In its eighth season, Smallville was a show seemingly at war with itself. Series creators Alfred Gough and Miles Millar had departed, leaving executive producers Darren Swimmer & Todd Slavkin and Brian Peterson & Kelly Souders in charge, and each team obviously saw the show in a different way. On a surface level it seemed that the former preferred the teen angst elements – particularly the relationship between Clark and Lana – that had defined the early years; while the latter seemed focused on the mythos, moving Clark ever closer to his destiny as Superman. As a result, much of the eighth season felt like a series in a holding pattern.
But everything changed in season nine, which has just been released on Blu-ray and DVD by Warner Home Video. Swimmer and Slavkin were gone, leaving Peterson and Souders in complete control and the results speak for themselves. While it would be foolish to claim that every episode was a winner, it is nonetheless safe to say that overall the season was a soaring success. Clark dealt with a younger Zod and other Kryptonians who, in their quest to attain the powers they felt denied, threatened earth. Clark, who had begun to come into his own as “the blur,” moved ever closer to his destiny while at the same time deepening his romance with Lois Lane. It all came to a cliffhanging close that did exactly what it was designed to do: whet the appetite for season 10, which hits on September 24th.
In the Blu-ray liner notes, Peterson and Souders offer, “The stories this year brought us deeper into the mythology. As Chloe solidified her place in the ongoing saga with Watchtower, Clark, Oliver and Martian Manhunter teamed up with the Justice Society of America. We also brought back some of our favorite villains and heroes this year (like Toyman and Zatanna) and introduced a few new ones (Metallo, The Wonder Twins, Hawkman, Stargirl, Dr. Fate and Amanda Waller heading Checkmate).”
Again, the season soared, as does this Blu-ray collection of all 21 episodes. Extras include commentaries, deleted scenes, a look at the evolution of the character Zod (played by Terence Stamp in the feature film Superman II and physically realized on Smallville in the possessed body of Michael Rosenbaum’s Lex Luthor); and an in depth exploration of the interweaving of the Justice Society of America into Smallville’s mythology.
What follows are interviews we presented prior to the launch of season nine of Smallville; interviews that fueled the excitement for the year to come.
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER BRIAN PETERSON & KELLY SOUDERS:
ERICA DURANCE:
CALLUM BLUE:
ERICA DURANCE ON "ABSOLUTE JUSTICE":