What I’m Watching: Smallville (Series Finale)

Just shy of ten years ago, on October 16, 2001, I sat down to watch this show’s series premiere. Though I wavered at the start of the sixth season and only caught up during the summer when the show was airing in repeats, this is the oldest show which I watched from the very beginning as it aired live on television. I loved season one and two, and grew very disillusioned with subsequent seasons, and was revitalized briefly at the start of the sixth season, as I state in my first-ever post on this show, from the summer of 2007, by the introduction of Oliver and an upturn in quality. Unfortunately, that didn’t last, and while this show has had its moments over the past eight years, it’s never been able to match the initial quality and innocence that came from the reinvention of this story. Michael Rosenbaum was usually the strongest actor, and I was a fan of Lana and Chloe back in the day, but not the way that they ended up thanks to later seasons. I was never a Lois lover, but the final few episodes have helped improve my opinion of her. This finale, like this season and those before it, was disjointed and had a few strong moments. Overall, however, it felt highly uneven and unfinished, rushing Clark’s story to its end as he becomes Superman. I’ve heard complaints about not seeing Clark in costume, but what annoys me more is the use of the Superman music composed by John Williams from the original 1978 film. Don’t get me wrong – it’s excellent, and definitely enhanced the episode, especially that awesome ending with Clark running to save a handful of people – but its association with this show is artificial. I’m going to remember that awesome moment with Clark running up to the roof thanks to the music, and that’s just not fair, since this show doesn’t deserve that. Bringing back Lex was fun because he is a great actor and it’s good to see him face off with Clark one last time. Tess wiping his memories, however, almost negates the entire show: Lex is back and elected president, and none of his nefarious deeds will ever be brought up again. It’s a bit cheap, and, additionally, the show doesn’t offer much closure other than to say that Chloe has a child, Tess died but no one cared, and apparently Emil wasn’t worthy of an appearance. And those who were annoyed by the existence of another Jimmy at his funeral can be reminded of that by his appearance next to Lois in the final moments. Basically, if all Clark had to do was realize that he should embrace his heritage, and everything was going to turn out according to mythology anyway, couldn’t we have saved some time and just ended this thing back in 2003?

Series finale: C+
Season grade: C-
Season MVP: Cassidy Freeman as Tess (though not by much)
Series grade: C
Series MVP: Michael Rosenbuam & John Glover
Best season: Season 1
Best episode: “Zero” (Season One)

What I’m Watching: Smallville

Smallville: Season 10, Episode 20 “Prophecy” (C-)

The series finale of this show better be pretty incredible. There’s no excuse for having such poor, unfocused, uninteresting episodes just before the big finish. Why Toyman of all villains needs to be brought back for the penultimate episode is beyond me, and it was rather obnoxious to have Clark and Lois stumble for half the hour before putting two and two together and realizing who the owner of Marionette Ventures might be. Jor-El’s test of Lois was particularly ill-timed, and I object when a trigger of love is used so blatantly to break a spell that, in the past, has not been able to be broken by such fateful declarations. Couldn’t we just have a normal episode where no one is possessed by anything? That would be an intriguing and frustrating project, one which I’d never have time or patience for, to determine how few episodes in this series’ run actually contain no traces of hypnotism or anyone acting in any way other than as themselves. I remember a great season one plotline, perhaps the only one without a “freak of the week,” with Roger Nixon trying to out Clark as a superhero, and I wish this show could have delivered more of those over the past ten years. While it’s nice to see Kara again, treasure hunting with Oliver in the bottom of a cave is hardly the best use of her time, and Oliver is now going to be positioned as a major foe for Clark in the finale. I really do hope that the two-hour mega-finale makes the past eight years of watching this show since its decline in quality somewhat worth it.

What I’m Watching: Smallville

Smallville: Season 10, Episode 19 “Dominion” (C-)

Three episodes to go, and we have to spend an entire hour in the Phantom Zone rehashing old relationships and skipping time in the real universe? It felt much more like filler to me than legitimate plot development, even with a chance to see Zod, a character who started out great and then went wrong, again. Oliver’s involvement with Clark and this whole field of superheroics has always been tangential at best, and to put him on a level playing field with Clark is just unnecessary since the two have been good friends for such a while now that they don’t need to come to blows over who might be more powerful or deserving of sovereignty. Lois pointing guns at Tess at Watchtower just adds to the peculiarity of Miss Mercer’s allegiances, that she’s so immediately trusted after being a mega-villain for a few seasons, and that she’s actually doing exactly what Clark told her and contending with a frantic, stubborn-as-anything Lois instead. When Clark and Oliver did finally make it back to our world, it seemed more like it was finally time to get started and dive back into the regular plot again rather than that he or Lois had achieved any sort of personal growth as individuals or as a couple. Next week marks the penultimate episode, followed by a two-hour finale that will hopefully utilize the show’s strongest elements from the past ten years and make having stuck with this show all these years seem to have been worthwhile.

