User Reviews

I don't understand why so many people have issues with this finale, while yes, this is in no way perfect, but the thing I think people forget is that the series was never meant to be about superman but the man underneath the suit, Clark Kent is who the story follows on his journey to becoming the hero we all know him to be and that's how it ends Clark's story is far from over but instead beginning on a new journey as the man of steel, Superman himself.

What a great way to end the series! I've watched since the beginning, feeling somewhat of a lull around season 6 or so, never to the level of the Dean/Cain TV series (that seemed in search of subject matter by its third season), then felt that this edition picked up towards the final seasons, transitioning into newer, younger characters and plots that moved from the effects of meteor rocks to what the future held for a maturing Clark. I loved this episode in that it brought many of the characters back from the earlier years, had flashbacks of many of the memorable scenes, integrated the best of the music of the "Superman" movies with Christopher Reeve along with the humor of it towards the end (between Lois and Clark on the stairs), and the high-impact finish that transitioned from the "no tights" era. Well done, and thank you to all that made the series possible.

One of the most talked about and obvious errors in the episode is how Johnathan can be there, able to make physical contact with Martha who doesn't think anything of it. This is never addressed in the episode. But there is an explanation: Brainiac-5. Back in season 5 the evil Brainiac tried to convince Clark to kill Lionel by pretending to be Johnathan Kent. He could physically interact with everyone. Earlier in this season we saw Brainiac, the Brain Interactive Construct as he was intended to be: a much kinder, update of himself called Brainiac-5. In the episode Homecoming he taught Clark to stop being afraid, stop punishing himself and everyone around him for past mistakes and to embrace his future. And Martha doesn't say anything about it because she's used to the craziness by now. Everyone seems fixated on how Johnathan could be back from the dead and Clark's wedding and a room full of people not notice, but that's just it: there's nothing to say anyone except Clark and Martha can even see him. Martha is there and when 'Johnathan' interacts with them, you can kind of see that he's just being there for his friends and recognizing the importance of this moment...but not sharing it.

Anything I know about Brainiac-5 outside of Smallville is from Jesse Rath's Querl Dox/Brainy/Brainiac-5 from Supergirl. This version of 'Johnathan' actually reminds me a little bit of him. The hesitation in putting his hand on Martha's shoulder in the barn. Knowing it would be comforting but worried about over-stepping. Maybe I'm reading too much into this but I think this was just Brainiac-5 pulling the same move Brainiac did in the season 5 finale but with a far more benign purpose. He wanted Clark to have Johnathan with him in some form for a moment as important as either the wedding or finally becoming the Man of Steel, but the writers producers had no screen time available to explain that. Johnathan does seem to be talking about himself a step-removed here, like he hesitates to refer to himself as Clark's father. And the actaul Johnathan we came to know over the course of 5 years never had so little reluctance in referring to Jor'el AS Clark's father. It really sounded like this was coming from someone who knew and understood Jor'el, like J'onn Jo'nzz or someone actually from Krypton.

Also Lex and Tess acting the way they do, Tess being all alone and never sharing screen time with anyone but Lex was inconvenient and trying, but unavoidable. Cassidy Freeman wasn't on set with anyone else. Everything felt if not particularly rushed, more grand, fantastical and sweeping than anything that had come before it. And everything did happen pretty much at once. Which jarred me a little but it was a pretty adrenaline-filled explosive season finale and that fast pace and 'no time' feeling probably was what they were actually going for. Annoying as it was, I think it kind of fit. Also I saw Crisis on Infinite Earths of the CW Arrow-verse, in which Tom Welling reprises this role before I actually saw this final season. I wondered why Clark seemed perfectly cool with Lex being president, given how much of a monster Lex has been since season 6. Clark was so cool with it because Lex didn't remember any of this. He was no longer the monster we've come to know over the past few seasons and might have been just a normal politician. He had truly been freed from the shackles of being first raised, then confused and angered by Lionel as well as his feelings of betrayal with Clark's secrets and presumption. In season 5 as he explains in season six's Nemesis he got sick of Clark always having judgment on speed-dial, assuming the worst of him. And now he doesn't have to deal with what he perceived as a knife in his back and the loss of his best friend. Which gives more weight and certainty to Tess' final act. Tess didn't exactly redeem him. But she gave Lex a second chance and the rest of the world (unknown to the world) a brighter future. Which apparently held 20 years later when Supergirl's Lex showed up. And Tom Welling's Clark mentioned Lex was president.

