Charmed & Smallville @14.99 Each, Walmart

Mark,

Thanks for the Walmart info.  Figures...I was just in Walmart this morning getting Christmas presents in the toy dept. 

I picked up Smallville S1 & 2 during Amazon's "Blk Friday" week at the same price as you saw at Walmart.  I've never seen the show until watching the first couple episodes in S1.  Great show!  Recommended by my HTF TV/DVD guru, Gary   I'd heard about the show but never seen one until this weekend.  Since I liked Lois & Clark, Gary gave me the "go" sign on this show.

I might drop back in Walmart and take a chance on Smallville S3-5.

I read part of your post but I "ducked" some of it since I'm watching it for the 1st time   Yeah, I know....I've been living on Mars for the past 15 yrs as far as network TV shows go.  I know I've missed out on (imo) a few good ones but I look at it as a plus since I can watch the show[s] released on DVD without commercials, etc.  I got an unexpected bonus with Smallville since I didn't know that the DVD's were anamorphic (enhanced for WS TV) until I saw the page at Amazon.  That was a pleasant surprise since I didn't know that the show had been shot 16:9 originally (I'm guessing that was true).

As for the show, I've only watched the 1st disc so far but I like what I've seen.  Gary filled me in on the "Lois" parallel with the "Cloe" character.  I might be off on this one, but it's probably better for me that the show had some commonalities with the traditional "Superman" story (the Kents, Lana, Kryptonite, etc), since I really liked the original Superman show, and Lois & Clark was one of the last 90's shows that I liked a lot.  I have all of that one on DVD.

The actor that plays Clark has the part nailed, imo.  And John Schneider as "Jonathan" is great.  I'm not as fond of "Martha" as I might have been some others cast for that part but she does a good job.

I've never seen "Charmed".  Maybe that's another one I can check out down the road.  I might be the only one on the 'net that hasn't seen a lot of shows over the last 15 yrs....Lost, 24, Alias, Bones, House, 2 1/2 men,.....etc.....never seen any of them except for the network promos during sports games.

The big difference in most of these recent shows is that someone can, if they choose, get the DVD releases instead of us "old timers" that are still waiting for Batman, Green Hornet, on and on......and the big list of abandoned shows.

Smallville jumped the shark years ago; if you want to pick up the first few seasons, by all means do so. But these days it's certainly worn out its welcome...and yet it goes on and on...

Charmed was a problem for me to watch in its Shannen days; not because of her, but because the writing had no internal logic or consistency whatsoever. The backstory and rules of the usage of magic would change from episode to episode. The witches had selective memory; if a certain way of doing a spell wouldn't work in one episode, it would in the next, and a year later, they couldn't do it. I mean, Bewitched set down its rules of magic early on, and stuck with them. Buffy had its internal rules of how magic and vampirism worked, and (usually) stuck by those rules. Charmed did a better job of internal consistency in its later years, but it was kinda too late by then. I just wish they'd have put down the ground rules a little better, thereby paving a little more ongoing logic into the stories.

Ethan,

   Have you seen any Smallville this season?  Its found a new groove.  And with the JSA coming in Feb.  Its looking better.

     Quote:

To each his own but I couldn't disagree more.  Unless you are an uber fan of Erica Durance this season is easily the worst yet.  I thought Season 5 was the last truly good season of the show and for my interests that's where it ended.  While there were a couple of good moments after that point basically the show abandoned it's own mythology once Season 6 kicked into gear.  That's when the retcons and lightswitches really began to take place and it's gotten worse every year since.  But again, to each his own.  I'm content to own the first 5 seasons and leave it at that.


Gary "it just seems to me the show had a completely different 'feel' to it after S5" O.

I appreciated all eight seasons relatively equally.  I loved Shannen Doherty as Prudence, and thought the chemistry between the three of the sisters was excellent.  But I also thought that Rose McGowan did a fine job in her role with the beginning of the fourth season, and I particularly liked how her character was introduced in the series.

