When a teenage boy with extraordinary abilities appears out of nowhere, a kindhearted social worker and her family are the only people to offer him a home. The young man's capabilities and brilliance seem to grow stronger each day, but these talents are just one clue to the mystery of the boy called Kyle, and the questions are starting to grow: Where did he come from? Who is the man watching him? And who - or what - is Kyle...?

The first season of Kyle XY Declassified is comprised of ten 40-minute episodes and follows the life of a mysterious teenager who is found naked, wandering through the city with no memory of who he is or where he came from. In fact he can't even talk or perform the most basic of tasks... oh, and he has no navel.

Nicole Trager, a social worker, is assigned to work with Kyle to try and diagnose his condition. Because of his inability to communicate, it's decided that he needs one-on-one care, and so Nicole agrees to take Kyle home with her. Nicole has a husband as well as a teenage son and daughter who don't warm to having a stranger in their home. However, as Kyle's ability to talk and communicate comes back to him, the Tragers all start to form a bond with him - adopting him as part of the family.

Season One's ten episodes follow Kyle from discovery through to revealing where he came from and why he was found wandering around in the first place. Along the way he discovers he has abilities unlike other humans. He's a mathematical genius, can read a book in minutes, and can retain more information than a normal person should be able to.

There are quite a few similarities to be drawn with the first season of Smallville. Firstly it's based around a teenage male of unknown origin; both shows main character has super powers which they develop over time; both are adopted by a family and brought up to be good people; both are desperate to find out about their past and where they came from; and both form attachments with girls who are going out with other boys.

I was unsure as to why this box set is being marketed in the UK as Kyle XY: Unclassified, when the series is simply called Kyle XY in America. If anything, the addition of the word "Unclassified" kind of hints at what the mystery is all about.

Throughout this series, there are stand alone episodes that explore lying (The Lies That Bind); dreaming, falling in love; erections and masturbation (Diving In); and basketball (Kyle Got Game).

The X-Files's agent Krycek (Nicholas Lea) makes regular appearances in this season, as the mysterious Tom Foss. Also Bill Dow, who Stargate fans will know as Dr. Bill Lee, appears briefly in a number of episodes as Professor William Kern. And Teryl Rothery, who played Dr. Janet Fraiser in Stargate: SG-1, turns up as Carol Bloom in a handful of episodes.

Extras include audio commentary with cast and crew on two episodes; Alternate Pilot Episode; Endgame Extended Episode; and Kyle Declassified (18 min, 04 sec featurette. The first 14 minutes are simply a complete recap of the show's first season from episode one right through to the episode 10 cliffhanger. The final 4 minutes contains behind the scenes footage and sound bytes from cast and crew on what Season Two has in store for fans).

In fact the only thing that slightly bugged me about this show was that I couldn't help thinking that Kyle looked a little too much like a Vorta from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

Kyle XY is an interesting series, and one that is certainly worth investing in, especially when you consider that this box set works out at less than £2.60 an episode.

9

Darren Rea