Rewatching Season Two of Smallville

Season two of Smallville. From tornadoes to deaths to destinies and beyond, this season is chock full of Clark and his friends growing up amongst really weird situations. The stakes are higher, the storylines bigger, and everything gets a little less black and white.

2×01 Vortex

• It’s so incredibly hard to believe a house would just do easily fall on top of Jonathan and Nixon and not have them be super harmed.
• John Glover is now in the title sequence! I think watching it for the first time I stretch of wanted him to be dead but knew it wasn’t going to happen.
• I love how honest Lex is with Clark, telling him all about how he hesitated before saving his dad. I’m not sure who else Lex has ever been this vulnerable with.
• Jonathan thanking Lex for saving his life is like the first nice thing he’s ever said to him.
• It’s just absurd how these characters waffle between thinking Clark is something more and just a Kansas farm boy. Make up your minds.

2×02 Heat

• That opening song is such a classic 2000s punk song and I love it.
• Heat vision is hella awesome. Too bad you have to think of sex to use it.
• The bitch literally set Lex on fire and he suffers no manor burns or scarring from it. Hmmm okay.
• I feel like this whole episode can be used in fanfiction as an explanation for Clark being gay. He can’t be seduced by Desiree and him saying she wasn’t his type is like the perfect cocktail for a coming out story. But maybe that’s just me.

Best quotes:

“Hello. Hi, I’m Clark, I’m the kid who can lift up tractors and see through walls.”

“Great. So I’m maturing into a fire starter?”

“Lucky for us, Clark Kent seems to be immune to some members of the opposite sex.”

2×03 Duplicity

• I feel like the whole storyline with Pete learning Clark’s secret backfired.
• I hate how Lana and Chloe are always like annoyed with a Clark for not being open with them. Do I wish he would open up more to some people? Yes. But at the same time if someone’s not comfortable don’t shame them for not being okay with spilling their secrets. Be there for them regardless.

Best quotes:

“Every Arthur needs his Merlin.”

2×04 Red

• Red K Clark is literally the best thing this show has ever done.
• How does Clark even know how to drive a motorcycle? Seriously didn’t he just like turn 16?
• Is this the first Lana and Clark kiss on the show?
• I’m just so overwhelmed how Clark wanted to run away with Lex, just the two of them against the world. Like honestly. I’m sorry. My little shipper heart still clings to their chemistry even though I knew it would never be canon.
• I’m not the biggest Lana fan, but the way she didn’t let Clark off the hook for what happened this episode was great. Granted, it doesn’t last, but still. She doesn’t always just sit down and accept Clark messing with everyone’s feelings.

Best quotes:

“Clark would have to be on drugs to be on drugs.”

“Clark Kent and Lex Luthor. I like the sound of that.”

2×05 Nocturne

• Poor Byron, being forced to live in the cellar. Like it’s just so sad and disheartening that he’s had to live like that. His powers are dangerous, I’ll give you that, but that’s not an excuse to lock him up in a cellar for the rest of his life.
• Lex quoting John Donne to Lana was…kind of creepy?
• The undercurrent of a possible connection between a Martha and Lionel has always been kind of weird for me? Mostly because I can never decide exactly how I feel about Lionel.
• Chloe is secretly totally loving all this tension between Clark and Lana.

2×06 Redux

• Man all those muffins Martha baked looked so good.
• Beyond creepy when Krissy says he’ll be with the other ones who live inside her forever.
• Why can’t Clark butt out of people’s business? If Jonathan and his grandfather don’t want to get along, stop forcing the situation.

2×07 Lineage

• You think with all the meteor shit that happened in Smallville that small town or not the Kents would lock their door.
• Why do Clark and Chloe fights always make me emotional?
• I just don’t understand why the Kents never told Clark about the details of his adoption. It would have given Clark a lot more context into why they were wary about the Luthors.

