Before Tyler Hoechlin dawned the Superman cape in DC’s Arrowverse, Tom Welling brought Clark Kent to life in Smallville which told the story of Clark Kent in his teenage and early adult years before he put on the cape in the show’s tenth and final season.
No matter how super the show was, no TV show is without its share of continuity errors. Let’s take a look back over the 10 seasons to see some slip-ups that maybe even the most eagle-eyed fans may have missed.
Visible Crew Members
In season 1 episode 16, ‘Stray’, a young boy Ryan turns to the Kent’s to escape from his step-parents who use his mind-reading ability to commit a series of crimes.
Towards the end of the episode, Ryan is hiding from his step-father behind pins in a bowling alley. As the shot changes from Ryan to his step-father, two crew members can be seen walking down the stairs at the right side of the shot.
Two Principles
In season 2 episode 4, ‘Red’, Clark’s year receives their class rings which have a segment of red kryptonite, which takes away all of Clark’s inhibitions.
At the beginning of the episode, Lana is walking with Jessie Brooks and the two are talking about Clark. Behind Jessie, the school’s principle can be seen walking up to her about to put his hand on her shoulder but in the very next shot, the principle can be seen exiting a room further down the corridor.
Clark’s Super Speed
In season 3 episode 5, ‘Perry‘, the infamous reporter Perry White comes to town after Clark saves his life and tries to write a story on Clark to reveal his true abilities to the world. With an ongoing solar flare, given that he gets his abilities from the sun’s radiation, Clark’s powers start to glitch which puts him at a larger risk of being caught.
Near the beginning of the episode, Clark is going to meet his friends at The Talon, the town coffee shop, and Martha Kent asks him if he needs a ride. Clark says he will run there and the sound effect of his super-speed can be heard while he leaves the house, however, Clark can still be seen walking down the stairs of the house through the window in the door.
Truck Crash
In season 4 episode 5, ‘Run’, fans are introduced to Bart Allen who has super-speed of his own that even excels Clark’s. Clark takes Bart under his wing and eventually turns him into a semi-responsible hero that becomes a member of Clark’s Justice League.
At the beginning of the episode, Clark and his father Jonathan are in Metropolis and, thanks to a drunk driver, a truck almost crashes into Jonathan before Bart jumps in to push him out the way. When Clark runs over to check on his father the ramp that was used to get the truck onto the pavement can be seen leaning up against the curb.
Lois’s Hair
In season 5 episode 4, ‘Aqua’, we meet AC, also known as Arthur Curry which is Aquaman’s real name in the DC universe. AC and Lois strike up a short-lived relationship while AC tries to save the waters from Luthorcorp’s experiments.
While AC and Lois are at Crater Lake the two go for a swim until a Luthorcorp device makes AC’s ears bleed and he scrambles to get out of the water. In one shot, Lois’s hair is soaking wet as she has just left the water, but in the next shot as she runs to help AC on the sand her hair is much drier.
Reversed Shot
In season 6 episode 4, ‘Arrow‘, we meet yet another episode of the Justice League. Justin Hartley portrays Oliver Queen/Green Arrow in this universe and two men capture Lois in an attempt to find out his secret identity even though Lois thinks her captors are working for him.
The kidnappers torture Lois by holding her head underwater. In the first torture shot the air bubbles look normal, but the second time her head is put underwater, it seems the first shot has been reversed as the air bubbles can be seen going from the water back into her mouth.
Kara In Prison
In season 7 episode 3, ‘Fierce’, Kara Kent/ Supergirl wants to fit in so she enrolls in a beauty pageant but ends up arrested and in a jail cell despite Clark telling her to keep a low profile so no one discovers her powers.
While she is in the jail cell she bends the bars to get out but Clark bends them back saying that she needs to get out legally. From one shot to the next the metal bars go from bent outwards, to bent inwards to straight down.
Monkey-Bomb
In season eight episode fourteen, ‘Requiem’, Winslow Schott, a toy/bomb maker goes to attack Oliver in the hospital using a bomb in the form of a monkey with clapping symbols.
Schott says the bomb will explode after the monkey claps fifty-three times. However, the monkey claps far more than fifty-three times and still does not explode.
Beer Foam
In season 9 episode 13, ‘Persuasion’, Clark becomes infected by a new type of kryptonite that means anyone does what he asks. At the start, he is unaware of his new ability and asks Lois if they can have a more traditional relationship. This leads Lois to quit her job at the Daily Planet so Clark can make the money while Lois stays at home.
Clark returns home to discover Lois has made dinner for them and she pours him a beer. In one shot the foam of the beer is the same size as the amount of liquid in the glass however in the very next shot from a different angle all the foam has disappeared.
Day To Night
In season 10 episode3, ‘Smallville’, Kara returns to Smallville to warn Clark of the incoming danger and she tries to teach him to fly so he is ready to confront it. Kara says the danger came through a tear in the universe and the pair run to Metropolis to find the source.
In the scene at the barn, it is daylight but by the time they reach Metropolis, it is complete darkness. At the pace they run, it should still be at least still sunset as they arrive.
