Tom not only puts himself in a fans POV but also in the time smallville aired. We all know smallville isn’t some type of cinematic masterpiece but for the time and the concept of it it’s such an enjoyable show. Yes seeing Clark and the gang do absolutely crazy things and it never being addressed after is unrealistic but seeing the best superhero go bad is so much fun!
I agree. These are teens and are 15-16yrs old, my first crush lasted all through HS. BTW, I love Tom catching the hypocrisy. Michael loves everything Lana🫤. I'm glad Tom is there.❤ FYI this is one of the funner episodes.
I beg to differ. Do you recall when Clark as Kal El took his first flight and the actions he took afterwards? Aside from special effects, what about the dialogue? Every argument between Lex and Lionel began and ended with a literary quote. The principles characters like Johnathan exemplified. The symbolisms used when depicting certain arcs and people. The dialects and use of voice however triumphant or subtle, still, and quiet. Smallville was the catalyst for action packed shows with superhero motifs. While it was dealing with the superhero mythos, it never failed to showcase the humanity behind it. I’ll admit I’m my humble opinion, the show went on a decline once Schneider, Glover, and Rosenbaum left. That only showcases the impact they had not only as the characters they portrayed, but the talent and commitment they possessed as actors. They have it their all and then some. Annette, exemplifying the wholesome individual and woman without fault. Pete, the best friend and true brother to Clark who sacrificed his familiarity/home in Smallville all to protect Clark’s identity. Not to mention his safety. Chloe, who I believe was the true girl next door. She mad her mistakes but more than made up for it and in turn had an undying loyalty and understanding for Clark that’s been unmatched or more so second to Lois. Lois, who respected Clark’s boundaries and never pushed or worked to exposed him. Who understood duty came first. Lex, the aforementioned and predestined enemy, who’s portrayal showcased that it wasn’t simply jealousy that led him astray. It’s more complex and tragic than that. Abandonment and trust issues come into play. Not to mention being witness to his mother killing his brother. Going face to face with a meteor shower. And when he came face to face with Clark as the ideal villain, he approached him with a near sense of sentimentality. Twisted but profound none the less. So when it comes to the writing of this show, from seasons 1-6 in addition to the final season, this show has had masterful moments. Also at that time, a show having 10 seasons was a milestone.
I loved that scene when Clark asks out Lana too. It was pitch perfect, and Tom and Kristin did such a great job with their delivery and expressions showing how long both Clark and Lana have been waiting for that moment.
This is why Allison’s situation makes me so sad. We will never get to hear her take on episode like this, her process, etc. It would have been so interesting, but alas…
The asking out on a date scene was really a good scene! They were both sooo happy. The kitchen scene where Clark tells his parents about the date was good too. Regarding Chloe's reaction, she is a teenage girl, your feelings don't always make sense at that age haha
Tom is so nice and I think he understands the audience of the show because this was a fun episode and it was always fun to see characters change their personality. I understand Rosie's point of view, but this is not an HBO show, because the audience is different.
I loved that look Martha gave Jonathan when Clark said he had a date with Lana 😂 Annette is so good at using every moment she gets onscreen to the fullest!
"Damn who that?!" 😂 Never gets old, Anytime Red Kryptonite Clark returns is a favorite moment Tom kill's it, I love the Improvised scene Tom talking about how John Schneider and the Orange juice moment 👍 Ah more Adventures in the Cave's 🤣 I know how filming those where tough to breath in Much Respect! I do love the little moments of Clark and Lex tention in the barn and Lana and Clark, Im was Tom A Rose 🌹 and a Half 💙❤️🤘 Thanks as always guy's (S)
This is THE BEST podcast- truly a dream come true for Smallville lovers! The guys are AMAZING, the conversations intriguing & behind the scene information is priceless!!! PLEASE CONTINUE THROUGH SEASON 10... ***If you're not supporting the podcast... DO SO. 💙❤️💙❤️
One of my favorite episodes. I especially love Chloe's line to Walden: "you're the cunning linguist," the naughtiest line in the entire run of the show. By the way, the most dangerous thing in Smallville are the ROADS! As evidence, go through the episodes starting from the pilot, and you'll find that car accidents and vehicle related incidents cause far more damage and death than all of the villains combined.
