Smallville Season 10 Premier tonight

with any luck, this episode won't be their only appearance. 'sides, more heroes get time for intro's, less time for them to try and interject bad melodrama into the 'plot'.

Never really got the "evolving" vibe off of Smallville. Characters just suddenly "were". Thrown into completely weird relationships out of the blue, or into random behavior, or story lines that always just made me go "Huh?" Other times they refused to change/evolve, despite everything happening to them over years of stuff/learning.

He actually flew several times in the first several seasons. Woke up hovering. Fell faster than his dad (and later Chloe I think, probably some others) to catch him while they were both falling, either by flying, or defying terminal velocity superpowerthatisn'tflying. "Felt like I was flying" in the tornado to save SWMNBN. Woke up flying toward the caves. Woke up flying IN the caves. Flew while "possessed" by Jor-El (Seriously, I'm still wtf over that whole season's story line). Flew to catch a nuclear missile (You might call it a super jump, but they used all the same CGI for him prepping to fly as they have for every other confirmed flight he has done, plus, it's a frigging nuclear missile). He could fly with the fake Kara (and seriously, that makes no sense (or even less sense now anyway) now that there is an actual Kara supergirl). Hell, he was flying more under the "No flights, no tights" rule than he has since. And that was 7-10 years ago. Oh, and their first attempt at General Zod (I think we just passed the 4th rendition of him on Smallville? the crashed ship, Lex's incarnation, season 9 Zod... I feel like there was another, but can't think of it. Maybe 3 then) didn't seem able to fly either, IIRC.

EDIT: I agree with a lot of what's been said about the writing (obviously) but I want to point out that at least a few of them dropped or mishandled story lines aren't entirely their fault. Christopher Reeve passing on threw a big kink into things, as well as cutting Margot Kidder's appearances short (and entirely unexplained). Jensen Ackles being offered Supernatural (Thank god he took it) also made them redo part of season 4 (and maybe more?) but I think we can all agree that is a good thing, not only because of how awesome Supernatural has turned out, but because of how horrible season 4 was.

Lol, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Even when posting that, I knew I was expressing myself wrong, but I went ahead and posted anyway. I was thinking to myself "they'll know what I mean", but I was wrong. :P My geography isn't that bad, honest.

When I think of Africa, I personally visualise the plains, not the desert and I was kind of referring to that.

Yet further proof that posting when sleep-deprived makes one look like an idiot...

Anyhow, my silly remark overshadowed my other thoughts regarding the jump/ flight debate. Watch it again. Jumping would not allow him to catch the globe stop in mid air for a half-second, then continue upward. Nor would it allow him to suddenly alter his course. Unless this was an error of the FX crew, he flew.

Well didn't Lois say that she was going to Kenya?

I'm looking at the Wiki page for the Sahara Desert and it doesn't say covers Kenya, so perhaps the joke is on everyone else!

How is it nebulous in any way?

The character arcs are badly handled: writers' fault.
The story arcs are badly handled: writers' fault.
The characters are inconsistent in both their attitudes and abilities: writers' fault.
Things just make no sense: writers' fault.
The only way to affect Clark is to use kryptonite stuffed into something: writers' fault.
As Rylas noted, they use the exact same cliched storyline every week: writers' fault.
Some years featured episode after episode patterned after whatever movie the writers' had watched that week, the nadir being the absurd Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon riff with the possessed Lana....

I actually liked the original premise of the show: that Clark's arrival on Earth amidst the meteor storm sets off the explosion of super-powered people because kryptonite adversely affects humans... but then it spiraled crazily out of control with Indian prophecies and talking rocks and let's-write-an-episode-based-on-this-week's-DVD.

And can someone tell me WHY, for the love of Pete (Pete? Pete who? Oh, the guy caught in a BUBBLEGUM FACTORY that's TAINTED with KRYPTONITE? Yeah, that episode wasn't ridiculous at all)... where was I? Oh yeah, why, after so many seasons of people just walking in to his house-slash-heart-of-his-empire did Lex never have locks put on his doors? His office had a revolving door on it; Clark would routinely just go in there and randomly search around, then act all huffy when Lex acted a little shady. Since when does a burglar in the middle of a B&E get to stand on the moral high ground? If the ends justify the means, which they clearly do for Clark, then where does he get off lecturing people about being good?

Sometimes it just doesn't make sense.

On the other hand, watch how Supernatural handles these sorts of things. Can you imagine how hilarious the bubblegum episode would've been in the hands of Sera Gamble and Ben Edlund? And then they always manage to make that sort of thing sinister... and at the very end the throw in something touching or ominous. See, for example, the Supernatural episode with the shapeshifter who pretended to be classic movie villains. The episode was silly, funny... and yet had a hint of melancholia to it.

Everyone hates Lana. The actress who plays her is actually pretty good at her craft. But the reason she's hated is because of the writing. The love story is clumsily handled, they made Lana just a schmaltzy, wishy-washy mess that no real man could stomach for long, nevermind *two* of them. Until suddenly she isn't wishy-washy. Usually it's when she's possessed.

