It's A Bird, It's A Plane, It's The Smallville Finale.

[wayzim]

So despite having dropped Smallville like a bad habit several seasons back, I suckered myself into watching the finale tonight.

There were many elements from the DC Universe which I wasn't that familiar with - like Darkseid, for instance, and the legions of Omega marked humans, shoved rather awkwardly into the mix here.

But that didn't bug as much as the hurry in which the show's creators were to almost violently shift Lois (a now rather tamed down Erica Durance ) & Clark(Tom Welling ) into their Metropolis personnas.

And then there's this subplot about the Luthor empire, who'd been missing it's rightful heir for quite awhile now, one of the thing which had brought such fun to Smallville in the beginning.

But that wasn't important as eventually getting Clark reconciled with everyone and into the blue suit and red cape, with one of the dumbest wraps - almost St Elsewhere-sque in execution.

All to the strains of that familiar Heroic theme which Brian Singer got thrashed over in Superman Returns. Ok, one of several things.

This rather clunky finish to an increasingly mediocre show did one thing well. It helped me remember why I left Smallville behind in the first place.

Wayne Z

"Why is it? that the Greatest Criminal Mind of our Time, surrounds himself with complete nincompoops? "

"Hello, Mister Luthor. "

"Oh, Otis. We were just talking about you. "

[Neil]

So, having dipped a little bit in and out of the series from time to time, should I bother watching it?

[wayzim]

So, having dipped a little bit in and out of the series from time to time, should I bother watching it?

If you're fairly caught up with the current intrigue, which I wasn't at the time, go for it.
The rather clunky introduction of the Justice League, at least with Aquaman and The Green Arrow onboard, something about Darkseid and the Omega afflicted humans, there was alot of material which confused me.
Approach it as a curiosity, more for the kiddies, otherwise it added less to the Superman mythology than Lois & Clark did.

Wayne Z

[Mitchified]

If you're fairly caught up with the current intrigue, which I wasn't at the time, go for it.
The rather clunky introduction of the Justice League, at least with Aquaman and The Green Arrow onboard, something about Darkseid and the Omega afflicted humans, there was alot of material which confused me.
Approach it as a curiosity, more for the kiddies, otherwise it added less to the Superman mythology than Lois & Clark did.

Wayne Z

The entire season, with the exception of a few stand alone episodes like the introduction of Booster Gold and the Blue Beetle, have been building to the series finale. Of course you're going to be confused by the episode. The Justice League was already introduced in one form or another, Darkseid's Omega mark has been shown multiple times, etc. There's also been a ton of things about the creation of the Lois and Clark "personas" this season.

So, yes, watching just this episode might have been confusing, but that's because it was designed to finish off storylines that have been running all season (and some from earlier seasons). It's like you're reading the final chapter of a book.

[bassman]

I'm just glad it's over. No more Superman tween soap operas, please.

[wayzim]

The entire season, with the exception of a few stand alone episodes like the introduction of Booster Gold and the Blue Beetle, have been building to the series finale. Of course you're going to be confused by the episode. The Justice League was already introduced in one form or another, Darkseid's Omega mark has been shown multiple times, etc. There's also been a ton of things about the creation of the Lois and Clark "personas" this season.

So, yes, watching just this episode might have been confusing, but that's because it was designed to finish off storylines that have been running all season (and some from earlier seasons). It's like you're reading the final chapter of a book.

True enough, but the thing with Lois and Clark seemed so off kilter as they'd apparently been working at The Daily Planet without Kent being this bumbling glass wearing stereotype. All at once, a few episodes back, he and his girl decide this'll work to keep folks from making the connection?
And while you're right about the Justice League, it did get snarled up in the Whole Vigilante Bill which came off too Watchmen for my like.
Though similiar themes ran through older fiction, like this 70's novel; Superman; Last Son of Krypton, where Superheroes had become more an annoyance than saviors. Or even Batman; The Dark Knight Returns, like I said, this seemed rather clumsy in execution ...

Good for the kids, I guess.

Wayne Z

"And suddenly I hear this voice from behind me, saying 'It's a wonder he has enough Brain Power to write that check. ' and it was Gene Hackman. "

Richard Donner, in the commentary for Superman II; The Richard Donner Cut.

[Mitchified]

True enough, but the thing with Lois and Clark seemed so off kilter as they'd apparently been working at The Daily Planet without Kent being this bumbling glass wearing stereotype. All at once, a few episodes back, he and his girl decide this'll work to keep folks from making the connection?

With the Blur becoming more of a known fact than simply a rumor, they had more of a necessity to distance Clark from any connection to him whatsoever. Hence the added emphasis on the much more traditional Clark Kent persona. After all, it's not just the glasses that make it so that experienced reporters like Perry White (and Lois for a long time) don't realize that Clark is Superman, it's the entire huge shift in character that does.

EDIT: Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that the Smallville finale was anything special, because it wasn't. It just made sense in the context of the entire season unlike some other superhero show attempts (Birds of Prey was just one giant cluster from beginning to end, for example, and the finale to The Cape explained and finished out exactly zero pieces of the plot).

[blind2d]

Didn't Lois and Clark map out the western territories of the largely unknown at the time United States in the 1800s with Sacajawea?