Smallville on The CW - Season 6 2006-2007 - Page 27

I'm with the "Lana planned it all" crowd. She knows that Lex would never let her go willingly. I assume she figured out how to amass enough money from the Luthor fortune to pay some of his own staff off to arrange her "death".

That way, she escapes to a new life and frames Lex for her murder. Truly she has become a Luthor.

C'mom, guys....No matter HOW Lana feels about Lex, I don't think she wants him to take a murder rap. Maybe if she knew more about the "secret" stuff he's doing - but she really doesn't. Nobody in the show really knows the full extent of it - yet.

She probably hopped in the truck or whatever, but she's also gotta be banking on the fact that there won't be sufficient evidence (like her body parts) to convict Lex. It's more likely that she just wanted him detained long enough for her to make a thorough getaway.

As far as the Chloe and Lois thing, my guess is that Lois is not going to be as attracted to Clark as Chloe was, but as soon as he shows up as Superman, the latent attraction will hit her like a ton of bricks. Which means we might be seeing the costumed Clark before the final ep - maybe even early on, if he and the J.L. have to get together to fight the Bizarros.

And speaking of the Bizarros, I noticed that the one last night didn't speak ANYTHING at all like the way I remembered from the older comics - unless they "revamped" them, too. (I never know these things, 'cos I haven't read a Superman comic in almost 40 years. )

You may be right.

The only thing that may be a factor though is when Lex slapped Lana and said something to the effect of "Do you think I'd let you just walk out of here", Lana may have realized that unless he was put away, she'd never be free.

It's been my guess for over a year or so that at some point in the series Lex is going to off Lionel. After their confrontation last night regarding Lana, I think that time is coming closer.

As for reading some people's prediction's regarding Chloe, mine is I don't think she is dead. When they showed some fight scenes between the 2 Clarks, they'd switch off a few times and show falling rubble and damage to the dam caused by their fight. A few of those shots they'd show Lana over Chloe trying to protect her from falling debris caused by the fighting. If Chloe was dead, I don't think she'd be acting like that.

That's true about what Lex said to Lana. But Clark did say he'd protect her - no matter what.

(And , correct me if I'm wrong, but, even though Lex at least "suspects" Clark of having superhuman powers (the dagger), he still isn't aware of his "weakness" for Green Kryptonite. That was shown a few weeks back during the "cave-in" scene. So he definitely didn't know at least at the point when Lionel "threatened" Lana into the marriage, which was long before.

I mean, if Lex wanted to get to Clark, Lana sure isn't the only one around that he'd have to threaten. And Lex knows that, sure as s**t.

The whole, Lionel "protecting" Clark, and Lana believing in her way of thinking up till now, really is kind of a far-fetched part of it all. I seriously think that the writers of this show just decide to go a bunch of shows where nothing of any real consequence occurs (just the usual, soap opera and "freak-of-the-week" stuff), then they just read letters and forums like this, and then when it's time for a "big" show they just storm up a bunch of stuff that doesn't necessarily all fit or make sense, but will at least be sure to be unexpected by the viewers - I really don't think that they are writing any of this with much advance thought. I don't think they've ever had any kind of guidelines or rough draft - even for the coming final season.

A question? How come I'm not hearing anything from all the people that were so gung-ho to see Lana killed off? I thought you'd guys would be raving and thrilled. At least I can say I was - as soon as that car blew up I let out a loud warhoop!! I was actually clapping over it. The other people in the house thought I was nuts! And then I come here, and all you guys are ruining my giddiness by saying "she'll be back", and "she's not really dead". What a bunch of killjoys. Man, I was genuinely thrilled and looking forward to the fact that I wouldn't ever have to see or hear her or her $**t again! I was truly ecstatic. I was really expecting to see a bunch of posts saying "Good Riddance"!

Now we're beginning to see who here is really willing to put their money where their mouth is, aren't we ?

I think this was brought up here before, but it just dawned on me - how will Clark ever disguise himself if he's to ever become a costumed superhero?

Judging by how they handled the Oliver/Green Hornet character, I guess we'll be seeing our first "masked" version of Superman, huh? Oh, well... at least it will be a little more believable than the "old" way - with just a pair of glasses and one, lone curl in his hair.