I was honestly a bit surprised, but thrilled that Clark asked Lana out on a date 😅 Loved the scene with Martha convincing Jonathan to let him go out, Annette's facial expressions said it all. I thought it was crazy when Pete just scram that Clark was an alien. Also loved the ending with Don't Dream it's Over. Thanks again guys! ❤️
Tom Welling the quintessential Clark Kent in my opinion. The best moment with Tom Welling in Smallville was when he was being himself in real-life during the red kryptonite altering his personality. Smallville seriously was the modern day superhero/drama show that really paved the way for other DC shows and marvel shows for ABC and the Disney Plus shows that we already have now. That show kind of started the trend where the quality was important where the look of the show felt like you were watching a movie from the comfort of your home and other shows started that trend.
lol. Michael wanted Smallville to be an HBO series. I do agree that it was too "teen drama" at times, but it's suppose to be a "family show" with superhero stuff.
I agree with Ryan's view. Watching it when I was young, week to week, you kind of forget some things that happened between episodes. Now with streaming and watching everything back to back, we can see the inconsistencies with the writing episode to episode. Finish one episode where Lana was mad at Clark and doesn't know if she can trust him, only to have the next episode start with them back to being friends again and the near death scene from last week was forgotten. hahahaha. Also have to remember we are looking at this with our adult minds, so certain things will stand out much more to us compared to watching this when it originally aired when we were younger. Overall, minus some of the special effects, the series has held up quite well compared to modern day shows!
I came into watching the show when they were in the mdst of the 4th season. I found the first three seasons on DVD and binged watched them (having never watched the show before). While I never watched it week to week, I did subsequently binge watch the entire show before the next season would be released on DVD and later Blu-Ray, and that inlcudes the special features. I came to know the first few seasons really well by doing that. So, I can definitely attest to the switching of emotions episode by episode. It's very much jarring, but that is the nature of a TV show. They have to keep things moving. TV shows now have a through-line season by season, and/or introduce a major guest star who plays a big role in a season. Gone are the days of a TV show where the episodes don't tie back to previous episodes, and the guest stars don't stick around that long. Now that I think about it, I think Happy Days was the first to kind of break that mold. Fonzie started out as a minor character, then later became a major character. Fair example, but I kind of digress with that though.
This was an aggregating episode to watch, from the standpoint that I wish Clark could just tell Lana how he feels about her, even if it meant telling her his secret. In times like these, it’s just like watching the Wonder Years, where Kevin Arnold couldn’t tell Winnie Cooper how he felt! Arrrghhhh!!!
Plus dont forget when you have that week in between episodes, it gives you time to let things marinate. You mention bits and pieces to friends, or even overanalyze but over the course of a week. Now we do autoplay and you can barely retain what you watched in the previous ep!
I love the scene where Clark asked Lana out on a date. It was really cute, innocent and felt realistic and like Tom said it was a moment we all been waiting for but unfortunately the date didn't happen (I felt bad for Lana in this episode). Love the scene where Martha convinced Jonathan to let Clark go out with Lana the family dynamic in this scene was funny. Also loved Clark, Chloe and Pete's barn scene. It was fun to watch the 3 of them without any inhibition and how their dynamics played out and to see Clark revealing his secrets to Chloe with Pete.
Michael, something you gotta accept with this show, is the love triangle aspect of Clark, Lana, and Chloe, especially this early on. You may want Chloe to just be over Clark, but is that really realistic, I mean come on, she is obviously still in love with him, and she is so close to him but yet so far at the same time, maybe it’s cliché, but come on, these characters are so good, the actors are so good, there’s plenty of other stuff going on around that dynamic and interwoven into it, and I do see lots of character progression happening, it’s not gonna be instantaneous, these characters are still growing, they’re are 8 more seasons of this show, and the results are nowhere near the way things started out, so just give it time, alright! I’m having a one sided argument with a celebrity about an episode of a show he was in 20 years ago… What a world we live in 😂
Overall I enjoy watching Ryan's reactions to this for the first time, but not liking the "people go crazy" episodes is like, come ON man! Those are the best ones haha.
