Hi. My name is Tom Welling. I played Clark Kent on Smallville and you are listening to Always hold on to Smallville. Welcome to Always hold on to Smallville. In this podcast, we talk about each and every episode of the Young Superman Show. They're from two thousand and one to twenty eleven on the WB and the CW. I'm your host Sack More and I'm joined by b and Light's Last and Nick Ryan. Kept your guessing there, same Nick Ryan. We were back a week later. We have reassembled. It's been
a good week. Yeah, I mean the weather's still nice, so we're still outside and we were back to talking. No, really, I really, we have so many it's so great. We have so many messages, yes, that you have to break into two parts. Right, It's like it's like the Hobbit, there's so much material you gotta break into three part parts. But yes, we're back to talking about Milbag number twelve, Part two, Part two, so let's just you know, we'll jump right into
it. But again, if you have questions you want to ask us, email us these reviews on Apple podcasts and other podcast platforms, comments and whatnot. Send us messages like we're killing all the we go through them, we read them all. They're all very appreciated, and we're here to rebost them for you. So let's jump back into the mailbag, starting with an email from Randon Lyttle again uh, the creator of the always onto Smallville tally board.
Yes for always on too Smallville categories since an email season rankings, So this is the fun one, Okay, Hi, Zach, I know you're always talking about which is your favorite versus your least favorite seasons of the show. I personally love the first four seasons and the ninth season, but you
seem to have a hard time to siding. I decided to do you with solid it went through the episodes of the podcast so far analyze your episode letter scores to come up with hard numbers that you can definitively say what your favorite season is, at least up through season eight. I signed each letter a number. Anything in the A range is A four, B as A three, C as A two, and D as a one. I told up the numbers for each episode of each season, and then divided the total by
the number of episodes in the season. First of all, let me just say, Brandon, thank you for all that hardwork. That sounds like a lot of work. Can I really appreciate you doing it? So math doesn't lie. So here is your official ranking of the seasons based off the scores you have given on the podcast, from last to first and again. This is seasons one through eight. Number eight, Season six average two point seven to two. Number seven, season seven average two point seven to five.
Number six, Season four average two point seven to seven. Well, I track with all that. This is like if you ask me on the top of my head, I'd say, you know what those are? The bottom three Seasons six is probably the bottom, and then seven and then four, Like I could tell you that off the top of my head. This is when it starts to get interesting, right, I think I still track with this. Number five, season eight average two point eighty six. Okay,
on board there. Now gets a little complicated because I've been telling a lot of people Season three the most. Number four Season three average three point zero. Episodes like Whisper and Magnetic in there and down. I think it's off the top of my head, those are ones I think of that aren't good. Well, I know you don't know, Nick Plants what else from season three? What when you think of season three, like, oh, that's
a bad one. Those two came out. Those are the ones. But those are the ones that I would think of because I really like season three, Well everybody does except for me. Apparently we give really surprisingly high school. Oh Resurrection isn't that good? Oh? Yeah? I also wonder if because of those episodes, you haven't really it's only season three, you probably haven't really settled on how low low that you would give an episode, so
they might be a little bit lower than you would have. I did get more generous as time went on. Yeah, despite how native I might sound on some episodes, I do feel I think fun enoughs the whole time, like a minus. Yeah, So I feel like that's where I am now. So maybe that explained season three. Yeah, but gosh, the fourth season number three, Season five average three point one eight. I can see that because when the show ended, if you as him, what's your favorite
season of? Like season five, I guess because you got Aqua, Cyborc, Mortal Hiden. I mean some fantastic reckoning, which I like a lot more now than I did Vengeance. I mean there's some great vessel, right, I mean there's some great stuff in season five so that makes sense. Number two, Season two three point two one, and then finally number one, Season one average three point two three oh to tens two hundredths of a point. I mean season one again, you're starting the podcast out, you
know, I'm very excited about I really love season one. I love what it represented it and I think that's the show when it's purest for really young Clark can't growing up in small Mill. So that's always gonna hold a special place in my heart as the first one. But then the but I think of when I think of bad episodes, I think about like craving Drone, Reaper our season two, anything like Nocturn, like like read ucks, psychotic,
like I can think off the top of my head. I can rattle off more bad episodes of seasons one and two than a can of three. So I'm just you go look at my scores and season three again, I reassessed this our interesting scores. But the thing that jumps out to me, though it's looking good for Arrow, we're not gonna talk about small al Viero Dona Justice Ultimate Edition, that's true. Gotta wait for the ultimate edition.
So you were certainly correct in saying that the earlier seasons are your favorite. Love the show. Thanks for all the hard work you dude, put out fresh episodes. They're so fun to listen to. Brandon LTA, well, thanks again, Brandon. You're hella stats guys on here, Corey Moore, DJ Towina, both of them have done fantastic work for us, and Brandy to right up there with him. Those guys now because they just some great statistics, like I love this. I'm like Brad Pitt and you're like Jonah
Hill. No fense, No, I understand the reference, like the character that he's supposed to be playing. You know, Paul deep Atesta, the real life person. That's cool, but real life Jonah Hill, huh, you know, not the place I want to be. No place at least didn't say I was the A's manager. Art out next emails from Corey Moore uh titled Roulette How dos act just like Chloe? I too put my friends through the gauntlet of tests when they loose their way, like this one time,
my friend we will call him Jack. He started to root for the Texas Rangers. So I sent this girl name Rick Brian McDougall to give him a sleepy pill. Jack had to bust out of his own coffin, only to see another coffin with the nameplate of his good friend Vance on it. But I'm I'm not that evil. The coffin was empty. I decided to send a vicious dog after Jack when he said he was now a Dallas Cowboy fan. Still no progress. That's when I thought a good car crash would
do him some good. This obviously wasn't working because Jack started to talk about how he disowned the Houston Rockets for the San Antonio Spurs. It was time to bring out the big guns and drain his bank account. But not part of my plan. Rick Brian McDougall went rogue and tied up Jack's love to a chair in the same red dress. Gunshots ring out only to be blanks, and I thought this has gone far enough. Time to turn down the
heat and turn the mirrors around to Jack. He obviously seen the er of his ways, and we'll go back to ruining for the Astros, Texans and Rockets. That was a close one. Ahaa, Roulette gets a heater from me. My favorite scene is at the end when Oliver tells Clerk he looks ridiculous in that long coat. Up, up and away more stories our Jack and Vance, will speA, Zach and Lance and Rick Brian mcgogle. That's that's an amazing I'm gonna call you Rick Brian McDougall for the rest of your
life now, Nick, that's fantastic. Actually, the McDougall's actually a name that I've heard, but from thanks, I don't know. I don't know if I follow all that, Corey, but appreciate your as usual, all right, And we have a follow up email from Corey saying apologies Roulette. Hey, I just wanted to send a quick apology to Nick. Oh look at that. I didn't even uh. In my roulente email, I wrote that I set a girl referring to Nick to give you a sleeping peal if
offended him or the group. I'm sorry. I was just feeling silly and have nothing but respect for you and your fence. Well, thank you, Corey. I did not take any offense. It was a story. I didn't even know that was you. I didn't know until the end of I thought I thought Rick McDougall gave the jacket sleeping Yeah, exactly. No, it was all fun and games, and really I appreciate you always reach it out again. We don't plan on who reads what. Yeah. Sometimes it's
just great synchronicity here, all right. Next up is a Facebook message from Katie Parker. We kind of went back and forth a little bit because she sent me a special gift of a very special note. But here's our Facebook correspond It's Hi, Zach, I really love the podcast and wanted to ask you you have a po box. I have something I wanted to send you but didn't know if that was a possibility. Hope you're doing well, keep it up the great work. We answer, and she says, awesome things
for responding. I think it's something you will like, or at least I hope. My fiance was cleaning out some of his parents' old things and found something I think you will like that is comic related. And I'm thinking myself, what is this going to be? And it's a DC cover Girls. It's DC cover Girl's Edition. It's some cover artwork of all the women of DC Comics. Wonder Woman's on the cover, Big Alex Rosin and he a
woman, and it's fantastic. It's like a big table a coffee table book if you will soft back a coffee table book and send me a great note. I'm gonna read it here, yeap Hi Zach. I just wanted to write and say thank you for all you do. I really love listening to It's given me a lot of joy. And I used to watch Smallville as a kid in high school and was obsessed with it. I was late to
the game. I don't entirely remember what got me hooked, but I think it was a rerun of an earlier episode, like season five or six, and I immediately begged my parents to buy all the seasons available on DVD. I think I watched all of smallvill live from season eight on. One of my friends and I were absolutely in love with Mavela. We even made t shirts and go over to each other's houses and watch every Thursday night and then Friday when they moved it. Both of us were head over heels for all
of our shirtless Oliver plus one. Am I right? I maybe have remained in college now. My best friend watch all of Smavele with me my freshman's sophomore at college, Cakeemunage that Lance Yeah right ah. I also recently rewatched all of it with my fiancee David. I kind of forced him to watch it with me at first, but then I think it grew on him. We were recently cleaning some things up from David's late parents and found this book.
