Smallville Season 7

[Monrozombi]

Looks like Supergirl will be making her Smallville debut when the show comes back in this fall.

Supergirl comes to Smallville

I'm personally excited for this. For too long Smallville has been more Dawson's Creek then Superman. I'm hoping that for S7 the writers get their heads outta their asses and give us more adventurous storylines and the proverbial "I love you Lana, but we can't be together because I have a secret and I don't want to tell you." story line again.

Adding Bizzaro and now Kara Zor-El I think will definately help make this year more watchable then last season

[ganthc]

I am curious about the creation of Bizarro though. It seems like it's weird that the parasite became Bizarro. Also, I hope Clark finally learns how to fly, because otherwise he's at a disadvantage.

[umainebearman]

I'm not sure why I gave up on Smallville. Season 3 was the last season I watched. I guess I started seeing where they looked like they where going around in circles. However hot she may be the new Lois Lane does not belong in Smallville. Lois and Clark meet in Metropolis thats how it was thats how it will always be.

I have caught a few out of sequence episodes from time to time. Some where Lana and baldy are getting married, some where Papa Luthor has super powers, some where Johnathan is alive/dead. It kinda makes me wonder about the show and if they said "ahhh to hell with what Superman is supposed to be". I'm sure if Clarks years before Metropolis where anything like Smallville it was probably was seasons 1 through 3.

[ganthc]

People hate Season 4, but I really liked it. It's probably one of my favorite seasons.

[Monrozombi]

Originally Posted by umainebearman

I'm not sure why I gave up on Smallville. Season 3 was the last season I watched. I guess I started seeing where they looked like they where going around in circles. However hot she may be the new Lois Lane does not belong in Smallville. Lois and Clark meet in Metropolis thats how it was thats how it will always be.

I have caught a few out of sequence episodes from time to time. Some where Lana and baldy are getting married, some where Papa Luthor has super powers, some where Johnathan is alive/dead. It kinda makes me wonder about the show and if they said "ahhh to hell with what Superman is supposed to be". I'm sure if Clarks years before Metropolis where anything like Smallville it was probably was seasons 1 through 3.

The show took generous liberties with the mythology.

The Show:

Lex has been in Smallville due to Luthorcorp having a big prescense in the town

Johnathon Kent dies of a heart attack half way through season 5.

Lionel Luthor becomes a conduit for Jor El and is granted all the knowledge of Krypton to help aid Clark and fulfill his destiny

The Comic:

Up until 2003, Lex and Clark didn't know each other before Metroplis, this was retconned with the Birthright Origin retelling.

Johnation Kent is alive and well

Lionel Luthor was killed by a man Lex hired when he was a teenager.

Those are just some of the differences, but I think the show is still a strong one, especially when it wants to be

[Al Pacino]

I've watched the show from the beginning, never read the comics, I've seen the movies. The show has some great and fun episodes, but it also has its fair share of shitty episodes. I really wouldnt even say shitty, just pointless episodes that goes nowhere with the plot, which lately the show has been doing alot of lately. I'll still watch this show, but only because Lex and Clark are amazing and fun to watch. I miss the old happy Lex, and the awesome sexy Lana who isnt boring all the time.

[ganthc]

I think this show has gotten better. Unfortunately, Chloe remains unlucky in love, but some of that is her own fault. But really, why wouldn't someone want to be with her, no matter what kind of secret she has? At any rate, I have liked how they added Jimmy to the cast, but I do miss Martha Kent.

Supergirl has been a weird addition. She does a good job, though initially I thought her face looked a little weird. But she's hot, so it's working out. The real surprise has been the shift in the Lana Lang character. It was obvious to me that she didn't die at the end of season 6, but the way she is now a sinister character makes her role more rich. She's not the fluffy, boring character of previous seasons (though you caught a hint of her double-sidedness in Season 6). Really, having her as a vengeful ex-spouse of Lex has made me appreciate her a lot more.

The new editor guy seems to be a weird addition as well. He's familiar from the brief series "Hidden Palms" and I'm interested to see what his role is in this. So overall, I am enjoying Season 7 a lot.

[limacharliewhiskey]

I think this season has been better than last year, as I'm now watching it live instead of My Name Is Earl, which I used to watch live in previous years. I didn't really care for the Green Arrow in Season 6 or the Lex/Lana marriage, but this year seems more interesting with Kara and expanding on that with Lara, which I thought was a great choice of casting with Helen Slater (almost as good as Michelle Forbes as Admiral Cain in Battlestar Galactica).

As much as I love Annette O'Toole, I don't miss the character that much, as Clark is now supposed to be in his twenties and is transitioning more into Superman, so it makes more sense to have him be the Man of the house, instead of still living with his mom.

I like the new character arc for Lana, adding this vengeful side to her after being the hot-girl-next-door for 5 seasons.

[Monterey Jack]

Super-sex...

Originally Posted by ganthc

I think this show has gotten better. Unfortunately, Chloe remains unlucky in love, but some of that is her own fault. But really, why wouldn't someone want to be with her, no matter what kind of secret she has? At any rate, I have liked how they added Jimmy to the cast, but I do miss Marth Kent.