What I’m Watching: Smallville

Smallville: Season 10, Episode 18 “Booster” (B-)

You’d think that a show airing one of its final five episodes wouldn’t need any help from a hero from the twenty-fifth century to establish its own hero as the man he was destined to be. I won’t argue too loudly, however, since the presence of Booster Gold definitely served to amp up the energy level, and I suppose it is all in service of putting the Blur, soon to be known as Superman, on a pedestal and transforming him into some version of the classic character we know from the comic books and movies. Clark training to be clumsy is, just as he says, a regression to his Lana-inspired pratfalls of season one, and it’s generally pretty amusing to see him fake a fall and move around differently so that he’ll both be less memorable and impressive. His made-up excuse about needing to find a bathroom because he had a milkshake on the way was particularly entertaining. I’m glad to see a bit of Cat in the role that Lois has never quite occupied, as the doe-eyed reporter looking for a big story but not too full of herself to prevent her from being wowed by something truly miraculous, like the Blur coming in and saving her from certain doom and decapitation. Only Clark and Lois were on duty in terms of regular players in this episode, and I’m hopeful that we’ll have fitting goodbyes for some of our other more (relatively) recent additions like Oliver and Tess before this show signs off for good.

What I’m Watching: Smallville

Smallville: Season 10, Episode 17 “Kent” (B-)

We’re now officially in the home stretch, with this serving as the first of the final five ever episodes of this superhero show. Maybe it’s a sense of nostalgia coming over me or the fact that we’re so close to the end, but I do think this episode was considerably better than some of the recent installments, mainly because it references that alternate reality we first saw a couple of episodes back. Even if I’ve never been particularly impressed by the acting abilities of Tom Welling, Clark Luthor and Clark Kent do seem like two completely different characters. It’s weird only to see Tess and Lois as the supporting players with old favorites like Chloe and Oliver gone, but we do get a chance to see one character I know to be beloved by many fans of the show: Jonathan Kent. It’s good to see Clark get some therapeutic closure by talking to his dad once again, and this show is really hard to emphasize the idolization of Clark as a hero. Having Clark Luthor present just helps to underline the fact that Clark is perhaps the nicest, most well-intentioned crime fighter ever to exist. With the Kent farm being sold off, Clark and Lois can move to Metropolis to abandon the show’s title for good and help him to become the Daily Planet reporter and Superman he was always meant to be. I’m not sure how far things are going to get in the show’s final four installments, but I’m looking forward to them.

What I’m Watching: Smallville

Smallville: Season 10, Episode 16 “Scion” (C)

At least this episode, compared to the ones that have led up to it, has a purpose. This bizarre Lex-clone, who apparently has some of Clark’s DNA, has somehow transformed himself from one of this season’s villains to one of its heroes, just as susceptible as Clark to the influences of Red Kryptonite. I’m still fuzzy on how exactly this all came to be, especially considering how far away the show had gotten itself from the Luthor family, but this episode was a sign that things are headed in the right direction. John Glover was the one of the strongest actors ever to grace this show with his presence, and having him back again to chew scenery like he means it is always a treat. I will stay argue that, for some reason, this show has some of the more horrendous and unbearable dialogue, and it came out in this episode more than it has in a few weeks (maybe that’s because the storyline wasn’t quite as stupid this time around). The need to have every line be filled with sarcasm, self-reference, or cleverness is nauseating, and Lionel is saddled with almost as many of those terrible one-liners as Chloe and Lois combined. What is good, however, is that the show is returning to this notion of what it means to be a hero. At this point, we’re taking a five-week break and then the show returns for its final five episodes (I think I’m actually excited!) on April 15th. Let’s hope that the time off makes way for some truly exceptional, or at the very least enthralling, television worthy of the Man of Steel.

