Frank Ockenfels/The CWHey, did you know people, like, care and stuff about Smallville?
We know, we know, it's been around nearly a decade and those who watch it like to know what's going on, but color us surprised, because when we tweeted asking for Smallville questions earlier today, you fans crashed at least one of our mobile devices with a deluge of Q's.
Now that's super. Here's the scoop you've earned, straight from show runner Brian Peterson...
heroicfarmboy: How do you think Clark has evolved this season?
Brian Peterson: From the top of the season we said this would be Clark's darkest hour and that's why he's been dressed in black, trying to come to grips with what it means to be a Kryptonian on Earth and ultimately the world's savior. True to what the show has always done with Clark, he is wrestling with how far to take his powers, how much to take control, how far to push people, whether you kill or not, and these are all questions he's been grappling with this year. We haven't taken him to places where Superman would never go, but we've definitely shown his character going slightly over the line of what he should be doing and then wrestling with those decisions afterward.
nzs_23: What's wrong with Clark? He's decidedly very unClark-like.
B.P.: As we go into next season, we will see Clark maturing through some of his growing pains as he evolves further into the hero he becomes.
txmoviefan: Are Clark and Chloe going to be on good terms again this season?
B.P.: This actually happens soon. Chloe's been doing what she thinks is right to protect the world, but that all unfortunately has consequences, and they will pay off in episode 18 tomorrow night, and in episode 20, "Sacrifice," is where this really pays off.
Vera_23: When will Chloe return to being Clark's partner and working at the Daily Planet?
B.P.: We addressed that a little bit last year in an episode called "Hex". Chloe toyed with the idea of what it would be like if she went back to the Daily Planet and lived the life of Lois Lane. She decided to leave that in the past and embrace her identity as Watchtower, so she's basically full-throttle Watchtower at this point. It gives her a more specific way to be close to Clark, rather than just a reporter.
heroicfarmboy: Where is Lois' journalism career headed? Will she and Clark get promoted out of the basement? Work under Perry White maybe?
B.P.: We all know that's what eventually happens, but as with any story there are a few bumps in the road. But Perry White is making an appearance on the show in "Hostage," so that will move them along to that end.
lorrainecollins: There are no spoilers for episode 21, "Hostage."
B.P.: It's a really pivotal episode because even though Martha's (Annette O'Toole) been gone, clearly she's still been watching over her son and been in his life. To have her come back into the show provides a great episode that lets us explore how much Clark has grown since he graduated from high school and since his father died. Perry comes in, too, and has a great story with Lois Lane, which turns them in a different trajectory than they've been on.
Lane_Kent: "Idol" was the second highest rated episode of the season. Any more Lois-centric episodes in the future?
B.P.: We actually have a sequel to that in an upcoming episode called "Charade," which I was lucky enough to direct. We bring back the villain from "Idol," Ray Sacks, the D.A. who blows Lois off the roof. We cap that story with the next evolution of that.
heroicfarmboy: Clark and Lois' relationship has been great so far. Will she finally learn his secret?
B.P.: What I can say is that this year we've really explored the tough duality of Lois having one relationship with this hero, the soldier of duty relationship, and one romantic love relationship with Clark, and so that just drives all the way through episodes 19, 21 and the finale. Everything that's been going on with that love triangle converges.
Lane_Kent: Kelly Souders said Clark and Lois would develop until the very last second of the season. What exactly did she mean?
B.P.: I can back that up 100 percent. It's not just Clark and Lois, it's really the relationship between the Blur and Lois, and Clark and Lois that drives all the way up into the last few minutes of the finale. It's one of the bigger cliff-hangers at the end of this season, what happens with them.
ChlollieGAWT: Justin Hartley and Allison Mack's chemistry is INSANE! What can we expect for Chlollie?
B.P.: They started out as no strings attached, just fun companions because of all the baggage they each had from past loves, but in the finale that relationship will be pushed to the next level. [Romantically?] Yes, I would say there's definitely development in that episode in the final episode.
Lane_Kent: Brian Austin Green as Metallo is quite popular. Could he possibly return?
B.P.: He's fantastic. He comes back tomorrow night in an episode called "Upgrade," in a very different way than you saw him in episode two. He basically has to rein in Clark, who gets infected with red kryptonite which makes him a bad boy, and Zod on his own. It's a fun twist on things.
Lane_Kent: Give us some type of "major" spoiler for the finale?
B.P.: Everybody has come to expect some huge, gigantic, massive superfight because we do that a lot in our finales, or we once did, and this year will still meet everybody's expectations. We have some amazingly iconic moments—moments catch close to all of that much bigger mythos that has become Superman—probably more than any other episode in the series. But it also is much more about Clark's character and his growth, and some character reveals than just all-out fighting. It's a really great way to go out of the season on some amazing character cliff-hangers.
Just a quick note since we're sure you're on Smallville scoopage overload but wondering about any info on season 10. Sorry, guys, it's just too early to tell and the producers are busy perfecting a ninth season ender that promises to be a good one. Says Brian: "I wish we could answer everything! You guys know you don't wanna know this stuff, you know that!" Cool? Cool!