Smallville (season 9)
Encyclopedia
Season nine of Smallville
, an American
television series, began airing on September 25, 2009. 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 ninth season comprises 21 episodes and concluded its initial airing on May 14, 2010, marking the fourth season to air on the CW
television network. After four seasons broadcasting on Thursday nights at 8:00 pm, Smallville was moved to Friday nights at 8:00 pm
for season nine.
This season Clark takes his superhero persona into obsessive territory when he leaves behind those he cares for so that he can focus solely on Jor-El
's training. In order to accomplish this, Clark wears a new costume that sports his family crest
on the chest. The theme of the season is about Clark finally embracing his alien heritage, while also being his darkest hour thus far. As a result, Clark's relationship with Chloe and Oliver suffered this season. Season nine also saw the introduction of more DC Comics
characters, including multiple episode appearances for the Justice Society of America
, villain Metallo
, and villainess Agent Amanda Waller
.
Following the end of season eight, Aaron Ashmore
and Sam Witwer
departed the series after their characters were both killed off. Regular cast members during season nine include Tom Welling
, Allison Mack
, Erica Durance
, Cassidy Freeman
, Justin Hartley
, and Callum Blue
. With the loss of two series regulars, producers had to look for a new primary villain for season nine. Executive producers Kelly Souders and Brian Peterson decided to use Zod
, a character from the comics and Christopher Reeve Superman films. This version of Zod is younger than previous incarnations, including the short appearance he had on Smallville in season six
, and goes by the title of "Major Zod". Original depictions list the character as "General Zod".
The season premiere brought in 2.58 million viewers and outperformed any other show in the Friday 8:00 pm timeslot in over a year. Furthermore, "Absolute Justice
", a two-hour episode featuring the Justice Society of America
, aired on February 5, 2010. In an effort to clear up confusion, the Smallville writers announced on their Twitter
page that they still consider the two-hour episode to be two separately produced episodes, but was aired and packaged on the season 9 DVD as a single episode. Season nine averaged 2.38 million viewers, ranking #129 out of the 140 broadcast primetime shows.
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s Michael Ausiello
revealed that this season will feature major developments to the Clark/Lois relationship, but also that Superman's "iconic 'S'" will be featured significantly throughout the season, including on Clark's chest. After an interview with Peterson, Ausiello states that the theme for season nine will be "Clark's darkest hour"; there will be a love-triangle between Clark, Lois, and the Red-Blue Blur that will last for the season; tension will build between Chloe and Clark as the former realizes she is not satisfied just being a "sidekick"; and that the creative team is not "story-wise, approaching this season as Smallvilles last". A scene between Clark and Jor-El has been constructed for the premiere to explain why Clark has not learned to fly. Clark and Oliver's friendship will become tense thanks to Oliver's growing interest in rekindling his romantic relationship with Lois, Zod will be bringing multiple Kryptonians to Earth with him, and there is a chance Jor-El may make a physical appearance on the show.
In an interview following the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con International panel for Smallville, Souders and Peterson revealed that Clark will be training to take one-step closer to his ultimate destiny as Superman, and that Clark would be wearing a costume while performing his Red-Blue Blur duties. The pair explained that this season's theme is also about Clark "embracing the fact that he is an alien". That said, Souders has stated that she would not refer to Clark himself as "darker", because he is still "the Superman underneath it all that we all know and love". E! Online's Natalie Abrams revealed, following the Smallville panel, that Clark's suit will be black, with a silver Superman "S" on the front, as well a trench coat that doubles as a cape. Based on the information released at the panel, Abrams reports that the producers have a series finale prepared should this season be the last. Although initially stated that Tom Welling will be directing two episodes, because of his responsibilities producing the new series Hellcats
, he only directed one. Allison Mack will be directing one.
, who last appeared in season eight's episode "Requiem", along with another appearance from Martian Manhunter
. On November 6, 2009, it was reported that Serinda Swan
would return as Zatanna
for an early 2010 episode, titled "Warrior". The characters Victor Stone
and Dinah Lance are set to return for the season finale; Victor Stone has not been seen since the season six
episode "Justice", and Dinah Lance has not made an appearance since the season eight
finale.
