Michael Rosenbaum as Lex Luthor, Tom Welling as Clark Kent in SMALLVILLE's "Vortex"
© WB

Mania Grade: A-
Reviewed Format: TV Show Second Season Premiere
Network: WB
Original Airdate: Sept. 24th, 2002; 9:00 p.m. EST
Cast: Tom Welling, Kristin Kreuk, Michael Rosenbaum, Sam Jones III, Allison Mack, John Schneider
Executive Producers: Alfred Gogh, Miles Millar, Mike Tollin, Brian Robbins, Joe Davola
Writers: Alfred Gogh, Miles Millar (story); Philip Levens (teleplay)
Director: Greg Beeman

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SMALLVILLE "Vortex"

The second season of what can affectionately be referred to as "The Young Superman Chronicles," a.k.a. SMALLVILLE, kicked off with a proverbial bang last night with the natural disaster inspired "Vortex." Picking up where the cliffhanger season one finale left off, Clark and Lana found themselves caught in the eye of a deadly tornado tearing its way through town, Lex held the life of his controlling father in his hands, Jonathan was in hot pursuit of a reporter who "had the goods" on Clark's superpowers, and Martha found herself trapped in the storm cellar with an alien spacecraft showing signs of life. Pretty intense stuff, huh? It's as if the show's creators intentionally wrote themselves into a corner by having an entire season's worth of plotlines come to a head, leaving the viewer to wonder how so many loose ends could be tied up without bringing the series to a close altogether? Quite expertly, this reporter is here to tell you.

Perhaps the addition of SUPERMAN comic book scribe Jeph Loeb in a consulting producer capacity is to blame, but fans of the Man of Steel were finally given answers to a number of their most burning questions, while at the same time teased with a whole new "can of worms." Toward the end of the first season, fans expressed concern over how a show centering on the "will they, won't they" relationship of a young Clark Kent and Lana Lang, along with those same two characters' relationship with Lex Luthor, could last. Especially considering how it is common knowledge that the young couple does eventually "hook up" and the two pseudo-friends eventually come to blows. Add to the mix the annoying "kryptonite monster of the week" storylines that plagued most of the show's first season, and it looked as if SMALLVILLE had a definite shelf life.

But all of these concerns were belayed in "Vortex." The episode managed to excel in the one area that a season premiere should: setting up the theme for the next eight months. So what, exactly, is that theme(s)? By hurling himself into the twister in his successful bid to save Lana's life, Clark "exposed" his super-secret to the very woman he loves. And while Lana is suffering from your standard "post secret identity discovery amnesia" (actually, it's just that her recollection of the incident is a bit fuzzy seeing how she was hurled hundreds of feet into the air), images of Clark soaring through the air coming to her rescue keep popping into her head. Regardless, she is very much aware that "that boy is hiding something."

Michael Rosenbaum as Lex Luthor, Tom Welling as Clark Kent in SMALLVILLE's "Vortex"

© WB

(NOTE: Since last season's finale, this reporter has been arguing that the twister would be used as the mechanism by which viewers would catch the much-clamored for glimpse of a flying Superman, without betraying the "no flights, no tights" rule established at the start of the series. In fact, when the subject was broached with the series' creators at a convention last summer, this reporter was met with laughter. Now it is clear the laughter was of the nervous variety, rather then laughter at the expense of my prediction.)

Additionally, the "bad guy" that fans know exists within Lex managed to come out in full force with this episode. Not only does the character actually contemplate letting his father die at the hands of the storm, but he shoots and kills the very reporter (played by Tom O'Brien) he hired to track down information on the Kents all in an effort to save Jonathan's life, of course. Throw into the mix the web of lies he continues to weave in his relationship with Clark and it becomes obvious that his transition into a full-fledged villain is truly beginning, setting the stage for much more treachery in the upcoming season.

Giving the adult characters their due, "Vortex" also plays into the overwhelming fear haunting both Jonathan and Martha the fear of what could happen to their son should the world discover his abilities. The lengths they will go to in order to protect him demonstrates their limitless love, but also borders on crossing the strict code of ethics they've instilled in Clark. And speaking of love, it looks like a new triangle has developed for the season (now that Lana's boyfriend Whitney is out of the picture) between Clark, Lana, and the "hard crushing" Chloe. Distraught over her and Clark's decision to "just be friends" a concept she threw out as a test to see how the boy would react her inability to delete digital photos of the two at a school dance eludes to the fact that the "will they, won't they" theme may crossover to include her character as well.

Oh, and did I mention that Clark's spaceship, the craft that delivered the young Kryptonian to this planet years earlier, was ripped from the Kent storm cellar as a result of the tornado and is now lost somewhere in a Kansas cornfield? Who may find it and what secrets they will uncover as a result remain to be seen.

So as you can see, "Vortex" managed to cover a good deal of ground in one mere hour of programming enough to set the stage for a slew of entertaining stories to last the season. It gave the series a new lease on life and provided a more specific tease as to exactly how these characters will get to where we know them today. And it did so without using one kryptonite-inspired freak. That's a good thing!