Cassidy Freeman in SMALLVILLE - Season 10 - "Dominion" | ©2011 The CW/Frank Ockenfels

Actress Cassidy Freeman has another hit series on her hands. The talented and beautiful young woman can currently be found on A&E’s top rated cable series LONGMIRE. In this series, Cassidy plays Walt Longmire’s (Robert Taylor) daughter Cady, who is a lawyer in a small town in Wyoming.

Before that show got up and running a lot of fans know her best as Tess from the long running CW series SMALLVILLE, and she did a guest star run on another popular CW show THE VAMPIRE DIARIES.

She spoke to ASSIGNMENT X recently about the end of SMALLVILLE and how she felt about the demise of her character and transitioning from bad to good on the series.

ASSIGNMENT X: How did you feel about the final episode of SMALLVILLE and Clark finally donning the Superman costume?

FREEMAN: I loved the final episode. It seems so long ago at this point, but it was just over a year. I remember reading it and almost crying because it was such a beautiful wrap up. There was a lot of pressure for the show runners. Ten years, such an iconic character, such a hugely loved and watched show; and they wrapped it up really well. I’m glad Tom (Welling) signed on for the tenth season because he really didn’t have to and I think it needed it. It was a beautiful bow.

AX: If all involved had been willing, do you think it could have gone for another season or two?

FREEMAN: I think that show could be like a soap opera and could go on for thirty years if it really wanted to. As long as we could find some kind of youth serum so none of us age. [Laughs] I think if it had gone on another season it would have been out of sadness and not wanting a show you love to end. I think it was the right time to wrap it up.

Cassidy Freeman and John Glover in SMALLVILLE - Season 10 - "Scion" | ©2011 The CW

AX: How did you feel about Tess’ ending?

FREEMAN: It was a big 180 at the end. I wasn’t supposed to die and then Michael Rosenbaum said he was coming back, and the producers told me I had to die. I thought, “OK”. To be honest I actually loved how she ended, because she was a martyr. I love that she played a part in the story that sets it up for how we know Superman; where the story picks up later with Lex Luthor not knowing anything about Clark Kent or Superman. I loved that she played that part and then kind of faded away again into the background of being dead. I think I died four times on SMALLVILLE. She floated away because she wasn’t a real character; she was an awesome mixture of two characters. I just love that it set it up so perfectly for how we know Superman after that.

AX: Did you like becoming a full time hero by the last season?

FREEMAN: Oh yeah! Hell yeah! Being a villain is fun, but you can only make that face for so long, and then you have to start smiling. It’s just movement. When I read a script, the first thing I look towards is whether or not the character changes at all. That’s what makes them interesting and human, because we’re all constantly going through change. So if a character has an arc, whoever it may be, if they start in one place and something inspires them to change and be something else that’s a story. So Tess to me was the most human character on that show; she came in one way and left a completely different way. Which I thought was awesome.

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Related: Exclusive Interview with LONGMIRE star Cassidy Freeman

Related: Review of the SMALLVILLE series finale

Related: SMALLVILLE Series Finale preview with Lex Luthor

Related: AX’s exclusive interview with Supergirl Laura Vandervoort

Related:  Exclusive interview with Erica Durance on the Season 10

Related: More reviews of SMALLVILLE – Season 10

Related: ASSIGNMENT X’s interview with executive producers Brian Wayne Peterson, Kelly Souders

Related: ASSIGNMENT X’s interview with Phil Morris on being the Martian Manhunter

Related: TV Review – LONGMIRE – Season 1 – “The Dark Road”

Related: TV Review – LONGMIRE – Season 1 – “Pilot” – Series Premiere

Related Link: Exclusive Interview with LONGMIRE producers John Coveny and Hunt Baldwin

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Article: Exclusive – Cassidy Freeman talks about the end of SMALLVILLE

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Stars: Tom Welling, Erica Durance, Justin Hartley, Cassidy Freeman
Writer: Al Septian & Turi Meyer
Director: Turi Meyer
Network: The CW, airs Friday nights
Original Telecast:  October 29, 2010

EDITOR’S NOTE: Even though SMALLVILLE is over, ASSIGNMENT X missed a few episodes during Season 10 and will be filling in the reviews during the summer as The CW re-airs the show.

CHILDREN OF THE CORN meets SMALLVILLE in this strange little episode called “Harvest.”

The episode finds Clark (Tom Welling) and Lois (Erica Durance) on a deserted road in the middle of nowhere where they get a flat tire (because someone put a spiked board on the road).

