Smallville - TV Fanatic

Smallville Season 11: On the Way, Comic Book Style!

matt@tvfanatic.com (TV Fanatic Staff) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 08:10:39 EST

The long-gestating rumors have become a reality: Smallville will soon live on in comic book form.

A press release confirms that former show writer Bryan Q. Miller will pick up where the series left off in May with the April 13 online publishing of a new comic book; new chapters will then be released each week, with the first of these available in print on May 16.

“Six months after Clark Kent donned the cape and took to the skies to save Earth from Apokolips... enter Season 11!” says Miller. “New allies abound! New enemies afoot! And old friends return where they’re least expected!

"[Pere Perez] and colorist Chris Beckett have done a fantastic job of capturing the look of the show and the players, and [artists Gary Frank and Cat Staggs] are knocking it out of the park on covers. I couldn’t be more excited to help give seasoned viewers and new readers an all-access pass to Clark’s first year in the cape.”

Oliver Queen/Green Arrow, Chloe Sullivan-Queen, Lois Lane, Lex Luthor and General Lane will all play roles in the upcoming new editions.

Smallville Final Season Report Card: B-

jeffrey@tvfanatic.com (Jeffrey Kirkpatrick) — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 08:00:00 EST

Our assessments of some of this season's offerings from The CW have delivered verdicts ranging from pretty good (The Vampire Diaries) to not so much (90210).

Landing somewhere in between, we now take a quick look at the network's longest running series, Smallville, as we continue with our 2010-2011 Season Report Cards.

Best Character: We love Clark and recognize the show is about his journey, but this season we fell more in love with his soul mate, Lois Lane, than ever before. Erica Durance brought out a maturity and vulnerability in this final season which had us running through every emotion on the spectrum. Whenever Clark was ready to give up on himself, she was right there, serving as a powerful tether to his destiny. Even when she doubted herself and their future together, Lois never gave up on the hero he was yet to become. Without her at his side, Clark may never have taken that final step toward standing for truth and justice. As iconic as the Man of Steel himself, Lois Lane's last year in Smallville proved that behind every great man, there's an even better woman.

Worst Character: It's difficult to pinpoint a weak one among the cast of regulars, so we chose to select one of the recurring characters: Lionel Luthor. His reappearance in season ten felt awkwardly injected back into the story and didn't bring anything new to this long-weary character. All his presence did was leave us with a feeling of "so what else is new?"

Best Episode: Can we really go with anything other than "Finale?" Despite a few things we would have preferred to see handled differently, it ultimately delivered a satisfying and nostalgic end to the ten year jaunt. With the long awaited return of Michael Rosenbaum as Lex Luthor, an unequivocal answer to the question of Tess' loyalty, Martha and Jonathan Kent reunited (even if unconventionally), a Jimmy Olsen cameo, enough CLois sweetness to induce cavity, and Clark (finally) gaining the ability to fly just before brandishing his family crest in its most well known form, "Finale" made ten years feel like it had flown by in a matter of days.

Worst Episode: "Fortune." Oliver "Drag" Queen. Enough said.

Character Most Deserving of a Spin-Off: We mostly think The CW is missing a fairly hefty boat by not creating a Justice League series, spinning off Green Arrow, Black Canary, Impulse, Aquaman, Cyborg and Stargirl into their own ensemble series, but we're also of the mind that Booster Gold deserves some type of spinoff treatment all his own. Eric Martsolf brought the oft-mocked character to life with the hotdogging cockiness we expected, but then handed us a servile humanity that we didn't. While Blue Beetle didn't exactly rock our world in the same episode, we think Booster gave enough reason why a series built around he and Skeets would be…er…gold.

The Doomsday Effect Award For Imposing Villain Turned Feeble Foe: Oh the chills we got when Darkseid first appeared atop the Daily Planet building in the season premiere, promising to give us Clark's most formidable opponent yet! Instead, we had a glimpse here, a glimpse there, flaccid encounters with his three cronies, and then a final confrontation that contained all the ferocity of a hiccup. While production budget may have had an impact on the ability to have Darkseid battle Clark in a more profound way, we're miffed he didn't get to use his Omega Beams even once. Even Doomsday had a better run in season eight, and he came off like a World Wrestling reject.

