Kristin Kreuk recently appeared on an episode of Smallville where she felt uncomfortable due to the objectification of her character Lana Lang. Smallville was first released in 2001, long before the DCEU and DCU even came into existence, and helped establish the largest part of Clark Kent’s origin story, namely his high school years. While most Superman films and series touch on his upbringing briefly, focusing more on his alien origins and his escape from Krypton as a baby, the formative years Clark spends in school shape him into the man he will eventually become.

Yes, his powers come from being an alien who absorbs energy from the yellow sun and becomes a nearly invincible hero who can use a wide range of powers, but how he uses these gifts and the morals he upholds come from his upbringing in Smallville and his loving adoptive parents, Ma and Pa Kent. The show isn’t entirely wholesome, though, as hormone-driven teenager Clark develops and matures like all teenagers who Writers seem to have embodied this immaturity all too well, which led to some unpleasant episodes.

Related

Why Kristin Kreuk left Smallville after season 7

The Canadian actor played a leading role in the CW series “Superman Origins” as Clark Kent’s great lover in the town of Smallville.

Why “Thirst” is one of Smallville’s weakest episodes

“Thirst” became Smallville’s biggest thirst trap

Smallville Season 5, Episode 5, “Thirst,” is a perfect example of how the show forgets to put the story first and turns into what has now been aptly dubbed the “Thirst Trap.” This Halloween special should be a little different from the regular episodes of Smallvillebut ultimately it became something that was incredibly unpalatable for those involved, especially for Kristin Kreuk, who became the hypersexualized object of the episode. The entire plot was basically designed to objectify Kreuk, and she recently opened up about her frustrations on the Talkville Podcast. She said this about the episode:

Oh, I think I was angry at that episode. I think at that point I was at 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!” Except to give me an excuse to wear a super tight outfit. I think at that point I was pretty frustrated with this stereotype of us, and I wasn’t gentle in that episode.

The reality is, Smallville occasionally missed the mark. Especially when it came to Halloween episodes, which were frequently bad, like “Spell” in Season 4. “Thirst,” however, was a blatant departure from the morals Clark was instilled with and tried to convey as Superman. It was a weird standalone episode that saw Lana do things that were completely out of character for her by joining a sorority in the first place, and it was a blatant attempt to objectify the central female love interest. Kreuk deserves to be angry, but unfortunately that frustration seems to have changed very little about the episode, which Smallville has gotten out of hand.

Smallville

4.0

Smallville is a superhero television series based on the Superman comic book series by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. This television release was developed by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar. The plot revolves around young Clark Kent, who arrives on Earth and tries to live his life while protecting his friends, family and those around him thanks to his superpowers.

Pour

Sam Jones III, Annette O’Toole, Jensen Ackles, Eric Johnson, Erica Durance, Cassidy Freeman, Michael Rosenbaum, Laura Vandervoort, John Schneider, Kristin Kreuk, Sam Witzer, Aaron Ashmore, Allison Mack, John Glover, Justin Hartley, Tom Welling , Callum Blue

Release date

16 October 2001

Seasons

10

Filming locations

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Production company

Tollin/Robbins Productions, Warner Bros. Television, Millar Gough Ink, DC Comics

Number of episodes

217

Expand

Upcoming DC Movie Releases