Yes, you did read that right.  I thought I was done writing about Smallville news, but I appear to have been wrong.  It looks like the loyal viewers of Smallville are about to be rewarded with an 11th season of the hit show.  But there has to be a catch right?  Indeed there is, but it’s not a terrible one.  According to Bleeding Cool, the continuation of the Smallville world will take place in the form of a written book, not a graphic novel.

One of the biggest flaws of Smallville is that the climactic battles were never really that good, in part due to the associated costs of special effects.  In a written word form, Clark/Superman can truly have epic battles against his opponents.  For lack of a better term, this book has been described as a Smallville Season 11 and would presumably take place after the finale.  But there is a lot of ground that could be covered in this novel.  There is a lot of time between Clark’s first appearance as Superman and the bedtime story Chloe was telling her son.  Regardless, it should be a fun ride to see how everything develops.

What is perhaps the most interesting part is that Bryan Q. Miller will be writing this new Smallville novel.  I was a big fan of Miller’s work on Batgirl prior to the new DCU relaunch.  The fact he doesn’t have a book in the DCU is almost criminal in my mind.  But it looks like he’s landed on his feet with the novel-form continuation of Smallville.  A note of caution though, there has been no official confirmation of the Smallville novel.  But, I remain cautiously optimistic that we will see it.  What will be fun about this is there are not TV budget restrictions on a book.

I think its still a little hard to believe that after 10 years Smallville is over.  No longer will I tune in weekly to see Clark Kent’s metamorphosis into the legendary Man of Steel, Superman.  But at least there was a two hour farewell given to this show I have dedicated so much time to.

Was the Smallville Finale perfect?  No it wasn’t, but it was fun to watch and that’s the most important part.  I’m not a Smallville apologist, I’ll unload on something if I think its done poorly and I think I’ve proven that.  So if you want to think of the Smallville Finale with no criticism I encourage you to skip to the end of this article.  I am going to be critical of a few parts, but on whole I did enjoy the Finale.  If you feel I’m being unfair, I encourage you to leave a comment below and call me out.

My thoughts on the finale can basically be binned into three groups: the good, the bad, and the ugly.  As such, I have organized my thoughts like that below.

