Salvation

After Season 8's horrible finale, this episode sure was a sight for sore eyes! Smallville didn't disappoint at all and we finally got to see some things that will make comics fans jump up and punch the air, as I'll admit I did! Sincerely this episode is the best one for all of the actors as each one gave awesome performances! Especially Tom Welling and Callum Blue.

I'm going to share with you guys what i said right after the episode ended: "Tom Welling is the best Superman since Christopher Reeve". I'm on the road to becoming a great director so maybe it doesn't mean much now, even though in the future it hopefully will, if i say Im extremely proud of everyone in the Smallville cast and crew because this season and especially in the finale they gave us the Superman we've always wanted to see.

Can't wait for season 10!!!

I believe that Season 9 is the best of the whole show.

The story is soul uplifting and Kal El sacrifice is sublime.

This seasons' finale was one of the best dramatic TV produced by Smallville in years. Perfectly written, brilliantly acted, and well filmed. And the final moment of the cliffhanger was great.

And yet I can't help but wonder if this movie is addressed to an audience with a low level of intelligence... Do you remember "Pandora"? Why would the Kandorians need a solar tower if they already got the powers through Kal El blood?

Do you remember Charade's, last call of The Blur, when he told Lois that he will not call her again, but that he will be watching over her?. This time, knowing that he will leave the Earth, Clark tells Lois that he will watch over her from wherever he will be, A smart woman would have understood immediately who The Blur was ... In "Charade" The Blur put his right hand on Lois's left shoulder, and this time, only when Zod touched her shoulder, Lois realized that Zod was not The Blur. And only when The Blur kissed her, she understood that The Blur was CK. Did the sharp senses counterbalance the lack of brain?

Since season 8, when new writers took over Smallville, I had hope for the shows redemption once more. Al Gough and Miles Millar were taking the show nowhere, and after seasons 6 and 7, left much to be desired. Thus, for me, season 8 was refreshing, and some of the best Smallville I'd seen in years, and also the start of seeing Clark truly grow into Superman from the comics. The season however, fizzled out sometime in the later half (with some decent episodes spread out, here and there), but it was the final most of all that made me want to drop the show. Truth be told, I left for a few years, not bothering to watch what was perhaps my favourite show back in the day - until I heard from a friend how amazing Season 9 was. I was shocked, and surprised, at first I did my own research into reviews for the second last season, then I began to watch, and boy, was I not let down. Season 9 lived up to all my hopes and dreams, exceeding expectations and became one of my favourites of the whole show. The strong writing, coupled with the great acting and good direction really gave Smallville its second wind.

Zod was one of my favourite characters in this season, his arc was beautiful to watch, and the actor was magnificent. But Welling, Durance, and several other cast members all did great jobs as well, making this one of the seasons of Smallville with a mostly great cast of actors.

But enough of my thoughts of the whole season, and now, onto the finale, which has so much impact and strength to fuel new heights. The opening sequence alone would make any comic fan happy. The twist leading into the finale on Zod taking on the role of The Blur to manipulate Lois, and Clark being aware of this but still hiding himself was very well played and interesting to watch. I had been worried that it would be a repeat of how season 5 and 6 played Clark and Lex off of each other with Lana in the middle however, S9 again surprised me. This was much more original and not dragged out.

One of the best finales in a very long time, it also had the infamous cliffhangers that Smallville is known for, and boy did they do well with them. Overall, I have to say this was some of the best dramatic TV produced by Smallville in years. In fact, this whole season, and furthermore this episode, really puts Smallville down as the best CW/WB television ever produced, and moreover, places it as some of the best television of its era.

Perfectly written, brilliantly acted, and well filmed. The final moment of the cliffhanger not only caught me off guard, but had me dying to watch the next season straight after.

