"Things were pretty bleak on Smallville last season. And we're not
just talking about the WB drama's 25-percent drop in ratings. What
with all those dank caves and secret labs and depressing story lines,
life for Tom Welling's Clark Kent was, frankly, more sad than super.
But the Frog isn't bringing out the killer kryptonite quite yet.
Executive producer Al Gough promises TV Guide Online he's giving the
show's dreary, complicated mythology a rest. This season, look for
football, fun and romance! After all, it's Clark's senior year in
high school. Spoiler alert: If you don't want to know anything, ya
better not read this dishy, in-depth Q&A....
TV Guide Online: What's happening this season with Clark Kent?
Al Gough: We pick up three months after he was sucked into the cave
under Jor-El's tutelage. We'll see him dumped out in a cornfield buck-
naked, and he'll run into Lois Lane. That's their first meeting — and
he has no memory of being Clark Kent. He's Kal-El and he can fly.
TVGO: That's big news!
Gough: No tights. One flight.
Click here.
TVGO: What's Lois Lane doing in Smallville?
Gough: She's coming to town to investigate her cousin Chloe's death.
TVGO: Sure, her house blew up, but is Chloe really dead?
Gough: Maybe, maybe not.
TVGO: Who plays Lois?
Gough: Erica Durance. She's a Canadian actress who's done guest spots
on Tru Calling, Stargate and Andromeda.
TVGO: Isn't it true that due to Superman's mythology, Lois can't meet
Lex Luthor yet?
Gough: That's not true. She'll meet Lex in Episode 2.
TVGO: In last season's finale, Lex was lying on the floor, poisoned.
Gough: He seemed dead, didn't he? Through the course of the first
episode, we'll learn how he beat it.
TVGO: Do Lana and Lois meet and have a catfight over Clark?
Gough: Actually, they get along great, much to the consternation of
Clark. [Laughs] He and Lois don't get along. She's not the Lois from
the comics or movies or other TV shows. She's a 19-year-old Army
brat. Her father, Gen. Sam Lane (Michael Ironside), is a Great
Santini type who's running a military base outside Smallville. He
gets involved with the Luthors.
TVGO: Didn't Lana leave town for Paris?
Gough: Lana has a boyfriend she met in Paris. He's a college junior
named Jason Teague, played by Jensen Ackles (Dark Angel, Days of our
Lives). He's followed Lana back to Smallville. Lana will also have a
new look — we're losing the pastels — and be a lot more self-assured
and assertive. We're going to introduce a new mythology this year,
getting away from the caves, that will involve Clark, Lana and Lex.
TVGO: Is the friendship between Lex and Clark finally ruptured?
Gough: It's strained. Repairs will be attempted, but inevitably,
something else will happen. And Lex is running Luther Corp. at this
point because Lionel is in jail.
TVGO: Once Clark remembers that he's Clark, what's new with him?
Gough: He's going to have a little more fun. He's going to join the
football team, and you'll see Clark as one of the popular kids in
high school. We're trying to get back a little more into teen life.
And we'll deal with issues, [like] whether or not Clark can have sex.
Now that they're seniors, it seems the time to bring up and deal with
these issues. Last year was sort of darker than we anticipated it
would be. This year, we're going to lighten it up a bit and have more
fun. Lois and Clark will give you a romantic-comedy spark that the
show didn't have before.
TVGO: What about the constant rumor that Bruce Wayne will appear?
Gough: No, not with [Batman Begins] coming out [next year]. We're
talking to DC [Comics] about some of their [other] characters, like
The Flash.
TVGO: Any regulars who won't be back?
Gough: Sam Jones III, who played Pete Ross, will no longer be a
series regular. He will mostly likely pop up in several episodes.
Pete moved to Wichita with his mother, who took a federal judgeship.
TVGO: Any new villains?
Gough: Yes. There's going to be a new threat to Clark. It may tie in
with Christopher Reeve's character, Dr. Swann. We're talking to Chris
and trying to make that happen. He's just been very busy; he's
directing a film and he's doing an animated film.
TVGO: The show's been struggling. Is this Smallville's last season?
Gough: [Laughs] No. Oh, no. Not at all."
http://www.tvguide.com/news/insider/
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