If push came to shove, I'd have to say that I prefer seasons 3-5, mostly because they contained Cole.  (His appearance in the season seven episode The Seven Year Itch was IMO just so-so.)  I thought his dichotomy was one of the strongest parts of every episode he was in, and the relationship between he and Phoebe was IMO one of the strong points of the series.  Season eight was a bit of a letdown for me.  Although I liked Billie, I wish that Morris had been contracted for that season.  He was such a wonderful character throught the series, even when he was Andy's subordinate.

Speaking of Andy, I hated seeing his demise in the final episode of season one.  That was not something I expected, and in retrospect, I wish that it hadn't occurred.  But by far the worst in that regard for me was All Hell Breaks Lose -- a fine episode (esp. Shax), but a very bittersweet one for this viewer.

Mark,

Yeah, I can understand Doherty getting under people's skin -- she seems to do that quite well.  And McGowan, as I mentioned, did a fine job.  She really did shine in that role.

Re: Andy --

I never have been able to find out if the actor (T. W. King) asked to be out of his contract, or if he had other commitments at that time.  I'd really like to know why he was 'killed' off (beyond the reasons in the script), if there are any other reasons.

I'm gonna have to go with Gary on this one. I think some viewers like all the DC comics characters introduced into the series; I don't. The reason why is that usually they're just flinging poop at the wall, trying to see what sticks. Meaning: they're only introducing these characters in order to discover some spin-off material. That ain't gonna happen, because 99% of the time, the other super-heroes we've seen would kinda suck if they had their own series. I think any spin-off featuring these characters and actors would end up being as good as, shall we say, Birds of Prey?

Count me in as a Rose McGowan enthusiast. While I had been aware of the show and watched a couple of episodes here and there during the Shannen Doherty years, it was the announcement that she had been cast as new sister Paige that made me a regular watcher. As soon as I heard she was doing it, I knew the show would be fine and the "cancellation coming soon" rumors would quickly die down.

From what I have read, T.W. King asked to be written out of the show, because when he signed on, he hadn't realized how much of the show's focus would be on the female characters and how limited the amount of material he would get was going to be. Insterestingly enough, he is one of the two main actors from the first season that did not appear in the unaired pilot, the other one being Alyssa Milano, who got cast as Phoebe after Lori Rom chose not to pursue it. He decided to explore other opportunities, only to end up in a dead-end job on a daytime soap. That being said, I still think Andy got more development over the course of one season than Darryl got over seven seasons, before being unceremoniously dropped from the cast for Season 8.

Regarding the introduction of various D.C. Comics characters in Smallville, I agree that we could certainly do without them. I watch the show on DVD and have fallen behind quite a bit, but the "freak of the week" and "special guest superhero appearance" episodes tend to be a distraction from the show's main focus, which is Clark's journey on the path to his destiny. While contrary to the vast majority of watchers according to what I've read online, I have no particular problem with either the character of Lana Lang or Kristin Kreuk's acting, I understand that some people could find the Clana love story tiresome, since it was established well before the series premiered that Clark would end up with Lois. I have to admit I do like the show's take on this particular character and enjoy Erica Durance in the part quite a lot. While she's probably not supposed to, she reminds me of Charisma Carpenter's Cordelia Chase on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. I also really enjoy Michael Rosenbaum's take on Lex Luthor... and funnily enough, I've often found myself thinking that if I had my own television series, I would probably end up casting him and Rose McGowan as a couple.

     Quote:

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD, so don't read any further if you are Jeff Willis.

