Smallville (season 5)

Smallville (season 5)
DVD cover
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	22
Release
Original network	The WB
Original release	September 29, 2005 – May 11, 2006

Season five of Smallville, an American television series, began airing on September 29, 2005. The series recounts the early adventures of Kryptonian Clark Kent as he adjusts to life in the fictional town of Smallville, Kansas, during the years before he becomes Superman. The fifth season comprises 22 episodes and concluded its initial airing on May 11, 2006,^[1] marking the final season that aired on The WB. Regular cast members during season five include Tom Welling, Kristin Kreuk, Michael Rosenbaum, Allison Mack, John Glover, Erica Durance, Annette O'Toole and John Schneider.

Season 5 deals with the aftermath of the second meteor shower. Clark deals with adult life, going to college, a real relationship with Lana, and the loss of someone he loves. His distrust for Lex continues to grow, as Clark's professor begins supplying him with evidence of LuthorCorp's secret projects. Clark looks to Chloe for support, while Lionel's transformation into a better person draws skepticism from everyone. Jensen Ackles, who played Jason Teague, left the show after season four, and Erica Durance became a series regular as Lois Lane. The writers also brought in Arthur Curry, Victor Stone, and Andrea Rojas, DC Comics superheroes, in three separate guest spots as well as the classic Superman villain Brainiac.

After spending seasons three and four airing on Wednesday at 8:00 pm (ET), Smallville was moved to Thursday at 8:00 pm, where it stayed for four seasons. Season five rose from the previous season, averaging 4.7 million viewers weekly.^[2]

