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locker_monsterI have to admit I've been watching Smallville since it's premiered. Chalk it up to a love of comic books and a cute boy as the star (hey, I was a teenager, what do you want from me?) 10 years. To put that into perspective, during that 10 years, we went through 4 Joss Whedon shows and 3 Stargate shows. And now Smallville holds the Guinness world record for longest running sci-fi TV show (in North America). Who would have thought that a TV show about a teenaged Superman would have such longevity.
I don't know. The show had its good points and its bad points. Personally, it only started to pick up towards the end and that was only because Clark was getting closer to embracing the blue tights and red cape. It became less about this teenager who just wanted to fit in and more about this hero in training. I think the one inherent problem I always had with Smallville is everyone knows how it ends. We all know that Clark Kent, geeky teen on the farm, becomes Superman, the greatest superhero in the world. You already know the journey, it's just the path hadn't been laid out yet.
As for how the show ended: wha? Since when can Apokolips, a planet, travel through space? Though, for all I know, it does this all the time in the comics. But really? If another planet entered Earth's orbit, wouldn't the gravitational pull cause earthquakes and stuff? Everyone would be dead. But this is a superhero show after all. Science? What's that? But since when is Clark strong enough to push another planet back out into space? He just learned to fly for heaven's sake. Or maybe by finally learning how to fly he unlocked his true Kryptonian potential? I don't know what to think. You want some of the show to be grounded in reality, since it's a drama and all, but even stuff like this on the superhero side is just too much to comprehend sometimes.
In the end, I guess you needed a huge threat like another planet colliding with Earth to get Clark to put on the blue suit. Finally! Though, the show kind of cheated. You see the suit, sure, but you don't see Clark in it. Not close up anyway.
These two shots are the best you get until the end of the show. It makes sense in a way. The show didn't want to waste money on something they wouldn't need again. Heck, the suit we do see is just the suit they made for Superman Returns. Plus, Superman suits are hard to pull off. It's really better this way. Long shots and just hints of Clark in the suit work just fine. But where is the Superman spit curl? It's like Clark Kent without glasses.
And I was totally right about how they would end the show way back in November 2009. We did flash forward. Of course, it's the obvious thing to do. I kind of appreciate that they tried to set continuity right. Lois and Clark don't get married. They put off the marriage for seven years so both characters match the ages of their comic book counterparts. Jimmy, the real Jimmy and the not the fake Jimmy, is the right age and working for the Daily Planet. Perry is Editor-in-Chief. And Lex is President. At least they explain why Lex doesn't remember Clark being Superman. It was kind of a throwaway thing towards the end, but it had to be there. And wow, they actually got Michael Rosenbaum to come back. I got the impression he would only return to Smallville if hell froze over.
But I wish we got to see more of the world seven years later. Just a little hint that superheroes are now everywhere and saving the world. Can't have everything I guess. Just one thing though: is that boy Chloe is reading the comic book to meant to be her and Oliver's son? Does the boy ever call her "Mom"? I don't remember. It's very ambiguous and I suppose that's the point. That's the one bit of continuity that is uniquely Smallville. Since it's open to interpretation, you can go three ways. 1) Yes, that is Chloe and Oliver's son. 2) That is not Chloe's son, but he's still Oliver's kid. Chloe's just babysitting. This way, you can have your cake and eat it, too. The Chloe/Oliver shippers are happy but if you're a continuity nut, you can believe that Chloe and Oliver broke up and he and Dinah (Black Canary) hooked up got married, like they did in the comics. or 3) That is Chloe's son and the dad is someone else, but the kid eventually becomes Green Arrow's sidekick Speedy, if the shot of the kid staring longingly at the bow and arrows is any indication. And cool, Chloe gets the honour of using the name "Superman" in the proper context.
And not only did we flash forward, we ended on this:
A slo mo shot of Clark running towards the camera and ripping his shirt open to reveal that iconic S shield. I called that, too. ;-) But realistically, it's the only way to end the show. I would have been disappointed if they hadn't done it. We even get some Superman movie music in there. Apparently they even had the theme from Lois and Clark somewhere in the show but since I couldn't remember what the theme sounded like so that went straight over my head.