One of the biggest examples of bad plotting is the Doomsday season. Just some clumsy episodes there, with Doomsday not getting caught by the hair of his chinny-chin-chin, and then the biggest fizzled finale ever. An entire season of build up followed by what was expected to be the biggest throwdown in TV history between the most powerful man in the universe going up against the guy who killed him in previous incarnations. Then nothing. Oh, except they killed Jimmy Olsen... who really wasn't Jimmy Olsen all this time but has his name... buh?

Fake Kara was not Supergirl but "Earth-Born Angel", the synthetic protoplasm life-form Matrix meged with Linda Danvers...well in this case Lindsey Harrison. She even had the same powers.

You are making claims assuming that everyone accepts them as true. You haven't shown examples or even mentioned what you think is bad or how it is bad, so I'm left to my own opinion which is they were not bad and that's backed by its popularity.

And everything to me make perfect sense so if things don't make sense to you, that's your problem, not the show's.

Wow, let's just forget the season where they were blasting the **** out of him with magic ^.^

lol You are claiming that when you said you like the premise of the show which is MMPR with kryptonite and superman or as it's better known as the cliche Monster of the week. Good thing being contradictory is equivalent to being right today it seems ^.^

There are tons of shows that do that and far more noticeably than Smallville. In fact just about every show does this to some extent.


Oh and by the way, look into the writing process of a TV show. There are many factors outside of the writers' hands that crop up. Writers get too much praise/hassle for the stuff with their name on it in hollywood, because most of the time they have very little say in the process and what they wrote is almost never what shows up on the screen.


Can't handle the idea that Kryptonians had been visiting Earth for millenia and inspired myths to be written about them? It's not like the guy that is seen as having the powers of a god's people visiting earth could ever make that happen. Nope, no sir! Not gonna Happen!

Not to mention the magic and prophecy thing is fully supported in superman mythos, not in exactly the same form, but close enough so it's not like it's diverging wildly from what Clark should be learning throughout this period.

You got one, congrats.

Save for when it does. You know, like when Lex always tells Clark that he is welcome ANY TIME and that Lex considers Clark family. And besides if Lex had a problem with it, he'd probably would have said something like, "hey, don't come in my house without knocking" which he never did.

Good to know that your entire critique comes down to, "It's not the same style as this other show I like" Now we know why everything has to be grim and gritty in movies. It's Ironik doesn't like stuff done in other styles.

Her character is a victim of that thing i mentioned in a previous post. They had no direction after the 4th year or so. Also I'm expecting there is going to be a final episode with her losing her memory of Clark having powers.

And here I thought they lined it up perfect with what was in the comics like their goal was. If you thought there was going to be some sort a cataclysmic showdown you kinda missed what Doomsday's powers are. If that happened now, then it could happen then... wow, logic ^.^

Again, if you followed their creed of trying to line everything up with the comic, that was pretty much obvious. What did you think they were going to de-age him or something?

Just about everything they have done, makes sense within the context of what they are/were trying to do and the position they were put in.

I would say possible, however i think of it maybe in terms of like learning to ride a bike. You have a kid that is trying to keep his balance and dad or mom is running behind him holding on to the back of the seat. They let go and he takes off thinking right off the bat "Im doing it, im doing it" only to go maybe 20 feet and realize he has lost his balance and isnt doing it afterall.

I took clarks comments more like that. Like he lept off the top of that cab and on his way up was like "Im flying" only as he traveled to realize he was just milking off the force of his leap and wasnt actually flying afterall.

I can see it go both ways, but i fail to see a reasoning for him to say that "for a moment" kinda comment if the intention was to have that be his first solo flight. I picture it more as a tease that "haha made you look" the series has been doing for years.

I dont think anyone is trying to hang the blame on any one writer or set of writers. However the fact remains that weather if its the blame of the team that writes the script, a director that rewrites it, a studio that cuts scenes and effects for budget reasons, producers pandering to the demands of DC as to what can or cant be shown etc, what it boils down to is there is a final script for every episode, and no matter how many hands that script has gone through and who is responsible for the final say and approval, pretty much what everyone has said, its the writings fault, is basicly true. Now you might be ok with it and thats great for you. However i think just like any other comic property the final worth is almost always more in the story being told rather then the pictures telling it. Heck Frank Miller is a terrible artist, but Dark Knight returns is a great book for the story it tells. I think the same goes here, yes production values might be better then they used to be, however the overall stories being told are still weak sauce so i really dont care how many blurred punches he throws or bullets he bounces off his eye.

So perhaps its better to say that rather then bad writing its a bad production crew, to many cooks in the kitchen or whatever. If there is one apparent pattern to me, its that the best episodes of late have been the ones with one or two popular names claiming responsibility for them like the JSA episodes. So since it seems that when the give creative control to one party like that the value of the episodes rise, then its safe to say the day in and day out production crew over muddles the standard episodes.