Episodes

No. in series	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code	U.S. viewers (million)
89	1	"Arrival"	James Marshall	Todd Slavkin & Darren Swimmer	September 29, 2005	2T6401	5.90[3]
Transported to the Arctic, Clark watches as the united crystals create the Fortress of Solitude. Inside, Jor-El instructs Clark that he must complete training for an impending doom that is about to hit Earth. Meanwhile, two Kryptonian disciples of Zod arrive in Smallville searching for Kal-El. Clark is forced to return to Smallville, before completing his training, but promises Jor-El that he'll return before sunset.
90	2	"Mortal"	Terrence O'Hara	Steven S. DeKnight	October 6, 2005	2T6402	5.84[4]
When he doesn't return, Jor-El strips Clark of his powers, making him normal. Delighted to finally be "human", Clark pursues a relationship with Lana without secrets. When Lana, Jonathan and Martha are taken hostage by three krypto-thugs, Clark must figure out how to save his family without his super powers. In the end, Clark learns that everything was orchestrated by Lex, in an effort to test Clark's abilities. Clark confronts Lex, thus ending their friendship.
91	3	"Hidden"	Whitney Ransick	Kelly Souders & Brian Peterson	October 13, 2005	2T6403	5.92[5]
Chloe is warned by Gabriel, a former school newspaper worker, that he is going to set off a missile and obliterate all of Smallville. Still stripped of his super powers, Clark confronts Gabriel and ends up being killed. Jor-El, in possession of Lionel's body, resurrects Clark with all his powers, but with the consequence that someone Clark loves will have to die.
92	4	"Aqua"	Bradford May	Todd Slavkin & Darren Swimmer	October 20, 2005	2T6404	6.40[6]
Lois injures herself in the lake, but before Clark can rescue her, a mysterious swimmer, Arthur "A.C." Curry (Alan Ritchson), out-swims Clark and rescues her first. During his first lecture at a University, Professor Fine (James Marsters) tells Clark that Lex is behind a covert operation manufacturing weapons. The same weapons are what brought A.C. to Smallville. Teaming up with Clark, the two destroy Lex's underwater weapon, and Clark's trust of Lex disappears completely.
93	5	"Thirst"	Paul Shapiro	Steven S. DeKnight	October 27, 2005	2T6405	5.78[7]
Lana decides to enroll at Metropolis University at the last minute and is forced to join a sorority to find housing. The house leader Buffy Sanders, and her sorority sisters, offer her more than a place to crash when they turn her into a vampire. Lex provides Clark with an antidote for Lana, after LuthorCorp is revealed to be connected to the vampires. Chloe earns an internship at the Daily Planet.
94	6	"Exposed"	Jeannot Szwarc	Kelly Souders & Brian Peterson	November 3, 2005	2T6406	5.41[8]
Senator Jack Jennings (Tom Wopat), Jonathan's oldest friend, arrives at the Kent farm looking for support in his campaign for re-election. When a stripper turns up dead, and is revealed to be Jennings' mistress, Jennings is made the prime suspect. Searching for answers, Chloe convinces Lois to go undercover as a stripper, but things take a dangerous turn when Lois is kidnapped by a foreign diplomat's son, who intends to sell her into slavery.
95	7	"Splinter"	James Marshall	Steven S. DeKnight	November 10, 2005	2T6407	5.51[9]
Clark is exposed to a new kind of kryptonite, causing him to have paranoid delusions about those around him. The silver kryptonite makes him believe that Chloe is going to reveal his secret, Jonathan is scheming against him with Lionel, and Lex and Lana are having a secret relationship. Chloe and the Kents frantically search for a cure, but it is Professor Fine who comes to Clark's rescue, claiming to be a Kryptonian.
96	8	"Solitude"	Paul Shapiro	Todd Slavkin & Darren Swimmer	November 17, 2005	2T6408	5.97[10]
When Martha contracts a strange disease, Clark turns to Professor Fine, who convinces Clark that Jor-El is the one responsible for her illness. Fine convinces Clark that the only way to save her is to destroy the Fortress of Solitude, separating Jor-El's link. Once the two arrive at the Fortress, Fine reveals himself to be an artificial intelligence created by Kryptonians and tries to free Zod from the Phantom Zone.
97	9	"Lexmas"	Rick Rosenthal	Holly Harold	December 8, 2005	2T6409	5.37[11]
Lex considers finding, or creating, damaging information against Jonathan to upset his Senatorial race, information that may harm Clark and Martha. When Lex is shot, he falls into a coma and is visited by the ghost of his mother. She shows him a life without his father, where Lex is married to Lana, and the two are expecting a second child. Interrupting Clark and Lana's first Christmas, Chloe persuades Clark to play Santa, and deliver gifts to those less fortunate.
98	10	"Fanatic"	Michael Rohl	Wandy Mericle	January 12, 2006	2T6410	5.45[12]
Jonathan's life is threatened by a mysterious source, who urges him to drop out of the race. Clark discovers that Lex's followers, primarily Samantha Drake, are determined to do anything to see that Lex wins the election. Lois is threatened into assassinating Jonathan during his senatorial speech. Lionel offers Martha some money to help Jonathan's campaign, while Lana believes that the answers she is looking for lie in the first meteor shower.
99	11	"Lockdown"	Peter Ellis	Steven S. DeKnight	January 19, 2006	2T6411	4.90[13]
Two police officers, one of whom witnessed the Kryptonians land in the second meteor shower, take Lex and Lana hostage and threaten to kill them unless Lex reveals where he hid the spaceship. Lex takes a bullet meant for Lana, and fearing Lex may bleed to death, Lana asks him to tell the officers the location. Clark discovers Lana has been researching the spaceship with Lex and fears she is close to discovering his secret.
