# I've figured it out. Smallville is Buffy: the Vampire Slayer **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 11, 2004, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-figured-it-out-smallville-is-buffy-the-vampire-slayer/268675 "2004-10-11T17:47:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![The\_Asbestos\_Mango](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@The\_Asbestos\_Mango](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Asbestos_Mango)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2004, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-figured-it-out-smallville-is-buffy-the-vampire-slayer/268675/1 "2004-10-11T17:47:43Z")
I just started watching _Smallville_, God help me. Very lame show. I really only watch because I want to witness Lex Luthor’s Descent into Evil. I’m watching the reruns on ABC Family, and as I was watching S1 ep2, it hit me.They’re using recycled \*Buffy: the Vampire Slayer \* scripts. I was actually watching ep2 of S1 of BtVS- you know, the one with the human/insect creature seeking a mate? Yeah, that one. Oh, and the Evil Coach Who Will Do Anything To Get His Team To the Championship? They had that one, too. OK, only instead of having the swim team turn into fish, hey, let’s give the football coach evil superpowers and have him use them to evilly cover up for the bad things he’s doing to help the team win. OK, I know there are really only a certain number of basic plots, and that the originality lies in the way the story is told, not the story itself, which has probably been around since Gilgamesh, so I would expect a SF/F type show to be at least somewhat derivative. But really, it seems like everytime I tune into _Smallville_, I can actually name the BtVS episode title that the show was lifted from (well, except for the Cold Guy episode I saw the other night, but that was still really, really lame). And if I hate the show so much, why am I watching it? (maybe I’m hoping against all hope that a certain teenage billionaire who saw his parents murdered when he was eight will start doing guest spots every few episodes so there will be an actual interesting character on the show) ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2004, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-figured-it-out-smallville-is-buffy-the-vampire-slayer/268675/2 "2004-10-11T18:05:58Z")
Good observation. Buffy had the Hell Mouth, Smallville has the Field Of Kryptonite. Same premise. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2004, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-figured-it-out-smallville-is-buffy-the-vampire-slayer/268675/3 "2004-10-11T18:46:15Z")
That was my first impression of the show as well. Season 1 is basically just another “teenager with superpowers with villians who also have superpowers” show which was all the rage on the WB a few years ago. Just be patient until they start the multiseason story arcs in mid season 2. ---
**Author:** ![Saranga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Saranga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saranga)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2004, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-figured-it-out-smallville-is-buffy-the-vampire-slayer/268675/4 "2004-10-11T21:24:41Z")
Yep. When Smallville first aired I heard the Buffy comparison from lots of people (including myself). I couldn’t bring myself to watch entire episodes. All I can say is what Lord Ashtar said, “Wait for Season 2.” Or better yet, just start watching the new ones on WB and fill in the holes over time. Unfortunately Bruce hasn’t yet shown up (if he ever will), even though the fans are clamoring for it. ---
**Author:** ![Stuffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f17d59/32.png) [@Stuffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stuffy)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2004, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-figured-it-out-smallville-is-buffy-the-vampire-slayer/268675/5 "2004-10-11T21:52:43Z")
Both shows are 90210 with superpowers. 90210 is Dynasty and Dallas with Teen Angst instead of Evill Rich Bastards. I’ve probably dated myself, so I’ll shut up now. ---
**Author:** ![SkipMagic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skipmagic/32/20706_2.png) [@SkipMagic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkipMagic)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2004, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-figured-it-out-smallville-is-buffy-the-vampire-slayer/268675/6 "2004-10-11T23:57:51Z")
_Smallville_ wishes it were _Buffy_. As far as I’m concerned, there’s very little subtext to _Smallville_; it’s not really an allegory for anything. It’s just a sexed-up re-telling of Superman, and it’s somewhat entertaining. (I mean, c’mon, it’s Superman!) If, indeed, the writers were imitating _Buffy_, I think they’ve failed to capture the charm and wit of Whedon’s vampire world. It’d be kinda like a middle schooler’s drawing of a still-life: it may look somewhat like the original, but it lacks soul. That said, I watch it every week 'cause there’s not much better on. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2004, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-figured-it-out-smallville-is-buffy-the-vampire-slayer/268675/7 "2004-10-12T01:32:07Z")
> [@SkipMagic](#): > > As far as I’m concerned, there’s very little subtext to _Smallville_. Except, of course, for the homosexual subtext between Clark and Lex that’s so thick you couldn’t cut it with a diamond-edged saw. Which is, for me, the primary attraction to the show. Even so, I pretty much stopped watching after they cancelled _Angel_. ---