He wanted to give it to someone who would appreciate it rather than just doniate it, and you came to mind, ten seasons is a lot to cover for a podcast. The fact that you're still plugging away at it gives me so much joy. You're so close to being finished. Thank you again for all your efforts and keep being awesome. Happy Holidays, Katie Parker. Thank you, Katie. And then condoles is David for your your parents, thank you for finding a good home for their belongings. And I'm glad I
was one of those good homes. And I church and appreciate this presence. So I'm looking looking forward to going through it. I haven't flipped through it all yet, but I didn't even that book existed, so which is rare. I obviously like, is this gonna be like the Superman DVDs? I get over No, but that's fantastic. I am proud to say I did not have that already. It's something I was unaware of and it's it's a beautiful book. And thank you for all the very kind words about the podcast
and for the gift. So thank you Katie and David both. All right, next, we have a Spotify message from me Itting Candor personally enjoyed. Sorry like a week behind, just got on this episode, and I really loving the season so far. I enjoyed knowing more about Darrell and his hardship with Zod. I love Zod this season. You remember that episode, Lance, Candor, Yeah, I think I liked it better than I remembered it.
We were we've been so hard on Julian Sands Jarrel. Yes, and it's not that the fact that the actor is fast as we have so oft and it's legitimately, like, oh man, he was. He was pretty good the actor, Like, we got a legit guy so much better than they just put Tom Welligan like old age may probably save money to Actually they only share that one scene until he could have done it. It looks just like your father anyway. Thanks for that comment. Yeah, I do also
enjoy z OD this season. Nick, you don't know this, but General Zacho's up in the flash in season nine. He's a younger clone from this from the bottled City of Candor at least smaveles. Yeah, it's pretty cool. H. I actually did a bottle should watching what you get. That's actually it's a small version of it, but it's an orb that has a bunch of Candorians in it. Anyway, thanks for that message, and yeah,
I would. And we'll see where he stands when the season is over, because I'm in in the in the episode coverages of this recruiting in the middle of season nine. But I rank that third after Likes and Lionel as the best villains of the show. All right, Now we have a Facebook Messenger message from Tommy Coleman Jr. Hello, Zach, I want to thank you for your podcast. I only recently started it. I gave Talkvilla chance and loved many aspects of it, but for several reasons, decide to drop
off it as a casual listener for now. But I remember your appearance on the podcast and how you had one as well. That's so much further along there is. So I've started that and I've been listening for about a month or two and finishing up season three. In the early seasons, you joke about you joke around about not finishing the podcast till around twenty twenty five and hoping you don't actually spend a decade on this podcast. Obviously that that has
become in fact the case. I thank you for your dedication. I absolutely love the podcast, your point of views, the tally counts, the guests, lance is hands down my favorite. Cost with you sometimes yeah sorry yeah, shared inside and theories as I do, as well as teaching me so much knowledge and introducing new fun theories to me. I started the show from episode one. I was ten when the show started. My mom and I watched it together every week for about the first or four first four or five
seasons. Then I hung around for another two seasons. I did not finish the series live on TV, but have watched it in its entire tirety numerous times in the decade since it ended. It's a huge comfort show of mine. Much like you, I mirrored my personal life off of aspects of the show. That is just another reason for relating and loving your particular style of the podcast. I'm sorry for long rambling, but I thought you would enjoy
knowing that. As you are nearing the end of the podcast almost a decade after starting that there are still new Smallville fanatics discovering and loving your podcasts. Again, thank you for your hard work and dedication. Always hold on to Smallville. No, thanks to that that message. I again, I'm very happy that top Pille has generated more listeners from me and and and Tommy. You're one of them, so so thank you and uh and yeah around uh
let's see twenty twenty five. I guess so I used to joke about, but it's true. Here we are. Yeah, I really spied baby, But do you think I was gonna quit? No, between season five or seven when I was gonna whin it, was I gonna quite Oh? No, it's been amazing. Well, you know after I after I started John's yea, as you're well aware. Yeah, last week that was crazy. I had to go look up that episode. I haven't listened to it yet,
but yet a whole week in the last it's been really busy. No, I uh, I did notice, right, Well, you remember this, both of you guys, you both you guys in lat episodes and season one was I was getting started, and there were some other smuffled podcasts that reappeared or came up out of nowhere after I started. None of them stuck around. That's correct. Yeah. But you know what's cool is like, could you like if we had a time machine and go back to season one
of this podcast? Yeah, and like like ourselves right now, I would talk to like, you know, to ourselves back there. It's like, you're gonna you're gonna be on a podcast with Michael and Tom. You're also gonna have Jeff John's on your podcast. What would what would you What would your reaction have been? I'm like, well, how long am I gonna be on that podcast? Like one tom first question, I'd be like, Okay, cool. I don't know how to answer that. I'd be like,
you know, I try to keep the hundred you know. So even Tom Wallie told me I seem very common. I was on that podcasts inside, and I gotta say, like, even when I'm interviewing guys like Jeff John's and Sam Whipper, like because John Ley Brody his friends with him, Yeah, and we're friends, it's kind of like a friend of a friend things, So I feel like I don't feel like so intimidated. I'm like, Okay, well I got a good guy who's watched for me, is
a good guy. So they're like, okay, you know it's a little lesson to like excreus. Can I have a pot bed for a podcast? Right? Yeah? So that is super intimate as you see me at conventions like, I don't want to do it, man, He's right, it would be so easy. Yeah, I remember discussing that. It's like, hey, do you think you can never get a bump like at one of the conventions? But now no, you just have an official you wit to tell Nick your story about you trying to get a bump in a conventional lance.
