Smallville season 10
The tenth and final season of Smallville, an American television series developed by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, premiered on September 24, 2010 on The CW. The series recounts the early adventures of Kryptonian Clark Kent as he adjusts to life in the fictional town of Smallville, Kansas, during the years before he becomes Superman. The tenth season comprises 22 episodes and concluded its initial airing on May 13, 2011. Regular cast members during season ten include Tom Welling, Erica Durance, Cassidy Freeman, Justin Hartley, and Allison Mack.
The final season of the series continues the romance developed between Clark and Lois Lane, as well as the continuation of Clark's trials and the forging of his superhero identity "Superman". Former series regulars John Schneider, Annette O'Toole, John Glover, Laura Vandervoort, and Callum Blue all returned sporadically throughout the season as Jonathan Kent, Martha Kent, Lionel Luthor, Kara, and Zod respectively, while Michael Rosenbaum and Aaron Ashmore returned for the series finale.
The season premiere was seen by 2.98 million U.S. viewers. By the end of this season, Smallville had become the longest running science fiction television series in North America.
Episodes
Cast and characters
Main
- Tom Welling as Clark Kent / The Blur / Superman
- * Welling also portrays Clark Luthor / Ultraman in two episodes
- Erica Durance as Lois Lane
- * Durance also portrays Earth-2 Lois in two episodes
- Cassidy Freeman as Tess Mercer
- * Freeman also portrays Earth-2 Tess in "Luthor"
- Justin Hartley as Oliver Queen / Green Arrow
- * Hartley also portrays Earth-2 Oliver in "Luthor"
- Allison Mack as Chloe Sullivan
Recurring
- Terence Stamp as the voice of Jor-El
- John Schneider as Jonathan Kent
- Ted Whittall as Rick Flag
- Alessandro Juliani as Dr. Emil Hamilton
- Keri Lynn Pratt as Cat Grant
- Michael Daingerfield as Gordon Godfrey
- Christine Willes as Granny Goodness
- Steve Byers as Desaad
- John Glover as Lionel Luthor
Production
Development
In March 2010, The CW renewed Smallville for its tenth and final season, which consists of 22 episodes. Tom Welling, Erica Durance, Cassidy Freeman, Callum Blue, and Justin Hartley were the only regular cast members from the previous season who were contracted for the tenth season, although Blue was not picked up for the second year of his deal. As Allison Mack's contract was reportedly not renewed before the end of season nine, her status was in question, although executive producer Brian Peterson was "very optimistic" that Mack would return.The studio's official press release was presented two months later and confirmed that Smallville would be remaining at its Friday, 8 p.m. time slot. It also revealed that Smallville would be reteaming with Supernatural, a series that was originally slotted just behind Smallville on Thursday nights for four seasons. The press release did not list Mack in the list of stars. Mack released a statement that month that she would not return as a series regular, but would return for multiple episodes to wind up her storyline, while Peterson stated that, despite her long absence and limited episode count, Mack would remain a series regular. Mack said that her hope was that the character of Chloe Sullivan will hold on to her integrity as the writers closed out her storyline. For the actress, watching as her character matured over the years—from sacrificing the things she wanted for the sake of her friends, to finally reaching a point where she can strive to satisfy her own needs and wants—has been important for her. Welling, who served as a part-time producer for season nine, was promoted as a full executive producer for season ten. Welling was also set to direct two episodes during the season, and Hartley was contracted to direct another episode.
Story
Peterson and executive producer Kelly Souders revealed that the theme for season ten is "facing the ghosts of your past and how helps you move on in the future"; as such, the return of previous cast members played into this. Souders and Peterson also chose not to erase Lois Lane's memory of Clark Kent's secret, something she discovered in the season nine finale. Instead, Lois helped Clark do what he needs to do to get away and fulfill his destiny without telling him that she knows. The producers explained that there were "some twists and turns" before Lois tells Clark that she knows. Initially helping Clark and Oliver Queen at Watchtower, Tess Mercer discovers a secret from her past, and the season explores whether she ends on the side of good or bad. Chloe's ending was also told in a way that was fitting for the character. She "sacrifices" herself for Oliver, who has been informed that she was killed. As a result, Oliver spends much of the season looking for Chloe, trying to find who is behind her murder. In addition, Oliver is "literally and figuratively stripped down to his bare essence" early on this season.Similar to season eight and nine, the tenth season introduced a new main villain, Darkseid, but producers said that it is a different incarnation than his DC Comics counterpart. They explained that Darkseid's presence is felt throughout the whole season, but that he does not actually appear until near the end, unlike in previous seasons where the main villain was present from the start. Instead, Darkseid's minions—Granny Goodness, Desaad, Glorious Godfrey, and others to be named—appear throughout the season as the physical presence for Clark to battle. That said, Darkseid makes an appearance in the season premiere, digitally created to start with, but with "more solid forms" making a short appearance by the third episode. The plan was for Darkseid's presence to be established as he takes over the bodies of various characters. The executive producers also wanted to take a look at the history of Smallvilles Clark in the 200th episode of the series, "Homecoming". According to Peterson, the episode explores the past, the present and the future.
