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Post by EnriqueH on Aug 28, 2020 9:30:40 GMT -5
I wonder if the writers Rosenbaum was gone with that season 7 cliffhanger. You would think they would try to end his arc more neatly. But as it turned out, he came back for that slam dunk finale, so it’s awash.
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Post by crazy_asian_man on Aug 28, 2020 11:35:50 GMT -5
Rosenbaum said that he felt all the story beats had been played out for his character by the time he left (he was asked to continue on the series)---
Again, my feeling that stories really get compromised if they don't know when an actor will leave or how many seasons are greenlit.
Currently watching a tv series based on a novel--- and there's NO fat to it. It's nice when there's a plan that has to be committed to from beginning to end-
I did like the show, with some great episodes and I particularly liked the writing for the last two seasons- There was a tv writer whose name I forget that had been added to the staff at that time that I credit the quality to-
But also...
I felt the show really was strong when it had a core relationship- Clark/Lex then Clark/Lois.... Kristen Kreuk seems like a nice person in real life but I just didn't feel like the Clark/Lana thing worked and the show was weaker when it relied on that.
Chloe and Pete were nice ideas, but I don't think it worked completely.
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Post by atp on Mar 1, 2021 9:52:19 GMT -5
I have watched the first two episides of Season 1.
Does it get better?
So far it feels like the X Files with a different monster every episode.
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Post by crazy_asian_man on Mar 1, 2021 15:26:08 GMT -5
I have watched the first two episides of Season 1. Does it get better? So far it feels like the X Files with a different monster every episode. I remember really liking season 1 for its innovation and the suprisingly moving contrast of Clark & Lex and their respective dads... then I was off/on for much of the rest of the seasons- (though I bought them all)- when Anne Couffel Saunders joined the writing staff about the time of Lana leaving as love interest and Lois coming in, I thought each episode was incredibly watchable. The 'will they-won't they' for Clana got old FAST. With the Clark-Lex story, I think they really were onto something in the beginning about making it about fathers and sons- but I think the series fell victim to a few conflcting restrictions- they were being renewed season by season (I believe) so they never wanted to do 'everything' if they needed to save something for the season after.... but they also ran into things that they felt they had to retcon, so they did the terrible 'amnesia' bits here and there. So--- my opinion is: for the first season, it is like X-files, but I was interested in the human story aspect for the first season, then there are episodes and portions for the next 7 seasons that are great, then 9-10 I thought solid, imo. |
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Post by atp on Mar 2, 2021 16:13:50 GMT -5
Are there any episodes without kryptonite in them?
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Post by Metallo on Mar 2, 2021 16:43:56 GMT -5
I have watched the first two episides of Season 1. Does it get better? So far it feels like the X Files with a different monster every episode. I didn’t stick with the show for the whole run and only occasionally dropped back into it after the halfway point but here’s my take. MINOR SPOILERS! MINOR SPOILERS! I thought the early seasons with him in high school had some of best focus with the coming of age drama but the kryptonite mutant of the week crap got stale fast. It was like half a good show half a formulaic mess. I though the show got better with seasons 2 3 and 4 after they slowly dropped the kryptonite monster stuff and added Lois but it began to fall off after that. After a while it was clear they didn’t know what to do with Pete and even Lana outstayed her usefulness. The show got wrapped up in its own convoluted mythology and trying to be a Superman show without Superman. It was basically a darker version of the Superboy series in a lot of ways. When Rosenbaum left it was a huge blow that they never really recovered from. The Lex/Clark dynamic carried the series over a lot of garbage and was the biggest thing that made it worth it. I think after season 7 or 8 the show was on fumes with a lot of filler to try to stretch out its run as long as possible. The early seasons had filled too but it was clear they had something closer to a five year plan than a ten year plan. Smallville really should have stuck to a five or seven year plan that condensed all the best elements and trimmed the bad ideas and extra fat. The lack of long term planning hurt it more than anything. |
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Post by crazy_asian_man on Mar 2, 2021 19:20:59 GMT -5
Absolutely.
I saw a Paleyfestival program on "Dexter" where I first heard a showrunner explain that with a series that may or may not get a next season... they always try NOT to 'finish off' certain storylines, in case it is renewed- at the same time, they want to make a progression, etc. etc.-
Smallville initially I felt had the disadvantage of being a prequel where certain things couldn't happen before the end, but.... certain things I thought were amazing through its run, given its restrictions, but on the other hand- yeah, it got convoluted with little reward for following it at times-
For me, the fun part was when they started to get permission to do 'guest stars'- to me, Justin Hartley was the best Green Arrow- even though the thing with Lois made me raise an eyebrow. The whole show sadly started off with some real promise, but after awhile the bar was just lowered and to me when it became 'young Lois and Clark', Erica Durance's Lois was so much fun playing off of Clark, plus the writing for the last two seasons, I enjoyed the show overall but sadly didn't love it as much as I wished to.
If they had gone in with a pre-planned 'five year plan' that might have been much better...
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Post by atp on Mar 14, 2021 18:01:01 GMT -5
Partway through Season 2.
I'm really liking this show.
Not sure why I never bothered watching it 20 years ago.
