Thoughts about next season after seeing Phantom

[xrayvision]

Well, the episode is about to air in 18 minutes for me, and I wonder how next season will be like after this episode.

I'm guessing that Clark will finally do his training and we will have a mythos-rich season. It looks like Lana will be dead and Martha will be gone. I'm guessing (& hoping) Chloe and Clark won't hook up since it's waaaayyyy too late for that. And Lois & Clark are too early in their relationship to hook up (plus it's Superman, not Clark who she's interested in). So this is what makes me think & hope that next season will be light on 'ships.

I do have a question though about Michael & Kristin. I know they're both contracted for 7 seasons and they don't want to do anymore. Does anyone know if Michael & Kristin (if Lana somehow lives) could leave during season 7 and come back for an 8th season as their 7th season on the show? That would make great sense to me, because if the 7th season is light on 'ships & heavy on Clark's training, these 2 characters could be left out and replaced by Clark's training & perhaps some supervillians like Milton Fine. Then, after Clark has trained, they could return in season 8 where the show would wrap up Clark with his journalism career and his relationships with Lex, Lois, and Lana if she lives. I think this would be an awesome way to extend the show to 8 seasons and have a great 8th season that doesn't lack Lex. And there is definitely enough material for an 8th season.

If anyone knows anything about their contracts & if this is possible, please reply. This would be the best way to wrap this show up if you ask me.

[xrayvision]

Anyone?

I think if Lex goes to jail and the provisions of Michael's & Kristin's contracts allow it, they could easily save those 2 for season 8 (since they don't wanna do more than 7 seasons) and spend all of 7 on Clark's & Lois' development and have some superpowered villians from Clark's future as Superman. Cough*Hank Henshaw*cough.

[Daspoo]

One word... "ugh."

[Rafael122]

You mean about this episode or the show in general or?

I think Season 7 needs better direction. Honestly, I didn't know what the main arc was for Season 6 until about 3/4 of the way through the season. It was so confusing because Clark had to deal with the Lex-Lana relationship, the Phantoms, and 33.1 all at the same time. So I was left scratching my head trying to figure out which will take precedent over the other. Obviously, from the looks of things, it was 33.1 but they should have made it clear from the start, which they usually do.

Season 6, to me, was just so odd. I rated about 8 episodes (including the Finale and Premiere) as 5 stars, top notch, etc. Everything else was just muddled together. Reunion? Looking back at that now, was that episode really necessary? Subterranean? Hydro with Tori Spelling? It's why I said the opening highlights package on the Season made it look so much more exciting.

As for Season 8...I'm not really sure. They didn't leave us with anything to say "yeah, this is what they are going to focus on." Season 4 had the Black Ship, which led to Season 5's focus on Brainiac, etc.

[Daspoo]

Originally posted by Rafael122
You mean about this episode or the show in general or?

I think Season 7 needs better direction. Honestly, I didn't know what the main arc was for Season 6 until about 3/4 of the way through the season. It was so confusing because Clark had to deal with the Lex-Lana relationship, the Phantoms, and 33.1 all at the same time. So I was left scratching my head trying to figure out which will take precedent over the other. Obviously, from the looks of things, it was 33.1 but they should have made it clear from the start, which they usually do.

Season 6, to me, was just so odd. I rated about 8 episodes (including the Finale and Premiere) as 5 stars, top notch, etc. Everything else was just muddled together. Reunion? Looking back at that now, was that episode really necessary? Subterranean? Hydro with Tori Spelling? It's why I said the opening highlights package on the Season made it look so much more exciting.

As for Season 8...I'm not really sure. They didn't leave us with anything to say "yeah, this is what they are going to focus on." Season 4 had the Black Ship, which led to Season 5's focus on Brainiac, etc.

Well said.

[Spirit Detective]

Well, the recap included his vow to finish his training once Bizarro is taken care of.

So I'm hoping Bizarro will be around for an early portion of Season 7 (maybe 3 episodes tops?)

Now that Lex is not as big as a threat. (Project Ares down the drain).

[xrayvision]

The direction of season 7 should be Clark's training (main), Lois getting to the DP, perhaps Lex getting out of jail (which can also happen in season 8) and Pete returning by his side as he dethrones Martha of her senate seat. I seriously think that the training is best done through Clark vs. Kal-El. I have posted several great plots they could have in season 7 that would make it the best season ever:

http://www.kryptonsite.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=69430

I have been posting most of these ideas since the end of season 5 and have gone into great detail to explain why they would work. After tonight where we saw 2 Clarks (Bizarro being one) my excitement at a Clark vs. Kal-El war jumped through the roof, and I know that it would be incredible by all means of the word. Now they have to go one more step and have Clark and his brainwashed/trained side, Kal-El, fight. Before doing this, I also think a great idea would be for Clark to create an identity for him to do his heroics in and use the Naman name. That way, during the black-k seperation, they would both have the suit, and Clark could take his off to take advantage of having Kal-El around in a Naman suit so Lex, Lois & others would see the 2 together & be convinced that Clark has no powers. Plus, Lex would know that Naman is Superman once Clark becomes Supes and won't accuse Clark of being Supes.