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

Interesting.  As I said upthread, "to each his own" is really the story with this show in particular.  There have been, for all intents and purposes, 3 leading ladies who could conceivably be Clark Kent's soulmate.  We knew going in that Lana is his love before he becomes Superman so at some point the character had to go bye-bye.  The problem for me with her eventual exit from the show was that Clark never actually got over her.  She had to be forcibly removed from his life.  He didn't move on or let her go.  She had to push him away.  That, in and of itself, demonstrates that any future love for the Man of Steel will be sloppy seconds.  That's my only problem with the Clana.  Clark never actually broke it off because he realized she wasn't right for him.  And by all accounts that should have happened and it didn't.  Very poorly executed by the producers/writers.

Then we have this woman that has the iconic name, Lois Lane, but is lacking in so many areas it's not even funny.  In pretty much every incarnation LL has been a woman that's wanted to be a reporter at the Daily Planet for years, even going to back to childhood.  Not this girl.  She starts off in Season 4 doing a couple of things for the high school paper Chloe and Clark work at but it's short-lived as she moves on to college (and subsequently gets kicked out for being a drunkard).  In Season 5 she has zero interest in reporting even though her cousin, Chloe, is working at the Daily Planet.  That really nailed it for me that this girl isn't anything like the Lois Lane's I've always watched on the big screen, on TV, or read in comics.  In fact I don't mind saying I hate Erica Durance's portrayal of the character with a passion and honestly felt up through the end of season 5 she wasn't the "real" Lois Lane for this series.  That role clearly went to the third girl.

Chloe Sullivan was a unique creation of Al & Miles and they endued the character with so many Lois Lane traits that she basically filled that role up through Season 6 and most of Season 7.  There were so many "hints" the showrunners would throw out from time to time that made me think they were actually gutsy enough to pull off a stunner of a twist ending when the series would finally come to a conclusion by having Chloe take on the name of "Lois Lane" to publish by.  Over the years we had Clark's superhearing only unconsciously activated by Chloe (not Lana and certainly not Lois).  This is a huge point in Superman mythology.  Superman always is attuned to Lois' heartbeat and without thinking picks up her cries for help above all others.  This was clearly demonstrated as a trait Chloe had in this show.  Her and Clark worked great together, especially in Season 5 when I honestly felt Tom Welling's Clark Kent was closer to acting like Superman than at any other point.  After Season 5 he began to regress in certain areas and to this day I dont' think he's as strong a character as he needs to be after 9 years of "growth." 

As I said before, I felt things were top notch with this show up through the end of Season 5.  But once the flying barn door of inspiration hit at the beginning of Season 6, the lightswitches and retcons started flying hard and fast and the show lost it's footing terribly.  I've never thought Erica and Tom had any onscreen chemistry, while I could see it clearly with Tom and Kristin and especially with Tom and Allison.  Put those two together in a scene and it was made of win.  


Gary "the show runners should have just renamed the show last year to Metropolis because it stopped being about Smallville after Season 5" O.

Gary,

I took your advice and skipped over your post, thanks   Those "" marks helped me out...fast thinking

Smallville: 

Well, I polished off Disc 4 of S1 with the last episode watched, "Stray" (the kid that....you know...)  I think so far, this is my favorite episode.  What a show!  I don't know what it is about this show, but it hit paydirt for me.  At last, a 2nd TV show in the 21st century that I'm watching  , even though it's been years since this show first aired.

I found S3 for a good price from Walmart.com since my local store didn't have the S3 set at that $15 price.  So I have S1 thru 5 on the shelf.

Gary, I see more of the "Dad/Son" underlying emotions between Lex and his Dad that you were telling me about the other day.

Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show) The only problem with this show is that I actually chose to watch this tonight instead of an NHL game   I never thought that would happen.  That ain't gonna happen the night of Jan 7 though.....Texas vs 'Bama for the title

"Hook 'em, Horns"

I hope you all are happy.   I never once gave a second thought to "Smallville" prior to this thread. But yesterday I found myself stopping at Walmart and picking up season 1. Liking superhero stuff, the good feedback just seen here and from reviews I then researched, and the allure of 75% off was just too much to resist. If all goes well while viewing season 1, I will probably look to see if Walmart still has them on sale after Christmas and pick up a few more seasons.