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Post by crazy_asian_man on Mar 19, 2021 16:45:04 GMT -5
Partway through Season 2. I'm really liking this show. Not sure why I never bothered watching it 20 years ago. There is stuff that's really good that hooks- to me, the suprise was how they really were able to 'mine' the material for a great story about fathers and sons (who knew John Schneider could be SO GOOD as Pa Kent???) - Clark/Jonathan Kent and Lex/Lionel Luthor. I think the problem was just probably the tv schedule (20 plus episodes a season) and having to work with the at-times difficult restrictions (some of which I heard on a podcast with one of the smallville writers years ago)- with WB.... In retrospect, I think the Berliantiverse's ability to get permission to use a lot of DC superheroes from their library owes a chunk to the Smallville producers. I think they probably cracked the doors slightly open during their run, though the good work and reception of Berlianti's work opened it more. As an example, Supergirl season 1 only got to use Superman's shadow and text. (So weird to have had Supes and his cousin texting)... to season two, where there were limited appearances.... to the Crisis, with multiple Supermen and now a Superman tv show even though a movie is still in development! |
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Post by atp on Mar 20, 2021 7:26:56 GMT -5
I binged all of Season 2.
Now in Season 3.
I think that even without the Superman aspect, it's a great show. Like a soap opera / teen high school drama.
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Post by crazy_asian_man on Mar 20, 2021 15:31:44 GMT -5
I binged all of Season 2. Now in Season 3. I think that even without the Superman aspect, it's a great show. Like a soap opera / teen high school drama. I did buy all ten seasons when it was on sale.... but never watched all of them as I wanted to. It'll be hard to rewatch them without thinking in the back of my head the crazy REAL-LIFE soap opera with some of actors playing the supporting characters--- so sad! |
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Post by Metallo on Mar 20, 2021 17:27:02 GMT -5
I binged all of Season 2. Now in Season 3. I think that even without the Superman aspect, it's a great show. Like a soap opera / teen high school drama. I did buy all ten seasons when it was on sale.... but never watched all of them as I wanted to. It'll be hard to rewatch them without thinking in the back of my head the crazy REAL-LIFE soap opera with some of actors playing the supporting characters--- so sad! Yeah who woulda thought adorable little Chloe Sullivan would be in a cult branding broads with a symbol partially made up of her initials. Would that make the wall of weird? Got to be awkward at those conventions when almost everyone else from the cast is there except her. |
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Post by crazy_asian_man on Mar 21, 2021 2:14:54 GMT -5
I did buy all ten seasons when it was on sale.... but never watched all of them as I wanted to. It'll be hard to rewatch them without thinking in the back of my head the crazy REAL-LIFE soap opera with some of actors playing the supporting characters--- so sad! Yeah who woulda thought adorable little Chloe Sullivan would be in a cult branding broads with a symbol partially made up of her initials. Would that make the wall of weird? Got to be awkward at those conventions when almost everyone else from the cast is there except her. The ironic thing is when they did the "Vampire" episode with the actresses in season 1 or 2, I thought it was the most ridiculous thing until the news of the real life behind the scenes... Check out this episode summary and it'll make you wonder what might have been going through the actresses' mind while filming this: "Lana tells Clark that she is moving to the Metropolis University and she is accepted in the Tri Psi Sorority, a sisterhood with hot vampires led by Buffy Sanders, and Lana is transformed in a vampire. Meanwhile, the chief-editor of The Daily Planet, Pauline Kahn, denies an intern position to Chloe, but in the end she proposes Chloe to write a good story to prove that she might be part of the team of reporters. Meanwhile, Lex intimidates Professor Milton Fine, but in retribution he shows a dossier about the secret experiments that Luthorcorp is performing in the campus of the Kansas University. When Clark sees Lana at Chloe's room, he believes she is with a hangover; later, he goes with Lana to a Halloween costume party promoted by the Tri Psi. When Lana attacks Chloe, Clark discloses the truth about Buffy and her sisterhood of vampires and tries to find a means to save Lana and Chloe when she gets bitten by the evil vamp Lana." Art imitating life? So so odd... |
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Post by Metallo on Mar 21, 2021 9:51:40 GMT -5
Yeah it’s bizarre. I didn’t even know there was a vampire episode. I remember the witch and zombie episodes. Terrible. It’s a sign the show was struggling for ideas with filler episodes like that to fill out 22 episode seasons.
But as for Mack if people think Spacey makes watching Superman Returns awkward then her being on Smallville has to be just as awkward. She’s facing some serious prison time. I’m guessing the only reason she hasn’t been sentenced yet is covid. If you look into NXIVM it’s really f’ed up. She even tried to lure in other female actresses including some of her costars. Very predatory stuff.
One thing did like about Smallville was bringing in Carrie Fisher as Pauline Kahn. Sounds like the name was inspired by Jenette Kahn and Paul Levitz too.
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Post by crazy_asian_man on Mar 21, 2021 13:47:17 GMT -5
Are there any episodes without kryptonite in them? LOL- They had a smart twist on it, I thought initially, so I didn't blame them for it being their 'go to'--- but, if I recall right, they moved past it in the following seasons. I think there's something to be said overall about a 12 or 13 episode season versus a 20-22 one. With the rapid pace I keep hearing about to get the scripts done and produced, it's not a total wonder why there's so much mediocrity in some of these shows. With a fx filled show like Smallville and having to go through channels for DC/WB creatively, I imagine it's even more of a headache. |
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Post by Metallo on Mar 21, 2021 13:55:24 GMT -5
Are there any episodes without kryptonite in them? Did you see the episode with Amy Adams as the fat girl who is turned into a fat sucking monster because of Kryptonite? I bet they’d all like to forget that one.  |
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Post by atp on Mar 21, 2021 14:03:28 GMT -5
Are there any episodes without kryptonite in them? Did you see the episode with Amy Adams as the fat girl who is turned into a fat sucking monster because of Kryptonite? I bet they’d all like to forget that one. Yes, saw that and recognised her immediately. She has aged well, even if that epidode didn't. |
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Post by crazy_asian_man on Mar 22, 2021 1:50:38 GMT -5
Amy Adams to me would totally be ok as Lana...... but as Lois? I'd prefer Kate Bosworth if those were the only two choices.
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