So it looks like this is going to be it: The final season of Smallville. Will season 8 go out with a bang – or a laughable whimper? Let’s see how things start…
In the season 7 finale they actually went easy on the cliffhangers – all we had was Chloe (Allison Mack) being hauled off by Federal agents, Lex (Michael Rosenbaum) activating the device that would control Clark, and both he and Clark (Tom Welling) apparently buried under tons of ice in the Fortress of Solitude.
There are major, detailed spoilers in this review.
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This episode opens in a makeshift camp in the Arctic set up by LutherCorp in order to find Lex. We soon meet a woman who is destined to take the place of Lex on the show as the manipulative baddie: Tess Mercer (played by Cassidy Freeman).
Mercer is a VP from some never before mentioned branch of LuthorCorp, and for no reason given – she has been left in control of the company. Immediately we see that she is not the nicest person you’ll ever meet as she asserts herself with Lex’s right hand man/bodyguard.
Soon a mysterious man arrives and it’s soon obvious that it is Oliver Queen (aka Green Arrow, played by Justin Hartley). He is joined promptly by Black Canary (Alaina Kalanj) and Aquaman (Alan Ritchson) and of course they wreak havoc and soon have control of the camp. Unfortunately, it turns out to be no help in locating Clark (or Lex, who is still missing).
So far, so good… but come back from the first commercial break and we find Lois Lane (Erica Durance) sniffing around the Luthor mansion in no less than a French maid costume.
I kid you not.
Mercer shows up knowing who Lois really is and there’s a minor confrontation showing neither of them is intimidated by the other. It turns out Chloe was NOT arrested by the Feds, but was instead spirited away by Lex’s private army to a facility in Montana.
Chloe at this point thinks she is in the government’s hands and is given the choice to help track down terrorists or go to prison for 20 years. How can she help? It seems that she now has a new power – the ability to process information faster than a supercomputer.
Oliver refuses to give up on his search for Clark, even when the other two members of the soon to be Justice League throw in the towel. It turns out that Clark has ended up in Russia, without his powers, and is being held captive as basically slave labor. He tries to escape but without powers is no match for a bunch of armed men.
Meanwhile Chloe decides to help her captors, by decoding an encoded satellite transmission, pulling out cell phone numbers. When she gets to the third one, she recognizes it as Oliver Queen’s and refuses to help further (and figures out this isn’t the government).
Back in Russia, Clark demonstrates that even without his powers he still has balls as he tries repeatedly to escape and takes a two by four to his captor. These scenes were actually pretty damned cool, and actually made mild-mannered Clark look pretty bad-ass. At this point Queen shows up, fakes a fistfight with Clark and figures a way to get him out of there.
Clark is determined to rescue Chloe, powers or not so he and Queen head to the facility in Montana (where Aquaman and Black Canary are being held after Chloe helped track them down). It turns out that the “control” aspect of the Veritas device that was so much the focus of last season was that it would just remove Clark’s super-powers, not turn him into some super-automaton.
On a side note: So far, the only really silly thing was the French maid costume – at this point it occurred to me that the episode has been pretty solid so far. Also, the female replacement for Lex is going to have to grow on me… I’m still not sure about her as a character.
Of course when Clark and Oliver arrive, Lois also happens to be there (ah, coincidence) and she and Clark knock out a couple of guards, with Lois grabbing the handgun. She carries it like she knows what she’s doing, and I thought she was pretty convincing.
Lex’s bodyguard doses Green Arrow with a drug that makes him obey commands for a short period of time, and for some reason the bodyguard tells him to find out where Lex is. At this point I didn’t think any of the facility staff knew that Clark was there, so how the heck was Oliver supposed to find out where Lex is?
Anyway, in a cool scene that follows, Green Arrow confronts Clark and shoots him just above the heart with an arrow as a warning. When Clark says he doesn’t know where Lex is he is shot straight through the heart and it looks like he’s done for (yeah, right). Chloe shows up and is ready to use her healing power to save Clark – except that she no longer has it.
That was pretty effective, and Clark saw his life flash before his eyes: His mom and dad, Lana, the farm, etc. Just as he fades, Martian Manhunter shows up out of nowhere and whisks Clark into space, towards the healing power (for Clark) of the Sun.
Clark wakes up back in the barn with Martian Manhunter there – powers restored. Unfortunately the Sun takes power away from MM, and he’s now just a regular guy. I thought this was terrible, because MM is supposed to be a member of the Justice League… but of course on Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV shows everything is reversible. 