No, we're good. Well, first of all, Rick Gonzalez, Who's wild? Do you watch Arrow? Yeah? How much Arrow? Have you watched? That's a good question, more than I think? I yeah, probably more seasons than how much? How much always the one the Arrow? Have you listened to less than always? Before Arrow? I think I dropped when uh legends to Tomorrow? Okay? So you remember the guy on the hockey mask? Yes, okay, okay, so I thought he was
from the TMT universe and Michaels what the heck? Lance met him at a convention recently and got a bump in I did. That's awesome, super cool, it's super cool. It's great, he did a good job with with ours. We're locked in, as he says Gonzales here, locked in to Always hold on to Arrow podcasts. Cool. There was another main Arrow cast over Lance. Try to get a bumped in from we don't have to do
it. If it's too raw, I'm sorry, I don't want to bring We're gonna move No, but no, I got I got ghosted by Diggle. Oh so we used to like Diggle so much. He's going through a rough patch on the show right now, so so it just makes it funnier that, like, I got ghosted by him. And now if you go listen Always onto Arrow, you can hear the whole story that goes for you and the listeners. So go check out Always on the Arrow, Always Onto
Family podcast. It's true, did you ever become Greenland? We don't have time for that. That's talk about what's wraw? I heard there was a ring, but that's never that's the thing I would ask to Troll. We'll get there. That's a legitimate question for this guy. I know, all right, but trust we will get there, y'all. Well, thanks again Tommy for your email. Speaking of Arrow should be oh not playing guys,
that's awesome, all right. I got a Facebook message from Alex Howe been listening to your podcast and you missed a movie plot on the episode Spirit. It's the Stir of Echoes pretty much with Kevin Bacon. Is it? Mm hmmm? Like Sixth Sense that was like came around the same time. I don't. I don't know. Is there promised starve eCos? I don't even remember, so I don't know, Alex. I'll do some research on that.
If you're right, I'll update the tally board. But there's Flatliners, there's Sturbacos, there's Sixth Sense. I think I'm getting them all confused. I'm not getting hollow Man. Yeah, hello man. Oh that was a creepy movie. I remember watching it as a kid. I'll have to I'll go watch a troiler for Terra Becos and I'll get back to you Alex. If that's uh, if that's a movie plot as an episode, I meant carry right, I don't not really just the prom setting prom queen thing.
But anyway, thanks to that message, Alex, I will look into it. Oh, can do it? All right? I got another Facebook message from Brandon little uh is it little Life? At some point yeah, he'll say his name a lot. We might have been saying it wrong. Sorry, sorry, sorry, man, We're covering both bases, yes, says hey Zach. I just listened to your review of Pandora. Every time that that word comes up, we have to say it that way. It's we're
contracted. Yeah, that's why I was kind of confused because I don't remember that part. They get the guy that directed The True Lives, he directed those Avatar movies. What oh wait, big d. I thought he wasn't, but I guess I thought you were like playing along the thing like he's doing it. No, that's legitimately Yeah, not the TV show, the movie. Excellent movie, and I have that game on the Super Nintendo as
well. Anyway, just listen to your review of Pandora, and I have to say that, while you point out a lot of plot holes, the most unbelievable thing in the entire episode is the timeline on the construction of Zod's tower. Never mind the crazy idea that they can change the color of the sun. I work in construction, and there is no way that that thing is getting built A no joke. Permitting alone in a large urban setting like Metropolis would take over a year, never mind sight surveying, taking bids,
and then actually constructing the thing. Maybe it would have made more sense for Lowis to be transported a thousand years into the future when the thing would have actually been complete. That's good, Brandon, I mean that's when the ring was supposed to take her. Yeah, that episode is just a fail, Like I have not ripped in if it's like that a part along and I remember not liking it at the time. I was like maybe I like it again. No, no, no, it's just so poorly thought out.
It's like, hey, guys, I know we're let's go back into the finale. I'm like, no one's to go back there. Nobody liked Doomsday, you know. And you'll get there, Nick, I'll get there, y'all. There it is. Every time you say that, think of me. Fortunately, I am. That's good though, Brandon. Thanks. I like I said, I I'm really glad they didn't make that the point of the finale again, like oh, it's all gonna do happen again, but in a different way, like you know, they just like, you know
what, we're not doing that. Yeah, that never makes it. The Red Sun Lance, right, that bothered you right, Yeah, it was dumb. It's like, wait, why do they get powers on the Red Sun? Doesn't make sense? Don't make no sense? Hey, thank you Brendon. All right, we have an email from Aaron Fredgan. It's titled small bll. Hey, there's Zach Lance, Nick and the entire always hold on to Smallville crew. I've listened to every episode you've put out and I'm
a huge fan. Absolutely love the work you guys do and how at the end of the day it's usually a conversation between friends about something they love and occasionally hated a little bit. Helloel, this is random, but I think my favorite episode you ever put out was right after that infamous first trailer for Titans came out, and every few minutes one of you would just go Batman.
You guys had me laughing so hard with that one. I also thought it was so cool that Zach made it into the Talkville podcast, The Ultimate Smallvel Rewatch Podcast, Second Ultimate Rewatch Podcast. Well, are you self tied up old Ultimate or is it actually there's Well did they self titled them? See, that's what I mean. So they're probably the Ultimate because they self tited. But we we know what we know, we know what the real deal is. Yes, I call that because they call it. Okay,
that's fine, real ones. No. I had somewhat a unique journey into small watching Smallville. As someone who grew up in the nineties, I was an avid fan of The Batman, Superman, Batman Beyond, and Justin League animated shows, which remain for me the different definite versions of most of these characters. Oh oh, definitive versions of most of these characters. When Smallville started, I was curious, but for whatever reason, I just really never
got into it. Eventually, Arrow and the Flash came around, which I really enjoyed until I did it. I'd like to see, you know, we all have everybody same story. I'd see the inevitable comparisons to Smallville for various character but without contexts, a lot of those older designs didn't look great to me. That, combined with a generally disappointed audience reaction to the series finale, led me to still not check it checking it out, even as
someone who loves comic books and comic book adaptations. Fast forward to twenty twenty. There's a worldwide pandemic and suddenly I found myself with some extra time on my hands. I thought, what the hell, I'm gonna finally check out Smallville, and I loved it. Yes, some of the Kryptonite uses border on ridiculous, looking at you tattoos and car fuel plus one. Yes, the Clark and Lana saga wore itself out several seasons before the show allowed it
to finally end. And yes, some of the effects and designs are a little dated by today's standards, but there's still so much to love about the show. The Rosetta episode was the first one that really knocked my socks off and showed me how special the show could be. The funny thing is, because I had heard so many people rag on series finale and how he's basically not ever really in costume, I was really, actually, really pleasantly surprised
by it. I thought it was an awesome culmination of ten seasons of development, and because going in I didn't think he donned his costume at all, the little bit we did get felt like a bonus. Of course, it was fantastic to have Rosenbaum back on as well, even with the weird memory wipe at the end. Even though I used to love the arrow and Flash, I think Smallville was consistently stronger over ten seasons that either of those two
shows were by their respective fourth seasons. Though interesting, once I finished the show, I was eager to find some sort of conversation about the show other than me rambling about it to my wife who only saw the odd episode here or there, lol. And I was thrilled to stumble upon your podcasts. Anyway. I just wanted to share my experience with you because I always find it interesting hearing how other people got into Smallville whenever you ask them or when
they write in for the mail bag episodes. I was lucky enough to experience the birth of my first child in the past your lie, congrats, congratulations and what didn't you know it? We named him Clark. That's awesome. Keep up the amazing work. It is deeply appreciated by all of us nerds out there. Aaron f Well, thanks Aaron. That's a great email. And yeah, that's why I asked that question for guestsmen on the show, and enjoy these emails and stories by the guy in the show, because there
are many ways to Smallville. You know. It's interesting to hear your thoughts about the finale, like it was like a BTUs not when you were watching this for ten years. Yes, you know when you're when you're visiting the show in a short amount of time and different. Yeah, if you're waiting for something week after week and year after year and you're building towards something like if you're there like you know from the from day one, night one like
me h, when you get to the finale, it's different. You don't feel cheated. Yeah, so yeah, but that shows the different perspectives when people come to the different times and Aaron the flash? Yeah, Nick, was the season three for you? With the flash? I think it's everybody except for me because I went through it all up. I sold you through it. How's Batwoman? I haven't gotten there yet? Yeah, so I thought I haven't gotten there. We'll get there, y'all. How's that for
you? What's about the next started? Though? Excellent? Oh was? It? Couldn't recommend it any harder if I tried, you know what? John, John, boy boy? I'm sad all right? Next to have an email from Stephen Phillips Season nine already Zach and Friends. Hey, hey all, just wanted to say that I'm really enjoying the season nine recap. I've watched seasons one through seven several times, but eight to ten only once,
so it has been a nice refresh. As I watched along with y'all, I forgot how great Zod is. With the series coming to a close, I'm so stoked to have Lionel to return. Spoiler, that's your own fault. Yeah, I remember really loving when he came back and peaked for him. This segment is called small Talking with Zach Moore and this is you know, just kind of like rapid flare quich, this is this is a
rosenbomb is why don't you ask me like rosamam would ask? Okay, okay, so Zach, any prospects for another guest like Sam w like maybe like what be for for example, probably Jeff John's. Oh come on, man, come on, Jeff John's for sure you've just heard and the planet is room to come back? And season ten for Booster Really, yeah, you would know that if you listen to the show. So then if I watch
it all, can I be on that episode by then? No, dang, there's only one other person who's going to be on that that's I'm trying to work it out. Yeah, okay, it's not you and it's not even Lances, not even me. Plans suggested you don't know who is because you don't listen to the show. That's all. I was like, good for exact in Lance anyway. Next, still looking to do Always Home the
Heroes. I feel like I have to after mentioning it fifty times on the podcast, So those DVDs are just sitting on the shlf waiting to be open. Okay, And finally, can you recommend a good Star Trek rewatch podcast. Rewatch podcast is tough because it's not the same as what we did on track film with Standard Orbit. We did a more subject by subject thing. But I will say mission log, mission log I enjoy a lot uh. And that's on the that is on actually affiliate with Trek FM that they're a
separate thing from the rodden Berry Foundation whatever they call it that. But it's pretty thoughtful but still fun and entertaining. Looks at Star Trek and I listened all the way through T O, S and t G and then they I just just got so busy with the podcast and enjoying own Star Trek podcast, and so I just kind of fell off. I do want to get back on it and listen because a friend of mine, Normal Wao who Norm. We were shout out to Norm. We were on standar Robite together briefly.