The Final Redemption Award: Although the fandom has had a love-hate relationship with Tess Mercer over the years, we never doubted her for a second! Well, that's mostly true. Since she first learned Clark's secret, we'd been hoping she would stay on the side of truth and justice and with her final act to thwart Lex and preserve Clark's secret she made it clear once and for all that her place would forever rest on the side of the heroes; a fitting and appropriate end to her character. Cassidy Freeman left an indelible mark on this series that, for a time, made us forgive the absence of Michael Rosenbaum. Almost.

Overall Grade: B-. We're liable to get flack over that, but while overall the series ended in a place of contentment, the season had its rough spots. If there had been more focus on the Darkseid saga and fewer tangential efforts ("Isis," "Fortune") we might have been a little more forgiving. That doesn't mean we aren't still going through wads of Kleenex over the fact that we won't get to spend anymore time in Smallville. Ah, if only it could continue on as Metropolis. Sigh.

TV On My Terms: The Sizzles and Fizzles of the Smallville Finale

jeffrey@tvfanatic.com (Jeffrey Kirkpatrick) — Mon, 16 May 2011 16:44:00 EST

It's finally over. I'm still a bit numb to that fact, as Smallville is one of the only two shows I've ever watched consistently for a decade (Friends being the other).

I was as excited as anyone to see how the road would end, or rather, begin, for Clark as the finale approached. Afterward, I'm still digesting it all, but finding myself with conflicting feelings about it. Not to distract from or take issue with the thoughts of my compadre Nick, who captured the essence of the Smallville finale quite well, I thought, there were a few items that didn't exactly sit well with me - despite my overall satisfaction with how the story ended.

Against my own advice to just sit back and enjoy the end of a long and often arduous journey, I'm going to take this moment to express some things I thought could have been handled better.

Super Suit Fail: My biggest grievance was that after ten years, Clark finally was able to don the red and blue suit - and we had barely a glimpse of it. Yes, we had a few little CGI hints of him in the super getup and of course the iconic shirt ripping reveal of the "S" emblazoned on his chest, but I was hoping for a full on shot of Tom Welling as Superman. I think that after a decade of teasing and tormenting fans were owed at least that much.

First Flight Fail: I also was disappointed in Clark's first official flight. In the barn? Really? The ONE thing we'd been forced to wait 215 episodes to finally witness, outside of some alternate reality or kryptonite-induced multiple personality disorder, felt so anticlimactic to have taken place in such a confined space. I would have preferred they cut that scene completely and let his leap from the fortress, suit in hand, capture the legendary moment instead.

Continuity Fail: Did anyone else find it strange that Chloe was reading a comic book to her son about Clark's journey to Superman? I thought Clark's identity was a secret?

Formidable Foe Fail: How big a threat can Darkseid be if Clark can simply fly straight through him and obliterate him? Or throw Apokolips back into space and consider it a win? Yes, I realize the sight of Clark in the red and blue was supposed to give mankind a reason for hope and cause them to reject the darkness. It all took place so quickly, though, that it felt ultimately prosaic, considering this was to be Clark's "final challenge."

Perhaps if they had spent more time on this story line versus the many tangents they took this season, it would have had more impact.

Overly-formidable Hero Fail: I don't exactly understand how Green Arrow managed take out all three of Darkseid's minions with a fistful of arrows, especially when you consider how we've witnessed the daunting nature of their powers before. Granny couldn't stop the arrows in mid-air or toss Oliver out the nearest window telekinetically? Unbelievable, even for a comic book series.

I have a number of other gripes including the clumsy Frankenstein-like insertion of Lex back into the story and his unrealistically rapid recuperation from a heart transplant (even with Darkseid's help); all the back and forth, will-they-or-won't-they wedding angst; Jonathan's omnipresence; the lack of a Lana cameo; the kisses between Oliver and Chloe and then Clark and Lois all while Apokolips is burning its way into the atmosphere (um, save the liplocking for when we're OUT of danger folks!); and I really wish they had included Lois actually giving Clark the "Superman" moniker rather than having Chloe reference it when reading to her son. Despite these minor misgivings, though, there were plenty of moments that I cheered as well.

Everything Lois did aboard Air Force One was classic Lois Lane, and her witnessing Clark's first rescue as Superman through the window felt appropriately perfect.

Tess' Sydney Bristow-esque escape from Lionel (complete with killshot) and her final act in protection of Clark's secret really did her character justice. I am thankful they never turned her back into a villain, and that her last words to Lex were that Clark saved her from turning into him.

