Review: 'Smallville' - 'Booster': The red & the blue vs. the blue & the gold
A pair of DC Comics heroes show up as Clark learns to be nerdy
Eric Martsolf as Booster Gold on "Smallville."
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I don't believe I've ever done a blog post on "Smallville," in part because I can't remember the last time I actually watched an episode of "Smallville." But I gave "Booster" a try, because the episode was written by top DC Comics scribe Geoff Johns, because it featured the introduction of two of my favorite lesser-known DC characters in Booster Gold and the Blue Beetle, and because we're close enough to the finish line that I wanted to see how the show was approaching the inevitable, long-delayed moment when Clark Kent becomes Superman. And I have a few thoughts - and then some questions for those of you who are still watching this show after all these years - coming up just as soon as I get you a soda...
Though I haven't watched "Smallville" since maybe the second or third season, I've paid enough attention to enough stories about the show that I wasn't lost with this whole idea of Clark being The Blur, which I guess the show is using as a transitional identity to get him to Superman we all know. From an outsider perspective, it doesn't seem the most elegant approach - Tom Welling's not young anymore, and it seems like the producers are doing this just because they didn't want him to put on the tights and cape before the finale - but I suppose there's some value in showing how Clark piece-by-piece becomes Superman.
And here we got to see a crucial key to that puzzle, as Lois teaches Clark - very, very quickly - how to act nerdy enough that no one would ever think to confuse him with the superhero who looks exactly like him. And Johns cleverly tied that idea to the first appearance by Booster (depicted pretty darned close to his '80s comics origins, other than making Skeets a Bluetooth rather than a flying robot to avoid another clunky but expensive piece of visual FX costs), a character who's always gone back and forth between glory hound and well-meaning hero. If you're going to have Clark face off with another superhero as he's struggling to accept that he'll never get celebrated as himself, Booster's the guy to bring about.
I also thought it was a nice touch that the "villain" of the episode would wind up being the Blue Beetle, given how often Booster has partnered up with both the Ted Kord and Jaime Reyes versions of the character in the comic. Though the FX on the Beetle's armor was pretty terrible, both characters were written and played true enough to their comic versions that if "Smallville" were to continue past this year, I imagine I could get sucked into watching the occasional episode focusing on those two.
But I'm less interested in what I thought than what those of you who are still "Smallville" fans (or who were once "Smallville" fans but are reading this post) think of where the show's at now. It's been on a long time, has been through a lot of evolutions, lost and added a ton of characters, gone back and forth with how close it will let Clark be to Superman, etc. Ultimately, have you been happy with where the show is ending up? Would you have rather the producers and/or DC give the blessing to make this a straightforward young Superman series a while back? And other than seeing Welling in the tights and cape, what's the one thing you most want to get out of the finale in a few weeks?
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April 22, 2011 at 9:09PM EST Reply to Comment"And other than seeing Welling in the tights and cape, what's the one thing you most want to get out of the finale in a few weeks?"
Flying
April 23, 2011 at 11:02AM ESTRed Smallville Jacket Like this post thanks for sharing it.
June 18, 2012 at 3:43AM ESThttp://www.smallvillejacket.com/product.html
AJ
April 22, 2011 at 9:10PM EST Reply to CommentI used to watch Smallville, and always like the general concept even though it was essentially Dawson's Creek with super powers.
After a few seasons it became a show I watched with liberal use of fast forward, then a show I stopped watching but sort of followed. They've strayed so far now from the actual Superman story that its hard to care.
I read a long time ago that the original creators were determined never to put him in tights and a cape or call him Superman. But I assume that under new leadership they'll get there in the final episode now - which I will watch.
April 22, 2011 at 9:13PM EST Reply to CommentI'm a huge Superman and a Smallville fan since the beginning.
I'm pretty happy with where the show is ending up because it is finally ending I suppose.
Smallville really was 3 shows; it went from an odd Buffy copy to an aimless genre show grudgingly embracing its source material that eventually became a crazier superhero drama in its last years.
So ever since the superhero transformation (around the time Heroes knocked around) the show just became more fun--it wasnt afraid to be a superhero show anymore and GASP--having Clark becoming a proactive character.
So that is what I hope to get out of the finale, Smallville 100% embracing its roots, much like Clark himself.
