I'm not someone that knows the Superman mythos. I'm not familiar with all the DC Comics characters. I did watch a couple of the Christopher Reeve Superman movies as a child and so I know the basics of Clark Kent, Lois Lane and Lex Luthor, but other than that...I know nothing. And I'm glad because I think this is what makes it easier for me to enjoy ALL of Smallville. I had no expectations and thus I was not disappointed in the overall story of Smallville. The story that I was always interested in was, of course, Clark Kent. Let's face it...this story is about him and how he deals with life and with his destiny. That's it...and to see him struggle with it all was refreshing to see, at least to me. He wasn't this perfect being that knew where his place in "history" was...he had to figure it out which is where all the drama of Smallville began...Clark "dealing" with life...which included over protective parents, a first love (Lana Lang) who could never quite trust him, a friend (Lex Luthor) that became a life long enemy, a sidekick (Chloe) that was the best friend he could have ever had but who also lost a little bit of faith in him, a fellow superhero (Oliver Queen aka Green Arrow) that tested his morality and always fell short, and last but not least...my favorite...Lois Lane...the unlikeliest person for him to fall in love with but who believed in him...or in Smallville storyland...the Blur...more than anyone else did...even Chloe. That's why in this Smallville version, Clark tells Lois...you were always the one that I needed. Her complete trust in what he represented is what he needed in this story to meet his destiny. This may not be IAW the Superman mythos, but it's darn good storytelling and I have loved every minute of it. I will be sad to see the series end because I could watch Lois and Clark played by Erica Durance and Tom Welling, banter back and forth and save the world for many, many more years to come. There are few series in TV land today that match the storytelling of this series. Thank you Smallville for some many great stories that I will continue to watch over and over again.

MAJOR SPOILERS FOLLOW

The tenth season of "Smallville" is a tremendous ride to a stirring final episode. It is a great sendoff overall for what is arguably the finest television series of its entire genre.

Beginning with "Lazarus," the season propels Clark on a fantastic journey. Pulled back from death in the season premiere by Lois Lane, the love of his life, Clark must face a freakishly cloned Lex Luthor, played extremely well in the premiere by Mackenzie Gray. Additionally, Clark must contend with the knowledge that an evil supernatural being known as Darkseid threatens to dominate the Earth. John Schneider also returns in the first episode as Johnathan Kent, Clark's departed Earthly father, now a spirit guide for him.

The season's second episode "Shield," is an important show for the Suicide Squad, Amanda Waller's corrupt fighting force. The group of radically violent superhero supporters comes to the forefront as the primary villains in the early half of the season. The show also introduces the "Smallville" iteration of Cat Grant, a latter-day "Superman" character whom I first became familiar with through "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman." Played by actress Keri Lynn Pratt, she is fairly annoying but essentially has good intentions.

This season also features the series' landmark 200th episode, an absolute gem called "Homecoming." The return of James Marsters as Brainiac 5 heralds a stunning trip through time for Clark. An important component of emotional peace and closure regarding Johnathan's death finally gives Clark a mature philosophical base for true love with Lois Lane. Unfortunately, the very next episode "Isis" is one of the few true low points of the season, a head-scratching show whose storyline is random and pointless. It mostly exists to drag a fringe superhero into the show but does have a moment of redemption at its conclusion.

When "Smallville" premiered in 2001, its premise and promise was the journey of the hero Clark Kent and the future villain Lex Luthor. As with any long-running TV series, cast members gradually left "Smallville," even including the show's original mature Lex Luthor, Michael Rosenbaum. To the immense credit of the series' creative staff, the overall story arc was wisely altered slightly, to both keep the name Lex Luthor viable in the series and make room for a charismatic female antihero named Tess Mercer. Cassidy Freeman contributes depth and ultimately compassion as a multifaceted actress, and has a very rich character arc in the final season. Lex Luthor is kept viable this season through a series of clones, ironically at first nurtured in secret by Tess. I can forgive an absurd contrivance to bring the deceased Lionel Luthor back to life in the episode "Luthor." The show is one of the best of the season, and John Glover's devilishly cold acting approach to Lionel Luthor is, technically speaking, the work of a master.

Episode highlights are "Homecoming," "Ambush," "Abandoned," "Icarus," "Shield," "Patriot," "Lazarus," and the series finale, a two-hour masterpiece entitled simply "Finale."

The finale is a thoughtful romp through ten years of series backstory, thematically exploring the character of Clark Kent in its first half and revealing the character of Superman in its second half. The Darkseid storyline comes to a gruesome head and original series stars Tom Welling and Michael Rosenbaum fulfill the series' intial promise. A brilliant storytelling balance highlighting the marriage of Clark and Lois and the full emergence of Superman juxtaposed against a monstrous dark turn for both Lionel and Lex sets the perfect tone for the series' conclusion.

I love "Smallville." Over its time on the air, it has become one of my favorite television shows of all time. Thank you to the cast and crew through all ten years, and to original series creators Alfred Gough and Miles Millar. This is a truly brilliant show.

I've been watching Smallville since it's premier on October 16th 2001. Lets be honest folks, this series started out so strong, it just wasn't really Superman like... in the beginning. That doesn't make it bad tho, it all comes together in due time. Character development on this show has been superior to most other shows. I put the characterization level to Joss Whedon's Buffy: Anya and Cordelia (through Angel) who have been 2 of the most fleshed out characters in my television watching history. Each character on this show has his or her own place, and their development is top notch. The show finally develops into what it will become in season 4 and the introduction of Lois Lane. Smokin hot Erica Durance!!!! Her chemistry with Tom Welling has been undeniable since she first found him in that field. Unfortunately (And fortunately) Season 7 brought about the end of creators Al Gough and Miles Millar's run on the series! This is bad, as they are fantastic with what they do, and how they kept the pace of the show. Also bad because season 8 Smallville is by far the weakest season under the Smallville belt. It felt pushed, the acting was slippery and the plot had more holes than a 5lb chunk of Swiss Cheese... The Doomsday fight alone was cringe-worthy enough to nearly destroy the entire show, that is until season 9 kicks off... Which is when all the GOOD starts happening despite Gough and Millar's exit. Once the new producers (maybe new writers?) found their groove, they grooved all the way to the bank.... Season 9 exploded into my favorite season of the show. With so many guest stars and new characters... Season 9 looked to be the best, and then..... SEASON 10 has been blowing my mind. The progression that we've all been waiting for has finally arrived... The show has hit it's stride, and it's so incredibly unfortunate (not to say I don't understand) that with S10, we will be rid of Smallville, and that my friends is a melancholy moment, but I'm sure glad they are going out with a bang! If you haven't seen any Season 10 yet... just you wait, it's tops! As a series... it's one of my all time favorites along with Buffy, Angel, Desperate Housewives and Brothers & Sisters. I find it hard to put these 5 shows in any kind of order, they are all fantastic!