Speaking of that - when Lois first picked her up and brought her close to cradle her, Chloe's left eyeball moved - it was like she blinked, even though her eye was actually closed. But the eyeball definitely moved. I just thought it was a "gaffe" that they didn't catch and left in there, but, it might've been a sign.

If anyone's still got it recorded, check it out very carefully and you'll see.

That's the way it always happens.....shallow women....

I remember someone bringing that up a season or 2 ago. Someone joked how the characters in Smallville will probably come down with some sort of amnesia where they don't remember Clark's younger years, because they have had so many other amnesia episodes in the past where characters can't remember their altered identities and such during certain episodes. That poster was just joking at the time, but he had a point.

You're right to ask how would Clark ever disguise himself. If I was Lex in the future seeing Superman flying around, you would think there would be some sort of recognition there that says, "Gee, that guy flying around looks kind of like Clark." Especially since Clark isn't even wearing glasses in these Smallville episodes which would at least partially hide his future identity as Superman.

I bet ole Jor-El takes care of that memory problem.

Clark never wore glasses in the original "Superman" movie either.

On a tangent, do any of you get Smallville OTA with 5.1 DD or 2.0 DD like me?

Well, not to get too into the various theories on various Superman fan sites, there is usually talk of either a "super-hypnotism" or "super-power-of-suggestion" that causes people to not recognize Superman as Clark.

I think the "glasses as disguise" probably dates from the time of those dopey old films where a mousy woman with glasses and her hair in a bun lets her hair down, takes off the glasses and the idiot boyfriend says, "My Gosh, you're BEAUTIFUL!!!"

The whole "glasses" thing with Superman is sooo stupid. There is no way a "sane" person wouldn't know that Clark is Superman. Just because he wears glasses, and a lone curl in his hair...isn't going to hide his true identity. Never understood that. Maybe that's why I never got into Superman.. that small little thing always got to me.

I like Smallville, and I'm glad that Clark didn't have those stupid glasses. As far as hiding his identity, just let him wear a small mask across the eyes.

I hear ya on the glasses-no glasses "disguise". Never took too kindly to that concept either, that's part of why I probably prefer the smallville-era personification of this superhero.


I'll pay more attention to the mansion shots now that you've pointed this "issue" out. In general though, changes in natural light can account for seemingly significant color changes. Whether this applies here, I dunno.



Sometimes it seems quite sharp, and other times it does seem a little soft. Not sure what to make of it... I understand that several factors contribute to the quality of broadcast HD content, so I've never paid all that much attention to it as it probably wouldn't be anything that I could correct on my end. Well, except for the fact that I own a crappy LCD, so my ultimate hope is that a future panel upgrade (with better processing) will help improve some of the lackluster HD content I encounter, to the extent that it can be improved upon by me, the end user.



Despite everyone else raving about the season finale, this episode was a bit of a letdown for me given that I pretty much knew 80% of what was going to happen ahead of time.

must.resist.reading.spoilers.in.the.future(!!!!!!)

I don't know how much better a "quality" panel will really display it, though, here in Chicago. I watch it OTA on a 50" Elite 1140HD, and the macroblocking is atrocious on WGN-HD. Especially during that last episode, which had more than the usual amount of fast moving effects.

I know it's at least partly because it's in 1080i. The baseball games can look bad on there, too. WCIU-DT blows them away in 720p with their newer equipment.

And, was it just me that had this impression, or did anybody old enough to remember Veronica Lake think that Kristen Kreuk was channeling her in the last episode - even right down to the hair ?

Think about what some of you are saying for a moment... You don't understand how simply wearing glasses and different hairstyle would confuse people... BUT you think wearing a small mask just over the eye area would be somehow different?

People should be able to, for instance, identify Dick Grayson (or whomever these days be it Jason Todd or Tim Drake too) as Robin as he looks virtually the same with and without that small mask.

Part of the real disguise of Superman as Clark with the glasses is... it is hard for folks to believe that someone with that kind of power would just walk around like a normal person. Hard to believe he would have a 9-5 job like a normal person... so most of the disguise is really about misdirection and people just don't look at Clark in glasses and think Superman.

BUT... once anyone actually thinks to do that, it is pretty easy. Kind of how a few folks discovered Batman's identity in the comics by the simple logic that all his stuff had to cost money, and Bruce Wayne is the richest guy in Gotham.

