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

Yes, Lex is evil. We know that, but Clark (on "Smallville") doesn't... yet. Kind of like how our Lois didn't know Lex was evil at first, either, and almost married the guy! I'm 97% sure that Clark and Lex on "Smallville" will not be friends much longer. {thwap} Get a clue, Clark...!

Wow! See, this is what I was hoping to find. Reasons why people love/hate this show. And some of the points people have made are pretty valid and thought provoking.

I was never a Superman fan until Lois and Clark, and truthfully, I did watch that show for the romance angle. Perhaps that's why I didn't think that Season 4 sucked - I was glad they got married and I got a chance to see them being a normal couple (well, relatively speaking ).

And I guess being a pseudo Superman fan, I never read comics, so I have no "canon" on which to base my expectations. For all I know, Lana can be blond, red-headed, brunette, etc or Asian or African American or whatever. And as long as eventually Clark ends up with Lois, I don't mind watching a teen-aged Clark have a crush or a high school sweetheart.

The one area in which I think Smallville excels is making Clark out to be a more conflicted character - one who runs a little deeper than absolute-pure-hero-who-always-knows-good-from-bad. Part of my lack of "canon" means that I'm not having as much of an issue with a Clark who is a little darker and who makes some pretty major mistakes. I know a lot of Superman purists feel that Smallville is taking Clark down some pretty dark roads that totally screw up Superman's future icon status, but I'm OK with that. LnC's Clark was almost a little too goody-goody for me sometimes. I wanted some tough-guy Clark (watch for some fanfic y'all!)

What I find most appealing about LnC and Smallville - what I think that the two shows have in common - is that both place Clark/Superman in a "real world" for me. In the comics, everything is so unreal. But to see LnC in a real city that I can imagine working at real jobs and living in apartments makes the whole thing reachable or believable. Same with Smallville - seeing Clark as a real teenager in the early 2000s really pulls me in and helps me suspend my disbelief that Superman could never exist. I can lose myself in the fantasy and imagine that such a hero might really be out there. And if he looks anything like Dean Cain or Tom Welling, so much the better!!

About the Lex thing - it is so strange to know that Lex turns out so evil, because in Smallville, he is so charismatic. So much of that is due to Michael Rosenbaum's portrayal of the character, but it is kind of cool to see a Lex Luther who is not a cardboard cutout of a Pure Evil Bad Guy. He's been made out to be a real person who has reasons for turning out the way he eventually does. And I would much rather see Superman up against that than the FOTW or generic Bad Guy.

So in the end, I get my romance/soul mate love story from LnC and I get my Superman mythos from Smallville. And it's a pretty sure bet that if they ever do make that new Superman movie that's been tossed around, I'll be in line buying a ticket opening weekend!

There is a reason I hate the end of the first season/beginning of the second season! Lois's stupidity made me sick. I hate Luthor with an unbridled passion and I could never understand how Lois had fallen under his spell. It made me sick. I couldn't believe Lois wouldn't listen to anyone about him -- how she wouldn't realize it herself.

It happened yesterday, but it hurts even more today after working. I have a laptop in my room and I am on my bed now . Alieve is a good, happy drug .

- Laura

I've watched Smallville, and I *hate* it. The plots are holier than TPvLL on a *consistent* basis, and as for the characters, can you say "character assasination"? I can't see that Clark ever becoming Superman, and to top it all off, the show is *stupid* and inaccurate. They either silence the best characters, or kill them off as well.

Laura (founder of Smallville Haters Anonymous)

Julie Stars

On Smallville Metropolis is three hours away and can be seen from the top of tallest windmill in town.

Smallville geography is very odd, what with tall pine trees and dam, so Metropolis may still have a bay! :rolleyes:

In the comics Lana either has red or blonde hair. In Superman III she was a red-head as portrayed by Annette O'Toole who is now Martha Kent on Smallville.

LNCroxmysox

Smallville Lex isn't evil yet but he's no Boy Scout either. Sometimes Lex is the most ethical character on the show othertimes, you can see a glimmer of the Lex Luthor of legend.

