Interviews with Fans (Josiane)

 

After speaking to our great friend and Smallville fan Karen from the Australian outback last week, we will now be traveling half way around the world and arriving in Canada, British Columbia to be exact. This Canadian providence's motto is "Splendour without Diminishment." Well, this is exactly what you'll get from our next fan interview. She says what most of us feel but don't know how to express. Her name is Josiane Ochman, and as you will see, she is a loyal Smallville fan. She is very passionate and outspoken, and I know you will all love her story.


SVF: Hi Josiane, thank you so much for lending us a little bit of your time. We already know you are a fan of Smallville, because we follow you on twitter, but we really don't know "you," tell us about yourself...


Josiane - First of all I would like to thank you Josue for asking me to do this. It gives me the opportunity to talk about one of my favorite shows on television and that show is unquestionably Smallville but first a little bit about me.
I was born in Marseilles, France but have lived in Canada most of my life, first in Montreal, then Vancouver and now Summerland, British Columbia. I was a teacher full time for many years but right now I'm only teaching part time and only in one school.
I am an avid traveler. I've been to some of the world's hot spots, like Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kashmir, Lebanon, and Syria to name a few. Those trips were when I was feeling truly adventurous, my recent travel experiences have been much more sedate, Central and South America and Mexico.
My first love has always been movies, I'm an ardent cinephile and I love to explore movies which are the product of different cultural realities. I don't mind subtitles at all. I love anything and everything which has to do with words and language, reading, writing, poetry, music. My taste in music is very eclectic, I don't have a particular genre of music or film that I prefer over another.
I'm very happily married and my husband tolerates what he terms to be "my childish infatuation" with Smallville. He really doesn't mind although he's sometimes resentful of the inordinate amount of time I spend on the computer, a technological tool which he seriously mistrusts. Our daughter ,who now lives in France, is much more supportive of my obsession even if she doesn't understand it either. Generally in my family I've always been regarded as a little "loca" but in a fun way, so nobody is ever overly critical of my crazy ways.

　

SVF: How long have you been a Smallville fan? Or, how did you become a fan?

I've only been a true fan of Smallville for the last three years, and it's sort of bizarre how it happened. We were traveling in South America, backpacking, and South Americans, in general, appear to like the show very much. We never stayed in fancy hotels but we usually had T.V. with cable and every so often Smallville would be on. I started watching it there a bit more religiously. We even had to time our leaving and arriving somewhere for when I knew Smallville would be on, like I said a little "loca".

SVF: Wow

Don't worry we did plenty of other stuff as well but that's more or less how it started. When we got back home I started renting the season 5 DVD's, season 6 wasn't out yet but then I started thinking, this is silly, why not start at the beginning and that's when I rented season 1, then 2, then 3 you see where this is going. That's really when my love affair with Smallville blossomed. In fact I would finish renting all the seasons and start all over again which is when I decided to just buy all of them because it was costing me more money to rent them over and over again. Furthermore, the clerks were kids I taught and they were starting to seriously wonder about my sanity or lack thereof, I had to put a stop to that nonsense although they were probably right to wonder.

　

SVF: So, how did you feel about the show switching over to Fridays?

I was worried about the move to Friday, not so much in terms of my own viewing habits since, at that point, I didn't have a digital box and didn't have access to the CW channel. I was concerned about Smallville being able to not only maintain but perhaps attract new viewers to the show.

None of us knew whether Smallville would be renewed for a tenth season so that was definitely a legitimate concern. 

SVF: Yes, that concerns us all too! We were all in the edge of our seats about that!

Furthermore, the lack of publicity regarding the move and Smallville, in general, was also concerning and continues to be a concern even though the show has been renewed.

I do feel that it deserves a wider audience than the numbers it's been generating on Friday nights which has typically been the time slot where shows go to die. Luckily for us fans that hasn't happened. I did notice that the WB which owns the CW and is the station in Mexico and South America where Smallville is shown takes a little more care and attention in advertising the show. It would be wonderful if the CW started doing the same thing here. Smallville deserves it.

　

SVF: Yes it does! OK, another question. Tell us, what is it that you look forward to the most when you sit down to watch a new episode of Smallville?

