"No flights, no tights."
This edict, set forth by "Smallville" creators Alfred Gough and Miles Millar when the show kicked off in 2001, assured viewers that Tom Welling's Clark Kent would remain earthbound and sensibly clothed.
At the time, that decree was a shield against the inherent cheesiness of the superhero franchise. But the show, like Clark, has grown up, leading fans to wonder why Clark's feet are still on the ground.
The veteran show picks up its tenth and final season with Clark narrowly escaping death by the hand of Kandorian General Zod. He is miraculously saved, only to discover that Oliver (aka the Green Arrow, played by Justin Hartley) has been kidnapped. Tess (Cassidy Freeman), meanwhile, wakes up with her burns miraculously healed in one of Lex Luthor's laboratories. There she finds Lex's clones, intended to be used to heal their (probably not) dead creator. When one of them breaks loose, he forces Clark to choose between saving Lois (Erica Durance) or a street of civilians. Clark — in classic Clark fashion — saves both. Lois, now privy to Clark's secret, leaves for Egypt. And Clark flies … almost.
As a well−deserved nod to the show's loyal decade−old following, the premiere includes ample allusions to the show's first season: Lois tied up like a scarecrow, a cameo by John Schneider's Jonathan Kent and the almost−reunion of Lex and Clark.
And in classic "Smallville" style, the dialogue is rife with intimations of Superman's final destiny (cue the dramatic music).
Yet the season premiere felt undoubtedly stale, falling victim to the same vice that has plagued the last few seasons of the faster−than−a−speeding−bullet protagonist's story: painful slowness. Clark's journey to the famous red−and−blue suit feels never−ending. He has already saved Earth from several apocalypses, formed the Justice League, and won the heart of his destined love Lois Lane.
He still seems to think that he is not ready to accept his "destiny," despite the fact that viewers feel so ready for him to take off that watching him mope around Earth is becoming excruciating. All that he has left to do is get a pair of glasses and put on the suit. But he just won't do it.
The blessing and curse of "Smallville" has always been that its ending is set in stone. As the show comes to a conclusion, its greatest challenge will be to capitalize on the anticipation of reaching a known conclusion. Unfortunately, as the season premiere demonstrates, the writers have yet to shake off the weight of dramatic irony. How can we find interest in the obstacles blocking Clark's success when we already know that he will fly over them?
The only thing stopping Clark (and "Smallville") from taking flight is Clark himself. His inertia will be this season's greatest enemy. Allusions to the "greatest evil" Clark will soon be facing — producers confirmed that villain Darkseid will fill that role — fall flat. The past two seasons have proven that the only villain interesting enough to keep our attention is the one villain we can't have: Lex Luthor.
Luckily, though Michael Rosenbaum has been painfully absent from the show since his (probably fake) death at the end of season seven, producer/star Welling has stated that he hopes to recruit the show's favorite baldie for the final season. Our fingers are crossed.
The second episode provides easily the most promising addition to the final season in the form of Cat Grant, played by Keri Lynn Pratt. The perky, hero−hating reporter — she is the Daily Planet's gossip columnist in the comics — adds a much−needed dose of comic relief against Clark's constant moodiness. And her anti−hero rhetoric (saying it is their fault for not "wanting to change") makes an interesting commentary on today's problem with homophobia.
Two new villains also come on the scene in the form of another anti−hero group and the Suicide Squad, a group of supernaturally gifted anti−heroes. Still, all we really want is Lex.
The episode ends with Chloe's apparent disappearance. Allison Mack has made it clear that she will be leaving the show early in this season, but even so, her departure seemed ridiculously anti−climactic, considering she is the only remaining original cast member besides Welling.
Judging by the first two episodes, "Smallville" fans can still look forward to plenty of convoluted mystery, dramatic music and use of the word "destiny."
It unfortunately has not satisfied its torture fetish, but at least it can officially move past the girlfriend−doesn't−know−about−my−powers plotline. And Lex may finally stop by. The outlook is cautiously optimistic.
The final scene of the second episode finds Clark atop the Daily Planet in a red leather jacket. While it's still a long way from the famous suit, it's a start. Let's hope for the speedy repeal of "no flights, no tights." It's time for Clark to take off.
