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Smallville season 10

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(Redirected from Lazarus (Smallville)) Final season of television series

Season of television series
Smallville
Season 10
DVD and Blu-ray cover
Starring
No. of episodes22
Release
Original networkThe CW
Original releaseSeptember 24, 2010 (2010-09-24) –
May 13, 2011 (2011-05-13)
Season chronology
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Season 9 Next →
Season 11
List of episodes

The tenth and final season of Smallville, an American television series, premiered on September 24, 2010, and consisted of 22 episodes. It was the tenth and final season to air, and the fifth one to air on The CW television network. 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.

Regular cast members during season ten include Tom Welling, Erica Durance, Justin Hartley, Cassidy Freeman, and Allison Mack. 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 (Lex Luthor) and Aaron Ashmore (Jimmy Olsen) returned for the series finale.

In the final season of the series, season ten continues the romance first developed between Clark Kent and Lois Lane in season nine, as well as the continuation of Clark's trials, and the forging of his superhero identity "Superman". The season premiere was seen by 2.98 million U.S. viewers. The series finale aired on May 13, 2011. By the end of this season, Smallville had become the longest running science fiction television series in North America.

Episodes

See also: List of Smallville episodes
No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code		U.S. viewers
(millions)
1961"Lazarus"Kevin G. FairDon Whitehead & Holly HendersonSeptember 24, 2010 (2010-09-24)3X60012.98
Following in the previous season finale, Lois removes the blue kryptonite dagger from Clark's body and hides as he heals. Chloe uses Doctor Fate's helmet to see her future and later swaps herself for Oliver's return from captivity before his captor (Ted Whittall). Tess wakes up healed in Cadmus Labs and discovers Lex Luthor clones. She learns that Lex is barely alive (but remains in hiding) and replicates himself for vital parts from his clones to graft his damaged body. One older clone named LX-13 (Mackenzie Gray) escapes and forces Clark to choose between saving Lois or Metropolis; Clark pushes himself harder than before and saves everyone. When questioned by Clark, LX-13 claims that Lex is dead as LX before succumbing to clone degeneration. Jor-El informs Clark that the darkness within himself will make him Earth's greatest threat, but a vision of his adoptive father Jonathan reminds Clark that he can still be the world's greatest hero. Meanwhile, Lois decides to take the reporting position in Africa and Tess unofficially adopts a child-aged clone of Lex named LX-15 (Jacob Davies) that she names "Alexander".
1972"Shield"Glen WinterJordan HawleyOctober 1, 2010 (2010-10-01)3X60022.38
Lois takes a Daily Planet field reporter position in Egypt, so Clark sends Carter Hall (Michael Shanks) to look after her. Subsequently, Carter and Lois discuss her running away from Clark in order to protect his secret. Oliver discovers that Chloe erased all records of herself before she disappeared, so he sets out to track her down. He discovers that she traded her life for his, and afterward faked her own death during the interrogation to escape. Back at the Daily Planet, Clark is assigned a new partner named Cat Grant (Keri Lynn Pratt) who hates all superheroes. Meanwhile, Rick Flag, the guy who Chloe surrendered to, tags Clark, Oliver, and Carter with special trackers embedded in their skin. After protecting Cat from the assassin Deadshot (Bradley Stryker), Clark decides not to go after Lois in Africa and instead begins wearing a new red and blue version of his costume. Flag and Plastique (Jessica Parker Kennedy) spring Deadshot from his holding cell as Flag assembles the Suicide Squad.
1983"Supergirl"Mairzee AlmasAnne Cofell SaundersOctober 8, 2010 (2010-10-08)3X60032.30
