Character development

[i luv tom welling]

Clark and Chloe are the only two characters who are still regularly on the show since the beginning. Still, most of the other characters developed considerably until the moment of their departure. For any of the characters who you've seen tonight, who do you think changed for the better? The worst? (in your opinion, whether in regards to Superman canon or not)

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

I think Chloe has kept a lot of the same qualities we've seen in her since this first episode. She's obviously grown a lot, moving away from the Wall of Weird, but I think it's neat how you can see the woman she'll become in the girl we watch in the Pilot.

[superhippie2000]

ya the characters evolved a lot. i think obviously clark had better development even tho it took him 10 years to even get the suit. lol. i agree with chloe too but i kind of wished she wasnt so involved in the action aspect and kind of kept her investigative side without getting into fights.

[Supsfan]

I think most characters changed for the worse. lol

Clark - as each season went on he seemed to have way to many issues

Lana & Chloe - Both should have been nothing more then High School associates like they were in the pilot. By the end of the series they seemed to turn them into the emasculation duo who are greater heroes then anybody else on the show

Lex - While I would like to forget the whole Lexana phase of his character, probably then best from start to finish

Pete - hated the way they wrote him off, why couldn't they just make him Clark closest friend? (oh yeah he didn't have a pair of boobs that they could pander off to shippers)

Lionel - loved Lionel S1-3, after that the flip flop nature of his character depending on episode got annoying

The Kents - Seems as each season went on they became less and less important, until Chloe completely took over there role in S6. They should have maintained a big importance as long as possible

[lexluthor408]

I actually thought Clark was more supermanish in the first season than probably any other season.

[i luv tom welling]

I agree about the Kents. Family was such an important focus for the longest time (even in Lois & Clark) and as soon as Jonathan died, Martha was out of the picture. I just think she could have been mentioned a bit more often, rather than randomly showing up later on.

Pete was written off due to issues with the actor

[Supsfan]

Pete was written off due to issues with the actor

Yeah his issues was he wasn't getting enough screentime. In all honesty they could have combined Chloe and Pete into one character and I much rather it been one that the producers didn't pander to shippers

[SGuthrie27]

Hmmm... This is a great conversation topic.

Clark - obviously, he's grown probably more than any other character, from a guy who was just learning about who he was, and had no clue what he would become, to the world's most iconic and recognizable superhero. He seems so much more shy, vulnerable, and reserved in this episode, doesn't he? He's so much more take-charge, cool, and confident now, but I like seeing this younger version of him.

Lex - Ha-ha-ha, the maniac in the Porsche. One of the most fascinating elements of this show has been the downward spiral of Lex's character, and it was done so in a systematic, subtle, and believable way that I really enjoyed. The changes from who he is in the Pilot, and Season 1 in general, are drastic, indeed.

Lana - For her, it's basically a loss of innocence, naivete, and vulnerability. She morphed into a much more manipulative, slightly edgier person, especially through the mess with the witches, the Lexana arc, the "Power" suit weirdness, etc. Still, she's retained a certain charm and mystique to her character that I honestly do find appealing even to this day.

Pete - He didn't change an awful lot, did he? Then again, he wasn't given nearly as much time to develop as many of the other characters. His personality stayed the same from this first episode to Season 3's "Forsaken." The only thing that really changed was him becoming Clark's secret-keeper.

Chloe - In some ways, my favorite tiny blonde is the same girl she always was. She still is fiercely loyal to and chummy with her friends. She has in immensely snarky wit and an expansive vocabulary. She has an urge to uncover the truth and solve mysteries. I guess what's changed the most with her is how she's gone about those tasks, and her career aspirations. The core of her personality remains what it always was, which to me, is a very good thing.

Lionel - He changed more times than I can really count, going from ambiguous guest star to diabolical villain to mysteriously reformed supposed philanthropist, to oracle for Jor-El... I really have enjoyed the evolution of his character, too. Really, the Luthors are one of the primary reasons I enjoyed the earlier seasons as much as I did.

The Kents - They hardly changed at all, really, did they? And I think it's important that they didn't. They are so much of this show's foundation -- so much of what gives it its warmth, its heart. I agree with Sups that they were originally much more central to the plots of every episode. By Season 5 and Jonathan's departure, they had taken much more of a backseat to many of the other characters, which I think was rather unfortunate, but they still fulfilled a fantastic and vital role in Clark's development as a man and as a hero.