100	12	"Reckoning"	Greg Beeman	Kelly Souders & Brian Peterson	January 26, 2006	2T6412	6.28[14]
Clark is finally willing to reveal his secret to Lana, but there are consequences. Jonathan and Lex learn the results of the senatorial election and the life of someone Clark loves – Lana – is finally taken away from him. A desperate Clark appeals to Jor-El for help, only to find himself frantically trying to save her again. Lionel reveals to Jonathan he has a little more up his sleeve. Minutes later, Jonathan dies of a heart attack in front of Martha and Clark.
101	13	"Vengeance"	Jeannot Szwarc	Al Septien & Turi Meyer	February 2, 2006	2T6413	5.37[15]
When his mother is mugged in Metropolis, Clark decides to find out who it was that saved her life. He discovers the new reporter at the Daily Planet, a woman named Andrea Rojas, is actually a masked avenger who fights crime at night. Clark’s bottled-up grief over the loss of his father threatens to get the best of him as he joins Andrea in her fight against crime.
102	14	"Tomb"	Whitney Ransick	Steven S. DeKnight	February 9, 2006	2T6414	5.41[16]
The spirit of a young girl is released from her tomb after lightning strikes a kryptonite bracelet she was wearing. Clark finds the corpse in the walls of the Talon and it attaches itself to Chloe. Clark follows the trail of the spirit to find her killer, who has been preying on girls in Smallville for the past decade. When Lois is suddenly kidnapped, Chloe has to come to her rescue.
103	15	"Cyborg"	Glen Winter	Caroline Dries	February 16, 2006	2T6415	6.24[17]
A sympathetic doctor releases a half-human/half-machine subject named Victor Stone being held captive and experimented on by LuthorCorp. Clark befriends Victor and promises to help him find his girlfriend, but Lex traps Victor and takes him back to LuthorCorp. Clark helps Victor free himself for good. Meanwhile, Martha is being blackmailed, and Lionel offers to step in and deal with the blackmailer. It is later revealed that Lionel knows Clark's secret.
104	16	"Hypnotic"	Michael Rohl	Todd Slavkin & Darren Swimmer	March 30, 2006	2T6416	4.78[18]
Lex goes searching for Professor Fine in the jungles of Honduras. Clark meets a beautiful seductress named Simone who uses a magical charm to make people succumb to her every wish. An enchanted Clark reveals his powers to Simone, who seizes the opportunity and, after forcing Clark to break up with Lana, demands Clark kill Lex. Lana tries to reconcile her and Clark's relationship, but Clark breaks up with her thinking that they can never be together because of his secret identity.
105	17	"Void"	Jeannot Szwarc	Holly Harold	April 6, 2006	2T6417	4.24[19]
Chloe discovers that Professor Fine is still alive and warns Clark, who sets out looking for him. Lana, still upset over her break-up, experiments with a kryptonite drug that allows her to see her deceased parents. A worried Clark rushes to save Lana from hurting herself, but ends up being injected with the kryptonite-laced serum. When Clark flat-lines, he is able to talk to his father, who warns him that Lionel knows his secret.
106	18	"Fragile"	Tom Welling	Todd Slavkin & Darren Swimmer	April 13, 2006	2T6418	3.94[20]
Clark and Martha take in a little girl, Maddie, after her foster mother is brutally stabbed to death. Maddie becomes the prime suspect, at least in Lois' eyes, when it is discovered that she has the power to manipulate glass. Maddie's father arrives to claim her, and is revealed to be the real murderer. Lois takes a job as Martha's Chief of Staff, and Chloe walks in on Lex and Lana during an intimate moment.
107	19	"Mercy"	James Marshall	Steven S. DeKnight	April 20, 2006	2T6419	4.41[21]
After a failed take-over of LuthorCorp, a disgruntled employee takes Lionel hostage and orchestrates a series of elaborate games that Lionel must win in order to stay alive. After Clark tells Martha that Lionel knows his secret, she inadvertently becomes a pawn in the tormentor’s game and ends up fighting for her own life.
108	20	"Fade"	Terrence O'Hara	Turi Meyer & Al Septien	April 27, 2006	2T6420	4.34[22]
While in Metropolis, Clark saves the life of a stranger named Graham, who vows to repay Clark for his kindness. Unfortunately, Graham happens to be a hit man with the ability to render himself invisible, and he decides killing Lex would be the best gift he could give Clark. Meanwhile, Lana tells Clark about her growing relationship with Lex.
109	21	"Oracle"	Patrick Norris	Teleplay by: Caroline Dries Story by: Neil Sadhu & Daniel Sulzberg	May 4, 2006	2T6421	4.81[23]
Clark is stunned when he sees his father’s ghost at the graveyard, but becomes even more confused when Jonathan tells him he must kill Lionel. Jonathan appears again, and gives Martha the same message. Lex develops a vaccine for Fine’s deadly virus, but Fine intervenes and injects him with the vaccine. Clark realizes Jonathan is really Milton Fine, and Jor-El takes possession of Lionel so that he can destroy him.
110	22	"Vessel"	James Marshall	Kelly Souders & Brian Peterson	May 11, 2006	2T6422	4.85[24]
Fine unleashes a crippling computer virus, which will lead to the destruction of Earth via pandemonium, and refuses to stop it unless Clark agrees to release Zod. Clark turns to Jor-El, who informs him that Zod needs a vessel to inhabit. Clark must destroy that vessel, and that vessel is Lex. Lex is stunned by his newfound powers and shares the discovery with Lana, who decides to stand by her new man, unaware of Fine's true intentions.