This coming one day before "The Adventures of Brisco County Jr." came in the mail from Amazon. Again good feedback, an interesting  concept, and the allure of 60% off was just to much to handle.

I hate to say it but I think the best New Year's resolution I can make is to only visit this site once a month. I ain't getting any younger and the sanctity of my retirement fund may just depend on it.

I'm happy.  Gary, how about you?  You happy? 

Brad, Gary, you, and I have nearly identical tastes in TV/DVD and I will go out on a limb here and guarantee you'll like this show.  For those Walmart prices, it's a can't-miss buy for me.

"Retirement"?  No worries :)  I know what you mean....but this one's a real jem.  The "Gary" syndrome strikes again   That's another one I owe you, buddy.  The WB check's in the mail.  My nephew tried to plug me into this show a few years ago but the Uncle wouldn't listen.  "Out of the mouths of babes" 

Brad,  I'll tell you this much.  I finished off S1 last night and as Gary knows, I NEVER marathon thru a TV/DVD set.  That streak is history   This show, to me, strikes a near-perfect task of combining the traditional Superman story with a somewhat different take during Clark's younger life growing up in Smallville with his foster parents.

Casting: They hit paydirt with the casting in this show.  Wait till you watch the "home" scenes with Clark and his Mom/Dad at the farm.  John Schneider ("Dukes Of Hazzard") is amazing as Jonathan Kent.  Annette O'Toole is cast as "Martha".  I like her as well but not quite as much as John S.  It's close but I just liked his casting for the part a little better.

Tom Welling as Clark....a "10" for that part.  Enough said.

I'm not going to say anymore here until you have a chance to watch a few S1 episodes.  Keep and eye out for the "Stray" episode.  It's one of my top episodes in S1.

Bottom line: If you like the main Superman story line and "Lois & Clark" show from the 90's, this one's a slam-dunk for you.

The "Millinum Kid" backscore took a little adjusting for me to get used to it but I'm ok with it. 

Someone said....don't know who...but it's true...

"Open up your horizons.....branch out"  (something to that effect).  As a primarily 50's-80's TV/DVD guy, there's definitely some jems out there in the 21st century.

"Mark T": Thanks for that Walmart tip!  I owe you, dude.

[edit]

Brad, just something to think about....you might want to consider getting to Walmart and picking up the S2-5 sets while that price is low.  That's what I did after talking with Gary about this show.  I'm so sure you'll like this one so I just wanted to put this out there for you to consider it.  My local store didn't have S3 but I found it at Walmart.com for only a couple of $"s more than the local store and with free shipping.  I got that one yesterday with a 1-day shipping time.  Now I'm set for S2-5 on the shelf.

I did encounter a defective disc in the S1 set.  It was disc 5 in the last episode.  I have a relacement coming from Amazon.  I bought the S2,4,5 sets during the "Blk Fri" week for the same $15 price.

This show ranks as probably the top blind-buy for me so far with "Donna Reed" a close 2nd place.  Most of my other sets were bought with having seen at least some of the shows back in the day[s].

[end edit]

Jeff,

After posting last night I watched around the first 15 minutes of Smallville on the computer...up to the point where Clark falls on his face in front of Lana. Just to get the flavor of the show. I have to say I was kind of mesmerized during the meteror shower scene, especially for a TV show. When all was said and done, I turned it off and said to myself "dang-it, hooked-line-and-sinker in 15 minutes flat". I actually can't wait to rewatch on the big screen.

Normally, I would be off to Walmart this morning, but I already stated to the wife no more DVD buying this year...only just a few weeks ago. I kind of snuck in "Brisco County" with an HP Laserjet purchase from Amazon (wife felt guilty after breaking our old one of 7 years). I picked up "Smallville" with some loose change I had hanging around in my wallet. Somehow the idea of saying "honey I'm home" with 4 more seasons of "Smallville" under my arms just woudn't cut it.

