Finally finished watching Smallville

[Powerboy]

I know there's a long-running Smallville thread somewhere and if someone wants to incorporate this into it, that's fine. Up until now though, I've avoided the thread because I had not watched all of the series. I finally finished it on DVD the other day.

I think the show is underrated because of its original target audience among other reasons. Yeah, it's a soap opera- and the most successful television rendition of a comic book character ever done at ten seasons and still ending because they chose to end it.

The show clearly underwent a huge shift in its last three or possibly four seasons. It was still a soap opera but the elements of that soap opera were more relatable to adults.

I've been around for a while and yet for me, this show's versions of Jonathan and Martha Kent, Lois Lane, Lana Lang and possibly Lex Luthor have become the ones I picture when I think of those characters. Luthor is too much in the "becoming the character we know" process to really judge him against other performances but, for the others, these actors (John Schneider, Annette O'Toole and Erica Durance) have become the favorite portrayals for me. Lana Lang was too much in the early seasons' style of being for a much younger audience for me to love too much but as she's the only long-term version I've seen, she's THE version for me and I do like how she ended up in the later material.

They dragged out his becoming Superman for too long, especially since he had done all of his most significant stuff while they were still calling him the Blur. But I think they were locked into the idea that the series would end with his becoming Superman.

I particularly liked the last three seasons. Until then, they dragged out the angst and the mistakes he made because, well, because they needed those seven seasons. But then he started maturing into a character we could think of as Superman. Besides, it's sort of accepted that we can forgive those mistakes because he's really "Superboy" until the very last minutes of the last episode.

I think they did a great job of maintaining his ethical code and/ or showing it's development. I liked how they had him come to accept both his heritages.

In one of the DVD interviews, one of the writers explained that this was, obviously, a story about how Clark Kent becomes Superman. He went on to say that, effectively, Clark's existence ends with the end of the series because it ends with Clark deciding that Clark Kent is the disguise to prevent people from realizing who he really is and Superman is the identity where he shows his true self. Presumably, in private, with Lois, Chloe, his mom, he is still called Clark and does not behave like an idiot. But for all public and practical purposes, Clark from the end of the show onward is just a facade.

So just some thoughts having just completed watching the series.

[manofsteel1979]

Great post.

I still have a lot of affection for SMALLVILLE. It had it's ups and downs,but overall, aside from the original Donner film and MAN OF STEEL,it is the best live action interpretation of the Superman mythos, particularly where television is concerned (and don't get me wrong, I also liked AOS and Lois and Clark for what they were.)

To me the first Three seasons were well done. It was a teen soap take on the Superman mythos, and seeing how it was set during his high school years, it was appropriate tonally. Season 4 it lost it's way a bit and then it was all over the place after that and really took a dive with the first part of season 7. Season 8 on it felt like a completely different series, and for the better. Season 9 I particularly liked a lot and gave what I think was the best version of ZOD yet in any media yes...better than Stamp or Shannon...and my favorite episode of the series (Absolute Justice).

Some could say the series finale was a let down,but I liked it immensely. Yeah...we didn't get a full real shot of Tom Welling in the Superman suit,but we still got SUPERMAN PUSHING A FREAKING PLANET!!!...and seeing Rosenbaum in full evil Lex mode one last time was great. Also, knowing MOS was going to be a complete break with the past...hearing the John Williams music one last time while Clark did the iconic shirt rip was and still is a fanboy moment hard to match.

Plus...it made way for (IMO anyway) the most consistantly good monthly Superman comic DC publishes* in SMALLVILLE SEASON 11 which in it's pages has given us a revamped DCU done right and without the ongoing confusion the New 52 has undergone since it's inception.

Was Smallville perfect? Far from it.However, I do think it gets unfairly maligned.Yes the acting wasn't always the best and sometimes the show strayed a bit far away from the established mythos and thus ran a bit longer than it should have. However, Let's face it though,SMALLVILLE did a much better job making the character relevant to a new generation again than did the comics at the time and a multimillion dollar Hollywood blockbuster (Superman Returns). A lot of people came to be Superman fans through SMALLVILLE and to this day three years after it wrapped, it still is a great seller when it comes to tv series seasons. Shows Like ARROW and AGENTS OF SHEILD and even upcoming shows like THE FLASH and GOTHAM likely would have not even made it to air if SMALLVILLE hadn't showed a market for this type of comic book based series.

So, yes, kudos to SMALLVILLE.

* although, the main Superman books are now getting much much better than they were a year or so ago...and the Superman line is currently stronger over all than its been since the early 2000's.

[daBronzeBomma]

SMALLVILLE had by far the best Lois Lane (Erica Durance) and the best Clois interactions of any Superman project in any medium.

[Sacred Knight]

Best Lois Lane and best Lex Luthor.

[Powerboy]

Great post.

I still have a lot of affection for SMALLVILLE. It had it's ups and downs,but overall, aside from the original Donner film and MAN OF STEEL,it is the best live action interpretation of the Superman mythos, particularly where television is concerned (and don't get me wrong, I also liked AOS and Lois and Clark for what they were.)

To me the first Three seasons were well done. It was a teen soap take on the Superman mythos, and seeing how it was set during his high school years, it was appropriate tonally. Season 4 it lost it's way a bit and then it was all over the place after that and really took a dive with the first part of season 7. Season 8 on it felt like a completely different series, and for the better. Season 9 I particularly liked a lot and gave what I think was the best version of ZOD yet in any media yes...better than Stamp or Shannon...and my favorite episode of the series (Absolute Justice).

Some could say the series finale was a let down,but I liked it immensely. Yeah...we didn't get a full real shot of Tom Welling in the Superman suit,but we still got SUPERMAN PUSHING A FREAKING PLANET!!!...and seeing Rosenbaum in full evil Lex mode one last time was great. Also, knowing MOS was going to be a complete break with the past...hearing the John Williams music one last time while Clark did the iconic shirt rip was and still is a fanboy moment hard to match.