2×08 Ryan

• Baby Ryan is back!!! This episode makes me equal parts happy and sad.
• This poor kid has been through so much in his life.
• I love how everyone’s secrets come to light when Ryan is around! Pete being terrified of telling Clark’s secret, Lana leaving for Metropolis, Martha keeping something from her family…
• It’s kind of annoying how these kids are literally just KIDS, and yet they’re all like moving doesn’t feel right so I’m not gonna go. You’re a literal child, your guardian is moving to Metropolis with her fiancé. What gives you the right to just decide you don’t want to go? Hell, my parents moved me to a completely different STATE. You just go with it. No need to be a brat about it and look into child emancipation laws.
• The Warrior Angel/Divilicus parallels are unnervingly wonderful.
• Ryan’s Death is one of the most upsetting things this show has ever done. But I guess they had to enforce that Clark can’t save everyone.

2×09 Dichotic

• Oh hello evil Jonathan Taylor Thomas.
• Oh no not Helen Bryce! I hated that woman! Ugh who asked her to screw up Lex’s life!
• Higher math and I don’t seem to get along either, Lana.
• The words “page me” literally came out of Ian’s mouth. Oh man that made me laugh. Guess that’s what you get for a season that was released in 2002.
• I’m just trying to figure out how Ian thought he could date best friends who live together and not be found out.

Best quotes:

“Mi casa es su casserole.”

2×10 Skinwalker

• Look, I’ve tried to get into this episode, but I don’t like the exploitation of Native American themes. This Kawatche cave is supposed to be Native American, instead it ends up being all about Clark. Then the whole skinwalker thing is a very private Navajo legend and it makes light of their legend, especially given the fact a skinwalker is usually a witch who transforms into an animal with the intent to maliciously harm.
• Aaaand more parallels to a Clark and Lex with Naman and Sageeth.

2×11 Visage

• Lana represents all of us staring at Clark with his white wet t-shirt.
• Well at least I can’t say this was a boring way to wrap up Whitney’s storyline. Especially since it wasn’t technically Whitney at all.
• Look at Helen trying to pretend she isn’t working with Lionel.  No one believes you, sweetie.
• Kinda shitty how they did Tina the lesbian obsessed with Lana wrong the way they did.

2×12 Insurgence

• Martha is married, Lionel. Stop trying to weasel your way into her life so you can learn Clark’s secrets.
• I can’t believe Lex just stood up to Jonathan like that. Damn.
• It’s like a bad comedy with everyone pointing their guns at each other.
• At least Henry’s wife is thinking about Lana’s feelings and trying to be a decent human being.
• I never fail to wonder just exactly how far Metropolis is from Smallville. Sometimes it seems like it’s like 7 hours away, other times it seems like a short drive away. But you know that’s a TV show for you, they bend time to fit their storyline and expect you to just accept it.

2×13 Suspect

• I had forgotten who shot Lionel and then it total shocked me that it was the sheriff. I forgot how they got rid of Ethan and then brought in Sheriff Adams. Man the things you forget when you haven’t watched season two in years!
• I just really can’t believe the lengths Lionel goes to in order to undermine his son. Like honestly sorry he is more popular in Smallville than you. Take your unethical sights somewhere else.

2×14

• After the last Lana and Clark disaster date why would she agree to another one with him? Isn’t it funny that every time they try Clark is on red k?
• Yes, Clark. Bring Chloe to the scene of the crime so she can get attacked by the alien parasite too.
• Dear gods Chloe with that lollipop is…something.
• I’m so pissed Clark revealed his powers to Chloe only for her to lose all her memory after the parasite. Like seriously. That’s annoying.

Best quotes:

“You’re the cunning linguist. Why don’t you translate this: kiss my ass.”

“For a boy who has all the money in the world, you think he could afford a good toupee.”

2×15 Prodigal

• Hey Paul Wesley! With your original Polish last name that you used before you were famous!
• I’m betting Lionel got his sight back after he was shot, but who really knows anymore.