The Good

1. The Final Scene - If the final scene of Smallville didn’t make you want to stand up and cheer I’m not sure what’s wrong with you.  The Lois and Clark of 2018 were almost exactly what you would expect from the comic book world.  Not only that but it brought the return of a couple of characters that are a big part of the Superman comic book mythos (more on that below).  Th other nice touch was the addition of Lex Luthor being the president-elect.  That had been foretold in past seasons and it was really cool to see it come to pass.  But by far the best part of this final scene involved Clark Kent.  Everyone who has watched Smallville was waiting for the scene where Clark goes to the save the day and rips open his shirt to reveal the Superman shield.  Couple that moment with John William’s Superman theme and it gave me chills.   
2. The Kent Family – Smallville has always done a great job of showing that at its heart the show is about Clark Kent and his family.  It was great to see Martha and Jonathan back in the finale episode.  The Kents were responsible for shaping Clark into the man he became.  His sense of what is morally right is what makes Superman such a great hero.  It was fantastic to see Jor-El point out that Clark should always remember Smallville and the Kents.  I also have to admit that the Kent family hug in Clark’s loft was heartwarming.  It really took me back to the beginning of the show where there was a great deal of focus on the family aspect.
3. Apokolips – I thought the appearance of Darkseid’s planet was done well and the special effects that went into its appearance were beautiful.  Apokolips appeared and it certainly amped up the tension in the episode.  It truly did feel like there was a chance everything could go badly.
4. The Return of Lex Luthor – There’s a part of me that really wished Lex’s return was kept secret.  It would have made the return that much more powerful.  That being said, Lex’s return was great.  Michael Rosenbaum continues to prove that he is Lex Luthor.  The scene between Clark and Lex in the burned out Luthor mansion was very well done.  One of my favorite parts is when Clark tries to tell Lex he’s been given a second chance and that this time things can go differently and he can be good.  That’s classic Superman right there, believing that anyone can be redeemed even the man who has been your worst enemy.  The back and forth between Clark and Lex was well done and made me realize how much I had missed Lex as the overall villain of the story, especially when Lex referred to Clark as Kal-El showing that he remembered everything that had happened between the two.  I think my favorite part of the exchange is how Lex is one of the forces that drives Clark towards being a hero if only so that Lex can be the one that opposes him.
5. Surprise Cameos – The return of Aaron Ashmore to the Smallville world was a welcome surprise.  This time instead of portraying the deceased Henry James Olson he was Henry’s little brother better known as Jimmy.  Not only that, he looked like what you expect from Jimmy in the comics with the bow tie and hat.  It was a great unexpected surprise to see Jimmy at the end.  Not only did Jimmy make an appearance but so did Perry White.  Appearance might be the wrong word but Michael McKean, who plays Perry, did provide the voice clips that were used in the finale.  Another great surprise from the writers! 
6. The Redemption of Tess Mercer – Tess may have thought she would never find redemption but in the end she saved Clark one last time.  Since the character was first introduced as a the reluctant badguy she has been put on a course to try to redeem herself.  Throughout this season Tess has moved more towards the light by supporting the heroes and openly opposing the Luthors.  Honestly I thought she was done for when Lionel wanted to take her heart to complete Lex’s resurrection.  Ultimately she escaped and I thought that just maybe Tess would survive the finale.  I should have known better it seems.  What was so impressive was that with one last act she was able to preserve Clark’s secret identity even if it cost her life.  Its a shame the story jumped forward 7 years without talking about any of the fallout over Tess’ death.  It would have been quite interesting to see how Clark would react to her sacrifice and whether he would blame himself.
7. Chloe Lives – I’ll be honest I expected them to kill of Chloe for a variety of reasons.  Mostly because in the comics she didn’t exist until recently and that Black Canary and Green Arrow are linked in the comics as well.  As soon as Chloe went off-screen I was expecting her to die.  Imagine my surprise when the show opened with her telling the story of Superman to what is presumably her son.

The Bad

1. What Is Jonathan Kent – He was able to come back and make himself visible to Clark and seemingly Martha as well.  The fact that it was never explained how this came to be bothered me a little bit.  I was able to overlook it for the most part because I was quite happy to see John Schneider back on Smallville.
2. More Wedding Nonsense – I was very frustrated that the first 40 minutes of the finale revolved around more wedding drama that came out of nowhere.  This hesitance to get married from Lois and Clark felt very forced when it was crammed in the series finale.
3. Smallville Enemies are Push Overs – It seems anytime there is a ‘big bad’ introduced in the Smallville world they are immensely powerful and frightening at first but by the last episode of the season they go out like chumps.  Examples would be Major Zod and Doomsday and now Darkseid and his servants.  In Prophecy Granny Goodness is able destroy Orion’s bow in seconds, however Green Arrow is able to kill her and her two allies in seconds with simple arrows.  These characters have been built up to be dangerous and to go out so quickly just seems out-of-place.  Then there’s Darkseid.  Never did he assume a corporeal form, but instead possessed the body of the alternate universe Lionel.  It could have been really cool if only there had been an actual fight between Clark and Darkseid.  Instead Clark is thrown across the room and then flies through the possessed body.  This could have been a much better fight but I’m guessing the special effects budget go in the way.  But at least Lionel got to have that awesome beard… that makes up for the short battle right?

