That cap is so much easier to see. I honestly couldn't see Chloe in the preview. It looked like a withered up, shirtless man to me. I was so confused.

I don't think so, AM4Lois. With Brainiac running things, Super!Chloe is likely to be invulnerable - never in a million years could Normal!Chloe hoist Clark above her head.

I think it's a Brainiac stain as he's being sucked out of her.

And is it just me, or does Clark totally have his hand up her skirt in that pic? ;-)

I know, I know, he's holding her leg to restrain her, but still...!

She also has it when lifting Clark up over her head which I assume comes before Clark cops a feel.

Maybe Chloiac put the hurt on Davis and made him bleed?

I think it could be Jimmy's blood from when Chloe held him at the end of Bride after Doomsday smashed Jimmy and before he took her to the Fortress.

Jimmy's blood, that make sense.

Official descriptions for Legion and Bulletproof are up on KSite.

Thanks EllyF. I feel so sorry for AM. Whoever writes the descriptions sure do like to ignore her-- You wouldn't even know that she is in "Bulletproof" and don't they also usually add something like "so and so also appears?". OTOH, wow, so Tess decides to reconsider her position at Luthorcorp?

Well, that's pretty much what it looked like in the trailer, too. Bummer. We hardly got enough evil Tess to matter:-(.

If I'm reading the "Legion" description correctly, the Legion comes back to help Clark with the Persuader, and Chloiac is simply a situation they run across while they're there, so they help him with that too.

The question I'm asking is why does the Persuader come back to attack Clark at this point of time? Who, what, where and when.

I do think Chloe's has something to do with this.

Well, I said she would. I said she'd betray Lex and go over to the Kent Cabal. Either that, or die. If I'm wrong, and this is all a scheme to make the Kent Cabal think she's on their side so she can be a kind of spy, more power to her. If she's sincere, I hope Doomsday kills her.

I doubt theres any Terminator style Kill Superman in the past storylines, maybe he's like Titan and just looking for a good fight...
Also could be a mistake by the Legion during battle that causes him to get sent back?

I just hope they explain whatever is up with the Persuader. I'll take any explanation as long as it's not just some random: "Here! One more bad guy for you to fight! Fight him!" Just give me a why that's plausible enough (Smallville standards are pretty low, I'll take anything) and I'll buy it.

A new legion trailer Here! New footage of Clana at Isis and Clark/Chloiac showdown. Thanks to christianjax for uploading it.

Wow. AM amazes me.
"Go ahead kill me." gave me shivers.
Lana is the new sidekick. Yippee..

Nothing different than when she was at Isis last year, especially since Chloe, Jimmy and Lois aren't available, and heaven forbid they let Clark research on his own.

Lol why is Lois in the clip? Didn't the promo department get the memo that she's not in the episode?

I expect AM to BRING IT in "Legion" and that's one of the main reasons I'm going to watch.



I know, right? :)

They're trying to keep her relevant, even though she doesn't show up in the next four straight episodes.



But, then, what would Lana do? :)

Heh. Or realize the world needs him.

From a storytelling standpoint, I can see why Clark needs to have another person there. How else to deliver lots of boring exposition? The problem is that AM is not around to make that exposition even remotely listenable. I think Exposition!Clana might rival Romantic!Clana for the boring belt.

I want to see this episode for AM alone. I'm also shuddering in evil glee at that "Go ahead... Kill me."

Whoa. AM owns all.

Thanx for the link. I'm really looking forward to Legion.

Hm. Based on that trailer, I have some disheartening spec. Judging from the trailer, it seems like the Legion is trying to persuade Clark to kill Chloiac ("If Brainiac survives..." etc.) If the Legion, which comes from the 31st century and presumably knows all the history between now and then, thinks that it won't cause any temporal paradox to the future to kill Chloe in the present - well, that means that Chloe is of no importance to history (either Superman's or the world in general). Which bodes ill for Chloe surviving much longer - or at least of being of any account in the future.

Doesn't the fact that the Legion + Clark save Chloe put a hole in that idea, though? The whole concept of the LoSH coming from the future to help Clark set things right and to separate Chloe from Brainiac seems to me to make her more important rather than less important, but YMMV.

I don't know. The Legion telling Clark, "If Brainiac survives, billions will die," the phrase "A hero must choose", and Chloiac ending with "go on...kill me," seems to me to indicate that there's a serious question in the episode whether Chloe will have to be killed to stop Brainiac. Of course, Clark will no doubt put his heroic foot down and insist the Legion do it the hard way by exorcising Chloe, but if the Legion thinks the simpler way is to kill Chloe to save many - then Chloe doesn't matter to history, may not fact be in it at all. Which saddens me.