The previous (eighth) season of Smallville had actually breathed some new life into the series with it shifting away from original creators Miles Miller & Al Gough. Not that it was a tremendous season by any means (6.5/10 by my ranking), but it set some new things in motion. Sadly, very few of those positives were carried over into Season Nine, as the show went into "stall mode" yet again without a known end date. Not helping matters: the worst season-long villain in show history to this point.

The primary arc of the season focuses on General Zod (Callum Blue), teased in the S8 finale. Blue is actually perfectly cast as the popular Superman villain, all slight English accent and bluster to match his Terrance Stamp movie counterpart. The problem? This series already did Zod in S5/6, so right from the jump this new reincarnation feels old hat. It piddles around for a time but ultimately leads nowhere and is a bit anticlimactic (sound familiar after S8's Doomsday?!).

The same can be said for Tess Mercer (Cassidy Freeman). An excellent actress in a role that gives her nothing but recycled Michael Rosenbaum Lex Luthor dialogue and actions. That character's arc in S9 is even less attempted and more ridiculous than it was in S8-a tall order but also sadly a true one.

Also, remember how S8 actually started to develop some chemistry between Clark (Tom Welling) & Lois (Erica Durance)? That pretty much stagnates here-covering the same ground over and over (again, because no end date is in sight).

There are a few good episodes hidden amongst this season-all of which are ones that move away from the main Zod/Tess arc:

-Idol, Absolute Justice, & Warrior do a solid job of incorporating Superman canon and extended-universe lore into the proceedings. Hostage also features the return of a fan-favorite character that will bring smiles to faces and remembrances of "Smallville past".

-"Silly" installments like gemstone kryptonite wreaking havoc with Clark & Lois' relationship in Persuasion and a haunted bed-and-breakfast that Lois/Clark + Chloe (Allison Mack) & Oliver (Justin Hartley) get caught up in is hilarious in Escape.

-The finale is a passable 6/10 stars, setting up some interesting S10 plot lines while finally clearing the deck of this season's dreck.

Overall, though, there isn't a single S9 ep I rated over 8 stars while many installments were 4-star efforts or less. This spate is clearly the worst in the series to this point, as the showrunners now make no effort to smartly weave the long-running plots/characters into the "comic book lore" introduced every other episode. It is more "throw stuff at the wall to see what sticks" as the series waits for an endgame.

The finale season 9 deserved happened. Most past episodes proved that the talents behind the show have matured their skills and nourished its story with all their tremendous experience. Salvation should convince you to stick around a little more, because season 10 is coming. Contrary to some viewers I wasn't disappointed by last season's finale, Doomsday. But this one was really something else.

First even if I found some scenes were too short I think the continuity was smooth. Most of them were so excellent that Salvation should have been a two parts episode, like Absolute Justice. However the editing was well balanced so I can't blame the producers for their wise decision because it allowed them to deliver an astonishing installment. Second the direction was quite creative, like in Checkmate, but well more polished. From the slow motion effects to the choreography it should definitely impress you. Third it was heavy on character development. Oliver and Chloe ? Count them in ! Lois, Clark & The Blur ? Of course they were featured ! But be prepared for the impossible because they managed to take things to a whole new level. Remember The Blur put his right hand on Lois's left shoulder in Charade ? Well what happened in Salvation should blow you away. It should break the barrier of your highest expectations !

To sum things we have a winner ! It was a dark home run at light speed full of cultural references and wicked dialogs. The recap should remind you how intense the whole season was and the very first scene will definitely puzzle you. As for the ending it was just mesmerizing and I couldn't have dreamed of a better way to end this amazing season. It was reminiscent of all these literate and inspiring elements that had been staked out so far. From religion to moral values there was plenty of interesting things to fulfill the belly of the most demanding viewer. But the best part is that the astonishing cliffhanger wasn't the strawberry on the shortcake. The whole damn episode was ! Dive in Clark's eyes as he opens a gift dressed in black. Follow Green Arrow as he goes all John McClane and says something very intriguing to Chloe. Witness the end of a new beginning. The rebirth of Smallville !