The Ugly

1. Mindwiping Of Lex Luthor – It had to happen so I have no major criticism with that.  However it was an inelegant solution.  How does Lex become the villain we all know when he remembers nothing before killing Tess Mercer?  It stretches credibility to believe that in 7 years Lex could rebuild everything and then become president-elect.  Of course this is Smallville so that’s really a weak complaint.  I just wish there had been a better way a handling the mindwipe and then showing the fallout of Lex’s memory loss.
2. Flashbacks – Did we really need a video montage of Clark’s past heroic activities let alone two?  The video montage that took place in the middle of the fight between Darkseid and Clark was unnecessary and just broke up the tension that had been built.  I imagine it was done on purpose as its a lot cheaper budget-wise to show a flashback than a long drawn out fight between two superpowered beings.
3. CGI Superman – Smallville was built around the premise of seeing Clark Kent in the Superman costume one day.  You would think that in the end you would actually see Clark in costume.  For some reason we never got a direct shot of Clark wearing the iconic Superman costume.  Really this is my biggest gripe.  For ten years this show has been built around teasing you that one day Clark Kent will wear the famous costume.  You could have at least shown Clark in costume.  Instead we got headshots of Tom Welling with a CGI cape in the background and CGI shots of Superman with Tom Welling’s face pasted on.  Honestly I feel a little cheated that I never got to fully see Clark as Superman.  I understand that Smallville is the story of Clark’s journey to become Superman, but actually becoming Superman is the final step in the journey.

If we had seen Clark in costume and not a CGI image I would probably be ecstatic and overlook the other concerns I had.  But I honestly do feel cheated that we never got the iconic shot of Tom Welling as Superman.  Perhaps I had too much invested in the show and had I been a casual fan I wouldn’t feel cheated.

There’s a part of me that’s quite sad to realize this is the last time I will be writing about Smallville on the site.  I’m sure it will come up in other topics but with no new episodes or stories about Smallville means the well is dry.  Contrary to how it appears I truly did enjoy the finale.  The way everything was wrapped up it made me want more of Smallville and that’s a good thing.  There are too many shows where you are happy they are finally over because you no longer have to invest the time in watching them or because they were falling apart.  If a show can end and you want more it’s a sign that it was a good finale despite any fanboys nitpicks that might come up.  Smallville, I’m going to miss you.  It was one hell of a run.

After 10 years... we finally get Superman

The series finale of Smallville is rapidly approaching and as of right now there is a lot of ground to cover in the last 2 hours remaining.  Fans everywhere have their expectations of how the show should end its 10-year run.  Realistically, not everyone is going to end up being happy with the end.  It’s just the way things work.  For example, I’m a huge Battlestar Galactica fan but I absolutely despise the final episode (past the half-way mark at least).  The ‘God did it’ explanation really let me down because I had built up in my head how I thought the show would end.  My vision and Ron Moore’s vision did not mesh up one bit which lead to a lot of the disappointment on my part.  I think a lot of Smallville fans could run into the same problem I had with BSG.  It doesn’t help that Smallville has a lot of plot threads to tie up in its 2-hour finale.

Last week’s episode of Smallville entitled Prophecy was fairly disappointing to say the least.  Clark allows Jor-El to mess with his life one last time and we saw Lois Lane magically turn into a Lana Lang clone.

Despite taking the whole season to show how well Lois and Clark work together the writers gave us a quick 180 and had Lois break things of with Clark.  Does this make sense to anyone else, because it sure doesn’t for me.  Lois has been the one saying all season that she and Clark were strong together and could get through anything.  After having him go missing for 3 weeks and standing by his side she decides to leave him when she sees just how strong he is?  Completely out of character for the way Lois Lane has been developed this season in Smallville.  I really think the whole ‘pre-wedding break-up’ was just a tool to add more artificial drama to the end of the series.

Needless to say, it’s fairly obvious the Lois and Clark breakup is one of the items that will need to be fixed in the finale.  We already know its going to happens since CW released photos of Lois and Clark at the wedding!  That’s just another reason why I think the breakup was a cheap way to create tension/drama.

That’s just one item left to fix, but there are a few others I can think of listed below.  Hopefully they are able to tie up all or most of the points.  There might be some minor spoilers so read at your own peril.