Clark decides based upon his near death experience that it’s time to leave the farm behind – so at long last, we DO seem to FINALLY be moving towards the Superman mythos we know and love.
There were allusions to his need for a double identity and even a joke about him needing a form-fitting costume.
In the end, Clark has just gotten an entry level reporter job at the Daily Planet, sitting right across from Lois Lane.
Nice.
Overall I’d say this season is starting off as a VAST improvement over last season, and the ending actually left me with a sense that just MAYBE we’ll be blessed by having less soap opera-ish crap on the show. I really don’t have much to nitpick about this episode that I haven’t already mentioned, and considering my critical eye towards Smallville, that’s really saying something.
My only real concern at this point revolves around the fact that they MUST put some closure on the Lex/Clark situation: Lex is missing but we KNOW he’s not dead – and he finally knows about Clark’s powers.
I’m hoping this final season opener was not a fluke and the show holds up to a better standard of quality than it has recently. I’m actually looking forward to watching it this season with a little bit of excitement and anticipation.
Go figure. 
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59 Comments
Just like what we predicted no lana=no big rating.most of fans don want to see another lois &clark story!
From what I’m reading everyone is thrilled about the 8th season. However, from what I seen the 8th season is going to be horrible…I thought that the season opener was a huge disappointment. I can tell that the season is being written by TOTALLY different people. There were two good things about the season premier though.
1. Lana GONE!!! Was seriously getting tired of that teenage LOVE mess.
2. Clark manning up and seemingly realizing that he was sent here for more than being in love with Lana.
One thing that I DON’T like is that it always seems they have to put a woman into a show to counteract men. This “Tess” character that replaces Luthor doesn’t go well with me…..hoping that things will change in the future. But from the season opener I can see this being the LAST of the smallville seasons if it doesnt shape up REAL quick.
My initial thoughts were she was a poor replacement for Lex but I think she should be given a chance. She might surprise. But probably won’t.
Things are a bit up in the air for season 8 right now, it could go either way.
JB:
Females have traditionally been added to shows for ratings. When Star Trek Voyager added “7 of 9″, they had the best ratings in a long time.
Back in the day, you could always tell when show was starting to lose it’s legs: They’d add a busty, hot looking woman to the cast.
I don’t mean to demean women, it just seems to be the pattern.
And JB: This IS the last season of Smallville. At least that’s what they’ve and we have been reporting for some time now.
Unless of course, by some miraculous fickle bit of fate, something they do with the show is a hit.
IE: In the comic, when Superman came up against Doomsday, they were ending the title because it had flat lined. But when readership increased by a factor of 10 I think it was, they scrapped their plans and brought the title back. I fear this might happen. Maybe that’s what will happen. Doomsday came through and cleaned house because he was a bad kryptonian weapon experiment.
I can see some of the heroes going down hard in the show, like they did in the comic.
I thought is was the most classic set of panels in the comic book, when supes first encountered Doomsy.
Doomsy slams him in the chest and he said something to the equivalent of : Is that the best you can do?
The next set of panels, we see supes flying backwards through the air, through large trees, houses and what not.
Now that was a great answer and a preview. All Doomsy wanted to do was kill everything. He was mad. Very mad at the world, as he was designed to be. (Or, they just instilled him with the emotions of a man who has to deal with the developing scenario of a divorce!)
B
I liked it quite a bit, some of the normal Smallville contrivances are ‘old’ but not worn old at least. Lois in particular, and the non-Lex but Lex-based person-in-charge. But I agree that giving time for a character to develop is important.
I’m easy to please, having Aquaman and Black Canary along with Green Arrow pretty much made this a shoe-in for a fun show for me… And totally liked the fact that Clark manned up even without powers, but hopefully the vulnerability and dying will reappear as moments of doubt or concern when he finds himself in dire straits. Psychologically having experienced it should come into play some I hope.
People, How can you judge a whole season by only 1 episode!
How about you all relax, sit back and enjoy the ride. Yes I will miss the Lex/Clark Dynamic, but the fact that Clark has finally moved on from Lana makes this season perfect already. It can only get better. For someone who doesn’t know the whole Superman Lore, Smallville has been 1 of my top 5 go to shows. I can’t imagine a Thursday night without it and will miss it when it’s gone.
i liked how they changed lois’ look for the end scene, she looked very lois laneish
we can extrapolate from this first ep how things will probably unfold. No doubt everyone will bitch and moan at how ‘good’ Smallville used to be but you’ll be sad when its gone.
