What We Want In Season 10 Of Smallville
When Smallville was moved to Friday nights last fall, it was widely presumed it was doing so to die – that while The CW had renewed the show, it was certainly in its final season, and with the diminished numbers Friday night would no doubt bring, the final nail would be hammered into the coffin. But lo and behold, Smallville, like the character it’s based around, has a talent for fighting back, and the show held its own on its tough new night. Last week, The CW ended speculation over their next move by renewing Smallville, confirming the show would be back for a rather remarkable Season 10.
So what next? There have been a lot of changes through the years on the series, which began with Clark Kent in high school, surrounded by a supporting cast that are almost entirely gone now. Clark now is actively fighting crime in Metropolis and dating Lois Lane – but still is not Superman. So as the show heads towards its tenth season, IGN TV decided to take a look at the elements the show can and should tackle in the coming year.
The Final SeasonSure, most of us are assuming Season 10 is the final one for Smallville – but we also assumed Season 7 was probably the last one, and Season 8, and Season 9… Are you sensing a pattern?
A long-running series of this sort deserves a true finale and the proper time to build up to it. But that means the network and producers need to decide early on that that is indeed what will happen. A ten-year run is an incredible accomplishment for the series, but we think most fans would agree, it’s also a good time to wrap things up, right?
Hopefully we will get firm word on Smallville: Season 10 indeed being the final one early on next fall – allowing the writers to really go all out, crafting a season that can have plenty of major events occur, that once and for all show us how Clark Kent takes on the Superman identity. As you’ll see, planning on Season 10 being the final year for the show leads us into several of the following entries…
Darkseid (AKA Apokolips Soon)In the nine years it’s been on the air, Smallville has introduced a bevy of notable Superman villains, including the likes of Brainiac, Doomsday and Metallo. Who’s left? Why Darkseid of course! The first tiny hint of the character was already given this season, in the episode “Absolute Justice,” when Amanda Waller says, “Apokolips is coming” – which that episode’s writer, Geoff Johns, has confirmed is indeed meant to be spelled in that manner, not “apocalypse.” Apokolips is of course the home planet of Darkseid in the comics, and fans have been speculating if we might see Darkseid on the show ever since that tantalizing name drop.
The tyrannical supervillain exists in one of the more cosmic arenas of DC Comics, and at this point, we all know Smallville tends to give us a more humanized, earthbound version of most characters. Luckily, there are stories in DC lore that allow for this however, as there have been times when Darkseid was bound to a human, and even was living the life of a gangster – which sounds like just the sort of storyline that would work on Smallville. Of course, eventually, we’d want to see the bad guy in his true form…
The Name’s Luthor… Lex Luthor
This is pretty much a must. Even in some of Smallville‘s weakest periods, it was easy to enjoy Michael Rosenbaum’s performance as Lex Luthor, who was portrayed initially as Clark Kent’s friend – destined to take an Anakin Skywalker-style fall from grace, and ultimately, of course, to become Clark’s greatest enemy. By the time Rosenbaum left the show, at the end of Season 7, he’d been involved in some pretty lame storylines – We’re looking at you, “Lex & Lana’s romance, pregnancy, marriage, miscarriage, divorce” – but Lex himself still remained a compelling part of the show, and having another actor play a disfigured Lex in Season 8 (when Lex apparently died, but come on) was not satisfying to fans wanting to truly see Rosenbaum as Luthor again.
Before the show ends, we’ve got to see the true Lex Luthor return to face off with his arch nemesis one more time. It’s doubtful Rosenbaum would be back as a series regular for Season 10, but if he could at least return for the last several episodes (with some nice lead up beforehand) it could make for a very cool storyline. Lex could become involved in the aforementioned Darkseid scenario we’re hoping for, and prove again that what he might lack in superpowers, he more than makes up for with his brilliance and cunning.
Bruce and Diana
Yeah, yeah, yeah… We know, this is a perennial on any Smallville wish list, but that’s not going to stop us from including it here. A who’s who of DC heroes have now appeared on Smallville, including Green Arrow, Black Canary, Cyborg, Impulse, Hawkman, Zatanna and many more, with the last couple of seasons really fleshing out Smallville as a place where the DC Universe of characters is growing every day. And yet there has long been a decree from the powers that be that Bruce Wayne/Batman cannot appear on the series, for fear it would somehow dilute the impact of the ever-successful Batman films or confuse fans by having a different version of the character appearing in two live-action stories at the same time – never mind that Clark Kent himself was allowed to appear simultaneously in Smallville and Superman Returns. In recent years, it’s been clear that Princess Diana/Wonder Woman has been similarly blocked from appearing, along with some other major players in the DCU like Green Lantern and Flash, who are close to appearing in their own films.