Norm went on to Mission Log later. I actually haven't heard his episodes because he came on during e Space nine, but that that's a really good that that's a very thoughtful but also fun star Trek or Watch podcasts, so that would be the one I recommend Mission Log. Okay, cool? What about the ORB that's not rewatch podcast? Once again? I guess I'm back on this once again. Thank you and your friends for this awesome podcast. The
amoutter of thought and effort truly shows. It's nice to hear passionate fans have thoughtful dialogue on a show that was special to us for many reasons, many reasons. If I truly understand the rating scale, I'll give this podcast top marks of three point one four roses that have been heated up by bombs Steve. Thanks Steve. I appreciate that, and hopefully those are some fun answers
to your question. So I don't like seek out interviews because, like like I just mentioned, I'm intimidated by them, but when opportunities with in the self, especially when I have friends with a friend like Johnley Brody who can help make that connection and we all become friends. That that's a fun thing. So be able to lookout for maybe more things like that, and then the podcast is over, I'll be looking for content. So I just I'm
just I'm so afraid rejection. I'm afraid to ask them when they say no to something, so it happens, all right. Next, we have a Spotify message from Panther Benjamin titled Superman Legacy Casting Part three. That's wrong. Last, yeah, yeah, loving all the content y'all made number two on my podcast Spotify rap nice beating out Talkville. Interestingly enough, that's right. Our spent listening while I'm oh, well, five star podcast. I love,
I love doing your worker outside stuff. Listening to podcasts you really kind of makes the time go by faster. Well, thanks Panther, Benjamin, Pathers, whichever your name is. Our average length is much lotty than talk Field, so that's probably why we're higher than them on here. That and we're better, right, I mean yes. Now we have an email from Alana Beuring, new fan. Hey, guys, new subscriber here. I found your podcast after I decided to dive into Smallville rewatch recently after visiting my
more on that later. I've been a huge fan of Superman ever since I was a kid. I'm one of the few who always been Team Superman. I too discovered Smallville around my high school years when the show was airing Born in eighty four while watching Buffy, another favorite. I even have a cat named Buffy. My preference for cal El. My brother teases me for calling him this, but this is his real name. Has been a point of debate between myself. Has been a point of debate between myself and my brother.
He is a staunchy batman. See what I what I did there, But I will not be swayed. Christopher Weeve, Dean Cain and Lois and Clark, Tom and even Brandon and then swoon Henry Cavell. Yes, I'm a cliche. I do not care. Come at me, bro anyway. I recently visited my brother in northern Vermont, where weed is legal, and we were hanging out one night after clear and we were hanging out one night after eating gummies, and he put on Smallville. He was in a much
further season than I had seen. I think I only made it as far as season five or six before giving up, so he put on the first season. It didn't take me long to start flipping out. Remember I am very very stone at this point. Did I somehow in quotes? Did I somehow forget or just not remember the not so subtle Gabe some text between Clark and Lex, I mean it has to be deliberate, right, or oh, just kiss already and out the cow eyes again. Flex, you're just
so desperate. Oh, don't worry about Lana, Clark, here comes your real girlfriend in walks the shiniest dome as Lex enters stage sunlight and bee lines for his bay. That's right, Lex called Clark to save you, save
your future husband Clark and so on. That was the thing, like Clex, that was the thing back in the message charges, back in the day, like all the looks and the exchanges, especially in the Records Night episode, Like and I think we even joke about on the commentary because there's a shot of like Clark in this trench coat and Lex like kind of checks him out like it's supposed to say, like why is he wearing these clothes? But it kind of the ways shot and plate it's like Hey, any returning
home, I continue my rewatch. It made it to season two, and it's not as nearly fun without my brother about to share my thoughts with or the gummies. He's made it through season ten. This man must be sainted immediately post haste and is all small built out. So I hunted out a podcast or seven yours was is the best? So here I am on episode one oh, season one, episode seventeen, looking forward to your insights. I hope you start to remark on the intex repressed sexual tension between Lex and
Clark, because I mean, it's just there. I feel like we may have made a few jokes over the years of it, but I don't think we do want it too much. Yeah, just so you know. Oh and I'm keeping my own tallies. I called him the sexual Tension Awards. You can guess what's on them. Times Lex stares long Oh. Times Lex stares longly at Clark. Times Clark. Lex is jealous, salty about a relationship the other is in times they call each other's name in intense moments.
Times they have saved each other. It's always Clark saving, of course. AnyWho. Sorry for the ramble I've caught a cold and can do nothing but laid in bed and watch Smallville or play PlayStation while listen to your podcast. All my well wishes always hold on to something owls Again, everybody has been respective on the show, right, No, but thanks a lot. I appreciate that. I appreciate that, you know, so do you go by Lana? I never thought that. Yeah, it's like a lot of could
be. Yeah, like like if like if they do a Superman Homecoming movie, Lance, he'd have a friend named a Lot on the whole movie. Like that was a dumb twist, like like she did not have to be Mary Jane or she should have just been Mary Jane the whole Like, hey, show, you know, you know what I'm saying, strange, like unnecessary. It's like Superman Low's thing. It's like, can we just can character just be who they are without all these like yeah we got you earn
starvro blofeld Conudians sing Robin anyway. No, thanks that, you know, And I'm sorry if I disappointed with my lack of commentary on the I was just so fixated on the Clark and Cloye stuff. Yeah that is fair, that is definitely true. No, but that was totally there though, though you're absolutely right it is, You're not the only person who saw that. I guarantee it. Oh right, Next, we have a five star Apple podcast review from Eric Cown. He's been on our Smavel season eleven episodes.
