(S07E20) After a pretty intense set of scenes from the past season, we open with Edward Teague trying to run to South America (as all fugitives tend to do). His stewardess ends up being Kara, who takes a very sinister turn as she threatens to throw Teague out of the plane. When he gives her the information she requires, she destroys the plane and kills him anyway (along with everyone else on the plane).For the last time this season: Somebody saaaavvvveeee meeeee...
Dear CW: If you're going to have a surprise guest star in the episode that represents the culmination of the season's secret storyline, don't put his name in the opening credits. It's too much of a reveal.
No Stride Gum references? How disappointing.
A lot sure happened in this episode. Lana's wake-up could have been an episode in itself rather than a two minute denouement. We learned what was happening with Kara, Lex found the Fortress, and Brainiac was destroyed yet again (Possibly for the final time. Possibly). Lana got better and broke up with Clark. Chloe got sick, got better, got proposed to, and got arrested.
So what did we learn this episode? We learned that Kara never returned from Krypton and it was Brainiac in disguise all along. Kara is stuck in the Phantom Zone. Who called it? I called it about five seconds before the reveal.
The Red Kryptonite reference was a nice callback to the first season. The Kent barn was trashed yet again. Ironically it was trashed during the last Clark/Brainiac fight as well.
Brainiac was looking pretty weak after he tried to feed on Chloe. How did her meteor powers weaken him? That wasn't explained very well.
In another unsurprising turn of events given Kristen Kreuk's absence next season, Lana broke up with Clark via video. I'm glad this was finally done, as the Clark/Lois relationship that was seriously hinted in the past few episodes has a chance to take shape next season.
The betrayal of Jimmy by Lex could be seen coming a long way away. As mentioned, Jimmy's trust of Lex would bite him on the ass later. And it did.
Jimmy's marriage proposal to Chloe was surprising. The ring was cute and was obviously the only thing a photographer at the Daily Planet could afford.
The big confrontation that had been building for the season was a bit of a let-down. It was only the last five minutes of the episode and no punches were thrown. It was all talk. I liked the quotes from Lex from other incarnations of Superman such as "mild mannered farm boy" and "strange visitor from another planet." Was the rock purple Kryptonite or something? What did it do to Clark before destroying the Fortress of Solitude?
The big question is: how can Clark become Superman without Lex now knowing his secret identity? The writers may pull an amnesia shtick out of their hat (after all, a collapsing Fortress could cause head injury). Since Lex isn't back full-time next season, the likelihood is he'll be buried in the arctic. Michael Rosenbaum has been rumored to be returning part-time next year, so I doubt this is the last we'll see of Lex.
I was glad to learn that Allison Mack will be back for next season full-time. Perhaps she'll be in the Smallville version of Prison Break?
The episode was enjoyable. But like many episodes this season, it felt compressed. It should have been at least two episodes. Big changes are in store for the next season of this show including a new nemesis for Clark and quite probably a new girlfriend. Losing major cast members is usually a sign of the end of a series. What do you think?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
5-15-2008 @ 10:26PM
Edward said...
Smallville has never had a 2 hour season finale. It is a show that deserves one. All the build up since the beginning of every season, has led to a rushed season finale, and this one was no different. I don't believe WB/CW has ever had a finale longer than an hour; and it doesn't surprise me given Smallville's limited budget.
With everything rushed in tonight's episode, it leads to another season premiere where everything is solved in 45 minutes => more rushed episodes. I really hope the new show runners will change up the pace of the episodes/arcs.
rushed finale = ho-hum episode
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5-15-2008 @ 10:52PM
Riley Freeman said...
in canada for some reason they show the episodes a day early so i saw this yesterday and boy was i pissed. the ending was terrible and above poster said smallvile should always have a 2 hr season premiere and finale. EVERY show should close with double their regular amount of time for season finale. anyway this show needs to be given a short order of 13 episodes and end it. i have been a loyal fan but ive had enough of this. this let down of a season finale felt like a regular episode. the stupid episode where jimmy and chloe were the main storyline was a waste of an episode.
ill be sad to see u go but its time smallvile. its been fun
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5-15-2008 @ 11:02PM
Dave said...
I don't understand people who think the show should be cancelled, if you don't like it anymore then watch Ugly Betty. This show is my one guilty pleasure on the CW and I'll continue watching. Plus this show is probably the CW's most profitable show, what would they replace it with.