What I’m Watching: Smallville

Smallville: Season 10, Episode 15 “Fortune” (F)

Now this is something we just don’t need. There’s little I hate more on this show than magic, and I can remember back to the days that Lana would get possessed by some spirit and do karate all over the place for no reason at all. A drunken bachelor party involving some incoherent group of mobsters is hardly the kind of storyline we need to be pursuing ever, let alone in the last season of this show. It was especially hilarious, in a less-than-flattering way to the show, to see who the chosen guests were at the parties, bringing the socially awkward Emil and the rather treacherous Tess into the fold as if they were just as close as Clark, Chloe, Lois, and Oliver, all of whom have had some hand in romance with more than one of the others in the bunch. It makes little sense to me that Tess can go from being a super villainess one episode, or even one season, to the best friend of a woman she’s tried to kill on multiple occasions. And Emil as an Elvis impersonator? How random is that? I recently re-watched the fantastic two-part episode “The Oath” / “Blood on the Scales” from the final season of “Battlestar Galactica,” and Alessandro Juliani had such a better part on that show. Pairing up Tess and Emil makes sense, and awkwardly making it seem like Chloe and Clark had gotten married was just stupid. We have a mere six episodes to go on this show; let’s hope the rest aren’t nearly as much of a waste of time.

What I’m Watching: Smallville

Smallville: Season 10, Episode 14 “Masquerade” (F)

I am not impressed. Just a few weeks ago, we had an episode where friendly faces appeared and were actually duplicitous recreations of the people, where people were actually still dreaming when they thought they were awake. I’m not overly familiar with all of the Superman mythology, but I do know that, even if this darkness stuff is rooted in comic book history, it still sounds impossible silly every time something about The Darkness is uttered by any of these characters. Oliver and Chloe stole their plotline right out of “Date Night,” and it works even worse here than it did in that disappointing film. Don’t they know that they’re main characters and they can’t be harmed so easily? That’s why they’re perfectly okay having a casual conversation about anniversaries while they’re hanging out in a trunk. Clark’s transformation into the bumbling, bespectacled, mild-mannered reporter as he prepares to step out of the darkness and become Superman would be far more compelling if it had occurred ten years earlier and if he was actually anything other than a bumbling, mild-mannered guy. All he needs to do is put on glasses; he’s got the rest down already, and he certainly did when he was back in high school and this show had a clearer sense of where it was going. At least there’s something to look forward to, as Clark gets ready to put on the suit (metaphorically and literally, to a lesser extent) and step into the role for which he is destined.

What I’m Watching: Smallville

Smallville: Season 10, Episode 13 “Beacon” (F)

It’s as if this show functions only based on when former cast members are conveniently available for a return appearance. Lionel popping in to Tess’ office at the start of the episode feels pretty horribly timed given the fact that he escaped from a parallel dimension more than a couple of weeks ago. Tess’ exclamation of “I didn’t approve any of these stories!” was one of the most forced moments of the episodes, though there are plenty of poorly reasoned-out pieces of knowledge and inconsistencies regarding Lionel’s existence in this world and the way in which he reclaimed his glory and status. Clark’s unwillingness to kill any of his nemeses is at this point becoming beyond frustrating, because he’s simply leaving the door open for them to return and wreak havoc on his life and the lives of those he loves. Also unexplained is why Clark didn’t run like lightning to save his mother, since Alexander’s entire theory was that Clark would run in front of the bullet and be pierced by deathly Kryptonite! Alexander is another character who seems to only pop up when it’s convenient, and Tess’ latest action should theoretically take him out of the picture for good. Scrambled episodes like this don’t give me much confidence that this show can perform well in its last two months on air, as we’re now plummeting towards the end of this series with only eight episodes to go. An awesome finale, which is very possible, isn’t going to make up for something close to eight poor seasons.

What I’m Watching: Smallville

Smallville: Season 10, Episode 12 “Collateral” (D+)

I’ve seen episodes like this before, and this is nowhere near as effective as it could have been. I’m reminded particularly of a trippy episode of “The X-Files” where Scully and Mulder were buried underground and kept breaking through to the surface, only to have it revealed that they were still asleep and underground. This didn’t make a whole lot of sense, with a long-absent Chloe suddenly reappearing and determined to run the whole show, expecting everyone to trust her when she hadn’t contacted them for such a long while. It’s clear that the basis for this virtual reality is similar to that on the recently-axed “Caprica,” where Chloe is a ninja obsessed with showing off her skills simply because she has some strong hacking abilities. It seems to me that there are way too many inconsistencies in any kind of Superman mythology at this point in the show’s run, with way too many people being entirely aware of Clark’s identity. No one seems too concerned with that, of course, focusing instead on such things as asking Chloe to be a maid of honor and not actively battling the powerful evil forces determined to strip them of their abilities and pretty much annihilate them. This season has seemed excessively disjointed to me, and I’m not sure if it’s any more so than over the past few years or if it’s just seeming like that because the show has been off the air for a good number of weeks. Either way, it’s relatively incoherent, and hardly near the high note that a veteran series like this should be prepared to go out on at the end of the season.

