In which Mike only responds to the first few Smallville comments, because it’s late and he needs to go to bed.
Okay, I just got started on responding to the comments on this post in regards to Smallville, but I got in late, I’m dead tired, the dog ate my computer, etc., so this is Part I. Part I.
Yes, really. Sorry about that.
Tomy makes me feel old by saying
“sadly, no smallville. not for a while, not since 9th or 10th grade. but i read on io9 that geoff johns is doing a legion story soon. i love legion, i love smallville, ergo, i love geoff johns doing legion on smallville.”
I’ve mentioned the Legion in reference to Smallville on this site before, mostly in the context of 1) there was a story involving, kinda sorta, time travel, thus opening up the possibility, and 2) most of the Legion’s powers would not be out of place in this series’ milieu. I am looking forward to it myself, as I’ve mostly enjoyed Smallville‘s reimaginings of many of DC’s venerable properties that have put in guest appearances.
GQ inquires
“What’s this whammy you speak off? A species-wide mind wipe so everybody and his granny forgets what Clark looks like? Is the writing really THAT bad?”
I’m beginning to think that is what it’s going to take to get people not to recognize Clark in the Superman outfit. Though, as pal Dorian noted to me in the past when we’ve had this discussion…it’s not really this show’s problem, since the focus is on Clark building up to his career as Superman, and not actually about his career as Superman.
But let’s be honest…how many of you folks still sticking with the series would be disappointed if we don’t get at least SOME costumed Superman adventure to end up the series? Dramatically speaking, it would seem to be the logical payoff of everything that’s happened in the series so far. To close off the series without that final bit of closure on the character’s evolution…well, it’d be a drag, at least.
Nimbus asks, with good reason
“The things you said about people recognizing Clark also apply to the comic book Superman (and, similarly, the reasons/excuses that people have come up with to explain why people don’t recognize him could equally apply to Smallville as well).
“Plus – it’s not real life, Mike. It’s all just made up, y’know?”
Yeah, I know how it sounds. But for whatever reason, I’m having a harder time suspending my disbelief with Smallville, since Clark’s been toolin’ around for eight seasons sans glasses. I think we just take as a given with the Superman comics that the glasses work as a disguise, with only the occasional in-story questioning of the mechanics involved. Without the glasses being set up in Smallville (save for one episode a couple of years back),that forces the viewer to ask “well, how does Clark eventually protect his identity?”
I should note, that with this season’s focus on getting Clark to be a bit more proactive with his abilities, the topic of concealing his identity while still going public has been addressed once or twice.
And I should also note the sage advice of the Mystery Science Theatre 3000 theme song: “just repeat to yourself, ‘It’s just a show, I should really just relax.'”
Old Bull Lee horns in
“I also wondered how a college drop-out got that reporter job.”
That bugs me way out of proportion to its actual importance. Given that we know these characters went to college, as we saw them in that setting (that’s where Clark first encountered Brainiac, for example), it seems like the college thing went by the wayside awfully quickly. I’m figuring the characters did attend college, but just mostly offscreen.
Though…did Clark actually drop out, or did they just stop showing him going to class? I don’t recall.
He whom men dare call Aqualad Knox sez
“At this point I don’t think they can possibly end up with the classic Superman setup with the cape and secret ID. Better to view it as Ultimate Superboy or Elseworlds or something.”
Yeah, it’s definitely an alternate take on the character, though at this point it’s virtually a Superman show in all but costume. I still suspect the ultimate goal is the classic Superman cape/secret identity/etc., which is why I think there may be one last “reset button”/whammy/magical wish/whatever that puts all the pieces in place for that to happen. Just a feeling, is all.
“It was amusing for awhile to watch Allison Mack carry every other actor on the show, but that only goes so far.”
I think by and large the actors have done reasonably well with the material they’ve been given, with (ironically) Welling being perhaps the weakest of the bunch…but as I said in the original post, too much of the “acting” has been characters staring meaningfully at each other with big watery eyes. Plus, John Glover was always a hoot to watch on the show, and I kinda miss having John Schneider’s perennially pissed-off Jonathan Kent around.
I do agree that Allison Mack is probably the strongest of the younger performers on the show…she really made the character of Chloe a vital part of Superman’s ongoing development. It made me interested in seeing how they were going to fit that character into the comics, as they promised once or twice before, but it hasn’t happened yet!
“I watched the first few episodes of Smallville, grew quickly bored on the Kryptonite Monster of the Week, for some reason really got into the third season, then quickly got out of it again when the fourth rolled around. (Witchcraft, Lois Lane…no thanks.)”
I know that many people, not just in my comments but almost since the show began, have complained about the Kryptonite Monster of the Week syndrome. The creators of the show defended it, saying that they needed to establish the show’s concept for the casual viewer who wouldn’t necessarily watch it every week. It admittedly did get to be a bit of a drag for those of us who did watch it. In later seasons the formula was mixed up some…still had Kryptonite monsters, but a lot more Lex-as-antagonist…maybe too much, frankly, which is why I’m glad Lex is off the show (though I hope he comes back for the eventual end of the series).
And yeah, that “witchcraft” storyline…good gravy, that was hard going. Dear Smallville: never do that again.
Okay…more replies tomorrow, hopefully.
