Too much Ollie, not enough Clark.

[curiosity]

Too much Ollie. Not enough Clark. Clark shouldn't be a supporting character on a show called Smallville. I didn't need to see Ollie origin / Lost. If he got poisoned fine, I would have liked to have seen Lois and Clark investigate, or something. Not Chloiac. Lois would have done that, it was out of character for her to sit bedside with Ollie the entire time. Chloiac could have helped Lois and Clark at the last minute or something.

They didn't show Clark use enough superpowers. I like to see him take off when he superspeeds, not just a woosh. Where's his super jumping, oh right, that would take away from Ollie who has no superpowers. I also like it when Clark throws the bad guy a few hundred feet. I guess he made the thing fall so Tess wouldn't see him, but he could have used superspeed.

I would like to see things happen to Clark and Clark have to deal with them. Instead of seeing Tess, Ollie, Chloe and whoever else. Smallville isn't Heroes, so why do they try and make it like a soap switching from character to character? Too many main characters, instead of a main plot and supporting characters.

----- Added 7 Minutes later -----

And when was the last time we saw super strength or xray vision? Last season? Or was it the season before last? Ollie's role needs to be like Pete's or Johanthan Kent.

[Mr.Magic]

Yup, way too much Ollie and a stupid 'showdown'.

They knocked out the attackee yet again, so that Clark can just stand around and do some property damage, instead of letting him just zip through at superspeed and do a knockout tap. They probably thought it wouldn't be enough 'action' for some people, but it would have saved time for more interesting things.

On a more positive note, it took me only 10-15 minutes to rewatch the episode (if Clark ain't in the scene...).

edit: Maybe I should elaborate. If I don't care about the story, I just watch the bits I liked on the second viewing.

[Nuberman]

THANK YOU! I could have swore this show was about the development of Clark as a Superman. There are times where he becomes such an outsider to the storyline.

[Jlvsclrk]

I'm with you on the too much Ollie by far. I've posted elsewhere that I don't give a hoot about Ollie's stay on the island. I think its retarded when a character gasps out "I only have 12 hours to live" rather than tell Clark "Contact Tess: she knows the antidote." For me, this run around of Lollie was just filler. Been there, watched that, done much better in Siren.

As for Clark powers, sure who wouldn't like to see them used more? But practically speaking, there are serious budget restraints and those FX cost money. So I understand them only showing a bit and leaving the rest to our imagination. Would have LOVED to see Clark breaking into the Brazil lab though. As for him causing the property damage instead of just directly taking out the bad guy, because of Tess' presence, he took action that had more possible explanations, ie, many superheros including GA could have done that. The other solution was what I call the Nicodemus-option, which is to knock out the witness, then take on the bad guy. But Clark wouldn't do that with a woman.

[SnowBird]

Clark is my hero and not Ollie so, of course, I'll like Clark centered episodes better. You know that Justin is fullfilling a previous contract so they want to throw him a bone for not picking up his series whether we like it or not.....I believe that the lack of money is going to change how we see Clark in super mode and I'm going to miss the special effects that could have been:(

[Mr.Magic]

@Jlvsclrk

Clark is perfectly capable of saving someone unseen, so there aren't any witnesses. Bloody hell, he zipped away right before he got tackled in a game, knocked out the villain, unshackled Chloe, and was back in position without the football fans being the wiser.

@SnowBird

I am kinda glad about the lower budget. The endless slowmo shots of Clark in early seasons got pretty boring once they lost their novelty, and oftentimes seemed to be used as filler (less story to write).

[cksidekick]

ummm...we saw super hearing when he called Olie's date's phone....we saw superspeed and heat vision...that's 3 powers in one epi for those keeping count...Oliver centric? yes...but Clark was proactive, and saved 2 separate characters at 2 different times...(with a bit of help from Chloiac)


i just don't understand what was missing here...did i watch a different episode?


edit: oh! and i'm SICK of the same old worn out toss a stuntman across the set kind of thing...they actualy got a bit creative this time...