Radio personality Gordon Godfrey (Michael Daingerfield) becomes possessed by the dark force Clark was warned about, and begins waging a crusade against all super-heroes. Kara (Laura Vandervoort) comes back to Earth and tells Clark that Jor-El has sent her to take care of the evil that is coming, as the doubt in Clark's heart will allow it to possess him and use Clark's powers as the ultimate weapon. Lois returns from Africa and learns that Godfrey is planning to reveal Green Arrow's identity, and create doubt all over the world about the super-heroes so that he can manipulate them down a new path. Clark and Kara confront Godfrey, but Kara's Kryptonian bracelet exorcises the entity from Godfrey. Meanwhile, Oliver decides it is best everyone knows the truth, and reveals his identity as Green Arrow.
1994"Homecoming"Jeannot SzwarcBrian Peterson & Kelly SoudersOctober 15, 2010 (2010-10-15)3X60043.19
Clark and Lois attend their five-year high school reunion, which triggers memories of Lana Lang and Chloe. After tampering with the memory of an unnamed school counselor (Chilton Crane) who blames Clark for what happened to some of the Kryptonite-infected students who are either dead or incarcerated while advising her to leave Clark to him, Brainiac 5 (James Marsters) arrives from the 31st Century and takes Clark on a journey through his past, present, and future. Brainiac shows Clark that he still blames himself for his adoptive father's death years prior, he is abandoning his friends in the present, and that his fear of his own future is unfounded. After seeing that his future can be exactly how he hopes, Clark returns to the present to support Oliver in his venture to reveal his identity to the world. Meanwhile, Chloe meets Zoe (Allie Bertram) and Clayton (Tom Stevens) who are following in her footsteps by running the Smallville Torch. Later, Clark works to rebuild his relationship with Lois by giving her the attention she deserves, and finally admitting that he loves her.
2005"Isis"James MarshallGenevieve SparlingOctober 22, 2010 (2010-10-22)3X60052.60
Clark contemplates telling Lois his secret, while Lois also decides to reveal to Clark that she already knows he is The Blur. Before either can say anything, Lois unwittingly becomes possessed by the Egyptian Goddess Isis, who sets out to resurrect her long lost lover Osiris. Clark and Oliver look to Tess for help in trying to stop Isis, as Osiris's return will unleash Hell on Earth. Clark sets out to stop Isis, but instead almost becomes the vessel for Osiris before Oliver arrives and informs Clark on how to defeat the goddess. Using his heat vision on Isis' amulet, Clark successfully releases Lois from possession. Afterward, Clark and Oliver invite Tess to be part of their team and take over Watchtower. Later, Clark finally tells Lois that he is the Blur.
2016"Harvest"Turi MeyerAl Septien & Turi MeyerOctober 29, 2010 (2010-10-29)3X60072.96
Clark and Lois get a flat tire in the middle of nowhere, so Clark goes to the nearby town to fix the tire while Lois stays behind. Lois meets a young girl named Charlotte Cavanaugh (Bella King) who takes her to a village where the water supply has been contaminated with Blue Kryptonite. Clark returns to find Lois missing and sets out to look for her. Lois discovers Charlotte, her parents Joseph (Ron Lea) and Ruth (Merrilyn Gann), and the rest of the villagers are planning to sacrifice her to bring continued good crops and health. She and Clark, who is powerless next to the villagers who emit Blue Kryptonite radiation, are captured. As a result of Lois's intervention, the villagers eventually move far enough from Clark that he super speeds himself and Lois back to Metropolis where they later make love for the first time. Meanwhile, Tess throws a birthday for LX-15 (Connor Stanhope) and tells Dr. Christina Lamell (Lexa Doig) that she has decided not to stop Alexander's accelerated growth after realizing that he has all of Lex's memories and his evil personality.
2027"Ambush"Christopher PetryDon Whitehead & Holly HendersonNovember 5, 2010 (2010-11-05)3X60062.63
General Sam Lane (Michael Ironside) and Lucy Lane (Peyton List) come into town to celebrate Thanksgiving with Lois and Clark. While visiting, the General reveals that he is a proponent of a new vigilante registration law, much to the dismay of Clark and Lois. Tess and Oliver discover that the team is being tracked by Rick Flag, who is reforming the Suicide Squad with Emil LeSalle (Elias Toufexis) as its latest member. He has sent out an assassination order for the General. Flag launches a missile to kill the General, but it detonates next to Lois. "The Blur" saves Lois, which helps to change the General's opinion of some vigilantes. Regardless, the vigilante law passes and Flag begins ordering acts of terrorism on anti-vigilante headquarters after he and Emil get away.