Callum Blue
was also cast in the series regular role of Zod
. His character was first mentioned in season five, when Brainiac
used Lex Luthor's body as a physical vessel for Zod's spirit to inhabit. In an interview, Peterson and executive producer Kelly Souders explained that this version of Zod will be different from the one who appeared in prior seasons. The execs classify this incarnation as "Major Zod", as opposed to his typical "General Zod" identifier and reveal that throughout season nine "the venomous side of Zod rises because he experiences a few key betrayals with our beloved characters". Zod will also be accompanied by Kryptonians Faora
, his wife in the comics, and Basqat. On September 11, 2009, it was announced that Julian Sands
was cast as Jor-El for the seventh episode of season nine, "Kandor". Until now, Jor-El has been a disembodied voice emanating from Clark's ship in season two, the Kawatche cave walls in season three and four, and then the Fortress of Solitude from season five onward. Annette O'Toole
and Michael McKean
will return to reprise their roles as Martha Kent and Perry White
, respectively. O'Toole has not made an appearance since the season six finale, when her character left for the United States Senate, and McKean has not appeared since his first guest spot in season three. Both actors will appear in the penultimate episode of the season. Executive producer Brian Peterson reveals that White's reintroduction into the series will show him moving closer to his destiny as the Editor-in-Chief of the Daily Planet, as well as his first meeting with Lois Lane, while Martha and Clark's reunion will have an "unexpected surprise".
Brian Austin Green
was cast to portray Metallo
for the first two episodes of this season, and made a third appearance in the seventeenth episode in the spring 2010. The executive producers also brought in DC Comics character Roulette
, portrayed by Steph Song
, In an interview Song revealed that she reviewed the character's comic book backstory beforehand, but that she wanted to make it known that the character has her own agenda in the episode. Clarifying, even though Roulette is sent after Oliver by someone else, she always stays "five steps ahead of everyone else". Roulette's famous tattoo, a dragon going up her leg and wrapping around her torso, will appear in the episode. Song stated that she spent three days in testing, where the creative team drew the tattoo onto her body and then took pictures of how it appeared before making a transfer with color. In addition, there will also be first appearances by the Wonder Twins
and Green Arrow
's sidekick Speedy. Peterson revealed that Smallvilles version of Speedy will be the most recent incarnation, Mia Dearden, and is HIV-positive
just like her comic book counterpart. Souders explains, "She has a sordid past and crosses paths with Oliver [Green Arrow] in some shady places [...] But he gives her hope." The Wonder Twins, who first appeared in the Super Friends
Saturday morning cartoons, will have their traditional abilities of being able to transform into various forms of water and animal life; there will also be a glimpse of the twins' blue monkey Gleek
.
Geoff Johns will return to write an episode featuring the Justice Society of America
; he previously wrote the episode "Legion", which introduced the Legion of Super-Heroes
in season eight. According to Johns, the Justice Society will be a team of superheroes who "started it all-like the Watchmen
" and "come out of retirement to give 'the screwed-up guys of the next generation a needed smack down'". Michael Shanks
, Brent Stait
and Brittney Irvin will be portraying Carter Hall/Hawkman
, Kent Nelson/Dr. Fate and Courtney Whitmore/Stargirl respectively in the two-hour episode. Shanks will wear the traditional Hawkman uniform, complete with strap-on wings and Hawkman's mace. Shanks spent time practicing his wirework for the flying scenes he would have to film while in full costume. One difference in the costume is the inclusion of a chest plate. According to Shanks, the costume designers added a chest plate to assist the flying harness they created. The chest plate and Hawkman's helmet were given a bronze color, as opposed to the more traditional "yellow/gold" color. Smallvilles version of Hawkman uses the backstory that Carter Hall is a "reincarnated prince from a thousand years ago", and worked alongside a group of superheroes in the 1970s. Shanks states that the Justice Society arrives to provide some "tough love" to Clark and his superhero friends, who are reaching a point in their lives where they are trying to find their own destinies. Although they will not appear, Shanks points out that there are references to other Justice Society members throughout the episode. Shanks and Irvin will reprise their Hawkman and Stargirl roles for the season finale.
