"Smallville"
Arctic (2008)

Director:

Todd Slavkin

Writers:

Alfred Gough (creator)
Holly Henderson (writer)

TV Series:

"Smallville" (2001)

Original Air Date:

15 May 2008 (Season 7, Episode 20)

Genre:

Drama | Sci-Fi

Plot:

Clark feels that Kara is under the effects of red kryptonite when he discovers that she is the reason...

Plot Keywords:

One Word Title | Shipper | Young Versions Of Characters | Best Friends | Wet Jeans

Cast

Tom Welling	...	Clark Kent
Michael Rosenbaum	...	Lex Luthor
Kristin Kreuk	...	Lana Lang
Allison Mack	...	Chloe Sullivan
Erica Durance	...	Lois Lane
Aaron Ashmore	...	Jimmy Olsen
Laura Vandervoort	...	Kara Zor-El
James Marsters	...	Milton Fine
Robert Picardo	...	Edward Teague
Ari Cohen
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
John Glover	...	Lionel Luthor (credit only)
Adam Lolacher	...	DDS Agent

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Certification:

USA:TV-PG

Trivia:

This is Michael Rosenbaum and Kristin Kreuk's final appearances as regular cast members.

Goofs:

Factual errors: At the end of the 7th Season Finale when Lex and Clark are at the Fortress, it is dark. However, in May, on the North Pole, it would be light all day long.

Not the best Season Finale, but Epic in parts

'Arctic' does not represent the finest Smallville finale the show and its fans have ever seen, but it does enough to leave viewers intrigued as to how Season 8 will conclude what has been left in this episode.

Kara suspiciously persuades Lex to travel to the Arctic with the knowledge that the cube-like object created by Kryptonians will protect him. Clark discovers that BrainIAC was in fact personifying his cousin, and Kara is really trapped in the Phantom Zone, a place where he once occupied for a short while. Once BrainIAC sends his best friend Chloe into a comatose state, he makes a confrontation with perhaps his most difficult foe. However, a quickly-becoming greater foe in his former friend, Lex, discovers that the Traveler is in fact Clark.

Lex discovering that much of his father's love was diverted for Clark's sake, is an epic moment that comes at the end of the show. For the character's sake, it was good to see important elements come into play, story-wise: Lana's break up with him, once she has been freed from her comatose state; Lois' increased affections for him; and his willingness to step up for his friends who have been potentially ruined by one of his foe's actions.

The episode is full of special effects; it's obvious that the Smallville creative team saved much of their budget for this episode. However, it lacks the fire that all of the other Smallville finales have had, especially with the prior knowledge that Lex's portayer Michael Rosenbaum will not be around for the show's final season. That potentially causes some big problems, as far as the story resolution goes with regard to Clark and Lex's confrontation in the Fortress of Solitude.