What I’m Watching: Smallville

Smallville: Season 10, Episode 11 “Icarus” (C-)

After an above-average (for this show) installment having to do with an alternate universe, we’re back to the same old ineffectiveness of the VRA plotline. It gets especially complicated when it deals with century-old mythical beings, and I’m convinced I had to have been not paying attention for the few minutes when the existence of people like Hawkman in this universe was explained. In any case, we do have a joke about missing the typewriter, or rather, the telegraph, to remind us that the now-defunct Hawkman is in fact older than dust, and I’m more interested in the fact that he just seems to be able to save the day only when Clark is busy doing something else, making his sacrifice to save Lois feel all the more random. The fact that Clark, Hawkman, and Oliver just parade around inside General Wilson’s office when everyone in the world is looking for them is rather unbelievable. I do find it rather hilarious that Michael Hogan’s character has lost his eye on this show. Lois and Clark’s engagement, like much of their relationship, is inconsequential in the greater scheme of things, since they’re going to have to battle this Darkness that apparently was also responsible, according to Hawkman, for both the Crusades and the Holocaust (such delusions of grandeur can also be found, albeit more cleverly deployed, in CSM-centric episodes of “The X-Files”). Cat not turning Lois in is a bit of relief since these guys need some allies, but overall, this episode just doesn’t cut it.

What I’m Watching: Smallville

Smallville: Season 10, Episode 10 “Luthor” (B-)

This episode may be the strongest installment of the season so far by a mile, but unfortunately, it’s still considerably disappointing. For those who don’t know, I absolutely love alternate realities, more than anything with the possible exception of time travel (which, more often than not, leads to alternate realities). Therefore, engaging with a parallel universe and a character even named Alterman is absolutely exciting, and it’s just a shame that the show couldn’t quite make the most of their plotline. The show does also fall prey to making Tess over-important the same way that “The O.C.” utilized Che later on when Luke was no longer present in its alternate universe episode (which, to be fair, was considerably dumber). Now that Tess has been revealed as a Luthor child, she’s suddenly a huge deal and entirely connected to every other plot the show has ever had. The chance to see scenery-chewer John Glover is always welcome since he consistently turned in a fine performance when he was on the show, but it’s weird not to have Lex and instead have two other Luthor children. I enjoyed alternate Tess until she slipped right back into being regular Tess when Lionel threw her out of his office. Oliver moping around in the alternate universe wasn’t all too impressive either. I enjoyed Clark’s return to his world with Tess, Oliver, and Lois all ready to shoot him, and it’s the kind of scene that makes me wish we had been there to see it but also works just well enough on its own. Ah well, back to real life (or rather, our world) now.

What I’m Watching: Smallville

Smallville: Season 10, Episode 9 “Patriot” (C-)

The concept of this Vigilante Registration Act is truly interesting, and it’s a shame that the show continually fails to showcase it and pursue the storyline in a compelling manner. Maybe it’s because I was taking some time off from this show back in season six when the first Justice League of America episode aired, but I’ve never been overly fond of the superheroes that seem to pop in and out of this show sporadically. Aquaman’s presence feels random and the evocation of his mystical origins don’t fit too well with all of the Superman mythology. His girlfriend’s manner of speech is one of the things that bothers me immensely, since it sounds just like Lois anytime she’s possessed and leads me to believe that no one at the CW actually realizes how ridiculous these lines sounds. I don’t quite understand why Oliver needs to officially register as a vigilante since he’s already out, so to speak, and a public declaration of his entrance into the program seems foolhardy because his future absence would then be all the more noticeable. Michael Hogan was a perfect choice to play the general hell bent on ridding the world of the heroes, and quite ready to strike at any enemies, as evidenced by his death grip on Lois’ hand after she snatched the photo. This makes Hogan the second “Battlestar Galactica” alumnus to express a furious hatred of the super-powered, following Aaron Douglas, and the second to appear in this episode, after Alessandro Juliani, who plays Dr. Emil. If only this show was anywhere near as well-written as that one these days.