On November 9, 2009, it was announced that Pam Grier
was cast as Amanda Waller
, a villainess from DC Comics, for "multiple episodes". Odessa Rae was cast as the villainess Siobhan McDougal, also known as Silver Banshee
. Smallvilles McDougal is characterized as a "vengeful spirit of a fallen Gaelic heroine". The tenth episode of season nine featured a "bad guy version" of Green Arrow, known as the "Dark Archer", played by Steve Bacic
. Carlo Marks has been cast to play Steven Swift/Warrior Angel, a potential love interest for Chloe. On February 22, 2010, it was announced that Gil Bellows
would portray the DC Comics villain Maxwell Lord
in at least one episode this season, with the potential for more episodes.
.
Ken Tucker from Entertainment Weekly said the first hour of the episode contained the "stand-out visual sequence" and thought the second hour was "more lumbering", with the big fight sequence toward the end "unsatisfying". Tucker stated, "For viewers who only know the Superman/boy mythos according to Smallville, it must have seemed strange to have most of the series' ongoing subplots put in storage for this week's two-hour edition. Then again, since the villain of this piece was a faux-hawked foe called the Icicle, frozen plotlines were inevitable." When referring to "Warrior", he called Serinda Swan
's portrayal of Zatanna
"smart" and said her dialogue with Clark was "crisp" which made Lois’ jealousy understandable.
On March 4, 2010, after The CW announced that Smallville will be back for its tenth season, it stated that Smallville improved the network's overall Friday performance in the 8:00 pm – 9:00 pm time period by 67% among adults 18-34, 200% in men 18-34, 75% in adults 18-49, 183% in men 18-49 and 74% in total viewers. After more than a month of not airing repeats or new episodes, Smallville returned with a series low of 2.13 million viewers, with the episode "Escape" on April 2, 2010. The following two episodes dropped in overall viewership, creating series lows three weeks in a row.
Smallville
Smallville is the hometown of Superman in comic books published by DC Comics. While growing up in Smallville, the young Clark Kent attended Smallville High with best friends Lana Lang, Chloe Sullivan and Pete Ross...
, an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television series, began airing on September 25, 2009. The series recounts the early adventures of Kryptonian
Krypton (comics)
Krypton is a fictional planet in the DC Comics universe, and the native world of the super-heroes Superman and, in some tellings, Supergirl and Krypto the Superdog. Krypton has been portrayed consistently as having been destroyed just after Superman's flight from the planet, with exact details of...
Clark Kent
Clark Kent (Smallville)
Clark Kent is a fictional character on the television series Smallville. The character of Clark Kent, first created for comic books by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster in 1938 as the alternate identity of Superman, was adapted to television in 2001 by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar—this is the fourth...
as he adjusts to life in the fictional town of Smallville, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, during the years before he becomes Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
. The ninth season comprises 21 episodes and concluded its initial airing on May 14, 2010, marking the fourth season to air on the CW
The CW Television Network
The CW Television Network is a television network in the United States launched at the beginning of the 2006–2007 television season. It is a joint venture between CBS Corporation, the former owners of United Paramount Network , and Time Warner's Warner Bros., former majority owner of The WB...
television network. After four seasons broadcasting on Thursday nights at 8:00 pm, Smallville was moved to Friday nights at 8:00 pm
Friday night death slot
The Friday night death slot is a perceived graveyard slot in American television, referring to the concept that a television program in the United States scheduled on Friday evenings is destined for imminent cancellation....
for season nine.
This season Clark takes his superhero persona into obsessive territory when he leaves behind those he cares for so that he can focus solely on Jor-El
Jor-El
Jor-El is a fictional character, an extraterrestrial in the . He was created by the writer Jerry Siegel and the artist Joe Shuster, and he first appeared in a newspaper comic strip in 1939 as Superman's biological father....
's training. In order to accomplish this, Clark wears a new costume that sports his family crest
Superman logo
The Superman logo, also informally known as the S shield, is the iconic emblem for the fictional DC Comics superhero Superman. As a representation of the first superhero, it served as a template for character design decades after Superman's first appearance...
on the chest. The theme of the season is about Clark finally embracing his alien heritage, while also being his darkest hour thus far. As a result, Clark's relationship with Chloe and Oliver suffered this season. Season nine also saw the introduction of more DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
characters, including multiple episode appearances for the Justice Society of America
Justice Society of America
The Justice Society of America, or JSA, is a DC Comics superhero group, the first team of superheroes in comic book history. Conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox, the JSA first appeared in All Star Comics #3 ....
, villain Metallo
Metallo
Metallo is a comic book supervillain and cyborg who appears in Superman stories published by DC Comics. Metallo's trademark is his kryptonite power source, which he often uses as a weapon against Superman. His traditional identity is John Corben...