Anyone familiar with horror movies knows that this isn’t a good sign.

Lois is taken to a small Amish-like village as Clark stays behind and realizes he has no powers.

The truth is when the meteor show hit this area years ago as blue krytopinte showered this town. It made the citizens healthier than they’ve ever been and the crops more bountiful that ever – but they also took religious fanaticism to the extreme. When the village’s leader lost his daughter during this freak storm, he felt that in order to keep the bounty of health and riches, they needed to sacrifice someone new every year – and this year that person is Lois.

Meanwhile, Tess (Cassidy Freeman) is distraught that her little Lex clone Alexander is becoming way too much like Lex. His DNA memories are seeping through, resulting in him shaving off his hair by episode’s end. Pretty creepy.

Writers Al Septian & Turi Meyer do a good job of creating ample creepiness with the familiar horror conceit Lois and Clark find themselves in – and the pay-off at the end is actually quite good.

However, this is marginal stuff in an otherwise major season of Clark’s path to Superman. I wish the sacrifice stuff wasn’t so obvious and seeping of horror movie cliches. I do give the writers props for tossing in a CHILDREN OF THE CORN reference – so at least they know what they’re actually cribbing from, but it feels a little out-of-place in the whole SMALLVILLE universe of things.

One thing that has been interesting throughout Season 10, is the constant mixture of different styles and genres. One week it’s light, the next week it’s very super-hero comic-like, one week is romantic and this week it’s all horror.

“Harvest” is okay, just not great. Though, I have to say, I’m loving the constant costume changes Lois has had all season. In “Isis” she looked hot as a goddess, and yes, dressed in Amish-like get-up, Lois looked even hotter.

All hail Erica Durance, once again, for not only being super-attractive, smart, funny, but I’ve said it before, the ultimate Lois Lane.

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Click on link: AX’s review of the SMALLVILLE series finale

CLICK HERE to view the SMALLVILLE Series Finale preview with Lex Luthor

CLICK HERE for AX’s exclusive interview with Supergirl Laura Vandervoort

CLICK HERE for ASSIGNMENT X’s exclusive interview with Erica Durance

CLICK HERE for more reviews of SMALLVILLE – Season 10

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Tom Welling and Erica Durance in SMALLVILLE - Season 10 - "Isis" | ©2011 The CW/Jack Rowand

Stars: Tom Welling, Erica Durance, Justin Hartley, Cassidy Freeman
Writer: Genevieve Sparling
Director: James Marshall
Network: The CW, airs Friday nights
Original Telecast:  October 22, 2010

EDITOR’S NOTE: Even though SMALLVILLE is over, ASSIGNMENT X missed a few episodes during Season 10 and will be filling in the reviews during the summer as The CW re-airs the show.

It’s amazing how SMALLVILLE has really dove head-first into the Clark (Tom Welling) and Lois (Erica Durance) romance this year – particularly with the knowledge that Lois knows Clark is the Blur and Clark wanting to tell Lois he is the Blur.

It’s been a phenomenal song and dance and the chemistry between Welling and Durance is even more romantic and heartfelt than that of Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder from the SUPERMAN movies (sans the flying through the sky moment in the first film).

With “Isis” we get some major revelations and some more great Lois and Clark moments.

The episode has Lois being possessed by the goddess Isis (and looking hot in that skimpy white outfit) who instantly gives Lois super powers as she tries to bring her long lost love Osiris back from the dead. He’s now Lord of the Underworld, so in doing so, it could bring hell on earth.

Meanwhile, cub reporter Kat Grant (Keri Lynn Pratt) sees Lois possessed as Isis and is convinced she’s the Blur.

It provides some fun comic fodder as Clark and Oliver work together to find a way to stop Isis from taking over Lois’ body forever (and raising the underworld). They also bring in Tess (Cassidy Freeman) to help fill the void left by Chloe (Allison Mack). They still don’t trust Tess 100 percent, but by episode’s end they invite her to be part of Watchtower.

It’s an awesome moment, as it shows how much Tess has grown and how she so desperately desires to be a good guy.

Meanwhile, Tess finds her maternal instinct when it comes to wanting to love and raise the young, rapidly growing Lex clone.

The big part of this episode though is watching the cute back and forth Lois and Clark go through in wanting to reveal each others secrets – and the reveal at the end is as romantic as network TV gets. It’s another perfect moment between the two characters in a season already filled with perfect moments between those two.

