Smallville Season 9 Premiere: Review & Discussion
Sep 26, 2009 by Bruce SimmonsLast night’s premiere of Smallville started out with a recap of various scenes from season 8 to help catch up viewers to the big events …
Last night’s premiere of Smallville started out with a recap of various scenes from season 8 to help catch up viewers to the big events that concluded last season’s storylines.
It has felt like forever since we’ve seen Clark take down Doomsday, watched Jimmy die and saw Clark walk away from Chloe. So, it was quite a rush to watch the teaser lead into the 9th season of Smallville as we were treated to several details for the upcoming season.
Join us to recap and discuss the premiere of Season 9 of Smallville.
*** SPOILERS FROM HERE ON OUT***
It’s been 3 weeks since the events of last season’s finale when Lois (Erica Durance) returns to the present, showing up in a flash of light on a moving train. An unidentified female assassin who is pursuing her also shows up on the train in a similar flash of light. The train derails just after that and Clark shows up and catches it.
Clark (Tom Welling) has gone from the red-blue blur to just a blur in his new dark outfit. He’s also become compelled to burn his chest symbol into things when he makes a save, to leave his mark.
In these last 3 weeks, Clark has committed himself to training with Jor-El in the fortress of solitude. I found his conversation with Jor-El about his inability to fly interesting. Speaking of flying, did I miss it, or did they not show what happened after Clark jumped off the Statue of Liberty?
Meanwhile, it seems that Major Zod (Callum Blue) has been holed up in the Luthor mansion, having taken Tess Mercer (Cassidy Freeman) hostage, believing she has information he needs. He also has a number of soldiers from Kandor with him, but none of them have any powers under the yellow sun.
We’re also introduced to John Corben, the street reporter. It’s good to see Brian Austin Green on TV again, but John is a critic of “the blur’s” methods, questioning why he has to burn symbols at his rescue scenes. He openly calls him a vigilante.
Even though the female assassin who was pursuing Lois is never identified, she has the same powers as Clark and she brings some power-neutralizing blue kryptonite with her. It seems she wasn’t after Lois at all, but was just using her to lure Clark out since he is her true target. When she and Clark do deck it out, it seems to me that Clark’s training with Jor-El pays off as he stands his ground with her surprisingly well.
There were some interesting moments however, like the assassin telling Clark the world will end in a year and that she’s here to stop him, Chloe (Allison Mack) getting ticked at Clark for refusing her request to use the time-ring to save Jimmy, and the army of powerless Kryptonians at Zod’s command. That’s really befuddling me.
Lois hunting down Oliver/Green Arrow (Justin Hartley) and finding him in cage matches was interesting but dang, how quickly he sank to this new lifestyle. Jimmy’s death is having quite the impact on everyone, being as how everyone seems to be blaming themselves for it.
Was it me, or was Lois running around in tank tops in this episode more than usual? That wasn’t a complaint at all, just wondering out loud.
We also got to hear a new term for time travel: “Temporal Aperture Continuum” and I thought it was a nice cameo for the Statue of Liberty.
I’ve got to chime in about Oliver and the similarities between himself and Bruce Wayne / Batman has in his own mythos. Since we’ll never see Bats in Smallville, I find the parallels interesting. My final “ah-ha” moment pondering Oliver being the replacement Bats came when Oliver Queen’s money helped set up Chloe’s Watchtower. “Oliver may be AWOL, but his funds aren’t.” In the source material for this reimagination, Watchtower was funded by Bruce Wayne.
How’d We Feel About The New Episode?
This episode started out with the momentum from last season and different aspects of the upcoming season were introduced to us. I came away from the episode pleased but I have to wonder if they will be able to keep this up? They had a lot to feed us right away so they had material for us. Though the producers have said that this wasn’t going to be a dark season, there are a lot of story threads laced with overshadowing darkness to the characters.
If they can manage this momentum, it will be a good season but I think many of us are gun-shy after last seasons’ Doomsday buildup. Plus, if the show gets another season, will this affect what material they’ll deliver to us?
My thought is that if they feel that this is the last season, I presume they’ll be wrapping up a lot of things for us. But if they get another season, will the production team pull back and pace themselves, saving some of the plot points and issues for next season?
I have to admit; at the end of the episode when Lois laid down to go to sleep, she sure had one heck of a recall/dream sequence from her alternate time trip… I mean her temporal aperture continuum trip!
Your turn!