Tie-in

Since the second season, a promotional tie-in titled Chloe's Chronicles was established to wrap up "unfinished business" from the television series through the use of internet episodes.^[25] During season five, the series was evolved into Vengeance Chronicles. In this series, Chloe joins forces with a costumed vigilante she dubs the "Angel of Vengeance", who was introduced in the episode "Vengeance", to expose Lex Luthor's Level 33.1 experiments on meteor-infected people.^[26]

Awards

In 2006, the show was awarded an Emmy for Outstanding Editing for a Series for the fifth season episode "Arrival".^[27][28] Allison Mack was awarded Best Sidekick in 2006.^[29] Guest star Emily Hirst was nominated for a Young Artist Award for her portrayal of Maddie Van Horn in "Fragile".^[30] In 2006, the show was nominated for a Golden Reel Award for Best Sound Editing in "Commencement".^[31][32] For the 32nd Annual Saturn Awards, the show received seven nominations: Best Network Television Series; Best Actor and Actress for Tom Welling and Kristin Kreuk; Best Supporting Actor and Actress for Michael Rosenbaum, Erica Durance and Allison Mack; and Best Television Release on DVD.^[33]

Home media release

The complete fifth season of Smallville was released on September 12, 2006 in North America.^[34] Additional releases in region 2 and region 4 took place on August 28, 2006 and April 4, 2007, respectively.^[35][36] The DVD box set included various special features, including episode commentary, The Chloe Chronicles: Volume II, a behind-the-scenes featurette on the making of the 100th episode, Vengeance Chronicles webisodes, and a preview of the documentary Look, Up in the Sky! The Amazing Story of Superman.^[37]

References

1. "Smallville Episodes". TV Guide. Retrieved July 9, 2007.
2. "Series". The Hollywood Reporter. May 26, 2006. Archived from the original on May 19, 2007. Retrieved May 25, 2007.
3. "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. October 4, 2005. Retrieved March 28, 2009.
4. "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. October 11, 2005. Retrieved March 28, 2009.
5. "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. October 18, 2005. Retrieved March 28, 2009.
6. "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. October 25, 2005. Retrieved March 28, 2009.
7. "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. November 1, 2005. Retrieved March 28, 2009.
8. "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. November 8, 2005. Retrieved March 28, 2009.
9. "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. November 15, 2005. Retrieved March 28, 2009.
10. "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. November 22, 2005. Retrieved March 28, 2009.
11. "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. December 13, 2005. Retrieved March 28, 2009.
12. "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. January 18, 2006. Retrieved March 28, 2009.
13. "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. January 24, 2006. Retrieved March 28, 2009.
14. "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. January 31, 2006. Retrieved March 28, 2009.
15. "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. February 7, 2006. Retrieved March 28, 2009.
16. "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. February 14, 2006. Retrieved March 28, 2009.
17. "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. February 22, 2006. Retrieved March 28, 2009.
18. "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. April 4, 2006. Retrieved March 28, 2009.
19. "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. April 11, 2006. Retrieved March 28, 2009.
20. "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. April 18, 2006. Retrieved March 28, 2009.
21. "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. April 25, 2006. Retrieved March 28, 2009.
22. "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. May 2, 2006. Retrieved March 28, 2009.
23. "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. May 9, 2006. Retrieved March 28, 2009.
24. "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. May 16, 2006. Retrieved March 28, 2009.
25. Simpson, Paul, (Season 2 Companion) pp.154—155
26. Alfred Gough & Miles Millar (2006). Smallville: Vengeance Chronicles Promo Webisodes (DVD). Warner Bros. Video, Inc.
27. "2006 Primetime Emmy Winners". Emmys.org. Retrieved August 23, 2007.
28. "The 2006 Creative Arts Emmy winners press release" (PDF) (Press release). Emmys.org. August 19, 2006. Retrieved August 23, 2007.
29. "2006 Teen Choice Award Winners". Fox. Archived from the original on August 22, 2007. Retrieved August 23, 2007.
30. "28th Annual Young Artist Award". Young Artist Awards. Retrieved September 10, 2007.
31. "Past Golden Reel Awards". MPSE.org. Retrieved September 11, 2007.
32. "2006 Golden Reel Awards". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved September 11, 2007.
33. "32nd Annual Saturn Award nominees". Mania.com. February 15, 2006. Retrieved September 12, 2007.
34. "Season 5 (Region 1)". Amazon. Retrieved October 15, 2006.
35. "Season 5 (Region 2)". Amazon. Retrieved December 13, 2006.
36. "Season 5 (Region 4)". ezydvd.com. Retrieved January 12, 2007.
37. Details from the back of the DVD box set.

External links

• Official website
• List of Smallville episodes at the Internet Movie Database
• List of Smallville season 5 episodes at TV.com
• List of Smallville season 5 episodes at Wikia
• Smallville at epguides.com
• List of Smallville season 5 guide at kryptonsite.com