2038"Abandoned"Kevin G. FairDrew Landis & Julia SwiftNovember 12, 2010 (2010-11-12)3X60082.90
Lois watches a video tape left by her mother where Ella Lane (Teri Hatcher) tells Lois not to let the loss of a loved one keep her from living up to her full potential. Subsequently, Lois goes to the Fortress of Solitude and pleads with Jor-El to reconcile with Clark so that Clark can be the hero he needs to be. Meanwhile, Clark helps Tess uncover the truth about a dream Tess had about being in an orphanage. Tess eventually learns she is the illegitimate child of Lionel Luthor, who abandoned her at 5 years of age; her birth name is Lutessa Lena Luthor. Tess was left with Granny Goodness (Christine Willes), who turns out to be one of a trinity of prophets for the dark lord Darkseid, the other two being Gordon Godfrey and club owner DeSaad (Steve Byers).
2049"Patriot"Tom WellingJohn ChisholmNovember 19, 2010 (2010-11-19)3X60092.60
Oliver registers for the new vigilante registration law, now being overseen by Col. Slade Wilson (Michael Hogan), in order to protect the rest of the team and find out what the government is planning. Oliver's suspicions are confirmed when the registration location is revealed to be a trap designed to locate and arrest superheroes. Clark teams up with Arthur Curry (Alan Ritchson), now aware of his Atlantean heritage, and Arthur's wife Mera (Elena Satine), to track down the superhero prisons the government has built. After the team rescues Oliver, Clark discovers that Slade's actions were influenced by Darkseid. Subsequently, Clark brings Lois onto the team and finally reveals the threat of Darkseid's arrival to everyone.
20510"Luthor"Kelly SoudersBryan Q. MillerDecember 3, 2010 (2010-12-03)3X60102.76
Clark learns that there is another Lex clone in existence, and that Tess has been keeping him alive behind everyone's back. Clark also discovers that Tess has a Kryptonian box. When he activates it, it sends him to a parallel universe where the Luthors are his adoptive family and not the Kents. While on the alternate Earth, Clark learns that Tess is actually a Luthor, that his doppelganger goes by the alias Ultraman and murders anyone that gets in his way, including Lex Luthor. Clark acquires the Kryptonian box and manages to send himself back to his own reality, but unknowingly brings the alternate Lionel with him.
20611"Icarus"Mairzee AlmasGenevieve SparlingDecember 10, 2010 (2010-12-10)3X60112.55
Clark proposes marriage to Lois and she accepts. Shortly after their engagement party, Oliver is attacked by Metropolis citizens which sparks a manhunt for Queen and the rest of the heroes. Realizing General Slade is still alive, Clark orders all heroes underground until he can find a way to stop Slade. Subsequently, Slade brings in Emil, Tess, and Lois for questioning to find out where the Blur is. Carter Hall arrives and rescues Lois, but sacrifices his own life in the process. To stop Slade for good, Clark banishes him to the Phantom Zone. The heroes come together to bury Carter in his home country of Egypt, but are knocked unconscious by an unknown object that sprouts in Carter's burial chamber.
20712"Collateral"Morgan BeggsJordan HawleyFebruary 4, 2011 (2011-02-04)3X60122.37
After being knocked unconscious at Carter's funeral, Clark and his friends wake up without their powers and flashbacks of Chloe experimenting on them in a secret lab. Chloe informs Oliver that the government has put everyone in a coma and imprisoned their minds in a virtual reality. Clark and the team learn that the government is attempting to find a way to turn on and off the heroes' powers in the real world to ensure their cooperation with the Vigilante Registration Act. Chloe hacks into the program and one-by-one helps each hero back into reality. Chloe reveals that she blackmailed Flag's Suicide Squad into joining forces with her as a means of keeping them from harming innocent lives.
20813"Beacon"Mike RohlDon Whitehead & Holly HendersonFebruary 11, 2011 (2011-02-11)3X60132.32