Michael Agree with that description of the shows three phases...
April 23, 2011 at 9:07AM ESTHoward Stern used to say that, for the first few seasons, he only really liked watching the season opener and season finale, which is where they crammed most of the superhero drama back then. (Howard Stern also said, around Season 5?, that the sign of a true fan was someone who kept watching even though they knew most of it wasn't that good.)
The last few seasons have been a lot more enjoyable. Also, all along, the colors (set design, costumes, etc) have always really popped, giving it this kind of heightened artifice to the look...fits with their version of a comic universe.
Tom Armbruster
April 22, 2011 at 9:16PM EST Reply to CommentI actually watched every season up to this one because I was tired of Clark being written as dumber than a box of rocks and the supporting cast not doing much better, weather it be the silly plots or the lazy acting.
The irony is, I really wanted to watch this one, and it just slipped my mind and i missed it. I'll have to catch it online.
Tom Armbruster I meant to say "I watched every season up to this one and stopped at the end of last season....:
April 22, 2011 at 9:18PM ESTJim I understood you. If you were going to add a correction, personally I would have gone with fixing the "weather." I'm just teasing. :)
April 23, 2011 at 12:13AM ESTJeff G
April 22, 2011 at 9:16PM EST Reply to CommentI've watched the show all the way through and for the past few seasons it was mainly just to see it through to the end even though I wasn't enjoying most episodes. This is the first season where I've skipped episodes (I check the ep summary and if it has to do with traveling to other dimensions/realities I skip it - seems to be a lot of episodes). That's really where the show has lost me. Too many ventures into alternate realities recently. I just want to see the characters have their stories told without jumping around constantly.
At this point, I'm hoping they get to a point where they start wrapping things up without telling these ridiculous alternate reality stories that don't advance the story.
Matt C.
April 22, 2011 at 9:19PM EST Reply to CommentAlan,
Here's the 411 on Smallville: the first two seasons were pretty good, the 3rd through 5th less so, the 6th was good until Ollie left after the Justice episode, with the rest of the 6th and 7th seasons being just dreadful. I mean, HORRIBLE.
The 8th season was okay, but didn't do the villain Doomsday any real justice, especially in the finale, which was lame.
The 9th season was much better, the best season since 2, and had a "younger" version of one of the biggie Superman villains making a great smallscreen appearance played by the excellent Callum Blue, but again, the finale was lacking.
But this tenth season, Alan, as been balls to the wall one of the best series of the year, and I'm not kidding or speaking in hyperbole. Erica Durance owns the Lois role, Welling's acting is better and his chemistry with her feels genuine, and that is what really sells the show, how good they are as a couple.
And really, the steps towards Superman have been non-clunky and completely, honestly realized by the overall arc.
YOU think tonight's episode with the "Clark Kent" persona was clunky because you missed key episodes, particularly "Homecoming," where the now good Brainiac-5 (yes, from The Legion of Superheroes) takes Clark into the future, "Isis," where he tells Lois who he is, and "Masquerade," where Clark decides to start his new persona so his hero side can show his face. So, if you had watched all of those, everything here would have seemed more organic.
I heartily recommend going back through your screeners and watching this season; it is WELL worth your time, I promise. SO many great episodes, such great themes.
Ultraman even makes an appearance or two. Yeah, ULTRAMAN!
So, season 8 was better than the dreck that came before it, and 9 was pretty darn good, but both had limp finales, and so far, season 10 has been OUTSTANDING. I actually like how they approached the villain of Darkseid, my personal favorite Superman/DCU villain.
I only find it a shame that Michael Ironside probably won't be able to voice Darkseid in the coming episodes as he's known as Lois's dad, General Sam Lane, to Smallville fans.
Matt C. Oh, and BTW, the reason for the dreadfullness of any parts of seasons 5-7 can be summed up by two words: Lana Lang.
April 22, 2011 at 9:54PM ESTOr, the writers' inept handling of Lana combined by Kristin Kreuks' phoning in the role the last few seasons.
Once she exited stage right, the show got better (season 8).
Matt C. Oh, and Alan, the idea of "TheBlur" came in season 7 or 8, from the clothes Clark always used to wear when saving the day (red or blue jacket with the opposite color t-shirt), and he was called "The Red-Blue Blur." Yeah, lame, but for obvious reasons, he can't be called The Flash (since all he does so far is run).