Tom also mentioned that he was taken aback by Pete's lack of jealousy towards Chloe, considering he is secretly in love with her but had kept it to himself because he knew he couldn't compete with Clark. This will be revealed in a future episode and for me this revelation seemed to come out of nowhere, as in all previous episodes, Pete had only shown platonic affection towards Chloe, such as asking her to dance when they didn't have a date but ultimately going with someone else. He had never shown any signs of jealousy when Chloe went on multiple dates with other students, nor had Chloe displayed any interest in Pete when he was with other girls, unlike her blatant adoration for Clark. Despite this revelation, the subject was never broached again and this was before Pete even left, so how much in love with her could he have really been?.
I think you can be in love with someone but also realize you have no chance in hell, so you just go about your business as if it isn't true. Jealousy would be misplaced, and I realized early in life that Jealousy is pretty much the worst emotion.
@@Chimchimchu if someone is really "in love" with someone, should always take a chance, but being in love is less likely emotion without knowing someone more deeply, but having a crush, or big crush, sure, happens all the time, and it could last really long time :) And i think Chloe really had big crush to Clark, i always felt somehow disappointed that nothing happened between them at least for one season.
@@TalkVillePodcast thanks this episode with chole and pete is one of the wildest including the car scene🚗i didnt i may have to see it again🚔but i dont recall cops chasing them that may have maked it sweeter either way that scene was wild😆
Strongly reminiscent of "Nicodemus". Always enjoyed this episode. Hey now, hey now don't dream is over...very cute ending although Lana was very mad at Clark.😄
Haven't watched this week's episode so I'm curious if Tom mentioned the scene where Clark catches Chloe. Greg Beeman talked about how Tom said he'd just throw Allison in the air and catch her, rather then wasting time attaching a harness and dropping her. Beeman said Tom just flexed his biceps and Allison went flying (saying it was very Superman like). Each time Tom had to throw Allison he reassured her by saying "I got this". Sounds like that ended up being a thing as even Erica mentioned how she trusted Tom completely every time he did it with her ❤
The first time I watched this series about four years ago. And have seen it over and over and over again. But what kept me so intrigued and interested is because I knew Lex and Superman were enemies. So I was so interested in smallvilles storyline on them being friends, and because you know how the relationship is gonna end, and it kept me watching to see how they were gonna play it out . Such a great new story idea of Clark before Superman !!I was so impressed
"After 'Red' did very well, the Network said that they wanted another red K episode, and we said we weren't going to do another one, because 'Clark turns bad' -- and then what you do? It wasn't in any context. We knew what happened when he did it. Then we thought, 'What if a friend slips something in your drink and you don't know it?' So we told the network we'd give them one act of red K, but not an entire episode." (Al Gough -- Smallville: Season 2 : The official companion)
I felt it for the boy Clark at the end. He just wants Lana to know how he feels but can't tell her why shit went so wrong. Shoutout to Mama Kent for making sure he could go on the date even if it didn't work out.
Btw extra note about the song playing, @ the Rave in the Cave "Never Gonna Come Back Down" Producer: BT (Brian Transeau) made himself well known with the soundtrack for the original Fast & the Furious Currently working on a new album. Metaversal, his recent release connected art, and music within the nft verse (sigh) Additional Producer: DJ Rap An amazing indie artist, who collaborated with various talents, establishing her dnb style. Currently still making awesome tunes. Also owns her own music label Lyrics / vocals: Mike Doughty An awesome gent, who is a friend of both BT and DJ Rap
Thanks for answering my question about the set up/order of prepping for the show! I'm so impressed with actors that can throw themselves into situations that are so different from their personality! Love the podcast! ❤
Fun Fact: Shaun Sipos (Chloe's Boy Thing) would much later have a starring role on the short-lived DC show Krypton, which is partly about the adventures of Seg-El, Kal-El's grandfather. The show only lasted two seasons, but I find it to be an interesting show.
@@NevenSubrayal Right. Yes. It's unfortunate the show ended the way it did. It ended with such a big cliffhanger, you know with what happens with Baby Jor-El. It would have been nice to have a third season to see Seg save his son. From watching the special features, it sounded like David S. Goyer had a lot of ideas for the show. But then.... cancellation. While the show was ambitious with the visual effects, having a lot of handcrafted sets, and having a lot of practical effects, I thought the show had a lot of potential. It's one of those shows where I feel it's a shame it got cancelled.