I always look forward to a new episode of Smallville and positively hate the breaks which, I know, are inevitable. I'm always curious to see how the stories that have been put in motion will be played out. I guess I love most everything about the show although I can also be extremely critical of some of the story lines but more on that later. If Smallville isn't on I feel like my week is somehow incomplete. I love the plots (most of them), the characters (especially Clark), the setting (although I miss more outside shots) the dialog (not always) but mostly I love that Smallville is its own special universe, distinct although beholden to the comics. What keeps me interested in the series is the creative liberty which has been utilized so well in re imagining

this most quintessential of stories, the beginnings of Superman. It is that story which keeps me glued to my screen every Friday night although I also enjoy the interaction between the characters and in particular the interaction involving Clark and Lois. After all who doesn't love a great love story and their story has become an integral part of my enjoyment of the show. In short it's difficult to nail one single thing that I look forward to regarding each and every episode it's more a combination of all of the above including, of course, the sheer entertainment value, the beauty of the performers, Smallville probably has one of the best looking casts on T.V., the music by Lou Febre which punctuates the action so well, the direction and the special effects when they are well executed. It's also a totally private time, I don't enjoy watching Smallville with anybody else unless you're a true fan and I can't stand having any interruptions while watching it which is why my husband gets relegated to the basement, mean I know but he can handle it.

SVF: Who is your favorite character of the show? And why?

　

My favorite character is Clark and I consider myself a Clark advocate. (SVF: YAY!) The story lines have not always been kind to Clark, he's too often neglected at the expense of other less worthy, more episodic characters which is really a shame since what could be more captivating than a super being from another planet growing into his powers and using them for the good of mankind?

It's more of a rhetorical question than a question which requires an answer because I do feel that the answer is self-evident and sometimes the show runners and the writers forget whose story it really is or only allude to it in a tangential, dare I say almost incidental kind of fashion.

Clark is my favorite not only because Tom Welling is a wonderful Clark but also because he represents hope, kindness, empathy, selflessness and these are all qualities which I greatly admire.

We live in a mostly dysfunctional, cynical world and Clark represents the antithesis of all that.

What I admire most in his particular journey is the notion that someone possessing these truly amazing gifts would not seek to use them for his own selfish gain. Clark's journey has not been without pain or mistakes and his journey is far from over but overall he has remained true and profoundly dedicated to those basic ideals instilled in him by his nurturing parents. To me that is the true axis of the show and the one thing that must always remain as its very foundation.

SVF: What would you change about Smallville if you could and why?

Casting a look back on all the various seasons of Smallville and if I were in a position to change anything about the show I would like the emphasis to be always placed squarely on Clark and his journey. I do realize, however, that people watch Smallville for a whole host of different reasons and it's difficult to please such a diverse fan base. Nevertheless arch nemesis of the likes of Lex and Lionel Luthor (in his earlier devilish incarnations) have been hard to replace. In order for a hero to grow and progress he must have, he deserves in fact, a worthy opponent, one that will test his mettle and his intelligence as well as his strength. Therefore I would like greater emphasis placed on the development of a villain which could more ideally fit into that mold but never at the expense of Clark's journey towards self-realization. Adding a little comedic flair never hurts either since it can't always be all angst in Clark's life but comedy, in order to succeed, has to be extremely well written with tight emphasis on sparkling, witty dialog. It's a tough balancing act in a show about young Superman and not always easy to achieve.

The myth of the solitary hero has been an enduring and seductive motif throughout literature and film. As fascinating as a character of that nature might be exploration of such a character is ill suited to the medium of television programming which essentially comes at you in forty plus minute episodes and moves rather quickly. What has been missing and hampered our knowledge of and insight into Clark has been the absence of real allies in his life. Clark is too often left to stand alone. The friendship and tenderness which were the hallmark of his relationship with Chloe have been mostly absent this season and his relationship with Oliver has too often been marred by discord and disagreement. It's true that Lois is ideally placed to fulfill that role but then it will become imperative that she learn Clark's secret and soon. Irrespective of Lois Clark might need, not a mentor per say, but someone to help guide him in shaping these final, crucial stages of his development. Far too often we don't know what Clark is thinking or what he's basing his decisions on because he's never allowed to share with anybody and that leaves the viewer in a position where one is always trying to infer what Clark is thinking rather than being told and shown in a more simple, straightforward manner.

