Smallville Season 9

I already started one (though I guess a mod renamed it as Casting News).

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/forum/thread/289271/smallville-season-9-casting-news

It doesn't matter.  Yeah, the new search isn't that great.  Plus, since someone renamed my thread, the title didn't make it look that interesting anyway.

To repeat what I had over there, Brian Austin Green will be guesting in the new season as

Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)

There's a lot of Smallville news here:

http://www.newsarama.com/tv/090725-sdcc09-smallville.html

I'm not reading most of it, but they are now shooting for a tenth season.  Also, it's funny that Callum Blue is having a big role.

Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show) Before watching Dead Like Me, I wouldn't have known who that was.

I didn't catch Loeb's involvement.  Maybe he's just moderating the panel?  I hope he isn't coming back.  He already ruined Heroes.

Oh, yeah.  And, Geoff Johns is writing another episode.

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Y'all ready for this?  Picture of the BAG man all made up:

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Thanks, Greg. That's pretty bad-ass looking. Usually stuff on Smallville looks like a cheap knock-off version of whatever was in the comics, but that looks close to feature-y quality.

If you look at his left arm....Theirs more than what you see.

Anyone think a certain recent movie might have been in mind when they came up with that?

Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)

Obviously, spoilers in casting

Just a reminder, Smallville's season premiere is tonight at 8. 

It felt weird not having Smallville on on Thursday night, but if they can still pull in 3+ million viewers throughout the season with the move to Friday nights, the CW might give them a 10th season.

I just read recently that the producers and cast are committed to a tenth season, Patrick, so who knows...

Like a lemming, I'll check it out tonight and get sucked in again only to have my hopes shattered by the mid-season break. 

The season premiere felt oddly oppressive and depressive, perhaps too dark in tone. 

Now, can't complain about the gratuitous Lois in skimpy tops scenes (and the Oliver shirt-less scenes took care of a couple of demographics).  The brunette with the oversized blue contacts was weird looking, even with the whole time travel issue to keep her on the show throughout the season.  The introduction to Zod (and his reclamation of authority) was sort of clumsy.  Tess looking all beat-up, I could do less with.  Chloe's plea to change the course of time for selfish gain rang hollow, not crazy about how she's been written of late.

I guess I shouldn't be terribly surprised by season 9, but the entire plot seemed to move entirely too fast.  What other shows might take 2-3 weeks to set up and put in motion was all thrown into this episode.  Lois in the future, Oliver and the JL completely off the grid, Clark doing his super-stuff, Chloe coming to terms with her new world, Zod and Tess...  They say Lois has been gone three weeks, yet the date on the newspaper read September 25, 2009 (nice little in-joke, I thought).  The season finale last year took place in September?  Really?

If I knew every episode this season was going to focus on one of our main stories, maybe this episode wouldn't leave a bitter taste in my mouth.  But I think we all know there's going to be filler episodes which have nothing to do with anything.  That time could have been better spent setting up the season arcs.

I was a little distracted throughout, but it seemed a little all over the place.  But, I'm not that hard to please and am glad Smallville is back.  And, there was good ol' Mason.

It definitely felt like the Biff-with-Sports-book 1985 in Back to the Future, Part II. The thing I liked was that, even with everything gone to crap, everybody's lives shattered, and Zod's footsoldiers infiltrating, you still have Superman (albeit, a black, gothic and distant Superman) saving the day.

This show has so little substance these days, it's a huge chore just to sit through an episode. Why not retool it and call it "Legion", make it officially an ensemble drama, and be done with it? It certainly would help make for more interesting story lines...

I enjoyed tonight's a lot. It was cute when Lois rushed Clark.  The rooftop thing called back to Superman listening from the lower atmosphere in SR.  I still don't know how they can make Clark be Superman and fool Lois et al, but the show is finally starting to morph into Metropolis.  It's cool he's an actual hero now and it's cool he wants to learn to fly.  

And that's another thing that drives me crazy! It's not like he doesn't already know he's indestructible. Just jump out a window already. If you hit the ground, so what. Keep doing it until you don't. Jor-El confirmed to Clark that his physiology is just like Kara's and all the other umpteen Kryptonians who have made their way through Smallville, all of whom can fly. I mean really...

It was in his mind, but they already showed that in the season opener.

It's soooo slow.  What a huge build up to the Clark/Metallo showdown only to have it end in 30 seconds.  Lots of ominous music and posing and cringe-worthy dialog.  That plot would have been slack in a 22 page comic book much less an hour-long "drama".

And BTW, who are the producers making this show for?  It's a superhero show in the 8 0'clock hour, and it's almost as gory as CSI.  But it's written at a much, much lower level.  It's a silly show dressed up with fake portent and moody lighting.  IN the immortal words of Casey Kasem, "It's f*ckin' ponderous, man".

I don't think I have anything really to say about episode 2.  Smallville can be awfully schizophrenic from week to week.  In the premiere, we left Chloe and Clark with a major falling out, tears and very hurt feelings.  This week it seems as though they fought over the remote control or something. 

From the very beginning, episodes have plodded along with their plots with really no regard for proper pacing.  By this point, I'm over it...but it still makes me a bit upset.  Metallo could have been a recurring storyline but instead we get another scene of Lois not connecting the dots between Clark and the Blur.  The show is fine...very safe, higher than normal production values, comfort TV.  But that's it. 

Zombies? Really? There were so many problems with this episode, I don't even know where to begin.

I thought there was a lot of good tucked between the 28 Days Later rip.  They should forget that kind of stuff and focus on what's happening between Lois and Clark.  The fire scene was pretty cool--though he should be smart enough to put out the fire and wait a minute before bringing in the coffee.

I liked Friday's episode a lot better. Lois pulling up in a monster truck was ridiculous, but otherwise I thought the episode went a long way towards further moving Clark toward being Superman.

I just managed to watch it last night.  It was a fun episode, though I'm not sure they know what they are doing with Oliver Queen.

I actually thought this episode was surprisingly well-plotted. I didn't see all of the twists and turns coming like I usually do. And while I prefer Tom Welling as the protagonist, I think Justin Hartley is probably the more interesting actor to watch. 

I liked Clark and Lois's movie night.  I could see more of that.  I would have enjoyed the main story more if they had tipped it a little earlier.  I was thinking, "We already saw the Saw rip with Lionel," but it ended up different.  

 Some more comic guests coming soon  Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)