But as we get to see so many Justice League members on the show and get a better idea of the hero Clark will be, it’s time to finally let Clark meet the two other most notable members of the JLA.
Look, we’re not asking for a lot here. We don’t need Batman and Wonder Woman in costume. Hell, if there is such concern over having them appear too much, we don’t even need to see either for an entire episode — as long as there is even one solid, important scene between Clark, Bruce and Diana, hinting at what’s to come for the Trinity. It’s the kind of thing fans have long hoped for, and could be a very cool and iconic moment on the series. Please, let us have it, Warner Bros./DC overlords!
Four-Eyes KentIt’s one of the biggest examples of having to suspend your disbelief not just in comic books but in all of fiction – We have to accept that no one can tell Clark Kent is Superman, when all he physically does to change himself is wear a pair of glasses. Of course, on Smallville, Clark Kent has never worn glasses, at least in any ongoing manner (just recently he showed his glasses to Lois, only to not wear them since). But in the 10th season, it’s time to see that change and have Tom Welling’s Clark join the rank of the four-eyed on a consistent basis, better setting up his true dual identity.
On top of that, there’s a notable hurdle to deal with, in that we now have watched a series showing Lex Luthor and Lois Lane, among others, interacting with Clark all of the time, without glasses. Sure, saying the glasses would disguise him at all is funny when really analyzed, but here it’s even more difficult, because of the relationships he’s forged with those around him. So here’s hoping that this is dealt with in some manner on the show. Fans have long pondered whether some sort of magical or superpower-based explanation might be possible, where something happens on Smallville (perhaps a spell by Zatanna?) that makes it so people see The Blur/Superman as looking different from Clark Kent. Whatever it is, we just hope this element of the mythology is not ignored by the end of the series.
Closure for ChloeAh, Chloe Sullivan. The only character from the beginning of Smallville still on the series besides Clark Kent himself, Chloe has garnered a lot of attention from the fandom. Some think the character doesn’t really fit into the series any longer, while there are still some rather passionate fans rooting for a Clark/Chloe romance that appears all but impossible at this point.
With Allison Mack still not signed to return as a regular in Season 10, there’s a lot of speculation about what might happen to Chloe, with many assuming she will be written off (whether by dying or in some other manner) at the end of Season 9.
One thing is clear though – Chloe is too significant a part of this show and its history to not give the character proper closure. Created for Smallville, Chloe doesn’t have the decades of comic book history to fall back on or a clear place in Clark’s future, making it all the more interesting to see where she ends up by the end of her journey.
And whether she’s back next season or not, we’re hoping Clark’s story – since after all, the show is centered around him — and his decision to become Superman is significantly affected by Chloe in some manner in Season 10, especially after the episode “Legion” teased as much. Yes, sorry to say Chloe fans, that very well could be via her death. If Chloe were to die though, we’d want it to be in a particularly meaningful way that properly motivates Clark to want to do more and embrace the destiny we all know is waiting for him. In fact, it should get him to… Well, read the next entry for that.
Flights With a Side of Tights
The “No flights or tights” rule decreed by the producers was fine when Smallville began and the character was in high school – and when most people would have understandably assumed the show would have ended after five seasons or so. But we have now been watching Clark Kent learn more about his abilities and what it means to be a hero for nearly a full decade!
Clark still not being able to fly is just silly at this point. Not only could his cousin Kara (AKA Supergirl) do it on the series, but Zod has had his superpowers for all of two seconds, and he can fly as well! Whatever mental blocks Clark has had stopping him from this fully accessing this one crucial ability need to be gotten past before the show ends – preferably sooner than later in Season 10.
Okay, seeing the full Superman costume in any major capacity is a bit more of a stretch – the show is not called Superman, and it’s about the journey towards that identity. And yes, it is nice to at least see Clark finally wearing the Superman symbol these days, albeit as part of a black, Matrix type outfit. But when you have held onto a fandom for ten years, you have to deliver the payoff the entire series has been working towards. And even if it’s just in the final episode, that includes seeing Tom Welling wearing that famous red and blue costume.
I Like this site your article is very nice , Thanks, very interesting article, keep up it coming
I can’t wait for season 10….keep up the good work.
Lana Lang is very beautiful in SmallVille she is really an angel.*~;