[Estro-gen X]

we get 22 hours of clark this season can ollie have 20 minutes to thrash out a back story?

[AndiGirl]

I kind of started watching the episode and I though

"oh...there's ollie...thats cool...."
"Hmm....more Ollie, where is clark?"
"He does look good without a shirt on..."
"Surely this isnt the entire episode...clark will have another plot going." :lol:

----- Added 2 Minutes later -----

But Clark was very present....and its nice to know how Ollie came to be The Green Arrow...and I think it does go along with Clark's plot...in the sense that it showed Ollie going through something major and accepting his destiny fully. Which we've yet to see from Clark....which Ollie so rudely pointed out while he was drunk at the end.

[unfocused]

Justin Hartley deserves his own episode. It's just one episode, guys. Calm down :)

[cksidekick]

we get 22 hours of clark this season can ollie have 20 minutes to thrash out a back story?



Justin Hartley deserves his own episode. It's just one episode, guys. Calm down :)


and they work 6 days per week 13 hrs per day...Tom is the only one who has to show up every day...Alison comes in second...he has done it for 7 years...give the guy a day off once in a while...sheesh!

[MrZeppo]

Well truth be told, I think they were going for more of a low budget episode for a reason. They're probably saving the cash for SFX for later this season. I'd rather they save the money for something better, like Bride or Legion.

I agree there was a lot of Ollie in last night's episode. But really, I'm a GA fan too, so I didn't mind. Yes, the show is supposed to be about Clark, I 100% agree, but seeing the origin story for Ollie was something I've been hoping we'd see and I wasn't disappointed. I think they can spare an episode for that much, especially considering Ollie pretty much saved Clark's @$$ in Odyessy. Also it shows some of the real hardships Ollie has suffered beyond losing his parents. Plus as an actor, it probably made Justin happy to have something to really sink his teeth into.

Also you have to consider the episode may be Clark-light for a reason. They could probably be shooting scenes for another episode at the same time, which is more Clark heavy. Like "Instinct".

Besides, would anyone really want another lame Krypto-freak that once again barely poses a threat to Clark? I know I don't.

[nickyjean_1]

I didn't mind one bit.. To me he's as important to clarks development as Pete or Chloe and I'm glad when they have their own eppy. And what they did show of clark was potent. Him saving Mercy, Clark relizing that others keep secrets too or have reasons for doing what they do. If a friend asks you to do something you don't need a reason you just trust them and do it. --Loved that by the way--

I think those moments helped more with his development then entire Lana/Clark eppy could.

[Poweranimals]

I disagree with the episode. We needed to have this episode. What's the point of having Oliver on the show if we don't get to learn more about him? I loved the flashbacks. Not only did we get the development of Oliver but the development of Tess as well. Both of which was needed. Besides, Clark did plenty this week.

[curiosity]

^Yeah, but some of us wait a week to see 40 minutes of show. And when we're a fan of of that show, we expect to see that show, not another one. Other characters are great, but they were great when they were Pete and Jonathan Kent and they didn't do their back story. Oliver would be great with that type of role as well. IMO.

Clark may have been present, but he was a supporting character.

[Poweranimals]

That's because with those characters, it was what you see is what you get. They really didn't have any story to tell. Unlike Oliver who has more to his character.

[Estro-gen X]

^Yeah, but some of us wait a week to see 40 minutes of show. And when we're a fan of of that show, we expect to see that show, not another one. Other characters are great, but they were great when they were Pete and Jonathan Kent and they didn't do their back story. Oliver would be great with that type of role as well. IMO.

Clark may have been present, but he was a supporting character.

So you like one dimensional characters that only serve clark?
We saw Lex's backstory and psychology constantly and we will see chloe's back story in abyss. The general and 'prototype' filled out Lois's history. 'Lara' filled out Kara's back story. We saw the kent's backstory in the pilot. Pete was around at a time when the show just began, we needed to flesh out Clark's personality. Now we are far more flexible because we know who he is.