, and villainess Agent Amanda Waller
Amanda Waller
Dr. Amanda Blake Waller is a character published by DC Comics. She first appeared in Legends #1 in 1986, and was created by John Ostrander, Len Wein, and John Byrne...
.
Following the end of season eight, Aaron Ashmore
Aaron Ashmore
Aaron Robert Ashmore is a Canadian film and television actor, perhaps best known for his role as Jimmy Olsen in Smallville and as Steve Jinks in Warehouse 13. He is the twin brother of actor Shawn Ashmore.-Career:...
and Sam Witwer
Samuel Witwer
Samuel Stewart "Sam" Witwer is an American actor and musician. He has appeared in individual episodes of numerous television shows as well as minor recurring characters in shows such as Battlestar Galactica, Davis Bloome aka Doomsday in Smallville, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and Dexter...
departed the series after their characters were both killed off. Regular cast members during season nine include Tom Welling
Tom Welling
Thomas John Patrick "Tom" Welling is an American actor, director, producer, and former model, best known for his portrayal of Clark Kent in the WB/CW series Smallville....
, Allison Mack
Allison Mack
Not to be confused with Alison MacAllison Mack is an American actress. She is best known for her role of Chloe Sullivan on the Superman-inspired television series Smallville.-Early life:...
, Erica Durance
Erica Durance
Erica Durance is a Canadian actress. She has also been credited as Erica Parker. She is best known for her role as Lois Lane in the Superman-inspired television series Smallville.- Early life :...
, Cassidy Freeman
Cassidy Freeman
Cassidy Freeman is an American actress and musician. She is known for her role as Tess Mercer in The CW's Superman-inspired action drama Smallville, which she starred for three years.-Early life and education:...
, Justin Hartley
Justin Hartley
Justin Scott Hartley is an American actor, writer and director. He is best known for his roles of Fox Crane on the NBC daytime soap opera Passions, and as Oliver Queen/Green Arrow on the WB/CW Superman-inspired series Smallville....
, and Callum Blue
Callum Blue
Daniel James Callum Blue , better known as Callum Blue, is an English film and television actor, best known for his roles on the Showtime series The Tudors and Dead Like Me as well as for his role as Zod in the American television series Smallville and British...
. With the loss of two series regulars, producers had to look for a new primary villain for season nine. Executive producers Kelly Souders and Brian Peterson decided to use Zod
General Zod
General Zod is a fictional character who appears in comic books published by DC Comics, a supervillain who is one of Superman's more-prominent enemies. The character first appeared in Adventure Comics #283 , and was created by Robert Bernstein and George Papp...
, a character from the comics and Christopher Reeve Superman films. This version of Zod is younger than previous incarnations, including the short appearance he had on Smallville in season six
Smallville (Season 6)
Season six of Smallville, an American television series, began airing on September 28, 2006. 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...
, and goes by the title of "Major Zod". Original depictions list the character as "General Zod".
The season premiere brought in 2.58 million viewers and outperformed any other show in the Friday 8:00 pm timeslot in over a year. Furthermore, "Absolute Justice
Absolute Justice
"Absolute Justice" is the eleventh episode of the ninth season of the CW series Smallville, and the 185th episode of the overall series. The episode originally aired on February 5, 2010 in the United States, and was initially slated to be two individual episodes before it was ultimately turned into...
", a two-hour episode featuring the Justice Society of America
Justice Society of America
The Justice Society of America, or JSA, is a DC Comics superhero group, the first team of superheroes in comic book history. Conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox, the JSA first appeared in All Star Comics #3 ....
, aired on February 5, 2010. In an effort to clear up confusion, the Smallville writers announced on their Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
page that they still consider the two-hour episode to be two separately produced episodes, but was aired and packaged on the season 9 DVD as a single episode. Season nine averaged 2.38 million viewers, ranking #129 out of the 140 broadcast primetime shows.
