References and Call Backs - Why I love Brian Q. Miller!

[Dresden]

One of the reasons why I love Brian Q. Miller so much is because his scripts are always so on character and have a way of making sense to not just the season or the Smallville series but to the Superman mythology. In last night's "Hex" episode, what I enjoyed the most were the little references and call backs here and there. They made me smile and sometimes laugh. My favorites were: The truck rally pass on Lois's desk. It's minor but it's something that we know that Lois loves to do, not just in the SV but in the comics too, and we know that in one episode Clark actually mentions that Lois was at a truck rally so it was a pretty great detail for BQM to add. It wasn't something that the script really needed and yet it was there because it reflected who Lois Lane is and that's something that I always love seeing. Also, there was the comment about from EDChloe about having a frog in her throat which was an obvious call back to "Superman: The New Adventures of Lois and Clark" with their whole Lois clone story arc. Again this was not necessary because we already knew that EDChloe was not the real EDLois and yet this reference poked fun at it by paralleling it to a story from LnC. I loved that. However my favorite call back was the squeaky chair. In the season premiere of Smallville this year, Clark Kent finally sitting across Lois Lane as an official member of the Daily Planet was so iconic and so memorable, and Clark's obvious personality change when he is around Lois, with him teasing her via the squeaky chair was awesome, and I loved that Brian Miller picked that great and memorable Clois moment and echoed it, this time with Lois doing the teasing and making the chair squeak. It was cute and it added to the great flow that the story had in terms of Clois.

All in all, I think that Brian Q. Miller is a man who really understands, respects, and above all, loves the Lois and Clark dynamics. And because of that, I consider him so integral to Smallville and I cannot wait to see more of his work next season.

If you have other references or call backs that you caught in this episode, post and discuss them here! I know there were more about episodes like Plastique that I didn't touch upon above. ;) ETA: I messed up on the poll. I meant to add a third option and now I can't seem to edit. *shrugs* oh well, just post your thoughts here anyway...

[Supsfan]

I thought the callback to Lois Rules of Reporting from Plastique was funny

http://www.kryptonsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=123491

[stenochick]

Dresden, thanks for creating this thread. I noticed the chair squeak reference to Odyssey, too. The roof with Chlois and Clark was pure gold. Tom Welling reminded me more of Dean Cain than Chris Reeve in his portrayal of Clark in his milld-mannered reporter persona. I hope they keep Bryan Q. Miller as a writer for season 9. He does really well with the iconic Clark and Lois at the Daily Planet material.

[geminis]

The whole Clark relating with Zatanna about the loss of their fathers had me choked up.
And his going to Yellowstone with Bart had me happy. No visual of the Scarlet Speedster but his mention perked me right up.

[gilliang]

I loved the callbacks:

-Bart mention
-The chair squeaking like in Odyssey
-The ChloeLois trip and he catches her like he did in Apocalypse
-Johnathan mention

[Tompouce]

Dresden, thanks for creating this thread. I noticed the chair squeak reference to Odyssey, too. The roof with Chlois and Clark was pure gold. Tom Welling reminded me more of Dean Cain than Chris Reeve in his portrayal of Clark in his milld-mannered reporter persona. I hope they keep Bryan Q. Miller as a writer for season 9. He does really well with the iconic Clark and Lois at the Daily Planet material.
I think it is the thing I enjoyed the most.
To see him fearful with things too. It was so unusual:lol:("Lois, it can really hurt":rotfl:)

[clois-destiny-forever]

The references and callbacks actually provided some SV continuity! Amazing! Loved it!

[Timester]

And his going to Yellowstone with Bart had me happy. No visual of the Scarlet Speedster but his mention perked me right up.

Keystone City. Not Yellowstone. :p

[eas]

My favorites were: The truck rally pass on Lois's desk. It's minor but it's something that we know that Lois loves to do, not just in the SV but in the comics too, and we know that in one episode Clark actually mentions that Lois was at a truck rally so it was a pretty great detail for BQM to add. It wasn't something that the script really needed and yet it was there because it reflected who Lois Lane is and that's something that I always love seeing.

They actually showed the article in "Bloodline" that came out of that out of town assignment. She actually did write an article on it.


Also, there was the comment about from EDChloe about having a frog in her throat which was an obvious call back to "Superman: The New Adventures of Lois and Clark" with their whole Lois clone story arc. Again this was not necessary because we already knew that EDChloe was not the real EDLois and yet this reference poked fun at it by paralleling it to a story from LnC.

I didn't catch that one! That's hilarious.