Well true to my original post in this thread I did not bother to watch the season premiere of this show. *shrugs*

But I think this post hit the nail on the head about the general way that I feel about this series. Basically I would have loved to have liked it but simply didn't. The only reason I "hate" on it (if you can really call it that) is that I'm genuinely disappointed with something I wanted to care about but don't. It's relatively frustrating all things considered - if I seriously didn't care I wouldn't bother to post at all.

Anyway I will have to give it props that it has indeed managed to last for 10 seasons, which is no small achievement in the world of TV. But if you were to ask me why I thought it managed to last that long I could legitimately tell you I have absolutely no clue, especially when you consider there seems to be quite a few people like me who gave up on the show long ago. For what it's worth I'm glad it lasted as long as it did for those still watching it. Stranger things have happened I guess...

So much this. Getting into any kind of debate with him is pointless. Not because he can argue well, but because he ignores all the points you make and claims you made none, then backs it with, "It makes sense to me, so me am win!" Also, every comment drips with the air of know-it-allness (despite the clarity of the opposite). I'd point to another thread of his to explain what I mean, but it would probably come across as a mean-spirited personal attack, even though that wouldn't be the intent.

For those defending the show, if it helps, I'd like to be able to defend it too. For four seasons, it was really good. If it could be even half as good as those four seasons, then I'd be able to agree with you. Back then, even though the pattern was "freak of the week" almost every week, you still got great character development. Things stayed consistent in the characters (for the most part).

So I understand you want to defend the show. I'll defend the first 4 seasons with you. I just can't excuse anything else sense then. I know, I could just stop watching it. But it still produces a gem once or twice a season. And I want to see it end well. I mean, you wouldn't stop caring for a loved one if they were an alcoholic who kept falling off the wagon on purpose, but you'd stop making excuses for them after a point.

Like I said...being someone who owns all the DvDs...I understand there is a lot of things wrong with the show.

However, I still find those hating on the show to be more pointless than those who defend it...because if you hate it...why are you watching it?

I agree people who "hate" on a show they're still watching is pretty hypocritical and weird.
I keep myself morally pure by hating(?) on this show -without- watching it.
As I implied before I haven't seen 5 solid minutes of Smallville in like 9+ years.

I guess i look at smallville much like when i used to collect comic books. I would find something about a book I liked, and i would collect it. However over time writers and artists moved on and i would like it less and less, however hold out hope and continue to leave it on my saver.

But also i have always found it hypocritical to hate on something with no ammunition as to why i hate on it other then what others say. For instance i HATE Twilight. I have seen the movies though, and feel by doing so atleast i can give legit comments to why i hate it based on my actual opinion and not just say "from what i have heard...." I dont HATE smallville, i just wish it was about 4 times better then it is. And frankly im ready for the series to end.

Don't bother quoting me if you're going to ask a question I answered.

So...would you keep calling them out and keep telling them how worthless they are and that you wish they would just die?

Yes, because if I did that it's not like you could point to that in this thread right? You would have to go to some other thread and take something out of context likely to prove a point that if you are right would be readily demonstrable in this thread or any thread.

Perhaps you should choose a different word than ignore. It's hard for someone to "ignore" a point when they almost always try to cover every point and paragraph replied to.

Oh wait, according to you this post doesn't exist. Crud, I've created a paradox. We all gonna die now! This looks like a job for... Stanley Ipkiss!

Er, did someone say they wished the writers would die? o.O

Haha no...someone stated that they wish the show would just end.

Which makes no sense to me...because you can end the show yourself...just stop watching.

To come and hate on a show that you apparently watch and then say you wish it would just end...is absurd.

Well I think it's some fallacy or another (I don't know which, I don't memorize them because that seems like the sort of thing trolls do) to take it a bit further than anyone else who is criticizing the show by assuming they hate it.

They can disagree with what's being done without hating the show or the characters. Hell, during this past season of True Blood you saw folks on these boards talking about how much they didn't like what they did with Jason. So, regardless of how much you like the show, you'll always have the right to criticize it so long as you know what you're talking about, and it just wouldn't be right if anyone who had an issue with the show stopped watching. They obviously put the show out there to get to as many folks as possible, so if some of them tune in and don't like what they see, they can say as much.

I know I don't expect everyone to re-read through this thread, especially for anything I wrote in it. But I already mentioned that I've seen several first season episodes of this show and that was enough for me.

Admittedly my "ammunition" is pretty old but it's not non-existent. If this show somehow managed to get better between now and then then all I can say is that it's a shame it didn't start out worthwhile to begin with.

You're right...it's my fault to assume that someone, who wants a show to no longer air, hates it.

No, it's your fault to lump everyone who criticizes the show together and assume they all hate it.

I'm not...I type in general terms to not, specifically, call out a single poster.