April 22, 2011 at 10:01PM ESTWhen he changed to the all-black look, they changed the name to The Blur.
This season, he's back to wearing red & blue in preparation of putting on the blue suit, red undies, and red cape that we all know and love (or, really, know and barely tolerate, as it's the muted colors of Bryan Singer's Emo Superman).
Jeff I agree 100% with Matt C
April 22, 2011 at 10:42PM ESTJake B. Matt C does a pretty good explanation of the show. TV show creators should watch the Lana-Clark relationship from season 5 onward as how NOT to do a Doomed relationship. And as much as I enjoyed Lex Luthor's presence, him being a regular character really stunted the show's growth due to the writers having to continually work the " Does Lex know Clark is an alien?" angle. When Lex and Lana exited stage after season 7, along with the show creators, it gave Smallville a breath of fresh air and allowed Clark to be Metropolis's super hero, even if he isn't Superman. Overall, Smallville in my opinion has done much more good than bad in regards to re-imagining the superman beginnings.
April 22, 2011 at 10:53PM ESTnic919 While not perfect, I have enjoyed most of the episodes this year, partly because the writers have given the characters progression and also because the important points are being hit.
April 23, 2011 at 1:43AM ESTThe middle years were crap because Clark was more often a big dumb alien who could not get over Lana who went from girl next door to witch to girl with superpowers. Chloe never got the credit she deserved and was essentially Lois and so when they brought in Lois, she was a ditz, making her current transformation very inconsistent. So basically I just accepted that the writers spun their wheels for four years and then realized Lois needed to actually want to be a reporter.
Anyway I am looking forward to see him fly.
Michael Oh that's right, I forgot about Lana Lang. She was terrible and pretty boring.. and then they tried to make her a ninja or something. Married to Lex luthor. Whatever, it was lame.
April 23, 2011 at 9:11AM ESTToph Matt C, you've just made me realize I've been watching this for 10 seasons... Wow
April 23, 2011 at 11:25AM ESTsanalayla Complete agree with Matt C. (Except I think that S9 was better than S10.)
April 25, 2011 at 11:39AM EST
April 22, 2011 at 9:21PM EST Reply to CommentI'm glad the show is almost over. I'm not one to give up on shows, but at times Smallville has been unwatchable and the rest of the time it's mediocre.
Have fallen behind this season because the first half of the season was pretty terrible. Up there with season's 6 and 7 in terms of quality. You wouldn't think it was the final season watching it. Most shows would use te final season to go all out, but this show has continued with what it always does. A good first episode to start the season. Then a bunch of mediocre episodes, with one or two standing out from the pack, and finishing off with a great finale that makes you wnder why the writers don't put this much effort into the rest of the season.
All in all I'll be glad when the show's over.
Matt C. What haven't you liked about season 10 so far, because I've had the complete opposite reaction.
April 22, 2011 at 9:57PM ESTI too loathe the middle years, and barely tolerate seasons 3,4, and 5, but thought the show found a better voice in season 8, did much better in season 9, and has really knocked it out of the park this season.
turtle Well come on, who expected Smallville to last 10 years and over 200 episodes? Given how few stories it actually tells, it's hard to believe it's lasted so long. I can't hate on the show too much since I stuck with it for so long, but you are right on in the patterns every season takes. Good premiere ep, then a couple of set-up eps, an exciting fourth ep, and then filler filler filler until the mid-season finale. Lather, rinse, and repeat until the finale. As much as I've enjoyed the show over the years, I can't argue it's greatness. It's repetitive, melodramatic, and rarely inspired. I do think this final season is better than last season, which was just dreadful. The worst thing about these last few seasons, imo, is the trend of bringing in DC characters just to tell Clark about his Super Future. It takes away from him choosing this life for himself, plus it's lazy writing.
April 23, 2011 at 4:04AM ESTAlso I agree that S6 was pretty bad. I liked S7, however.
Juli
April 22, 2011 at 11:06PM EST Reply to CommentI would love to see the flying....