And Durance is such a perfect Lois – she has really been given so much more range to showcase her mad skills this season. She does an excellent job acting like the Goddess Isis – even with her deeper voice inflections. It never feels false – it’s dead on perfect. And with the quirky Lois moments, she really has grown into this role and made it her own. She’s perfection and adorable  — plus Welling and Durance have chemistry which is a major plus as well.

“Isis” is a solid episode filled with wonderful comedic moments and the further evolution of the Lois and Clark romance. I’m liking how this is all coming together, and the writers have really given fans a great anchor arc for Season 10.

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Click on link: AX’s review of the SMALLVILLE series finale

CLICK HERE to view the SMALLVILLE Series Finale preview with Lex Luthor

CLICK HERE for AX’s exclusive interview with Supergirl Laura Vandervoort

CLICK HERE for ASSIGNMENT X’s exclusive interview with Erica Durance

CLICK HERE for more reviews of SMALLVILLE – Season 10

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Tom Welling and Erica Durance in SMALLVILLE - Season 10 - "Homecoming" | ©2010 The CW/Ed Araquel

Stars: Tom Welling, Erica Durance, Justin Hartley, Cassidy Freeman
Writer: Brian Peterson & Kelly Souders
Director: Jeannot Szwarc
Network: The CW, airs Friday nights
Original Telecast:  October 15, 2010

EDITOR’S NOTE: Even though SMALLVILLE is over, ASSIGNMENT X missed a few episodes during Season 10 and will be filling in the reviews during the summer as The CW re-airs the show.

The 200th episode of SMALLVILLE arrives with a very fitting story – tracing Clark Kent’s past, present and future in a sort of superhero version of A CHRISTMAS CAROL by way of IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE.

“Homecoming” features a distraught and disillusioned Clark hiding from the world both as himself and as the Blur. Meanwhile, his friend Oliver Queen (Justin Hartley) is carrying the brunt of the vigilante hatred on his shoulders now that he’s come out as the Green Arrow.

Lois (Erica Durance) who knows he’s the Blur, but hasn’t told him, wants to shake him out of his shell. She convinces him to attend his ten-year high school reunion. While there, everyone remembers him as the small-town farm boy who became the big football hero. Yet, it’s a bit too much for Clark – he has to face that Chloe is missing and Lana Lang is no longer with him.

Then former foe Brainiac (James Marsters) shows up. Clark is ready for a fight, but discovers that he’s from the future. Brainiac is now a good guy and part of the League – and wants to guide him along the right path so he can help Clark, like Clark helped him.

Brainiac shows him Pa Kent’s death and says he needs to let go of the past and stop hanging on to wanting to be able to save him. He sees the present with Oliver needing Clark, but Clark not being there. He also glimpses that Lois clearly loves Clark, but Clark keeping her at a distance because he doesn’t want what happened to Lana to happen to Lois.

And then it’s time for the future, where he sees what he becomes and how he and Lois are happily married – and she knows his secret. There’s even an homage to the first SUPERMAN movie with Lois endangered in a helicopter.

This starts to open up Clark’s world once again. He begins to see the positive and he now has the motivation to move forward in his life. The episode concludes with one of the most magical moments in the entire series. Since he and Lois missed the dance at homecoming, he puts a mirror ball at his place and has a special dance with Lois. As they begin to dance and live in the moment, Clark elevates Lois off the floor – and neither of them notice.

Writers Brian Peterson & Kelly Souders do an excellent job of paying homage to the last ten years of the series (there’s a nice nod to the freaks of the week), while also moving the Superman story forward for the series finale.

Director Jeannot Szwarc helms this episode, and he also does a fantastic job balancing the whimsical moments with the romance. This is definitely the best episode of the season so far. It also gives Welling and Durance a chance to bring Lois and Clark closer together. They’re such a great Lois and Clark, and they don’t get enough credit for making them their own.

SMALLVILLE once again proves, ten seasons in, that it still hasn’t lost the super power mojo that made it so special in the first place – and shows that the series is clearly going to go out with style.

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Click on link: AX’s review of the SMALLVILLE series finale

CLICK HERE to view the SMALLVILLE Series Finale preview with Lex Luthor

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CLICK HERE for ASSIGNMENT X’s exclusive interview with Erica Durance

CLICK HERE for more reviews of SMALLVILLE – Season 10

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Laura Vandervoort in SMALLVILLE - Season 10 - "Supergirl" | ©2010 The CW

Starring: Tom Welling, Erica Durance, Justin Hartley, Cassidy Freeman
Writer: Ann Cofell Saunders
Director: Mairzee Almas
Network: The CW, airs Friday nights
Original Telecast:  October 9, 2010

EDITOR’S NOTE: Even though SMALLVILLE is over, ASSIGNMENT X missed a few episodes during Season 10 and will be filling in the reviews during the summer as The CW re-airs the show.