Tess discovers that the alternate-universe Lionel has taken over LuthorCorp under the guise that he only faked his death years prior. Martha Kent holds an anti-VRA rally that results in her being shot by a spectator. Lionel finds LX-15 (Alexander) in an abandoned building and realizes that he is the one who shot Martha, though his real intention was to kill Clark with Kryptonite bullets. Later, Martha confronts Lionel and LX-15 at the Luthor mansion, but LX-15 subdues the others and sets fire to the mansion. Tess convinces Lex to give up his quest for vengeance while Clark is able to save Lionel and Martha from the fire. Afterward, Tess attempts to kill LX-15, but discovers he is indestructible. The superheroes watch as the VRA is repealed by voters.
20914"Masquerade"Tim ScanlanBryan Q. MillerFebruary 18, 2011 (2011-02-18)3X60142.22
As Clark makes more saves around the world, resulting in more exposure of his face, Lois suggests that he develop a better secret identity. Meanwhile, Clark discovers the work of a serial killer in Metropolis and learns that the killer is a man named DeSaad, a disciple of Darkseid. DeSaad finds Chloe investigating his club so he kidnaps and tortures her. Clark saves Chloe before DeSaad can turn Chloe into a Darkseid follower, but a confrontation between Oliver and DeSaad leaves Oliver with an Omega tattoo on his skull. Later, Clark explains to Lois that his real identity is "The Blur" and that the persona of "Clark Kent" will be his true mask to the world. To accomplish this, Clark begins wearing eyeglasses and changing his mannerisms to be more mild-mannered.
21015"Fortune"Christopher PetryAnne Cofell SaundersFebruary 25, 2011 (2011-02-25)3X60152.56
Zatanna sends magical champagne to Clark and Lois's bachelor/bachelorette party, which causes everyone to act out of character and afterward wipes their memory. As a result, Clark and Chloe wake up believing they are married, Emil is arrested for the theft of an armored truck, while Lois and Oliver wake up in the middle of nowhere with Lois's engagement ring missing. It is revealed that Emil was actually taken by casino owner Amos Fortune (James Kidnie), who was trying to steal the armored truck himself. Oliver and Lois discover that Lois lost her ring to Fortune in a rigged game of Black Jack. Lois and Oliver retrieve the ring while Clark saves Emil from Fortune's henchmen. Afterward, Chloe announces that she is leaving, but Oliver reveals to Chloe they were the ones married and they leave together.
21116"Scion"Al SeptienAl Septien & Turi MeyerMarch 4, 2011 (2011-03-04)3X60162.18
Tess reveals that Alexander was genetically engineered from both Lex and Clark's DNA. Clark takes Alexander (Lucas Grabeel), now going by the name Conner (CNR), under his wing and attempts to teach him to control his powers. When Clark lies about where the other half of the DNA comes from, Conner flees and is found by the alternate reality Lionel who slips a Red Kryptonite ring on Conner's hand. Without his inhibitions, Conner's dark side comes out and he attempts to force Lois into loving him. Clark comes to the rescue and destroys the ring. Afterward, Conner returns home to the Kent farm and learns that Clark has enrolled him into Smallville High as "Conner Kent". Tess proves that the alternate reality Lionel is an imposter and retakes control over LuthorCorp. Later, Lionel is visited by Darkseid.
21217"Kent"Jeannot SzwarcStory by : Genevieve Sparling
Teleplay by : Brian Peterson & Kelly Souders		April 15, 2011 (2011-04-15)3X60182.37
Martha gives Clark and Lois the deed to the family farm as an early wedding gift, and the two decide it is best to sell the farm and move to Metropolis. Meanwhile, Clark Luthor arrives from the alternate universe and sends Clark Kent in his place before destroying the gateway between the universes. Lois quickly discovers the truth and works with Emil to bring Clark Kent back. Clark Luthor reveals himself to Tess and threatens to kill her if she does not help him find Lionel. Lois and Emil are successful and Clark Kent saves Tess before Clark Luthor can kill her. Luthor then follows Kent to the Fortress of Solitude, where Kent attempts to convince his Luthor counterpart to return to his universe and use his powers for good with help from the alternate Jor-El.
21318"Booster"Tom WellingGeoff JohnsApril 22, 2011 (2011-04-22)3X60172.35