What I’m Watching: Smallville

Smallville: Season 10, Episode 8 “Abandoned” (C+)

Forgive me if I’m still a bit confused about how Tess suddenly went from being a major villain to a trusted ally and new best friend for Clark. Ignoring that gaping plot hole, this episode was somewhat more interesting than recent installments because it delved into the past of a character whose origin story previously involved only Oliver. The revelation that the show’s replacement for Lex is actually his (half?) sister is intriguing, and it inspired me to do research on whether the character was actually part of the Superman mythology or simply invented for this show (more of the latter, it appears). It continues to mystify me that this show is going to such lengths to bring back the Luthor legacy after it pretty much dismissed it and moved past it (not quite, I guess) with Michael Rosenbaum’s departure a few seasons back. The rest of this episode was extremely self-contained, and I’m sure fans of the last live-action Superman show to be on the air were ecstatic about the appearance of Teri Hatcher as Lois’ mom. The congruity of all of the episode’s plotlines, dealing with accepting the absence of parents, felt a bit forced, but at least it’s better than things being all over the place, like an Amish clan trying to sacrifice Lois while Tess plans lots of birthday parties. Another compliment I can give this episode (the Tess part) is that it’s actually headed somewhere, which is important given the fact that this final season should present some sort of wrap-up for a decade-long saga.

What I’m Watching: Smallville

Smallville: Season 10, Episode 7 “Ambush” (D)

I’m all for the romance between Lois and Clark, but there’s no reason we have to have these stupid episodes with obnoxious music and relationship woes. This one is better than the rest, but it’s still problematic. One issue here is one that many have with “No Ordinary Family” – there were no stakes. Lucy’s duplicity is addressed only by a brief apology from her after the incident, and she so willingly agrees to plant a tracker on her father without his knowledge that it’s hard to believe she has a clue what she’s doing half the time. More importantly, the assertion that Clark is fast but can’t stop something or other is pointless, because he can and there’s no reason anyone else should think otherwise. The bad guys know Clark’s identity, yet he’s able to run around free and clear without a care in the world, and their big move is to blow up a building with anti-Blur signs on it? That’s not going to help anyone. We also have Clark appearing to ask the General (a dumb character, by the way) for Lois’ hand in marriage, yet the plotline is never addressed after that scene. While it’s possible that it’s being saved for a future episode, with the way this show keeps things on the sidelines for episodes at a time, that’s not exactly a comfort. On the subject of uncomfortable things, there’s already talk brewing that an eleventh season of this show could be in order. Please no.

What I’m Watching: Smallville

Smallville: Season 10, Episode 7 “Harvest” (F)

Why, after this major revelation, do we have to have a pathetic episode which once again invokes the crutch of meteor-infected populaces and puts Clark in a situation where he no longer has his powers. It’s as if it’s only worth watching the first two and last two minutes of any given episode of this show since everything in between is just crap. While this show has seen its fair share of regrettable plotlines recently, they’ve been far more impressive and imaginative than this, and the regression is lamentable. This concept has also been executed in a much more compelling manner – the “Our Town” episode of “The X-Files” comes to mind immediately. I’m perplexed as to how Lois managed to escape the clutches of the townspeople, don some of their clothing, and locate Clark in the span of one commercial break when we saw her being carried away to be burned at the stake only moments earlier, and that convenient plot hole was pretty much all that was carrying the episode. Let’s focus more on Lois expressing her awe at Clark using his powers, and get these two out of Amish country, stat, never to return. On the subject of old plotlines being dredged up for no reason, why is there such a focus on Lex? As I’ve said before, it’s mainly disappointing because Michael Rosenbaum (almost) definitely won’t be back on the show, and mainly because we’ve been here already. This show – this universe – made a decision to kill off Lex, and bringing him back, even as a rapidly-aging clone, is pretty much cheating.

What I'm Watching: Smallville

Smallville: Season 10, Episode 5 “Isis” (C-)

While I'm very pleased with the ending of the episode, its occurrence makes the entire length of this episode before it wholly unnecessary. I was going to say, “it's about damn time,” but Lois' “what took you so long” works too. From here on out, perhaps they can function well since they're both aware of each other's activities and knowledge, so I'm slightly hopeful for the future. Regarding this episode, yet another person being possessed by some ancient deity works about as poorly as it has the last four dozen times this show has gone that route. I was especially annoyed by the abrupt shift in voice that Lois put on when she was possessed by Isis. Kat's investigation makes her little more than a distracting pipsqueak, and I'm unsure of what her function will be in the coming episodes. Her meeting with Tess did have the unfortunate effect of Tess cackling, contributing to an overall bizarrely steely and haughty attitude taken on by Tess in this episode, culminating in some unexpected and, honestly, uninteresting crying. I'm continually perplexed by why Little Lex is becoming a recurring character since there's no chance that Big Lex, a.k.a. Michael Rosenbaum, will be returning to the show. This series was doing okay part of the time without addressing the Luthors, and their re-invocation is questionable at best. One more bone to pick – attributing weird happenings to the fact that “this is Metropolis.” Wait a minute, I thought this was Smallville?