I also think if Lana is alive, she should get a job at Belle Reve. Clark will then have contacts everywhere he needs to have them and including Lana in storylines would be easy since Belle Reve is involved in several episodes.

[svtwamedfan05]

In season 7 it would be nice to see Clark finally move on and off the perpetual Clana rollercoaster. With him thinking that Lana is "dead" he will have to move on. After all this isn't Supernatural where you can do some ritual to bring back someone you loved. It would be nice to see him grow up and not mope around the farm anymore about losing the person he supposedly thinks was his soulmate. Would love to see Lois grow more into her character and be in more than 13 episodes. Also the feelings between Lois and Clark need to grow. And if Lana ever decides to come back to Smallville, it would be nice to see Clark finally moved on and not worrying about getting back on the Clana Rollercoaster.

[Rafael122]

Originally posted by xrayvision
The direction of season 7 should be Clark's training (main), Lois getting to the DP, perhaps Lex getting out of jail (which can also happen in season 8) and Pete returning by his side as he dethrones Martha of her senate seat. I seriously think that the training is best done through Clark vs. Kal-El. I have posted several great plots they could have in season 7 that would make it the best season ever:

http://www.kryptonsite.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=69430

I have been posting most of these ideas since the end of season 5 and have gone into great detail to explain why they would work. After tonight where we saw 2 Clarks (Bizarro being one) my excitement at a Clark vs. Kal-El war jumped through the roof, and I know that it would be incredible by all means of the word.

I also think if Lana is alive, she should get a job at Belle Reve. Clark will then have contacts everywhere he needs to have them and including Lana in storylines would be easy since Belle Reve is involved in several episodes.

Just based on what's happened. I think Lex will take the "Lionel" role from Season...4 where Lionel was in jail for the about 6-7 episodes, somewhere around there. Same with Lex, just seems like the roles have been reversed and we'll see Lex in jail, and Lionel is free.

After that, its all up in the air. Where do you go with Lois? Chloe? Lana? Lionel? Clark? There isn't a 'problem' that you can identify from watching this episode. It's Bizzarro, and that's it. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing, but it should be interesting what kind of storylines they have set for next season. I figure if this is going to be the last one, they must have some sort of plan. I just don't see Clark training as being a ratings grabber.

[xrayvision]

Originally posted by Rafael122
I just don't see Clark training as being a ratings grabber.

If he fights Kal-El as the main part of his training I think it will. That side of him would in my opinion be the last thing standing in his way of becoming Superman. By beating that side, all his doubts & fears about his destiny will evaporate since that Kal-El we saw in Crusade embodies all that fear & doubt which Clark has been fighting since Exodus.

Like I said, before starting the war between them, I would make Clark create a hero disguise/suit and have him call himself Naman. He should derail all of Lex's ongoing plans (whether he's in jail or not) and burn the "8" symbol (the one in the diamond that is the El family crest) into the walls, which Lex should get footage of. This would escalate Naman vs. Sageeth because Lex (Sageeth) would finally know that Naman is here on Earth. I think this would have been best done in season 6...especially in Wither where Naman in his suit could have shown up at the costume party and stayed after all the other guests left to have a staredown with Lex. After this, I would have them do a black-k seperation so that both Clark & Kal-El have the Naman suit. Clark takes it off and wears it sparingly, making sure Lex isn't watching him and that Kal-El is not around in the same suit. I would have a scene where Clark saves Lex with Kal-El in the Naman suit close by destroying Luthorcorp facilities while Lex sees the 2 of them at once (I would also have Lois be present and start falling for "Naman" as a precursor to how she will fall for Superman). I would have Lois write stories on Naman and his attacks/heroics based on which Naman she sees (sometimes Kal-El, other times Clark).

I would have Clark and Kal-El battle, where Clark gets his ass kicked badly the first time, but goes back to the FOS for pointers. The next battle, which would take place a few episodes later, I would have Clark learn from mistakes and make some progress, but still lose. I would have about 5-6 battles, where the penultimate battle would be a draw and the final one would have Clark defeating Kal-El and re-absorbing him.

Throughout the season, I would make Lana get a job at Belle Reve and work with Lois & Pete to keep Lex from causing considerable damage. I don't know what they should do with Chloe. I hate to say it, but maybe killing her off would be best so Lois could finally be given the proper time to develop. They could have Lana & Pete also hook up romantically. And of course have Pete & Lex become partners and Lex going after Martha's senate seat, especially after making everyone think he was framed for murder and heroically came back to claim his life. Between his battles with Kal-El, I would have Clark go back to college, where Perry White would be his professor at CKU. That would be Perry's last stop before getting back in the DP, and I would make it that a story that he and Clark would be working on is what gets him back in. And he rewards Clark's investigative reporting by saving a spot at the DP for him when Clark is ready.

There is a lot of stuff they can do and all these ideas would take more than a season to accomplish.

[Shadow116]

Well not sure about everyone else but I want Clark to grow up in Season 7 and get intelligent,possibly journalism as well.

And Lionel has to die by the end for Lex to be truly above him.