However my favorite call back was the squeaky chair. In the season premiere of Smallville this year, Clark Kent finally sitting across Lois Lane as an official member of the Daily Planet was so iconic and so memorable, and Clark's obvious personality change when he is around Lois, with him teasing her via the squeaky chair was awesome, and I loved that Brian Miller picked that great and memorable Clois moment and echoed it, this time with Lois doing the teasing and making the chair squeak. It was cute and it added to the great flow that the story had in terms of Clois.

Yes, this was awesome. Not only did it start out exactly like the end of "Odyssey" (with Clark being the annoyed one this time) but it ended the same way, too. Clark is holding onto her rules list and watching her walk away. While, in "Odyssey", Lois was left holding his name plate and watching him walk away.

Just very well done.


All in all, I think that Brian Q. Miller is a man who really understands, respects, and above all, loves the Lois and Clark dynamics. And because of that, I consider him so integral to Smallville and I cannot wait to see more of his work next season.

I agree. He makes all the characters sparkle. And, most importantly, he gives Clark a sense of humor.


If you have other references or call backs that you caught in this episode, post and discuss them here!

What about the gift that Clark gives Chloe? Wasn't a call-back to the memory we saw in "Abyss" that was a shot of the time they first met? I thought it was the book that Clark ran and got her from the library.

I liked that Oliver is actually torn up over Lex's death. That was nice. Miller didn't sweep that under the rug.

[costas22]

I liked that Oliver is actually torn up over Lex's death. That was nice. Miller didn't sweep that under the rug. <!-- / message -->

ITA.The fact that he put his resurrection over that of his parents as a wish proves that he can be redeemed.Boy,Bryan Miller knows how to fix a mess!My personal favourite was also the squeaky chair.

[thehenry89]

he's the only writer who writes the charachters as if he actually watches the show. Everyone else just throws whatever's on their mind into the mix.

[wingster55]

How is a squeaky chair a callback? A chair squeaks.

[gilliang]

How is a squeaky chair a callback? A chair squeaks.

Are you trying to be difficult?

It's a callback to Odyssey. It was the exact same scenario, only reversed.

In Odyssey Lois was working away and Clark was spinning in his chair to distract her and get her attention. In Hex, Clark was working and Lois was spinning in her chair to get his attention.

[wingster55]

I just think it's reaching really.

[gilliang]

It couldn't be more obvious of a parallel. Seriously if someone did a fanvid and put those two scenes in split screen next to one another, there's NO denying it.

[thehenry89]

I just think it's reaching really.

Well with all the deliberate references to past episodes, I think it was anything but accidental.

[wingster55]

I suppose.
I'm not really impressed by the callbacks. Nothing special really. If anything Abyss had more callbacks. It's just acknowledging history.

[Estro-gen X]

The whole Clark relating with Zatanna about the loss of their fathers had me choked up.
And his going to Yellowstone with Bart had me happy. No visual of the Scarlet Speedster but his mention perked me right up.

Keystone city, which was nice. Even I had a hard time remembering if that was the right Flash City (eg, superman/metropolis, batman/gotham, green lantern/coast city, green arrow/star city) but it was, Barry Allen is the one for Central City

[Cellist]

I loved it when EDChloe was trying to convince Clark that she was indeed Chloe. First she references Clark standing her up at the spring formal from season one's Tempest, and then she references their kiss in season five's Vessel.

[jenmdixon]

Keystone city, which was nice. Even I had a hard time remembering if that was the right Flash City (eg, superman/metropolis, batman/gotham, green lantern/coast city, green arrow/star city) but it was, Barry Allen is the one for Central City

Jay Garrick (the original Flash) and Wally West (ex-Kid Flash, 3rd Flash) both come from Keystone City. Barry Allen (2nd Flash) was indeed from Central City.

[geminis]

Jay Garrick (the original Flash) and Wally West (ex-Kid Flash, 3rd Flash) both come from Keystone City. Barry Allen (2nd Flash) was indeed from Central City.

Thanks for the info and d'oh on the auditory error. When they said Bart's name I guess I must have gone partially deaf; all I heard was ...Stone. :o

[Tompouce]

How is a squeaky chair a callback? A chair squeaks.
but of course it is a a callback ! This scene with Clark was so mythical :p

[gilliang]

but of course it is a a callback ! This scene with Clark was so mythical :p

No one was saying it was a callback to the mythos.

[Tompouce]

he's the only writer who writes the charachters as if he actually watches the shot
:rotfl:

[Supsfan]

They actually showed the article in "Bloodline" that came out of that out of town assignment. She actually did write an article on it.

People say they showed the article in Bloodline but I never seen it

[smallvillefreak24]

I absolutely love when episodes actually acknowlege other seasons/characters (martha on the phone, stood me up at the formal chloe)

[SGuthrie27]

Wow, I didn't know about any of those you mentioned in your first post, Dresden. That helps me appreciate the episode (and the writing of it) that much more. Thanks for pointing those out! I always like it when Smallville uses good continuity, but sometimes some of the other deeper and embedded Superman references fly over my head.