Actually, she wouldn't really care, but a man's word has gotta mean something sometimes, doesn't it? I mean...it's a principle thing isn't it? Or should I just admit what they all think anyways and just buy them now and just use one of the old lines "did I say that?" or "you thought I was serious?". Nope, I gotta stand by my word on this one. After all it's not like it is June or anything, I only have three more weeks to the new year. I'll let you know how I did tomorrow.

Actually, I'm kind of hoping this is the new "Stargate" for Walmart. They were price reduced and hung around our stores for several months. A few seasons still available almost a year later. So on January 1st they will all be mine.

What I really like from what I've seen so far is that I'me sure Diane will like this one too. For other reasons (primarily fund raising efforts), she hasn't been watching any TV in the evenings for quite sometime. While this has given me a chance to watch a lot of old b/w shows (she hates b/w having been born 8 years after me), she seems to be warming up to the idea of watching TV a few days a week in the evenings again. I'm sure she will like this show.

     Quote:

I have to say the first 15 minutes really grabbed me too.  It was a spectacular opening to the series.  I'm sure you and your wife will love the show, Brad.  Sorry I got you sucked in, LOL. 

Jeff is correct about the casting.  That's what makes this show work early on.  That original group is really good, and it stays that way until they bring in Durance (in S4), whom I just can't warm to at all.  But other than that, I have no complaints about the cast.

This is literally the only show from the past decade that I've really gotten into at all.  And that was because I've always been a big Superman fan and I felt this show was pretty solid in it's portrayal of a young Clark Kent early on.


Gary "I know how you feel about trying to stick to your word, Brad" O.

Brad,

Glad your early impressions are good for this show.  I figured you would like it.  As for the current Walmart prices, you're probably right that they'll still be there down the road for that price.  I knew for me, that I would pick up S1-5 for that price since I liked the show.

"Your word is your bond"....can't argue with that one.  As a single guy, I have to say it in the mirror

Mark is right about the "Kryptonite monster of the week".  So far, it's not been an issue for me since I like the characters in the story and I guess they had to put villans in there to keep the scripts active.  There's enough "quieter" stories, imo, like the ep "Stray" where I like the show.

That's another one that Gary and I have in common...this is only the 2nd show since '00 that I've liked.  However, that's spoken in the unknown zone for me since I haven't seen hardly any shows since the mid 90's on network TV.  I see the promos during NFL games, but nothing that's on FOX or CBS has jumped out at me in a long time.  I don't watch the minor networks so I never see their promos.  It all works out better for me since I wouldn't allot any time for a new series with all of the sports and DVD's on the shelf.

You got that right.  Buy when you see it as it may be gone in a few weeks at Walmart

They must not always do that because the Stargate Sg-1's have been at our local Walmart's for over a year at $15. Granted after all that time they only have two episodes left, but for many months you get most of them. But I will have to wait and see.

Smallville: 

Brad, update: I'm already halfway thru S2.  I've never gone this pace with any TV/DVD set.  Amazing   Just letting you know that you're in for a great ride with this show, imo.  A sure thing for you to enjoy.

One of the many treats in this show is the verbal "swordfighting" that goes on between Lex and his Dad.  There's a lot of Greek mythology analogies and other historic references in their dialogs when they're "jousting" :)  One line that I remember from Lex (about his Dad) in a recent episode in S2.....

[Lex] "While I've been playing Checkers, my Dad's been playing Chess!"

In anothe episode, Lex is talking to someone (spoiler, I won't reveal a storyline here) when Lex uses a WWII analogy with a quote from Winston Churchill.  When you get to that episode, you'll know what I mean.  Excellent script-writing and creative directing ability with this show, imo.

If Gary makes a trip to Dallas, he's got a BBQ dinner on the house
Edited by Jeff Willis - 12/16/09 at 5:36am