Literally the best ending of a series of superheroes Clark accepting his Kryptonian side and his destiny while at his wedding arriving apokalips to earth with no idea what to do and uff Michael Rosembuam returning as lex luthor phenomenal to see that last dialogue between the two of them is fantastic to see that they were friends and see their rivalry and see that they will always be the opposite of each other their DESTINY WAS ALWAYS MARKED to see the references and cinematographies that they left us throughout the program is great you should check those details friends and clark when he meets Darksaid and As he remembers all his past and you try remembering it at that moment and finally being able to fly is fantastic uff what else can he say about this great series (and if he is the strongest Superman)

Loved the storyline...the ending idea was perfect but...after all that build-up, if only the scene where superman pushes the planet away from earth had a bit more struggle and closeup shots and lasted like a minute atleast instead of a few seconds...it would have been the most complete ending to the series.

Loved seeing Lex again...It would have been nice to see another conversation between him and Lionel...their verbal duels throughout the series were one of the best parts.

Would have liked to see an episode with the entire justice league together in person on a mission rather than 1 or 2 of them being present with the others on video chat.

Although it was a bit disappointing not seeing Clark in full superman suit as it would have given us some closure, it is understandable...Smallville was always meant to be about superboy not superman.

PS. HUGE fan of the series!...seen it like half a dozen times!

Warning do not read unless seen episode.

"Let us play loudly, let us live proudly and then we'll all be walking tall."

Johnny Mathis

This episode is another one of my favorites from the show, favorite episodes in general and it's one of my favorite series finales of all time. I'm thankful they finally got to this point it had to happen sooner or later; it's true this episode isn't action packed as most season and series finales would have, ending with a bang. But sometimes you don't need big battles and events to make a bang, to me it's really in the character drama and what they all do in the moments which can be the most impactful.

I really loved the meeting both Lex and Clark had, it was a welcome gift as Lex/Mike has been long gone from the show. Really like cinematography and geography as we see both are on opposite sides in the same place while there is chaos and conflict happening all around them. Really love that monologue Lex delivers as we see Lex accepts his destiny and place in the fold of things as he lays it out that both will become great men but on opposite sides of the spectrum. I honestly feel there is truth in this as it has always been known how greatness seems to always be made and born from deep conflict between both sides.

When Clark listens, he harbors no hatred for Lex but deep understanding as he also realizes this truth and from how far both have come together and apart, he and we know there is no way back for either of them. Before Clark leaves, he says one thing which carries deep sorrow as he says, "I'm sorry I couldn't save you." I'll admit hearing that was heartbreaking and reflects even the sorrow I had for Lex, as I honestly never wanted any of it to happen and the deep tragedy of it was there was nothing Clark and I could do about it.

However, in part of what happens even near the end of the episode, despite Lex being now a lord of the Sith there is still good in him there is still hope that lives with him. From that drug toxin applied to him which has made him lose great portions of his memory; yeah, I know that amnesia card I don't always like as it's most of the time a lazy writing tactic, but here it works and makes sense. From that you can say this completes Lex's transformation as we see in a pan out shot, the big building sign shines out his name. But it could also mean that Lex has a second chance as we see he becomes president of the United States which did happen in the DC verse. It could me either the rivalry between both Clark and Lex has gone further at this point or it could mean redemption for Lex; that's up to you to decide.

