By Sal Loria
[Editor's Note: With "Smallville" concluding its ten-year run tonight, I reached out to a friend of mine who's been following the show since the very first episode to provide some analysis of the grand finale. This is what he had to say about the final adventure with Clark Kent and the rest of the "Smallville" cast. -RM]
Lana: Nietzsche? Didn’t realize you had a dark side, Clark.
Clark: Doesn’t everybody?
Lana: Yeah… I guess so. So, what are you… Man or Superman?
This was the very first exchange between awkward teen Clark Kent and his not-so-secret crush Lana Lang back on October 16, 2001, when "Smallville" debuted on television. Developed originally by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, the series set out to chronicle how a farm boy in small-town Kansas would become the world’s greatest superhero.
So, after ten seasons containing over 200 episodes, would Lana — not to mention millions of fans — finally get an answer?
The word “emphatically” comes to mind.
This two-hour finale not only wrapped up near-everything, but it also set things up for a potential future that’s recognizable to even the most novice fans. Almost all of the cast regulars past and present got their moments to shine, except for a noticeably absent Kristin Kreuk (Lana Lang) and Sam Jones III (Pete Ross). In true "Smallville" finale fashion, the big-bad throwdown lasted mere moments while the central theme soaked up the rest of minutes.
All things considered, one could argue easily that the final step between Clark Kent and Superman would not be taken on a battlefield at all.
But let’s be honest here: none of this really mattered. Aside from the most die-hard fans of the show, the majority of viewers tuning in were doing so to see Superman. After ten years of ups and downs, good times and bad, we were due this. We were owed this. I could scoff at the fact that we never really saw Tom Welling don the suit, but I won’t because of how much else they gave to the Super-fans.
Numerous iconic images and scenes played out in agonizingly fast seconds, but they'll all be seared into my brain for years to come. (That, and I have the episode recorded, of course.) And as good as the finale was, those last ten minutes really delivered everything I expected... and then some.
And yes, I actually feel satisfied.
Knowing that there will never be another episode is bittersweet, though. While the time was right for the run to end, many of these actors have become some of our definitive versions of the characters we know and love.
As a viewer of the entire run, I can look back on it as a whole and say that the core concept of boy-to-hero saga was never broken. Sure, the series suffered some scratches and bruises along the way, but nothing looks unscathed after a decade. Instead, with a smile, we have an answer.
Clark: What am I? I’m Superman.
Sal Loria is the co-owner of Mighty Comics (www.mightycomics.com) in Winnipeg, Manitoba. You can find him on Twitter as @salloria.
Let us know your thoughts on the "Smallville" finale in the comment section or on Twitter!
Related Posts:
- Our 10 Favorite 'Smallville' Comic Character Cameos
- 'Smallville' Producers Talk Series Finale And Favorite Moments Of Last 10 Years
- 'Smallville' Experts Discuss The Series Finale And What's Next For Fans!
Tags smallville
'Smallville' Series Finale Review: Tights, Flights, And New Heights
Posted 5/14/11 12:01 am EST by Splash Page Team in Commentary, DC Comics
[Editor's Note: With "Smallville" concluding its ten-year run tonight, I reached out to a friend of mine who's been following the show since the very first episode to provide some analysis of the grand finale. This is what he had to say about the final adventure with Clark Kent and the rest of the "Smallville" cast. -RM]
This was the very first exchange between awkward teen Clark Kent and his not-so-secret crush Lana Lang back on October 16, 2001, when "Smallville" debuted on television. Developed originally by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, the series set out to chronicle how a farm boy in small-town Kansas would become the world’s greatest superhero.
So, after ten seasons containing over 200 episodes, would Lana — not to mention millions of fans — finally get an answer?
The word “emphatically” comes to mind.
This two-hour finale not only wrapped up near-everything, but it also set things up for a potential future that’s recognizable to even the most novice fans. Almost all of the cast regulars past and present got their moments to shine, except for a noticeably absent Kristin Kreuk (Lana Lang) and Sam Jones III (Pete Ross). In true "Smallville" finale fashion, the big-bad throwdown lasted mere moments while the central theme soaked up the rest of minutes.
All things considered, one could argue easily that the final step between Clark Kent and Superman would not be taken on a battlefield at all.
But let’s be honest here: none of this really mattered. Aside from the most die-hard fans of the show, the majority of viewers tuning in were doing so to see Superman. After ten years of ups and downs, good times and bad, we were due this. We were owed this. I could scoff at the fact that we never really saw Tom Welling don the suit, but I won’t because of how much else they gave to the Super-fans.
Numerous iconic images and scenes played out in agonizingly fast seconds, but they'll all be seared into my brain for years to come. (That, and I have the episode recorded, of course.) And as good as the finale was, those last ten minutes really delivered everything I expected... and then some.
And yes, I actually feel satisfied.
Knowing that there will never be another episode is bittersweet, though. While the time was right for the run to end, many of these actors have become some of our definitive versions of the characters we know and love.
As a viewer of the entire run, I can look back on it as a whole and say that the core concept of boy-to-hero saga was never broken. Sure, the series suffered some scratches and bruises along the way, but nothing looks unscathed after a decade. Instead, with a smile, we have an answer.
Sal Loria is the co-owner of Mighty Comics (www.mightycomics.com) in Winnipeg, Manitoba. You can find him on Twitter as @salloria.
Let us know your thoughts on the "Smallville" finale in the comment section or on Twitter!
Related Posts:
- Our 10 Favorite 'Smallville' Comic Character Cameos
- 'Smallville' Producers Talk Series Finale And Favorite Moments Of Last 10 Years
- 'Smallville' Experts Discuss The Series Finale And What's Next For Fans!
Tags smallville
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