36:23 Michael, I have to disagree. You’re watching as an adult now with a background in the industry. That’s not who the intended audience was. The campy, corny light hearted moments worked for what the show was trying to be and for the audience. The kind of stuff they do now on those networks (which I love) isn’t what Smallville was supposed to be and it balanced light and dark so so so well. That’s part of what made it one of the best shows of that time. It’s why it’s still popular today! Plus the new Superman and Lois on CW is a bit darker and it’s awesome but I just don’t think that’s what Smallville was intended to be. Much love 💕
I was crushed when Lana got her heart broken. She was SO happy that he asked her out because she was basically already in love with him. I hated the fact the show did that to Lana JUST to extend the story line of keeping Clark and Lana apart. Clark should have punted Pete to the moon for the Red Kryptonite stunt.
One of the worst thing the show did was the whole "will they, won't they" for years. Lana and Clark should have been together for a few seasons but her knowing his secret gets her severely injured which leads Clark to create a dual identity.
What you can do better: 1) Don't shit on Smallville. Only people who like the show are going to watch. They don't want what they like to get shit on. 2) Tom has to stop lying about not remembering kissing the hot women on the show.
good advice. Michael needs to learn the difference between criticizing execution and slamming a genre and giving the "I can always do it better even though I've never written a teen angst, comic book, superhero show." Criticizing acting or the writing is one thing but slamming the "campiness" or "kids being kids" or the "cheesiness" or the superpowers or the caves...... it's like come on. They don't like the genre and they need to study the genre and watch a lot of it and then they can criticize it with objectiveness rather than Michael's patented "It's a good scene when I'm in it." I'll still watch the podcast because I'm a fan. However, the podcast can be summed up as "actors struggle to understand or like or appreciate a show that made their careers in the early 2000s while coming to terms that they don't remember anything. PS Tune again as they struggle to maintain interest while forcing Ryan to watch and demanding others to show interest in their Rewatch Podcast." They need an attitude adjustment if they want non-fans to watch the show. Ultimately the fans are watching, it's new viewers watching the show and curiously watching Talkville after or before that these Podcasters are chasing after. Nobody is going to watch a Rewatch Podcast for a show that they have no interest in.
Sam Jones is incredible in this one! Just goes for it! It’s too bad he won’t come on the podcast. I know he’s had some legal issues and drug problems in the past. He hasn’t worked in a few years either so hopefully he’s doing ok. Thanks as always Welling, Rosey, and Ryan!!
I enjoy this podcast greatly. Great kitchen scene with the Kent’s. The look that Martha gives Jonathan is brilliant. John’s cow line was brilliant. The line where Lana says I know why Chole was kissing you, but why were you kissing her back was powerful. You felt bad for Lana in this episode. A lot of great Lex and Clark scenes. Lex giving Clark permission then taking it away then giving it back. Luthor security was on the job again. No Lionel in this episode. Rush appears or is said 3 times in this episode. The car saving scene was well performed. Brother from another planet is a great line. Sam definitely needs to come on the podcast. By the way Jonathan was quick to forgive Pete but never Lex. Interesting, love this podcast.
I was with Ryan. I felt bad for Lana and Clark and how he hurt her. I was ready for him to get back to normal. I felt for Clark that he couldn't explain himself. This one didn't feel as "fun" as some other red episodes.
Rush Rush was one of my favorite songs when I was younger. I loved that music video. I also loved the Clark and Lana scene. Red Clark is sooo much fun. As always thanks for sharing.😊❤
Best thing about Wednesdays another episode of Talk Ville ❤️ Can’t wait to dive into this!!! Thank you guys!! This podcast is such a blessing ❤ Happy Talk Ville Wednesday ❤️☄️🌽
YES it's the only podcast I want to watch every ep! Halfway through (ish) now, can't wait til I get fully caught up (sigh...and then will have to wait each week for more! Lol)
Rush is one of my top ten episodes of Smallville, Clark on red K is just so, so hot! The make out scene, the loft scene is just amazing and how Clark and Chloe talk down to Lex and the last scene’s just heartbreaking and real, also Sixpence None the Richler’s Don’t Dream is Over is an absolute perfection of a song. I actually bought the CD just to listen to that song over and over and I still do. For me this episode is worth 🌹🌹🌹
Characters doing supernaturally-induced, temporary 180s is one of my favorite tropes. Especially when the actor absolutely nails it. It was SO telling that even on red k Clark wouldn't reveal his secret to Lex (even after telling Chloe), going as far as taunting him about why he doesn't trust him.
