Summary
Kristin Kreuk has recently spoken out about an episode ofSmallvillewhere she felt uncomfortable due to the objectification of her character, Lana Lang.Smallvillewas first released in 2001, long before theDCEUand DCU ever came to be, and it helped to establish the largest portion of Clark Kent’s origin story, his high school years. While most Superman movies and shows will briefly touch on his upbringing, and focus more on his alien heritage and his escape from Krypton as a baby, the formative years that Clark spends in school make him the man he will eventually become.
Yes, his powers are due to the fact that he is an alien, who absorbs energy from the yellow sun, but how he chooses to use those gifts, and the morals he holds come from his upbringing, and hisloving adoptive parents, Ma and Pa Kent. However, the show isn’t always so wholesome, with the hormonal teenage Clark developing and maturing like all teenage boys, thewriters appear to have been embodying that immaturityall too well, leading to some uncomfortable episodes. Kristin Kreuk spoke about her experience working on the episode “Thirst” inSmallvilleseason 5;
Oh, I think I was angry with this one. I think at this point I had gotten to the point where I was like, ‘I don’t want to do this anymore. I don’t want to do this anymore. This is so objectifying, there’s no point to it!’ Except for, to give me an excuse to wear a super tight outfit. I think at this point, I had become quite frustrated with this trope of ours, and I wan’t easy on this episode.
Why Kristin Kreuk Left Smallville After Season 7
The Canadian actor played a lead role on the CW Superman origin series as the main love interest for Clark Kent in the town of Smallville.
Why “Thirst” Is One Of Smallville’s Weakest Episodes
“Thirst” Became Smallville’s Biggest Thirst Trap
Smallvilleseason 5, episode 5, “Thirst,” provides a perfect example of the show forgetting to put the story first, and transforming into what has since become aptly known as a thirst trap. This Halloween special was supposed to be slightly different from the normal episodes ofSmallville, but it ultimately became something that was incredibly unpalatable for those involved, specifically Kristin Kreuk, whobecame the hyper-sexualised object of the episode’s focus. The entire plot was essentially written to objectify Kreuk, and she recently spoke out about her frustrations on theTalkville Podcast.
The reality is,Smallvilleoccasionally missed the mark. Especially when it came to Halloween episodes, which were frequently bad, like season 4’s “Spell.” However, “Thirst” was a blatant departure from the morals thatClark was instilled with and tried to evoke as Superman. It was a weird standalone episode where Lana did things that were completely out of character by joining a sorority in the first place, and it was a blatant case of trying to objectify the central female love interest.
Kreuk deserves to be mad, but unfortunately, that frustration appears to have changed very little about the episode whereSmallvillewent off the rails. By and large, the show does tend to maintain its focus on young Clark, but there are more than a few episodes where the female characters are objectified in similar ways to “Thirst.” Regardless, hearing one of the cast members who was directly affected speak out is an important and valuable lesson about how shows likeSmallvilleneed to change, and fortunately, modern shows tend to get called out for this kind of behavior much sooner.
Smallville
Cast
Smallville chronicles the journey of Clark Kent, portraying his origins from Krypton to his teenage years on Earth. The series explores his challenges and development leading towards his destiny as the iconic hero, Superman, set against the backdrop of Smallville, Kansas.