The flashbacks of Clark's life in Smallville spurring him on to take the final step to Superman felt like a fitting way to push him across the finish line, even if they did make the moment feel way overdue.

The entire final segment showing Lex elected President, Lois and Jimmy chatting while Perry shouted "Great Caesar's Ghost," and, of course, Clark revealing the Superman "S" on his chest were all great moments that felt appropriate and respectful of loyal comic book fans everywhere, establishing these characters' futures in legendary fashion.

I'm ultimately satisfied with where the series ended, and will sorely miss the adventures of Clark, Lois, Chloe, Oliver, Tess and even Lex. I am especially tearful now that it appears there will be no superhero representation on the small screen for the first time in over a decade.

If only The CW would do the smart thing and greenlight a Justice League spinoff series.

Smallville Finale Review: The End of an Epic Journey

snickrz@gmail.com (Nick McHatton) — Sat, 14 May 2011 06:43:47 EST

It’s not often one gets to witness a series finale as epic as that of Smallville.

Going into the Finale, even I wasn’t expecting something so special. Especially with all of my worries from last week about certain plot elements that weren’t wrapped up yet. Yet what Smallville pulled off was nothing short of brilliant. It put to rest its roots in a satisfying and believable way, launching its characters into the ongoing mythology.

Thinking back to watching the pilot, I'm amazed at just how much Clark (and Tom Welling as an actor) have grown. A boy who slowly gone from wanting a normal life, feeling burdened by his powers, and a bit of an outsider to a man accepting who he is, embracing his destiny, finding the love of his life, and becoming a symbol of hope and a leader.

All of that came together in the finale, but not before Clark received a few more life lessons from those he cares about. It was always one of the smaller moments of the series, the bits of advice Clark would receive from those around him. But it held up the theme of the show and brought a lot of weight to some of the show’s more iconic moments.

I’m glad that it was something that was touched upon even in the finale. I’ve always felt those moments were what helped defined Smallville in the beginning.

The advice? There’s no reason to not embrace everything that makes Clark who he is. He is Kryptonian and he is human. By accepting both, he was able to finally, finally take flight and save the day.

Lois was who I was most worried about coming into this finale because the reasons of how and why she was pushed into this predicament of cold feet didn’t feel real. I was very happy to see her realize that although all of her fears were logical, they didn’t really make much sense considering the relationship she shares with Clark. She is not a burden, she is his greatest supporter and ally.

I was happy to finally see Lois cement herself in history by figuring out the army was going to nuke what they thought was a meteor and could kill millions of innocent people. In the process, she got the scoop of the century on board Air Force One.

Tess is a character I could never quite figure out. For all of the redemption she sought, there was always that thin strand of darkness that seemed to creep back into her life. All we learned of her and her past, eventually finding out she was a Luthor, culminated last night into the figurative noose around her neck.

In the kill or be killed world of Luthor, Tess eventually lost to Lex, but not before we finally witnessed which side she ultimately chose. As Lex stabbed her, she implanted a neurotoxin on him and erased his memory.

But for all of the characters we’ve grown to love watching Smallville, last night was all about Clark Kent.

Part of Clark and his destiny is Lex Luthor. I was unsure how Lex was to be handled and I was happy to see the “Smallville Way” prevail one last time. Lex was willing to wait for their epic story to begin while Clark defeated Darkseid once and for all.

The finale was book-ended by Chloe reading a story to her son seven years into the future. She was reading to him a Smallville comic, the story of how Clark Kent became Superman. At the end, we saw a bow and arrow before flashing to the Daily Planet one last time.

I couldn’t have asked for a better ending than those seven years in the future. We see Lois and Clark fully enmeshed in who they are and still trying to get married. We see Jimmy one last time. We hear Perry White complaining with Lois and Jimmy gauging just how bad it is.

And we watch Clark run up to the roof at the first sign of trouble and rip open his shirt to see the “S” one last time while John William’s iconic score plays in the background. This is the scene I always imagined Smallville could end with. How fitting.

To see this kind of resolution in a finale was breath taking, but to see how well the show sent me off into the future with the characters I’ve grown up with made it much more satisfying.