--SGuthrie ><>' :)--

[workshyslacker]

but of course it is a a callback ! This scene with Clark was so mythical :p

:confused::confused:

It's not mythical.

[Tompouce]

I don't say it is a callback from the mythos, I say it is a nod to the Clois in Odyssey. When Clark does the same as Lois with the chair. Sorry, if I was not clear:)

[workshyslacker]

Ah okay..:D

[eas]

People say they showed the article in Bloodline but I never seen it

Someone, back in the "Bloodline" forum, made a screencap of the article. It's there when Faora is flipping through the articles that Lois has written, looking for her son.

[newbaggy]

The great thing for me about these nods/references/call backs - call them what you will - is that, as the poll question states, they were subtle. More importantly, if you didn't get them, they didn't hinder your enjoyment of the episode.

One of the great drawbacks of modern-day fandom is that it means that there is a hard core of (often very vocal) continuity obsessives around - people who will often be more concerned about references to previous episodes/movies/comic books than they are about how good the story is, or how well it is told. And so we see movies and TV shows that are so loaded with continuity (to keep the obsessives happy) that more casual viewers can find themselves shut out - it's the hardcore fans' party, and they aren't invited. Legion is a great example: loads of references for the comic book fans to enjoy, but so many were crammed in that they got in the way of the story - and some were incomprehensible without further research (e.g. why do the Legion talk about "Brainiac 5" when we've only ever seen one? Surely their reprogrammed version should be "Brainiac 2"?).

Good writers and producers will find ways to accomodate both groups (and those inbetween) by writing stories that work without the viewer needing to spend a month researching on Wikipedia before they watch them, slipping in references that fans will appreciate in a way that casual viewers can still enjoy. "Hex" is a great example of this. I had no idea that "Keystone" was where the original Flash came from, but it didn't matter - I could still enjoy the scene without having to worry that I was missing something. Similarly, I could enjoy the "squeaky chair" as a nod to Clark irritating Lois at the end of "Odyssey", and "Lois Lane's Rules of Reporting" as a call back to "Plastique". However, even if I hadn't seen those episodes, the scene would still work - what makes it fun is Lois teasing Clark, and the interplay between the characters.

[Lilah]

The great thing for me about these nods/references/call backs - call them what you will - is that, as the poll question states, they were subtle. More importantly, if you didn't get them, they didn't hinder your enjoyment of the episode.

One of the great drawbacks of modern-day fandom is that it means that there is a hard core of (often very vocal) continuity obsessives around - people who will often be more concerned about references to previous episodes/movies/comic books than they are about how good the story is, or how well it is told. And so we see movies and TV shows that are so loaded with continuity (to keep the obsessives happy) that more casual viewers can find themselves shut out - it's the hardcore fans' party, and they aren't invited. Legion is a great example: loads of references for the comic book fans to enjoy, but so many were crammed in that they got in the way of the story - and some were incomprehensible without further research (e.g. why do the Legion talk about "Brainiac 5" when we've only ever seen one? Surely their reprogrammed version should be "Brainiac 2"?).

Good writers and producers will find ways to accomodate both groups (and those inbetween) by writing stories that work without the viewer needing to spend a month researching on Wikipedia before they watch them, slipping in references that fans will appreciate in a way that casual viewers can still enjoy. "Hex" is a great example of this. I had no idea that "Keystone" was where the original Flash came from, but it didn't matter - I could still enjoy the scene without having to worry that I was missing something. Similarly, I could enjoy the "squeaky chair" as a nod to Clark irritating Lois at the end of "Odyssey", and "Lois Lane's Rules of Reporting" as a call back to "Plastique". However, even if I hadn't seen those episodes, the scene would still work - what makes it fun is Lois teasing Clark, and the interplay between the characters.

I don't think its fair to call fans obssesive for liking continuity and looking for it. It's more out of nostalgia than anything else. I personally, love episodes that have call backs, it makes me smile. But it doesn't make or break the story at all. "Hex" and "Legion" had a lot of SMALLVILLE call backs, not necessarily comic book/movie/other tv shows call backs, though some were in there. It just keeps fans on their toes. BQM is one of the best writers Smallville has right now, and its not because of the call backs. It's because of the way his stories are told.

----- Added 1 Minutes later -----


I suppose.
I'm not really impressed by the callbacks. Nothing special really. If anything Abyss had more callbacks. It's just acknowledging history.

"Abyss" was one giant memory lol. Not really a call back. Call backs are references made to past episodes or moments. When a past moment is shown, it's just a memory or dream sequence, which in the case of "Abyss", that's exactly what it was.