2×16 Fever

• Martha’s magical spaceship pregnancy is revealed!
• Jonathan never should have let Helen take a sample of Clark’s blood.
• That scene with Chloe was so heartbreaking. She is literally pouring her heart out to him in a letter and he says “Lana”. Damn.
• You’re telling me no one inside or outside the hospital saw that ship come to life? They didn’t wonder about the bright light it gave out that saved Martha?
• Lol that Talon mix is a real cd. Of which I owned.

Best quotes:

All of Chloe’s letter. And her little speech of an unconscious Clark beforehand.

2×17 Rosetta

• That is literally the most annoying buzzing sound I have ever heard.
• I’m so happy that this episode was the start of people who’ve been in other Superman adaptations guest starring on the show. It really lets you know they care about the Superman legacy.
• Finally we learn about his origins! I mean I obviously knew being a Superman fan but still. It’s nice the show can now talk about Krypton and such.

2×18 Visitor

• I kind of fell asleep watching this episode so…oops? So was Cyrus just another meteor freak or was he actually something more? I’m too lazy to go back and watch it over again to fill in the blanks.

2×19 Precipice

• I was just wondering a few episodes ago if Lana ever feels unsafe closing the Talon by herself at night because the possibility of being raped and I totally forgot about this episode. Guess I got my answer.
• Sheriff Adams!!!!! I freaking love that woman!
• I love that Lana decided to learn how to fight and reclaim control instead of just relying on Clark to come to her rescue.

2×20 Witness

• Oh dang. I didn’t remember those guys literally threw Clark into a fire and he walked out of it.
• Okay I take back anything nice I said about Jennifer Small. Not cool, lady.
• I wish Lionel had stayed away from Chloe. Honestly. What a trash human being.
• I hate how Lana says Chloe and Clark have been friends forever. Season two is set their sophomore year of high school. He says he met her in 8th grade. So they’ve only been friends for like two years. So no, not forever.

2×21 Accelerate

• Nice job playing Avril Lavigne while Lana and Clark are finally deciding they want to be together.

2×22 Calling

• Wow that beginning scene with Lana and Clark is suuuuper cheesy.
• Lex wanted to be a sort of the Kent family so badly! He wanted that perfect family that he never had. Excuse me while I go cry.
• Lol did Lana and Clark really think they could hide their relationship from Chloe? Bad move, guys.

2×23 Exodus

• That bitch Helen should have just gotten in the car and never looked back, then she couldn’t have tried to kill Lex and ruin everyone’s lives.
• I am kind of floored that Jonathan changed his opinion so rapidly of Lex enough to give him the Kent family traditional compass.
• I’m actually genuinely upset that Martha lost the baby. I mean we all are but still.
• I mean seriously. This is like the third time Lana and Clark have tried to be together this season and the third time he’s taken red k.
• I’m so disappointed in Chloe. Seriously. Like, just because you’re mad doesn’t mean you should team up with the devil to investigate Clark.
• It never made sense to me why the AI Jor-El had a British accent. But what do I know. Maybe they can have different accents in different parts of Krypton.

All in all, I think this season was better than the first. It was less just storylines about meteor freaks, and more about Clark discovering his past, who he is, clues about his future, and beyond. His friends are getting their own time to shine, learning things they never knew before, and brand new deceptions begin to unfurl. Overall, this season is about a 7/10. I have to definitely give Ryan the award for best episode of the season, although Rosetta comes in a close second for bringing in the Superman mythos into the show. Ryan was haunting, emotional, and beautiful in more ways than one. My least favourite episode was kind of hard to pick, because none of them really jumped out at me for being horrible. I guess I would have to choose Skinwalker because I wasn’t too keen on the idea of these supposed Native American caves actually being all about Krypton and its people.

Can’t wait to get started on season three. It is one of my favourites. Season two left off with Clark leaving on red k, so let’s see where he ends up.