ll be cool to see how they build on all the groundwork they laid in the pilot. We can check out how Clark’s relationships develop, especially with Lex and Lana. Plus, I’m curious to see what new meteor freak they’ll introduce.
