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Rating:  -
Dear Amazon,
I placed an order for When Genius Failed by Roger Lowenstein at the same time I ordered Smallville - The Complete Fourth Season.
I have a complaint not with the seller but with you. I purchased the book When Genius Failed: The Rise and Fall of Long-Term Capital Management by Roger Lowenstein from (I assumed) Amazon on line for $49.95 plus shipping ($53.44) but when I got the book the price on the book was $26.95. Why such a big price difference? I didn't realize I was getting it from a private party plus it took a month to get it.
I was satisfied with the product and delivery of Smallville.
Rating:  -
I don't like TV. But I love Smallville.
Speaking as someone with an degree in literature and composition, I can say that Miller and Gough have created and written one of the most interesting shows on television. Seasons one through three reminded me not just that I love superman, but the idea of superman.
Season 4 however, has been somewhat of a disapointment. The WB makes their money in doing young-adult television (for example, it's always the high school kid who scoops the big story, fights crime, etc. while the adults are notably absent). This element still remains, and Clark's parent's refer to his superpowers as "abilities", which is easily negotiable to the young adult mind as talents or gifts that are useful to society (pounding the message that we are "supermen" with abilities of our own to contribute)
However, season 4 is not as nuanced as the first 3. There were several refrences to Nitzche's "Beyond Good and Evil" where he talks about "super man" that Dostoyevsky later deals with in Crime and Punishment (and by the way, that is the character Lex is playing). That element seems to have vanished. I understand that magic is something that is dealt with in the comics, but the whole possession thing with Lana is not only somewhat inane but is disturbing. It is as though the writers or the network (or both) keep looking for excuses to "liberate" sexually a character we all fell in love with as an unassuming kansas girl (also, the addition of Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman as a rival "witch" from 400 years ago is also completly out of place)
Also, where did the story go? The only Superman mythos that is dealt with is about the rocks with the kryptonian symbols, and finding them is not interesting enough to keep me going through 20 episodes. If you were ever a kid looking for arrow heads in your backyard, you've already lived the meat of this season.
I loved season three. Season five the story picks back up. Pick and choose the episodes you watch from this season so that you don't waste your time.
Rating:  -
I am currently studying in Oulu, Finland on study abroad and I got the first two seasons of Smallville for christman right before I came. I think I stayed glued to my comp. watching them for about 6 days straight. Once I finished I knew I had to get the 3rd and 4th season so I went on the interenet. Amazon was the first place to come up and they even got shipped 5 days earlier than the expected earliest date. If you haven't seen the series you'll soon be addicted.
Rating:  -
I have always enjoyed watching the Smallville series. Season 4 adds another insight with the entry of Louis Lane. Her presence brings about more suspense to the reluctant relationship between Clark and Lana. Will they ever be together or would Clark ends up with Ms Lane though there is no such sign yet? However, prepare to be disappointed with the TBC ending.
Rating: -
The introduction of Lois Lane, a key player in the Superman saga, marked the beginning of the fourth season of Smallville, and from there, the story of a teenage Clark Kent just got more and more interesting, leading up to the season finale that kept people guessing until the start of the new season this past fall.
Clark Kent (Tom Welling) grew up on a farm in Smallville, Kansas with his parents Jonathan (John Schneider) and Martha (Annette O'Toole). It became quickly obvious that this boy was different and Smallville tracks the life of Clark and his family and friends as he tries to navigate the corridors of high school, all the while hiding super powers from his closest friends.
In the opening minutes of the season, it is three months after the season three finale, where explosions and poisonings were just part of the action. Clark has been "away" answering the call of his birth father Jor-El. He returns to earth, causing Lois to drive off the road into a cornfield to discover him, naked, and not knowing where he is or who he is. From there, Clark's year got even more interested. He joined the football team and kept his powers in check on the field. He got offered a full-ride to Metropolis University for football, but turned it down when he realized how hard it would be to do the same thing on the big stage. He helped Lois (Guest star Erica Durance) solve the mystery of the apparent death of her cousin Chloe (Allison Mack) and dated a girl (the achingly gorgeous Sarah Carter) who tried to kill both he and Lana a year earlier. All in all, it was an interesting season for Clark, who found himself in the Arctic as the season ended, after reuniting three ancient stones in their slots in the caves.
The love of Clark's life, Lana Lang (Kristin Kreuk) also had an interesting year. She began the season in Paris, studying at art school and meeting Jason (Jensen Ackles), a fellow American she began dating. When a mysterious tatoo appears on her body while researching an ancient witch, she finds herself drawn back to Smallville to find out just what has happened. The tatoo mystery grows deeper as Jason and his mother (guest star Jane Seymour) appear to be much more than just what they appear. Lana and Clark go to China in search of one of the ancient stones, and find Jason already there with the same goal in mind. As the season draws to a close, Lana kills Jason's mom with one of the stones, and seemingly causing another meteor shower to hit Smallville.
Lex Luthor (Michael Rosenbaum) was poisoned as the previous season came to a close and finds himself, still recovering, in Egypt searching for one of the ancient stones that play such a prevalent role in this season. He finds one and spends much of the season looking for others, all the while competing with his father Lionel (John Glover) for these artifacts. Lionel was in jail when the season started and through a freak accident, switches bodies with Clark and learns of the youngster's secrets. The two Luthors both search for the ancient stones, but it is Clark who finally reunites them where they belong.
Chloe is presumed dead when the season begins. In the final moments of season three, her safe house exploded. She was set to testify against Lionel in a trial and viewers are left to expect that Lionel killed her to get away. Clark and Lois find her, safely hidden by Lex, who wants desparately to put his father away. Chloe becomes a keeper of Clark's secret later in the season, though he doesn't find out about her knowledge until the start of season five. She is also a key player in reintroducing Clark to the world when he has yet another bout of amnesia later in the season.
Martha and Jonathan Kent continue to mentor their son, teaching him to use his powers for good and raising him to the best of their abilities. One of the highlights, or at least funniest parts of the season, is when Martha's body is inhabited by a cheerleader and she dances around the house singing La La by Ashlee Simpson. As the season draws to a close, the Kents say goodbye to Clark as another meteor shower approaches and they know that they may never see their son again, but also know they have equipped him to make the right choices wherever he chooses to go.
This show is one of my favorites and even in the Thursday time slot it was moved to in this season, it still flourished. I was definitely happy to see this set hit stores and am excited for the fifth season, which should be released later this year. This set had a couple of commentary tracks, a great feature about playing Lois Lane (although Teri Hatcher is profiled, she wasn't interviewed, which was kind of a disappointment), and a look into the writers' room.
All told, this was another well-done set in the Smallville series. The show continues to entertain and the powers that be continue to release great sets.
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