Then there are the moments with Clark and Lois which as usual are always the best. We then see both are faced with a dilemma as we see both suddenly have a reluctance to not just marry but stay together at all. For Lois she fears by staying with him she's dragging him down, keeping him from being all that he can be. Clark thinks by cutting ties with his past from the possibility of selling the far to his relationship with friends and Lois, that it's the best thing for everyone, to be the hero he and everyone wants to be.

Both are wrong, this is not a new road for them as both have been on that road before, they already know where it leads, and I know both don't want to go back there. It's suspenseful but in a different way because knowing both characters we already know both will make the right decision, but we don't know how. We see both having a conversation with only a door standing between them and the dialogue both have together is just beautiful. And after that of course Lois opens the door and lets Clark in, letting him into her life. Seeing this just shows the importance of the significant other not just with heroes/superheroes but with everyone. As the significant other spiritually fuels and supports us, reenforces reason to fight on. But most importantly to simply be more, to be the best person we can be and the others in turn. That part of what love has always been about, at least that's what Lois, Clark, I, and many others believe.

There is also another scene that is just beautiful as it come down to the fateful showdown, we see Clark at the very place where it started and from this you realize how far Clark and everyone else around him has came. And there is Martha along with Johnathan, and we see they each have a final conversation which is beautiful on family and how it will continue. We then see all three hug each other, which is a moment I'll admit put a tear or two in my eye, because in that moment you know they are family.

And of course, we do see most of the aftermath which of course looks and feels familiar but different at the same time. As we see the show has finally arrived at the destination it was always meant to go. And its business as usual in a way in the Superman series as the Daily Planet is under new and rightful management by Perry White. Just seeing his character finally in his rightful place put a smile on my face, especially when he says his trademark line. And there's Jimmy Olsen (younger brother of Jimmy 1 technically), seeing him grown up and of course being well Jimmy. But that also made me smile as it shows how the Olsen legacy lives on. But so does the Kent and L legacy as we see both Lois and Clark are still together and of course we see when duty calls, Clark of course does the thing we always known he was destined to do. Once we hear that iconic music, we know the transformation is complete, Superman has arrived and is here to stay.

And now there is nothing else to say but Farewell Smallville, I'll miss that town, but it will be the people that I'll miss the most as they were the town. It was never about the destination, but the journey and it was an interesting and beautiful journey.

The saying you can never go home again is wrong because home is where the heart is and no matter how far Clark/Superman/Smallville goes along with us, it will always be there; all we must do is look within our hearts.

Rating: 4 stars.

On one hand, the conflict that was presented was very well thought out throughout the season. Darkseid was slowly taking over the minds of the planet and another planet was about to crash into earth. But The way darkseid was defeated and the planet was diverted was far to easy. The way Clark gets his power to fly was so ineffectual, and borderline boring. The threat of lex Luther was avoided, of course, seeing as he was only a side villain for the episode it might have been expected to be easy, but it was maybe too easy.

Clark and Lois were finally getting married. Their last minute cold feet and overcoming it was cute and needed in my opinion. Their wedding was almost ruined, as expected in any superhero series, and was well done. But why then, did it take them 7 more years to get married afterwards.

Overall the finale was ok- maybe even good. But it was so anticlimactic and was a waste of so much potential.

