Lois & Clark Forums Forums General Discussion Lois & Clark Risking Death by Mentioning Smallville

I'm fairly new to these boards, having discovered them only after renewing a long dormant passion for LnC this summer (via reruns on TNT), but I get the distinct impression that it is the general concensus of regular posters that Smallville is BAD.

As I'm feeding my fix for all things Superman, I started watching the show this summer. And with the season premiere having occurred this last week, I was curious to know what the reasons are for dislike/hate/love/whatever emotions it generates.

Overall, getting past the teen-age angsty stuff, what do you all really think? And if this has been rehashed to death on earlier threads, can someone point me in that direction and I'll just backread.

I like this group of people so much and would love to hear some debate. Not opening any cans of worms, I hope.

Thanks,
Lynn

It's so different from L&C... and no Lois! Hehe. Though I don't like it anywhere near as much as I like L&C, it's okay. I watch it and usually enjoy it for what it is -- another take on the whole Superman story.

I think you'll find varying opinions on this board, Lynn. Some FoLCs think it's not so bad from what I can gather - though I haven't been paying that much attention. <G>

I don't have strong feelings on it either way. I've watched a couple of episodes, but it just never seemed to click for me. I'm not a big fan of the teen angst shows so the who dates who and who dumps who plot of the week doesn't appeal and
Tom Welling doesn't exactly throw off sparks for me on the screen.

I guess the main reason I don't watch though is because I never really was that much of a fan of the Superman myth. I loved the first two Reeve movies, prior to LNC, and of course...there's LNC. <g> But other than that it never really featured on my consciousness. LNC was pretty unique for me and the reasons I adore it don't really have that much to do with Superman.

So another Superman show would have to be something really special to attract my attention. And, sadly, Smallville isn't that show.

More my problem than it's, I suspect.

I do think that the guy who plays Lex is the best thing in it. But, despite the fact that Clark has super powers in this show, it strikes me as being not that much to do with Superman and more a Dawson's Creek with SFX.

But then I doubt that the producers are aiming this one at an old fogie like me anyway and the market it is aimed at seem to be enjoying it, so good for them!

LabRat

A true confession: I love Smallville!

Love it love it love it!

Whew, never thought I could just come right out and admit it like that, but there you go.

I love the ordeals of growing up 'super'- so fundamentally lonely and angsty. I loved the scene where Clark shows his true self to his best friend Pete, and for the longest time Pete doesn't respond, just looks and looks at him. And Clark says (grossly paraphrasing) 'You're looking at me the way I've never wanted to be looked at.'

I adore this show's Lex Luthor. And I can see how Tom Welling's CK could grow up to be Dean Cain's CK getting off the bus in the pilot for L&C.

I have this pet theory that Chloe, who is now a columnist for the DP and is an aggressive investigative reporter as a high school student (!), will move to Metropolis and change her by-line to Lois Lane. She is very Lois, and her relationship with Clark- the honesty and the bickering -is very L&C.

And the premiere? A super-powered Jonathan Kent? Never saw that coming.

Ok, that's my bit.

CC- just glad to have it off her chest

1- There's no Lois.
2- No one knows how Clark's life were when he was a teen and all that happens there is bull.
3- Clark did not have anything engraved on his chest (which I undertsand he does from the commercials).
4- Lana Lang was by no means Asian.
5- Lex Luthor's character is competely twisted beyond recongnition.
6- There's no Lois.
After L&C, it's just not the same thing.

The thing that always appealed to me about LnC was the Clark stuff. Like LabRat, I never cared much for the Superman part other than how it affected Lois and Clark's relationship. In fact, I often (gasp) fastforwarded through any Superman stuff that wasn't LnC centric because it kind of annoyed me.

I guess that's why Smallville appeals to me. Because it is more about Clark than Superman. Of course, I do get irritated by the Clark-loves-Lana-loves-Whitney and Chloe-loves-Clark-loves-Lana junk. But I really find the development of Clark's abilities and how he deals with them quite entertaining.

Also, I love how they portray Clark and Lex as friends, and LabRat is right on saying that Lex does make the show. It just keeps me glued to see how they are going to drag Lex to the dark side.

One thing, too, that helps me look past all the stupid teen-angst stuff is that we all know how this story ends. Clark ends up with Lois, so all of the other girls are just fluff.

Hee! Hee!

OK, I'm an old fogey too, and I'm guessing I'm going through some kind of older-woman/younger-guy thing, but I so much dig Tom Welling as a future Superman. He's got it all for me - the looks, the physique, the kind of innocent "What the heck is going on?" expression. So <sigh> I guess I'm just a voyeur at heart.