7:17 i really like that you give the youngs actor his credit. Also the german voice actor did a great job there. I wonder how it was, working with Rob LaBelle. was hoping you would tell more about him. We will see him again. so maybe next time. i liked his character and the actor on the show Another great ending with a great Song.
admittedly I don't get to watch as many of these podcasts as I'd like to, I will try and watch more. Smallville was such a huge part of my growing up I love to see it live on and on
I really enjoy the podcast and Inside of You, sas well, so thanks for that. I think the scenes that focus on Chloe and Lana's complex friendship go right over Michale Rosenblum's head. He is frequently intolerant of their communication and reactions, and it's a real drag that there is rarely a female perspective present at all, let alone one that would challenge him to dig a little deeper and be a lot less dismissive of material that he knee-jerks as unrealistic because it's outside his experience.
Overall for someone who seems to like digging into emotions a bit (or so I gather from his other podcast) he really seems to hate when someone doesn't act totally rationally, which, shocker, is actually pretty common.
I guess there are two kinds of people out there, personally I love those types of episodes where the characters deal with identity duality, this was actually the one episode I remember watching back in 9th grade, also big wolf on campus was awesome too
Since Tom asked what you can do better... The reason to listen to the actors in a rewatch is to get behind the scenes perspectives. For me, I would like to hear more discussion about acting choices and character development. And let Tom and Ryan talk more. Ryan's perspective as a first timer is useful and Tom understands that this is episodic television and looks at it in that light. Plus, having been a producer gives him great perspective on how things are put together. Also, a little less Chloe hate from Michael would be great. I identified with her so much more than Lana and she was my gateway into the show. She represented to me (and I suspect many others) being the smart girl who always gets overlooked by the hot guys. She was so well written that she was instantly recognizable to me. Everyone drooling over Lana got really tiresome and Michael is perpetuating that. He is also not giving enough credit to what really made this show resonate with people - the characters and relationships. I never cared about cool special effects. Did it make me feel? That's the criteria. .
It depends, for me Lana had much potential than all the others girls in that show. Michael is right, it’s his perspective too. Btw, in this episode Chloe made conscious perverse choice , taking advantage of Clark and hurting his so-called friend, michael's right it's bitchy. Btw, Chloe wasn’t the main character on the way for Clark . Lana was.
I AGREE WITH EVERYTHING YOU JUST SAID 🎉🎉 I wonder why more people aren't saying anything, I'm sure more people are thinking this....maybe fans think they'll stop the pod if we're too honest? Idk. But SERIOUSLY - Michael just hates Chloe. Period. He doesn't like her character at all, and it's not entertaining to listen to his comments about her. The writers did an exceptional job portraying a teenage girl with Chloe. Also, he reads the play by plays way too quickly. I want to hear more of Tom and Ryan's thoughts on certain scenes but he reads the next scene so fast... Michael is doing a rewatch podcast about a genre he dislikes. This is NOT a 2023, 10 episode dark superhero series. When he looks at it through that lens, he will be disappointed with 80% of the episodes. He has to admit to himself that he was on a teen drama... He should let Tom take the lead when he doesn't like an episode...
I love the video snippets during the play by play from Michael. 😊 another critique I think that would help, listen to the questions from the patrons ahead of time so you know not to speak about their answers ahead of time. IE no more “we talked about that already” cause at that point it ruins the patrons question and your answer to it. Hope that’s helpful I’m loving tuning into this podcast every week!!
I think Michael makes some valid and great critics but he shouldn't judge the show based on how today shows are made. Smallville was made in the early 2000s with a principal audience of teens and should be judge in that context. Like everything getting wrapped up neatly at the end of the episodes was the norm back then for Sci fi tv shows. And Like Ryan pointed out Smallville also wasn't made for streaming services, we would watch it on TV on a weekly basis it was a totally different experience. Different era, different TV show formula.
Of course, given that the podcast comes out once per week, they could also watch it on a weekly basis, but when it's easier to binge watch a few on your smartphone when you're on the plane, why bother...
@@jerodast I know lol my point wasn't that they should watch it like we did when it aired. It was that Smallville was made in a different time and the formula used was pretty popular back then, viewers were accustomed to it and loved it. Not saying it was the best way of storytelling just that it was a different time with differents standards.