People keep calling this a "filler" episode. This season is all about the final transition to Superman. Look at how much of the arc happened on this episode:
1. suggestion of new name beginning with the S on his suit maybe something "Super"
2. Phonebooth change - sure he has change clothes in one before but not like that
3. Bumbling Clark Kent - Tom Welling looked right at home
Yes Mr. Welling has improved as an actor over the years getting better with time as we all should. But it should be noted that he is also one of the Executive Producer of this season and the director of this episode. My hat is off to him as he did an excellent job as well as was in almost every scene.
tigger500
April 22, 2011 at 11:39PM EST Reply to CommentI've watched since the beginning and I still think the strongest season are 5, 6 and 7 and 8, though the early seasons when Clark and Lex are friends is inspired (the HS milieu never worked for me tho).
That said, the only real reason I watched the show for so long was because Allison Mack's Chloe Sullivan is hands down the best, and most consistent, aspect of the show. Her loss this season is keenly felt.
That said, I'm most looking forward to the return of Michael Rosenbaum and the suit.
James
April 22, 2011 at 11:40PM EST Reply to CommentI would've much rather had a few years as a straightforward young Superman show. I want the last episode to have Clark as Superman, flying and in a Superman outfit, in action for more than a few seconds in the very last scene/shot of the series.
eddie willers
April 22, 2011 at 11:55PM EST Reply to CommentThe last time I regularly read Superman, Curt Swan was doing the pencils, but I really enjoyed the early years of "Smallville".
To me, once they killed John Schneider's Pa Kent, the show lost it's appeal as the 'coming of age' of the young Man of Steel and became an unfathomable fan boy superhero show aimed more at teenagers than this old boy who's first ever 'big boy' comic (meaning something other than Sugar & Spike or Little Lulu) was the introduction of the Kryptonite Kid in the pages of Superboy sometime in the 50's.
(And, yes, I had a copy of Fantastic Four #1 which I later resold for 5¢. Hey....I thought I was doing pretty good to get back half of what I paid for a ratty old comic!)
Anyway, I have stayed through some really awful years to get across the finish line. The only episode I have really enjoyed in the past few years was this year's "Homecoming".
Here's hoping the finale is good and that the show leaves as an overall winner.
Tom M.
April 23, 2011 at 12:00AM EST Reply to CommentExcellent! I can now cross "reading a Sepinwall review of Smallville" off my bucket list, hehe (I'm only half-kidding, as we seem to have eerily similar tastes, with this being one of the few divergences...though from a quality standpoint I completely get the infrequent venturing into CW territory).
I consider myself a Superman fan, at least as applied to movie/TV media. I was never a big Superman comics guy (mostly read The Flash), but I'm 27, so I grew up on the animated series and Lois & Clark and even watching the old George Reeves series when Nick-at-Nite used to run it. I've seen every episode of Smallville (not with super fanboy recall or anything, but I've always watched), and while I think it long ago departed from what I'd call the traditional source material that most casual fans would be familiar with, I, for the most part respect the particular new trail it's blazed through the Superman lore. I would agree with the commenters who contend the writers botched the ending of the Clark-Lana relationship, but not in a way that ever ruined the show for me personally, and I think that, once already botched, their final scene in her final episode was good enough that I can overlook it.
This Season 10 in particular I think, has been a real love letter to fans who've stuck with the show. While I'm sure they haven't pleased everyone, because you never can, I just feel like the writing has clicked this year and they've hit pretty much every beat exactly when you, as a viewer, would want them to hit it. Whereas in the past they might've held stuff back to wring out every last extra drop of drama to the point that it defeats the purpose, this year they've just gone all out for it.
It's funny about tonight though, because the glasses have always been my pet peeve. Not that he wears them, because I'm totally willing to suspend my disbelief that nobody who didn't know it was him could tell the difference. Suspension of disbelief is kind of a prerequisite for watching this kind of thing...I just think they had to start phasing this in way earlier than with 4 hours to go. I get him not wearing them in high school/college, because you're not necessarily thinking if you're him that you're gonna grow up to save the world...but the writing's been on the wall a long time that he was transitioning to something much more global, and I think I might've started donning the glasses full time around Season 8 or so.
Like I said though, I'm kind of in the tank for this show and this season in particular, so if the glasses are my greatest quibble, I can live with that. I'm totally psyched for the upcoming finale, and I'm hoping for flight like some have said, and maybe for the costume. I don't need a head-to-toe glory pose or anything, just a quick peek at the iconic "S". Even if I don't get any of that, as long as it's an organic ending that's true to the characters that cast and crew have built, I'll be more than satisfied. Thanks for your time.