Yeah, I hope that Chloe and Jimmy will end up together by the end of the series. No real reason not to. And yeah, I miss Annette O'Toole.

Supergirl has been a weird addition. She does a good job, though initially I thought her face looked a little weird. But she's hot, so it's working out.

Laura Vandervoort...

The real surprise has been the shift in the Lana Lang character. It was obvious to me that she didn't die at the end of season 6, but the way she is now a sinister character makes her role more rich. She's not the fluffy, boring character of previous seasons (though you caught a hint of her double-sidedness in Season 6). Really, having her as a vengeful ex-spouse of Lex has made me appreciate her a lot more.

I'm personally thrilled with the "Dark Lana" storyline. Just when seeing her and Clark both mooning around at the end of each episode with a soft rock song playing on the soundtrack had begun to tip over into self-parody, now they're really giving Kristen Kreuk a really meaty storyline to sink her teeth into. If this is indeed the final season of the show, this will likely be the wedge that eventually drives Lana and Clark apart.

The new editor guy seems to be a weird addition as well. He's familiar from the brief series "Hidden Palms" and I'm interested to see what his role is in this. So overall, I am enjoying Season 7 a lot.

Tonight's ep seemed to signal an eventual bad end to his relationship with Lois. Anyways, this guy has to be replaced by Perry White by the end of the season/series, and we have to see a small spark of attraction between Lois and Clark.

Anyways, it's remarkable how well the show has held up all these years. Here's hoping they'll quit while they're ahead and not pull an X-Files by dragging it out interminably.

[ganthc]

If this is the last season, then the one thing I could see them doing is having a spin-off show called "Daily Planet." They would keep Welling, Durance, Ashmore, Mack on for a look at life in the Daily Planet as reporters. There wouldn't need to be a need for Rosenbaum to be a continual Lex character (though I'm sure he would make guest appearances) and they could take the show in a new direction. They may have to recast Perry White.

Then you could introduce more familiar villains for Superman to face and it could be more in line with the current Superman we know.

I'm not saying they SHOULD do this, but I'm wondering if it is an option. "Smallville" is one of the CW's highest rated shows. To lose that would be a tough blow to the network that is struggling as it is to hold on to its key demographic.

[mighty mint]

I think this season has been great. The story lines have been less cheesy and the plotlines darker...beartrap anyone?

[ganthc]

Originally Posted by mighty mint

beartrap anyone?

Oh man, that was AWESOME!!!

[Monterey Jack]

Originally Posted by ganthc

Oh man, that was AWESOME!!!

Notice how Lionel was squeezing that rubber ball in last night's ep? Probably building up his damaged muscles again.

[mighty mint]

This last episode was great...I wish that they would have kept the powers going on for another episode though. Also, more Lane would be nice

[ganthc]

Originally Posted by mighty mint

This last episode was great...I wish that they would have kept the powers going on for another episode though. Also, more Lane would be nice

Yeah, I also liked the last episode. Lana had that psycho China doll expression when Chloe confronted her about being right for Clark. You could tell that she was slightly unhinged from her expression. I like where they have taken her character.

[mighty mint]

Originally Posted by ganthc

Yeah, I also liked the last episode. Lana had that psycho China doll expression when Chloe confronted her about being right for Clark. You could tell that she was slightly unhinged from her expression. I like where they have taken her character.

They needed to so something with her character since unfortunately she can't be killed off. I heard rumor that Chloe wasn't going to last the season which is too bad because I really have enjoyed her character the last couple of seasons. That being said, I am hoping this is the last season for all of them.

[ganthc]

Originally Posted by mighty mint

They needed to so something with her character since unfortunately she can't be killed off. I heard rumor that Chloe wasn't going to last the season which is too bad because I really have enjoyed her character the last couple of seasons. That being said, I am hoping this is the last season for all of them.

Maybe, maybe not. With Michael Rosenbaum quitting as Lex, you won't be able to keep things the same. I do know that Smallville is a ratings grabber for the CW, which has been performing abysmally for some time now. It would be hard for them to let that go. They probably miss Gilmore Girls and 7th Heaven from a ratings perspective...and Reaper and Gossip Girl haven't made the same impact.

It's possible they do a spinoff with the Superman character. That could lead to Lex killing Chloe, thus permanently making Clark and Lex enemies. Clark and Lois are in Metropolis with Jimmy at the Planet, and you make a series on that. To me it seems, if they are ending the season, they need to get Clark involved in journalism again. Perhaps Chloe dying does just that.

[limacharliewhiskey]

Most network shows have actors under that 7-year contract, where the 8th year is when actors can negotiate much higher contracts, which is how actors negotiate and get the $1 million per episode for shows like Friends and Frasier. That's why most shows tend to stop at 7 seasons, because the networks don't want to pay the astronomical amounts unless the show is a ratings winner. The highest figure I ever read about was the $1.4 million per episode that Kelsey Grammer got in the final season of Frasier.