We are going to wrap those up pretty soon, by the way. Uh, he's gotten back to reading them, and we're gonna I think we have three four arcs left to do, so we'll kind of cover those Smuvel Season lit of comics and then I'll probably cover them again. The podcast is over, just in chronological order, but but we'll see, We'll see. So he says, great podcast, and I'm not just saying that because they did a few episodes. L O L what other podcast feature seasons one to eleven?
There you go. He also runs the Small Lit Season eleven facebook page. That's how we got connected back in the day. So have you read the Smavel season eleven with comics? Nick? I have not anything, but I owned them, and I think I gifted to you. I already had them, so I think I gave away in a podcast. I think that's yeah, thank you, though, you're somebody has to thank Nick. Somebody
out there. Next, we have another five star Apple Podcasts for you from Brandon and Little Yeah or Little let us Know Yeah, it says best podcast. This is a fantastic podcast. I enjoy it so much. I've listened to everything twice. Fun to listen to at work and during the late nights with a new baby. So do you guys ever re listen to podcasts? Yes? Yes, been a while. Yeah, specific episodes of things that
I've really enjoyed or like I wanted to listen to again. But mostly just like things that I really enjoyed are things that were really funny or fun It is fun to uh, especially when you forgot everything you said one like oh man I said that four years ago or what? Also? I found that like if I because sometimes well a lot I'm always listening. I'm usually doing something else, I mean either driving or busy work or something. Right,
I'm listening to a podcast. That's what's good about podcasts are like you can multitask just sit there, although sometimes it's nicely the long daming a sitire and
listen to this podcast I was looking forward to. But I've found that if I'm doing something that requires a lot more attention and I'm kind of like half whistling then like if I'm done, maybe like and then a couple of days, I'm like, if you want to listen to that, because it's just kind of set second so anyway, but no, it just fun to re
listen to stuff, and that's that's that's what's fun. Like, I'm gonna have this when this is all said and done, hundreds of episodes to just kind of go back and chronicle tenures in my life, much like the show itself. Yeah, so, Nick, did you know it was the same age as Clark kid right then? That would make me just a couple of years younger. Yeah, I remember when Chloe blew up, You're like, you're right, she's gonna be low less Lane. Did you know that they
confirmed that? Though no, I didn't. Yes, I know, I didn't know. Uh, but on Talkville Alan Miles the Courage of the show, we're on uh in season three and Rosemont asked them. So it was like a fan theory that the return Chloe lows it is not true And I was like, oh, yeah, no, we thought about that. Uh. DC Comics was giving us trouble having access to the character lost Lane, so we discussed maybe Lois would be Chloe and she'd have like a synonym and
all that. So they discussed it. It would have been good because it would have been like a pend. Well, everything was setting. I mean, they'll literally do that in season three. There's literally she uses like I'm saying, like, that's the setup was all there. That's why we're all like, oh, they're gonna do it, and then low it shows up. But anyway, I just feltso vindicated. All right, and we have another five star review from twilight Zone zero zero one on Apple Podcasts. Is
it a Bird? No, It's the Blur Superman without Superman. This is a definite guide to the young early two thousands. The show is a lighthearted but informative look at the series which was a part of many geek growing up. Strong recommend well thanks twlide Zone zero zero one. If you like the Twilight Zone, you probably like the twid Zone podcast with him on a lot. Good friends with the host there, Tom. We did some collaboration.
It's currently on his advent calendar for twenty twenty three. That was fun every other day And I hope you've heard of the twid Zone podcast. If your name is twide Zone zero zero one. You haven't go check it out. Twilight Poem's really good as well. Are a different vibe over there, but definitely just just as fun. Thanks for that review. Smallvale Season nine on Blu ray and DVD. Between two worlds you sent me here to fulfill.
Between two lives tvOS and fake laws. One hero must decide his destiny. You have no idea which up against this? Now season nine sores with amazing extras that take you into the heart of the Justice Society of America. Small Pill season nine on Blu Ray and DVD. September seventh. You got an email from Forrest. Yes, nis, Hey Forest, we met Forrest way back at wizard World Austin. Yeah, twenty nineteen, right before the world did before times. Yeah, all right, So he sends an email candor
coverage for the mail bag. He send us a couple of emails. One requires an actual personal response, which I feel bad it. Yeah, that has been that long. Actually, to be fair, you've seen some of the dates of these emails and someone else someone is relatively recent. So Forrest, if you're listening to this, I would have emailed you by now already. So I'm sorry. I don't want to be one of those. I've
been on the other end of those. I'm decidedly be hanging. But this is your other email, and it says, Hi, Zach, I typically respond to your episode coverage by debriefing allowed a load in my car or at home after the show, but I'm finally writing. I wanted to toss in something about Candor use Candor. At first, I was like, am I been saying wrong? Candor? Y'all spoke about how crushing it was the Clark miss Jell during his brief time on Earth. I agree it was devastating,
especially in a long line of losses for our belove of kal El. Superman is usually defined by the death of Jonathan, but in Smallville, r. Clark is haunted by many deaths. This one felt cheap and a bigger blow. Then they made it seem like you said, he just bounces back seemingly without impact the next week. I think it was a great idea that was executed poorly typical Smallville, right. However, I've long thought about the sweet
parallel between Candor and progeny and Candor. Chloee tells Joel all about his son when Clark is too late in parallel Clark, which is the one who tells me more a Sullivan all about Chloe before she slips back into her catatonic state when Chloe is too late and progeny. I'm certainly not accusing the writers of production of designing this parallel, but I think it is a beautiful side effects set of bookends for us inside fans. As a cherished podcast host often quotes,
it's like poetry rhymes. It's not poetry, they rhyme. That's the actual quote. It's all like, it's all taking. It's like, Houston, we have a problem with I'm your father. It's like poetry there. Ye, And yes I did think about that a progeny, but that's a terrible episode, so I tried to like one of That is one of the worst episodes in the show. Total continuity, disregard, complete waste of Linda Carter, just just nonsense. Anyway, I not a thought on Candor.
I'm not sure it would have been a good call to have Joel alongside Clark all season, but your coverage, maybe wonder would have been like if this Charrelle had survived beyond the episode, if he admitted it to salvation, it would have up the stakes for Clark even more, and choosing to send the Candorians away and even later surviving the departure himself, he would have also had to send Jorell away. It's almost parallel to Joel sending him away as a
baby. Again, I'm not sure having Joel as some recurring guests would have made sense, but they could have figured out a way to make it work and still have him share more with Clark about Rypton better counter the future version angry controlling Joel we grew up on in season two and three, et cetera. I'll be curious what you think, Hello from the Tiny Green Bottle City Forest. I like that a lot. Actually, I like him having to send his like maybe his mom would have been there too, he had to
send them away as ing parailel. I think that's something more for like an adult Superman though, because like, I would like that more if he was like I had been Superman for like ten years and his parents are even for them back Becau's not even really Superman yet, so reminds you of on the super Man seventy eight comics. Though, over Joel and Laura are still alive. In the Bottled City of I guess it turns out they lived in Candor
Superman the movie because Brainiac kind him. I like that though, I kind of like, does would that be weird if like they were still alive? These are clones though, So that's the loophole to me. Yeah. The weird thing about the Superman seventy eight this is a combic based off the Crystal re movies Nick came out recently. The weird thing about that is like, oh, so that they never died. Yeah, since these are clones, I'm like, I kind of like that idea for us. They could have
done something with that. I like where you're going with that. So and then having the if you knew who was never going to see him again, you know, because he didn't think what that'd be interesting? Yeah? Like that? Like that all right? Next we have an email from Joshua M's title love the podcast. Hey, Zach, Lance, Nick and all the other co hosts. I love the podcast. I heard about it when Zach was on Talkville. There. It is the ultimate smovel rewatch podcast. I've
always been a Superman fan. My dad showed me the movies growing up, and my brother and I both dressed as Superman for Halloween one year. I didn't discover Smallville until I'd graduated from college. I never had TV when when in college, so I had to go to the beach and go hiking to hide my time. That's cool, though, I'd be better off if I didn't have TV when I was in college. It's true. Did I mention I went to college in Hawaii? Well that makes sense. Oh, okay,
that makes sense. I got home from college and my younger brother introduced me to it. It was the summer between the seasons three and four. It's the nextest point of the show. It really is. WB was showing reruns of season three at the time, and I really liked it. Well, Philip Beginnis. People ask me what that is, and like, that's what it is. Yeah, I'm beginning a small ABC family started showing reruns and that's how I got caught up. The only reason that I really remember
watching Current was season four. My brother and a couple of our friends would get together, order pizza and watch together. I remember us being really excited about Run and all of the flash references. I got Jay, Garrett, Barry Allen, Wally West, whoever you are, they never said, Wow, he's part because they were making Flash remember that Flash Wee that came out over the two thousands. That's why. That's why he couldn't have Yeah, Okay, they're gonna make a movie. Nick, they didn't do it.