1. The fight against Darkseid: Smallville has built up Darkseid as the season long villain yet we’ve hardly seen him.  I think there were 2 episodes this season where Darkseid appeared.  Now Clark, and potentially the Justice League, have to finish him off.  This one has to be done as it is an essential plot point.
2. The Return of Lex Luthor: CW already announced that Lex would be back for the finale.  Something has to happen to set Lex and Clark up on opposite sides.  Whether it’s just a conversation that starts it or Lex does something ‘maniacally evil’ to set his feud with Clark back into motion.  We know this will happen.
3. The Wedding: We know that in the comics Clark Kent met Lois Lane long after he had become Superman.  However, in Smallville canon he has known her for years.  Presumably they have to fix the break up from last week.  We’ve seen promo pictures of the wedding scene.
4. Flight: Its been hinted at since the very beginning, but Clark Kent has not flown yet.  If it’s ever going to happen in Smallville, it has to happen in this episode.  Its their last chance to make him fly.  My guess is that this will happen either at the very end or during a fight with Darkseid.
5. The Suit aka Becoming Superman: Clark has gotten closer and closer to actually wearing the iconic Superman costume.  In the past couple season we’ve gone from the Neo Matrix look to the red leather jacket.  It’s about time for Clark to wear the suit.  My guess is that the current costume will be destroyed during the final battle with Darkseid and then Clark will be deemed ‘worthy’ by Jor-El to wear the costume designed by Martha Kent.
6. Jonathan Kent’s Return: We’ve seen pictures of Jonathan Kent at the presumed wedding of Lois and Clark.  He’s been dead since episode 100, so the question has to be asked, ‘How did he come back for the wedding?’  Is he a ghost or maybe the Jonathan Kent from the mirror universe of Kent and Luthor.
7. Oliver Queen and the Darkness: Ollie has been marked by the darkness and last we saw he was digging up gold kryptonite.  That particular version of kryptonite will supposedly strip Clark of his powers permanently.   Green Arrow is a hero in the DC world so somehow he has to fight the darkness and presumably be freed from the Omega symbol.  How is this going to happen?
8. Chloe’s Final Fate: The showrunners have been teasing that something big will happen to Chloe.  What will it be, and how can we expect it to shape the Smallville world?  Remember until recently there was no Chloe Sullivan in the Superman comics.
9. The Secret Identity Problem aka The Giant Mind Wipe:  One of the biggest problems in Smallville is that almost everyone has learned of Clark’s powers.  Most of all Lex Luthor has learned the secret unlike in the comics.  Clark was saving lives and maintaining his normal appearance until just recently.  The addition of the glasses and bumbling manner might be too-little-too-late.  Is there going to be some mind wipe that takes place so that everyone, specifically Lex Luthor, forgets about Clark’s alien powers?  I don’t see if happening since Smallville is an alternate universe of Superman lore and will probably never fit into the traditional Superman mythos.

The changing of believe into evil in the promo was just well done.  This is the perfect kind of trailer to bring back longtime fans of the show who had lost interest, or Superman fans who never tried Smallville.  I have a feeling the finale is going to pull in some pretty good ratings.

In addition to the promo, the official description of the final epsiode(s) entitled Finale has been released.  Doesn’t tell us too much but it’s still exciting to read.

BE THERE AS SMALLVILLE WRAPS UP CLARK KENT’S TEN-YEAR JOURNEY IN AN EPIC TWO-HOUR SERIES FINALE – The story of Clark Kent (Tom Welling) culminates in this epic two-hour series finale as Clark takes the last step to becoming the Man of Steel. With surprise guest appearances, nods to the first few seasons of the series and Michael Rosenbaum’s return as Lex Luthor, this final episode wraps up a decade-long story following one’s man’s journey to becoming the world’s greatest superhero.
Erica Durance, Allison Mack, Justin Hartley, Cassidy Freeman, John Glover, Annette O’Toole and John Schneider also star. Kevin Fair directed “Finale Part 1,” which was written by Al Septien & Turi Meyer and Greg Beeman directed “Finale Part 2,” written by Brian Peterson & Kelly Souders.

The only thing that concerns me is that it references Clark taking the last step towards becoming the Man of Steel.  The way that’s phrased leaves a little doubt as to whether we will see Clark in the iconic Superman costume at the end.  I’m sure it was phrased that way just to get fans a little riled up and interested though.  There’s no way they can end the show without Clark wearing the suit.  Guess we’ll find out in a few weeks though!