While Lois helps Clark to develop a mild mannered persona, superhero Booster Gold (Eric Martsolf) and his robot Skeets (voiced by Ross Douglas) show up from the future where Booster Gold tries to take the spotlight from the Blur. Clark confronts Booster and informs him that a true hero is not made by the suit they wear, but by who they are inside. A young teen, Jaime Reyes (Jaren Brandt Bartlett), comes in contact with alien technology en route to Kord Industries that encases him in a weaponized robotic suit, thus becoming Blue Beetle. Unable to control the suit, Jaime begins destroying property and injuring people. Inspired by Kord's suggestion, Booster recounts Clark's words to Jaime and helps him gain control over the suit. Kord Industries CEO Ted Kord (Sebastian Spence) offers to help remove the suit from Jaime only to be told by Jaime that he will use it to become a superhero. Afterward, Clark convinces Booster to mentor Jaime while Kord keeps Booster on his payroll.
21419"Dominion"Justin HartleyJohn ChisholmApril 29, 2011 (2011-04-29)3X60211.99
After learning that General Slade escaped the Phantom Zone, Clark enters the Kryptonian prison to learn who has opened the portal. Oliver follows against Clark's wishes and the two are captured by General Zod's soldiers. Zod reveals that, upon entering the Phantom Zone, he met Darkseid who helped him become the ruler of the prison. In addition, Zod merged with the Phantom of the original Zod. Zod also reveals that Oliver has the Omega symbol; he then forces Oliver and Clark to fight to the death. When Zod attempts to kill Clark during the fight, the pair steal back the key to the portal and return to Earth while ensuring that Zod and his followers don't make use of the Phantom Zone's back door. Afterward, Oliver sets out to find the bow of Orion with the hope that it will help them to defeat Darkseid.
21520"Prophecy"Mike RohlBryan Q. Miller & Anne Cofell SaundersMay 6, 2011 (2011-05-06)3X60192.07
Jor-El gives Lois all of Clark's powers, leaving him powerless, so that the two can see what it is like to live in each other's shoes for one day. After defeating a brainwashed Stargirl, Clark and the team discover that the imprisoned Toyman (Chris Gauthier) is leading a group of supervillains in his Marionette Ventures organization that include Vortigan, Black Manta, Metallo, Captain Cold, Solomon Grundy (John DeSantis), and Roulette. Lois receives an implant that allows Toyman to control her, and he sends her to kill the Blur. Clark is able to regain his powers in time to stop Lois. Meanwhile, Oliver and Kara team up and locate Orion's bow. Afterwards, Jor-El sends Kara to the future to forge her own destiny as Clark is ready to accept his on Earth. Granny Goodness steals the bow from Oliver and destroys it, then sends him after Gold Kryptonite. Lois calls off the wedding so Clark can focus on saving people.
21621"Finale"Kevin G. FairAl Septien & Turi MeyerMay 13, 2011 (2011-05-13)3X60203.02
21722Greg BeemanBrian Peterson & Kelly Souders3X6022
Tess learns that the planet Apokolips is coming to Earth to destroy humanity. While verifying the threat, Tess discovers that Oliver is under the possession of Darkseid. Desaad, Godfrey, and Granny supply Oliver with a wedding ring made of gold kryptonite to give to Clark, as it will remove his powers permanently, but Chloe discovers the ring in time and keeps Clark from wearing it. Afterward, Clark helps Oliver to remove the Omega symbol and remove Darkseid's control over him. Lionel kidnaps Tess in an effort to transplant her heart into Lex, who is almost mended after grafting his body with his clones' vital parts, but Tess escapes. Darkseid arrives and Lionel trades his soul for Lex's life. Possessing Lionel, Darkseid confronts Clark, who finally realizes that Jor-El was preparing him for this his entire life. Clark accesses his power of flight and vanquishes Darkseid from Lionel's deceased body. A newly revived Lex kills Tess, but not before Tess uses a neurotoxin to erase all of Lex's memories. Clark goes to the Fortress of Solitude and receives the suit Martha made for him before flying away to stop Apokolips from destroying Earth. By moving Apokolips away from Earth, Clark brings hope to humanity and breaks their connection to Darkseid. Moving ahead seven years, Lex is now President-elect of the United States, Jimmy Olsen is now working at the Daily Planet under Perry White, Clark and Lois are still trying to get married, and Clark has fully embraced his destiny as "Superman".

