Smallville Scoop, Part 1: Chloe's Challenges and More!

There's so much Smallville action coming up in Season 8 (premiering Sept. 18, at 8 pm/ET) that TVGuide.com broke its Q&A with three of the executive producers into two parts. First up, Darren Swimmer shares a look at new developments for Chloe, ponders Clark's heritage, and hints at more guest stars from other Superman productions. - Michael Maloney
TVGuide.com: Fans are thrilled that Allison Mack (Chloe) is back this season. With Lana no longer a regular character on the canvas, might the door open for a Clark/Chloe romance?
Darren Swimmer: Jimmy has asked Chloe to marry him. We'll find out the answer to that question early on in the season. Chloe's love for Clark will never go away, but [those two] as a couple this year is pretty unlikely. All the "Chlark" fans out there will have to keep waiting.
TVGuide.com: Chloe has always been Clark's "go to" person when things get tough.
Swimmer: And that will continue. There are some changes ahead for her and some challenges she's going to face. There are also some romantic twists she'll deal with this year. She's definitely not going to be wanting for a date - [but] it may not be Clark.
TVGuide.com: Will we continue to see Chloe's meteor-freak powers?
Swimmer: She has powers, but they've changed. They won't manifest in the same way that they did before.
TVGuide.com: Chloe has struck such a chord with viewers that there's even fan fiction out there that has Lois dying and Chloe taking her cousin's name so that she would wind up becoming the woman in Clark's life.
Swimmer: Yes. There is that theory that Chloe is Lois, but she is not Lois. Lois is Lois, as crazy as that may seem. We hear the fans and we understand where that comes from. But unfortunately, it's not the way that the show is going.
TVGuide.com: Are you influenced by fan response on the Internet?
Swimmer: We definitely hear what the fans say and we can't help but be influenced by it, but I don't think that we're guided by it in the sense that we let it dictate anything, obviously. I don't think that fans would necessarily want that either. But we read it and we're in touch with what the fans are saying. They're our core fans. I think sometimes when somebody says they don't like something they still may find it entertaining, so we have to gauge how much of that is a response to the characters or a response to the way the story is being told.
TVGuide.com: Little touches like Chloe giving Jimmy a bowtie are a nice nod to fans who are familiar with the comic.
Swimmer: Yes. It's a year of challenges that Jimmy's going to have to go through. Chloe's going to have to go through them. Clark will, too. It's the year of "double identity." That's the theme. Clark's starting to understand he's got to have a double identity or he's not going to be able to move on with what his destiny is.
TVGuide.com: Might we see Clark with trademark dark-rimmed glasses?
Swimmer: No. [ Pauses] Well, we may, but it won't be in the way that [you might expect].
TVGuide.com: We saw lots of Clark's Kryptonian background last year with his cousin Kara, mother Lara and Uncle Zor-El. Will we be seeing more of that influence this year?
Swimmer: I think we're moving away from the Kryptonian story. Last year we focused a lot on that and aspects of Clark's past. Clark can't escape his Kryptonian roots and that's definitely going to come back and haunt him this season, but this year will be more about moving forward with his destiny as becoming Superman in a way that we've never done before.
TVGuide.com: Helen Slater, Dean Cain, Margot Kidder. So many actors from other Superman film and TV adaptations have guest-starred on Smallville. Do you have a wish list for this season?
Swimmer: Well, there's very few people left at this point [we haven't used]. We'd love to bring some of them back, but it's too early to talk in terms of scheduling. We're grateful to have had a chance to have all these great actors visit our show.
TVGuide.com: You're going into Season 8. Does it feel like there's no end in sight?
Swimmer: It's too soon to say. Eventually, Clark is going to become Superman, but he still has a ways to go before that happens. As long as the show keeps going, we want to see [his journey] continue.
Later this week, in Part 2: Smallville exec producers Brian Peterson and Todd Slavkin talk about the other friends (Lana!) and foes (Lex!) in Clark's life, and what their roles will be in Season 8.
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