You know the basic premise of Legion is there are all these kids who idealize the heroic thinking of the bygone heroes. They embraced romanticism and rejected pragmatic stagnation. If these hero fan boys are advocating sacrificing the innocent woman to stop Brainiac, the WFT of that will bother me more than their being unaware of a historical footnote about Chloe changing her name to Lois.

This is going to give me a headache, but screamin, maybe the Legion come from a timeline in which Chloe stayed Brainiac and therefore caused billions to die so that was Chloe's role in the future.

Clark messed with the timeline recently in a major way in "Apocalypse" and he just set up Brainiac to take over Chloe's brain fully in "Abyss" by emptying out her memories thereby creating space for Brainiac to take over in her brain.

Had Clark not done these things then maybe the timeline that exists for the Legion would have been different than they know it.

Clark exorcising Brainiac from Chloe could possibly make it so a past the Legion remembers (billions die) never happened which could mean it should never have happened. It was a bad future.

I don't see how the Legion telling Clark that billions will die if Brainiac survives necessarily means that they condone killing Chloe. The "A hero must choose" could be referring to Brainiac once again taunting Clark about not wanting to kill a la "Arctic".

It might be like with Vessel where Clark must "kill" Lex to stop Zod but is unable to so he "kills" Brainiac (IIRC). Brainiac might be taunting Clark because if he couldn't kill Lex, he certainly can't kill Chloe.

Ok, one thing from the BTS shots of Legion has me very confused: Why is Lana wearing her ruined dress from the party? I thought she's in the hospital and getting treated. If she's back, then why wear the same clothes (especially when they're ruined)?

I thought that this could be a direct addition to Bride but then remembered that Chloe was still gone in the hospital scenes. So WTF?

Maybe she got released from the hospital but didn't have a change of clothes?

I would think this is the most likely option. Clark hasn't changed, either and Legion takes place immediately after Bride. Also, I'm liking the look of the Legion themselves more and more.

I think that what it means is that on the future Brainiac was destroyed but Legion for some reason doesn't know the details so they assume that since there is not a Chloe Sullivan on their books Kal-El killed her. Now I said that as a Chloiser believing that the reason there is not a Chloe Sullivan is because when she changes her name to Lois Lane they won't be any records of her life after the Brainiac events wich means that Chlois will happen soon, YMMV.

K-site has a scan of a new article on Legion from TVGuide.com

http://www.kryptonsite.com/legiontvg-115.htm (thanks, Craig.)

It says that Axe Guy I Don't Care About comes to the present to "stop Clark from defeating Brainiac", so the Legion, does in fact, come to help stop Brainiac/cure Chloe, indirectly.

I'm disappointed that one of the Legion guys isn't actually wearing that fabulously gay pink outfit.

You & me both, Mari. They put him in a t-shirt in a Lexy shade of Purple and then zipped up a black jacket over it. I'm crushed.

On the up-side, said Black Jacket is covered in balls, so...;-)

Hahaha...Lex misses all of the good stuff.

From Ausiello's newest blurb. It really didn't have any spoilers in it so I'm commenting on them here. The rumor is that TW is close to resigning for a ninth season. In the spoiler thread a question was posed by a couple of people. As in how the hell are they going to be able to afford him for another season. One of the answers was a possibility that they might not resign ED as a way to get the funds they need to get him back. Another person mentioned that they wouldn't do that because they wouldn't want to lose her fanbase. I just wanted to comment that if this show can lose MR fans, KK fans, piss on the Chloe fans and still get relatively decent ratings, enough to get them another season then you can sure as hell bet that they could get rid of ED without worry.

But would she cost them much to re-sign?

I would kind of expect them to up her to 22 episodes. If they didn't I would have to think it a clear indication that they think a little of her goes a long way.

AM would probably cost them more for season 9 (though I think I remember reading she was signed for S9) than ED would because of how long she's been on the show. I think it would probably be more cost effective to get rid of AM and up ED to full time status because of how they continuously promote the show as "The Iconic Adventures of Cnosis: Destiny Edition."

Of course that begs the question of why didn't they do it for Season 8 but who knows.

Because they need someone who can actually act?

At this point given what we know about the contracts for AM via Omar's interview and that ED isn't resigned, the person they can make the most money off of dropping at this point is actually ED; to drop AM would mean breaking and paying off her contract (costly). ED has seniority over much of the other cast as shocking as that seems to me, and they could actually recoup quite a bit by following Angel Cohn's advice and letting her go.

Unfortunately, I can't see them doing it even with the cost savings after doing so much to convince everyone we're watching Twuest Twue wuv. Of course, by eliminating Urkel, they might be able to focus on real plots and storylines instead of figuring out how to shoehorn her lame comic relief self in. Then again, with this show we know where their true heart lies (hint: it's not about quality). I can imagine them trying to get rid of JH before ED.

