Two Ladies & Their TVs

We love our shows so much we created a blog for it.

Smallville, season 4

Maybe R is right that "Smallville," the pre-Superman lore about Clark Kent's exploits in Smallville (hah), Kansas, may have jumped the shark.

The show isn't targeted at my age group (it IS on the WB, after all), but how can a geek like me resist anything connected with sci-fi superheros? So, I've been faithfully watching this show from day one. They've taken a few liberties with expanding the Superman mythos, but nothing that contradicts the basic premises, as the "Superman" movies provided us with very little information about Clark Kent's background before Metropolis. But, I may have to draw the line now that they've added magic into the mix. And when magic in a sci-fi show defeats the sci-fi, well, there's something wrong with that.

Last episode, they introduced the "Mxyzptlk" character, who is supposed to be a being from the 5th dimension who occasionally shows up to play pranks on Superman. From my research, he is a character developed by DC Comics. (Since DC Comics is what started Superman, they do have the monopoly on what is accepted in the Superman universe.) Point being, as Mxyzptlk is a DC Comics creation and a being with unexplanable powers, I can accept the fact his powers can affect Superman.

But, in today's eppy, Lana Lang, Lois Lane (Lois showing up before Metropolis? that's an issue in and of itself), and Chloe Sullivan (a high school friend of Clark's and a character developed for the TV show) were possessed by French witches from the 16th century and whooped Clark Kent into submission with their magic, at one point depriving him of his "powers" altogether. Further, these witches, before they were burned at the stake, were on a quest to obtain Kryptonian crystals that could help them dominate the world. We're talking about witches who use ingredients to make potions and who cast spells. In a sci-fi show? Needing Kryptonian crystals to strengthen their powers? "Stripping" Clark Kent of his "powers" when his powers come from the fact he's Kryptonian living on Earth, which has a gravity much weaker than that of Krypton?

See my problem here? What is it, science or magic? I know science fiction and fantasy are often categorized together, but they are distinct genres. Science and magic, the respective themes, operate on totally different realms. When a show starts mixing the laws of physics with magic, I can't buy it. It's about as wrong as having a vampire from "Buffy" show up in a "Star Trek" episode the ST crew starts dusting/staking them instead of using phasers, and I'm not even talking about Holodeck simulations. Or something equally bizarro. Maybe I'm a purist, but science and magic are supposed to be mutually exclusive. One can't be based on the other (unless we start talking about the Techno-mages in "Babylon 5" who manipulate science to create the illusion of magic, which is still based in science but I'm going off on a huge tangent, and they're not applicable here anyway). Logically, when magic and science interact, they must cancel each other out. They're not supposed to both work at the same time.

Conclusion: I dig what they have done with the mythos so far, but "Smallville" needs to get off of the magic train, pronto, before it really falls off of the tracks.

Posted by: merserene at 22:42 | link | comments (2)
scifi universe

Comments:

#1  11 November 2004 - 05:19

 

I've never watched this, so I can't comment much. How do they even pronounce that "Mxyzptlk" character's name??

I think some 'magick', especially during the medieval ages, was a form of science (I'm talking remedies here, some healing), but on a show like this, it doesn't sound like it meshes well with the sci-fi (sounds more like Charmed territory, if you ask me-- but I haven't watched that, either). Sounds a little too sensationalistic, also. I'd say stick with just the sci-fi-- what's always worked for Superman, anyway.

athenawj

#2  11 November 2004 - 09:20

 

I believe it's pronounced "Miks-ee-pittle-ik." Heh. R told me you're supposed to get him to say his name backwards to get to him to go away. Try that for another mouthful! First I ever heard of him was from the TV though.

Thanks for commenting even though you don't watch the show. :) Healing with magick = medicine, that I can totally understand. But they went a bit overboard, probably due to 1) the target audience and 2) having sister shows like "Charmed" on the network. Sadly.

The show has real promise. One of the goals is to develop the relationship between Clark Kent and Lex Luthor. From the movies, it was implied they had some "history" together; the series shows how they go on to become arch nemeses. If they stick to that, which they have been most of the time, it'll be good stuff all the way.

merserene

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