I'm a Superman fan in general, so I faithfully watch Smallville every week, despite some of the changes from the mythos that bother me (don't even get me started on Johnathan Kent's characterization). I had to work last Wednesday so I had a friend tape the premiere for me. I haven't watched it yet, but I'll get it on Monday and I'm *super* excited.

Lex and Chloe are definitely the best things about the show in terms of both the acting and the writing. For anyone who has written off the show solely because there is no Lois, I urge you to watch an ep and see how you like Chloe. You might be surprized.

Pete is also really great, and is extremely under used, imho. So far he's sort of been just a side kick and I'm really hoping that TPTB will wake up and realize that not only is Sam Jones III a great actor, but the fact that Pete Knows could be far more useful and interesting than it has been.

The comics doesn't really specify where Metropolis is except that, iirc (Paul or someone can correct me if I'm wrong) it is usually on a coast. The closest that people can come up with for an exact location is Delaware, but it's open to interpretation. Putting it in Kansas, like Smallville has, is stretching it a little far, but it's not outside the realm of possibilty.

As for Lana's hair, that's also something that canon is wishy-washy on. As has been mentioned, she had brown hair in Superman III (played by Annette O'Toole who now plays Martha Kent on Smallville), and on LnC she had blonde hair. In the comics she had red, brown, and black hair at various points in time, so it's not something that's pinned down at all. In fact, LnC was much farther off canon than Smallville on that point.

As for Everwood and Colin Hart: see here .

~Anna

You know, for a show that's never fired up my interest I'm finding this thread fascinating.

Unlike others, I don't have any real problem with the show changing canon or playing around with the characters, pushing the envelope a little. Anyone remember the howls from the comics purists about the sacrilege and abuse of canon when Lois and Clark first started out? They made changes too. All the time.

And I think that's kind of interesting and partly what keeps they Superman myth so fresh.

I think it would be interesting to see how Lex becomes the Luthor we all love to hate. I always hate villains who are just villains for the sake of it. Everyone has a mother. <G> Finding out how they got to that dark place is often intriguing.

There's a really great fanfic on the Archive (and to my absolute shame I've forgotten the title and author ) which charts how Lex became the man he is in LNC from childhood, and I would imagine that the journey of Lex in Smallville would be equally fascinating to watch.

It would also be interesting, I think, to see Clark and Lex start out as friends because it adds another level of pathos and intrigue to the situation they come to in adulthood.

Lana is an irrelevance for me - but then I could never find myself interested in the character in any Superman incarnation, so no surprise there. (Having said that there are a few marvellous fanfic that have made me feel sorry for her.)

Hmmmmmmm....maybe I need to check this out a little more deeply next time I'm channel hopping. Or tape it and ff through all the teen angst and get to the intriguing bits. <g>

LabRat

Well, I can't say as I hate Smallville -- just can't work up that much emotion over it <g> I think the main reason I never even watched one whole episode is that there's no long-term romance potential. I just hate getting emotionally involved in a TV couple when the show never lets them do anything, and here, I know going in that Clark's not gonna end up with any of the people (though I do like the theory that Chloe turns into Lois <g> ). So that's a non-starter.

The only way a show can get past the "no relationship allowed" hurdle, with me, is if it's got absolutely riveting plots. That's why I watch Stargate and CSI But from what I've heard, plots are not the main focus of Smallville

Plus Tom Welling does absolutely nothing for me.

But hey, I know people who do like the show, and that's fine by me

PJ

What drew me to Smallville and kept me watching was the opportunity to watch Clark grow into Superman. What was it like to know that you're different and to deal with these knew powers that kept developing at times. How do you keep this secret from your close friends? That was the first season.

Last season what kept my interest was that Clark had to deal with learning how different and alone he really was. When he learned about his heritage, he learned that his birth father had different expectations than his adopted father. How is he going to cope with the possibility that his birth father expects him to be what Clark considers evil. So he has to delve deep inside of himself to become the righteous Superman who is in the comics, the movies and LnC. He has to face a challenge and grow. He could decide to take over the world and rule (not )

I also agree with those who are fascinated by Michael Rosenbaum's Lex. Unlike John Shea's Lex, MR's is still growing and changing. He could end up turning to the good side because of the strong influences like Clark and his parents or he could end up like his father. We know who Lex is in the canon so now we get a chance to see how he got there.

