Smallville Homecoming: Time Warp Factor 10

I just read KryptonSite's Advanced Review of tonight's Smallville episode Homecoming. It's against the rules for me to quote from KryptonSite's review, but I came away with the distinct impression that "Homecoming" will be Smallville's attempt to wrap up the ten year journey from Clark Kent to Superman in a nice package with a bow. I don't mean to be frivolous in my comments. Let me explain.

Ten years is a long time. When Smallville first launched, there was no way to guarantee that the show would last more than a few seasons. In the early days, was there really a long-term plan for plot and character development? There have no doubt been changes of course over the span of the series. It might be hard to keep track of everything, particularly for the fans.

Enter "Homecoming". Now that the end of the series is certain, just about everyone involved with the show, from the fans, to the cast, to the production crew, must be reflecting back over the last ten years and what they're supposed to mean. Was it just a really fun and lucrative ride that's now about over, or has something enduring been created? What does it all amount to?

That's what Homecoming is about...a way, not only to track the key events of the past ten years, but to see how they'll come out in their ultimate and logical conclusion...from awkward high school student Clark Kent, to Superman, the Man of Steel; the Last Son of Krypton. KryptonSite's review is very positive, which is a good thing after last week's disappointing Supergirl episode. We need to believe that Season 10 will be among the best and that the show will end as well as it began.

I won't tip my hand to even the spoilers revealed by KryptonSite, but one of the major characters I was hoping would show up in this retrospective won't be present. I can only hope this means a surprise reappearence later this season. The one thing I want this experience to give Clark (thanks to Brainiac 5), is a clearer sense of purpose and a reduction or maybe even elimination of his doubts. It's crunch time. He puts on the costume in less than a year. He can't afford to keep moping around if he hopes to face Darkseid and defeat him. The battle isn't Kara's...it's Superman's.