Other thoughts:

Oliver didn’t get much of storyline. I was glad to see he ended up with Chloe and was able to overcome the darkness he’s been battling inside.
The scene when Lois entered the chapel but couldn’t find Clark was a bit heart wrenching. Then, watching as he showed up and walked her down the aisle, I had tears welling up in my eyes. It was a beautiful scene.
Martha and Jonathan were much bigger parts of the finale than I thought they would be (something I’m very happy about).
I loved the Smallville montages and allusions to past Superman films.
Lois calling Clark “Smallville” one last time.
“And now the series finale of Smallville.” It’s like a dagger to my heart.

Smallville Finale Scoop: The End of the Beginning...

matt@mediavine.com (Matt Richenthal) — Wed, 11 May 2011 08:33:41 EST

We didn’t want to just do an ending, we wanted to do a beginning... Unlike other shows, we know where the story goes, so it’s a hand-off to those other pieces of mythology, rather than just an ending. - Smallville producer Brian Peterson

In preparation for this Friday's series finale, Peterson and fellow producer Kelly Souders spoke to reporters yesterday about the "jampacked" two hours to come. What can we expect from the emotional episode?

Among the teasers revealed:

"A very good scene with a door," says Peterson.
Will there be flashforwards? Pay attention to the first five minutes.
There will be "big twists" involving Lex Luthor.
Jonathan Kent's return will perfectly "bookend" the season.
Why should Chloe fans watch the full two hours? "There a jewel," says Souders.
As for Oliver? Preview Peterson: "He has a big heroic moment, a big arc, and some complications."

Smallville Series Finale Clip: Lois Confronts Clark...

matt@mediavine.com (Matt Richenthal) — Tue, 10 May 2011 09:13:22 EST

A decade in the making, Smallville airs its two-hour series finale on Friday night.

The episode will follow Clark's final steps toward fulfilling his destiny as the Man of Steel, a few of which will include his relationship with Lois, of course.

In the following clip, she fears that she's just getting in her man's way. But Clark thinks otherwise and - spoiler alert! - we think everything will be okay in the end...

Smallville Finale Clip

Smallville Review: "Prophecy"

snickrz@gmail.com (Nick McHatton) — Sat, 07 May 2011 06:56:54 EST

I’ll just come right out and say it. "Prophecy" wasn’t a favorite episode of mine.

Why? Well, I just do not understand how a strong, powerful woman like Lois Lane could be so easily influenced by Toyman. Even if she has a tracker inhibiting her actions.

It really felt like an unnecessary plot contrivance to me. Set up only to push Lois’ mounting cold feet over the edge because she feels like she’s Clark’s biggest weakness.

While there’s nothing wrong with that theme in and of itself the fact that the writers had to cook up something with Toyman and him being a puppeteer felt unnecessary.

In fact, for me, it unnecessarily debases the character (which saddens me since the series finale is next week). Lois was easily coming to grips with the reality of just how much of a burden she could (potentially) be with Clark’s powers and how much he has to deal with on a daily basis.

Instead, we get this version of Lois, someone who is pointlessly stripped of everything that makes her great for a plot with Toyman.

After she stands up so strongly to him to protect the man she loves. What makes it even worse is the overall theme of the episode is what was on Orion’s Bow: “True power comes from within.” Yet, Lois isn’t given that chance, she’s merely stalled long enough for Clark to get his powers back and rip the diode off her.

At least we get to enjoy Kara and Oliver together in their search for Orion’s Bow. It was nice to see the two of them working together, each one representing light and darkness. I was fully expecting the bow to rid Oliver of his darkness. I never expected Oliver was being manipulated by Darkseid and his Merry Little Minions.

On top of that, he’s manipulated by Granny Goodness into digging up the gold kryptonite to further their goals, didn’t see that coming!

I’m glad Smallville gave Kara a proper sendoff. Giving her the choice of stepping out on her own to become a superhero, Supergirl, in her own right or continuing to live in Clark’s shadow.

It was nice watching her weigh those decisions and ultimately deciding that although Clark is the only family she has left she went to the future to fulfill her own destiny. Just as Clark is doing.

For Clark, this final “humanizing” done to him by Jor-El reminds me just how far he’s come since the beginning of the series. Showing just how comfortable he is with who he is and what he wants.

It’s a nice payoff to see him truly being only steps away from becoming Superman.

Although, I’m beginning to worry if Smallville has stalled the Darkseid story a little too long. There seems to be a lot of story to cover with only a two hour series finale next week.

With Darkseid looming, Oliver’s manipulation, Lois’ cold feet, a wedding, the return of Lex, all while launching Clark to his inevitable destiny.