Inconsistency seemed to be the only consistent thing about Smallville. It touched the highs then the lows throughout its 10 years on the air but it seemed to draw to many parallels to the Season 8 finale. Another Doomsday moment was always going to be the biggest fear for Smallville fans and it's hard to see why no one accepts that moment just repeated. Season 8 and Season 10 had left the ground work complete for a potentially perfect finales. But like Season 8 it was up, up and all the way back down again for Smallville. The finale opened well, Chloe (Allison Mack) set up a narrative that engrossed the screen in a cinematic beauty that bypassed the shows clearly poor budget. But the budget problems caught up with them and Smallville was back down to earth with a pointless "There is no wedding," storyline that develops into an "I'm such an idiot" there is a wedding conclusion. The cinematography transformed back into the shows normal fixed settings and the music explored a lot more but mostly stayed with the ear stabbing Smallville themes. What were the writers thinking when they read the vows twice? What were the writers thinking when they read the vows twice? Get what I mean; even reading that twice was tedious, never mind hearing the vows of Clark (Tom Welling) and Lois (Eric Durance) twice. Action is then welcomed with a fight between Clark and Oliver (Justin Hartley) but Smallville always have to have kryptonite in a fight. But this time it's gold Kryptonite and as Clark says "you know gold kryptonite will take away my powers forever." No wait no one knows that apart from Tess and Emile on this show; there you go your first plot hole. Clark stops this fight by saying one of the most self righteously cheesy monologues Smallville has ever spat out. The show wasn't all bad and no I'm not referring to the return of Lex or the birth of Superman, no I'm referring to the return of Jonathan Kent. His scenes were the only scenes that touched the audience, scenes that were so well presented, written and acted that it made me think I was watching a different show. For me this saved the finale from being in the top 10 worst episodes of Smallville. The prodigal villain returns through a carless bit of writing. Nothing was believable about this story arc, the initial story said Lex was dead and so were his clones, aside from Connor. Lex then greeted Clark in a way that just showed he was forced into the finale like he didn't belong. Clark becoming Superman was done too predictably. He learnt to fly through a nostalgic montage of his "best bits," sweet I know but I've watched all the previous episodes, I came to watch the finale. He defeated Darksied by flying into him, wow that guy was a real threat. He then put on the suit and was shown as a blur in space for about five minutes. And that's why I say it was ten years well wasted on a clearly rushed finale.

This is it, the moment we have been waiting for for over a decade has finally come to be. We have grown up with Clark Kent over the past ten years and have watched as he makes the transition from smalltown farmboy to superhero, and frankly despite my hesitations they actually managed to pull it off.

Though a bit rushed, as the season finale drew nearer i wondered if they had left it too late to build the superman myth, and although i would have liked some more preceding hype they still managed to pull it off. I was finally starting to believe it, he was ready to take up the mantle; the motivation was there, the storyline was there, the actor was there, the personality was there; clark kent was ready to become superman................. but it never happened.

At least that's how it felt in my mind. Don't get me wrong i thought the finale was great, it answered a lot of questions and i thoroughly enjoyed it, but it just didn't feel like the finale fans were waiting for. Why? forget the rushed plots and gaping holes (he simply pushed the planet out of the way? were was the climax?? why did they need to even give people hope then to get rid of the planet??) i thought they set it up really well, people would see him in the suit rushing to their aid and that would give them the hope they needed... but alas they never saw him in the suit, and neither did we (there wasn't even a famous cry of "it's a bird, it's a plane" or ANY direct/inderect reference to the name Superman) Now i'm not sure if there were liscening disputes or whatnot, but i thought it was a sad letdown for something that had tremendous potential. Tom welling has been clark kent in our eyes for far too long, and not seeing a fullsuit shot in all his superman glory never really solidified the transition for me, in my heart he is still clark kent playing makebelieve/dressup. I feel sorry for the writers who did such a fantastic job of managing to train this boy into superman, only to have this nagging fault unravel all their efforts.

I just hope that somewhere there is some stills or footage of tom welling in the fabled suit, maybe in some DVD extras(which will ensure their sales) just so we can put this nagging sense of wanting continue, its what Tom Welling and the fans deserve and have been waiting for.