Episodes
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Writing
In an interview, Justin Hartley revealed that season nine will partially deal with Oliver having to battle his personal demons: "I think he is going to struggle with the things he has been afforded (as a result of) his powers. He has sacrificed things and done things that haunt him… It’s bad stuff. We need to get to the bottom of it." Peterson states that season nine will see Clark taking his "Red-Blue Blur" persona into obsessive territory: "He is trying a little too hard to be a hero, and is leaving the rest of his life behind." Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
s Michael Ausiello
Michael Ausiello
Michael Ausiello is an American television industry journalist and actor. He was a Senior Writer at TV Guide and its companion website, TVGuide.com. On May 28, 2008, Ausiello left TV Guide for Entertainment Weekly and posted his first blog for Entertainment Weekly on July 2, 2008...
revealed that this season will feature major developments to the Clark/Lois relationship, but also that Superman's "iconic 'S'" will be featured significantly throughout the season, including on Clark's chest. After an interview with Peterson, Ausiello states that the theme for season nine will be "Clark's darkest hour"; there will be a love-triangle between Clark, Lois, and the Red-Blue Blur that will last for the season; tension will build between Chloe and Clark as the former realizes she is not satisfied just being a "sidekick"; and that the creative team is not "story-wise, approaching this season as Smallvilles last". A scene between Clark and Jor-El has been constructed for the premiere to explain why Clark has not learned to fly. Clark and Oliver's friendship will become tense thanks to Oliver's growing interest in rekindling his romantic relationship with Lois, Zod will be bringing multiple Kryptonians to Earth with him, and there is a chance Jor-El may make a physical appearance on the show.
In an interview following the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con International panel for Smallville, Souders and Peterson revealed that Clark will be training to take one-step closer to his ultimate destiny as Superman, and that Clark would be wearing a costume while performing his Red-Blue Blur duties. The pair explained that this season's theme is also about Clark "embracing the fact that he is an alien". That said, Souders has stated that she would not refer to Clark himself as "darker", because he is still "the Superman underneath it all that we all know and love". E! Online's Natalie Abrams revealed, following the Smallville panel, that Clark's suit will be black, with a silver Superman "S" on the front, as well a trench coat that doubles as a cape. Based on the information released at the panel, Abrams reports that the producers have a series finale prepared should this season be the last. Although initially stated that Tom Welling will be directing two episodes, because of his responsibilities producing the new series Hellcats
Hellcats
Hellcats is an American cheerleading comedy-drama television series that originally aired on The CW in the United States from September 8, 2010 to May 17, 2011...
, he only directed one. Allison Mack will be directing one.
Characters
Making return appearances this season are ToymanToyman
The Toyman is the name of three comic book supervillains and one adolescent superhero in the DC Comics universe. They mostly appear in Superman stories. The first Toyman appeared in Action Comics #64 . His real name is Winslow Schott.The Toyman uses toy-based or toy-themed devices and gimmicks in...
, who last appeared in season eight's episode "Requiem", along with another appearance from Martian Manhunter
Martian Manhunter
The Martian Manhunter is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in publications published by DC Comics. Created by writer Joseph Samachson and artist Joe Certa, the character first appeared in Detective Comics #225...
. On November 6, 2009, it was reported that Serinda Swan
Serinda Swan
Serinda Swan is a Canadian actress and model. She stars in the new series Breakout Kings as Erica Reed.-Life and career:Swan was born in West Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada....
would return as Zatanna
Zatanna
Zatanna Zatara is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Murphy Anderson, Zatanna first appeared in Hawkman vol. 1 #4...
for an early 2010 episode, titled "Warrior". The characters Victor Stone
Cyborg (comics)
Cyborg is a fictional character, a superhero appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Marv Wolfman and artist George Pérez, and first appears in a special insert in DC Comics Presents #26...
and Dinah Lance are set to return for the season finale; Victor Stone has not been seen since the season six
Smallville (Season 6)
Season six of Smallville, an American television series, began airing on September 28, 2006. 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...
episode "Justice", and Dinah Lance has not made an appearance since the season eight
Smallville (season 8)
Season eight of Smallville, an American television series, began airing on September 18, 2008. 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...
finale.
Callum Blue
Callum Blue
Daniel James Callum Blue , better known as Callum Blue, is an English film and television actor, best known for his roles on the Showtime series The Tudors and Dead Like Me as well as for his role as Zod in the American television series Smallville and British...
was also cast in the series regular role of Zod
General Zod
General Zod is a fictional character who appears in comic books published by DC Comics, a supervillain who is one of Superman's more-prominent enemies. The character first appeared in Adventure Comics #283 , and was created by Robert Bernstein and George Papp...