29:51 Yes Tom! This was an episode I remembered 20 years after the fact and when I was watching the series back I was waiting for it!! It was one of my favorites because it threw me for a loop- especially when Chloe finds out Clark’s secret and makes you wonder the whole episode what’s gonna happen from there.. then she forgets.. and I was mad! 😅 And that iconic scene where Clark gives Lana the rose and she throws it in the trash can 😔 🌹
This chapter was really good, I don't know if I see them with the eyes of a Smallville fan and I like each chapter, and seeing Michael Rosenbaum so critical I think he doesn't enjoy Smallville like we do, and currently many series would like to be Smallville because in the time that it was made and with little technology, is incredible, and many of the current ones do not have that relevance, Smallville forever.
Tom talking about the flashlight in the cave scene, reminded me of a small flashlight that someone I knew bought in Hong Kong. It was only the size of a car key clicker but it illuminated a skyscraper from across the water
On the "Death / Save count" You need to add Chloe a second time also. Clark most certainly saved her tush in that barn fall. Cheers Mike and Tom for keeping Smallville awesome all these years later.
36:30 - 'Personality swap' storylines involving main characters will continue because they provide the audience with an opportunity to see a regular character 'evolve' on screen, albeit temporarily for one episode. For the most part, our main characters have a 'fixed' personality, so we know who we're looking at. However, over a season of twenty episodes, regular characters without 'growth become boring. And so, to avoid 'staleness' of each regular character, situations are contrived to alter that 'character's 'regular' personality. We, as an audience, welcome a new perpective on an old character.
This song, Never Gonna Come Back Down, was recorded by BT featuring M Doughty, the lead singer of Soul Coughing, who's been a part of my childhood for a fleeting time. Remember the Cartoon Network Groovies? Two of their songs, Circles and Rollin', were used for two separate Groovies videos. And I grew up having no idea until googling it that the lead singer was even doing this song!
So mad I forgot to call, but so many good things to discuss in this episode. Lex and Clark in the cave was shot like they were facing off and I loved the tension Lex provides in the scene! Also, I remember that scene where Annette says to Clark "if you ever graduate" referring to high school and the camera panning to Tom who does not look like a teenager just made me laugh at the time 😄😄
I love the question at the end where the woman asks how the button of the shirts are ripped because she has never been able to do that. Imagine the woman caught in the throes of passion, attempting to tear her partner's shirt asunder only to be met with disappointment - such a vivid and evocative image! Though to be fair, she may find solace in the fact that the shirt remains intact, sparing her partner the need to constantly purchase new clothing after each passionate encounter. It also reminds me of the caped crusader himself, Superman. One cannot help but wonder how many shirts he must own, as he is prone to tearing them as he rushes through alleyways to save the day.
Great talk between the three of you with some interesting facts about the production and funny one liners, I do like the episode especially the dark side of Pete, Chloe and Clark it was racy and fun😍
I remember watching promos for Smallville when I was a kid. Went to my nearest Blockbuster at the time and rented one of the DVDs and this episode was the first one in that particular DVD. Basically this episode was my first exposure to the series and I will always remember it very fondly for that.
This podcast and inside of you is truly the only reason I watch podcast. Even better that you guys actually respond. You don't know how much it is to us when we get a like or even a comment. I have it screenshotted and will not ever lose it. Might make me a nerd....but a happy nerd that will always hold on to smallville
I love this podcast! It makes me laugh so hard. Love Michael’s voices and jokes. Can’t wait for another week to hear the next one. Keep up the good work. Made my text tone “damn who’s that” 🤣 Thanks for that!
