Smallville 1.21 - Tempest (Part 2)

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The season finale is the only episode so far that's been discussed in two podcast episodes instead of one. It wouldn't have been necessary, except for one important factor. John Glover was invited as guest star, and his appearance is longer than that of any previous guest stars. The guest stars so far have been interviewed for 10 to 15 minutes, but John Glover spoke for almost 30 minutes. He's the person that I consider to have been the best actor in the Smallville TV series. I'm sure Tom and Michael would agree with me.

What he said had very little relevance to the season finale itself. He said that he remembers very little of the first season, and nothing at all about the season finale. Most of what he spoke about was his experience of playing a blind man in the second season. He remembers being asked to appear in "Smallville" at very short notice, two days before filming began. At the time he was only asked to appear as an occasional recurring character. He didn't know what the series was about, except that it was before Superman. His agent tried to talk him out of it, because he was making films at the time, and it wasn't usual for film actors to appear in television series. That was always the case until a few years ago. The turning point was "Game of Thrones". That was when film actors began to take television actors seriously. The typical television series ran for 22 episodes a year, and they involved more work for less pay. But John Glover took a risk by signing up for "Smallville", not realising at the time that it would be the role he'd be remembered for. Using my own jargon, it was his signature role.

It's ironic that John should have forgotten the first season, because Michael Rosenbaum and Tom Welling have repeatedly spoken of him as someone they looked up to. They were both young, inexperienced actors, Tom especially, and they were in awe of John Glover as a true professional. He made everything look so easy. Particularly in the season finale, Michael was having trouble playing the scene where he had to throw the books from the bookshelves. He was getting frustrated at being unable to perform adequately. John Glover came to him and told him, in a quiet, calm voice, "You aren't listening". That was all that Michael needed to solve his problem. The next take was perfect. But John Glover has forgotten it.

Concerning being made a member of the regular cast in season two, John found it was appropriate. "Smallville" is all about family (he used the word in the singular), so Lex needed to have a father at his side as a counterpart to Clark and his parents. Interestingly, John doesn't think of Lionel as a bad father. Michael and Tom both contradicted him, but John insisted that Lionel loved Lex and was showing him tough love. That was his inner motivation for playing the role. I'll bear that in mind when I begin to re-watch the second season next year.

John is now 78, but he's still an actor, frequently appearing in television series and occasionally in films. When asked what he does in his spare time, he said that he makes scarves. I wouldn't have expected it, but now that I know, I'd love to own one of his scarves. I probably wouldn't wear it. I'd keep it in a dustproof case.

Based on what he says, John has come to terms with death. At his age he accepts that he's closer to the end than the beginning. Michael tried to contradict him, probably thinking that John was speaking out of depression or morbidity, but that wasn't the case at all. John says that he's had a good life, and he's ready to meet his end. He said that he's been an actor all his life, and he'd like to die as an actor. He'd be happiest if he could die on stage.

Michael and Tom obviously enjoyed their talk with John, and they said they'd like him to come back as a guest star for every season. I'd like that too. Does that mean more two-part podcasts? I'd be happier if the podcast were just extended to 90 minutes instead of its usual 50 to 50 minutes.

High five to Michael Rosenbaum for hosting a fantastic podcast for the last 22 weeks. He describes "Smallville" as the show that changed our lives, applying that not just to Tom and himself, but to the thousands of fans who grew up with the series. Speaking for myself, I wouldn't say that it changed me when I first watched it in the early 2000's. That was a transitional period in my life, and there were other things that had a bigger effect on me. I feel that the current re-watching has a bigger effect on me.

Tom Welling is fun to listen to. I have the impression that he hasn't grown up over the last 20 years. He still talks (and acts?) like a teenager. I say that as a compliment, because it also applies to me.

Ryan Tellez is the podcast's engineer, but he's also a blank slate alongside Michael and Tom. He didn't watch "Smallville" when it was new, so he's experiencing the excitement today. He's drawn into each podcast by the segment "Ryan's Favourite Scenes", but I wish he'd talk more. It's interesting to see his perspective as a new fan.

I didn't use this photo of the Talon in the first part of the podcast, because I suspected there wouldn't be a detailed play-by-play of the episode. Why be modest? If your cappuccino is the best, shout it out to the world.

Recently a friend of mine who serves coffee in the USA said that 75% of her customers don't know what a cappuccino is. I laughed about it, since I know exactly what it is, having drunk many cups of cappuccino in my company canteen in the 1980's. Then I took the trouble to look it up, and I've discovered that there are differences in cappuccino from country to country. In particular, the cappuccino served in Italy is different to the cappuccino in other countries.

Here's another view of the Talon from the episode. Being a refurbished cinema, it's easy to change the display several times a week. Graduation is coming up, but not for Lana. She's still in the 10th grade. Until now I haven't been aware of the passage of time in the first season, but Michael Rosenbaum helped me out in this week's podcast. He said that the season runs for five months from Homecoming to Spring Formal. Those are good dates to go by, especially if you're an American who knows the school calendar. It's slightly less than the seven-month broadcast time, from October 2001 to May 2002.

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