Okay. It's Over! So, Which Was The Best EPISODE and The Best SEASON?!

[Catman]

Location shooting = $$$$$$$

And yet, they did it for 7 seasons. Even the Metropolis scenes during those years were location shoots. If CW or WB didn't want to spend any money on the series then they should have cancelled it at the end of season 7.

 

[SpideyVille]

Could it have been more of PS3's decision to do so to save money after Al/Miles left? Or did Al/Miles leave because they figured the show was over and would eventually end after season 7?

 

[SV Fan]

And yet, they did it for 7 seasons. Even the Metropolis scenes during those years were location shoots. If CW or WB didn't want to spend any money on the series then they should have cancelled it at the end of season 7.

I am guessing a combination of a budget cut plus increased actor's salaries(don't underestimate this when it comes to show's budgets) made the show have to find ways to keep on budget. You can sort of notice the show revolving more around sets starting in S5(notice how often Chloe had answers for Clark so he didn't have to go out and investigate).

 

[Catman]

I don't think the actor's salary was an issue. By season 8, Michael Rosenbaum, Kristin Kreuk, John Glover, and Annette O' Toole were gone. And, John Schneider was gone since season 5. That's 5 major actors gone. They could have just given the extra cash to Tom, Erica, and Allison. Aaron was disposable and season 8 was his last season. Justin Hartley shouldn't have been too pricey. And neither the dude who played Doomsday.

 

[SV Fan]

They could have just given the extra cash to Tom, Erica, and Allison.

I would love to see how much the show paid out in salaries to all it's actors during the run of the show, but I am guessing in the case of Tom and Allison, being on the show for 8+ years ate up a good chunk of the budget compared to people who signed there first contract in earlier years. The only actor I could see having a budget eating salary in the early years might have been John Schneider due to him having name recognition(which is probably a big factor in writing him out in S5). From my understanding most contracts were originally renegotiated after S3.

I know Allison signed just before S8, while Tom signed his last deal in S9. I wouldn't be surprised if Allison final 2 year deal paid her a similar amount that MR and KK made in early years(I personally think the show would have been better served letting her go and just resign Laura Vandervoort who probably would have came much cheaper)

 

[SpideyVille]

I think after Sam Jones left, they needed Allison there for story purposes, since they needed Clark to have a close friend to turn to other than his parents, and it couldn't be Lex or Lois since they didn't want him to reveal his secret. Same with Lana since the whole secret keeping them apart angle was the bread and butter of the earlier seasons.

And it was clear after the first half of season 7 that the writers didn't know what to do with Kara, since she could do everything Clark couldn't and she didn't have his emotional baggage. They left her powerless and without memory for several episodes to make up for this, and since the Legion had yet to be introduced, they had no place to send her but away. In that case, all they had to do was find a reason to explain why she wasn't around after she got out of the PZ.

 

[SV Fan]

I think after Sam Jones left, they needed Allison there for story purposes, since they needed Clark to have a close friend to turn to other than his parents, and it couldn't be Lex or Lois since they didn't want him to reveal his secret. Same with Lana since the whole secret keeping them apart angle was the bread and butter of the earlier seasons.

And it was clear after the first half of season 7 that the writers didn't know what to do with Kara, since she could do everything Clark couldn't and she didn't have his emotional baggage. They left her powerless and without memory for several episodes to make up for this, and since the Legion had yet to be introduced, they had no place to send her but away. In that case, all they had to do was find a reason to explain why she wasn't around after she got out of the PZ.

I think though if they got rid of Chloe and kept Kara they could have used Kara in the Davis storyline, and given the friend/confidant duties to both her and Jimmy(who could be more for personal issues not revolving around the secret). It would have been much cheaper.

To keep Kara away from overshadowing Clark you just ignore plots that revolve around her being a hero or flying

 

[Catman]

If this show had ended in season 7, Kara would have made perfect sense. She was family. She provided a history lesson for Clark. Through her, Clark finally met his mother. And, Kara was the mentor he needed to mature his powers and learn how to fly.

Kara, flesh and blood, giving Clark that extra push would have been better than Computer Program Jor-El and a montage of his life.

 

[Cmill216]

I think Season 7 is really where the show lost itself. I see some complaining about Season 6, but I think that season still had a semblance of focus and logic. The Phantom Zone criminals storyline worked well enough, Oliver introduced a very sensible new scope to the show, the Lex/Lana story brought out some great moments, and I thought Jimmy was tolerable in spots.

