SMALLVILLE #21:Finale/FINAL SEASON--2011

[Fast Learner]

-So Chloe is Speedy's mother? Is that what they were hinting at there when her little boy looked over at the red and yellow bow and arrows? And Green Arrow's love child to boot? Interesting.....

Perhaps not a "love child," per se, in that the boy seemed less than 7 years old and Chloe and GA could be married. But otherwise, yeah, definitely the vibe!

I felt appropriate rewarded by the show, watching nearly every one, though I do wish they'd ended it much this way a couple of seasons ago. Still, glad I've watched, through the (sometimes very) bad and (rarely very) good.

 

[SolitonMan]

Perhaps not a "love child," per se, in that the boy seemed less than 7 years old and Chloe and GA could be married. But otherwise, yeah, definitely the vibe!

I felt appropriate rewarded by the show, watching nearly every one, though I do wish they'd ended it much this way a couple of seasons ago. Still, glad I've watched, through the (sometimes very) bad and (rarely very) good.

Chloe and Oliver actually did get married, in the episode "Fortune". After drinking the spiked champagne sent by Zatanna, all the friends wake up with no memory of the previous evening. Hijinks ensue as they piece together the night, and in the end it's revealed that Oliver and Chloe got married while under the influence.

My question: why "Speedy"?

 

[Klaus]

Chloe and Oliver actually did get married, in the episode "Fortune". After drinking the spiked champagne sent by Zatanna, all the friends wake up with no memory of the previous evening. Hijinks ensue as they piece together the night, and in the end it's revealed that Oliver and Chloe got married while under the influence.

My question: why "Speedy"?

Speedy (Roy Harper Jr.) was Green Arrow's sidekick since shortly after Robin debuted. The character has been wrecked in comics (a whole damn lot), but when he debuted he was a kid who could shoot arrows faster than Green Arrow, so was dubbed Speedy (later Arsenal, Red Arrow, then Arsenal again).

Y'know, Roy Harper's mom was never named in comics (he was the son of a park ranger, and was raised by a Navajo tribe after his father died). They could have easily included Chloe as Roy's real mother, now that I think of it.

 

[Morrus]

There's that too. But think of all the people who said she was going to die over the years and then consider this: Chloe and Clark are the only two characters who have been on the show for its entire run.

I love the irony.

I think you're mistaking "irony" for "wrong". Being proved wrong is not ironic. Unless you believe Alanis Morrissett's definition.

 

[Dragonblade]

Perhaps not a "love child," per se, in that the boy seemed less than 7 years old and Chloe and GA could be married. But otherwise, yeah, definitely the vibe!

I felt appropriate rewarded by the show, watching nearly every one, though I do wish they'd ended it much this way a couple of seasons ago. Still, glad I've watched, through the (sometimes very) bad and (rarely very) good.

Right. I only say love child because in normal DC continuity Green Arrow is with Black Canary. But Smallville has already established that it goes its own way (the murder of Jimmy Olsen) even if they sometimes hedge their bets (his twin showing up at the end as the new "Jimmy")

I also agree that over the show's run they had some really good eps and some awful ones. In my opinion, the show really took off once Lex was "dead" and Millar and Gough left the show. They seemed stuck in a rut until they really started mining the wider DC universe. Then it got enjoyable again.

Over the years, my least favorite bits about the show were:

Too many freak of the week eps - That got old in season 1

Lana - she should have left and stayed gone back in the middle of the show's run

Too much reliance on Kryptonite as the MacGuffin that depowers Clark. I mean seriously, the stuff showed up everywhere.

Too much Clark angst and self-doubt and too little trust between core characters who are supposed to be friends. Like Clark and Chloe, or Clark and Oliver.


My favorite Smallville bits were:

Christopher Reeve and any ep with him in it, especially the first one he appears where he explains about Krypton to Clark. Powerful stuff.

The ep where mortal Clark dies, comes back and then superleaps to stop the nuclear missile. Good stuff.

The season 9 ep where Clark goes to the future and sees his destiny and then finally tells Lois his identity (though she already knew)

The season 3, 8, 9, and 10 finales were all well done. Season 3 had that awesome montage of classical music while Lionel shaves his head before going to prison, Chloe's house blows up, and Clark gets taken by Jor-El. Season 8 had the death of Jimmy. Totally did not see that coming. And Season 9 had the cool finale with Zod. Season 10, well, he became Superman.

The death of Clark's dad was good and the choice that cost him his dad.

Lex finally snapping and killing Lionel was dramatic too.

Anything written by Geoff Johns or that really touched on the DCU stuff like the season 6 Justice League ep, and the Season 9 JSA eps.

I also liked all the cameos by Superman alumni such as Christopher Reeve, Margot Kidder, Dean Cain, Teri Hatcher, Helen Slater, Terence Stamp, and of course Annette O'Toole.

 

[Tyranthraxus]

Michael Rosenbaum didnt miss a single beat of Lex Luthor. He hasnt played the character for years now, didnt shave his head to get back into character but just. . nailed it.

His 'Love what you have done with the place' when he catches Clark walking through the ruins of the mansion is a great moment. He delivers each line with conviction and explains the dynamic of the Lex/Clark relationship.