RAz1969
April 23, 2011 at 12:07AM EST Reply to CommentIf you tried to pitch a ten year, 200+ episode series narrating the story from boy to man of Clark Kent, you couldn't picture doing it better than "Smallville" did it. Episode by episode, beat by beat, it may have been imperfect but I don't know how more story and character elements could have been included over the years. Hell, Sylvester Pemberton even got a cameo in the tease to the JSA two-parter. If I live another fifty years, there is no promise that I'll eve see another live action Kent Nelson, Rokk Brinn or Ted Kord. On this fifth night of Passover, I can list a few hundred plot points from smallville and say "if they just showed booster gold and blue beetleS, it would have been enough.". I own ten thousand DC comic books, I'm 42, and Smallville was a success.
Narrim
April 23, 2011 at 2:44AM EST Reply to CommentYes, another fan of the Blue and Gold! I definitely enjoyed the episode. Booster representing the seen hero and Jaime the put upon are brilliant choices for showing the two sides of Clark's future dual-identity taken to the extreme, and they're balanced out in the end after the hugest moments of ego and anxiety. Excellent metaphors for what Clark fears he'll become if he goes into Clark/Public identites and now he learns that he can balance it. I love it. Also, love the Dan Garrett mention, even if he killed three people, and Booster's sister in his talk with Clark. A little sad that Ted looked a bit too old for the superhero biz in the future, but anything could happen. Excellent stuff.
I definitely agree that the chemistry between Durance and Welling has improved drastically since she was first introduced and it's a lot more fun to watch now than it was a few years ago. I've been tuning in again off and on since the Justice Society was introduced, and while it was very hit or miss, since 'Homecoming,' I haven't witnessed a bad episode. There were some that were a bit groanworthy in premise and formula (one episode was The Hangover, another I believe was Inception), but weren't nearly as bad as when they used to do the same things (Lana is a vampire pops into my head immediately).
It's been fun and I look forward to seeing how things play out.
Narrim
April 23, 2011 at 2:45AM EST Reply to CommentYes, another fan of the Blue and Gold! I definitely enjoyed the episode. Booster representing the seen hero and Jaime the put upon are brilliant choices for showing the two sides of Clark's future dual-identity taken to the extreme, and they're balanced out in the end after the hugest moments of ego and anxiety. Excellent metaphors for what Clark fears he'll become if he goes into Clark/Public identites and now he learns that he can balance it. I love it. Also, love the Dan Garrett mention, even if he killed three people, and Booster's sister in his talk with Clark. A little sad that Ted looked a bit too old for the superhero biz in the future, but anything could happen. Excellent stuff.
I definitely agree that the chemistry between Durance and Welling has improved drastically since she was first introduced and it's a lot more fun to watch now than it was a few years ago. I've been tuning in again off and on since the Justice Society was introduced, and while it was very hit or miss, since 'Homecoming,' I haven't witnessed a bad episode. There were some that were a bit groanworthy in premise and formula (one episode was The Hangover, another I believe was Inception), but weren't nearly as bad as when they used to do the same things (Lana is a vampire pops into my head immediately).
It's been fun and I look forward to seeing how things play out.
Turtle
April 23, 2011 at 3:27AM EST Reply to CommentI did a double-take when I saw this blog headline. Sepinwall reviewing Smallville? Cool. I'd love to see you review the finale.
"And here we got to see a crucial key to that puzzle, as Lois teaches Clark - very, very quickly - how to act nerdy enough that no one would ever think to confuse him with the superhero who looks exactly like him."
That was such a weird scene, because Clark actually started wearing the glasses and using the "bumbling" Clark Kent persona just a few episodes ago. Even if they wanted to find a way to allow Lois some input, it didn't have to be so sloppy.
I'm terribly excited for the finale, even though the show is a good five years past its prime. Still, I'm excited to see Lex Luthor again, as well as to see Clark become Superman and fly. I'm also very excited to see the return of Chloe Sullivan. It's been 10 long years, and I'm just happy to finally see the conclusion to this show.
citizenmilton
April 23, 2011 at 8:40AM EST Reply to CommentThe show was surprisingly solid up to ep #100. Then dreadful for the next 50. The original showrunners practically sabotaged it on their way out the door.