Production

Development

It's amazing to think that Chloe Sullivan and I have been one and the same for over a third of my life, I'm truly humbled by the love and loyalty of all the fans whose enthusiasm has carried me — along with a cast and crew that has become my second family — over the past nine and a half years. Out of respect for the amazingly loyal fans and the place I will always have in my own heart for Chloe, I'm coming back for several episodes next season to tie up Chloe's Smallville legacy properly. It's been a life-changing ride, and I look forward to what lies ahead with the strength of a 'superhero' as my foundation.

—Allison Mack on departing Smallville

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. To put doubts to rest, executive producer Brian Peterson told to Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello that he was "very optimistic" that Allison Mack would be back.

The studio's official press release was presented in May 2010 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. On May 21, Mack released a statement confirming that she would not return as a series regular, but would return for multiple episodes to wind up her storyline. However, at the 2010 Comic-Con, 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 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. Tom 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 Justin Hartley was contracted to direct another episode.

Story

Souders and Peterson 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's memory of Clark'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 are "some twists and turns" before Lois tells Clark that she knows. Initially helping Clark and Oliver at Watchtower, Tess 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 Chloe. 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 comic book 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 is 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 Smallville's Clark Kent in the 200th episode of the series. According to Peterson, the episode explores the past, the present and the future.

When discussing how the series will end, Peterson stated that the creative team had multiple visions of the finale episode since the show began. According to Peterson, there was the vision that series creators Miles Millar and Alfred Gough 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 episode is a combination of all their visions that he believed will 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 show's last, plans began to bring back previous cast members for at least one appearance. Welling expressed his interest in having Annette O'Toole (Martha Kent), John Schneider (Jonathan Kent), Michael Rosenbaum (Lex Luthor), Kristin Kreuk (Lana Lang), and Michael McKean (Perry White) return. Welling even stated that he was doing everything to get Michael Rosenbaum back. For Welling, Rosenbaum was the only person he could have seen portraying Lex Luthor on the series. He said that the thing that he sees inspiring Clark to become Superman would be the return of Lex Luthor and the interaction between the two characters; he explained that there is no Superman without Lex Luthor. 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 show's final season, but that he needed to iron the details out. According to Welling, the tenth 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.