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5-15-2008 @ 11:04PM
superrrguy said...
Boring.
When is he gonna fly god damn it!
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5-15-2008 @ 11:15PM
Edward said...
Whatever happened to Lex arriving at the Fortress in a winter coat? That was a teaser a couple weeks ago.
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5-15-2008 @ 11:57PM
ac said...
Ok for this season it was a good episode. As a Smallville finale it sucked. Seriously I know every season ends with a wtf moment but how are they pulling this cliffhanger off without seeing Lex on the premire? Smallville finales usually leave me with high anticipation for next season. This one didnt. They should not have rushed this episode along like they did. A 2 hour finale would of been much better suited. Also I dont know how the Clark we saw this season becomes Superman. This season completely pussified him. Hopefully Lana leaving will solve that. And Brad is right if they didnt stick the Special Guest Star heading for Marsters the Kara is Brainiac twist would of actually been a twist. I mean come on The Office finale was more shocking than this.
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5-15-2008 @ 11:59PM
ac said...
Yeah wasn't he cold in just a long coat and no hat to protect his dome-head?
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5-16-2008 @ 1:17AM
Alex D. said...
overall...meh...the episode was ok. It was annoying that at 45 mins in we didn't even see Lex in the fortress. I hope he will make a least a brief appearance in the season opener to explain some of this stuff. I am sure the writers' strike played a huge part in rushing through a lot of this stuff. Hopefully next year will play out fully although i have my doubts about Doomsday coming to Smallville. We'll have to wait and see how that goes.
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5-16-2008 @ 1:38AM
Jeff said...
Maybe the writers need to go back on strike so we don't have to watch such a fiasco again.
Excuse me but wasn't the Veritas artifact meant to CONTROL Clark, not destroy both Clark and the artifact-user? They spent the last half of the season telling us this only to leave us scratching our heads.
I would have given the focus of the finale to 2 themes:
1. Lex and preventing him from using the Veritas artifact. Maybe throw in an internal conflict for Lex with what remains of his benign inner-child that we've seen in past episodes.
2. Clark and the ailing Lana and how that relationship dissolves and how it motivates Clark to stop pussy-footing around and get to work as Superman.
I saw no reason to include Kara if her fate wasn't going to be more than a footnote anyway. And the side-bars of Jimmy and Chloe and Lois? All those did was to distract from what should have been the focus of the finale.
I'm sure there must have been issues with cast availability and contracts and those who were featured were possibly based on whomever would draw more viewers but they really shot themselves in the foot with this episode.
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5-16-2008 @ 2:21AM
eugene said...
the writing was so horrible... how does lex go from: I need to stop you from destroying the world to: I could have helped you be a hero! in just one heartbeat. It's like they were drawing lines out of a hat and just scotch taping a script together.
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5-16-2008 @ 4:49AM
pavo said...
Kent is a big pussy! All he does is complain! WTF u r superman, u can do whatever u want and still he just walks around the farm. Start fly and concuer the world! Hope next season will be the last one.
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5-16-2008 @ 5:57AM
Jenanime said...
Um, I'm really confused by the ending. o_o
Clark collapsed...ok. The fortress went down with Clark and Lex inside....okey dokes. Huh?! What?! Will somebody please explain what the hell was that? Where was the (proper) showdown?!
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5-16-2008 @ 8:35AM
Paul McCall said...
That's it for me. The last Smallville I'll watch in real time. If next season sounds watchable through what I read on this blog and others then I'll wait until my local library gets the season DVD and zip through it then. Life's too short to sit through the very long commercial breaks and the plodding scenes of Clark brooding in the barn while some whiney, weezing WB recording "artist" plays on and on and on. Bye bye CW!
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5-17-2008 @ 9:57AM
Jack said...
The finale was good, but I basically agree with many of the comments that were posted here. Considering that for seven years we have been waiting for Lex and Clark to really battle it out, Rosenbaum's final appearance as a regular on the show was anti-climactic, to say the least. I will definitely tune in next season, but I can't imagine that Smallville can continue for much longer beyond that. At the end of season eight, we should see Clark working at the Daily Planet, flying in his Superman uniform, and romantically involved with Lois Lane. Also, Lex Luthor has to be back for the show's last episode, only now the company that he owns should be called "LexCorp," no longer "LuthorCorp." Chloe must die before the show's end, perhaps because of Lex's doing, and Clark will take over her spot at the Planet. Before she dies, though, her and Clark should have a romantic fling--maybe more than a fling. This will provide the occasion for him to begin paying closer attention to Lois, who will remind him much of Chloe.