It’s been awhile, but Clark Kent’s cousin Kara (Laura Vandervoort) returns to SMALLVILLE in “Supergirl” and guess what? Yes, she can now fly – much to Clark’s surprise. Jor-El has entrusted Kara with a task – to stop a dark force heading to earth. He felt Clark might get infected if he got too close.

This dark force (Darkseid) has already taken possession of a small-time radio host and superhero hater Gordon Godfrey (Michael Daingerfield). Using this mouthpiece to spread doubt and hate against the heroes, the episode focuses on Godfrey’s meteoric popularity rise in three short weeks.

Meanwhile, Lois (Erica Durance) is back in town and still harbors feelings for Clark – even though she knows he’s the Blur, but Clark, with all his super powers, still has no clue that she knows.

When Godfrey reveals to Lois that he knows Oliver Queen (Justin Hartley), her former boyfriend is the Green Arrow and he’s going to reveal it to the world, she has to find a way to stop Godfrey.

Lois first warns Oliver, who decides it’s time to come out from the shadows and reveal that he’s the Green Arrow (this is done in a similar way that Tony Stark revealed he was IRON MAN in that film, but in a less cocky and more somber way).

By episode’s end, Clark discovers that Darkseid could have possessed him, because he still contained doubt and that Kara did in fact save the day because she’s more pure at heart.

Lois still believes in the Blur though – and there are some wonderful moments as Lois dances around her knowledge of Clark’s secret life.

“Supergirl” is a wonderfully powerful episode filled with nods to the future Superman world, not to mention some great Kara/Clark moments (the best one involving her trying to teach him how to fly).

The direction by Mairzee Almas is quite good and even more stylish than a normal SMALLVILLE episode. When Lois is put into some weird deadly bondage contraption by Godfrey – it’s quite arty and super cool. Plus it’s Lois and bondage together – what more could you ask for?

SMALLVILLE certainly takes chances, and to create a world where superheroes have to hide their identities and be viewed as “vigilantes” (and hated by the general public) is definitely a clever and original direction. It adds a wealth of subtext and value to Clark’s journey and it also allows characters like Green Arrow and Supergirl to be a nice mirror to Clark’s own ultimate journey to becoming the Super hero we all know he’s going to become.

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Click on link: AX’s review of the SMALLVILLE series finale

CLICK HERE to view the SMALLVILLE Series Finale preview with Lex Luthor

CLICK HERE for AX’s exclusive interview with Supergirl Laura Vandervoort

CLICK HERE for ASSIGNMENT X’s exclusive interview with Erica Durance

CLICK HERE for more reviews of SMALLVILLE – Season 10

CLICK HERE for ASSIGNMENT X’s interview with executive producers Brian Wayne Peterson, Kelly Souders

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Michael Shanks and Erica Durance in SMALLVILLE - Season 10 - "Shield" | ©2010 The CW/Jack Rowand

Starring: Tom Welling, Erica Durance, Justin Hartley, Cassidy Freeman
Writer: Jordan Hawley
Director: Glen Winter
Network: The CW, airs Friday nights
Original Telecast:  October 2, 2010

EDITOR’S NOTE: Even though SMALLVILLE is over, ASSIGNMENT X missed a few episodes during Season 10 and will be filling in the reviews during the summer as The CW re-airs Season 10.

After a strong Season 10 premiere, SMALLVILLE gets a little small (and a little too cheesy) with “Shield.”

With Lois (Erica Durance) off to Egypt to serve on the Daily Planet’s foreign desk, Clark (Tom Welling) is playing the dutiful guy and letting her do her thing while still pining away. In the meantime, he has to deal with her replacement – the hero-hating Kat Grant (Keri Lynn Pratt) who feels that heroes shouldn’t be hiding their faces, they should be embracing it. She has a cheery disposition though, and even though Clark secretly saves her from the vengeful Deadshot (Bradley Stryker, she still stands behind her believes. Meanwhile, Clark discovers Deadshot has a bullet with his name on it – and he’s been the target all along. The question now is why?

Meanwhile, Clark has asked Carter Hall aka Hawkman (Michael Shanks) to look after Lois in Egypt, and she immediately figures out what’s going on. It also results in an awkward kiss between the two (more from Hawkman, less from Lois who gets pissed).