Another possible option is to eliminate Tess and Davis and start with a new villain who would be cheaper than a second season CF or SW.

If there is a season 9, I'd still rather it be a shortened season rather than another 22 episodes of this.

I think the consensus behind the scenes is that this season's good ratings are due in no small part to the increased emphasis on Lois and the development of her relationship with Clark. So it's more likely they'll dump Chloe's irrelevant ass and promote Lois to a full 22 episodes.

I agree with this. AM is very unlikely to leave the show after they went to all the trouble of signing her for two seasons. However, like CTUN, I think it's unlikely that they will cut ED entirely. That would anger fans they seem to have been actively courting. Then again, I don't see why they'd feel a need to up her, either. The viewers are accustomed to her only being there for thirteen episodes, and seem to continue watching whether she's there or not. Moreover, the writers can't even manage to fit her into the episodes she's in without resorting to silly contrivances, not to mention having her actually play other characters like Faora. I think they'll try to resign her for the usual amount, personally, because I don't think they'd have a clue what to do with her for a full season.



I like JH, but I don't think they've figured out what to do with him this season, either. (Besides, the plane set is getting ridiculous.) He doesn't seem to fit well into the current plotline, so I think cutting JH would be a very sensible thing for them to do.



I think they could eliminate one, and have only one villain. It would be cheaper, and would help focus the show a bit. I like Davis better, but he's something of a one-note villain (he turns into a monster and kills people, which could get redundant in every episode)-- it might actually work better to keep Tess around. But if she's going to be a real villain, they need to write her as one, and leave all the lame romance stuff out of it, IMHO.

Unlikely. AM is already signed for Season 9, so cutting her loose would cost the network considerably because they'd still have to pay her. ED's not signed for Season 9, and she only does half a season as it is, so from their standpoint, it isn't Chloe's ass that's irrelevant here.

This season's ratings haven't been considerably better or worse than they have since Season 6 or thereabout. I would think that the writing in of Mercy & Doomsday to compensate for the loss of Lex & Lana has played a major part in keeping viewing figures steady.

I agree. In fact, if you compare apples to apples (the first parts of seasons 7 and 8) it seems to me that ratings are slightly lower, although it's hard to tell for sure. Certainly the premiere's ratings dropped quite a bit from the previous season. The ratings dropped significantly in the second half of season 7, of course, but the second half of season 8 may well do the exact same thing-- the second part of a season typically suffers a drop in ratings.

At any rate, I don't think there's any support for the idea that ratings for this season have been spectacular. They've held reasonably steady, though, and I think that can be at least partly attributed to the addition of the two villains (particularly Doomie, who is a major canon villain), which has done a lot to keep interest up despite the loss of two main actors. In short, I find it unlikely that anyone associated with the show or network is being blown away by the ratings, or attributing the steady ratings to any one specific arc. There are lots of factors here.

That, to me, is a powerful argument for cutting ED's character out if there's a next season. Not that I think it's likely, b/c I agree TPTB have been bending over backwards to pander to EDLois and Clois fans this year, but I'm not sure she'd be necessary to prop up the ratings. IMO, they'd be more likely to re-sign her for financial reasons (ED wouldn't cost as much to keep), and possibly b/c they don't want to waste the pimpage they did for her this year.



I agree that Dooms and Tess have helped keep up the viewership this year, which is why I think TPTB would probably do everything possible to hang on to both of them. Getting rid of either one, imo, would be a major risk for the show. If Tess goes, they lose all the buildup about the dangers of the Luthor dynasty that they spent eight years developing. And if they decide to write off Doomsday, they'd have to have the big fight between Clark and Davis/Doomsday this year--and how do you top that?

The main arc of the season (albeit a shitty and confusing one) has been Chloe's Brainiac infection, followed by the Davis stuff, to which Chloe is also heavily tied so I certainly can't agree that Chloe is irrelevant. However, I don't believe that Nois'll be dumped in a possible S9 either. If not because the rest of the cast will be bored if there's no Clois to pimp, but because it's clear that the network wants their T&A girl and clearly AM doesn't seem to measure up. I've been making my way through S5 and last night was "Splinter," and I just can't believe how voluptuous and beautiful and fresh AM looked (I'm totally convinced that they stuck her in turtle necks in S6 and gave her bad hair to ugly her up by the way, because S5 Nois looks like roadkill in comparison). I'll always view S5 as the last and best chapter.

Honestly, I'd love nothing more than to see ED cut out, but I'm not even going to consider that as a possibility.