People that want to find out, actually can find most "secret" identities fairly easily and do so... but like in real life, most folks just aren't that observant or put in the effort.

Besides that I like Alison Mack... and hope she is back (rhyme semi-intentional)...

That would be a pretty lame power to have, the power to die instead of someone else... 'cause it is pretty much a one-shot power and you don't know you have it until you use it, perhaps even somewhat accidentally... and then boom, you are done.

I am not inclined to think she switched places because Dead-Chloe had the stab wound but was not bleeding... Lois was completely healed but still had her own blood on her from originally bleeding... which implied Chloe "took" the wound for her own to restore Lois.

Could simply be that Chloe then goes into a comatose semi-death state for a serious injury like that while she recuperates. As for why Lois is protecting her if she is dead... Firstly, they care a lot for each other and are pretty close for cousins. If you could, you wouldn't just abandon the body of a loved one in a situation where it looks like you couldn't come back easily... then there is the weirdness of Lois probably knowing she should be dead and wondering just what the heck actually happened... and lastly, the shock/panic of not wanting to believe Chloe even could be dead.

Not really.. he could be financed by a billionaire, which is Bruce Wayne. That's the first thing I would conclude is that this Bat guy is working for Mr. Wayne. Because the Wayne's have always been known for helping people out, and this is the latest Wayne "project". I don't have to conclude that since this mission is "expensive" and the only person who can afford it is Mr. Wayne, therefore he is Batman. Wayne just happens to support this guy financially.

The Superman situation is just crazy, you can't fool me with glasses or a new lone loop in your hair. Especially when I'm working with that person all the time. After a few weeks I will get to see the pattern. I see where you are coming from and the point you are trying to make.. but it still bothers me

It's quite possible. I seem to remember several fantasy/comic-book characters that heal others by taking the victim's wounds unto themselves. Depending on the seriousness of the injury, the character needs a little to a lot of time to get that wound out of their system.

Great episode. Though Clark will need to take care of Bizzaro Clark pretty quick, or people are going to wonder why a person looking like Clark is flying around committing atrocities.

who cares if it sucked. its a fact. never even saw the movie just stating what i've read

The way that Phantom has been flying around in the background from the season opener until finally showing up again in the season finale, it makes me wonder if we see a return of Zod next season?

When that Zod phantom flew out of Lex's body, I thought that was the end of him for good. But whose to say it didn't fly into some nearby ditch digger and flying in and out of new people every 24 hours like this bazzaro phantom has been doing?

Originally Superman was mostly about muscle. Many powers (flight, various visions, breath, etc.) he has now were not there in the early incarnation. But one thing that relates to this discussion was the ability to actually reshape his own face through muscular manipulation. Thus, by using remarkable control of his facial muscles, he could make himself look considerably different from his natural state (and I can't recall if the Clark face or the Superman face was his natural state).

Over the years, this "power" faded away from the Superman story perhaps because no actor could do this very well (with or without makeup artists in the early motion pictures) and it would probably be too confusing to early movie/TV audiences to see 2 different actors covering the "2" roles. Instead, the whole concept was simplified down to glasses, a curl (as well as some clumsy, bumbling acting, etc.).

But if you do an internet search, you'll find plenty of references to this power. Not only could it be applied to "explain" the glasses & curl problem between Clark & Superman, but the power gave him the ability to actually display many faces (almost shape-shifter-like abilities) to- for example- infiltrate a crime organization.

Another popular comic book hero- the Hulk- doesn't even wear glasses in his "mild-mannered" form, yet basically uses this same "disquise" approach. Of course, with the Hulk the muscle changes very visibly creates a different face in the comics, on TV and in the movies. But there was no Hulk movies or TV in the 40s & 50s.

So, when I watch these Superman shows, I simply recall that bit of Superman history, and allow the glasses & curl to be the visual metaphor for one of his originally-conceived powers. This let's him very obviously be the same face/actor to us- the audience- but all of the charectors with whom he interacts within the show is seeing the altered-faced version when he's switched identities. Maybe accepting this concept will help some of you that seem to have such a problem with this detail?

All I remember was how they looked and sounded exactly alike in the old, Superman TV show. And I mean EXACTLY. Even as a young kid, and being a pretty big fan of the show then, I couldn't help but be constantly conscious of that.