Time to chime in Screen Rant readers. We want to hear your thoughts on what you saw, what you felt while watching the start of the 9th season of Smallville!
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thought the show was really good,although i stupidly believed he would have allready learnt to fly.Guess they cant afford that kind of costs.
anyway,the real problem i have now with smallville is that somehow,they dont seem to be able to make 20 episodes like this one,focusing on the story:They will make 80% of the season with useless storylines,using brian austin green,tori spelling (and maybe luke perry,why the hell )which will really be a non-sense this time since Clark is supposed to be gone on the dark side….
“…it didnt explain anything unless im missing somthing. like why are there kryptonians in tess’s house…”
There’s a whole season left. Give it time
It seems like people can’t just enjoy the ride. lol
People People! Just enjoy the show and stop over analyzing it.
1) At the end of last season, ZOD came in the big ball of energy when Tess activated whatever she had. It must have been some Kryptonian key that opened up some sort of teleport of Zod and his army from Kandor.
2) Jimmy is dead. Did anybody not see the last season finale? His funeral his name was actually Henry Olsen. Horrible change or throw in by the writers at the last moment. They actually introduced Henry’s younger brother “Jimmy” who was wearing the traditional bow tie. Another throw in and lazy writing to me to close that door on continuity.
3) The whole falling from the Statue of Liberty while trying to learn to fly. Right before Clark hit ground it transitioned right into Clark in the fortress asking Jor-El when can he stop these mental trials.
So pay attention before you start complaining! I think it was a good premiere. Yes last season finale was rushed at end with Doomsday – but they had to bury Doomsday someplace deep so he can come back and kill Supes later in the future.
Just enjoy the show and the new directions they are going. They had to do something since Lex left.
I say boo to Oliver Queen being a poor man’s Bruce Wayne. Well, he’s still a billionaire- and upper-middle class man’s Bruce Wayne. Why can’t they just get a young Dark-Knight in training to make a brief cameo and stop attempting to fill that role with the completely seperate character of Green Arrow. I’d rather see Bruce for 5 minutes in one episode than see Oliver pretend to be him ALL the TIME. Weak writing. Also, the translating of Zod, and the very cardboard cameo by Brian Austin Green(first off-3 names is pretentious, 2nd-his intials are BAG hahaha) seem to be the result of this bad writing. BAG(that doesn’t get old) can do well with the right material(SCC?) but this has clearly been an issue with the show for awhile. Loving Clark’s new look, maybe soon they’ll ditch the “Blur”(someone should be crucified for that) and call him Superman already, geez. End rant.
I have watched Smallville since day one and I have to say that this was by far the worst episode ever written and acted. The script was poorly written and scenes jumped around without ANY continuity at all. Oliver cannot be found by anyone yet Lois finds him. Then it jumps to something else totally irrelevant. Happens through the whole show. Seriously if I have to watch Lois go all ga-ga and googly eyed every time the blue-blur is mentioned, I think I will be sick. Is she reverting back to a love struck high school girl? The guy that played Zod overacted and was pathetic. And why do most of the Kryptonian men have english accents now?
The first five or six years were very well done, even though they didn’t follow the comics story lines, because they put in some originality while keeping some of the basic concepts regarding Clark Kent Growing into Superman. They should have quit then as seasons seven and eight were so far off base with crappy writing and even worse acting. Season nine looks to be following right in line. Finally, Clark … sorry Kal-El wearing an overcoat with an S painted on his shirt and leaving his “mark” everywhere is also pathetic. Superman NEVER showboated like that. They need to let him wear the costume, assume the alter-ego and at least finish off this season with class.
Does Martha actually care what Clark is up to? Do the writers think we will just forget about her? What the hell is Lana up to – Lex would have made better use of the super suit – totally wasted on Lana…
I love when someone said Lois isn’t the kind of girl you fall in love with – LOL! Brian Austin Green is a douchebag. You guys think Pete Ross is still drag racing? Is it just me or does pixie dust rain down everytime that dude from the future comes to visit Clark – man is he light in the loafers. Oliver needs to turn Lois and Tess out at the same time already.
Brian Austin Green should be on Tool Academy
yeah jimmy’s death realy had an effect on everyone especcially clark becouse if you see he says clark kent is gone he no longer exist, you cant help but believe that this is almost the end. its a realy sad season i have to say this is the best so far. i have been watching this show since i was 8 years old and now i am 16. i remember from day one smallville had started i fell for it and just watched the unfolding events, and this season in particular makes you look back at all the crazy things that have happend in this show, growing up with this amazing show and the characters and the struggles they had to go through together, i can say i am proud of becouse this is our generation of superman.