John 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 Kent in an alternate universe. The actor would make his third guest appearance in the series finale, along with John Glover and Annette O'Toole. The producers also worked to bring John Glover back as Lionel Luthor, Lex's father; he 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. Marsters first appeared as Brainiac/Milton Fine in season five and again in seasons 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 Hawkman/Carter Hall and Plastique, respectively, in the second episode of season ten. Hawkman made a brief appearance in the season nine finale, while Plastique was last seen in season eight. The return of Carter Hall means a deeper look into who that character is, while seeing a "more human side" to him than previously seen. Michael Ironside and Peyton List returned for a mid-October episode. Ironside previously portrayed Lois's father, General Sam Lane; while List played Lois's sister, Lucy. Both characters were last seen in separate season four episodes. Alan Ritchson reprised the role of Arthur Curry/Aquaman in a November episode. Ritchson described his character's return as "darker" and less "bubble-gummy" than previously seen on the show.

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, Grant acts as Lois's professional rival, and is considered by the producers to be her opposite. Keri Lynn Pratt, who portrays Grant, 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 an episode featuring the introduction of superheroes Blue Beetle and Booster Gold, along with Suicide Squad member Rick Flag. In an interview with Comic Book Resources TV, Johns noted that the version of Blue Beetle is that of Jaime Reyes, and that Booster Gold is modeled directly after his comic book counterpart, including his personality and history. Johns also explained that the episode will introduce the second Blue Beetle Ted Kord. He 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 come at a time when Clark needs 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 will serve to show Clark that society needs a hero to look up to.

Eric Martsolf was cast as Booster Gold. Sebastian Spence was cast as the Ted Kord version of the Blue Beetle and Jaren Brandt Bartlett as the Jaime Reyes version. In addition to the return of Lois's father and sister, Teri Hatcher was cast as Lois's mother. Hatcher, who starred as Lois Lane for four seasons of Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, appeared in lost video footage that Lois discovers. Callum Blue returned for the 19th episode, "Dominion". Rosenbaum returned to the series after he finally agreed to appear in the series finale and expressed that his return for the final episode was for the fans. Chris Gauthier reprised the role as Toyman.

Superman mythology

With a glimpse of the iconic Superman costume in the season nine finale, Peterson confirmed that the costume will return and play a more prominent role in the final season, even going as far as to hint that the last scene of Smallville will see Clark wearing it. The producers were able to acquire the Superman costume worn by Brandon Routh in Superman Returns. DC Comics offered the suit worn by Christopher Reeve, but Peterson explained that it did not fit so much for the show. Welling promised to long-time viewers that their main goal was to finish the series in a way that will satisfy the fans and give them hope that Clark becomes Superman by the show's end. Executive producer Kelly Souders said that in order for Clark to do this, Clark has to "wrestle" with the internal things that are preventing him from being an "inspirational hope". Though Clark is still in his "dark hour", he becomes Superman by the end of the season. Peterson explained that the palette of the show will grow brighter and what he wears is going to change; Clark will end up exploring his destiny and work toward his future of becoming a hero.

Broadcast and reception

The season ten premiere brought in 2.98 million viewers, the highest viewing figures The CW had had in the Friday 8–9 pm timeslot in over two years. The series finale brought in 3.02 million viewers. By the end of its tenth season, Smallville became the longest running science fiction television show in the United States; it broke the Guinness World Record held by Stargate SG-1. TV Guide ranked the series finale 5th in its review of the Top TV Episodes of 2011.

Home media release

The complete tenth season of Smallville was released on November 29, 2011, in North America in both DVD and Blu-ray format. The DVD and Blu-ray box set were also released in Region 2 and 4 on October 17, 2011, and April 4, 2012, respectively. The box set included various special features, including episode commentary, a documentary on the 200th episode called "Smallville: Coming Home", a featurette on Clark's father/son relationships over the course of ten seasons titled "My Father, My Son", and the music video "How Do We Do".

Notes

  1. The producers consider season nine's "Absolute Justice" two separately produced episodes, but The CW combined those two episodes into a single broadcast, and then packaged it in the season nine DVD as one episode as well. Therefore, "Absolute Justice" is both the 185th and 186th episode produced, but only the 185th episode aired. Thus, "Homecoming" is considered the 200th episode produced, but the 199th broadcast. The CW recognizes "Homecoming" to be the 200th episode.

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