Smallville (TV Series) Hothead (2001) User Reviews

Only the Firemen and Clark Kent Can Hold This Coach

[claudio_carvalho · 8/10 · 5 March 2006]

The coach of the football team – "The Crows" – of Smallville high school Walt Arnold (Dan Lauria) is close to his victory number 200 along twenty-five years of a successful career. He is exposed to burning kryptonite ore in the sauna, and achieves the power of burning whatever he wants. The new-arrival Principal James Kwan (Hiro Kanagawa) finds that seven athletes cheated in the Mathematic test, and decides to punish the group not permitting them to participate in the final game. Coach Walt burns his car, and Mr. Kwan goes to the hospital. Meanwhile Clark Kent is invited by the coach and decides to join the football team, against the will of his stepfather Jonathan. When Coach Walt Arnold loses control of his power, Clark has to fight with him to save Jonathan and his friend Chloe Sullivan.

Although not liking American football, this third episode of Smallville follows the excellent standard of high-quality of the previous episodes. The charming cast, the great cinematography and special effects and the music score make another great episode. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Pegando Fogo" ("On Fire")

Holds Interests for Many

[Rcwilkinson123 · 7/10 · 4 September 2007]

This 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.

Victory!

[Jerique · 7/10 · 9 August 2010]

As Smallville continues to impress, Clark continues to grow. In Hothead, Coach Walt (Dan Lauria) has developed an ability to control fire somewhat but can't control his temper. Clark joins the football team and puts a roadblock between himself and his dad. As Chloe becomes endangered and the school newspaper goes up in flames, Clark comes to the rescue only to be defeated swiftly by Coach Walt. As Jonathan Kent comes to help Clark, he regains his powers and destroys Coach Walt's legacy.

It's an interesting villain and the subplots of becoming something more than what your family expects is something really inspiring in this episode. I enjoy the episode a lot but it's not a favourite of mine. Perhaps the biggest cringe-worthy moment is the final few seconds of the episode when Clark and Lana just scream randomly. While it's supposed to be funny and adorable, it's just pathetic to me. I hate it when people say, "we should just scream," and then actually do it.

Aside from that, the visual effects are not quite up to par with the rest of the season's effects. You can clearly tell where the gasoline has been laid to rig the fire to begin burning. One of the upsides to the episode is the further development and a softer side seen from Lex Luthor. Where, you're not quite sure of him for a long time in the series, this episode shows that he's not completely evil as he doesn't want to fire twenty percent of his workers.

Special effects are still top notch, like for instance Clark's super-speed, super-strength and the explosions are great to watch. Watch Clark be engulfed in flames and wear a demonic face to stand against Coach Walt is nothing short of extraordinary or to watch him pull of the car door or break a window with such ease will definitely make you feel like a kid again and wishing for his superpowers.

There's nothing left out of this episode for anyone's desires. Action packed, thrilling and romantic at the greatest moments. It's an audience delight. A great episode indeed.

KWAN!!!!!!!!!!!! Spoilers... 17 years later.

[daniel-j-stratton · 6/10 · 4 June 2018]

Overall not an awful episode. Starts to cement the plot point that meteor rocks can do whatever the writers want them to.

However, one point in the episode is up there with worst in the entire first 6 seasons. (This is as far as I have gotten so far.)

Principal Kwan confronts Coach about giving the players the answers to tests. In front of Kwan the coach sets the locker room on fire with his mind and Kwan's reaction is one if the worse writen/directed/edited scenes ever.

We get Kwan's reaction, which is a quick what's going on verbal response, and then he leaves for his car to drive away. Kwan is the school principle and does not get the fire extinguisher clearly in the shot to put it out, nor does he use the school phones to call 911, he just leaves and tries to drive away.

I do not expect this show to hold continuity between episodes, but for the love of God at least stay consistent within an episode and have these characters act like an actual person... if they are an actual person, and all signs point to Kwan being an actual person.

Overall a nice monster of the week episode before the concept started to get stale I just can't score it higher then a 6 with the Kwan scene.

Don't Anger the Football Coach!

[gab-14712 · 8/10 · 24 October 2021]

"Hothead" continues a thrilling beginning to Smallville. This week's villain is the high school's football coach who is given the power of kryptonite but also has a quick fuse of a temper which creates all sorts of issues. Characters are developed further...especially those of Chloe Sullivan and Lex Luthor. At least to start, the younger Luthor is not pure evil as he shows some empathy towards his employees. There is also the father versus son dynamic at play here. Clark wants to play football...but he is hardly human so you cannot blame Jonathan for wanting his son to take it easy and not reveal who he really is to the world. There are thrilling moments scattered throughout. The principal's car being blown up with flames comes to mind.

Walt Arnold, played by Dan Lauria, is Smallville's arrogant football coach coming up on two hundred victories. During a sauna bath, he is exposed to kryptonite and now is given the powers of creating flames at will. Principal Kwan discovers that seven of his players have cheated on a math test and forbids them from playing which incurs Arnold's wrath. He burns the principal's car and sends the man to the hospital. Against Jonathan's wishes, Arnold recruits Clark to play for the team. Once he loses control of his powers, Clark needs to save his father and his best friend. Meanwhile, Lana's relationship with Whitney is becoming strained to the point where she quits the cheerleading team and Lex's father, Lionel comes to Smallville with the orders for Lex to fire 20% of his staff.

Overall, a great third episode. We see Clark show off with his football skills. The cast does a great job throughout. I was most interested in the family dynamic with Clark and Jonathan. The visuals and effects continue to be really good, especially for a television series.

My Grade: B+

Lots of changes

[Brettyboy007 · 10/10 · 8 September 2014]

Clark has joined the football team? Yes. He joins so he can spend more time with his crush, even though Lana wants to do different things. This episode is just building more from the pilot and the second episode in terms of relationships. Lex faces a dilemma in which his father (played by John Glover) wants him to fire 20% of his workforce. Lex does something which strains their relationship even more and the threat Lionel gives Lex is frightening.

Clark seems like he will be caught with his abilities soon because in every episode so far he uses his gifts to save people. I understand the struggle Jonathan has with Clark wanting to play football and I think the writers did an excellent job with that building on the father/son relationship.

It seems that by the end of the episode, Lana will try something entirely new besides cheerleading and a job. Whitney and Lana's relationship seems to be straining each episode with her discovery of what he did to Clark in the pilot episode and what happens in this one.

And again Clark only wants to do things which bring him closer to Lana so he quits football. Maybe he'll come back?