To be completely honest that addition of the classic Superman music gave me chills and they did a good job of showing Clark’s progression to what we hope is Superman.  The last clip of Clark in the glasses, and then pulling them off seems to be the precursor to the iconic reveal of the suit (I hope).  CW has definitely done a good job in keeping my interest in the upcoming finale.

FRIDAY, April 15

“SMALLVILLE” — (8:00-9:00 p.m. ET)
“Kent” (TV-14, DL) (HDTV)

CLARK RETURNS TO THE ALTERNATE UNIVERSE AND RUNS INTO JONATHAN — Clark (Tom Welling) is shocked to find a mirror box in the barn. Clark Luthor surprises him and sends Clark Kent back to the alternate reality where Clark runs into a very angry Jonathan Kent (John Schneider). Meanwhile, back in our reality, Clark Luthor visits Tess (Cassidy Freeman) and tells if she doesn’t side with him he’ll kill her. Lois (Erica Durance) asks Emil (guest star Allesandro Juliani) to help her bring Clark back. Jeannot Szwarc directed with story by Genevieve Sparling and teleplay by Kelly Souders & Brian Peterson (#3X6018).

I will admit I found the mirror box and Ultraman Clark fairly interesting.  However, I wasn’t expecting him to show up again especially in the final rush towards the series finale.  But, I think I can live with it since this alternate universe episode will bring back Jonathan Kent.  I love John Schneider’s work as Jonathan Kent so seeing this twisted version of Pa Kent could be a lot of fun.

Hopefully there are no more filler episodes after this episode.  There is still a lot of ground to cover before the series finale of Smallville

“As foreshadowed in the final seconds of Friday’s episode (as well as a certain AA Asterisk Quiz), Luthor clone Alexander (played by Lucas Gabreel) is actually… Conner frakkin’ Kent! Although I can’t say when exactly his secret identity will be revealed, I can confirm (via the exclusive photo above) that an upcoming episode contains a not-too-subtle nod to the character’s super-powered lineage.

“Conner’s journey is manipulated by a master,” showrunners Brian Peterson and Kelly Souders reveal exclusively to TVLine. “Luckily, someone knows more about Conner’s life than he does. But he should be wary of strangers bearing gifts.”

If you’ve paid attention the Smallville writers have been setting this up.  Alexander has been gradually losing his memories of Lex’s life.  Presumably he is going to lose them all and become Conner Kent.  The question is, will he become part of the Justice League too?  And if the quotes above aren’t enough to satisfy your need for proof that Alexander is going to become Superboy, check out this picture.

Via: TV Line

Well fellow Smallville fans, this is the news we have been waiting for.  TV Line broke the news last night that Michael Rosenbaum would be returning as Lex Luthor for the finale of Smallville.  With only 3 episodes of the show left to film this was perfect timing.  They have been setting things up perfectly to bring back Rosenbaum and now its going to happen.  As a fan I’m pretty excited.  The folks at TV Line were able to interview Micheal and this is what he said about returning for the end of Smallville.

“I’m delighted to return for the series finale,” Rosenbaum tells TVLine exclusively. “I’m simply doing it for all of the fans out there who made Smallville the great success it is. I appreciate all of their passion, their relentlessness, and even their threats. Ha ha.”  The actor continues, “I can’t wait to hug the old crew back in Vancouver one last time and see all of my old friends once again. Oh, and for Lex to become the bad-ass he’s destined to be.”

I’m glad the Smallville team was able to get the final piece that fans were clamoring for.  It only makes sense for Superman’s greatest enemy to be in the episode where we hope that Superman is born.  If you can’t tell I’m pretty stoked to hear this news.

Via: TV Line

Via: Comic Book Movie.com

And now the CW is putting out promos to build up this excitement of Clark wearing The Suit.  Just take a look at the new promo picture that was released.  Pay specific attention to Clark’s reflection.  Looks like we’re going to be seeing the red and blue this year!  Or at least we better be after the way its been teased.