Smallville is one of the shows that kept me personally attached to its plot for the past years, and frankly i was expecting something more ... different ... kind of signature to mark this production of superman in the ending of the series. But instead all we got was a cliché scenario that was aimed only to end a series, as if the writers were fed up and just wanted to wrap it up and pull down the curtain, and it turns out that all the aim of the show was to tell us how superman learned to ... fly. After 10 years of great scripts we expect an unforgettable ending yet, after watching this episode, nothing new, nothing different was added to the show, just like any other episode, the most powerful villain is defeated by just a punch that was supposed to be something great because superman was flying now! and the burning planet (with the worst visual effects ever) was so close yet no one was affected by its heat! and superman took his sweet time to go to the airplane's window before taking care of the disaster coming onto the earth globe, I personally would have expected better.

After 10 years of building up Clark Kent as the greatest super hero the world will know, and a final season that introduced/reintroduced a cadre of iconic, dangerous foes, one could be forgiven for expecting the two-part finale to be a masterpiece of epic proportions. One would be mistaken. (One would also be ignoring the overall low quality of the entire show that preceded it, but that's another story.) Instead of the ultimate showdown between Superman and his strongest opponents, we get:

A pointless framing device that contributes nothing to the plot and, in fact, raises more questions. Two long and completely unnecessary subplots about wedding jitters and more idiocy of the time-to-discard-the-people-who-helped-me-thus-far variety, continued from the end of the last episode. A 2 minute long showcase of the show's special effects going from awful to mediocre over the years (also something about Clark helping people). The unexpected return of Lex Luthor, just because. The Unholy Trinity being unceremoniously triple-killed by Oliver Queen with ordinary arrows fired from an ordinary bow. About 10 seconds of Darkseid's poorly-rendered head, and another 15 seconds of said villain (but not in his own form, of course—we're on a budget here, remember?) combating our hero by using telekinesis, which is subsequently overcome by Clark's flight, leading to… Clark OHKOing Darkseid by flying through him. A few shots of Apokolips closing in (undetected until the last second) from far enough away that no details would need to be rendered. Superman (finally) pushing Apokolips away, carefully filmed to avoid showing any actual, y'know, activity. The abrupt and gratuitous (not to mention completely ignored) murder of Tess, complete with a last-ditch effort to do some major good that appears to succeed, then is mysteriously reset by the end of the episode.

Speaking of the end, we also get a nice little glimpse of a 'happily ever after' where everyone is cheerful and beaming while their worst nightmare comes true.

In short, if you're looking for a lack of payoff, Smallville's final episode is the perfect place for you.

As a lifelong fan of smallville, having seen all except one episode, I can honestly say I enjoyed the finale, but at the same time, there wasn't enough: we didn't really see any clear shots of CK in the cape, not enough time on lex (Rosenbaum is the best lex I have seen), and I dunno, there was something else missing, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

I just don't feel they can do the whole 10 seasons justice in a 2 part finale, which is what they tried to do. They did close all the threads, in an *ok* manner (could have been done more satisfyingly I feel), and perhaps they could have spent a few more minutes on the 7 years flash forward (which I liked), so we could have seen more of "superman".

I thought the transformation into superman was well done, but we didn't really get to see him once he arrived.

Lots of satisfying if short scenes where bad guys get killed (and big bad planets get pushed away) and people in peril get saved. I thought all the various crisis were solved a little too easily; they could have been a bit more drawn out.

I thought they did Jonathan and Martha justice, but not so much Jor El The series has been thoroughly enjoyable, if a bit too sentimentalist, with characters doing lots of implausibly stupid things and some terrible plot lines (which seem to have become a hallmark of the series I feel). For all its flaws it has an exciting, optimistic tone, with enough good plots (to balance the bad ones out) and enough good acting and dialogue to balance the bad acting and dialogue out. There were plenty of things which I didn't really understand over the series, which was frustrating.

I'd say, to some extent, the finale was a microcosm to the whole series. In the end it did just enough to leave me feeling (mostly) satisfied.

I guess they crammed what they could into the 2 episode finale, but it just wasn't quite enough to push it into the 7-9/10 bracket. Bah, in conclusion, I think they should have just made it longer, and put more stuff in really. As it stands I give it 6.5 out of 10.