“Brian Austin Green is a douchebag”
Well that’s not very nice
tarheel56, you say “…even though they didn’t follow the comics story lines, because they put in some originality…”
and then you say “… Clark … sorry Kal-El wearing an overcoat with an S painted on his shirt and leaving his “mark” everywhere is also pathetic. Superman NEVER showboated like that. They need to let him wear the costume…”
????????????????????????????????
they’re trying to be creative and original
I don’t know if he is truly a douche or not but his acting “skills” leave a lot to be desired.
i thought he was doing ok. but then again i think Tom Welling does a good job too
me too! I LOVE Tom Welling! He is talented. and damned sexy too…but “the BAG (TM)”(it’s mine, I own it)…not so much.
Clark … sorry Kal-El wearing an overcoat with an S painted on his shirt and leaving his “mark” everywhere is also pathetic. Superman NEVER showboated like that. They need to let him wear the costume…”
We already had a small screen Superman in a red and blue suit, and he didn’t last too long did he?
The producers know that they can never put Tom Welling in the traditional red and blue suit, he would look ridiculous, and it would turn a fairly sophisticated series into something akin to the mess that George Clooney’s reprisal of Batman was.
Honestly, can you even imagine this Clark Kent in blue and red tights? *shudder*. I’d stop watching it in a New York minute if that happened.
Umm, the show lost it’s “sophistication” the moment season 8 aired.
Fact of the matter, Smallville 1-5 was a truly original take on the mythology of Superman. Now it’s just another Justice League live action cartoon. Sad, but true.
Umm, the show lost it’s “sophistication” the moment season 8 aired.
So do you think it would improve by putting Tom Welling in blue tights and a red cape? Really?
Nope, but putting Tom Welling in blue tights and the red cape won’t do anything else to the show either, except make it even more gimmicky. Improvement would be to go back in time, and end the show with Season 7.
Nope, but putting Tom Welling in blue tights and the red cape won’t do anything else to the show either, except make it even more gimmicky.
I think you’re wrong. Putting Tom Welling in blue tights and a cape, would be beyond gimmicky, and even those people calling for him to get suited and booted would find that actually what they wanted, really wasn’t what they wanted after all.
Giving the audience what they think they want hasn’t always worked out, because once that happens, then what is left?
If the producers put Welling in blue tights and a red cape, I predict that the ratings would fall even more than they are now. It would mean certain death for the show.
I was very disappointed in Smallville and have been for some time. I can understand Martha Kent being gone, but where IS Lex Luthor?
At the end of the last season when Clark walked out on Chloe and decided to not get so close to humans again, I assumed he was going to use the ring and reverse time or something. Instead he abandons his friends. How does that REALLY fix things??? Sounds very immature to me.
Is he supposed to THINK like a god? Is that what the writers are supposed to be saying? If that’s the case, how does that blend in with the Justice League?
I agree with the other comments burning the S on everything. Sounds like vandalism if you ask me.
@ Karen- I agree the tights and cape would be gimmicky- that should totally be a last episode ever thing- like Martha Kent coming back and saying “Double Identity? Let me make you an outfit.” Or like a long distance shot of Superman with the cape blowing in the wind.
I just am scared to think at the idea of Tom Welling in tights. The red and blue was more than enough for me and I appreciate the idea of the producers making him wear black. The outfit is really nice and it fits him, but that’s about all I like in this new episode. I do hope they’ll make some changes though…
Don’t worry gang. With the legal restrictions from the movie franchise, this is a moot point.
Clark is finally trying to become what everyone wants him to be. And people still have problems with it. He left people behind to try to become a hero so stuff like jimmy’s death won’t happen again. He soon finds out that people still mean alot to him and he can’t just turn his back on them. this season will be Clark finding a middle point where he can embrace his kryptonian destiny and still fall head over heels for Lois.
Yes the tights should be a last second of the last episode EVER thing.
Bring Michael Rosenbaum back! Enough said…
Saksena,
YES and AMEN
agreed. unless he is making sorority boys 2…that movie was FUNNY!
He’s not interested. He actually saw the downfall of the Smallville approaching quite a while ago. Would be good for a series finale though. Yes, series. Because Smallville should end, full-stop.
He might be back for the “final episodes”… with a bald cap