And just when its life force seemed totally drained, it rebounded to a respectable level of cotton candy entertainment (episodes 150-200+).
Losing Michael Rosenbaum as Lex Luthor deprived the show of a clear force of antagonism and much of its thematic structure. And the writers never figured out a way to have an active, heroic, adult Clark Kent while still not letting him don the costume; instead, they meandered with an overly introspective, passive main character, who was often eclipsed by the supporting cast.
Cruising to the finish line with a wildly uneven final year, it's a total coin-flipper as to whether the finale will pay off well. Any justification for optimism is based mostly on factors outside of the writer's room: the implicit benefits of the classic mythology, and the lead actors. Tom Welling, Erica Durance and Michael Rosenbaum have proven ability to elevate the material. And despite Smallville's many flaws, the milestone episodes (pilot, #100, #200, and most of the season finales) have been its strongest performers.
Ditto @Turtle: would enjoy a review of the finale.
evolution1085 I disagree with you on the quality of the season finales... the Doomsday episode might be the worst season finale in the history of television for both the complete letdown of that confrontation as well as how they completely swerved Jimmy's death into being "not that Jimmy Olsen". Last year's was completely anticlimactic when you have a battle between two kryptonians devolve into a regular slugfest.
April 23, 2011 at 7:00PM ESTSmallville's main issues have always been writing/story related. They've spent 9+ seasons with Clark Kent moving from holier than thou douchebag to whiny/emo crybaby (the black Neo trenchcoat was a joke). When Welling and some of the weaker actors were given good material (even Kreuk) the show shined, when they were given dreck, the show freefalled into pure crap. The show also lost much of its gravitas with the losses of Glover, O'Toole, but especially and Schneider and Glover. The adults were always able to elevate the material they got, when they were gone, the quality of the show fell until Welling and Durance were able to carry it, mostly because they stopped making Clark a whiny bitch.
April 23, 2011 at 10:10AM EST Reply to CommentThis season's been great, simply because the show is finally getting to the stories we've wanted it to tell all along. I watched through the first five seasons, stopped watching somewhere when the show suddenly became the Hunt for The Triforce.
Alan I'd also recommend the show's 200th(!) episode, Homecoming. They smartly gave us glimpses of the future and even tipped their cap to the original Donner film.
Haik Mendelovich
April 23, 2011 at 10:51AM EST Reply to CommentI like Tom, but Michael Rosenbaum was the heart of the show, with his great take on Lex Luthor.
I could tolerate the Monster Of The Week, as long as Lex was around.
Since he's gone, I haven't watched much. The meandering storylines, and Clark's cluelessness are a bit too much to overcome.
I shall make it a point to see the finale, but I'd really have preferred that Clark had transitioned to Superman years ago, and then had several seasons based upon that.
April 23, 2011 at 11:09AM ESTHaik Mendelovich John Glover! I should have mentioned him.
April 23, 2011 at 1:30PM ESTA great actor, he gave a depth to Lionel that few others could match. All his scenes with Michael were great - some approached (dare I say it?) Shakespearean heights.
April 23, 2011 at 11:01AM EST Reply to Commentdude...you actually liked that Booster Gold comic? I thought he was killed off in Crisis On Infinite Earths
John
April 23, 2011 at 11:05AM EST Reply to CommentSmallville could have been 2 different shows. The first seasons could have been called "Smallville" and the last half of the show could have been called "Metropolis". If you're a big enough Superman fan I think you can put up with the high school drama of the first several seasons. The original premise of this show was "no flights, no tights" so people should have known they weren't going to make Clark Kent become Superman as soon as he graduated high school and instead of Clark leaving for decades like they did in the original Superman movie they spread it out over 10 seasons. After 10 years I just think people need to take the good with the bad and deal with the filler episodes until they finally make Clark become Superman. All that being said and as big a Smallville fan as I am if they hadn't gotten Rosenbaum back I don't care how they would have ended it because it would have sucked.
Besides Welling putting on the suit, I think Clark/Superman flying and Lex being back are the only things I really want to see. I'm fine with ending the show with Welling in the suit and if we actually get to see him be Superman and save some people in the suit that'd be great too.