(Not a particularly well structured review I know, I have just splurged out my immediate thoughts after just having seen the finale)

I am a MASSIVE smallville fan, superman fan in general and watching this "finale" made me feel like I had wasted 10 years watching this show. There are multiple reasons for this. 1) We never actually get to see Clark in the superman costume. Yes we see him open his shirt to reveal an "S", but that's basically it. We then just see the typical Blur of smallville fly to a planet and casually push it out of the way. Which brings me to point 2... 2) It's all too easy. Basically it's ridiculous to think that even a being as strong as powerful superman could just push a whole planet away with such ease! REALLY!!! as much as we hate to admit us, we like to see him struggle, it makes things a whole lot more interesting. 3) Flight! We saw Clark fly more in season 4 when he breaks into Lex's plane then we did in this final episode. We see him float for a bit in the barn, fly for like 3 seconds and the rest is just a blur flying through the sky. I understand it may have been expensive to shoot someone flying but it's the FINAL EPISODE!!! I could forgive the sub-par graphics of smallville up until now, but this episode is what they've been building up to for 10 years, and all we get is the stupid blur effect. What the hell? 4) Lex. I love Michael Rosenbaum as Lex Luthor and the only redeeming quality about this episode is that he is in it. And for that I am truly grateful. But... basically giving him a "forget potion" was just plain ridiculous! I understand that they needed to make Lex forget that Clark is Superman, but I'm certain there must be a better way to do so. FINALLY 5) The glasses. Are people in this DC universe BLIND?!?!? Clark Kent is famous for his glasses. And yes its ridiculous to begin with that no one recognises him, but we buy into it. However, you can't just start wearing glasses right near the end and then when you take them off no one recognises you? Realistically they should have made Clark wear glasses from season 1 or 2 so that at least people would get used to seeing him in glasses so that when he does take them off that at least he'll be SLIGHTLY unrecognisable. I do apologise for the rant on this episode. But I think that the writers just gave up near the end of season 10 and tried to rush everything.

I sure will those early seasons, where the show was neatly written, and the Superman mythology at its most relevant. This series finale was a fan service mess, stating these new show runners were not up to the task. First you get a boring first half, with annoying fangirling, that simply drags everything down with it. And a second, full of recaps and corny action sequences. Lex's return was its most noticeable part, when he murdered Tess and had his memory erased. Only the flash forward during the closing scene, proved the menace of him becoming a villain is still there. And honestly, why did we wasted so much time on Clark and Lois, when their endgame could've simply been summed up by that flash forward scene? They spent so much time and energy on Clark and Lana's love story, they simply assumed « Lois and Clark » was a given, and we would be on board with Lois going from accointance/roommate, to Clark's epic love story, in one night. I disagree, they did a great job leading up to that, until season 7. After that it fizzled out, and their relationship became interchangeable to what Clark would've been through with Lana, and the emphasis on their endgame in the last two seasons, felt like an obligation to their fans. They could've taken out a big chunk of it, and the result would've still been the same. Season 10 wasted too much screen time on the couples, and should've been shorter and more focused on that Darkseid plot, and tying up the series important loose ends. Because of it, we got excruciatingly long heart to hearts and a five second resolution, to what was supposed to be Clark's biggest threat to date, on the series finale. The part where he finally learned to fly and wore the Superman outfit was spectacular, but then again, the way he looked at Lois through the window, could've simply been interpreted as two friends who realized they had deeper feelings towards each other. Which is something I never felt in all those episodes of « buildups ». And don't get me started on Chloe and Oliver... Yeah they got a kid together, but who cares? It could've been someone else's too, and I still would've been fine with it. This attention to useless details, is what plummeted most of these last seasons for me. And looking back at the pilot episode, it shows these aren't the same people involved anymore. Which is bad, because they don't even feel like being part of the same series either. I guess it was really time for this show to end...

