Tom Welling as Clark Kent in Smallville
One year ago, I sat with The Magazine’s editors at the boardroom table of our Toronto office. We talked about the sort of thing we normally discuss over lunch: movies and TV shows. This time, it was one of my favourite shows, Smallville. Would the Kents survive the meteor blast at the end of season four? Would the crystals lead Clark to his Fortress of Solitude? Then it hit me like a rock of Red Kryptonite: Smallville would be cancelled after only five seasons. This would have effectively ended the series this past May, which obviously didn’t happen, but in that moment it seemed as certain as Lois and Clark’s future together. The headline “Superboy Slips and Falls” burned in my mind with Daily Planet-like prospect. Admittedly, the show had been trailing in the primetime ratings following its rookie year. Of course! It would be cancelled just in time to set up the premise for Superman Returns in June 2006. It was the perfect plan! I would write an exposé on how this classic, teenage freak drama starring the would-be Man of Steel was destined for cancellation after exactly five seasons. Not four, not six. Five.
Alas, the year is 2006 and with only days left until Superman flies into theatres, Smallville will definitely be back in September and I could not be happier. The show just wrapped up its fifth season, which not only made it the longest running Superman-inspired television series, but also turned out to be Smallville’s best season yet in the ratings. It comes as no shock that the series’ 100th episode, “Reckoning”, even beat out tough competition including The O.C. In the episode, which is easily one of the best instalments ever, Clark tells Lana his secret and they get engaged. Then, she dies and he goes back in time to protect her, but Jonathan Kent is killed in return, all within one supercharged hour.
We have watched as Clark has come to grips with his powers and Lex Luthor has descended to evil and even after five years, the storylines are still interesting. When the show began, it stuck to the freak-of-the-week formula like a bee on honey. However now that the kids are in college, Smallville has pushed its limits to include scenes in Metropolis and abroad. Season five has proved to be very eventful: Lionel put the moves on Martha, Lana joined a blood-sucking sorority (literally), Chloe got a job at the Daily Planet, Clark became delusional on Silver Kryptonite, and Lex kissed Lana…again! Tom Welling also made his directorial debut this year with “Fragile”. In addition, Smallville played host to a few friends from the DC Comics universe. Aquaman came to Lois’ rescue after an underwater escapade that left her breathless and Clark befriended a runaway Cyborg. Then, Milton Fine a.k.a. Brainiac went from small town university professor to virus-spreading artificial intelligence – just another day in Smallville!
It’s lucky I didn’t write that exposé, after all. With over 100 episodes under its belt and a new network to call home in the fall, Smallville shows no signs of stopping. The only question that remains is will Smallville outlast the six-season success of The WB’s hit teen drama, Dawson’s Creek? Series creators Al Gough and Miles Millar won’t commit to anything just yet, but they say the show won’t go past seven seasons. Until then, I hope to never see the words “Smallville” and “cancelled” in the same sentence again.