April 23, 2011 at 12:31PM EST Reply to CommentStrangely enough if theres one show I could read about all their backstage shenanigans, it would be Smallville. I started watching this show when I was 21 (!!!) and while I had always watched TV, my Superman nerd-dom made me think about the show (and eventually TV more actively).
It still leaves me with a lot of questions...
-What happened backstage in season 3? The show was clearly heading in a stronger serialized style they have ditched so completely in season 4.
-Why did they almost switcharooed Michael Rosenbaum and Kristen Kreuk in terms of storyline/importance in season 4? That sounds insane to me.
-How that big Millar/Gough changeover happened.
Andrea
April 23, 2011 at 2:21PM EST Reply to CommentThis season has not been the best .... they never focus on Clark and Superman, sadly the most important thing for them has been the relationship of Clark and Lois and they have forgotten the work relationship of these two. I wanted to see Lois & Clark as real reporters for a long time, and all the off screen references are driving me crazy... I don't want to imagine why Lois is a great reporter! I want to see why... I want to see Clark saving people, I want to see why the people love him. I don't want to see other characters... like Booster and Blue Beetle.
I want to see Superman
Andrea Also, this season is like season 6 and 7... the episodes are not so good but one or two scenes saves the episode...
April 23, 2011 at 2:27PM EST
April 23, 2011 at 3:11PM EST Reply to CommentI almost gave up during season 7 because the storylines were just too dumb and a total pointless retcon.
But since season 8 (with the exception of what is called the "Arc of Suck" [Lana's return]) I've enjoyed it very much.
They still do a lot of stalling but Clark as a character is much more supermanly then the boy who pined after Lana in seasons 5 and 6.
PanicBomb
April 23, 2011 at 6:03PM EST Reply to CommentI've seen every episode of Smallville, and when listed alongside other shows I'm rabid about (The Wire, Breaking Bad, Terriers, Arrested Development...) it stands out like a sore thumb. I started watching with my girlfriend (Seriously. I have one.) because she has a thing for Tom Welling, and the part of me that's been a lifelong comic fan has been able to find it amusing as a novelty. Overall, I'm of mixed feelings...
On the one hand, considering the subject matter, the network, and the demographic Smallville caters to, it's not really fair to hold it to a "Sunday nights on HBO" standard. On the other hand, it is certainly fair to hold it to a "this takes place, if not on planet Earth, than within what I recognize as this universe" standard, a standard it often falls far short of. Characters will drive (presumably for hours) from Smallville to Metropolis to hold a 15 second conversation (or scowl for awhile), only to hop right back into whatever model of car is sponsoring this season and drive back home. I’ve never been to Kansas, but do cell phone minutes cost more than gas out there? Lois Lane spends so much time on the floor blacked out unconscious that she should have received serious consideration for the lead role in the “Arthur†remake. I could conceivably open a Baskin Robbins using nothing but the various colors and flavors of Kryptonite (Don’t try the Red K, unless you have a leather jacket, an earring and a middle finger you’re not getting enough use out of). I’m making jokes, but honestly, this show could be improved dramatically if just a modicum of logic were exercised.
Also, more than any other show I can think of, the behind the scenes machinations are transparently visible on screen. “Annette O’Toole wants out? We’ll make Martha Kent a Senator, because Senator’s never ever write, call, or come home. She’d just end up filibustering that funeral anyway.†“Pete Ross doesn’t come back to town because his family and closest friends live there, that is a waste of Pete Ross’ time! No, Pete Ross comes back to town for a OneRepublic concert and to get his hands on some more of that delicious, magic power granting Stride gum.†“We’re not allowed to use Batman, so we’ll take the Green Arrow, give him Batman’s voice, gadgets, backstory, and rip off the Danny Elfman theme and no one will know the difference. Also, get me a large blue and red bikini, a golden lasso, and have the FX team start testing out invisible jets because ‘Gorilla Grodd’ is making an appearance next season!†So many plot points and character actions seem dictated by who left, who’s sporadically available, and what properties they do or do not have access to. Maybe this is what happens when you’re on the air for 10 years and people come and go, I don’t know. The only thing I can think of that’s been on long enough to make a comparison to is CSI, but I don’t know who’s on that show because nobody in it can take the 2 seconds necessary to flip on a light switch.
