Finale (Smallville)

"**Finale**"
"Finale"
Smallville episodes
	The final shot of the episode (lower) was modeled after iconic scenes from the Christopher Reeve Superman films (upper).
Episode nos.	Season 10; Episodes 21 and 22
Directed by	Kevin G. Fair (Part 1); Greg Beeman (Part 2);
Written by	Al Septien; Turi Meyer (Part 1); Kelly Souders; Brian Peterson (Part 2);
Production codes	3X6020 (Part 1); 3X6022 (Part 2);
Original air date	May 13, 2011
Running time	84 minutes
Guest appearances
	John Schneider as Jonathan Kent; Annette O'Toole as Martha Kent (Part 1 only); Steve Byers as Desaad; Christine Willes as Granny Goodness; Michael Daingerfield as Gordon Godfrey; Michael Rosenbaum as Lex Luthor (Part 2 only); John Glover as Lionel Luthor (Part 2 only); Aaron Ashmore as Jimmy Olsen (Part 2 only); Terence Stamp as the voice of Jor-El (Part 2 only);

"Finale" is the two-part series finale of the superhero television series Smallville, developed by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar. The episodes are the 21st and 22nd of the tenth season, and the 216th and 217th episodes overall. The finale originally aired on The CW in the United States on May 13, 2011. The first half was written by Al Septien and Turi Meyer, and directed by Kevin G. Fair, and the second half was written by showrunners and executive producers Kelly Souders and Brian Peterson, and directed by Greg Beeman.

The series follows the adventures of the young Clark Kent (Tom Welling) in the fictional town of Smallville, Kansas, before he becomes Superman. In the series finale, Tess Mercer (Cassidy Freeman) learns that the planet Apokolips is coming to destroy humanity, and that Oliver Queen (Justin Hartley) is under the possession of Darkseid. Meanwhile, Lionel Luthor from Earth-2 (John Glover) attempts to bring his deceased doppelgänger's son Lex (Michael Rosenbaum) back to life. Clark finally realizes his true destiny, just in time to stop Darkseid's arrival on Earth. The finale episodes feature a flashforward seven years into the future, revealing Clark's new superhero persona, Superman.

The episodes, written in advance during the fall of 2010, were conceived to successfully bring an end to the series. Peterson and Souders attempted to preserve the intended ending envisioned by Gough and Millar several years earlier. The episodes featured the return of several former series regulars, including John Schneider, Annette O'Toole, Rosenbaum, and Aaron Ashmore. In addition, Michael McKean reprised his guest role in an uncredited voice cameo. The episode contained several overt references, homages, and connections to previous Superman franchises, such as the films Superman (1978) and Superman Returns (2006).

Upon its premiere, the finale was watched by 3.35 million viewers. The episodes received generally positive reviews from commentators, many of whom felt that the series was successfully able to wrap up its story arcs. Rosenbaum's return was met with critical applause, but the artistic decision to not show Welling in the full Superman suit and instead to render Superman using computer-generated imagery (CGI) was met with negativity.