It was a shame the Manhunter couldnt make an appearance although he was mentioned.

Michael Rosenbaum as Lex Luthor is THE Lex Luthor for me now in all on screen dipictions. The Lex Luthor of the Reeve movies (Gene Hackman) played him as a bit of a clown and it showed. Kevin Spacey.. well Im not sure to be honest what to think of his time as Luthor.

Michael Rosenbaum brought a whole different style to Lex. From his beginnings as a friends of sorts to Clark, to under the influence of his father.. to eventual turn against Clark and co. You could see him over episodes just falling away from Clark.. inch by inch until he was gone (and Rosenbaum departed the series).

It will be just weird to think there will be no new Smallville again. Considering Welling's other duties (Exec Producer for Hellcats) is no more with the cancellation of that show then it will be interesting to see what he pops up in next.

 

[Fast Learner]

Holy cow, apparently Tom Welling looks very different when not on the show:

 

[Dragonblade]

Michael Rosenbaum didnt miss a single beat of Lex Luthor. He hasnt played the character for years now, didnt shave his head to get back into character but just. . nailed it.

His 'Love what you have done with the place' when he catches Clark walking through the ruins of the mansion is a great moment. He delivers each line with conviction and explains the dynamic of the Lex/Clark relationship.

It was a shame the Manhunter couldnt make an appearance although he was mentioned.

Michael Rosenbaum as Lex Luthor is THE Lex Luthor for me now in all on screen dipictions. The Lex Luthor of the Reeve movies (Gene Hackman) played him as a bit of a clown and it showed. Kevin Spacey.. well Im not sure to be honest what to think of his time as Luthor.

Michael Rosenbaum brought a whole different style to Lex. From his beginnings as a friends of sorts to Clark, to under the influence of his father.. to eventual turn against Clark and co. You could see him over episodes just falling away from Clark.. inch by inch until he was gone (and Rosenbaum departed the series).

It will be just weird to think there will be no new Smallville again. Considering Welling's other duties (Exec Producer for Hellcats) is no more with the cancellation of that show then it will be interesting to see what he pops up in next.

Word. Totally agree. Gene Hackman played it like a joke, but he had a sinisterness too his performance as well. It was like he was laughing at the world because he held it in such contempt.

Spacey seemed to be trying for an edgier version of the Hackman Luthor. And while he was alright, the problem with Superman Returns is that the whole movie tried to hard to follow the Donner Superman. It was like Bryan Singer had this huge mancrush on the first movie, so much so that he couldn't bear to deviate from it.

So many things wrong with Superman Returns. The whole stalker Superman thing. The notion that he had a kid with Lois, who what didn't remember they slept together? I mean its just so wrong on so many levels. Also the basic plot was horrid. The whole Lex and his real estate schemes was kind of goofy.

But it had a couple of good moments too. The scene were Superman is hanging up in space just listening to the sounds of the world and people calling for help. It was one of the few scenes where the movie really captured the true essence of Superman.

I disagree with the Batman-ification of Superman. That the only way audiences can relate to Superman is if he is flawed, or worse, dark like Batman. Singer sort of went that way, with this notion that Superman is powerful, but lonely and alienated. Another subtle theme in Superman Returns is that the modern world is edgy and cynical. And Superman's devotion to "truth, justice, and all that stuff" is quaint and antiquated.

To me that is a mistake. The whole notion that audiences can't relate to Superman because he isn't human, or cynical enough is completely misguided. That what he needs is more angst and doubt.

As Lex said in Superman Returns, "WRONG!"

The essence of Superman, and the reason he endures in the popular subconscious despite not having a good movie in 30 years is the fact that he is essentially a messianic Christ-like figure. Whether you are religious or not, there is something fundamental about this concept that calls to people on a primal level. Perhaps it goes back to Joseph Campbell and the Monomyth, or perhaps there is something more to it. I don't know.

But I do know that good Superman stories are the ones where the authors really embrace this aspect of his character. John Williams classic score really encapsulates that feeling, which is why its so timeless.

As did that one scene in Superman Returns when he hangs above the Earth and just listens to all the people crying out. That is how you get an audience to "relate" to Superman. Not by bringing him down to our level. But by elevating and inspiring us to rise to his level.

I only hope that Zack Snyder "gets" it for this new Superman movie.

 

[Klaus]

But the very problem with Superman Returns was hammering the Christ angle too hard.

Superman is relatable to us due to that often-overlooked buffoon, Clark Kent. Clark is the audience, he's the protoype for Peter Parker and all other Everyman characters. That this geek can turn into the World's Greatest Hero is the realization of our dreams, that inside each of us is a great hero, capable of saving the day and winning the girl.

And of course, there's Lois Lane. The DCU doesn't need a Superwoman, because Lois already is that, without needing any powers. She's strong, brave, caring, funny, savvy, unflinchingly devoted to the truth and capable of standing right next to godlike beings without missing a beat. She embodies the perfect woman even more than Wonder Woman does. And Erica Durance managed to portray this Lois much better than her predecessors.

 

[Orius]

Yeah, Smallville Lois was one of the very few things about the show that was good. Pairing her up with Clark was always entertaining, where Lana almost never was. And even on her own, she had some very good moments.