Or something like all of this.
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5-16-2008 @ 12:24PM
Jimmy said...
This has to be the lamest season finale Smallville has ever had, but since this was a totally lame season what can you expect. THe writing on this episode was beyond shoddy. Who called the ambulance for Chloe? How did anyone know she needed one? Who told Clark? How did Clark know where Brainiac was? Talk about a waste of actor in James Marsters! As for Kara, far as I'm concerned they can leave her in the Phantom Zone -- she has been a total waste of a character this season.
I hope that next season is the last. As much as I've enjoyed Smallville I think the show has overstayed its welcome. Next season needs to be about Clark Kent accepting his role as Superman, and for God's sake learn to fly!
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5-16-2008 @ 1:28PM
kevjohn said...
Three things stuck out in my mind as I watched this episode. First, how did he send Kara to the PZ? That place is easier to get into than Applebees. Second, if Brainiac gets powered up by gobs and gobs of good ol' fashioned electricity, how is MORE electricity going to destroy him? The last thing was that as I glanced at the clock before the last segment began I was beginning to wonder if this was going to be a 2-hour finale. Because even though they seemed to be rushing through a lot of major developments (Clark finally "kills" Brainy, Kara in the PZ, Lana leaving, the whole Chloe thing) there seemed to be a lot more stuff that needed to be done. But nope, they wrapped it up with a contentious 3-minute conversation between Clark and Lex. And then Lex puts that purple glowing Magic 8-Ball into the Fortress's Magic 8-Ball holder and then everything goes kaplooey.
This finale would have been much better if they hadn't pressed the fast forward button on it to cliffhang as many story threads as possible. It was definitely watchable, but let's hope they shoot for something more than that next season.
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5-16-2008 @ 1:57PM
Riley Freeman said...
i think the more electricity killing him could be either him being in his weakened state it was too much. orrrrrrrrrr a la matrix when agent anderson took over neo too much power can make u overload or thats what happened to bizarro earlier this season.
nevertheless one more season and hopefully its done. but since all the people that didnt want clark to fly are leaving maybe things will change for the better next season
5-16-2008 @ 6:49PM
Nathaniel Teager said...
S7 finale=Disapointing episode.There was so much potential,but it was wasted
I agree with some of the previous comments.One of the things that irritated me,was the way Lana re-appeared.She has not appeared in a while,and all we see is a goodbye Clark-YouTube video?I already knew that Kristin Kreuk will appear briefly next season,but ..
I think that Smallville reached its peak in the first half of the 5th season (Reckoning,probably one of the best Smallville episodes).The second half of the 5th season was not as good.The 6th season was a decent one and it had good episodes,like "Promise".The 7th season also had some good episodes,but in terms of quality,it's probably the worst of the last three seasons,or one of the worst seasons,as some would argue.Let's see how the 8th (final?) season develops.
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5-16-2008 @ 6:53PM
Discosis said...
I've been really impressed with Smallville this season (its been on my must-watch-immediately list).
But this ... as a finale ... felt *very* sloppy. And rushed.
I agree with the needs-2-hours comments. Sure, they've never had a 2 hour finale (but they did have a 2 hour premiere), doesn't mean you can't at least build up to it over a couple of episode.
Things were dealt with off-camera. "Chloe, I'm glad you've made a full recovery" ... that's lazy, yes - but in an episode that had SO much going on there's bound to be a few downers.
*sigh*
Could have been so much better.
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5-16-2008 @ 7:33PM
James said...
It's another fabulous finaly, like Smallville always do.
No one could deny, Smallville has the better premieres and finales of all series.
The 7th season is good, not as good the last two. But it had some of the best episodes of the entire series (Descent among others).
I hope we'll see more Lex on 8th season. He's the best Lex ever.
Clark is once more close to the cape. Chloe and Jummy are fabulous in this episode. And Lois are awesome as always.
I'm sure we'll see Brainiac again, i mean he cannot be destroyed. He's a terrific villain and season 8 need him.
Smallville once again prove to be one of the best shows on tv. It's (one of the) the most heart-breaking shows and i'ts highly enjoyable. It has 7 amazing seasons and the 8th looks to have lot's of potential being the last one.
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