SVF: How do you feel about the Smallville forums, communities and sites that are out there?

One of the bonuses of being totally addicted to a show like Smallville is discovering the myriad of communities out there equally devoted to that show. Prior to Smallville I had never joined a fan based community whereas now I belong to three and that's in addition to Twitter which has proven quite adept at ferreting out those devotees from all over the world. Since no one in my household or immediate network shares my passion for the show these fan based communities have been instrumental in keeping me not only interested in the show but have also allowed me to forge connections and friendships across national and international boundaries. It's really nice to bask in this feeling that you're not alone out there and that others feel as passionately as you do. Sharing the Smallville experience has become a very important part of my life.

SVF: How do you feel about the direction season 9 has taken?

Season 9 started out very promisingly. Although Clark was not initially featured as prominently as I would have liked HIS story was still central to the plots being put in motion. He was the sun around which the other planets revolved to use an hopefully apt metaphor. The exploration of Clark's nascent feelings for Lois, Lois' visions which would be finally be explained in Pandora, the introduction of Zod and Tess' connection to him, Chloe and her role as Watchtower, these were all engrossing and engaging story lines. However since the season has returned from the first break I haven't been as thrilled as I might have been with the episodes that have been featured. Zod has only just started to emerge as the arch villain worthy of an opponent such as Clark, Tess' motivations remain ill defined, we need to understand her better, Lois and Clark have made a romantic commitment of sorts to each other but their relationship needs to gather a little bit more momentum than it has of late. I'm also worried that Clark will not be vindicated at season's end and that he will have to, once again, bear the burden of the decision which the writers have knowingly imposed on him. I hope that won't be the case because if Smallville is to end at a 10th. season there isn't much wiggle room left to advance and mark the end of his journey. Clark having to swallow another "mea culpa" is not something I would be looking forward to. The above criticisms do not in any way diminish my enjoyment of the show, they are proffered out of love and my desire for the show to be the best that it can possibly be.

SVF: I always ask this, but how would you like see Smallville end?

From my perspective Smallville has always been about the BECOMING, "life is a journey grasshopper". I will be satisfied with an ending which truly indicates that the becoming, as far as this part of the journey is concerned, has now ended. Clark finally taking to the sky would certainly be a great signifier that the end is near and that he's well on his way to becoming the Superman we know and love. However flying is probably one of the most expensive special effects to carry out and in a show that is underfunded there might be some financial impetus to withholding that special effect for as long as it's logically possible. Certainly flying carries it's own inevitability as it is part and parcel of the sacred canon in the Superman universe and I, as so many other fans, would love to see Clark fly. The wearing of the costume is a whole other issue and it may be heretical to state this but I don't necessarily want to see Clark wearing the iconic Superman suit. Costumes which may work wonderfully on the comic page sometimes have a difficult time not appearing ridiculous when real people put them on, no matter how great looking they might be. Furthermore I've always felt that the Superman costume is especially unflattering, Green Arrow at least wears leather which is a whole lot sexier than spandex can ever hope to be. Irrespective of the costume debate I don't believe that the costume makes the hero. In my eyes Clark has earned his hero stripes many times over and he doesn't necessarily need to wear The Costume in order to prove that he's finally arrived. I'm hoping for something a little more subtle, yet equally significant, to indicate the arrival of our very own Smallville Clark Kent to that sacred pantheon of super heroes. An ending like that will make me more than happy.

　

SVF: What would you say to the actors, and writers of the show that may be reading this?

To all the actors, screenwriters, producers, special effects and makeup department, music composer and anybody else involved in the show, which I might have neglected in naming, thank you very much for your effort, commitment, dedication and enthusiasm. It's because of you that I look forward to a show that is beloved by so many, you have given us 9 glorious years with one more season to come and that in my book is a definite win win, no losers in sight.

It has been a wonderful privilege and experience sharing this Q&A with you Josiane! You are a true fan of Smallville and it shows. We look forward to staying in touch and sharing all the Smallville adventures that lie ahead together. 

Posted in: Smallville