What I'm Watching: Smallville (200th Episode)

Smallville: Season 10, Episode 4 “Homecoming” (C+)

This milestone installment is about as monumental and revolutionary as this show has ever been capable of being, and I don't really mean that as a compliment. This show has always relied on imagined realities and time travel as handicaps to actually moving the plot forward, which is the reason that Clark told Lana, Chloe, and Lois about his secret an infinite number of times and it never amounted to anything because they were always under the influence of some type of mind-altering parasite or got their memory erased due to a correction of the time continuum. Now, characters from past seasons arrive for one long metaphor rather than a celebratory two-hundredth episode that actually changes things in a major way. The return of James Marsters shouldn't be seen as a bad thing, but can't anything happen in the present without some assistance from the future? Clark being able to see what it would be like to be a public hero is fun, but isn't it about time that he's able to do that in the present? Enough going to the future – it's time to be there already! After ten seasons, Clark needs to become Superman. Watching him save that plane was incredibly exciting, and it would be nice if Clark did that on a regular basis. I was hoping the episode would end with him bursting through the roof of his barn and giving Lois the ride of her life. Instead, all we get is a romantic moment of them hovering just above the ground mid-dance. Oh well, maybe by the finale this show can finally realize its potential.

What I’m Watching: Smallville

Smallville: Season 10, Episode 3 “Supergirl” (C)

This is what they brought Kara back for? For a photo shoot and to teach Clark to fly? I like the idea of incorporating Supergirl into the storyline, but knowing that she’s only sticking around for one episode really takes the fun out of it. While her presence was never fully fused into the regular rhythm of the show, Kara was a great character to have on the show, especially in the last-ever episode in which Michael Rosenbaum appeared, when she was possessed by Brainiac. Now, Laura Vandervoort is appearing regularly as an alien on a show that’s not appearing quite as regularly: ABC’s reboot of “V,” which has yet to find a time slot or premiere date for its second season. This show, and especially this season, works much better on paper as a metaphor than it does practically-speaking as the action plays out. Clark’s journey to becoming a hero is taking much too long, and you’d think that Lois’ speedy return from the desert would rush things along. But, of course, Kara has to be the one to save Lois from certain doom, not Clark. At some point Clark is going to need to make his move, because this show doesn’t have a whole lot of time left (though I am getting increasingly worried that this will mimic the situation of “7th Heaven” from a few years ago, when it was renewed a few days after airing its series finale). Also, it’s about time they brought Chloe back, because mopey Oliver just isn’t cutting it. I'm not sure what to make yet of his final confession.

Another gripe with this episode: I've seen this in the movies before! All of the talk about planting an idea reminded me of "Inception," while Oliver's coming out to the press was just like "Iron Man."

What I'm Watching: Smallville

Smallville: Season 10, Episode 2 “Shield” (C+)

Sometimes, I wonder who comes up with the arcs for this show. I can usually understand where it's all headed by the time it's gotten there, but the road towards it can just be random as anything. I'm talking about Lois hanging out in the middle of the desert in Egypt talking to Hawkman about star-crossed lovers. Sure, the function of Lois in this final season is going to be to be as his silent support system, yearning to find ways to show him how much she cares without letting it slip that she knows his secret. Yet she really doesn't need to be shipped off to the Middle East to find herself and realize her true love for Clark. Her replacement is certainly trying her best to fill the void left by the intrepid reporter's absence and pissing Clark off just about as much as Lois did early on in their relationship. It's nice to see the perky Keri Lynn Pratt, best known as a pregnant teenager on “Jack & Bobby” and a dimwitted virgin being corrupted by Amy Adams in “Cruel Intentions 2” (the Selma Blair part, if I remember correctly). Pratt's Cat Grant should be a decent addition for however long she sticks around, provided she stops all her whining about the evil masked heroes. The Suicide Squad seems like an intense villainous organization, and whatever they have going on with Deadshot's super bullets. I care far less about Oliver or Tess or any of all that, and the final exposition shot of the episode clarifies what's it's really all about: that short of Clark standing on the roof next to the American flag indicates that we're going to see a true Superman soon.