. His character was first mentioned in season five, when Brainiac
Brainiac (comics)
Brainiac is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Action Comics #242 , and was created by Otto Binder and Al Plastino....
used Lex Luthor's body as a physical vessel for Zod's spirit to inhabit. In an interview, Peterson and executive producer Kelly Souders explained that this version of Zod will be different from the one who appeared in prior seasons. The execs classify this incarnation as "Major Zod", as opposed to his typical "General Zod" identifier and reveal that throughout season nine "the venomous side of Zod rises because he experiences a few key betrayals with our beloved characters". Zod will also be accompanied by Kryptonians Faora
Faora
Faora is the name of several female super-villains in DC Comics Superman titles. All of them have some connection to Superman's home planet of Krypton.-Pre-Crisis:The first Faora, Faora Hu-Ul, was introduced in Action Comics #471...
, his wife in the comics, and Basqat. On September 11, 2009, it was announced that Julian Sands
Julian Sands
Julian M. Sands is an English actor, known for his roles in the Best Picture nominee The Killing Fields, the cult film Warlock, A Room with a View, Arachnophobia, Vatel, the television series 24 and as Jor-El in the television series Smallville.-Career:Sands began his film career appearing in...
was cast as Jor-El for the seventh episode of season nine, "Kandor". Until now, Jor-El has been a disembodied voice emanating from Clark's ship in season two, the Kawatche cave walls in season three and four, and then the Fortress of Solitude from season five onward. Annette O'Toole
Annette O'Toole
Annette O'Toole is an American actress, dancer, and singer-songwriter. She is most recently known for portraying Martha Kent, the mother of Clark Kent on the television series Smallville.-Early life and career:...
and Michael McKean
Michael McKean
Michael John McKean is an American actor, comedian, writer, composer and musician, perhaps best known for his portrayal of Squiggy's friend, Leonard 'Lenny' Kosnowski, on the sitcom Laverne and Shirley; and for his work in the Christopher Guest ensemble films, particularly as David St...
will return to reprise their roles as Martha Kent and Perry White
Perry White
Perry White is a fictional character who appears in the Superman comics. White is the Editor-in-Chief of the Metropolis newspaper the Daily Planet.White maintains very high ethical and journalistic standards...
, respectively. O'Toole has not made an appearance since the season six finale, when her character left for the United States Senate, and McKean has not appeared since his first guest spot in season three. Both actors will appear in the penultimate episode of the season. Executive producer Brian Peterson reveals that White's reintroduction into the series will show him moving closer to his destiny as the Editor-in-Chief of the Daily Planet, as well as his first meeting with Lois Lane, while Martha and Clark's reunion will have an "unexpected surprise".
Brian Austin Green
Brian Austin Green
Brian Austin Green is an American actor, best known for his portrayal of David Silver on the television series Beverly Hills, 90210, a role he played from 1990 to 2000. Green also starred in the sitcom Freddie and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. Since 2009, he has appeared in a recurring...
was cast to portray Metallo
Metallo
Metallo is a comic book supervillain and cyborg who appears in Superman stories published by DC Comics. Metallo's trademark is his kryptonite power source, which he often uses as a weapon against Superman. His traditional identity is John Corben...
for the first two episodes of this season, and made a third appearance in the seventeenth episode in the spring 2010. The executive producers also brought in DC Comics character Roulette
Roulette (DC Comics)
Roulette is a supervillainess in the DC Comics universe.-Fictional character biography:Roulette's grandmother was a Golden Age villain of the same name, who ran a conventional casino and fought Mister Terrific . The current Roulette believes Terry Sloane to be her grandfather, but it is indicated...
, portrayed by Steph Song
Steph Song
Steph Song is a Malaysian-born actress raised in Canada and Australia. She was voted Sexiest Woman in the world by Asian readers of FHM magazine...