So CC - you and I can just get together and gush (awesome premiere!!)

Thanks,
Lynn

LOL, CC and Lynn - you go, girls! <g>

You know, maybe this is another reason I haven't fallen for Smallville. I had a lot of trouble investing emotionally in the Angel/Buffy romance once I discovered that Angel would be leaving and that one true love was doomed.

I guess I need that romance in my favourite shows. I like girls who stick around and become soulmates. <g> Or, at the very least, I need not to know that there's absolutely no hope of the romance working out.

Oh, have to say there was one episode I watched almost all the way through that I thought was excellently done. The one where Martha and...um Lex's father (can't remember his name) were being held hostage and there was kryptonite in the safe. I did enjoy that one. It had some real tension and was very well-written I thought.

LabRat

I've never watched Smallville. I have no idea why. I originally started watching L&C because my sister and I thought Dean Cain was so hot ! I don't really think Tom Welling is cute at all (and it's not that he seems like a little kid to me, I checked imdb and he's 3 years older than I am!). I think it's the scruffy look that I don't like. So I think since I didn't think the lead actor was cute, there was little impetus for me to watch the show . It's not the teen angst -- hey, I watched 90210 and Dawson's creek and I still watch Everwood. So I don't have an opinion about Smallville other than Tom Welling is not good looking to me nor did my dad start watching it (he often gets me hooked to shows he starts watching -- hence Everwood and Boston Public), so I never started watching.

- Laura

I like Smallville but for very different reasons than what I liked about Lois & Clark. I think they do better with the drama and plots but they are far, far weaker when it comes to the development of the characters than L&C ever was.

I went into Smallville expecting to adore this Clark and I'm still waiting. I went expecting to enjoy Lana and Clark's bittersweet romance and am still waiting.

What I did not expect was how much I would enjoy the pre-evil Lex Luthor character and the Lois Lane stand-in Chloe Sullivan (although the latter shouldn't have come as such a surprise).

I think this show does it's best work when it remembers that it has a bigger story to tell than just teenage angst and when it produces episodes like the one LabRat mentioned. (It was "Insurgence", btw).

But mostly I think it and L&C are really too different in their approach and style to be compared to one another. So I try to like each on their own merits.

Well, it's more like -- fiction. It all is. Even the comics/the Superman "canon." The writers of Smallville are just adding more to the story. The story which I get the feeling will never end... but hey, I'm not complaining.

The actress who plays Lana is 1/2 Chinese... Dean Cain is 1/4 Japanese... nothing wrong with that, was there?

I really don't like Lana though... she just gets in the way. I'm with a lot of people on this point: get her out of there and bring in Lois, already!

When the first episode of Smallville was aired here, I tried to watch it, but I turned off the TV 10 minutes after.

I don't know exactly why I didn't like it. Maybe it's because the first thing I liked in L&C was Dean Cain, and Tom Welling is not nearly as handsome? (imo) Years ago I decided not to watch a soap-opera for the very same reason

Maybe the absense of Lois, too... Lois and I have some things in common, and it was nice to identify myself with her while watching L&C. I don't think I could do it with Lana.

Perhaps I would have loved it too, if I had tried to watch one whole episode and then decide. The plot seems to be to my taste.
But, well, I didn't, and I'm not going to - I'm watching six other shows right now, they're fairly enough <g>

AnnaBtG. (who watched L&C for the first time when, while zapping through channels, saw Dean Cain )

I love Smallville! But im an all-around Superman fan! The comics, the movies, and of course LnC which was my 1st introduction to superman. And i guess you really have to be a superman fan to truly apperciate smallville. Its about clark before the cape. And i agree with all the others that Lex is by far the best thing on that show, played by michael rosenbaum. The season premiere jsut blew me away! As with all the teen who's dating who crap, they seem to have to add that to make it appeal to teens (even thought im 16 and hate that stuff), but it isnt as bad as dawsons creek.

Tom Welling thought i a great person to portray clark.

Forgot to mention: also the number 1 reason for my liking LNC is Lois and Clark's romance. The fact they were made for each other and that they're soul mates. If Clark is in love with Lana Lang that twists everything. (I dont really like soaps but that part in them always appealed to me )

Plus: Okay, I know Dean Cain is 1/4 Japanese but it's not that visible (to me, anyway). Lana Lang really looks Chinese! The whole idea is that they were both born and raised in Smallville, which would mean they are probably not Asian.