But Season 7 is where things fell off the rails, introducing "I-can-fly-but-you-can't" Kara, the Veritas storyline, and the departures of Lana and Martha.

 

[SV Fan]

I think Season 7 is really where the show lost itself.

I always point to S3 as the season that the show stopped being a Clark Kent based tale and turned into it's own creation. I thought the first couple seasons were pretty good if you comparing it to the source material, but season 3 was the first time I felt like I was watching a show that's a complete AU. I can pinpoint problems on the show to the first appearance of AI Jor-El

 

[Prison Mike]

If this show had ended in season 7, Kara would have made perfect sense. She was family. She provided a history lesson for Clark. Through her, Clark finally met his mother. And, Kara was the mentor he needed to mature his powers and learn how to fly.

Kara, flesh and blood, giving Clark that extra push would have been better than Computer Program Jor-El and a montage of his life.

I think a lot of people would have been pissed off if it was Kara that taught Clark how to fly and have confidence in himself. I, for one, enjoyed the montage of his life (even though it dragged on).

 

[LostSon88]

And yet, they did it for 7 seasons. Even the Metropolis scenes during those years were location shoots. If CW or WB didn't want to spend any money on the series then they should have cancelled it at the end of season 7.

[YT]uQxXJ822B_w[/YT]
[YT]HGwRBWOoCrc[/YT]

Ah...back when Metropolis seemed like an actual city, and not a studio backlot.

 

[Prison Mike]

The ending to Insurgence was one of my favorite scenes of the series.

 

[Catman]

I think Season 7 is really where the show lost itself.

Season 7 had its issues, but so did every other season of Smallville. I just feel like season 7 gave the series some closure. Clark learned his Krytonian heritage, he met family members, his relationship with Lana ended, and Lois handed him the application for the Daily Planet. Meanwhile, Lex pushes Lionel out of a window and becomes "the villain of the story." Season 7 was the last year where Smallville felt like Smallville. Seasons 8 thru 10 felt like a Superman series with "The Blur" instead.

 

[SpideyVille]

I think season 7 as a whole suffered a lot much like most other shows during that time suffered from the threat and eventual effects of the writer's strike. A lot of things felt rushed afterwards, and not just in Smallville. I know some shows like Supernatural didn't even get the same amount of extra episodes done after it was resolved.

And if I recall correctly, the original ending of Veritas was supposed to be Lex killing Lionel, which I assume would have left him and Kreuk contractually obligated to appear in the first 5-7 episodes of season 8 to properly end their time on Smallville. But since they ended up continuing the season with 5 more episodes to make it nearly complete, MR returned and fulfilled that obligation for a complete season's work, while KK was forced to complete it at a later time, as it was clear that she was being written off in Veritas.

 

[Catman]

Yeah, the writer's strike got in the way, but I don't think it affected the season in a MAJOR way. We got more or less what they planned.

 

[CWP]

For me, the eighth season was the absolute best, and my favorite episodes are Bride and Committed.

 

[Catman]

8th season had POTENTIAL to be the best, but Doomsday was a letdown.

 

[SV Fan]

8th season had POTENTIAL to be the best, but Doomsday was a letdown.

I thought the last 10 episodes in general were a huge letdown after the first 12

 

[Prison Mike]

Yeah, episodes 12-22 declined in quality IMO.

 

[SV Fan]

Yeah, episodes 12-22 declined in quality IMO.

I actually liked Episode 12 "Bulletproof" besides the last 3 minutes

 

[SpideyVille]

I still believe the Lana arc crippled season 8 to the point of no return. After those last few minutes of Bulletproof, it went downhill, especially with the light switch in Infamous where Clark suddenly liked Lois again. Though, their scene at the end of Stiletto is still my favorite of the season.

 

[SV Fan]

I still believe the Lana arc crippled season 8 to the point of no return. After those last few minutes of Bulletproof, it went downhill, especially with the light switch in Infamous where Clark suddenly liked Lois again. Though, their scene at the end of Stiletto is still my favorite of the season.

As much blame as the Lana arc gets for the downfall of S8, I think the Davis and Chloe stuff was also bad(maybe the storyline was slightly better but it litered a bulk of the last 8 episodes)

 

[Prison Mike]

The only episodes that I really liked in the second half were Infamous, Hex, Stiletto, and most of Doomsday.

 

[M.O.Steel]

Favorite Episode---Zod season 6, with rosetta a close second.

However, I have to thank episode Aqua for getting me hooked on the show. was he the first other superhero introduced? I don't remember