I'd call this a decent episode. Could have been better but it also could have been a lot worse. I like to joke that at least the show never had Clark marrying a clone of Lois that liked to eat frogs.
I don't know. The show had its good points and its bad points. Personally, it only started to pick up towards the end and that was only because Clark was getting closer to embracing the blue tights and red cape. It became less about this teenager who just wanted to fit in and more about this hero in training. I think the one inherent problem I always had with Smallville is everyone knows how it ends. We all know that Clark Kent, geeky teen on the farm, becomes Superman, the greatest superhero in the world. You already know the journey, it's just the path hadn't been laid out yet.
As for how the show ended: wha? Since when can Apokolips, a planet, travel through space? Though, for all I know, it does this all the time in the comics. But really? If another planet entered Earth's orbit, wouldn't the gravitational pull cause earthquakes and stuff? Everyone would be dead. But this is a superhero show after all. Science? What's that? But since when is Clark strong enough to push another planet back out into space? He just learned to fly for heaven's sake. Or maybe by finally learning how to fly he unlocked his true Kryptonian potential? I don't know what to think. You want some of the show to be grounded in reality, since it's a drama and all, but even stuff like this on the superhero side is just too much to comprehend sometimes.
In the end, I guess you needed a huge threat like another planet colliding with Earth to get Clark to put on the blue suit. Finally! Though, the show kind of cheated. You see the suit, sure, but you don't see Clark in it. Not close up anyway.
These two shots are the best you get until the end of the show. It makes sense in a way. The show didn't want to waste money on something they wouldn't need again. Heck, the suit we do see is just the suit they made for Superman Returns. Plus, Superman suits are hard to pull off. It's really better this way. Long shots and just hints of Clark in the suit work just fine. But where is the Superman spit curl? It's like Clark Kent without glasses.
And I was totally right about how they would end the show way back in November 2009. We did flash forward. Of course, it's the obvious thing to do. I kind of appreciate that they tried to set continuity right. Lois and Clark don't get married. They put off the marriage for seven years so both characters match the ages of their comic book counterparts. Jimmy, the real Jimmy and the not the fake Jimmy, is the right age and working for the Daily Planet. Perry is Editor-in-Chief. And Lex is President. At least they explain why Lex doesn't remember Clark being Superman. It was kind of a throwaway thing towards the end, but it had to be there. And wow, they actually got Michael Rosenbaum to come back. I got the impression he would only return to Smallville if hell froze over.
But I wish we got to see more of the world seven years later. Just a little hint that superheroes are now everywhere and saving the world. Can't have everything I guess. Just one thing though: is that boy Chloe is reading the comic book to meant to be her and Oliver's son? Does the boy ever call her "Mom"? I don't remember. It's very ambiguous and I suppose that's the point. That's the one bit of continuity that is uniquely Smallville. Since it's open to interpretation, you can go three ways. 1) Yes, that is Chloe and Oliver's son. 2) That is not Chloe's son, but he's still Oliver's kid. Chloe's just babysitting. This way, you can have your cake and eat it, too. The Chloe/Oliver shippers are happy but if you're a continuity nut, you can believe that Chloe and Oliver broke up and he and Dinah (Black Canary) hooked up got married, like they did in the comics. or 3) That is Chloe's son and the dad is someone else, but the kid eventually becomes Green Arrow's sidekick Speedy, if the shot of the kid staring longingly at the bow and arrows is any indication. And cool, Chloe gets the honour of using the name "Superman" in the proper context.
And not only did we flash forward, we ended on this:
A slo mo shot of Clark running towards the camera and ripping his shirt open to reveal that iconic S shield. I called that, too. ;-) But realistically, it's the only way to end the show. I would have been disappointed if they hadn't done it. We even get some Superman movie music in there. Apparently they even had the theme from Lois and Clark somewhere in the show but since I couldn't remember what the theme sounded like so that went straight over my head.
I'd call this a decent episode. Could have been better but it also could have been a lot worse. I like to joke that at least the show never had Clark marrying a clone of Lois that liked to eat frogs.
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