Smallville Producers on Aquaman, Engagements and All Sorts of Goodies

Alan Ritchson returns to Smallville this week as Arthur "A.C." Curry, a.k.a. Aquaman, with new wifey Mera in tow, and from the sounds of it, the King of Atlantis is about to make some major waves for Clark. Actually, based on our chat with executive producers Brian Peterson and Kelly Souders, fans are in for a flood of awesome in the upcoming weeks.

TV Guide Magazine: Let's talk Aquaman... What's the story behind his return?
Brian Peterson: Well, we've been wanting to bring Aquaman back for a while, and we just found that the right way to bring him back was with his wife Mera, because it really shines a light on Clark's relationship with Lois. It makes the story very much about Clark. But it's not only that. A.C. comes back at a time when he has really opposing views to Clark's as to how to handle the encroaching government witch hunt and censorship.

TV Guide Magazine: So we're gonna see A.C. stepping up to Clark?
Brian Peterson: Yes. We have a very explosive teaser.
Kelly Souders: It's full action!

TV Guide Magazine: Will we see scenes of Lois and Mera together?
Brian Peterson: We will.

TV Guide Magazine: They can be the Real Housewives of the DC Universe!
Brian Peterson: [Laughs] A little bit, but neither of them is really housewife-y. We do get a little bit of enlightenment as to A.C. and Mera's relationship, and how that impacts Lois.

TV Guide Magazine: So we've seen the ring. When can we expect the "on-bended-knee" moment.
Kelly Souders: Sooner than you think. It's gonna come out in the next three episodes. It will happen.

TV Guide Magazine: What about a wedding?
Kelly Souders: That's a little too soon to tell. We haven't gotten to break the end [of the series] yet.

TV Guide Magazine: Does the engagement have anything to do with Annette O'Toole's return as Martha?
Brian Peterson: There is a slight moment about Martha's return in there. She comes back for a couple different reasons. Her senator position comes into play more heavily.

TV Guide Magazine: Any talk of Perry coming back with her?
Kelly Souders: He is not coming back, although we would love to have him. But you will still have a sense of Perry in her episodes.

TV Guide Magazine: How fun is it that Tess is a Luthor, now?
Kelly Souders: Oh my gosh!
Brian Peterson: What's fun is that it didn't leak! We have been planning that forever, and the fact that we could keep it under wraps was a huge coup. It's more fun when you get to see it in the episode rather than read about it, you know? 

TV Guide Magazine: You could hear the screams around the Twitterverse. And this opens up so much for her.
Kelly Souders: It's definitely gonna be in the forefront of Tess' world for the rest of the season.

TV Guide Magazine: Will she come clean about her parentage?
Kelly Souders: Well, that's not so easy for her to do. [Laughs] We all know what everybody thinks about the Luthors, and she has felt the same way for a while now. Finding out that she is one them? Not the highlight of her day.
Brian Peterson: But we don't draw that out a long time. It kind of culminates in the "Luthor" episode.

TV Guide Magazine: Will she be going back to her bad self? Because we love her as an ally.
Brian Peterson: [Laughs] She has a very difficult struggle inside.

TV Guide Magazine: We'll take that, since it means more Cassidy Freeman, who has been awesome!
Kelly Souders: You should watch her in "Luthor." She is fantastic. I mean, you see every side of her.

TV Guide Magazine: And Tess had those great scenes with Oliver. Are you thinking of going there again?
Kelly Souders: A little love interest is coming back into Oliver's life, so it's going to be difficult for him to stray too far.

TV Guide Magazine: And is this Chloe?
Kelly Souders: This would be Chloe. [Laughs] Allison Mack is back in Episode 12, then a couple after that.
Brian Peterson: The flashback is in [the mid-season finale], "Icarus," and then in the next episode, she is back for the whole thing.

TV Guide Magazine: People will be so thrilled. How is the Darkseid story going to play into the New Year?
Brian Peterson: We've purposely kept that at a slow burn because we want to ramp it up in the second half of the season, because it works with the theme of how evil works: It does creep up on you. So it will play pretty significantly in the second half of the season.

TV Guide Magazine: So many people want to know if we'll see more of Lois as a reporter.
Kelly Souders: In the second half of the season, that comes more into play, because right now they have other things to deal with.
Brian Peterson: And there is a great scene in this week's episode, a great Lois reporter scene.

TV Guide Magazine: Will Clark ever go public?
Kelly Souders: That is what he is going to struggle with in the last half as he realizes that he isn't quite in the Clark Kent-Superman world yet. And we have a ways to go. It definitely weighs on him. The pressure gets really turned up on the whole JLA at the end of this run. It comes to a head in "Icarus," so it changes the game a little bit.

TV Guide Magazine: It's been so cool to see the show evolve. Do you have a favorite moment so far?
Brian Peterson: Well, it's like you just said. We love those first several seasons, which is why we try to go back either thematically or visually to those. But Clark is in such a different place now, it's hard to compare them.
Kelly Souders: But I have to say, the end of the 200^th episode is one of my favorites.

TV Guide Magazine: What's up with the suit?
Kelly Souders: Obviously, we all know it's in the Fortress and he knows it's there. But we have to say, the rumor that's out there right now, that he's going to be wearing it soon, we don't know where that came from. That is just a rumor. The quest is to earn it back.

TV Guide Magazine: Tom Welling has been killing it this season.
Kelly Souders: He just really has stepped up his game even further this year and it has been so powerful.

TV Guide Magazine: He's carrying the show, directed this week's episode and is executive producing Hellcats. I'm starting to think he's a superhero.
Kelly Souders: My theory is that he is a vampire and never sleeps. [Laughs]

TV Guide Magazine: How was he as a director this time around?
Kelly Souders: What's great is that Tom loves to direct. It gives him a chance to step out of his daily routine and sink his teeth, creatively, into a bit of a new world. He absolutely loved it.

TV Guide Magazine: Can you give us one tease for what we can look forward to coming up?
Kelly Souders: Wow, that's a big one. I think Clark and Lois will be evolving, possibly into places people aren't expecting. And as far as Clark Kent goes, we are going to see some really great moments that bring us back to the Clark Kent we know from the DC universe. There are some great moments coming out of the comics and movies, ones we loved growing up.

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