That's my joke there. They they locked this character from Smallville because of a movie that was never made. Much like we beat on Arrow, We'll get there, y'all, Well you did already we did, Nick, We'll get there, y'all, I'll get there. He'll get there. At some point, I kind of got out of watching TV after that, was more into hanging out with friends and then met my wife. I finally reconnected with the show when I went to fan X in two thousand and eight eighteen. That's
Salt Lake City, so we were not at that. No. I was thinking, well, what was the one that pandemic? Yeah, not gonna call anything that amore. Nope, make sure you're part of the fandomic. Yeah. Unfortunately I wasn't able to attend Rosenbaum Welling panel, but I watched it on YouTube and decided I needed to finish the show. Luckily it was on Hulu by then. Hold on Hulu, I barreled through it, and here I am. I have an ad for the tally Board, an ageless
aka exploding baby episode. This plot is similar to the plot of Jack, but of course Robin Williams doesn't explode at the end, but he does age quickly. I've thought about this because I love Jack. I know people are like that movie sucks. I love that movie. Like maybe I saw it at the right age. I was a kid, related it as a teacher. That's right. Yeah, Bill Cosb is in it. Oh my goodness, Wise everything has to be ruined. Next thing, you're gonna tell me
several Smavel Madcasters committed felonies. No, I love a Jack, but I don't think that applies because like that, that kid is around for like two days. He blows up. So you've seen Jack. Yeah, it was a long time ago. So it's directed by Francis for a Copple, I think from The Godfather and Diane Lane Martha kint Is. His mom had second Robin. I love rob So yeah, I said that. I just said that. You said you love that Robin Williams. What, Okay? I
follow you. Now, that's a great movie. I just it's one of those things where like it's before the Internet. You just exist. You're in the world and you're like, oh yeah, and then you go out there like oh no, no, no, everyone thinks that sucks, like whoa hold on? Hold on anyway, But no, I'm not gonna cop that for the for those reasons, and that makes sense to you all my reasonings. I always leave it up with the guests. I'm agree with you on
this. Yeah we agree. All right, Well that's the first thing you've agreed with me on a while. We're on the same side of the table. Now we're still the round table. I mean it's a week later. Yeah, totally, totally at the same spot. He goes on to say, I always wondered, with all of his this kryptonite lying around and giving people powers, why don't we have medior infecting animals. Why didn't the tear and glow green and eat amy apps. That's such a funny sentence, No,
Bigfoot. I see it as a missed opportunity for a fun one, one off episode about all these cryptids growing up in small film. I I love Kryptosology. I would have loved that, and I feel like one of the novels I think it's the one called dragon has a guide turned like a dinosaur. Awesome, So I understand it. Clark makes it uh uh lead armor like a full like night suit of armor. Anyway, That's that's my
understanding. Okay, but no budget would be the reason, but that would have been fantastic and really lean into the X Files elements so small that I always enjoy so that the great call Great caller, Josh, Yeah, you guys talk a lot about small towns. I grew up in Albuquerque, which is the largest in our state, but served a mission for my church in rural Idaho. I find it funny that the writers. I find it funny what the writers think a small town is. I think the biggest town around
was Idaho Falls, and they was like twenty thousand people. So it's funny to me when they say it's a small town. It's fun to hear the references to co ops and having to go into town for tractor parts. Farmers would have to go into Idaho Falls if for some parts, because there was dealership there. The co op would have some things, but not everything. Thanks for the podcast. I'm currently watching season eight and I'm on season five
of your pod and I've loved your coverage of Crisis on Infinite Earths. It was fun listening to your predictions already knowing the other that was that was the fun times. Did you listen knows Nick? No, you were you watching Pricelin for Nurse at the time, Yes, and no. I was like I was doing the Twitter watch, like watching all the the clips from you are the worst kind of fan I am not. I am a fan, but not a dedicated fan. That much is certain. You're you're you're a
die easy fan. Yeah. I also never read any of the comics, so I love to hear your insights based on the comics. Thanks. Ps. I dressed up as Lex Luthor for Halloween one year. Shaving your head is not fun. I get it. Michael seven years shoot my head. Josh sedus a picture too. Also, I'll post it on the mill Bag
photo gallery. Yea with him and his Lex that's good. And yeah, we are going to cover the I know I talked some season eleven stuff, Eric, you know, like I said, we'd done something we're going to finish. But also there's some smovel comics that came out at the time of the show. We are going to cover those those smuvel comics, and I'm, you know, kind of shocked that there's only like a dozen issues or something. It didn't last. But anyway, there you go. Should I
go ahead and do his podcast reviews since the same person? No, okay, that's such a dumb question. All right, I don't know what happened there. All right. Now we have a five star review from Oh from Josh EM's Same guys, let's awesome podcasts. I love how they talk about the show. I have never read any Superman comics, but so it's so
fun to hear their insight. Oh that's what he meant. I thought even something at the end of the email I talk about novel comics was asking us, Yeah, yeah, read everything by Jeff John's that's my that's my comic close personal friend of the show. Thanks Josh for the the very nice email and then also the review. Yes, stupid question you asked. Stupid question. All I got an email from Rocky. It says readings from East Texas.
Shout out to Texas, tex Forever, tis forever you watch Friday Night Lights Nick just one or two episodes, guys, it was I watched it because they were our rival I didn't watch it because their band was our rivals. What do you mean, wasn't it? Oh, Austin High School. Austin High School was the band of the band show in the movie, not the show. It's a movie. You watch the show, you watch two episodes you thought of, Well, hold on, just congratulations, bro,
you just played yourself. Wait, I watched two episodes. This there's a movie and a show in a book. Yes, in a real school. There's a book about a real town, a real school. I never watched the movie, but I did watch at least two episodes of the show. Okay, well the band and then you refused to watch the rest because the the band that you didn't like was in the movie that you didn't even know existed. Yeah, it's amazing. Yeah, and well one of them,
so this is a plus. This is so Yeah, Austin High School was was Permian's band in the movie, and then the school they played in the final, Dallas Carter's band was will Ridge. Oh why didn't we get to be one of those bands? They didn't ask us? Yeah, no, right, all right. Greetings from East Texas. Hello Zach and whoever is on the next Mailbag episode with you l O L. I only recently found the show, and it is quite the journey. It's actually thanks to Talkville
shout out to the Ultimate Smable rewatch podcast. Back in the summer of this year, twenty twenty three, I found smovel on Hulu. I'm having a rough year and long for the nostalgia and good memories. I had watched the show live when it ran, so I started rewatching it. Then I saw Tom Willing and micro Rosebomb were doing a rewatch podcast, and I binged that in doing so heard you on the show. So when I caught up on the current episodes on there, I'd switched to your show since you have made
it way further. My history was Smable was I watched the first seven seasons, Slide didn't watch. Malana came back when they killed leg. Slana left the same episode. I also left and never came back. I mean, you know that I can argue with that. Although that's an episode, terrible episode, uh, one of the most fun podcasts we did. Lance. It's true me Roca Trucks and all you guys giving out bees. I'm like, hello, am I taken crazy pills? That's that's how I feel.
