First of all, I will be addressing SPOILER topics about this season and past seasons. If you haven't seen the show or don't know about spoiler details for some future episodes, then don't read this. I don't want to ruin anything for you.
... Still there?
You sure?
Okay, then.
Second of all, I think that "Smallville" is a great, GREAT show and I will strongly disagree with any hater who says otherwise. But even I, who have stuck by this show since the pilot from good (season three's "Perry" and season nine's brilliant "Absolute Justice") and bad (season three's "Velocity" and season eight's "Doomsday" - seriously, what the fudge?), can see that "Smallville" has stretched out the wait far too long. Clark Kent should've already had his glasses, Perry White should be the Chief of the Planet, and Clark should be in the suit (THE ONLY suit he should be wearing now) and flying through the skies. While I don't think it's capable of the final season's first half to do so, here's how I'd fix the final half of "Smallville":
#5.) FIX THE SUPPORTING CAST. After seeing her debut in "Shield", I've never wanted to see a character go away from "Smallville" in my life as I have with Cat Grant. The bubbly, anti-superhero reporter has gotten on my nerves so much in that one episode that I already dread her return in episode five's "Isis". Also, if you're going to bring back Terence Stamp (the REAL, ONLY General Zod in my opinion) as the voice of Jor-El, have him mentor Clark or be a jerk, but don't do both. It was especially weird to have Jor-El revert back to his old, nasty self by treating Clark like an idiot. "Why should you deserve a second chance at life?" Um... BECAUSE HE'S YOUR SON AND YOU SENT HIM TO EARTH TO BE IT'S PROTECTOR!!! Sheesh!
#4.) PICK A MAIN STORY AND GO WITH IT. So we have Lex being cloned and a ghostly, gassy-looking Darkseid spirit that brings out the worst in the people he possesses. Um... why isn't Darkseid being the forefront story while the producers do their darndest to bring back Michael Rosenbaum's Lex Luthor? "Lazarus" was a great episode, but had its clunker moments (again, looking at you Jor-El) and it just made me wish Rosenbaum had come back to the show already (come on, seriously, where is he and what's been doing?). Why didn't we get an acknowledgement of Granny Goodness when she was responsible for (unless the writers say otherwise in a later episode) resurrecting Tess Mercer in season nine's finale episode? We should've had something about her revealed already. I would've settled for a shadowy cameo at the least. Since we have Granny and her minions popping up, that should've been established a bit more clearly, especially since Darkseid is the upcoming big-bad right now. I want Rosenbaum back as much as the next guy, but until he's back as Lex, work with the villain(s) you already have and establish him/her/them. This is the last season, folks. There's no time for filler episodes and poorly handled character development.
#3.) MAKE THE CHARACTERS ACT AND LOOK LIKE THE CHARACTERS. Okay, let's be honest: season eight was a good season, but for Doomsday, MAN that show's portrayal of him was that off the mark, to say the least. Every time Davis Bloome would Hulk-out into Doomsday and smash things/slash people up off-screen, I'm sure fanboys and girls everywhere were banging their heads against their TV screens in frustration. Never mind the fact that the big, hyped Clark-vs.-Doomsday fight was way, waaaaay too short and badly filmed. It just plain sucked. Now, we've got Darkseid on the horizon, and we need an actor in the role. And no, not CGI effects or an actor in a business suit or whatever. We need an actual actor with the actual comic book look for Darkseid. (Bonus: since Michael Ironside is coming back as Lois's father, why not have him do double duty by reprising his "Superman: The Animated Series"/"Justice League" role as the voice of Darkseid?) Also, if you're going to bring in a guest hero like Aquaman, don't give him a jacket and pants. Give him the darn comic book costume! If you're going to use Impulse, again, give him his comic costume! And Martian Manhunter should at least look like a martian for one episode!
And don't even get me started on what they did with the "Henry James" Olsen reveal at the end of season eight. Ugh.
By the way, bring back Doctor Fate. I loved him in season nine's "Absolute Justice" and I hated that he got killed off.