As in seasons eight and nine of "Smallville", this tenth season will appeal to fans of the "comic action-adventure" variety. Those looking for solid writing, richly developed characters, and legitimate, non-predictable "wow" moments have likely trickled off after seasons 5-6. I have been with the series for the long haul and, while thoroughly enjoying the first 5 seasons, liking 6-7, and despising 8-9, I cannot give the final season good reviews based on nostalgia perpetuated by the show's ending.

There are a few basic plotlines that run throughout this final season, all of which fall flat in one way or another:

-The U.S. government's reaction to superheroes: an almost blatant rip-off of many themes from "The Dark Knight".

-The Clark/Lois relationship: Should work, but (as writers) you can't have Lois be EASILY the most annoying character on the show for six seasons and then expect us to put all that aside and love her in the seventh.

-Clark Kent coming to terms with the hero he is destined to become: Pretty much every decision/conclusion Clark comes to this season in terms of embracing his destiny is watered-down due to botched attempts in previous seasons. Because the show was on a year-to-year basis for so long, the frequent stops-and-starts in Clark's transition to Superman rendered that penultimate transition without much drama.

Really, there are only three things that I enjoyed about this season (aka the reason I can give it 2 stars instead of just 1):

-The "Earth 2" plot arc, which allowed us to see some characters that hadn't been around for awhile. The alter-universe characters kind of muddy things up in the end, but it is nice to see them as "themselves" once again.

-The episode "Homecoming", where the Smallville writers give a not-so-subtle nod of acceptance to fans like me who became disenchanted after the season five episode "Reckoning" and the slow bleed that followed.

-The "Finale" episode, where us long-surviving fans finally get the payoff that we've all been waiting for.

Thus, it basically comes down to this: If you loved "Smallville" in the early goings and feel it has declined since "Reckoning", this season won't change that opinion whatsoever. However, if you still got enjoyment out of the later seasons, you'll probably like this one too.

I guess I'm a fan of Smallville. I've cringed at the truly horrible episodes. I've been on the edge of my seat over the unbelievably good ones. I've yawned through the vast majority which were ultimately forgettable. Through it all, I kept watching in the belief it would eventually lead to Clark finally and fully embracing his destiny. However, now the show has concluded, the finale has aired and I find myself feeling perplexed.

The finale had a ton of problems. These missteps include the following: an overlong, boring and redundant first half; an unnecessary fight between Clark and a possessed Oliver Queen; the hollow dispatching of Darkseid's three emissaries by Green Arrow; the unceremonious murder of Tess Mercer; the return of Lex Luthor, in all his malicious glory, only to have his memory erased; and an anticlimactic fight between Clark and the Darkseid possessed corpse of Lionel Luthor.

Not one of these problems is minor, and, in a professionally written review, would most likely result in some hefty deductions—especially for a finale. Unfortunately, these problems, even when lumped together, are almost inconsequential against the most glaring flaw imaginable. That would be the conscious decision being made to not deliver what the audience wanted.

After ten years and 217 episodes, there were no clear shots of Clark in full costume. Instead we get a few long distance shots of a poorly rendered CGI Superman. The shots that weren't from a distance were close-ups of Tom Welling's face. In the final shot of the series, just when it looks as though things might pay off, we see Welling do the iconic shirt rip to reveal what could only be a short sleeve Superman shirt. There wasn't even a point where he either called himself or was directly identified as Superman. In short, the destination was never reached. Once again, I'm left feeling more that a little confused.

Don't the executive producers know how the people who work on genre shows depend on their fanbase to score other gigs just as much, if not more so than the quality of their work? David Boreanaz, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Marc Blucas, James Marsters, Eliza Dushku and Joss Whedon were able to rely on their fan appeal from "Buffy: the Vampire Slayer" to get involved on other projects. The same goes for "Firefly's" Nathan Fillon and Summer Glau. Grace Park (formerly of "Battlestar Galactica") and Daniel Dae Kim (formerly of "Lost") both landed leading roles on "Hawaii Five-0". These are things the principles on a genre show can look forward to when they deliver the goods. "Smallville", for some inexplicable reason, took the other route. It's the route taken by "Heroes", and has anyone seen that shows leads do much of anything since its cancellation? So now I'm going to make a prediction.