Most of the time. So now you know how it feels. Welcome to my life. Yost. That's for Friday night lights snick. Do you know that? I don't know anymore. That's remember the Titans. You've seen that, right, I've seen that one because I really literally tell you to leave. You had well, well, you had to watch it in a health class. What's her name, missus, the one who did pals. We'll talk after this. Miss Slack called nine to eleven nine to one one,
and it really bothered me. I was like, that's not what it's called. Well, she's also said other things. I was in her she was she was an Oprah though I was in her class the year of nine to eleven, yeah and so, and she would always talk about nine to one one. I was like, stop making what happen. It's not going to happen. We should we should have known then. All right, back to the email. This time I completed all ten seasons binging and on Hulu.
I was hoping that my kids, especially my ten year old, like it as much as me, but he kept saying things like you still watching on the horror show? If all this bad stuff happens to the people in this town. Why doesn't everybody move? Both my kids stream in pain when they hear somebody say me lol. But in there the fence. I was watching around three episodes daily during my rewatch binge. I started your podcast where ours
on my rewatch was at the start of season seven. I have now finished my rewatch and then caught up on the current season nine run at your podcast. I can't wait for the comic Con episode, which is a Warrior, specifically for the scene where the guests Kid with Powers and Chloe fly out of the talent apartment and it is in Metropolis's not small though, I don't remember that. That's I'm gonna be so mad. Someone forgot where Koy lives, so I was like, well, surely she lives here, right she works
here? Oh of course, I know you will rip it the shrep. I remember loving that episode. Oh man. Since I'm caught up, I have went back and just listened to certain episodes from the early years, the pilot, the season finale, the premieres, season pass. I plan to listen to your show and talk feel concurrently when they start season four, so I will get their takes and your takes at the same time. For the
possible worst season of the show. I used to think I was like you once, although after completing my rewatch, I now firendly think it's season ten. Ooh, I think season ten is really terrible. When Michael returns to the finale, it makes you realize how bad it was and how good he is. This email is already long, so I will say my questions, but I love the show as a fellow Texan. I feel like I'm a good company and can't wait to finish the show with you that I found you
Well, that's his next emails from the Same Guy Show. You just go ahead and read it. No profession. Yes, such a stupid uestion. Greetings from East Texas, Part two. Questions and thoughts to ponder. I'm a Klana fan in This Smallville Earth the one, p. Sixty seven, it has always made more sense to me that Clark ends up with Lana. I know this is going to be a hot take for Zach. It seems the longer the podcast goes, his detaste for Lana grows. I know later
they finally made Clark and Lewis end up working ending up together work. The first five year plan of the show was not the case. But I'm veering off course now after rewatching the show. At the end of Requiem, Clark vows to find a way for Lana and him to be together, and he never does, except he literally had away in his possession at the time. He had a legion ring. He could have went back and stopped Lana from
getting the procedure. He could have stopped the attack at the wedding. He could have went back and stopped Brainiac from taking Lana over in the first place, and also stopping Lex from finding the orb explaining people what that is. It's a sort of a podcast about deep says nine that Zach and I listened to and got frustrated with. But I just like how they say those two
words. Of course, this is all hindsight, good fun fan writing after this fool rewatch, even as Lana and Clark as a Lana and Clark shipper, I don't think she should have come back in season eight. I only said that because Clark himself said he was going to find a way to be with her again. Now moving on to Chloe. When it comes to Chloe, I think I had the reverse opinion of her, as you my first watch of the show. I didn't like Chloe at all. I kept waiting
for her to get killed off every season. I was like, Wow, Chloe is still here. I had the same lot of blinders on as Clark. I guess this time watching it all the way through, I didn't feel that way. In fact, I thought during season four and season six, especially that there should have been time where Clark and her could have dated and either they both realized they were better friends or she becomes los lol or dots was confirmed. No, he has an lol, I know I don't,
or dies to bring him back with her meteor power lol. It makes more sense watching it throughout this time, especially after she finds out his secret and doesn't have to lie and he doesn't have to lie to her anymore. On the geographic location of Smallville to Metropolis, it has always bothered me as much as has bothered you that the distance always changes. I live about two hours from Dallas, and you can only see the skyline from about twenty minutes from
the city. There are people that work in Dallas and live here, but they usually stay in Dallas and only come back to East Texas when they're off on the weekend. They don't commute every day. So even in the first season when they showed Metropolis from the windmill in the Coandemus Preachius, I was like, oh, no, what are they doing. I always thought Metropolis was on the East Coast. I didn't think it was New York. I thought Gotham City was New York City, but then I heard Gotham would be
closer to Chicago with all the mob activity. But they really do even move it as the show goes on. I like to rationalize, along with the Veritas ratcon, that someone like Brainiac or other another villain or hero like the Flash is messing with the timeline, causing Smallville Mendela effects or Butterfly effects as they change things, usually small things like continuity errors and ages, but sometimes they mess up something big and the Veritas window is created. Well, let's
get go on forever. I better end this love the show or appreciate the work y'all do, and I can't wait to finish this journey with y'all even through season ten. Well, that that is the prevalain theory, that Brainiac came back in time and apocalypse, and that that's why season eight is the way it is. With I'm like, fine, sure they've never said that, but we're going with that. Also, you have a similar thing with talk about Worland tropols. Where is star City. It's sometimes Inland, sometimes
it's like on the East coast, West coast. It should be on the West coast, it should be Seattle is essentially what Star City is in the comic books, but like it's all over the place in arrow like in the maps and stuff. So all right, and now we have an Apple podcast five star review for Rocky eleven. I found some new podcast friends. Found this podcast through rewatching Smallville on Hulu in August of twenty twenty three. I started in season seven since that's where I was in my rewatch. I love
the banter between the guest host and Zach. I love that we also don't agree on different aspects of the show, but all love the show overall. Keep up the good work because we still have a season and a half to go. Lol. Thanks Rocky again, very long, thoughtful emails and a great review. I love the banter too. You know, when I first started back in the day, we talked about this lance. I was like, well, I'm gonna ask you to be on every episode A big ask,
so like, I'll just road table call. I don't know, Nick will probably do it. Yeah. We quickly got a good stable of people, people that we hadn't known, and then we as things expanded. You know, we've really expanded our our network of friends and fellow podcasters here and it's been part of the real podcast. Is the fringe you make along the way, That's what I say, the trench you make and lose along the way? Am I right? Yeah? But uh yeah, thank you for
the review. We have a couple of Reddit comments because I actually made a post on Reddit. I rarely do this. I made a Reddit account specifically always on the Smallville, always moveled one s, so I could just post episodes and I did it for a while and I just stopped and whatever. But when talkill happen, there's always buzz about it. And now I come
up a lot on Reddit. So that's why I'm like, you know, I very occasionally comment like, oh hey, thanks check out the show this to that I did, I made a post about like, hey, we're gonna be maybe not coming up if you had any questions whatever, then read it like took it down for like self, proselytizing. I was like, what anyway, I did get a couple of comments in before I got taking down, and those of these are from Mean Choice twenty two to sixty seven.