, In an interview Song revealed that she reviewed the character's comic book backstory beforehand, but that she wanted to make it known that the character has her own agenda in the episode. Clarifying, even though Roulette is sent after Oliver by someone else, she always stays "five steps ahead of everyone else". Roulette's famous tattoo, a dragon going up her leg and wrapping around her torso, will appear in the episode. Song stated that she spent three days in testing, where the creative team drew the tattoo onto her body and then took pictures of how it appeared before making a transfer with color. In addition, there will also be first appearances by the Wonder Twins
Wonder Twins
The Wonder Twins, Zan and Jayna, are fictional extraterrestrial comic book superheroes published by DC Comics. Their first comic book appearance was in Super Friends #7 , by E. Nelson Bridwell and Ramona Fradon...
and Green Arrow
Green Arrow
Green Arrow is a fictional superhero that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Mort Weisinger and George Papp, he first appeared in More Fun Comics #73 in November 1941. His secret identity is Oliver Queen, billionaire and former mayor of fictional Star City...
's sidekick Speedy. Peterson revealed that Smallvilles version of Speedy will be the most recent incarnation, Mia Dearden, and is HIV-positive
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
just like her comic book counterpart. Souders explains, "She has a sordid past and crosses paths with Oliver [Green Arrow] in some shady places [...] But he gives her hope." The Wonder Twins, who first appeared in the Super Friends
Super Friends
Super Friends is an American animated television series about a team of superheroes, which ran from 1973 to 1986 on ABC as part of its Saturday morning cartoon lineup...
Saturday morning cartoons, will have their traditional abilities of being able to transform into various forms of water and animal life; there will also be a glimpse of the twins' blue monkey Gleek
Gleek (Super Friends)
Gleek is a fictional character appearing in the animated series Super Friends and its related spinoffs. He debuted in The All New Superfriends Hour, which first aired September 10, 1977. Gleek's vocalizations were provided by Michael Bell....
.
Geoff Johns will return to write an episode featuring the Justice Society of America
Justice Society of America
The Justice Society of America, or JSA, is a DC Comics superhero group, the first team of superheroes in comic book history. Conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox, the JSA first appeared in All Star Comics #3 ....
; he previously wrote the episode "Legion", which introduced the Legion of Super-Heroes
Legion of Super-Heroes
The Legion of Super-Heroes is a fictional superhero team in the 30th and 31st centuries of the . The team first appears in Adventure Comics #247 , and was created by Otto Binder and Al Plastino....
in season eight. According to Johns, the Justice Society will be a team of superheroes who "started it all-like the Watchmen
Watchmen
Watchmen is a twelve-issue comic book limited series created by writer Alan Moore, artist Dave Gibbons, and colourist John Higgins. The series was published by DC Comics during 1986 and 1987, and has been subsequently reprinted in collected form...
" and "come out of retirement to give 'the screwed-up guys of the next generation a needed smack down'". Michael Shanks
Michael Shanks
Michael Garrett Shanks is a Canadian actor who achieved fame for his role as Dr. Daniel Jackson in the long-running Canadian-American military science fiction television series Stargate SG-1.-Early life:...
, Brent Stait
Brent Stait
Brent Stait is a Canadian actor, best known for his roles as Rev Bem in the science fiction television series Andromeda and Louis Ferretti in Stargate SG-1...
and Brittney Irvin will be portraying Carter Hall/Hawkman
Hawkman
Hawkman is a fictional superhero who appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Dennis Neville, the original Hawkman first appeared in Flash Comics #1, published by All-American Publications in 1940....
, Kent Nelson/Dr. Fate and Courtney Whitmore/Stargirl respectively in the two-hour episode. Shanks will wear the traditional Hawkman uniform, complete with strap-on wings and Hawkman's mace. Shanks spent time practicing his wirework for the flying scenes he would have to film while in full costume. One difference in the costume is the inclusion of a chest plate. According to Shanks, the costume designers added a chest plate to assist the flying harness they created. The chest plate and Hawkman's helmet were given a bronze color, as opposed to the more traditional "yellow/gold" color. Smallvilles version of Hawkman uses the backstory that Carter Hall is a "reincarnated prince from a thousand years ago", and worked alongside a group of superheroes in the 1970s. Shanks states that the Justice Society arrives to provide some "tough love" to Clark and his superhero friends, who are reaching a point in their lives where they are trying to find their own destinies. Although they will not appear, Shanks points out that there are references to other Justice Society members throughout the episode. Shanks and Irvin will reprise their Hawkman and Stargirl roles for the season finale.