We also have the opportunity to compare Clark and Lex. Both are facing the question of good and evil. Now we see how it turns out.

What turns me off to the series was the wall of weird and the results of the meteorite rocks to the town and Lana. What a stupidly written character.

I agree with everyone else that Chloe is a much more interesting character and closer to the Lois we love. Interestingly, it's Chloe who likes Clark (not the other way around). And even Chloe is presented with a challenge by Lionel Luthor.

Now, if they could only get write better a-plots and send Lana off to college in another country. And maybe improve Martha's role. She's not much of a character.

gerry

Well, same here. I like the first 2 movies, I like LNC (which were my too first introduction to Superman), and I like the cartoon. I still hate Smallville.

And about the cartoon: it bothered me that sometimes they showed a very cold Lois. One episode reminded me a lot of TOGOM- Clark's car was forced off a bridge, naturally making everyone think he died even though they couldn't find the body. At the memorial ceremony, there was an upper view of the scene from Superman's POV, because he was watching. Lois was standing at the back, wearing black and looking all sad, and suddenly her pager started beeping and she left. Um, Lois would not do that! I didn't like the way they showed her there.

This has been an interesting thread, though sometimes I found myself banging my head against the desk.

I, too, enjoy Smallville. I don't love it, and it will never be an obsession like L&C, but I find it a fun way to spend an hour each week. It's also one of only two shows my husband and I watch together (the other being NYPD Blue), though the fact that it's on against Enterprise this year means that we've got both VCRs going on Wednesday night.

I adore Lex (he's not evil yet, and in contrast, he's clearly fighting against the evil he's afraid he will become -- his worst nightmare would be to be like his father, who is the true evil Luthor in this universe) and find him incredibly sexy and charismatic, and I love Chloe (and LOL, CC, about Chloe changing her name to Lois -- I've been saying from the beginning that I think Chloe was actually born Lois Lane and had to change her name when her family went into the Witness Protection Program! :goofy)

However, Lana could fall into a black hole and it would suit me just fine ... and it would be even better if she could take Jonathan with her. Oh, yes, and while I do find many of the "young Clark" storylines interesting (especially the whole cave thing -- that was fascinating!), I think Tom Welling has all the sex appeal of a wet sock ... and am I the only one who has noticed that the man cannot kiss? When he first kissed Lana in season 1, I tried to give him the benefit of the doubt and hope that maybe he was doing it on purpose because he was playing an inexperienced 15 year old boy. He no longer has that excuse now that he and Lana are together, however, so I just hope his wife is understanding.

So I clearly understand why people might not like the show on its own merits -- it's by no means a perfect show.

What amazes me, however, is when people criticize it because various elements differ from L&C. Of *course* it's not L&C -- any more than L&C was the Superman movie, or the Superman movie was the George Reeves series -- or any of them were the comics. It's a new take on the characters and a new take on Clark's beginnings, just as L&C was a new take on the Superman legend in the 1990's.

I'm guessing most of you weren't around when L&C began but you should have heard some of the things the people who loved the comics and the Superman movies said about him -- the fact that Dean Cain had brown eyes sent them into an absolute frenzy! Not to mention the fact that Dean was 1/4 Japanese ... and looked so young ... and that the Fortress of Solitude was his boyhood treehouse ... and that Lois didn't have a cat ... and Cat Grant was a slut instead of a single mother ... and Lana was a blonde (as has been pointed out, she's a redhead in the majority of the comics) ... see what I mean?

So when I hear people saying "Smallville is so dumb because they put Metropolis in Kansas", I wonder how that can be any worse an offense to "Superman canon" than inventing New Kryptonians or making L&C soulmates or even making L&C partners at the Daily Planet instead of intensely competitive rivals!