Plus...it made way for (IMO anyway) the most consistantly good monthly Superman comic DC publishes* in SMALLVILLE SEASON 11 which in it's pages has given us a revamped DCU done right and without the ongoing confusion the New 52 has undergone since it's inception.

Was Smallville perfect? Far from it.However, I do think it gets unfairly maligned.Yes the acting wasn't always the best and sometimes the show strayed a bit far away from the established mythos and thus ran a bit longer than it should have. However, Let's face it though,SMALLVILLE did a much better job making the character relevant to a new generation again than did the comics at the time and a multimillion dollar Hollywood blockbuster (Superman Returns). A lot of people came to be Superman fans through SMALLVILLE and to this day three years after it wrapped, it still is a great seller when it comes to tv series seasons. Shows Like ARROW and AGENTS OF SHEILD and even upcoming shows like THE FLASH and GOTHAM likely would have not even made it to air if SMALLVILLE hadn't showed a market for this type of comic book based series.

So, yes, kudos to SMALLVILLE.

* although, the main Superman books are now getting much much better than they were a year or so ago...and the Superman line is currently stronger over all than its been since the early 2000's.

Gotta agree with all of this.

It seemed to become almost a completely different show in season 8 and, as you said, for the better while in no way saying that a Superman show should not be designed to appeal to a young, female crowd.

I had stopped watching it at the end of season 7 which is ironic because season 8 and onward is when I would really have loved it.

I actually went back and watched the whole thing through again including the last three seasons specifically because I had started reading the Smallville season 11 comic and was amazed at how much I loved that version of Superman. Regardless of what anyone thought of the show, the Smallville comic as far as I've read so far gives us a Superman that is the absolute classic Superman in my opinion. I'm not talking about the costume. The character seems almost Silver Age in some of his attitudes and what he says. He seems, in a sense, out of place and I think that is the intention. He's in a 21st century world but he's a positive force trying to change the world to be more like him, not fit in and compromise himself to be accepted. He believes in people (even Lex Luthor) and does not doubt their potential for good.

[exile001]

This show has one of the best finales ever!

He battles the god of evil and hurls a planet(!!!) out of our solar system. Awsome stuff.

[manofsteel1979]

This show has one of the best finales ever!

He battles the god of evil and hurls a planet(!!!) out of our solar system. Awsome stuff.

I do find it amusing that the most "far out" and comic inspired live action moment in Superman history...happened on this show ironically.

[manofsteel1979]

Gotta agree with all of this.

It seemed to become almost a completely different show in season 8 and, as you said, for the better while in no way saying that a Superman show should not be designed to appeal to a young, female crowd.

I had stopped watching it at the end of season 7 which is ironic because season 8 and onward is when I would really have loved it.

I actually went back and watched the whole thing through again including the last three seasons specifically because I had started reading the Smallville season 11 comic and was amazed at how much I loved that version of Superman. Regardless of what anyone thought of the show, the Smallville comic as far as I've read so far gives us a Superman that is the absolute classic Superman in my opinion. I'm not talking about the costume. The character seems almost Silver Age in some of his attitudes and what he says. He seems, in a sense, out of place and I think that is the intention. He's in a 21st century world but he's a positive force trying to change the world to be more like him, not fit in and compromise himself to be accepted. He believes in people (even Lex Luthor) and does not doubt their potential for good.

A agree. In fact I prefer the costume he wears in SV11 over the New 52 suit.

SV11 actually in many ways reminds me of the late 80's-early 90's Superman books, that period after Byrne left and up to The Death and Return of Superman. High quality storytelling overall without trying to go for event after event. That period from 89-early 94 was my "golden age" in terms of modern Superman.

I do hope there is a SV 12 once this current "season" wraps. I am depressed AOS got axed. I REALLY would be upset if this book ended too.

[Powerboy]

A agree. In fact I prefer the costume he wears in SV11 over the New 52 suit.

SV11 actually in many ways reminds me of the late 80's-early 90's Superman books, that period after Byrne left and up to The Death and Return of Superman. High quality storytelling overall without trying to go for event after event. That period from 89-early 94 was my "golden age" in terms of modern Superman.

I do hope there is a SV 12 once this current "season" wraps. I am depressed AOS got axed. I REALLY would be upset if this book ended too.

It's funny that, in the last episode, the costume he was wearing (although it was all CGI) was the Superman Returns costume but the music and presentation was trying to say he had become the Christopher Reeve Superman (and, yes, I'm drawing a distinction between the Reeve Superman and Superman Returns).

I lag on my reading because I only buy the collections but I'm hoping that they establish "Smallville" as one of the realities that can cross over with the current comic setting so that we can be fairly sure the setting won't fade away.

I'm not sure what sort of popularity the Smallville comic is having though I fear it will fade as the time of the show rescinds further and further into the past unless the comic gains a following on its own merits.

[WillieMorgan]

It's funny that, in the last episode, the costume he was wearing (although it was all CGI) was the Superman Returns costume but the music and presentation was trying to say he had become the Christopher Reeve Superman (and, yes, I'm drawing a distinction between the Reeve Superman and Superman Returns).

I'm not 100% sure but I think the producers thought about using the Reeves era costume but went for the Routh one because the other didn't fit tonally.

Got to agree with the general consensus on this thread. Got all 10 seasons on DVD and thoroughly enjoy them. Currently sitting through Season 9 again. I've only got one nit-pick really. For the last 3 seasons there was far too little location filming. Too many important scenes took place on the same old sets (the Kent barn etc). I understand the economic reasons behind that but it still spoilt the illusion for me a bit.