I'd like to see some sort of viewer poll that'd clarify how much of the audience has been hanging on since S1 and what percentage of viewers were lured in by the Clois pimping and a chance to watch L&C 2.0. I know that a lot of the original fanbase has defected, but I really would like to see numbers. I certainly don't want to make generalizations, but I have to guess that most people who've been genuinely invested since the early seasons cannot really appreciate the quality of S8. Chloe vs. Nois, Chlark vs Clois aside, I just don't believe that the show has been delivering any really amazing moments.

I really hope that S9 doesn't happen.

As I have said before, I wish they would write Chloe out. Then, there would not even be a pretense that this show has anything to do with Smallville and I would have no reason to waste my time on it.

This whole topic of S9 is depressing. I think a lot of viewers have stuck it out this season thinking it was the final season. S8 = being in a race and being tired, but seeing the finish line. With the end in sight, it seems silly NOT to just keep on going and finish the thing out after having already stuck it through a long time. The idea of *another* season is like someone removing the finish line which begs the question - just how long are they going to drag this out? If S9 is possible, then is S10? Yikes.

As for who stays and who goes in *shudder* this hypothetical S9. AM is already signed for it which is why I am not stunned that S9 is possible. TW knows AM would be stuck in it with him. People can influence each other. Whatever AM said or thought to rationalize signing for S9 may be allowing TW to also think S9 wouldn't be so bad...which to me, is *head desk* but whatever. Maybe they won't be able to meet TW's demands *hopes* bc if they do, then TW and AM will be in S9.

Sam Witwer already said they're trying to figure out how to keep him around if S9 happens. He's amazingly talented so I am not surprised, however that means Doomsday probably won't be killing Superman this season when that was easily set up as the BIGGEST draw of S8. So now what is there to look forward to in S8 with Dooms? He and Clark get catty with each other and talk smack about each others' mamas until they cry? Yeah, that makes up for the fight to death everyone was expecting.

Justin Hartley isn't going anywhere unless he doesn't want to re-sign. He's hunky and willing to show his body and he's a superhero. Plus, he's going to own the DP so he fits in easily with the story.

Cassidy Freemon/Tess/Mercy is a total disappointment with her Lex betrayal, but they need someone to represent Luthorcorp as a baddie and if Lex isn't around who else can do it? Dooms is too primal a villain to sustain a dramatic story for two seasons alone. They need an evil mastermind. I guess they could introduce someone new? That might be cheaper.

I think Dinah would make a good addition to the show as a part time player. She would be an easy fit. She worked at the DP, she does JL stuff, she's pretty, tough and smart, plus, they could start playing up the attraction btw Dinah and Ollie. She has something to do.

As for Nois, it'd be nice if they would take Angel Cohn's advice and resolve to write Nois out of the show in 2009. Nois' presence is forced and contrived. The CW pimped LV/Kara like there was no tomorrow, she was put on the cover of the DVDs and *poof* she was let go at the end of S7. I will dare to dream.

That's debatable. I haven't anything in the outside media that supports that. The only people I read praising season eights direction are the staunch ED fans and thats a no brainer given that this season is pretty much catering toward them. They're not going to dump Chloe. The reason being is that when they renegotiated with AM they made sure they had her resign for two years. This would put her through a theoretical season nine, which will in fact be the last year if not this year.

I think SW won't be around next year. Like JA, he will be a one season character. He'll be killed off by the end of the season. I think they'll keep CF around because without MR they need a long term antagonist in some form and they'll be able to get her at a pretty cheap price compared to other actors.

They could dump JH but if it's true that the CW is partially paying his salary then that means the he doesn't cost the production as much as ED does.

As far as people they can let go in order to free up money for TW it comes down to either ED or JH. Both AA and AM are contracted for season nine. SW will be gone regardless and CF I think will be resigned because the show needs a villain that is connected with Lex.

I'm in total agreement with this, Massena. I, for one, have only been hanging on (barely) b/c I've watched since the premiere, and I'd like to think TPTB would have enough regard for their long-term fans to give us a meaningful payoff for the remaining two of the core four (TW and AM). They disappointed me hugely with the quickie sendoff for MR last season, and at this point, I am NOT willing to grit my teeth through another year of "Lois n Clark Lite" to see them do the same thing with AM. Even if AM and TW (and SW/Dooms) return for a season 9, I won't bother to watch it. Still less would I bother to watch the filler that the rest of Season 8 would become. All journeys must have an end, and SV's journey should have ended long ago. At least I hope TPTB decide to end it NOW, while the show still bears a passing resemblance to the show I fell in love with eight years ago.

Yes. My interest in "Legion" and the other episodes of S8 has dramatically decreased now that I no longer think they're gearing up for the end. Now, I have no expectation of anything meaningful happening bc they have a long pattern of stalling and failing to pay off storylines. I thought I might hang on for spoilers for the last 5 episodes. I figured I might be able to do that. A whole other season? I can't handle that much misery.