JOHN GLOVER RETURNS AS LIONEL LUTHOR; EXECUTIVE PRODUCER KELLY SOUDERS MAKES HER DIRECTORIAL DEBUT — Tess (Cassidy Freeman) acquires a Kryptonian box that once belonged to Lionel Luthor (John Glover). When Clark (Tom Welling) accidentally activates the box, he’s transported to a parallel universe where Lionel found Clark in the cornfields instead of the Kents. In this universe, Clark Luthor is a murderer and Lois (Erica Durance) is engaged to Oliver (Justin Hartley) and both of them hate Clark. Clark must be careful not to tip off Lionel that he’s not his son while trying to figure out how to get back to Earth where the monster Clark Luthor was transported in his place. Executive producer Kelly Souders directed the episode written by Bryan Q. Miller

Personally I think that anything that gets John Glover back on my TV is a good thing.  I’m looking forward to seeing this twisted Father/Son relationship between Clark and Lionel.

As much as the Cat Grant character annoys me (which I realize she is meant to do) she was right about one thing. How are people supposed to trust these heroes that hide in the dark and cloak themselves in the shadows? One of the reasons Superman is so beloved is that he stands out and is recognizable. The mask-less costume and the bright colors that comprise his uniform make him very visible to the public. Meanwhile, the Blur is the exact opposite. The Blur kept to the shadows and prevented himself from being seen at nearly all times. Needless to say, this does not allow him to be viewed a friendly to the public. At the end of Shield, Clark has taken another step towards becoming Superman by creating a suit that allows him to stand out and not be as hidden from the people of Metropolis.

I’ll be honest I didn’t like the Matrixy Neo-like costume that Clark was wearing in season 9.  Or rather I didn’t like it at first.  Once I came to the realization that this was Clark’s first step as a costumed vigilante the costume grew on me.  Clark’s only exposure to the world of heroes has been people who hide in the shadows and aren’t easily viewable, so it only makes sense that his first costume would reflect this mindset.  If you don’t believe me look at Green Arrow.  He hides to the shadows and changes his voice so as not to be recognized.

I’m really hoping that the new costume grows on me like the black suit did.  Right now, I can honestly say that I am not a big fan of the new suit.  I do like the fact that Clark has finally begun adopting the traditional Superman colors.  However, the all red embossed leather jacket just doesn’t do it for me.  I think part of my dislike is that is a solid color and the House of El crest doesn’t stand out.  One of the things I liked about the black suit from the very beginning was that the silver House of El crest was easily viewable on the black t-shirt.

If a few changes were made to the new costume it would be much more palatable to me, and probably other fans.  I really think that something should be in place to break up all the red of the jacket, or maybe even make the jacket blue.  If the House of El crest were a different color and some color were added to the shoulders of the jacket.  When I was surfing the web the other night I found that some others had the same thought as I did and had posted some of their ideas online.  The concept below is what I think would be awesome for the current costume.  I’m going to dig through my history and try to find where I found it so I can credit the designer.

Honestly, I’m probably just nit-picking when it comes to the new costume.  It’s a step forward and continues to build Clark Kent up as the man who will be Superman.  The costume is changing, heck even Clark’s hair while in costume is starting to look like the traditional Superman hair style from the comics and movies.

Hopefully, this is the final costume evolution before Clark dons the costume everyone wants to see…

So we previewed Smallville’s 200th episode earlier this week.  The preview was good, but it didn’t do any justice to the episode we got tonight.  I’ve jotted down some initial thoughts on the episode.  I fully intend to flesh it out with a full review later.  Hopefully my insane ramblings make sense to you all.