All this stuff mentioned may be a valid explanation for the comics - but how is Tom Welling's character going to pull it off? I mean, if you're saying that the disguise is based on "facial muscle changes", the guy has a hard enough time changing his facial expressions to show varying emotions as it is .

If the show was just a total farce or satire, and not based in a "realistic" setting, it would be easier to accept, but I don't think most viewers could suspend belief with this show as much as they did in the old show, which was much lighter drama (and we all know how unlike real life most of the sitcoms and dramas were back in those days .)

And PLEASE don't tell me that the Superman character will be computer animated (or his face altered using it) - 'cause if it is, you can subtract me from the viewership for sure! (In my opinion, they went a bit overboard with it in this last episode - I like to see it used only sparingly and judiciously.)

Since all of this is fantasy, and way-out-there fantasy at that... it's hard to apply "rules" of reality to it.

With that in mind, though... how well do you know your neighbors that you see everyday? Would you know if they had a secret nightlife? Probably not.

We hear all the time when someone gets arrested how "he was so nice" or "he was quiet" and so forth... but people just don't notice.

A person who really looks... would be able to tell Clark & Superman are probably the same person... but honestly who would be doing that. Clark is the guy you are seeing and spending the most time with. Superman is god-like and you see him for like 5 minutes when he saves you or something. So I'd wager most folks wouldn't even entertain the "what if" notion about Clark.

When it comes down to it... A full body-suit with mask and everything wouldn't really hide his identity from someone who wanted to find out... and lots of people look sort-of similar or remind you of someone else... so Superman/Clark has always taken a somewhat hide-in-plain-site approach and by seemingly not hiding, it actually turns into a good disguise by default.

I wear contacts but often just wear my glasses at home on the weekends. I saw a neighbor (of 10 years or more) in a store and he didn't recognise me even after I stopped and said "hello". It was a few days later at home that he admitted that he didn't really remember me in the store until he saw me with glasses on again.

I assume you're just being glib here, but why would anyone want to purposely miss 2/3 of a season of a show they purportedly like? If I dislike a show so much that i only want to see the premiere and finale - I'm outa there and on to something else.

Again, the facial muscle thing was not intended as a literal challenge for Tom Welling. The idea was that it is something that can be seen (only) by the other characters in the show. The audience- us- are given the same actor (and same face) for both roles. This allows us (again the viewers) to see the same actor in both roles, while also allowing it to make great sense that it is not obvious to the characters in the show that Clark = Superman.

Similarly, when earthlings visit other worlds in virtually all Sci-Fi space-traveling shows & movies, the aliens almost always just happen to speak perfect English. How convenient for us- the viewers- so that we don't have to watch a couple of years of "alien observation from afar" episodes while linguists, communications experts and "universal translation" software attempts to figure out each species language so that the action of just verbally interacting with each other can move along.

The odds against any other worldly species speaking the same language as a crew from Earth is ridiculously long. And even with a universal translator, every show would need the delays of the alien speaking in their language, the translator converting it to a human language and playing the translation for our ears, then doing the same in reverse. Boy that would make for some fun 44-minute episodes.

Whether Clark/Superman has the facial muscle thing or not, it is much easier for me to accept that some might be fooled by the glasses & curl, than to ever believe that almost all alien species will speak good English. However, it doesn't really take away from the experience for a viewer of either fantasy. I simply find that since the facial muscle ability was something that actually was used in the early days to explain why everyone around Clark & Superman were not idiots for not noticing, it's a good thing to take for granted now.

I suppose in this concept, we (the viewer) are given our own super power: to see the true face of Clark/Superman all of the time, while all of characters in the program or movie see an altered face when he is one or the other.

Because then you can skip all the typical "meteor or Zonie freak of the week" episodes and only see those that move the principal story arc along. As I said, it saves time. But it was also intended to be a comment on how many ho-hum filler episodes there are in this particular show. Some people like 'em all; some only care about the serialized elements involved in the main story arc. I fall into the latter category. YMMV.

That would be nice if there was a way to be sure beforehand if the episode's worth watching or not. You can't really go by the previews. Well, sometimes, maybe (like with that "film noir" episode a couple of weeks back). But not with 100% accuracy.

Even the 'freak of the week shows' usually advance the story line a bit each week. There is almost always something going on with Lex or Lionel while Clark is chasing the freak. I think it would be tough to follow just seeing a few shows from each year, but to each his own.