Whitney - LOL, he had a super-fast one-season development, but it wasn't a major change, really, I guess.

[A Flawed Fashion]

Chloe: They took her places I didn't think Smallville would. She went in unpredictable directions. I enjoyed it.

Clark: Not a lot of thoughts on that.

Pete: He really should have done more than he did. That was kind of a failed SV character.

Lana: Ups and downs. Sometimes I love her and sometimes I hate her, but overall it was interesting.

Lex: Great development, but I wish they had ended his arc in season 7 better.

[Bingo]

I think Lana and Lex developed faster than Clark and Chloe

[LuthorKent90]

Hmmm... This is a great conversation topic.

Clark - obviously, he's grown probably more than any other character, from a guy who was just learning about who he was, and had no clue what he would become, to the world's most iconic and recognizable superhero. He seems so much more shy, vulnerable, and reserved in this episode, doesn't he? He's so much more take-charge, cool, and confident now, but I like seeing this younger version of him.

Lex - Ha-ha-ha, the maniac in the Porsche. One of the most fascinating elements of this show has been the downward spiral of Lex's character, and it was done so in a systematic, subtle, and believable way that I really enjoyed. The changes from who he is in the Pilot, and Season 1 in general, are drastic, indeed.

Lana - For her, it's basically a loss of innocence, naivete, and vulnerability. She morphed into a much more manipulative, slightly edgier person, especially through the mess with the witches, the Lexana arc, the "Power" suit weirdness, etc. Still, she's retained a certain charm and mystique to her character that I honestly do find appealing even to this day.

Pete - He didn't change an awful lot, did he? Then again, he wasn't given nearly as much time to develop as many of the other characters. His personality stayed the same from this first episode to Season 3's "Forsaken." The only thing that really changed was him becoming Clark's secret-keeper.

Chloe - In some ways, my favorite tiny blonde is the same girl she always was. She still is fiercely loyal to and chummy with her friends. She has in immensely snarky wit and an expansive vocabulary. She has an urge to uncover the truth and solve mysteries. I guess what's changed the most with her is how she's gone about those tasks, and her career aspirations. The core of her personality remains what it always was, which to me, is a very good thing.

Lionel - He changed more times than I can really count, going from ambiguous guest star to diabolical villain to mysteriously reformed supposed philanthropist, to oracle for Jor-El... I really have enjoyed the evolution of his character, too. Really, the Luthors are one of the primary reasons I enjoyed the earlier seasons as much as I did.

The Kents - They hardly changed at all, really, did they? And I think it's important that they didn't. They are so much of this show's foundation -- so much of what gives it its warmth, its heart. I agree with Sups that they were originally much more central to the plots of every episode. By Season 5 and Jonathan's departure, they had taken much more of a backseat to many of the other characters, which I think was rather unfortunate, but they still fulfilled a fantastic and vital role in Clark's development as a man and as a hero.

Whitney - LOL, he had a super-fast one-season development, but it wasn't a major change, really, I guess.

Well said! I completely agree with this!

[SGuthrie27]

Well said! I completely agree with this!

Awww, thanks, Lisa!

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

I think Lana and Lex developed faster than Clark and Chloe

Agreed on Lana, Bingo, but we'll have to agree to disagree on Lex. Lex's development of descent was far slower and more gradual in nature, which is as it should be for his character. He couldn't turn from congenial generally nice guy wanting to be a better person to his father, to the most diabolical villain in Superman's rogue gallery overnight, so I'm glad that it was a process, and not a fast change. BTW, that is a super-hot Lana avi, I must say, and that's coming from a diehard Chlarker and Chloe fan.

[Athena]

Hmmm... This is a great conversation topic.

Clark - obviously, he's grown probably more than any other character, from a guy who was just learning about who he was, and had no clue what he would become, to the world's most iconic and recognizable superhero. He seems so much more shy, vulnerable, and reserved in this episode, doesn't he? He's so much more take-charge, cool, and confident now, but I like seeing this younger version of him.

Lex - Ha-ha-ha, the maniac in the Porsche. One of the most fascinating elements of this show has been the downward spiral of Lex's character, and it was done so in a systematic, subtle, and believable way that I really enjoyed. The changes from who he is in the Pilot, and Season 1 in general, are drastic, indeed.

Lana - For her, it's basically a loss of innocence, naivete, and vulnerability. She morphed into a much more manipulative, slightly edgier person, especially through the mess with the witches, the Lexana arc, the "Power" suit weirdness, etc. Still, she's retained a certain charm and mystique to her character that I honestly do find appealing even to this day.

