Tuesday October 30, 2001
227603
An abusive and hot-tempered football coach gains the ability to control and project fire.
Read Full Recap » (warning: possible spoilers!)This episode was better than the previous one, and I think it's even up to the standards of the Pilot. =) (Spoilers) hide show
This episode of Smallville was an improvement from the last one, continuing to show the great character interaction/development. It also had some pretty good action scenes, which I enjoyed. It's good to see some interaction between Lex and his father, Lionel. I'm looking forward to seeing more of that twisted father and son relationship in the future. It's good to see more of the Clark and Lana relationship as well. It's really starting to look like they are falling for each other a little but. Well, it appears Lana is falling for Clark, since we all know Clark has already fallen for Lana. Overall though, I give this episode, Hothead, a 9.5 out of 10.
Clark's desire to be "normal" leads to a decision to join the football team, against Jonathan's wishes. The tyrannical coach gains fire power, forcing Clark to rescue both the Principal and Chloe. hide show
The third episode of Smallville is another high school set piece, this time with the football coach playing the heavy. The lighting on a rainy football field is strange - blue and deeply shadowed, very unrealistic. Little too much drama, and not too successfull. Coach is likewise a bit overblown, as is the heavy rock track, but then that's the target market - teens, and football heroics. Go Crows.
While the coach gets in a sauna session, he's unknowingly using meteor rocks, so there must be some unknown effect on him. Principal Kwan enters with bad news about academic problems with a player, but Coach is intolerant of the plan to suspend his key players, and starts a fire in his office with is anger - thus the title "Hothead." That's him. And he spots Clark as a potential player, even as he mentions coaching Jonathan in past years. Clark yields to the pressure, in front of Lana. When Jonathan won't sign for the permission, Clark announces he's playing anyway.
Lex is seen by several of Lionel's henchmen, concerned about plant operations. But Lex will be taking actions that will run afoul of his father's wishes. Lana quits the cheerleading squad, really because of her disappointment in the football team's cheating. Admirable, a character taking a stand for the right thing, even against Aunt Nell's advice. Lana wants to work.
Clark goes out for football - making us wonder how he will control his powers and avoid hurting anyone, and Jonathan's presence is only to see that no one is. He runs one play and is the star. Another confrontation takes place between the coach and principal over the cheating, entrenched teacher versus newcomer. Another fire starts, but no one moves quickly with an extinguisher, then he set fire to Kwan's car. Of course, this is the opportunity for Clark to rescue the Principal - hoping that no one sees him rip a car door off before another fiery vehicle explosion, awfully similar to last week's scene with Whitney.
Jonathan plays the overprotective and somewhat stubborn father, while Martha shows the supportive, proud side of parenthood. Gifts versus judgment. Trust versus losing Clark.
Lana gets a job waiting table at the local coffee house, where some football jocks steal away to do no good. They have a confrontation with Coach, who wants to know who exposed the cheating. It's player Trevor, and some pretty frightening scenes take place when the sprinkler system turns to arches of flaming fuel, Chloe getting the photos.
Chloe risks too much by deciding to write up the cheating scandal for the school paper, resulting in the Coach learning about it, and it's predictable that Chloe will be in danger. Coach ignites the school office, trapping her. Clark to the rescue, and Coach is thwarted again. Chloe is pretty sure about the Coach and his powers; Clark is skeptical. Trevor admits to Clark that Coach was involved in the cheating, and Clark discovers his handprint on Trevor's arm - Chloe's suspicions are now confirmed. So Clark decides to confront the Coach, but the meteor rock in the sauna has it's effects, and Clark is left helpless.
Clark is missing from the field of play, but is discovered by Jonathan - and the Coach. who is pretty much at the end of his career, especially when he self-immolates. This outcome is certainly questionable - why wouldn't Clark save Coach from his own death? Clearly he could have used superspeed to get the Coach out of the flames.
Lionel roars in on Lex about his demands for dismissing 20% of the plant's workforce. Fencing for the decision, both Mr. Glover and Mr. Rosenbaum seem to be skilled swordsmen, but Lionel wins. Later, Lex defies Lionel with a plan to cut plant costs without cutting staff; Lionel backs down for the time being. Lana loses her first job, and we get a pleasant epilog on the football field, as Clark and Lana both vent their frustrations by screaming to the heavens.
The annoyance level was a little higher with this third episode - the Coach character played to the hilt and beyond, just a little too stereotyped, and Jonathan's part was somewhat unsympathetic and hard-nosed, making him a less appealing character. Balancing this off was good friendship and banter between Lana and Clark, without obvious romantic difficulties - just good fun. Not as good as the first two, probably will set the "average" level for a Smallville episode, so rate a second viewing as "C."
This Episode Isn't So Hot! hide show
Hothead-An abusive and hot-tempered football coach gains the ability to control and project fire.
The series is still trying to find it's footing as this is another freak of the wekk episode and a rather forgettable one. Don't get me wrong, Former Wodner Years star Dan Lauria gives a great performance as Coach Walt Arnold, but the story never really has your interest. A stricted football coach forcing his team to cheat and use his powers to scare them is rather lackluster. Althought there is one scene in particular where Coach Arnold causes fire to shoot out the sprinklers on the football field was a coold effect. I can't say the same about the rest of the fire effects as they were dodgy for the most part. The last confrontation between Coach Arnold and Clark, they especially looked rather fake.
But what the episode does best is developing Clark a bit more as becomes invovled with football. It's a nice little storyine for Clark as it creates conflict with him and his father. I also loved the return of Lionel Luther in this episode as he and Lex have a fencing fight. It's quite a tense scene as John Glover and Micheal Rosenbaum are already buildign great animosity between father and son. The dynamic between Lex and Lionel will continue to grow and develop more seriously as the series moves on. All and All, "Hothead" sees the series developing at a nice pace, but the weak freak of the week storyline kinda gets in the way.
Very good,his episode is bound to interest viewers from comic-book readers to avid sports fans. This show involves both the adventures of a younger hero while at the same time concerning football, a team, and its mad coach.
Clark Kent stops the high school football coach from unleashing "flames" of fury on the community in order to achieve his 200th victory and all the glory that comes with it. The coach has found himself with a new ability to be able to unleash fire as his anger mounts. He will go to desperate measures for success on the field, but so will Clark in his attempt to stop the coach, despite wanting so much to be on the football team.
This is another good episode proving that Season 1 has its best yet to offer.
this episode was ok, not much happened but whatever. the coach was stupid. i liked the boy that told on him, though i felt really bad for the kid when the coach burned him. the fire spriklers were really cool. i thought it was cool when clark caught that ball. i agreed with clarks dad that he shouldnt be playing foot ball and clark did use his powers. wall of weird... ok. lana quit cheerleading. my oppinoin she is too upsesed with her dead parents, she was three when they died not like she can remember much anyways, i can see how she might want to be close to them but she takes it to a whole new level. glad the coach burned him self.
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