Bring on the (potentially?) angry comments! Just came here to give a few suggestions since Michael and Tom asked for feedback. Why I'm doing this so publicly, who knows? Let me start out by saying, I really enjoy watching Talk Ville. It's my favorite part of the week, especially while I help care for a family member dealing with some really terrible health issues. These may be unpopular opinions/thoughts, and others may obviously disagree, but I do think someone should give their open and honest thoughts about the podcast as a whole. Just so you know, I got these points off of message boards/from polls, and I can't say I disagree. 1) Please stop pushing Patreon so much in the intro. The podcast should speak for itself. Besides, there aren't any "patron privileges" in the $50 tier that seem to separate it so much from the $10 tier, IMO. Plus, pushing the Patreon seems like you're only in it for the money and even if that's the case (fair enough -- we all need an income), at least pretend it's about more than that. 2) Speaking of which, be yourselves, of course, but I think a little more enthusiasm and a bit more preparation of the episodes would go a long way. You don't need to be ra-ra about the episodes -- criticize all you want -- but the Smallville fandom goes hard, as you know. Most of us are adults now, so many of us have no problem critiquing the show, but also remember it was a teen drama as much as it was a superhero show. More enthusiasm and preparation may also help some of us overlook the lack of memories LOL 3) Although I'm sure fans would LOVE an in depth analysis of each episode, most of us aren't expecting that at this point. However, a bit more discussion on certain themes surrounding the episodes or other commentary instead of jumping from one thing to another so quickly would perhaps improve viewership and potentially sponsorships. We know you aren't experts on the show as a whole, but the people listening are, so I'm sure quite a few of your viewers would enjoy a little more of a lengthy chat about something you particularly enjoyed (or didn't) instead of talking bring something up for a few seconds then suddenly moving on to the next thing. Of course, take it or leave. Fellow fans, feel free to disagree. Overall, I really am enjoying Talk Ville and just want to see it hit its highest potential -- and of course, make sure we get through all 10 seasons.
I agree 100%. I've seen the RU-vid views drop over 90% from the Pilot to Suspect, as well as a sharp decline with the rankings for most countries on the Apple podcast charts. Its the same comments on RU-vid, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and listeners of other Smallville podcasts as to why fans have quit Talk Ville. The format needs tweeking as there's not enough discussion about each episode, Michael doesn't understand what fans love about Smallville (and obviously hates scifi, teen drama and any music that's not 70's/80s soft rock) and that Smallville is our feel-good, comfort show and Michael's hate and negativity is making fans quit the podcast. A lot of fans aren't able to contribute financially so Tom and Michael need to focus on improving the podcast to get higher numbers to earn more money through ad revenue (the cast hosted Always Sunny podcast gets 400k - 2 M RU-vid views each episode). A similar type podcast, the House of Halliwell, hosted by the Charmed TV cast, is currently beating Talk Ville in the rankings in a lot of countries as their fans are loving the vibe. Talk Ville needs to improves their format, have Michael let others talk more and maybe tap in to Tom's larger fan base and have Tom take the lead more, (at least he's proud of Smallville and doesn't just hate on the show).
It seems like Michael's "no more than 20 seconds" rule applies to any discussion of a scene just as much as to the call-ins haha. He's clearly in a hurry. Giving the benefit of the doubt it's a producer's instinct, gotta get the product out on time even if sacrifices must be made. At least Tom and sometimes even Ryan seem like they're having fun. I have to assume Michael does have some fun with it too but maybe has too high expectations for the show or something, because when you combine the lack of prep or attention, Patreon pushes (although I will say I don't mind this part as much if not for the other stuff), and frequent rushing, it does make the paycheck more prominent. I don't mind "and check out our Patreon" as a default for any podcast, but it is kind of sad watching them pressure sometimes-smitten fans for their money when Welling has a net worth of like $6 mil or something and half the time they seem pretty clueless about their content. I don't mind criticizing the show if it's specific, like "what consequences SHOULD there have been for XYZ shenanigans in this episode". But I do get tired of mischaracterizing like, what the show IS overall. It's not an HBO show, by design. It's an episodic WB teen show. "This episode crossed the line with cheesy moments" is okay, but "this episode was cheesy" is kiiind of the default. I agree, it would've been overall BETTER if it was in a position to be written with continuity and with less fluff and higher quality writing on certain stories. But as long as we're here let's keep having fun with moments that probably wouldn't have happened on a show that held itself to a more serious standard, which to their credit they usually do a pretty good job about, Michael's groans about not being premium TV notwithstanding.
