Sure, the name of the show is Smallville, and we didn’t even meet the Green Arrow until the sixth season of the show, but at this point, I think he’s the star of the show. I’ve said before that I have, in past seasons, had trouble following this show during the season, and I think I’ve finally admitted to myself the reason why. Clark Kent, as a separate character from Superman (or in this case, the Red-Blue Blur) is supposed to be plain, understated, mild-mannered even, but unfortunately, both of his personas on this show are just kind of boring.
Oliver Queen, on the other hand, doesn’t have that problem. He’s a much more compelling leading man than Clark, and these are the reasons why:
- Queen has better chemistry with every single woman on the show, including Chloe, but especially Lois.
- Lets face it, tortured rich boy is way more interesting than tortured farm boy.
- He’s not afraid to get his hands dirty: Have you seen Lex Luthor around recently?
- Cooler costume: Hey, Clark, Neo called and he wants his costume back.
- Better backstory with the resident quasi-bad girl: I’m not 100% sure Tess Mercer is all bad these days, but I am sure that her history with Queen makes for an interesting dynamic, where as Zod (bad ass, by the way) still hasn’t even met Clark yet.
- Better superhero name: Seriously, its time for “the Red-Blue Blur” to retire.
- Better Charity work: Did any of the people Clark tried to save wear boots like Mia did this week?
- Oliver is the reason the Justice League is around; Clark just left those guys blowing in the wind.
- I’m not going to say that Justin Hartley is the more interesting actor, but, Justin Hartley is the more interesting actor.
- Oliver has actually experienced change over the course of the show, while Clark still just feels like his trying to figure out what his place is on this planet (Which, if I remember correctly, has been the theme since the Pilot, right?).
I don’t expect them to change the name of the show anytime soon, but as long as they continue to focus on the Green Arrow and Oliver Queen, I’m sticking around.
Photo Credit: CW
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Clacked by Ivey West
on Oct 31, 2009 @ 12:36 EST5EDT
Yes, yes, yes! Couldn’t agree with you more. Oliver is a much more interesting character than Clark – he’s the main reason why I watch these days. Give the Green Arrow his own show and retire dull old Clark for good!
YES!!!!!!
Lois and Clark are the more interesting pairing to me. And that kiss! Woot!
“I’m not going to say that Justin Hartley is the more interesting actor, but, Justin Hartley is the more interesting actor.”
I would agree on points 1-8 & 10 that the Green Arrow is the more interesting character, but not J.H. as the more experienced actor …
I don’t know about Oliver Queen but Kent in the show is one of the worst characters of all time and probably THE worst protagonist ever. I can’t think of a single good aspect of his character. He is whiny, stupid, judgmental, insecure, not aware of his priorities, should I go on? I really miss Kent/Superman we know and love. I also never liked Chloe and Lana. Lana is maybe supposed to be that way (remember Annette O’Toole’s Lang), but other two (Kent and Chloe) are insufferable. I remember the time Angel was crushing Smallville’s ratings, yet it’s still on. I think this show will place itself as the exact opposite of “Firefly” in tv history books…
Superman in general is a very boring character. He’s both morally superior and basically invincible — there is no room for character development of any real quality. All that is left (both in comics, movies, and shows including this one) is to overcome emotional obstacles (fitting in, girl troubles) and to overcome the baddies which he of course eventually will. It’s kind of boring because there is no moral ambiguity or real risk that the character will suffer.
I love Smallville and I like Oliver, But the show is about Clark and it can really be exciting if they take the gloves off of Clark and let him be Superman already.
Considering the show has made Oliver Queen into as close an approximation of Bruce Wayne as is humanly possible, is it any wonder that The Blur comes off poorly in comparison?
As for Clark, I’ve always felt that he has better chemistry with every other woman on the show (including one-off characters) than Lois. Watching them try to simulate attraction between the two this year is as painfully awkward as it was on season 5 of Stargate Atlantis.
Well chemistry is a very subjective thing so I have to disagree there. But Clark being not as interesting as Oliver is to be expected. Oliver has been made into a proto-version of Bruce Wayne,who is a far more dynamic character than Clark. It’s just the nature of the character. He’s not a brooding, gloomy character regardless of his dark turn in the beginning of this season.
I thought the actors for Clark and Lois had very good sibling chemistry in the previous seasons: plenty of verbal sparring with just a hint of their future romance. I don’t think they’ve been good enough to transform that into the pining, puppy love that we’ve seen since last season. That’s why I compared them to McKay and Keller, where a similar shift was written to occur, regardless of the chemistry.
It seems the writers aren’t content to let the actors sell it either, because Chloe, Lana, Oliver and every other guest star must point out their obvious, overwhelming love for each other to them again and again.
Blame the writers, pure and simple. I have had far too many comic purists point out everything that is wrong with this show (mostly the story), yet I have watched it for nine years. “Smallville” averages a good six solid episodes that advance the story per season and the rest is just filler.
Anywho, (I didn’t forget this was about Oliver), while I LOVE to watch Green Arrow, it’s not a show about Green Arrow so we have to just plug away with the (very dragging) Clark/Superman storyline. Blame Lois for the redonk “Red-Blue Blur” title.
While we’re on the Oliver subject, if that Mia chick turns out to be Speedy, I will NOT be happy. Does anyone know if she’s supposed to be Speedy?
Mia is listed to recur as Speedy on November 27 in episode 10, “Disciple.”