Smallville: Finale Prelude 'Clark as Superman'

Finale!                                            

I waited in hope that this finale would be debated by the producers and we could wring another season from them.


"What were we thinking guys 'Finale'"
"Yeah right, not the F word"
--- Behind the scenes debate.

In fact, I remained in denial up until Clark flashed the iconic Superman cape.

"This is not a show about Superman" -- Tom Welling

We understand that, but as fans maybe they could have stretched the 'final moments' a bit longer, or even do a 'Pre-Superman' montage? Tom Welling (TW) must have been preparing a long time to fit into those tights. After long speculation that TW was strongly opinionated about wearing them, but when you're in a series referencing the man of steel, wearing the tights seems inevitable. The moment arrived and we hardly caught a glimpse of it.

Finally we had 'future Clark' in present; the fixed glasses, the long trench coat, the slick hairstyle. It seemed as though Clark took all the hunky tips from future Clark. Was Clark supposed to look nerdy there in present - I don't think so? He couldn't look too much like a dork marrying Lois and all. I don't think it's possible now to transform Clark into his high school clumsy days. Aside - I applaud the commitment applied to the principle of Clark as Superman.

Superman - Hmm, did they even mention Superman in the Finale?

I imagined a perfect reveal to Superman since it was clearly adopted in the future by the Daily Planet. Making the premise lean towards a theatrical closing without the theatrics, and reveal Superman by the first journalist. If the goal is to not tell the story of Superman but only the journey, then not actually saying the words while leaving the audience to assume that Clark would use the title sometime sooner when the series ends, would be classic.

"It's a bird, It's a plane, no It's ..."

The most impressionable catchphrase coined in the popular Superman movies. When you think of flight, what are the first thoughts that pass through your mind? The last thing you expect would be a man, let alone a 'super' man.

Think of Five for Fighting "It's not easy to be me" -- a perfect understanding as to the man in 'superman' -- It's not easy to be me.

The responsibilities a superhero holds, it's not one to be envious of. They face the same challenges of fitting in, understanding their abilities, learning to live and to learn from mistakes and what is worse off for them, is that the higher they fly, the harder they fall. Smallville did an excellent job of creating Clark as a human. Making him easy to relate with. The battles he had to fight were far beyond challenging and it opened him up to so many wounds. Even as Clark's journey has just begun, it hurts to think that he may have far more to over come. It is an ease knowing that he has love in his heart and it guides him in the right direction. There is much we haven't seen from him, that wasn't written deliberately, but accomplished fully.

Writers spent years teasing viewers with 'The Red Blue Blur' into just 'The Blur' since he was no longer red or blue, why not tease with a super reference? We all laughed around the names they developed, but at one point I feared they were going far past the Superman trademark to make Smallville unique, that they crossed all traditional Superman analogies. Smallville in itself is a unique series. Through adopting Chloe that has made it to the comics in a phenomenal way, but we were also introduced to Lois very early in Clark's life, which conflicted with everything Superman. I didn't care though, Erica Durance has proven to be as an effective character, warming her way in our hearts and growing into a beautiful persona. It wouldn't hurt to think of this as an alternate universe to Clark as Superman and in another world Clark's first day in the Daily Planet was his first time in Metropolis as well, and his first time meeting Lois Lane.

Series Finale Semi/Talk

This finale 2 hour special felt rushed. When you break it all down, it is as though they tried a tie all the knots, dot all the I's and cross all the T's, sort of play. CLois grew stronger clearly from the beginning of the season. Mostly initiated from Season 9 into Season 10, they shared a glow on screen. Their relationship was stronger and it was clear that Lois helped mold the finer part of Superman, but pushed Clark into clumsy mode splitting both man and man of steel. It leaves you wondering how Superman from past series and movies became the man of steel.

Remember 'Lois and Clark The New Adventures of Superman' -- Lois and Clark met in the Daily Planet. Definitely attending Smallville High changed the course of time. It would have been nice to have an episode that mirrored that lifestyle.

So we sit back, stand, dance and cry as bloggers, writers, critics and fans, to write, comment and express how we admire the closure of Smallvile or disapprove of the end. It all gives us something to share and talk about. What is the next step for Allison Mack, Erica Durance, Tom Welling and Justin Hartley? Not to mention Michael Rosenbaum, John Glover, Annette O'Toole, John Schneider and Cassidy Freeman. Where do we expect to see them next?

I know Tom Welling gave directing a shot through "Hellcats", which is now canceled. Michael Rosenbaum was recently on the now canceled "Breaking In". I am not so sure about the rest of the cast, but I do remember a guest star appearance from Annette O'Toole on Private Practice. I just don't want Smallville to be the only place we have such talented actors and actresses in one place. Sam goes for my other favorite series that were also canceled. We want to see you guys acting again!

Lexa