The departure of Lex does give is one thing to look forward to: his glorious comeback at the end! I think having Lex gone for the season will make his eventual return all the better.
@Biggysmith
There is absolutely NO indication at this point that Michael Rosenbaum will be returning to the show this season. At all.
Vic
Patti: I like your take on the issue and it’s a great point. That for someone who doesn’t know the Superman lore, it’s a good show for you.
Vic: Come on… short of Rosenbaum kicking the bucket I’m fairly certain he’ll be back, if only for the final finale, beit this season or beyond.
The production staff said no, he will not be back. Of course things could change.
One of the executive producers, Darren Swimmer, said “no Michael Rosenbaum at all this season. But to make up for it, they are introducing Samuel Witwer as Davis Bloome/Doomsday. ”
Trust me, I’d like to see Lex back too, but if we’re to believe what the producers are saying, then so be it.
lets hope they’re using a little bit of disinformation. I would like to see Lex back too.
But if he ain’t he ain’t. Although I doubt they would have left the Lex story so open if they didn’t have a resolution in mind somewhere down the line.
I can’t stand Lois. She ruins every scene. Chloe I can tolerate. Green Arrow doesn’t add much to the scene, but he can carry his scenes. The series definitely suffered without Lex and Lana. This series shouldn’t be called Smallville anymore.
Mandy, You’ll have to get past your feelings for Lois because she & Superman are destined to be together so she’s not going anywhere. And the Series isn’t called Smallville because of Lex & Lana, but because of Clark Kent who isn’t going anywhere either. I miss Lex also, but it was Michael’s choice to leave. Change is tough, but sometimes you can’t control it. I’m sure the writers would love for Lex to be around, but maybe for Clark’s growth, not having Lex on the show for a while will be a good thing. It will force him to grow and move on.
well i think that the new season will be exciting cos i love the part of clark leaving the farm and going to the city for a new job and i hope he becomes the hero over there….
and i love this season cos is going to be filled with excitement,and am waiting to know wht is going to happen to the relationship of clark n lana lang, clark n chloe n also clark n lois lane.
I’m hearing now that there may be a season 9 coming….WITHOUT LEX LUTHOR AGAIN!!! I suppose it’s going to be “the continuing story of the search for Lex”. CW, get a grip!
A season 9 would be terrific!
So far I’m really enjoying this season. Last Thursday’s episode was great. It was nice to see Oliver’s back story and how he became the Green Arrow. It was interesting how they connected him to Tess. The scene at the end between Oliver & Clark was good. Oliver was so right in his assesment of Clark. I think it was just what Clark needed to hear.
@Patti
I’m enjoying season 8 as well; but another season without Supes arch-enemy? Well, it’s just a rumor and if it’s true, maybe it will work. We’ll have to see.
smallville is the best show alive and coming from me I’m saying if they take out smallville before it finishes people and a lot of people will strike for it to come back but more lois and Clark time should be added.
So far, this is the best season ever! I love Clark & Lois together. It is so nice to see a playful side of Clark after all the years of him pining over Lana. There is a definite maturity to him this year. I’m also liking the whole Oliver/Tess storyline. It’ll be interesting to see where the writiers go with that. In the last episode, I loved Oliver’s face when he saw Clark & Lois
at the jewelers. That was classic.
smallville needs a seson 9
smallville needs a seson 9
My friend said that tom welling is so hot he needs to be shritless alot in the seson, if they do a seson 9 she said he needs to be shritless in that also. i think they need to do a seson 10 if they can. the show is so great.
Im sorry but the new writers are really not as good as the previous ones. I just got done watching the episode that was shown on May 14th or today, its not making the least bit of sense. The are so many patches to be fixed, just on random episode Zod was mentioned and hinted that he would be back.?.? Doomsday just randomly disappeared at the end of the episode after clark did somthing with him. I no that clark threw him into a building and it exploded, then what? I see the clifhanger idea isnt working out to well for ya.
Sorry but I’m not enjoying this series at all, to the extent that I have stopped watching it. Under normal circumstances this would be unheard of..I’ve loved Superman since I was a small child, and now I feel the programme has decided to move away from the original idea far too much. There are too many people with special gifts so how can Clark ever become the Number One?
When the first series began I absolutely loved it, it fitted completely with the way Clark would have lived, and developed.
The new writers should be fired, they don’t know what they are talking about.
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