What is your all time top ten favorite Smallville characters, ranking based on likability and writing. We don't all have to go thinking about it. I thought about this a little bit. I would definitely say Lionels number one, lex Is number two a few years ago, said Chloe. But I mean Clark number three is not gonna to be in top three. Those are those are my top three? Okay, So outside of that, Jonathan and Martha, Okay. Five I gotta say Chloe because for what she met for so
many years. To me, Chloe, Let's say Alicia, Team Alicia because I will not be messed. Eight did the alternate versions of Lionel tests? I love tests? Actually test is great? Nine mm hmm. I guess it's it's one of two. One of two are left. It would be my guest for you somebody from the Justice League. I haven't decided which one. Akaman stay super Bro. Yeah. I was gonna say it's either him
or it's either him or Oliver Bart. He's just not enough, he's in Run and then he's kind of a Justice, and then he's like nothing in Doomsday, and then Achaman actually had some some stuff to do in Aqwall Injustice and Patriot, he's in Honesty like he's around, and then all of her Unfortunately, the longer he was there, the more stock he was dropped. That's and that's that's why I knew Lois wouldn't be wouldn't make your list,
because for most of the show she was not lowess. Right, thank you, I'm sorry again, Like if if if Ergan Renan showed up play a Little Lames, He's Night nineteen. But you know what, there's four, five, six, and seven where she's a muffin pelding college dropout to coat Legs Luthor. So those are my top ten Smubble characters. So all right, I'm really thought that's a fun question. I really thought about that before. Then finally Gus Stinks says this, love you, Zach and what y'all
have done with your podcast universe is incredible. Shout out to all the other podcasts out there. I'm impressed with some of the adult themes that Smallville tackled. For example, Perry White's manipulative suicide attack or the episodes dealing with child abuse. Comparatively, it seems like the aeroverse shied away from such heavy themes. I'm curious about your thoughts as to why this may be. Given how much more violent the Aero verse was, it seemed like they stayed within safer
lanes thematically. Now that is interesting. That is interesting. Let's talk with this for a second. I'm glad this is this is a nice final thing to chew on. As you wrap up here, you look at small Vie like, oh, it's like it's like the Lighter Show, and it's like
theme that sounds familiar. But I don't know what he's going for. But I do think we have stuff like Ryan in there, like in his episode, and as much as of Miss as it was the subterranean thing, they tried to tackle something like the complete miss but they were like hey, immigration, and you know, I'm like okay, wow, like like mirgroant workers
on farms, like damn okay. So you think about that and you think, okay, they covered some some some good stuff that Oh yeah, I mean the like I think about uh, fragile, the girl and her stepdad, the glass parts, stuff like that, right, usually with kids, I guess as what I'm thinking of, Actually all those kids did, right, I mean the Arrow you know, oh it's dark, gritty show, right, And I feel like they were kind of in the first couple of
seasons they like were almost around that way. But then you think of the gun control episode and like this is why, so what are your thoughts on? Well, my thoughts are he's right to in a certain extent because it did tackle topics in the aero votes like overall, like not just Arrow but other shows. But unfortunately, a lot of the times they just kind of botch them, and like the gun control episode for example, like the infamous
one. I don't think Flash ever tackled anything heavy ever in that it's nine years Supergirl tried some things, but it didn't. It didn't work out. Like they tried like the political times that we were living in at the time. They tried to make their statement on some of the z on xenophobia, right, They they tackled a lot of that type of stuff. Some of
it worked, some of it didn't. They had good storylines, you know in season two with with Uh with Alex and Maggie Sawrier and I thought that whole line of of of Alex coming out and dealing with them like a being in a relationship. I thought all of that was great. I love Maggie and I and I and still to this day hate that she was only the season on the show. For one season that was that really well. I really liked her and I thought she was I thought she was a great addition
to the show. And so they they did do some things. But at the same time, do I think that overall, I think that you know, the company and the company above was just like y'all could have some you know, like with Special with Arrow, y'all could be violent and edgy and certain things, but we're not going to tackle certain things. We're just not going to touch it. He should be And then like and and Kevin and I have talked about this on the show before, like there's no way that
that network was going to let them do that. And even the stuff that they've trust that they tried to do with Oliver being you know, as liberals as he possibly can for that show, there's certain things like when he's his policies as mayor and just some of his actions, especially in their earlier seasons, like the things that he's going out and crossing the people off of the list. For some of the things that they're doing, it's in it's in
character for Oliver Queen to take those people down. But as far as like having special episodes or having narrative stances on certain things, they didn't really try a whole lot. They did a little bit, but not as much as they probably could have or should have. Supergirl probably tried the hardest out of all the trash Flash didn't do anything. I will say though. Stargirl though, has very similar to Small Villain how it handled some of these things.
So it's handled, it's handled death, it's handled because again their kids. But again, you know, if to paraphrase what Jeff was talking about on a Nail's episode, yes, Jeff John's mister John's was talking about in the episode, like Small, Stargirls is very much a spiritual successor to small in
the sense it takes place in a small town. It's kids in high school dealing with a lot of these little type of things, and so there's there's some parallels to, you know, what they were doing on that show to what Smallville was doing. So that show kind of takes up the mental in that regard always is awesome. First episode, Yeah, oh why not? Why not? Stargo's awesome. It is every bit the celebration of DC that people think other things were also. I think Black Lightning. Black Lightning also
actually tackles that stuff. But then they get lost in the sauce. Would you say, yes, they do? They do after like the first season? Yeah, so again, and I think like the shows that do these, like Arrow first two seasons, they kind of tried and did it and didn't really mess with it afterwards. Supergirl tried the hardest but it didn't really work out. Flash didn't do anything. Stargirls pretty good at it, black Lightning was good after the first two and a half seasons or so. So
there's there's there's stuff in there. I don't know if I will go as far as saying that small Will did it better. I will say that smug Will probably did it more. Yeah more, I agree with that. Yeah, but I think it probably all comes around bounces out well. They didn't have like well eventually I guess they did. But the era versus all the superhero teams, there's plenty of story potential there. Smalls like what do you do this week? Yeah, I don't know, if you're like a border
crisis, yeah for example. Yeah, so it's a little different. Yeah, different circumstances. But that is interesting though. Yeah. No, thanks for bringing that up. There you go. That is mail Bag number twelve, Part two. So good to see you guys another week. Yep, a week later from when we did the last one. Do you guys have a good New Year's Yes? It was great. Yeah. Yeah, the first episode comes out after New Year's two. Yeah, it's still tracks.
Man. People like, what are you talking about? Oh, this has been great. We'll do it again in between seasons nine and ten. Yeah, well, as long as you guys keep sending in mail be great, Like we love that. I love doing this. I don't know about you guys. No, this is fun. It's a good way to hang out and catch up too. And I know, I know, I kind of laugh it off and stuff. Really, I really do appreciate all the everybody finding me through Talkville and saying that we're the best want and that kind of
thing like that. That means a lot because I really appreciate reviews, emails, messages and just know that all everything you send to us is read and everything is appreciated. So continue to do that and we'll continue to have these mailbag episodes. We'll be back all together from mail Bag number thirteen after after season nine, between season nine and TENS coverage. But until then, Lance,
where can people find you out there? They can find me at Sir Lance Laster on all of my social media's and you can also find me talking about all the things that make Arrow Arrow on Always Hold Onto Arrow. And you can find myself in keV on Twitter at Do Not Fail Our Pod? All right, what about you? Nick? All right? And I'm also on Twitter at Nick Ryan. I'm not really on it as much as often, but you can really do find me on Instagram that's at Nickryan dot jpg
like a jpeg. All right, y'all. Well, that's gonna do it for this mail bag, So until next time. Always hold on to Smallville.
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