Review: Smallville: The Complete First Season DVD
Written by Craig Byrne - KryptonSite Webmaster

In this day and age, the second a show starts to have a fan base, the big question is "when will it be on DVD?" Fans want the opportunity to be able to watch their series whenever they want to, to have any episode they want at their fingertips. And even better than that, they want it to be in the high-quality digital format so they can pause at their favorite parts or watch their favorite scenes again.

In September of this year, Warner Home Video brought us Smallville: The Complete First Season, a collection of the first season of the show. Nestled inside a very attractive DVD case, this six-disc set contains all 21 episodes from that first year. So what's the collection like? Here's a play by play of the pros, the cons, and whatever's in between:

The Pros:

The best part of this DVD, by far, is just being able to go directly to the episode you'd like without having to rummage through a bunch of videotapes. Even better than that, each episode is split into scenes, so if, say, you want to see the Lex presidential prophecy of "Hourglass," you can go right to it. The DVD design is fantastic; the opening menus rival the show's opening credits and in some ways may even surpass them. The menus, as well as a booklet inside, also contain that high standard of design, and both things even feature some never-before-seen press photos from the show's first season.

It's also a lot of fun to revisit some of those first season episodes that may not be in the immediate memory as being great, but upon watching two years later with new eyes, they're rather fun. I know, for example, that even the show's producers weren't too high on the episode "Cool"; but watching it now, it seems to be one of my favorites. Great dialogue, even some material for Pete, and -- *gasp* Lana didn't annoy me back then. It is also a lot of fun to see Clark's powers slowly develop and his early reactions to them. It's also here on these DVD's that we first see such characters as Tina Greer or Ryan James, both of whom returned the next season. It's also fun to see John Glover when he was just a guest star and any appearance was a much-welcomed added bonus.

Watching the first season also reminds me of how much I really liked Lex the first year. The producers and writers of Smallville - as well as Michael Rosenbaum - made Lex a character who was not only sympathetic, but someone that you could grow to like so much that in ways you might even like him more than Clark Kent. Watching Lex in those early episodes trying to manipulate things just so Clark can have moments with Lana, for example, are a joy and a treat.

If the Clark-Lana relationship just bugs you now, or maybe you are a fan of the couple, check out the early episodes for some very sweet moments. It seems that at that time the relationship wasn't forced upon us, but instead we just see this friendship blossom and develop. But be warned -- once Lana starts with her "You haven't forgiven Whitney" stuff or exchanging glances with Clark at Whitney's father's funeral, you'll probably be back to your old feelings. Likewise, if you're a fan of the Clark-Chloe ship, look for some of the couple's cutest moments in greats like "Hug" or "Crush."

Watching that first year you can also find a few folks who made it big very soon after their Smallville appearances. Kelly Brook ("Rogue" and others) still shows up in the papers, regardless of her talent or lack thereof; Corin Nemec ("Zero") shed his Parker Lewis persona and became a regular of Stargate: SG-1; Shawn Ashmore ("Leech") had a prominent role in "X2: X-Men United"; and Adam Brody ("Crush") is now crushing on Ryan Summer every week on FOX's The O.C.. It's also fun to see some of the people who have since sadly departed Smallville, such as Eric Johnson as Whitney, Mitchell Kosterman as Sheriff Ethan, Hiro Kanagawa as Principal Kwan, and Sarah-Jane Redmond as Aunt Nell.

The sixth disc also contains a collection of extras that were already available as part of the Canadian-only DVD release for the show. There you can find deleted scenes from the show's pilot and "Metamorphosis," including a fantastic scene of Pete visiting the Kents and a pre-"Hothead" appearance for Principal Kwan. Executive Producer Al Gough offers some fun commentary in the Kwan scene, and sums up his character in just one line there. What is the line? Watch the DVD and find out. :-)

In this set -- but not previously released -- is a trailer for Smallville full of reviews and quotes from various news outlets. If you haven't seen this promo before, it's really great. The disc also includes trailers for Tarzan and Jane and Fearless that must be outdated, considering Tarzan's name is now a bit shorter and who knows if Fearless will ever air.

Previously mentioned, but again a highlight, is the booklet that comes with the DVD, which includes passwords to get into the LuthorCorp intranet and Chloe Sullivan's Wall of Weird. Those of you who were itching to find those passwords out should be happy to find the info.

And if all else fails, there's a French language track, and you haven't lived until you've heard Jonathan Kent spout platitudes in another language.

The Cons... and yes, there are some:

To me, one of the best DVD collections has to be the series of X-Files DVD's by FOX. These sets feature a ton of individual episode trailers, and a host of other extras. FOX really does seem to be on the ball with many of their DVD collections, as their annual Simpsons sets, which feature commentaries on every episode, also are a treat. Here, we get commentaries on only the show's first two episodes -- commentaries that were done over a year ago for the Canadian-only release.

I could have sworn I read in an interview someplace that Gough and Millar did commentary for the first season finale. Am I imagnining things? Why isn't that on the set? Either way, even though I know many people involved with the show are busy, it would have been nice to have heard more. Imagine Michael Rosenbaum talking about making out with Kelly Brook in "Rogue," or hearing the producers say whether or not they noticed how gay the tie scene in "Tempest" truly was. If they're all busy, why not get Omar G. from TWOP to do a commentary? Then again, it is a family set...

I was also disappointed about the lack of more deleted scenes beyond the show's pilot, primarily because we know they're out there. What about the stuff that was cut between Michael and Kelly Brook in "Rogue," where is that? Was there more stuff, or outtakes, when Michael was on the West Wing set for "Hourglass?" How about that bit in "Stray" where Lana confronts the girl who is stealing things - was that filmed? I would have loved to have had the opportunity to see all of these things, and now surely those things will never be seen. It would also have been a treat for those people who had never seen it if the DVD had also included the show's original pilot, which featured a different Martha Kent in the form of Cythia Ettinger. Yes she was awful, but to see it would be amusing, and make us love Annette even more than we already do. Also, at least one of the original promos for the series - which featured Ettinger - had a scene where she says something about "He's searching for answers, except for from the people who love him the most." I would have enjoyed seeing that scene, in context, and it makes me wonder if there was even more stuff from the pilot somewhere in the vaults.

Yes, more promos would have been a blast, even the material with the WB Voice ("on an all-new Smallville") that airs weekly on the WB would be fun to have archived. And what about the behind-the-scenes documentaries prepared in the UK and Canada - would it have been hard to get the rights to include those on a DVD set?

In the end...

This is a fantastic set, despite the few cons, and a wonderful addition to anyone's DVD collection. If you're ever wondering why you're so into this TV show about a young Superman, watching the set can and will easily remind you. And now, about that Season 2 set... do we really have to wait another year? Anxiously awaiting more....

Note: The views of Craig Byrne don't necessarily represent the thoughts and feelings of everyone at KryptonSite. And if you haven't gotten the set yet, what are you waiting for? Click on the button to get it from Amazon.com and help support KryptonSite at the same time:

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