“Shield” is one of the many building blocks of Season 10 that lays the groundwork for Clark to come out of the shadows as the Blur and put on the tights to be Superman. There’s a lot of preaching on Kat’s end, and she certainly gets under Clark’s skin (and the audience too – enough already). Yet, it’s clear by episode’s end, Clark is starting to realize some of what she’s saying is right – it’s just there’s not much he can do at this point (give him another 20 episodes to figure it out).

The stuff with Lois in Egypt is kind of underwhelming and it goes absolutely nowhere (it feels more like building blocks for a pay-off later on in the season). After a slam-bang premiere, this is a layover episode – light on major plot developments, but weighted down with heavy-handed dialogue.

Even Oliver Queen (Justin Hartley) is a bit mopey as he discovers Chloe (Allison Mack) has completely wiped the records of her existence off earth – even though she leaves a note professing her undying love for him.

You can’t win them all, and SMALLVILLE hits a bit of a snag early in Season 10 with “Shield.” It’s not the kind of slam-bang episode you’d expect for the final season of the show, but at least the seeds of nudging Clark toward his destiny are in now getting some major attention.

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Click on link: AX’s review of the SMALLVILLE series finale

CLICK HERE to view the SMALLVILLE Series Finale preview with Lex Luthor

CLICK HERE for AX’s exclusive interview with Supergirl Laura Vandervoort

CLICK HERE for ASSIGNMENT X’s exclusive interview with Erica Durance

CLICK HERE for more reviews of SMALLVILLE – Season 10

CLICK HERE for ASSIGNMENT X’s interview with executive producers Brian Wayne Peterson, Kelly Souders

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Stars: Tom Welling, Erica Durance, Justin Hartley
Writer: Genevieve Sparling
Director: Mairzee Almas
Network: The CW, airs Fridays at 8:00
Original Telecast: December 10, 2010

One hour later after watching SMALLVILLE’s winter finale “Icarus,” and all I could think was, “what the hell?” And look, before I can continue, there’s no way to write this review without giving up spoilers, so consider yourself warned.

The episode starts with Clark (Tom Welling) proposing to Lois (Erica Durance). She accepts, heroes everywhere rejoice, and the episode seems doomed to fall into a sappy love fest with no depth. Then Oliver (Justin Hartley) gets his butt whooped while trying to protect a woman being mugged and all hell breaks loose.

Oliver is now the poster boy for vigilante violence, and Slade (Michael Hogan) is spearheading their persecution. The vigilantes, every last one of them, are forced to go into hiding. Even Watchtower is forced to shutdown Peripheral members of the team, like Lois and Tess (Cassidy Freeman) who are held for questioning by Slade’s people.

Season Ten is, of course, the last season, so SMALLVILLE has to go all out, but even I didn’t expect this. Clark seems to kill Slade, something I never thought I’d see him do, but the most shocking death is that of Carter Hall aka Hawkman (Michael Shanks). You knew it was true when the hawk on his armor went dim.

Tom Welling and Erica Durance in SMALLVILLE - Season 10 - "Icarus" | ©2010 The CW

But wait, there’s more. During his very somber burial, a crystal pyramid emerges from the sand knocking everyone, including Clark unconscious. I have no idea what that thing was, but whatever it is, for it to take out everyone in that fashion, it can’t be good. Is this the famed “darkness” we’ve been hearing about all season? What was that thing?

Which leads me back to my opening statement, “What the hell?”

SMALLVILLE is certainly gearing up for something big. Each episode it seems is  more epic than the last. There’s almost too much going on, with the viewer being left in utter confusion and/or glee, depending on who you are.

SMALLVILLE’s production value, as always, leaves much to be desired. Many of the pivotal scenes lost a lot of impact due to some rather cheesy effects. Slade’s eye, for example, is about the worst piece of prosthetics I’ve seen in a while on television. Another scene that comes to mind is Watchtower’s painfully ordinary main power switch. It felt extremely underwhelming considering the technological marvel Watchtower is supposed to be. And Hawkman’s death was intended to be moving, but I couldn’t help but laugh when the light went off on his chest. Ah SMALLVILLE, you’re nothing if not camp.

Aside from some visual shortcomings, the sheer amount of drama that we’re being exposed to is impressive. How, I wonder, are the writers going to bring it all together and end this ten-year Superman story? Stay tuned, fans, because we’re barely in the middle of the season as SMALLVILLE is clearly getting warmed up.

CLICK HERE for more reviews of SMALLVILLE – Season 10

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