Julie Stars wrote:

OK, so let me get this straight ... you are saying that because Lana lives in a small town in Kansas, she couldn't have Asian ancestry? How does that work, exactly? My niece is 1/2 Japanese and she lives in El Paso, Texas ... a woman I used to work with is 1/2 Chinese and grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Would neither of them be allowed to move to the state of Kansas?

And, for the record, I had no idea the actress was half Asian until it was pointed out on this thread. I don't think she looks any more Asian that than Dean does, but even if she was 100% Asian, how would it possibly matter? She's an *actress* playing a role. Does it matter that Pete Ross is black? He's a blond in the comics, after all ... and married to Lana Lang.

Kathy

I didn't mean to offend anyone, as I pointed out the last thing I am is racist. But what I meant was, that if she was born and raised there, she might have Asian roots, but she probably wouldn't. In the comics she was never Asian, and she wasn't Asian anywhere except Smallville. It's exactly like saying Lois is Asian- kinda drastic, don't you think? The first time I saw KK I thought she was 100% chinese.

I think the fact that Dean Cain played Superman completely invalidates this argument.

It doesn't get more drastic than that.

Kathy

Good point. Still.

I haven't read many comics, but from the five or six I've read I noticed that Lois's hair was nearly red, long and somewhat curly.

AnnaBtG.

I like Smallville from the time I started watching it actually though it doesn't compare to Lois and Clark I'd always wondered about Clark's relationship with Lana especially when he mentioned her in Tempus Anyone. I found it to have an interesting angle with Lex Luthor being Clark's best friend in this interpretation and although it's not screened here at the moment I am curious to find out what made Lex and Clark finally become enemies.

Tonight in Phoenix we saw the very large port of Metropolis, Kansas. :rolleyes:

Smallville...was a decent show. I don't watch tv much anymore, but I watch some during the summer. I liked the first season and was a big fan of the usual plots...you know, bad guy does something, Clark gets involved, Clark kick's bad guy's butt, end of story. A nice little hour program for me. But now I'm hearing (and saw occasionally) all this teen-angst-fight-of-the-week-who's-dating-whom junk, and it's a completely turnoff. It gives me no reason to turn back on the tv to the WB when I have free time on Tuesday nights (which is never anyway;)).

As for the comparison to Lois & Clark...well it's *not* like Lois & Clark. It's probably not supposed to be to begin with, and that doesn't bother me in the slightest. There are new actors, new directors, new producers, etc etc etc. It's their show. No one says they have to stick to previous canon. Lana Lang could have pink and blue hair for all I care.It would look ridiculous, but whatever floats her boat.

JD

I haven't been on these boards in ages, but for some reason I remembered this particular thread recently, in which I said stupid things like the above. And I just had to come back and say (if anyone cares), that I was an idiot and y'all of course were right. Thank god I got wiser with age and know better now.

I'm a bit late in weighing in on this, but I am actually watching Smallville for the first time so I'll throw in my 2 cents.

I wasn't interested in Smallville when it was on the air, partly because I liked L&C so much and partly because we don't receive most channels here in the Thumb. We (Farmerbabe and I) are of the "why pay $50 per month for satellite when we can just buy seasons of the shows we like for a lot less money?" persuasion. That said, we bought a few seasons of Smallville for $6 used and then we saw all the rest at a flea market for $3 per season we took a chance and bought them.

The thing that bothered me most in the early seasons was that no one was able to figure out the Meteor Freaks besides Chloe. The whole population being oblivious to them is a stretch, then they compounded that by making Chloe suspicious despite growing up in the environment. There's also the, "I have an ability therefore I am evil and must go around killing people" thing.

I agree about the character changes everyone has mentioned. I think Lex goes from just OK to genuinely inspired.

We're in season 6 now and I think there are some good points in the show, but the thing that really, REALLY bothers me is the consistency of the characters. There are a number of people who Clark trusts that know his secret and have his back now. Superpowered criminals have escaped from the Phantom Zone, but Clark won't let any of the other superheroes know about or help with them, even though these other guys are also trying to deal with superpowered criminals. Seriously? Clark takes responsibility for releasing the Zoners and wants to keep them from hurting the population but won't ask for help? We've had the disks for about 2 years now and there's a reason why it's taking us so long to watch them.