When discussing how the series would end, Peterson stated that the creative team had multiple visions of the series finale since the show began. According to Peterson, there was the vision that series creators Alfred Gough and Miles Millar developed and shared with the team over the years. Then there was the vision that Peterson and the current set of executive producers had. The producer said that ultimately, the finale is a combination of all their visions that he believed would not disappoint anyone. In addition, the producers stated that they did not want to hold anything back for this season, and they gave the fans what they wanted to see.
Characters
With the season being the series' last, plans began to bring back previous cast members for at least one appearance. Welling expressed his interest in having Annette O'Toole, John Schneider, Michael Rosenbaum, Kristin Kreuk, and Michael McKean return. Welling even stated that he was doing everything to get Rosenbaum back. For Welling, Rosenbaum was the only person he could have seen portraying Lex on the series. He said that the thing that he sees inspiring Clark to become Superman would be the return of Lex and the interaction between the two characters; he explained that there is no Superman without Lex. At the 2010 Comic-Con, Welling said that Rosenbaum acknowledged the importance of Lex in the series and wanted to return in some degree for the final season, but that he needed to iron the details out. Welling said the season teased Lex's return with the introduction of bodies that Lex could tap into and heal himself later in life. Welling also stated that Lana could possibly have closure by season's end.Schneider returned for the season premiere, and filmed three total episodes for his return to the series. He reprised his role in the episode "Kent", where Clark meets Jonathan in an alternate universe. The actor would make his third guest appearance in the series finale, along with O'Toole and John Glover ; Glover appeared for two episodes in late November 2010. Laura Vandervoort, who portrayed Clark's Kryptonian cousin Kara in season seven returned for the season's third episode, "Supergirl". According to Souders, Kara returns to Earth more as Supergirl and less as Kara. Souders emphasized that because Kara's return is in a heroic capacity, also revealing her ability to fly to the world, Kara works on developing an alter-ego through the use of eyeglasses and a wig. In addition, Kara provides her own input into Clark's development of his Superman persona. Vandervoort appeared in the season's 20th episode, titled "Prophecy".
James Marsters also returned for the series' 200th episode "Homecoming". Marsters first appeared as Brainiac / Milton Fine in season five and again in season seven. This time, Marsters portrayed Brainiac 5, the version of Brainiac from the future that the Legion of Super-Heroes created after removing the original version of Brainiac from Chloe's body in the season eight episode "Legion". In addition, both Michael Shanks and Jessica Parker Kennedy returned as Carter Hall / Hawkman and Plastique, respectively, in the second episode. Carter made a brief appearance in the season nine finale, while Plastique was last seen in season eight. The return of Carter meant a deeper look into who that character was, while seeing a "more human side" to him than previously seen. Michael Ironside and Peyton List returned for a mid-October episode as Lois' father General Sam Lane and Lois' sister Lucy, respectively. Both characters were last seen in separate season four episodes. Alan Ritchson reprised his role as Arthur Curry / Aquaman in a November episode. Ritchson described his character's return as "darker" and less "bubble-gummy" than previously seen on the series.
Cat Grant, a gossip columnist for the Daily Planet in the comic books, appeared as Clark's new partner during season ten, acting more as a "comedic foil" for Clark, and was not intended to interrupt the relationship he has with Lois. Instead, Cat acts as Lois's professional rival, and is considered by the producers to be her opposite. Keri Lynn Pratt, who portrays Cat, stated that her character has a crush on Clark, which annoys Lois more than threatens her. Pratt described her character's motivations: "Cat really believes in what she's working on and her message. She just really wants to get that through and have everyone on the same page as her. She kind of loses track of the big picture".
This season made the introductions of villains Granny Goodness, Desaad, and Glorious Godfrey. Lindsay Hartley was cast as another of Darkseid's minions, Mad Harriet, who works for Granny Goodness. Hartley explained the traditional claws her character wears are powered by kryptonite, which give her an advantage over Clark. She also said that Harriet is the leader of Granny Goodness' Female Furies.
In addition, Geoff Johns, who previously wrote the introductions for the Legion of Super-Heroes and the Justice Society of America, wrote the episode "Booster" that introduced superheroes Booster Gold and Blue Beetle. The version of Blue Beetle is Jaime Reyes, and Booster Gold is modeled directly after his comic book counterpart, including his personality and history. The second Blue Beetle, Ted Kord, was also introduced in that episode. Johns admitted that his choice of which comic book character to introduce was based solely on his personal preference, as he is a fan of Blue Beetle and Booster Gold and has a history of writing for those characters. These introductions came at a time when Clark needed to have interactions with the characters to "propel him forward". He noted that the two characters embody what Clark needs to learn: being in the public eye and fully accepting his alien heritage. Johns pointed out that Booster Gold is all about being in the spotlight, while Clark is not. At the same time, Blue Beetle is trying to understand the alien technology he has been given. Johns also stated that Booster's introduction serves to show Clark that society needs a hero to look up to. Eric Martsolf was cast as Booster, Sebastian Spence was cast as Kord, and Jaren Brandt Bartlett portrayed Jaime.
In addition to the return of Lois's father and sister, Teri Hatcher was cast as Lois's mother. Hatcher, who starred as Lois in Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, appeared in lost video footage that Lois discovers. Blue returned as Zod for the episode "Dominion". Rosenbaum returned to the series after he finally agreed to appear in the series finale and expressed that his return was for the fans. Chris Gauthier reprised his role as Toyman.