[jimmyolsenblues]

please forgive me for saying this.
ollie is more interesting of a character than clark.
I have always said the show should be about clark.
You know what , its too late, they should have made clark not spend all those years in a barn.
Oliver Queen is a better hero. He is not afraid, he does not second guess. and he totally owned clark in that bar.

[Drakaun]

In all fairness it is just one episode. I think it is important to have specific character centric episodes, especially if they are new faces on the show. For people like Chloe and Clark they have had 7 years of development, no matter how stagnent it was for some years. People like Ollie and Tess have no back story because Tess has three episodes under her belt so far, and Ollie not much more than that. So yes, dedicate one episode to two supporting characters, but I guarantee you will get plenty of Clark in the episodes to come. This isn't something new that only Smallville does, every show I have ever watched had specific character centric episodes, hell even Terminator this week, for any who watch it, was Cameron centric. I loved the episode because it gave me insight in a character I knew nothing about, and this is what Toxic did for me. If suddenly the next five episodes were seriously lacking Clark then that is when complaining should happen, not after just one. Be patient!

[ClarkyBoy14]

I don't care if they give Ollie one or two episodes this season, that's fine with me. Tom Welling works his butt off, and his deserves some time off.

[newbaggy]

There is actually a boring, practical reason for having an Ollie-centric episode - as Justin Hartley half-joked in an interview, his presence allows Tom Welling to take the occasional day off. The big limiting factor on doing 22 Clark-centric episodes a year is the workload that TW would face. It might be physically impossible for him, either because of tiredness or because he would have to be in two places at one time because of the shooting schedule. This is hardly unique to Smallville, and is part of the reason that most dramas that run to over 13 episodes a year are ensemble pieces - the workload has to be split across the cast.

This is something that tptb on "Smallville" have never really flagged up to the fans. By contrast, when the producers of "Doctor Who" (a show with only two regular characters: The Doctor and his companion) realised that adding a Christmas special to the regular 13-part season meant shooting two episodes simultaneously, they actually publicised that one story a year would "Doctor-lite". So for two of the last three years, viewers have seen episodes that focused on a guest character, with The Doctor and companion making relatively brief appearances - and people have accepted them. Maybe if we had spoilers pointing out that a small number of episodes per year would be "Clark-lite" - and an explanation as to why that is a practical necessity - it might help people to understand that an episode like "Toxic" doesn't necessarily represent tptb wanting to sideline Clark.

[MetroGirl06]

Whats the big deal? We've seen Clark-centric episodes for the past eight seasons. GA needed some fleshing out.

Why should TW carry the show by himself? Give the guy a break...

[smallvillefreak24]

Clark was definitley lacking this episode but i really liked it regardless

[curiosity]

please forgive me for saying this.
ollie is more interesting of a character than clark.
I have always said the show should be about clark.
You know what , its too late, they should have made clark not spend all those years in a barn.
Oliver Queen is a better hero. He is not afraid, he does not second guess. and he totally owned clark in that bar.


If Ollie is more interesting, it's because they're writing him that way, which is exactly the problem I have with it. I'm going to have to totally disagree here.

Ollie's a human, with no powers and no protection. He has no protective armor, he's totally open to getting injured, and arrows are no match for gunfire. He makes perfect sense as a Pete replacement, and not much sense as a superhero. He doesn't hold a candle to Clark as a superhero just because of those facts alone, if nothing else. IMHO He couldn't have supersped accross the world in a matter of minutes to save Clark from poison the way Clark did for him.

Smallville is still my favorite show. I hope they're moving the story towards Clark, Lois and Chloe for the rest of the season. Doomsday looks interesting also. And I'm really liking Tess. So I don't want to sound completely negative.

----- Added 3 Minutes later -----


There is actually a boring, practical reason for having an Ollie-centric episode - as Justin Hartley half-joked in an interview, his presence allows Tom Welling to take the occasional day off. The big limiting factor on doing 22 Clark-centric episodes a year is the workload that TW would face. It might be physically impossible for him, either because of tiredness or because he would have to be in two places at one time because of the shooting schedule. This is hardly unique to Smallville, and is part of the reason that most dramas that run to over 13 episodes a year are ensemble pieces - the workload has to be split across the cast.