**Author:** ![SkipMagic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skipmagic/32/20706_2.png) [@SkipMagic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkipMagic)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2004, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-figured-it-out-smallville-is-buffy-the-vampire-slayer/268675/8 "2004-10-12T01:36:14Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Except, of course, for the homosexual subtext between Clark and Lex that’s so thick you couldn’t cut it with a diamond-edged saw. That’s funny 'cause it’s true. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Death](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecccb3/32.png) [@Evil\_Death](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Death)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2004, 8:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-figured-it-out-smallville-is-buffy-the-vampire-slayer/268675/9 "2004-10-12T08:46:41Z")
> [@The Asbestos Mango](#): > > I just started watching _Smallville_, God help me. Very lame show. I really only watch because I want to witness Lex Luthor’s Descent into Evil. > > I’m watching the reruns on ABC Family, and as I was watching S1 ep2, it hit me.They’re using recycled \*Buffy: the Vampire Slayer \* scripts. It took you more than one episode to work that out? Smallville has exactly one plot: Clark has to defeat an ordinary person altered by Kryptonite. They even admitted it. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2004, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-figured-it-out-smallville-is-buffy-the-vampire-slayer/268675/10 "2004-10-12T16:05:18Z")
> [@Saranga](#): > > Unfortunately Bruce hasn’t yet shown up (if he ever will), even though the fans are clamoring for it. Bruce who? Wayne? Are you serious? ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2004, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-figured-it-out-smallville-is-buffy-the-vampire-slayer/268675/11 "2004-10-12T16:11:32Z")
I have seen exactly one episode of _Smallville_: [Rosetta](http://www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/GuidePageServlet/showid-1718/epid-219339/). ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2004, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-figured-it-out-smallville-is-buffy-the-vampire-slayer/268675/12 "2004-10-12T17:03:51Z")
> [@Stuffy](#): > > Both shows are 90210 with superpowers. 90210 is Dynasty and Dallas with Teen Angst instead of Evill Rich Bastards. For what it’s worth, it’s the evil rich bastard that made Dallas fun to watch. Every week, I wanted to see what JR was going to do next. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2004, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-figured-it-out-smallville-is-buffy-the-vampire-slayer/268675/13 "2004-10-12T18:00:31Z")
Lex Luthor is worth millions, and yet he can’t buy a decent wig? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Asbestos\_Mango](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@The\_Asbestos\_Mango](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Asbestos_Mango)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2004, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-figured-it-out-smallville-is-buffy-the-vampire-slayer/268675/14 "2004-10-12T23:11:17Z")
> [@Evil Death](#): > > It took you more than one episode to work that out? . Did I mention that I actually missed the “premiere” on 'ABC Family, so I didn’t actually see the first episode? What gets me is that it seems to have taken Clark until he was high-school age to figure out that the pretty green rocks make him feel all oogy. Hell, you’d think that Jonathan and Martha would have tumbled to it. “Honey, have you noticed that Clark only seems to get sick when he’s around the meteor rocks? Do you think it might be an allergy or something?” ---
**Author:** ![Podkayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Podkayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Podkayne)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2004, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-figured-it-out-smallville-is-buffy-the-vampire-slayer/268675/15 "2004-10-13T00:02:38Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > Lex Luthor is worth millions, and yet he can’t buy a decent wig? You missed tonight’s episode, clearly. It was the one about the anorexic girl who sucks the fat out of people (mummy princess, anyone?). Lex sez that his meteorite-induced baldness sets him apart from other people and makes him strong. Or something. I only watched it because the hubby has it set to record on the ReplayTV, and you can’t watch something else while it records (unless you turn off the Replay AND find the TV remote) and we didn’t have anything good recorded to watch instead. I’ve seen a couple of episodes, and thusfar it has failed to grow on me. ---
**Author:** ![JDeMobray](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/85e7bf/32.png) [@JDeMobray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JDeMobray)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2004, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-figured-it-out-smallville-is-buffy-the-vampire-slayer/268675/16 "2004-10-13T01:27:13Z")
> [@Saranga](#): > > . . .fortunately Bruce hasn’t yet shown up I fixed your post for you. I don’t know why you added that U and N to the front of fortunately. I agree with you though, it’s for the best that they’re keeping this crap clear of DCs other characters. ---
**Author:** ![shy\_guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a6a055/32.png) [@shy\_guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shy_guy)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2004, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-figured-it-out-smallville-is-buffy-the-vampire-slayer/268675/17 "2004-10-13T03:33:06Z")
> [@](#): > > it’s for the best that they’re keeping this crap clear of DCs other characters. Well, for the most part, anyway. Bart Allen is appearing as The Flash in an upcoming ep.