Disclaimer: I'm not being racist at all, my best friend (refer to my signature for info on her ) is half Chinese as well.

I think Tom Welling is very handsome but the show doesn't play to his looks the way L&C did with Dean Cain's. Actually, I think the makeup/wardrobe department of Smallville is little nutty - I swear I tune in sometimes and no one on that show looks good! The hair, the makeup, the bizarre clothing choices - oy.

Why? It's Lois& Clark canon that he dated Lana and perhaps thought he loved her at the time.

This is a matter of perception. I could tell that both Dean Cain and Kristin Kreuk were part Asian the first time I looked at them. Some people could tell Dean was Asian right away but not KK. People see different things.

As for Smallville, it's pretty obvious that it's not your average small town. It's pretty large and was a tourist spot due to the meteors as well as the fact that it's close proximity to Metropolis almost makes it a suburb. It's not unreasonable to think it would have a higher ratio of minorities than your average small town.

Um, I always found Metropolis as a kind of satire of New York City. And NYC is kind of far from Kansas. Even if I'm wrong, the fact they have a bay (Hobbs Bay) makes it on the coast, and Kansas is right in the middle of USA so it doesnt matter where on the coast and on which coast, it's still far. Besides, Smallville can't be a suburb of Metropolis because they're in different states (even if they were close). Metropolis is in New Troy. Also it always says on LNC that Clark's parents have to fly into Metropolis, so it can't be close Smallville.

About what you said about perception: Well, some people recognize that DC is part Asian, but even then, KK looks more Asian. I agreee that sometimes its about perception, but still.

Wow, stronger -- and more varied -- reactions that I had expected.

My personal take on Smallville began with great anticipation leading up to the premiere. (I had not yet discovered FOLCdom, and this was new Superman stuff -- if I couldn't have L&C, perhaps this would serve.) I loved the premiere, and most of the first season.

Yes! I so agree -- at least from season1. The shot of him in the opening credits was just great.

Season2, they changed his opening-credit shot to one I really disliked, and gradually began to do the same to his character. By mid-season I was pretty sick of some of the junk they were throwing at us (there were exceptions, like the ep Labby mentioned). Shortly thereafter, I found FOLCdom, too. The combination of too much teenage angst for me to handle and an alternate source to feed my obsession pretty much killed off the last of my interest. I watched the last few eps of season2 only sporadically, didn't bother to catch up over the summer, and have no plans to watch the new season. (It's opposite Enterprise now, and while that show is less-than-stellar of late too, it still interests me more than Smallville!)

Don't judge a show by its commercials! Think about how many L&C commercials were, at best, very misleading. I think you're talking about a scene from the premiere, which they used in a lot of publicity stuff. If so, it's just paint.

I don't care what ethnicity she was -- but she's supposed to be a BLONDE. That she was a brunette bugged me a lot, at least initially.

Everwood is a whole lot more than teen angst! I adore that show. I see it as Northern Exposure with a little of the bizarre removed.

Agreed!

Rivka, I actually also always thought about Lana as blonde, but although in LNC (in Tempus Anyone?) she was presented as blonde, in Superman III she had brown hair. So I'm don't know which is right.

And if you are wondering why I'm on the boards all the time, well, what is a 15 year old with a computer in her room supposed to do on a saturday when she has nothing to do? I find this thread interesting. That and listening to the Lion king soundtrack over and over again. Hakuna Matata, people.

I could accept that -- it was blond-ish. But not the dark dark hair Lana has in Smallville.

I realized that another problem I have with Smallville is that, since I have a passionate hatered for Lex Luthor, I can't imagine Lex and Clark being friends. So that compounded with my not thinking Clark is attractive and not understanding a Clark without Lois, I never got into the show. I am not as much a Superman fan as a Lois and Clark fan. I didn't especially like the movies (although now I am a huge Christopher Reeve fan because of his spinal cord injury -- being a neural engineer ) and I never read any comics or anything else.

From what I've heard about Smallville, Metropolis isn't in New Troy, it's actually in Kansas. That just seems weird to me!

Everwood is angsty, though! The whole Colin Hart saga was totally angsty. But I am a sucker for angst .

LOL, Julie! What is a 22 year old nerdy graduate students supposed to do when she gets home from her job at the football concession stand after falling off a counter and bruising her leg and stomach .

- Laura

I like angst! It's teenage-I-broke-up-with-my-boyfriend/girlfriend-I-hate-my-life angst that makes me nuts. The Colin arc on Everwood was about so much more than that.
Um, ice? Or at least lie down? OUCH!