On November 9, 2009, it was announced that Pam Grier
Pam Grier
Pamela Suzette "Pam" Grier is an American actress. She became famous in the early 1970s, after starring in a string of moderately successful women in prison and blaxploitation films such as 1974's Foxy Brown. Her career was revitalized in 1997 after her appearance in Quentin Tarantino's film...
was cast as Amanda Waller
Amanda Waller
Dr. Amanda Blake Waller is a character published by DC Comics. She first appeared in Legends #1 in 1986, and was created by John Ostrander, Len Wein, and John Byrne...
, a villainess from DC Comics, for "multiple episodes". Odessa Rae was cast as the villainess Siobhan McDougal, also known as Silver Banshee
Silver Banshee
Silver Banshee is a fictional character appearing in DC Comics, primarily as an opponent of Superman.-Fictional character biography:Siobhan McDougal was the first-born child of Garrett McDougal, the patriarch of an old Gaelic clan that has occupied an island midway between Scotland and Ireland for...
. Smallvilles McDougal is characterized as a "vengeful spirit of a fallen Gaelic heroine". The tenth episode of season nine featured a "bad guy version" of Green Arrow, known as the "Dark Archer", played by Steve Bacic
Steve Bacic
Steve Bacic is a Canadian actor of Croatian origin. He is known for playing the character Telemachus Rhade on the Sci-Fi series Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda. After being a guest star in season 1-3, he joined the cast early in season four...
. Carlo Marks has been cast to play Steven Swift/Warrior Angel, a potential love interest for Chloe. On February 22, 2010, it was announced that Gil Bellows
Gil Bellows
Gil Bellows is a Canadian film and television actor. He is best known for the roles of Tommy Williams in The Shawshank Redemption, Billy Thomas in the television series Ally McBeal and as CIA agent Matt Callan in the television series The Agency.-Early life:Bellows was born in Vancouver, British...
would portray the DC Comics villain Maxwell Lord
Maxwell Lord
Maxwell Lord IV is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. He is a shrewd and powerful businessman who was very influential in the formation of the Justice League International in DC Comics.-Before the League:...
in at least one episode this season, with the potential for more episodes.
Reception
The season nine premiere, "Savior", pulled in viewership ratings that were the lowest for an original episode in the entire history of the series at the time, with only 2.58 million viewers. Low viewership aside, The CW issued a statement noting that Smallville did outperform every previous show on the network in the Friday 8:00 pm time slot in a year. On January 29, 2010, Smallville returned after a two-month hiatusHiatus (television)
In television scheduling, a hiatus refers to a break of at least several weeks in the normal schedule of a broadcast programming. It can occur during a season of a television program, or can be between television seasons .- Planned hiatus :Many times television stations will implement a hiatus...
.
Ken Tucker from Entertainment Weekly said the first hour of the episode contained the "stand-out visual sequence" and thought the second hour was "more lumbering", with the big fight sequence toward the end "unsatisfying". Tucker stated, "For viewers who only know the Superman/boy mythos according to Smallville, it must have seemed strange to have most of the series' ongoing subplots put in storage for this week's two-hour edition. Then again, since the villain of this piece was a faux-hawked foe called the Icicle, frozen plotlines were inevitable." When referring to "Warrior", he called Serinda Swan
Serinda Swan
Serinda Swan is a Canadian actress and model. She stars in the new series Breakout Kings as Erica Reed.-Life and career:Swan was born in West Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada....
's portrayal of Zatanna
Zatanna
Zatanna Zatara is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Murphy Anderson, Zatanna first appeared in Hawkman vol. 1 #4...
"smart" and said her dialogue with Clark was "crisp" which made Lois’ jealousy understandable.
On March 4, 2010, after The CW announced that Smallville will be back for its tenth season, it stated that Smallville improved the network's overall Friday performance in the 8:00 pm – 9:00 pm time period by 67% among adults 18-34, 200% in men 18-34, 75% in adults 18-49, 183% in men 18-49 and 74% in total viewers. After more than a month of not airing repeats or new episodes, Smallville returned with a series low of 2.13 million viewers, with the episode "Escape" on April 2, 2010. The following two episodes dropped in overall viewership, creating series lows three weeks in a row.
External links
- List of Smallville season 9 episodes at WikiaWikiaWikia is a free web hosting service for wikis . It is normally free of charge for readers and editors, deriving most of its income from advertising, and publishes all user-provided text under copyleft licenses. Wikia hosts several hundred thousand wikis using the open-source wiki software MediaWiki...
- List of Smallville season 9 guide at kryptonsite.com