A spinoff is possible, but usually the lead actors can negotiate at least a 6-figure per episode salary. Will the CW pony up the money for it? Last show I read about lead actors getting $100k per episode were the Nip/Tuck guys for this season. Despite being on FX, Nip/Tuck seems to get the 2nd highest ratings in the 18-49 demographic on Tuesdays, thus making the actors worth the salary bump.

I don't think Smallville brings in stellar ratings the 18-49 demo.

[ganthc]

Originally Posted by limacharliewhiskey

Most network shows have actors under that 7-year contract, where the 8th year is when actors can negotiate much higher contracts, which is how actors negotiate and get the $1 million per episode for shows like Friends and Frasier. That's why most shows tend to stop at 7 seasons, because the networks don't want to pay the astronomical amounts unless the show is a ratings winner. The highest figure I ever read about was the $1.4 million per episode that Kelsey Grammer got in the final season of Frasier.

A spinoff is possible, but usually the lead actors can negotiate at least a 6-figure per episode salary. Will the CW pony up the money for it? Last show I read about lead actors getting $100k per episode were the Nip/Tuck guys for this season. Despite being on FX, Nip/Tuck seems to get the 2nd highest ratings in the 18-49 demographic on Tuesdays, thus making the actors worth the salary bump.

I don't think Smallville brings in stellar ratings the 18-49 demo.

Ah, great insider information that I was not aware of! Thanks for sharing that! Well, considering that the CW doesn't have the budget to pay that kind of money, then I'm feeling that this is Smallville's swan song. Even though it gets some of the highest ratings, outside of Friday Night Wrestling for the CW, it doesn't pull in that much to justify that high a wage.

The good news is that hopefully that means Supernatural stays around longer, because the CW will need some legacy shows to keep viewership up. Perhaps it can get Smallville's less competitive time slot and see how much better it does in the ratings.

[limacharliewhiskey]

Yeah, that was why all of the Star Trek series only went 7 seasons at most, because UPN didn't want to spend the money on increased salaries for the actors on that 8th year. Every now and then, you have something like Stargate SG-1 that goes 10 seasons, but because it's on cable and on a lesser watched network like the Sci-Fi Channel, the actors don't have the necessary leverage to negotiate a major salary increase.

Same thing happened with Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which went the full 7 seasons.

I do think it will be the last year for Smallville, too. Smallville came out at a time when the Superman franchise was completely dead. Now that the franchise has come back, and a sequel film is planned, Smallville should come to a proper end soon.

[billnye97]

Weird a post was there and now it isn't. I haven't watched Smallville since the second season. I'll have to start getting them from Blockbuster again.

[ganthc]

Is it just me, or did the writers take some liberty with the whole Veritas thing. I mean, are we supposed to believe that the Swann, Teague, Luthor, and Queen families knew about Kryptonians and had a club together? I guess I just don't get how when Lionel met Dr. Swann in season 3, that they didn't act like they knew each other better.

I guess it could fit in, but this seems like a bit of a stretch. And how Oliver wouldn't have found out about Veritas like Swann's daughter did. I still am not sure where this season is going necessarily. Not sure if it was the writer's strike or what, but I am not sure how this season will pan out.

[Monrozombi]

This show is constantly plagued with not only the meteor freak of the week but the inevitable "Clark is in trouble, and Chloe is the only one to save them from Lionel who thinks he is protecting Clark"

When S8 starts it will probably be the last because the show will probably start falling into the soap opera-esque, everyone is sleeping with everyone else, or people are consantly moving in with each other etc. The show needs to focus on Clark and bring back the JLA from time to time to reall move the show to its conclusion. I am surprised that it has lasted this long. Hell I think when S5 was on it was almost close to being cancelled and some how is still around.

The show is one of my favorites and i will hate to see it go but I think the CW feels that its probably one of the strongest hour long shows it has and will probably be kept around as long as they can keep Tom Welling interested

[ganthc]

Agreed. And I think there is still more that can be done. Unfortunately, the actors may want to move on. I think that has been bad for other TV show stars, as they don't get steady work after they leave television.

[limacharliewhiskey]

Originally Posted by ganthc

Agreed. And I think there is still more that can be done. Unfortunately, the actors may want to move on. I think that has been bad for other TV show stars, as they don't get steady work after they leave television.

I've read rumors that Kristin Kreuk and Michael Rosenbaum don't want to come back for Season 8. Without Lex and Lana, can the writers come up with 22 decent episodes? Maybe more Kara and Lois. Should have a couple of more future-Superman villians.

You're right about TV actors on long-running shows trying to get good work after being on one show for a long time. Most actors on shows like any of the Star Treks, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, X-Files, and even Friends and Seinfeld, don't come close to achieving similar fame afterwards.

[Monrozombi]

Originally Posted by limacharliewhiskey

I've read rumors that Kristin Kreuk and Michael Rosenbaum don't want to come back for Season 8. Without Lex and Lana, can the writers come up with 22 decent episodes? Maybe more Kara and Lois. Should have a couple o