Anyway, I’m being needlessly harsh, but my point is that while Smallville can be a fun, guilty pleasure, it wouldn’t have to be “guilty†at all if it’s scripts had a second draft phase of production. It’s really frustrating to see a great premise needlessly squandered.
April 23, 2011 at 8:13PM ESTOliver Queen was a rich kid with dead parents (not murdered) who liked to party. He got thrown off/fell off a boat and washed ashore on an island where he perfected his archery skills with a makeshift bow. He gets back to civilization and realizes he was wasting his life and want to start helping out the average man.
PanicBomb Michael Jimeno, you are of course correct, and I'm probably going a bit overboard in a lot of my criticism. You have to understand in that particular instance it was for a good cause: referencing GORILLA GRODD.
April 23, 2011 at 8:30PM ESTBut yeah, the Smallville interpretation of Green Arrow is not a wild deviation from his origins. I do believe that the show intentionally strengthened the parallels between Green Arrow and Batman, as a work around to not having access to the dark knight. I mean, those music cues are just too similar, and early on they seemed to forgo archery for popping out of the dark and snatching bad guys.
Dale Cooper
April 23, 2011 at 9:34PM EST Reply to CommentI gave up on Smallville after the episode where Clark tells Lana about his superpowers but at the end of the episode, he GOES BACK IN TIME and chooses not to do it again.
DMAC
April 24, 2011 at 3:06PM EST Reply to CommentWhen Smallville was a monster-of-the week show when it just started out I mainly enjoyed the mythology based episodes or strong character episodes. My roommate and I have rewatched every premiere/finale since the beginning, with a few memorable episodes in between, and to be honest I feel like that line up of maybe 25 episodes is really all the series needed.
Obviously it's a TV show and they need stories to continue to be on the air, and every once in a while Smallville has a great episode by Smallville's standards.
Either way I don't really care how close they stuck to the storylines of the original Superman comics. Since I started watching the show, this is exactly how I wanted the show to progress. I didn't need instant gratification of seeing Clark fly in a Superman costume. It's been long enough that it's time for all of this to happen, but overall i would say that Smallville peaked in the Season 4 to Season 5 area, and has been on the slow decline since then. This final season hasn't changed in terms of format which disappoints me. They make it about Darkseid but once they find out Michael Rosenbaum can do the finale, it becomes all about setting up the return of Lex. Basically i'm just watching because the finale is coming up, I don't know if i could take much more of it considering the direction it's been going, assuming I didn't know this was the end.
Joseph
April 25, 2011 at 11:45AM EST Reply to CommentI thought the first three seasons were great overall; the "Freak of the Week" storylines got tiresome but Rosenbaum, Welling, Schneider made up for it. I stuck with the show through season 7 when the Law of Diminishing Returns finally caught up with me, although I still watched the odd episode and read recaps online. I have watched a few eps this season and it does seem the show has improved somewhat.
My main problem is, Superman is supposed to be the original superhero, the inspiration for all who came after him. But in this show, he has mostly been whiny, self cenetered, and irresponsible. It seems like every hero in the DCU has taken up the public superhero mantle while Clark remains reluctant to do so. Ten years to go from discovering powers to becoming Superman is ridiculous. This is a prime example of the problems inherent in 20+ episode seasons with no certain end date. The characters were written inconsistently from episode to episode, with little in the way of past experiences carrying over.
The original conceit of the show was to retell the Superman mythos but in a more "realistic" fashion, playing down the sci-fi elements and playing up the Lex-Clark relationship (thus the famous "no tights, no flights"). Once it was clear the series was going to go on, and once Rosenbaum left, they pretty much abandoned everything, bringing in all manner of villains and heroes from the DCU but for some reason sticking to "no tights, no flights" for Clark, which made zero sense to me and really hurt the show.
Still I suppose a lot of people continue to enjoy the show and it's good to know young people still find Superman interesting. Ten years is an impressive run for any show.
Darlus
April 25, 2011 at 9:28PM EST Reply to CommentI NEED to see Michael Rosenbaum come back as Lex Luthor...
Or I feel like I would've wasted my time buying into all these "clones" and what not.
Superman Smallville Jacket
February 28, 2012 at 3:20AM EST Reply to CommentSuperman Smallville Jacket
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