On the Penultimate Episode of Smallville ...

steve@iscribelimited.com (Steve Marsi) — Thu, 05 May 2011 15:55:48 EST

Tomorrow evening on Smallville, on the final episode before the two-hour season finale, Clark takes Lois to the Fortress to get Jor-El’s blessing for their marriage.

Jor-El bestows a unique wedding gift on the couple – he gives Lois Clark’s super powers so she can see what it’s like to be him for a day. Unfortunately, the Toyman has returned to Metropolis, meaning Lois must go up against the notorious villain instead of Clark.

Meanwhile, Oliver searches for the Bow of Orion, which he believes will remove the Omega symbol from his skull, and runs into Kara, who is also on a mission to stop Darkseid.

Here's a deluge of previews and clips from "Prophecy" ...

Smallville - Prophecy Episode Preview

Smallville - Prophecy Clip

Smallville - Erica Durance - Empowered

Smallville - Cassidy Freeman - Luthor Returns

Smallville - Super Moments Ch. 1

Smallville Review: Zone Defense

jeffrey@tvfanatic.com (Jeffrey Kirkpatrick) — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 22:08:15 EST

This being Justin Hartley's debut as a director just begs the question: why in the world did they wait so long to get him behind the camera?

Granted, the story and dialogue belong mostly to the writers, but I thoroughly enjoyed how each moment of "Dominion" played out.

I was not particularly a fan of Callum Blue's excessively smug Zod when he was part of the cast last season. There is such a thing as too much grandstanding, I think. Here, though, the dialogue-heavy scenes between he and Clark and he and Oliver seemed to work better, and felt a bit closer to the iconic portrayal Terrence Stamp set forth in the original films years ago.

I have to think Hartley had a lot to do with keeping Blue's smarm in check and giving me a reason to finally get on board with Smallville's incarnation of Zod.

I knew there was no way Oliver would ever betray Clark, but that didn't keep the fierce battle scene between them from eliciting gasps of shock. The slow motion interspersions aren't anything we haven't seen before, but I thought they worked quite well for the circumstance and added a little something to the brutality of the moment.

In fact, I thought everything related to the Phantom Zone plot worked well, and I especially liked how it tied so neatly into the Darkseid saga. (Seriously, though, if we don't get some actual Darkseid action soon my dark side is gonna come unglued.)

The only thing I couldn't quite reconcile was why in the world Oliver would show up, fully aware of the situation, and enter the Zone with Clark without his archery gear? Still scratching my head over that one.

Oliver going off in search of the weapon to destroy Darkseid has terrible idea written all over it (something tells me Darkseid is already aware of it's existence on Earth) but at least it will give us a Green Arrow/Supergirl team up next week, to which I'm looking forward.

Is it too much to hope that she'll don the costume before Clark? Probably so.

Lois may have played the selfish card in forcing the League to keep the Zone gate opened, putting the lives of everyone on earth at risk in the process, but with the mix of passion and desperation in her eyes, I dare to say not one of those Leaguers would want to go up against that. Forget what they say about a woman scorned…don't mess with a woman in love!

I take solace in the fact that Lois had already seen a glimpse of a phantom-free future and therefore had to know that Clark would return; it was just a question of when.

Maybe it's because I know the end is near, but the closer we get to the big finale, the more powerful the impact of the scenes between Clark and Lois. I was not initially on board with the idea of them getting together prior to his emergence as Superman (much less engaged to be married!), but now you can call it my kryptonite, because I go weak in the knees watching these two in every heartfelt scene they share.

Go ahead, call me a CLois shipper in the comments if you want to, but I continue to be mesmerized by the chemistry between these two and probably will be till the final frame fades to black. In just two weeks!?!

What Brings Supergirl Back to Smallville?

matt@tvfanatic.com (TV Fanatic Staff) — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 05:47:53 EST

Laura Vandervoort is bringing Supergirl back to Smallville - and we know why.

On the May 6 episode of this CW smash, one week prior to its grand finale, Kara team up with Oliver, as the latter searches for a way to remove the Omega symbol from his skull. TV Guide has a photo of the pair in action.

"Oliver is faced with this cold reality that he's not going to be able to get rid of this infection just by willing it away," Justin Hartley says. "He goes on this journey to try to get rid of it."

What role does Clark's cousin plan in this mission? Teases the star:

Along the way, look for duo to "find out things about each other, that everything isn't what it seems, that you can't judge a book by its cover."