Due to the constraints of television, many of these characters are rendered somewhat pedestrian, and worse, are given too much to do when they appear. While many of the fans of Smallville loved the actual appearance of the first grouping of the Justice League (in an episode entitled Justice) the contrived nature of the episode made it less than thrilling.
There are other parts of the show which also make some moments of Smallville just another television show. The aforementioned Supergirl, who may have been the true shark jumping moment of this series, is just an example. The fact that Lex Luthor, who appears to be at least 21 years old at the time that the series begins is a close personal friend with a boy who is in 9th or 10th grade seems awfully odd in any universe. The fact that he then hangs out with the women of the group, Lana and Chloe in particular, adds to that bit of creepiness which never seems to be questioned by anyone during the course of the show.[2] The show also wastes the character of Pete Ross who unless he was part of the central storyline, which was rare, is treated like a second class citizen by his supposed best friend Clark whenever anybody else is in trouble. In fact, when Pete Ross is eventually leaves, it appears in large part because the character and the actor understood he outlived his usefulness.
In this upcoming Season 8 it appears that the writers and creators may have recognized the mistake of Supergirl, since she is no longer a regular character. The Eighth Season also will not include regular appearances by Lex Luthor as actor Michael Rosenbaum decided that he needed to move on. The same is true with Lana Lang, the character who perfectly fit the ideal that a Superman should be striving for in the early years of the show, but in the past few seasons is actually shown a side of her that the true Superman should not be able to accept. Indeed, a more organic departure could have been written based on Clark’s rejection of her after she showed a willingness, among other things, to allow her then husband (if you do not watch the show, don’t ask) Lex to die in a cave-in. She too will be missing in action in the upcoming season but apparently will appear in a few episodes at some point.
Other Season 8 news includes Green Arrow as a regular, other superheroes from the DC universe making appearances, and a move to make the Clark Kent of Smallville the Clark Kent of Metropolis.
The one question that the Village asks that has yet to be answered by this television series is how this particular version of Superboy will fit within, if at all, the overall universe of the Superman we all know. In particular, all of the characters in Smallville that will later appear in Metropolis (
This is even more concerning in light of recent rumors that 8th and "final season" may not actually be the last season of Smallville. One excellent source for Smallville information, the podcast Starkville’s House of El (http://www.smallvillepodcast.com) indicates that the CW has not ruled out a 9th Season. To continually extend this story may already have been fatal to any decent longevity and the creators should think long and hard before volunteering for the more seasons.
All that being said, guess whose DVR will be recording the season premiere of Smallville on September 18? Mine.
[1] The Village’s theory is that Green Arrow's appearance was intended to be Batman's, which was of course tied up in a movie series which has turned Batman into DC and Warner Bros. greatest movie franchise). Green Arrow is in essence a Batman-esque character, i.e., a billionaire industrialist using his wealth to feign powers through equipment and costumes.
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