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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How about the stargate series, special effects seem to improve every season. They probably get similar budgets, but their effects and building props are excellent. all we’ve seen in the last 9 seasons of Smallville is the continuous redundant speed effect which is being done to death. As for story plots couldn’t WB get better writers, for goodness sakes David S. Goyer writer of Batman begins and dark knight, is writing television series flashfoward, couldn’t they have ask him to write some Smallville episodes. Not to mention the terrible watchtower, redundant monitors everywhere…..
@ peter
In season 4 episode 1 Clark has flown only because Jor-el “reprogrammed” him. I don’t know if you remember but he said smth like: Kal-el is airborne, while Clark Kent is earthbound.
So you can’t actually say it was Clark flying. And Kara doesn’t count coz she’s no Clark.
@Allye
same difference
Kal-el Clark Superman their still the same person residing in the same body. Their just his names.
Anyways my point is that they showed him flying, so they can do the effect, whats holding them back to fully commit him to fly.
There were instances in the first two seasons when Clark woke up and he was floating, and in one episode he dreams of flying and keeps waking up in various places all over Smallville.
I have to be honest, saying the plane effect was bad is nothing short of awful i will admit. However, i can see where the rest of the budget for that episdoe went, on the great Zombie make up! The special effect dont bother me as long as the stories are enjoyable, and to me they are.
As for my social circle, i do not have any friends who watch Smallville on a weekly basis, the only people i talk to about it are in the online community.
in my opinion they’re just trying to say that Clark is human more than Jor-el likes. And they keep on exploiting the same stuff. That’s what annoys me in the show.
btw, peter, I had no idea you were referring to their inability to make him fly (in terms of special effects)
@Allye
Sorry my misunderstanding
I do agree with you with the whole Clark Jor-el humanity thing, it annoys the hell out of me too. It makes Clark incapable of mature decisions and growth.
Why can someone just tell him “look Clark you have both a great heritage of Kryptonian and Earth. You don’t have to be either one, but can become your own person who accepts both his heritage”
take what is good and would make you better and discard that which you believe does not. And stop whining your a grown man.
so true. But that’s like ending the series in their opinion.
The whole point of Clark not being able to fly is that he simply doesnt believe it is possible, he has psent so much time with humans that it5 is hard for his brain to accept this as being one of his abilities. And in the season 9 premiere Clark asks Jor-El about this, he gets an answer. He will be flying by the end of the season, remember they said Clark and Lois would never get together during the show but in the eighth episode of this season, they do! Anything is possible.
well someone should tell them, its time to grow up. otherwise his Character needs serious therapy.
I also dislike how females are being portrayed in the show.
Chloe being indecisive with her love life, still hung up on Clark.
Lois to mooney eyed on Clarks physical attributes.
They should have a episode, where Captain Marvel come and shows Clark some real superhero class shazammmm
or Kyle Green Lantern arresting Clark for being the Galaxy’s number one duped for releasing galactic baddies all the time.
Oh no. “Blue is signed on for two years for a long-term story arc.” http://io9.com/5329974/smallville-and-supernatural-could-live-longer-than-you-thought
WHY OH WHY!!! Not a season 10, PLEASE!!!! It’s the start of the frikkin apocalypse.
good point over the female characters. Also, there’s the changing personalities problem. They keep on doing that since the beginning of the show with just about… everybody.
I agree about Chloe but Lois is meant to be the way she is in the show, having her swoon over Clark is the right way to do it.
Changing personalities? People change.
Roll on season 10!!!!!!!!!!!1
@DrSamBeckett
I meant dramatical personality changes. They just don’t have enough story and they keep on changing some of the characters personalities. btw, does your nickname come from “Quantum leap”?
And OMG. Another season? I’m ever so curious on how they’re going to end this one (what villain will they introduce or will they kill Zod AGAIN just to bring him back AGAIN?) not to mention to continue the 10th.
I would like to have Chloe seek her own path, get some kickass training, instead of relying of Clark to save her all the time. And may even get DC to assign her own superhero character.
I don’t mind her swooning, but be more subtle about it, instead of being carried by Clark or Hugging her and then parting ways afterward how thick can you get.You can create as much sexual tension without physical interaction. I want more banter.
Lois and Clark should develop friendship and trust first. Instead of the Producers using sex to sell the show.
Well, Mr Blue is signed on for two seasons, so it means he probably won’t die, which probably means that Metallo will be the big bad for this season. (Wouldn’t surprise me with all the bad writing, and the colossal Doomsday FAIL) BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD.
Milking the cow, I tell you, MILKING THE COW.
Season 10 starts off with Darkseid attacking earth only to metamorphosis into ZOd who was just wearing a Darkseid costume. (from last years Halloween party)
@peter: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Good one.
Yeah it comes from Quatum Leap! Possibly the best tv show of all time!!!!
Look, i understand every complaint levelled at Smallville because as a huge fan i think of these things myself. But i love the show for all its bad points, besides, its the only Superman we’re gonna get for a long time.
Personally, had i been writing it, and had complete creative control and a much higher budget, i would have done things differently.
i love Quantum Leap, he was ok too in Enterprise. Your right about that although technically there isn’t any superman in the show.
They should have a competition where they pick one of the fans story for an episode.
I disagree, surely it is fair to call Clark Superman at this stage? His costume might not be traditional but this isnt a traditional superman story is it? Smallville has forged its own version of the mythology.
A few years back i wrote a whole seasons worth of stories but i think i lost them. Shame.
Quantum Leap is my favourite show of all time. Even Stargate can’t beat it.
I once again agree with you. They should do it like on take180.com. The fans give the ideas for the shows.(ignore the fact that it’s teen-oriented)
Getting ideas from different people can refresh the Show, instead of pressuring its contract writers to come up with something fantastic all the time, which often becomes a recycled plot from another episode or Movie.
It we are take Smallville for its own continuity. They should introduced a Original Villain not found in DC Universe. Someone like MasterMind or CheckMate or something villainous and evil but doesn’t die, but a constant threat for Clark.
The biggest problem with asking the fans to be involved is, how many fans are there out there anymore? How many of us have stuck with the show for nearly ten years and still care?
It is a shame because Smallville never gets the credit it really deserves.
@ Allye, you should have read my Quantum Leap script. I brought Sam Beckett home, and made the show new again, it was one of the best things i have ever written.
I agree original villains would really boost the show creatively, they should start treating it as a seperate entity, rather than a Superman origin story.
I reckon getting public input in the Show would actually bring in new fans, and would appeal a lot to people who want to see their imagination come to life on the tube.
I would love for that to be true. If there was only some way to get through to the powers that be for Smallville…
Any Smallville fans check out
theseventhsymbol.blogspot.com, for my Smallville reviews, as well as other things.