SUPERMAN

The 10 year journey of Smallville has been done and dusted…

I felt the finale went rather well. Characters were tied up (although I would have liked to have seen a bit more closure on them), settings were made and it was all epic throughout. I have always admired how this show attempts at pushing the boundaries of budget and tech limitations to bring forth what I think are some great stories. Having watched a lot of the DVD extras and ‘behind the scenes’, as well as reading blogs and interviews from the team of this show - I got a really good impression of the hard work, dedication and ambition that went into this production. I sure hope the Smallville team have no trouble finding work after the wrap up.

I have read mixed reactions online in regards to Tom Welling finally suiting up or vaguely suiting up as the Man of Steel.

Sure, we got to see Superman and at only a fair distance… But I think of it from an “Is it a Bird, Is it a plane” onlooker perspective (as most would see Superman). That in my opinion is how Superman would be and should seen. Superman isn’t a poser like Booster Gold (who was previously portrayed a couple of episodes prior to the finale) and isn’t going to stick around for photographs or be studied. It is just as well, considering Superman has the most unflattering hero costume around next to He-Man.

Fans already know what the Superman costume looks like, so there would have been no surprise factor, and the many fan-made photoshops of Tom Welling in the red and blue which have cropped up over the years already gave an insight to what he would have looked like.

I clued in that the producers of Smallville were going to hold back on how much of Superman they were going to expose. After all the unveiled costume at the start of season 10 only showed the shield and cape half covered in a crystal closet inside the Fortress of Solitude. I say that was a good move.

I think what mattered most was that the finale setup who Clark Kent now is, who Lex Luthor is and the busy crime-filled Metropolis setting most of the action takes place in.

I don’t think I’ve enjoyed a TV as much as Smallville. I’d say, The A Team comes in at a close second which ran of half as long.

Smallville is a show I grew up with and will happily reflect on. It is rare to have a TV series last for a decade and boast a consistency of the same actor and support cast. I hope that something just as good can crop up again. There is so much potential for a spin-off with either Conner Kent or the Green Arrow that could fill the void left behind.

Now that the journey has ended, the wife and I will still look back on this show (since we already own the first 9 DVD boxsets) and look back on favourite episodes. It’s been a fun TV show experience to say the least.

Goodbye Smallville, but not Goodbye forever.