@@jerodast Yes yes yes about the 20 second question rule applying to the discussion portion. 😂 I’m no expert but based on most feedback I’ve read from fans who LOVE the podcast, I know they’d enjoy it even more, and viewership would increase if there was a bit more length and depth to their conversations/discussions. Personally, I don’t expect an analysis from them since they aren’t fans of this type of genre but trying to show a little interest would go a long way. What if the head of a potential sponsor was a huge Smallville fan when they were growing up? I also agree that Tom and Ryan seem to be having a little more fun with it but if Michael can’t give up the reigns for more than 5 min and they’re unable to get their thoughts out, then it almost defeats the purpose of them having those thoughts because we don’t get to hear what they have to say. And just to be clear, I don’t care that mention their Patreon. Their employees need to get paid. My issue is that it’s pushed really hard (IMO) at the beginning when they could mention it ever so simply at the end of each episode: “don’t forget to join us on Patreon for more BTS content!” Or something like that - although I have no idea what content that would be at this point. Lastly, as I already said, I really don’t mind that my Michael criticizes the show. He’s entitled to his opinions. What DOES irritate me is him rarely viewing the show for what it is: a teen drama made specifically for a certain demographic. Many of the adults watching now are fans from when they were teens. Of course there are fans that discovered the show later, but 50 year old men were certainly never the target audience. Correct me if I’m wrong though. Basically, I agree with everything else you’ve said about his expectations.
I agree with much of this. One of the simplest things they could do is listen to the calls ahead of time, so they know when to comment on certain parts at certain times so it’s not like oh well we answered that already. They could even sprinkle the calls throughout the podcast to make sure they question connect to the episode
A wild adrenaline rush involving kryptonite. A decent episode. Michael always has funny comments on these episodes. Love that. Talkville is always a highlight of my week Thank You guys for that.😂😂😂😂❤❤
So I love how Tom’s criteria for rating is that if this is an episode he would show someone that has never seen smallville and Michael you say you wouldn’t like this as a solo episode to watch coz the characters are acting so differently and whatnot but I will say…red is actually the first episode I ever saw. I had never seen anything Superman related and my brother showed me the episode I walked in on the bar scene where Clark was throwing the guys around and I was like “I thought Superman was good” and my brother was like “he is good he’s on red kryptonite which changes his personality” so I was like “ah ok that makes sense. So definitely don’t underestimate the power of these solo out of character episodes it certainly drew me in and I’ve been a massive fan since I was 14 years old and I’m 33 now, still going strong! Thanks for the podcast I love watching every week and hearing your stories!
And the reason they were buckled in the car is because the crane took them up from the ground and if they were buckled they would be leaning forward which would make it look weird in reverse
Great show guys! I see where Michael is coming from on his comments regarding how the show could be better and his overall criticisms. He clearly loves the the show and wants it to the best it could be. I totally agree, I would have loved to see some more serialized elements in the early seasons.
Hi guys!! You need to know that many people will absolutely love to watch or listen to this podcast, but the problem, at least among my friends, is that they do not speak English because we are Spanish speakers, I am from Chile. So, believe me yoy are doing an amazing show! ❤
My favorite part of this episode was the BIG action scene! I loved seeing Clark catch the car at the bottom of the cliff. Plus, I loved seeing the return of Red K Clark!
Loved the episode, We'd seen Clark acting with the Red K & it was similar with Chloe Pete acting so different. What was most important to me which you didn't mention much, was that they were bit by an alien bug causing the change in them. So it puts the cave into the show as something alien has been there. I'm surprised that they didn't just write in there that Clark was bitten by one of them also, since it's probably from Krypton & could bite Clark.
I'm sorry that a lot of the streaming shows are serialized i get that the characters have a better chance to evolve but a superhero show like Smallville works best with a blended way of storytelling. The episodes that are episodic draws new fans and the serialized episodes keeps them if Smallville was completely serialized i probably wouldn't watch it because it would be too much of a slow burn but being able to watch a show without being invested in the history of the characters is very attractive and there is a resolution at the end of the episode its like dessert i will return.
I’m 23 now but Iv been watching smallville since the age 8 this show is truly my childhood, I love you all and I love the fact that y’all are going back over the episodes, it really brings back precious memories ❤❤
I give this episode 1 🌹 I always love an episode when Clark is effected by red Kryptonite. It takes away his inhibitions. Sam was also awesome in this episode and Alison to.Loved the scene in the barn when Chloe finds out about Clark's powers.
This is the only podcast I happily sit thru the patreon shout outs. These guys somehow make it amusing, each time. Plus, it's always, ALWAYS hilarious when they get to the one we all love- "Damn...who's that?"
