There are two Clark Kents. One is the young man whose life in a tiny Kansas town sets him on destiny's path. The other is a Bizarro who shares Clark's DNA but not his values. Only one of them can survive. Superman mythology grows deeper and more powerful in an event-packed season that includes the arrival of Clark's cousin Kara/Supergirl. Keep a low profile and master your powers, Clarks says. Kara has other ideas. Plus: Lana Lang might prefer Bizarro to the real deal. Lois Lane makes a career leap. Chloe Sullivan finds that balancing a meteor power with a personal life isn't easy. And Lex Luthor's power-lust has a new fixation - Kara.

CRITIQUE

Smallville enjoys an incredible fan following, and for the first few seasons I was among that base watching the broadcast, but then I noticed a certain decline in quality episodes (storytelling) and decided to catch up on the show once a year on DVD after that. That was at the end of the third season. In its seventh season, it becomes very clear the show had already hit its stride in previous years.

Out of 20 hour-long episodes this season, only about six or seven are actually worth watching; more on these later. This season the writers introduce two new characters: Kara Jor-El (aka Supergirl) appears in the first episode and her backstory and relationship with Clark and family is explored. Grant Gabriel works at Daily Planet and strikes up a romance with Lois at work; it turns out he is a clone of Lex’s brother and implanted with false memories. The Kara arc works, the Gabriel arc does not.

The biggest development this season is the existence and secrecy surrounding the Veritas society, and Brainiac returns once again to wreak additional havoc (apparently he isn’t done yet, but no surprise there). Oh, and Lana makes a surprising decision about her love life. This season also sees a major character dearly depart. Finally, the season finale Arctic heats things up between foes Clark and Lex in the Fortress.

The season’s best episodes are: Bizarro (the Reeves dam aftermath and a phantom zone escapee must be stopped), Wrath (Lana gets some of Clark’s powers after a fluke lightning strike), Descent (Lex will do anything to discover the secret behind Veritas), Apocalypse (Clark experiences an alternate-reality world where he never existed), and Arctic (it poses a lot of questions when it’s over, a cliffhanger to rival all cliffhangers).

Two other episodes worth checking out are Cure (Dean Cain as a neurosurgeon making bold claims, Lana hides a $10-million secret), and Hero (Pete Ross returns with a meteor power, Clark worries it could make him vulnerable to exploiters like Lex). If you’re done with those, you could probably also check out Fracture (Clark enters Lex’s mind via experimental technology to find a missing Kara), and Veritas (Brainiac convinces Kara to join his efforts, Lex recalls events related to the secret society). Oh, and for fun, guess who gets kidnapped in Traveler?

THE VIDEO

Warner Bros. presents Smallville in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen. Colors look pretty good, picture quality is accurate and detailed, and overall there are no major complaints about this presentation. Optional French and Spanish subtitles are included as well as English closed captions.

THE AUDIO

Warner Bros. presents Smallville in English 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround. Dialogue and sound effects, as well as the music of the week, come through clearly via the front speakers. The surround sound comes into play a few times, but not much.

THE EXTRAS

Audio Commentary on Persona and Siren: Exec Producer Ken Horton, Director Todd Slavkin, and John Glover comment on Persona -- Exec Producers Al Gough and Miles Miller, Writers/Exec Producers Kelly Souders and Brian Peterson, and Justin Hartley comment on Siren. Both tracks have some interesting tidbits and chatty conversations, but I feel fans are going to appreciate these more than casual viewers.

Unaired Scenes: Several deleted scenes are available for nearly every episode: Kara, Fierce, Cure, Action, Wrath, Gemini, Persona, Siren, Fracture, Hero, Traveler, Veritas, Descent, Sleeper, Arctic.

Supergirl: The Last Daughter of Krypton (17:40): A discussion about Supergirl’s origins and development, and interviews with people who’ve been associated with the character, including the DC Comics president!

Jimmy on Jimmy (23:00): This featurette collects interviews by four actors who’ve played Jimmy Olsen over the last few decades, including Jack Larson (Adventures of Superman), Marc McClure (early Superman films), Sam Huntington (Superman Returns), and Aaron Ashmore (Smallville). All share stories and various anecdotes on the Jimmy Olsen character. Fans should get a decent kick out of it.

Smallville Legends: Kara and the Chronicles of Krypton (21:00): A collection of six animated episodes are presented here that aren’t very exciting. Hit or miss material, really.

Smallville Visions Digital Comic Book: Navigate comic book frames, preferably on your computer.

FINAL THOUGHTS

No doubt about it, the best thing about Season 7 is the Veritas society arc. On the whole, it's fair to say the season is disappointing. Similarly, fans may be disappointed by the lack of quality bonus material on this set; two commentaries aren’t enough, and a behind-the-scenes look at the making of an episode would’ve been interesting to see. Casual viewers should rent this set, if at all. Serious fans may want to make a purchase, but they don’t need me to tell them that.