TV Blog: Smallville: "Arctic"

I'm sorry, Clark. But this glowing orb is my ticket off this sinking ship of a show. Now you've got to carry this gig all by yourself.







SPOILER ALERT!!! STOP READING IF YOU HAVEN'T WATCHED LAST NIGHT'S (5/15/08) EPISODE!!!

That's it? That's Lex Luthor's great swan song, his final triumph? That's Michael Rosenbaum's grand exit from this series that he's been a part of for SEVEN years? By literally bringing the house of cards down on top of not only Clark (Tom Welling), but himself as well, leaving them both buried in the ice of the Arctic?

Oh, and let's briefly cover the other "hanging" plot threads for next season:

1) Chloe's (Allison Mack) going to prison for hacking government computers;

2) Kara's (Laura Vandervoort) trapped in the Phantom Zone (something of a season finale family tradition in the House of El--hey, it worked for getting Clark out of the picture at the end of Season 5!);

3) Lana (Kristin Kreuk) broke up with Clark via DVD (OUCH!! Guess it's better than email or text message break-up, though);

4) Jimmy's (Aaron Ashmore) ... well, Jimmy's still lame;

and 5) Lionel Luthor (John Glover) ... is still dead.

Well. That was disappointing.

That had to be the most UNDERWHELMING season finale I've seen for ANY show in quite some time. I have even LESS enthusiasm for next season than I did before last night's show aired, and I didn't think that was possible. Of course I'll tune in, because I'll want to see what preposterous explanation they're going to pose for Lex's absence, something like Clark saying, "I couldn't find Lex in all the snow and ice ... he must be dead!" Yes, Smallville fans, after seven years of quality hissable performances from Michael Rosenbaum, his character will in all likelihood get the same treatment Jason Teague (Jensen Ackles) got at the start of Season 5, presumed dead and buried even though we never see a body. At least Ackles got a consolation prize from the CW, a starring role in Supernatural.

Action Figure News: NECA's upcoming "Conan the Barbarian" series!

Okay, so maybe these are a tad late, considering the movie first came to theaters in 1982. But anyone with a taste for nostalgia (yes, that would be ME) and who would agree that Conan the Barbarian is still one of Schwarzenegger's best films (and the better of the two Conan films, though I know some who would debate that) I think would agree that these are VERY well done renditions of Ah-nald in all his Cimmerian blood-soaked glory. What's most impressive to me is the facial sculpts on both figures--not only do they REALLY look like Schwarzenegger, but they accurately reproduce his facial expressions in those scenes in the film (his days as a pit-fighter slave near the beginning and the attack on Thulsa Doom's temple, respectively)! NECA's really outdone themselves with this assortment ... guess I'm going to have to find room somewhere in my place for these, too ...

UPDATED: Smallville Series Finale tonight (or at least it SHOULD be ...)

Sorry, found this image of Mack while doing a Google search for her and just HAD to include it ... WOW when did she do this? GO CHLOE!


UPDATE (11:09AM) - Well, looks like the folks at the CW haven't lost their minds completely: they've signed a deal with reps for Allison Mack to bring her back as a series regular next year, after all. Here's the word from TV Guide's insider, Mike Ausiello:

Smallville fans, consider this bullet officially dodged: Multiple sources confirm to me exclusively that after weeks of tense negotiations, Allison Mack has sealed a deal to return next season as a series regular!

[The crowd roars]

Although the specifics of the new contract -- which was signed just hours ago -- are being kept under wraps, I'm told it calls for Mack to appear in all episodes produced next season. As I reported earlier this week, the actress' reps were (wisely) using the imminent departure of Smallville vet Michael Rosenbaum as leverage in the negotiations. I'm going to go out on a limb and say the strategy paid off.

My concerns still stand, of course--you're still losing Lex and Lana as regulars, but Lana will appear for a few, and even if Lex appears in a 3-4 episode arc, that might not be too bad. This business about introducing Doomsday as a villain next season, though? The CW seems determined to have Smallville jump the shark, as if a great many people didn't think it had done so already.

10:30AM




This past season has certainly had its ups and downs, like any other, and this season's finale promises to place all the principals in cliffhanger-style danger, just as many others have, except this time we know certain things FOR CERTAIN going in:

1) Goodbye, Lex: Michael Rosenbaum has said his official goodbye in an open letter to fans--he will not be back as a regular next season (though he MAY do a limited number of episodes);

2) Goodbye, Lana: Kristin Kreuk is also leaving as a series regular, though it IS confirmed she WILL do a limited number of episodes next season (last report was seven).

In addition, there's this bit of news, not as certain:

3) Goodbye, Chloe (maybe): Allison Mack is not contractually signed for Season 8, and many in Hollywood are reporting that her representatives are demanding from the CW more than the network is willing to pay. TV Guide's Mike Ausiello reported earlier this week after previewing tonight's episode that given what occurs tonight, it would not be difficult AT ALL to explain Chloe's absence from the show next year.

So, potentially, we could have Smallville without Lex, Lana, OR Chloe, with the returning principals being Tom Welling (Clark), Erica Durance (Lois), and Aaron Ashmore (Jimmy Olsen). The return of Laura Vandervoort (Kara) is even in question, as her name was not mentioned among the show's cast at the CW's "upfront" presentation in New York this past week (neither was Mack's, although Kreuk was given second billing). So, Clark, Lois, and Jimmy ... shall we rename the show "The NEW new Adventures of Lois and Clark"?

Once again, I must renew my call to end this show NOW, gracefully, with the majority of its original cast still onboard. It won't happen, no matter how much fan outcry there is, but I have to ask one more time. Without Lex, Lana, and Chloe (and with Pete Ross long departed, along with Jonathan and Martha Kent), this is no longer Smallville at all, and "Lois and Clark", well, that's been done before. The CW is keeping this show alive on a respirator, basically--the ratings have been falling all season, and with all the changes planned will PLUMMET next season--because they have precious little else to hang their hopes on. There are simply too many fans out there, particularly fans of Allison Mack, who won't tune in next year because it's too much. I'm not even sure I will be watching next year, given what we know now. And with what tonight promises, a FINAL confrontation between Lex and Clark with all the cards at last on the table, however it resolves itself I'll be happy to not watch a single episode again, rather than endure the show's slow demise in the absence of its most essential elements.