Smallville: Complete Seventh Season

Reviewed by:
Gene Newman

The Skinny: We can't believe we still watch this show after seven seasons, but they keep doing it right. It's clearly lost a lot of steam and often relies too heavily on typical teen bull crap, but it still has a fun spirit grounded in reality that keeps our superhero dreams alive. We're just wondering how long they can draw it out before Clark Kent has to become full-fledged Superman. Even the original 90210 had to stop once the characters were a few years shy of social security benefits.

Most Shameless Product Placement Ever: Smallville has always been pathetic when it comes to shilling products, but this season bases an entire episode ("Hero") on meteor-infected Stride gum.

The Great: The best addition to the show this season is the outrageously perfect Laura Vandervoort as Kara (a.k.a. Supergirl). This blonde bombshell, with the sweetest face and tightest body, takes a character we always thought of as a joke and commands the screen whenever she appears.

The Good: Lionel and Lex Luthor continue to dominate the show, proving that a superhero tale is only as good as its villains; Tom Welling is a great Superman because he's not trying to be Christopher Reeve; along with Supergirl, this show is still packed with some of the hottest women on TV (second only to Friday Night Lights).

The Bad: They skimp on the Justice League subplots that were built up so well in season six; it's clear some of the original cast members are ready to bounce and do something else…until they fail and beg for their part back in a few years; there's a drawn-out origins story involving a shady Da Vinci Code–like organization called Veritas, which has supposedly been tracking Superman; Lana Lang may be hot, but she's really, really annoying.

Best Extra: "Supergirl: The Last Daughter of Krypton" featurette gives us more Vandervoort. That's all we really need.

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