1. It wasn’t a clip show.  The previews made it look like there would be a lot of clips of past episodes, but there were really very few.  I was happy to see that and it made the episode better to limit the flashback clips.  The ones they used fit in perfectly to the episode and gave great emphasis to the ongoing events.
2. James Marsters continues to own the role of Brainiac.  It’s a unique take, but its really good.  Personally I thought he did a great job of looking evil and out for revenge when he first appeared before Clark.  Then he morphed into a guide for Clark’s life.  Completely different from the past Brainiacs of the series.  You could almost buy at the end that Clark and Brainiac 5 could be friends and work together.
3. This episode has been the best one so far to build up the future of the Superman mythos.  Not only did we see the Daily Planet and a headline about Superman, but we got to see the ‘nerdy’ Clark Kent of the future.  Awesome, thats all there is to it.  Not only that, but there was a nice nod to the Superman movies with Clark saving Lois in the falling helicopter.
4. Tom Welling and Erica Durance have fantastic chemistry on-screen.  These two actors just seem to mesh really well together.  The interactions between future Lois and the Clark from the past were fantastic.  Spot on work.  You could totally buy the fact that the Lois and Clark of the future would work together to maintain his secret.
5. The glasses comments.  They played up the glasses aspect in hiding in plain sight, something huge in this episode.  When Clark wanders around without them people start to think they recognize him and actually double-take to see if he is Superman.  Then there was the great comment when he had the glasses on, “No, it’s just the guy from the 8th floor.”
6. Flight!  I love it Clark might just figure out how to fly now.  Confronting his past that haunts him and the issues in his future may have helped him make some progress.  But the biggest thing was probably admitting he loved Lois.  After the events with Brainiac and then with Lois I imagine Clark had a clear head and didn’t have to worry about his darkness anymore.  Lois might just be what saves Clark from Darkseid.

Honestly, this might have been one of the best episodes of Smallville that have been made.  Easily in the top 5 if not number 1.  This show is really pulling out all the stops as it nears the end of its 10 year run.  To steal a catchphrase from TV Guide and  part-time Starkville House of El Host Damian Holbrook, this episode of Smallville = geekwood.

The folks over at TV Guide have been able to sit on a lot of the Smallville production efforts for episode 200 entitled Homecoming.  As such, they’ve been able to put together quite a preview for this week’s episode.  Any else excited by this preview?  As long as it doesn’t turn in to a clip show I’m going to be pretty happy with the show.  But I think the use of old clips is about the only way they could bring back some of the actors who have left the show.  I can’t be too disappointed though, James Marsters is coming back to play the role of Brainiac 5.  I’ve always been a fan of his work and thought he was vastly underrated as an actor, so anytime he’s back on TV I’m happy.

And one last piece just to tease the readers some more.  Here is the official description of the 200th episode of Smallville.

A RECORD-BREAKING EVENT! SMALLVILLE HITS 200 EPISODES AND BRINGS BACK FAMILIAR FACES LIKE JAMES MARSTERS AS BRAINIAC — In an attempt to cheer up Clark (Tom Welling), Lois (Erica Durance) convinces him to attend their five-year high school reunion. A visit back to the home of the Crows has Clark remembering old times with Lana (Kristin Kreuk) and Chloe (Allison Mack), while Losi is furious that no one remembers her five days as a student. Brainiac 5.0 (James Marsters) uses his Legion ring to visit from the future and takes Clark through his past, present and future. He shows Clark what really happened the night Jonathan died, Oliver’s (Justin Hartley’s) current pain and Clark’s future at the Daily Planet with Lois and his role as Earth’s favorite red and blue superhero. Jeannot Szwarc directed the episode written by Brian Peterson & Kelly Souders (#3X6004).

Here’s hoping they’ve kept it really quiet and we get the return of the real Lex Luthor during this episode.  That would be a huge way to cap off episode 200.

Dunno if everyone else has watched the Smallville season finale last night but the opening hinted at some big changes for the future.  Anyone else notice the overly CGI Superman logo?  And on top of that Perry White as editor of the Daily Planet!

I need to double check, but did it look like to anyone else that Lois was wearing a wedding ring?  Since she’s guessed Clark’s alter ego its possible.  For those that don’t remember the scene I’m talking about its below… and seriously its going to be a long wait for season 10.