This is something that tptb on "Smallville" have never really flagged up to the fans. By contrast, when the producers of "Doctor Who" (a show with only two regular characters: The Doctor and his companion) realised that adding a Christmas special to the regular 13-part season meant shooting two episodes simultaneously, they actually publicised that one story a year would "Doctor-lite". So for two of the last three years, viewers have seen episodes that focused on a guest character, with The Doctor and companion making relatively brief appearances - and people have accepted them. Maybe if we had spoilers pointing out that a small number of episodes per year would be "Clark-lite" - and an explanation as to why that is a practical necessity - it might help people to understand that an episode like "Toxic" doesn't necessarily represent tptb wanting to sideline Clark.

So how did they make Lois and Clark in the 90's?

[supermanjunkie]

I think it is good that ollie had a show about him. Lets not forget he is a season regular now and one show to bring the light in on how he became the GA and how him and tess know each other and the little info on tess background is great. I am really liking this season cause seems that the shows are some what consecutive and relate back to each other something that smallville has always lack in

[wolverine316]

Hopefully this piece of garbage ep will convince TPTB a spinoff with the Green Arrow won't work. One of the worse episodes in the history of the show. I was begging for more Clark scenes even if it was him just staring at a wall.

[xrayvision]

Too much Ollie. Not enough Clark. Clark shouldn't be a supporting character on a show called Smallville. I didn't need to see Ollie origin / Lost. If he got poisoned fine, I would have liked to have seen Lois and Clark investigate, or something. Not Chloiac. Lois would have done that, it was out of character for her to sit bedside with Ollie the entire time. Chloiac could have helped Lois and Clark at the last minute or something.

They didn't show Clark use enough superpowers. I like to see him take off when he superspeeds, not just a woosh. Where's his super jumping, oh right, that would take away from Ollie who has no superpowers. I also like it when Clark throws the bad guy a few hundred feet. I guess he made the thing fall so Tess wouldn't see him, but he could have used superspeed.

I would like to see things happen to Clark and Clark have to deal with them. Instead of seeing Tess, Ollie, Chloe and whoever else. Smallville isn't Heroes, so why do they try and make it like a soap switching from character to character? Too many main characters, instead of a main plot and supporting characters.

----- Added 7 Minutes later -----

And when was the last time we saw super strength or xray vision? Last season? Or was it the season before last? Ollie's role needs to be like Pete's or Johanthan Kent.

This is exactly what I thought before the episode aired (based on last week's clips) and after watching the episode. I hope this is the last time this season they make this mistake. I was very bored with this episode. This episode is proof why a show about the Green Arrow alone would not do well. I don't think enough interest would be generated in the Green Arrow character to make it successful & it would have to be a JLA type show. The ratings weren't bad for Smallville as far as season 8 goes, but if a GA show started off with ratings at these levels (which would naturally drop as time goes on as with most shows), it wouldn't last too long.

[kal-el_Girl]

I loved this eppy and ollie was a great central character at least in this eppy. I don't mind at all that clark for once was a "sidekick" we know and love clark but we also want to know more about ollie, and imho I want to see more ollie shirtless... yes that was very sexy. =)

----- Added 5 Minutes later -----


Hopefully this piece of garbage ep will convince TPTB a spinoff with the Green Arrow won't work. One of the worse episodes in the history of the show. I was begging for more Clark scenes even if it was him just staring at a wall.

really? you really think that this episode was garbage? More than:
thirst
tomb
subterrenean
combat
fierce
hero

this episode was good and it showed more about oliver and his beginnings... I liked the maturity of the episode and I loved how oliver talked to clark about "finding his island" good episode.... ;)

[Jill]

I agree.
Besides if I would liked to learn more about Ollie's past, I would have read the Green Arrow comic book. lol