Pete - He didn't change an awful lot, did he? Then again, he wasn't given nearly as much time to develop as many of the other characters. His personality stayed the same from this first episode to Season 3's "Forsaken." The only thing that really changed was him becoming Clark's secret-keeper.

Chloe - In some ways, my favorite tiny blonde is the same girl she always was. She still is fiercely loyal to and chummy with her friends. She has in immensely snarky wit and an expansive vocabulary. She has an urge to uncover the truth and solve mysteries. I guess what's changed the most with her is how she's gone about those tasks, and her career aspirations. The core of her personality remains what it always was, which to me, is a very good thing.

Lionel - He changed more times than I can really count, going from ambiguous guest star to diabolical villain to mysteriously reformed supposed philanthropist, to oracle for Jor-El... I really have enjoyed the evolution of his character, too. Really, the Luthors are one of the primary reasons I enjoyed the earlier seasons as much as I did.

The Kents - They hardly changed at all, really, did they? And I think it's important that they didn't. They are so much of this show's foundation -- so much of what gives it its warmth, its heart. I agree with Sups that they were originally much more central to the plots of every episode. By Season 5 and Jonathan's departure, they had taken much more of a backseat to many of the other characters, which I think was rather unfortunate, but they still fulfilled a fantastic and vital role in Clark's development as a man and as a hero.

Whitney - LOL, he had a super-fast one-season development, but it wasn't a major change, really, I guess.

Agreed

[HopeforTomorrow]

I think most characters changed for the worse. lol

Clark - as each season went on he seemed to have way to many issues

Lana & Chloe - Both should have been nothing more then High School associates like they were in the pilot. By the end of the series they seemed to turn them into the emasculation duo who are greater heroes then anybody else on the show

Lex - While I would like to forget the whole Lexana phase of his character, probably then best from start to finish

Pete - hated the way they wrote him off, why couldn't they just make him Clark closest friend? (oh yeah he didn't have a pair of boobs that they could pander off to shippers)

Lionel - loved Lionel S1-3, after that the flip flop nature of his character depending on episode got annoying

The Kents - Seems as each season went on they became less and less important, until Chloe completely took over there role in S6. They should have maintained a big importance as long as possible

I completely agree. The bolded is hilarious but so true. Lana brought down the two leads while Chloe took care of the secondary guys. LOL

Yeah his issues was he wasn't getting enough screentime. In all honesty they could have combined Chloe and Pete into one character and I much rather it been one that the producers didn't pander to shippers

I remember reading about this somewhere a while back. If anyone happens to wonder why I have it against Chloe so bad on this show, it starts with what the producers did to Pete and then other key characters later on when they decided to channel much more of their writing power into Chloe in favor of securing their own financial future.

I actually thought Clark was more supermanish in the first season than probably any other season.

The producers must've thought that they'd built Clark up too quickly so they decided to tear his character apart and start all over again so that they could keep extending the series. Build him up, tear him down, only to patch him together again just in time for him to become Superman. I'm of the mind that there are plenty of ways to make a series last many seasons without doing what they did to the main character. I guess this is what happens when the producers admit that they're unknowledgeable about the Superman mythos, and I think that all of the Superman-type writers and staff left the show after around Seasons 3-4.

[ebatcl]

I think most characters changed for the worse. lol

Clark - as each season went on he seemed to have way to many issues

Lana & Chloe - Both should have been nothing more then High School associates like they were in the pilot. By the end of the series they seemed to turn them into the emasculation duo who are greater heroes then anybody else on the show

Lex - While I would like to forget the whole Lexana phase of his character, probably then best from start to finish

Pete - hated the way they wrote him off, why couldn't they just make him Clark closest friend? (oh yeah he didn't have a pair of boobs that they could pander off to shippers)

Lionel - loved Lionel S1-3, after that the flip flop nature of his character depending on episode got annoying

The Kents - Seems as each season went on they became less and less important, until Chloe completely took over there role in S6. They should have maintained a big importance as long as possible

QFT.

[Nimkong]

Clark- Developed the most as he is destined to be Superman.

Lana-She evolved but just not what we wanted her to turn into.

Lex- Evolved alot for his dark destiny.

Whitney- Yeah not really a point for him.

Pete-No not really.

Chloe- She changed alot yes but not really evolve.

Martha- Nope still the very-loving mom.

Johnathan-Kinda but not really.