'Smallville' Series Finale A Newbie's Take (Plus, Where Do We Go From Here?) Recap

I'll say this up front: before Friday's finale, I had never watched an episode of "Smallville" from beginning to end. I grew up as one of the biggest Superman fans to walk the Earth (yes, I had my own cape), but every time I sat down to watch an episode of "Smallville" that sounded interesting to me--such as the intro of Green Arrow, Aquaman, or Doomsday--I found myself lost in a sea of characters and circumstances that were foreign to me. Even as a comic book reader and Superman devotee, there was still no way of knowing who the heck this Chloe chick was.

That said, when I started watching the series finale on Friday, I was hooked from beginning to end. Why? Because the show was finally delivering the true Man of Steel elements that fans had been waiting for all this time: the wedding with Lois, a showdown with Supes' most dangerous opponent (Darkseid), and of course the tights and cape.

Even having missed the build-up, I wasn't bored to tears by the first half of the episode, which consisted mostly of the Lois & Clark wedding. I suppose a lot of that has to do with the chemistry between Tom Welling and Erica Durance, which is noticeable. There's a great take on the character of Lois in this show as well, giving her a side that isn't the confident, ass-kicking reporter that she usually is. The scenes with her doubts about being the right person to marry Clark were great, and her vows were tearjerking if not a little corny. And when Clark walked her down the isle? Fugeddaboutit.

But when it turns out that Oliver is possessed by Darkseid and attempts to deliver a ring of gold kryptonite to Clark, thus ridding him of his powers forever (aha! Mythology that's finally familiar to me!), things start to pick up. The planet of Apokolips is approaching Earth (uh-oh), but first Clark has to duke it out with the possessed Oliver. Just as he has in the past with Supergirl (though maybe not on this show?) Clark has to talk Oliver out of the possession...and it works. Is there anything he can't do?

Meanwhile, this Tess chick who I have gathered is Lex's sister has stumbled upon a replacement Lex pieced together from his "best parts." FrankenLex still needs a heart, though, which is why Tess was captured and brought there. She breaks out, killing the old-man Luthor in the process...but he gets possessed by a rather smoky-looking Darkseid (hey, whatever you gotta do to save on special effects costs) and...now we have a heart. Ouch.

So Lex has been dead, then. That seems like it might have killed this show a bit. Not only is Michael Rosenbaum great, but from the little I know of "Smallville" I can see that Lex has been set up as an opposite to Clark, the dark version of him, gifted but misguided. Their scene together is a quiet one, but one that fans must have been thirsting for. Later, when Lex kills Tess, he gets a neurotoxin on him that I guess erases his memories...so, is he good now? The end of the episode shows him as President of the United States, so let's hope so.

Most of the rest of the episode is devoted to Clark finding his mojo, as it were. He has to decide to stop being a guy in a leather jacket who runs really fast and be the hero that he is meant to be. Apparently, he can see the dead Pa Kent, who tells him that Jor-El is the only one who can guide him now. But it isn't until Clark faces off with Darkseid (albeit indirectly, once again saving on special effects costs) that Jor-El gives him that guidance. Clark looks back on his memories (hey, this is kind of like watching the whole series) and returns to the task at hand...with the ability to fly! Now, I haven't put in the time with this series to be totally geeked-out about this, but I'm still pretty geeked-out. That's saying something as to the ability of this show to draw you in and build to this finish.

Only one thing left to do: save the frickin' world. Clark heads to the Fortress of Solitude where he finds--gasp!--his full Superman costume waiting for him, along with some words of encouragement from both his fathers.

The joy that "Smallville" devotees must have been feeling at this moment...Clark dons the costume and bursts through the roof, out to participate in a series of images that echo both the original "Superman" movie and the more recent "Superman Returns." Superman saves Air Force One with Lois inside, sends Apokolips away, and pauses for a moment in space, looking down on the planet that is now his to protect. And at the very end, we even get Clark, running along the rooftop of the Daily Planet, removing his glasses and opening his shirt to reveal that big red "S" that we've been waiting to see.

Was it perfect? No. I still saw the lack of proper pacing and the rushed action sequences that turned me off from the show so many times before. But this time, they were still enough. Sure, Clark got rid of Apokolips in seconds flat, and I don't see how it would have been that hard to green-screen Tom Welling struggling amid a sea of flames.

Also, we never got a good look at Tom in that full-on costume. Why? To tease the fans who have waited for it for so long? To keep with the "no tights" part of the show's motto, even though the "no flights" part was broken? Possibly. Other theories point to the possibility of a "Smallville" movie, so a full-on look at the costume must be reserved for that. So, there's something to look forward to.

Heck, this thing was so exciting, I might go back and watch some of the rest of the show!