I see that, within three to four years, the principle on camera and behind camera crew will find themselves doing one of three things. Option A involves them shilling their autographs on the convention circuit. Option B involves them ending up on a soap opera. Option C involves them writing, directing and/or starring in the occasional SyFy Channel original picture—the likes of which have included such gems as "Sharktopus" and "Mansquito".

Who's going to want to see another show starring Tom Welling or another series that's written or executive produced by Miles Gough, Alfred Millar, Kelly Souders, or Brian Peterson after this? They basically relegated a ten year series into a sneeze that never comes, into an itch that's never scratched. Check the message boards. There isn't one person who isn't at least mildly disappointed with the way things ended. The one's who say otherwise then go on to state they never thought "Smallville" was good to begin with. That's definitely not how you want to send off a long running series—by leaving a steaming pile on the realistic and warranted expectations of its fans.

So while those who've worked on other genre shows enjoy continued success, the buck probably stops here for those involved with "Smallville". I'm pretty sure Erica Durance, Allison Mack, Justin Hartley, Cassidy Freeman and Michael Rosenbaum had nothing to do with this inordinately, ill-advised decision. Matter of fact, I'd wager money they didn't agree with it. Nonetheless, this is a lump sum game, and this is their lump. It doesn't matter if you sell shoes, crunch numbers or work in movies & television, the same standards apply. You deliver what your customer/client/audience wants and reap the rewards. But should you decide to screw them; the only thing you reap is ill-will. In an industry so reliant on charisma, this may as well be an acute case of Ebola.

After over twenty years of seeing these things play out, I'm pretty spot on about this stuff—it's kinda' my thing. As such, I only see a few ways out of this quandary for the primary cast and crew whose name and likeliness' are linked to this epic fail. They can release a statement stating the Superman name and costume was off limits for legal reasons (cheap and easy to do). They can provide extra, clearly shot footage of Welling wearing the full costume, while in action, for the upcoming DVD release or as an exclusive extra for the complete series box set (it could push those overpriced blue boxes right off the shelves). Or they could always do a made for T.V. movie, or series of them, detailing the events immediately following Smallville's conclusion. This could serve to keep up the interest in Superman until the "Man of Steel" hits sometime in 2012. Seeing as how it has to get past the bomb that is "Superman Returns", this could leave both the big and small screen parties in a rather desirable position.

what a disappointing way to end a show i have loved for so long! the finale was a PEACE OF GARBAGE! the first hour was full of Louis and Clark will they or wont they get married crap! i honestly did not care wither they did or not! and this plot should have in no way been included in the finale. it should have already been resolved before hand. secondly Lex freaking Luther returned for nothing! the character was not done Justice my friends was not. not only was he just in 2 major scenes but his Freaking memory got wiped. a entire shows worth of good character development destroyed! he might as well not even been a character if nothing he did counted after all! how can he be superman's arch nemesis if he does not remember what made him evil in the first place! Freaking doesn't

make any sense. also i was cheated out of seeing Clark in the full superman suit! it just showed little cg i man floating around from a distance. or so up close you could only see the cape fluttering behind him. no full frontal shot not even one! at the end Clark opened his shirt to reveal the s on his chest but nothing more. rip off! 10 years of my life wasted. the only good scenes where between Clark and Jonathan Kent. and when Lex killed Tess. i just saw it coming! sadly he got his memory's wiped out randomly by some type of memory wipe cream she put on his face before she died. again completely stupid! when i go back and watch good episodes of this show i will always feel a little down knowing how awful everything turned out!