Week 6 Preview: Pretty Little Liars vs. Smallville
After the realism of Week 5, we shift genres this week as thriller Pretty Little Liars faces off against superhero epic Smallville.
One of just three shows in the bracket that is currently on the air, Pretty Little Liars follows four best friends—Spencer, Hanna, Emily and Aria (a.k.a. the Liars)—as they try to uncover the truth about what happened to their friend, Alison DiLaurentis. A year after Ali’s mysterious disappearance, the Liars start receiving menacing text messages, emails and notes from someone named “A,” who threatens to expose their deepest, darkest secrets—secrets only Ali knew. As the show progresses, we learn that Ali was no saint but rather a toxic combination of charisma and manipulation, and she had lots of enemies, any one (or more) of whom may have wanted her dead and may now be tormenting the Liars.
Each week, the Liars search for clues about this evil A is and what he/she/they did to Ali. Though we’ve gotten a fair number of answers, there are countless open questions and A remains as shrouded in mystery in ever as a terrifying, omniscient villain who puts the Liars in constant fear for their lives. But Pretty Little Liars isn’t just a mystery-thriller. Just as much screentime is devoted to the characters’ romantic entanglements, complex family dynamics, and battle-tested friendships, hitting all the touchstones of great teen drama. Add in some very capable performances—especially from Troian Bellisario (Spencer), Ashley Benson (Hanna), and, more recently, Sasha Pieterse (Ali)—and you get the delightful mix of suspense and drama that makes the show work so well.
Pretty Little Liars, which just wrapped up its fourth season on ABC Family, is based on a successful series of young adult novels. But the show seems well on its way to surpassing its source material in both popularity and depth. The recent Season 4 finale inspired approximately 1.5 million tweets—compare that to the measly 895,000 tweets about Mercer’s round 1 upset against Duke that same week. After you watch the episodes below, we think you’ll understand what’s so addictive about Pretty Little Liars and you may want to join the conversation as well….
The Pretty Little Liars Watch List Pretty Little Liars (except Season 4) is available streaming on Netflix. Season 4 can be purchased through iTunes and some episodes are also available on Hulu Plus and ABC Family’s website.
Pilot: “Pilot” Prom: “unmAsked,” Season 2 (a.k.a. the Liars go to a masquerade ball, have a run-in with the mysterious Black Swan, and confront the seriously deranged and dangerous Mona Vanderwaal) Best: “Will the Circle Be Unbroken?” Season 3 (a.k.a. Spencer simultaneously loses her grip on reality and uncovers more important clues about A and Ali while institutionalized at Radley) Worst: “Grave New World,” Season 4 (a.k.a. the Liars follow a lead to a creepy party in creepy Ravenswood in this backdoor pilot for the now-cancelled show named after said creepy town) Finale: “A Is for Answers,” Season 4 (a.k.a. the most recent season finale, in which #AliTellsAll about the night she disappeared)
It’s safe to say that Superman is among the most iconic characters in American pop culture. First introduced in a comic book series in the 1930s, the story of mild-mannered reporter Clark Kent with a cape-wearing, flying superhero secret identity has been told in just about every medium possible, from radio shows to animated series to a Broadway musical to live-action movie franchises. It’s hard to imagine coming across someone who didn’t know at least one thing about Superman or his alter ego—what his costume looked like, that part of Clark’s disguise was a pair of thick-rimmed glasses, that Superman’s weakness was Kryptonite, or that Clark was in love with his Daily Planet colleague Lois Lane. And while those familiar with Clark’s origins likely know that he was raised in Smallville, Kansas, no previous incarnation of the Superman story focused so completely on Clark Kent’s teenage years as did Smallville.
Clark (Tom Welling) has a lot in common with your average American teenager. He can be shy, he doesn’t feel like he fits in, and he harbors an unrequited crush on his neighbor and classmate, Lana Lang (Kristin Kreuk).
Sure, he’s actually an alien with superhuman strength, but the show does a good job in its early seasons of emphasizing Clark’s human emotions and struggles, defining him against that unblemished image of perfection that Superman is best known for. One of the most compelling things about Smallville is that it introduces Clark as a kid racked with guilt—the meteor shower that brought him to Earth also caused significant destruction in his adopted town, killing Lana’s parents, stripping young Lex Luthor of his hair, and infecting many inhabitants with dangerous metahuman abilities. This guilt gives Clark’s character complexity, something that always seemed a bit lacking in other depictions of Superman.
Clark’s relationships with his parents, Jonathan (John Schneider) and Martha Kent (Annette O’Toole), and his friends anchor the show, especially in the first five seasons that are set primarily in Smallville. Clark’s friendship with Chloe Sullivan (Allison Mack), the intrepid editor of Smallville High’s newspaper, The Torch, underpins the entire series. There’s also Clark’s complicated relationship with Lex Luthor (portrayed with ample intensity and charisma by Michael Rosenbaum), who transforms from an inquisitive billionaire heir to a megalomaniacal evil supervillain over the course of the show. Let’s just say that Clark and Lex give a whole new meaning to the word “frenemy.” Smallville also shows us how Lois Lane (Erica Durance) and Clark evolve from friends into the one of the most iconic pop culture couples ever.
The Smallville Watch List Smallville is available streaming for purchase on Amazon Instant Video.
Pilot: “Pilot” Prom: “Spirit,” Season 4 (a.k.a. a Prom Queen candidate develops special powers) Worst: “Thirst,” Season 5 (a.k.a. Lana’s sorority sisters turn her into a vampire) Best: “Reckoning,” Season 5 (a.k.a. the 100th episode, in which Clark reveals his secret to Lana but soon after confronts a devastating tragedy) Finale: “Finale,” Season 10 (a.k.a. Clark saves the world and becomes Superman)
Posted by Julia