#2.) FIX CLARK KENT. I have no problems whatsoever with Erica Durance's Lois Lane. She's talented, she's funny, and she's very lovely. Even Justin Hartley's Oliver Queen/Green Arrow is fun to watch. But the main character who needs to be written better is, in fact, the star: Clark. First of all, don't make him act so dang weird. For a very protective hero, you'd think old Clark would've wised up by now. Clark's never been normal, but that doesn't mean he can't learn a few new tricks. I didn't buy that he'd be close to killing Lex in "Lazarus", or that he'd be so cool with having Lois abruptly go off to Africa (though she's clearly back in Metropolis for the next, third episode "Supergirl"). Secondly, I agree with one things the haters have said: he should've been wearing glasses as Clark, and then flying through the skies in his Superman costume already. Seriously, they've aired 198 episodes (as of the time this was written) and Clark hasn't put on the costume! At the end of "Shield", Clark ditches the black Blur suit for... a red leather jacket with an S on its chest. Oy. It looked like a mix between the Daredevil suit and the black leather X-Men movie uniform to me, and not in a good way. I understand that Kara's supposed to give Clark some lessons and "some more color" to his suit in the third episode, but WHY DIDN'T HE JUST GET THE SUPERMAN SUIT MARTHA SENT HIM BACK FROM THE FORTRESS?!? Wait, if he tried, Jor-El may just decide to freeze him and make him a Clark popsicle again like he did in season seven. I know Jor-El might think that Clark hasn't "earned" the suit yet and that this show is about the journey of how Clark becomes Superman, but that should've been dropped the second he went to work for the Daily Planet. If you wanted to make the show a hit, have it called "Smallville", but not because of the town - have it because it's Lois's nickname for Clark. That way, you don't have to re-name the show "Metropolis" AND you still get Clark in the suit, flying, and called "Superman".
#1.) BRING BACK THE OLD CAST MEMBERS FOR MORE THAN GUEST STAR PURPOSES. Here's my dream opening for the last ten episodes of Smallville:
Starring Tom Welling, Erica Durance, Michael Rosenbaum, Cassidy Freeman, Justin Hartley, Michael McKean, Annette O'Toole, and John Schnieder as Jonathan Kent.
I know to many the return of Jonathan Kent, whether he's resurrected or in visions or flashbacks or whatever. But personally, I don't care how they bring Jonathan Kent back, I'd love to see him more in the last half of the season. I loved his wonderful, touching, brilliantly-written sequence with Clark in episode one's "Lazarus", even if they didn't explain exactly why Clark had a vision of his dead father at the Kent farm. "Smallville" hasn't been the same since Jonathan died in the 100th episode back in season five, and the more I see of him, the better it'd be for the show. I won't go into why Michael Rosenbaum needs to come back, because so many have said it so much better than I ever could. Besides, when you watch the seasons without him, you know his absence is making the still-good show missing something truly great. Why Rosenbaum didn't get more acclaim and some sci-fi awards for his role as Lex Luthor during his seven seaosn run is truly beyond me. Also, while we know that the producers have confirmed Annette O'Toole will be back as Martha Kent and Michael McKean will be back as Perry White, it'll most likely be, and I'm just guessing, for at least one episode. That won't do for me. They need to be REGULARS for the last season. It'd be nice if Lois and Clark had a permanent boss for the Planet rather than go through one guest-star character after the other. Besides, McKean's been wonderful as Perry on his two episodes guest-starring on the show and I'd love to see more of his interactions with the cast, especially Welling, Durance and Rosenbaum. Sure, having Clark fly and don the Superman identity are rightfully the #1 thing fans want to see (and if Clark's not in the suit for the last half of the season, if he's just Superman at the end of the series finale, it'll truly be a waste). But to me, it's not the same to see Superman without seeing Superman with Lois Lane, Perry White and Lex Luthor.
And as a side-note, fix the Superman suit. I hate looking at the hand-me-down "Superman Returns" suit that Tom Welling's Clark Kent has gotten this season. The S shield is still too small and too dark (and with those darn smaller S shields on it to give it that raised, scaly look - barf), the colors of the suit should rightfully be brighter, and frankly, why didn't they just make a suit for Welling? I know they're on a budget, but come on, folks!
I don't know a single "Smallville" fan who wouldn't want at least ONE of the things I mentioned in this list. It's nice that they're doing all of these guest stars and nods to fans of the comic books, but to be honest, it's not enough. This is THE last season. Enough teases. Unless there's an episode titled "Flight" or "Superman" on the horizon, I doubt that the "no-flights, no-tights" rule will be broken any time soon, even if that's what the crew of the show have planned. Then again, who knows? Maybe the producers will do some changes before the final episode and knock my socks off. I really hope that happens sooner rather than later.
Don't get me wrong, I'm still anxious to see what the final season has in store and I love, love, LOVE "Smallville". It's one of my favorite comic book TV series to date, limited budget and character mess-ups aside. But the wait is long enough. Whatever is planned for the last ten episodes of the show, I hope they keep at least one of my suggestions in mind and introduce it BEFORE the series finale. We all know it should end with Superman flying away. That's been said pretty much from the start.
But personally, BEFORE it ends, that doesn't mean that's when he should FIRST wear the suit and fly away.
For now, on my part, 'nuff said.
What do you guys have to say?