Hothead

DVD, Smallville S1 (Hothead)

And they've done it for a third time in a row, another proper good episode for the fledgling series. You can see why it works so well, because not only do they have good effects work, drama, intrigue and sensitively handled plots, they also carve out those plots with well drawn characters and a sense of reality to proceedings that is a joy to see. Great writing has to be celebrated, and it can be seen in the interpersonal situations the characters find themselves in, then the juxtaposition of those same characters in different settings. Take Lex as an example. We see him trying to prove himself to his Father who has sent his son off to this 'remote outpost of the empire' to see how the world works. Lex refuses to bow to his old Dad's ways and instead of firing a chunk of the plant's workers, he wants to hire more, then when he's tricked into conceding to Dad's wishes via a fencing match at the Luthor Mansion, he finds a creative solution to have it both ways. You still don't know if he's goodhearted and wanting to assist the townsfolk, or whether it's all a game to show his Dad up, but the joy is in wondering about it and seeing this ultimate villain-to-be in the Superman mythos doing good and winning friends. For that's the other situation we see him in, the first appearance of the Smallville Beanery where Lana works as a waitress after quitting cheerleading on moral grounds - he easily fits into the student coterie of customers and clearly bounces off Clark and Lana comfortably.

The uplifting nature of the stories is another reason why they work so well. As I said, Lana has a moral issue with the football team that leads her to back away from it, but it's also about finding her place in the world, a huge theme of the series for many of the characters. Like Lex with business and Clark with American Football, she has a legacy to live up to in cheerleading but wants to find her own space and path in life. Seeing background characters like her Aunt Nell add colour to the already multicoloured environments of Smallville and help build a sense of community beyond our main cast. Principal Kwan is another recurring role and makes his debut here, standing firm against this week's villain in the outrageous football coach, and if not for Clark he'd have ended up as just another victim to be disposed of - indeed, if I hadn't known he'd be coming back I'ad have assumed he was a goner. Clark gets to do his thing on more than one occasion, though he's not entirely the one to do the saving as he needs help himself - those pesky meteor rocks cause him trouble again. It does seem surprising that after twenty-five years as coach at the school, and five years of owning a purpose-built sauna just for him, the coach only now gets these powers of fire. You can tell it's new by the way he reacts in surprise, though I'm not sure what's more surprising, the powers themselves or that the Principal just walks out on him when his TV set's gone up in flames! Maybe he thought it was a prank to try and rattle him, but you'd think the guy would be more concerned for his school rather than just walk away while a fire rages!

Okay, so the logic of the series isn't always top-notch, but for the most part everything proceeds organically, a beautiful thing to witness. I like the way the theme and title are so inherent in the sin of the villain - we've had electrical boy and bug boy, and now we get a real hothead: the coach is a massive bully that has built himself up from so much adoration being poured on him and the successes he's brought to the team, as well as the long-lived nature of his association. He's manipulative and angry, and his villainy isn't based on his newfound power, that is merely a fitting side effect. Simple, but effective. He provides a look at bullies, especially in the education environment, and shows how they can manipulate and spread fear like fire through vulnerable young people. It also shows how big a deal American Football is in that country, that a successful coach is so lauded and has lasted so long through multiple generations. Perhaps the only thing missing was for Jonathan Kent and he to have a confrontation, but you can tell he's on less sure footing than he is with the students, as adults will see through his bluster and arguments. The thing is, getting Clark to join the team wasn't that hard - despite young Kent's proclivity to do what his parents want, he really wants to play. It was a test for him, perhaps even of his own inner mettle, how well he can control his emotions and powers, and having shown that he could he doesn't need to keep playing any more, which I think was a bold decision for the series when they could easily have carried on down that road to quick success off the back of his powers, but he recognises, as his Dad tells him, that he's destined for more important things than winning games.

These are succinct lessons, and it's more for the parents than the child as Clark shows that he's growing up and starting to make decisions for himself, in the same way as Lana in the same episode, and Lex, to a lesser extent. It's a brilliant three-way parallel that appeals to the teen in all of us, but also allows us to see the concern and care of a parent's point of view, meaning all the characters are well used. Martha hasn't perhaps been as much at the forefront in these early episodes, but she's there to create peace on the farm and show support for both her Kent men that is both touching and realistic. She portrays a credible and likeable Mother, another reason why the series works as well as it does: there are no extraneous characters, everyone has their role and it's simply a delight to see them interact. Even Whitney continues his deescalation from an opponent to being just another guy when the coach asks for his opinion on Clark joining the team. There are any number of ways that could have gone, he might have come down hard on him, he might have been more generous, but he's fair without being friendly, and with Lana staring up over the coach's shoulder as Clark is asked to join, there wasn't much that would make him turn it down! Lex is also fascinating to watch in his handling of people, whether in his office or out and about in the Beanery, he's probably the most intriguing character of the series, which is an achievement when it's all about Clark Kent.

It's true that we don't really get consequences for the villain, he's simply swallowed up by his fuming rage, but it's still a lesson not to allow ambition to get in the way of morality - he'd gone so far that he actually 'helped' the underachievers on his team cheat in an exam, and there's definitely an air of this man playing God with the future's of the lads he's picked, something he relishes. Clark saw that it was actually he that needed help and offered it, because otherwise it would look like Clark was just beating an older guy around the changing room - I didn't quite see what happened to Jonathan, I think he got knocked out by the crazy coach's fire extinguisher (an irony that he'd wield such a thing as a weapon), so it was up to Clark. But the beauty of the series is in the little things as well as the big, something they've artfully played with: for example when one of the players throws a ball at Chloe's camera and Clark catches it right in front of her. It's a small thing, but it shows the kind of reflexes and speed he has. Then later he does it in a big way when he saves her from being consumed by a living fire that follows her around the room. It's not like he's saving people every five minutes, but it's enough to remind us of his special skills and that this isn't just some ordinary teen drama. If it were, it's well written enough that you could enjoy it just for that, and I only hope that if the much rumoured 'Star Trek: Starfleet Academy' series does ever come to be then it has this level of attention to detail, with sympathetic role models of both young and older ages, because this series hits the nail on the head in those departments!

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