Smallville's Death Count rises and rises and rises

The serious loss of life on Smallville started when Clark's (Tom Welling) dad Jonathan (John Schneider) died on the Season 3 ep Hereafter and it looks like it is going to continue at the end of season 8 and possibly into S9, Ausiello Reports: "The Grim Reaper is once again descending on Smallville, and this time he's not foolin' around.

"Multiple sources confirm to me exclusively that two pivotal characters will bite the dust in this May's season finale. And in a bit of a departure for Smallville, both deaths will stick. "These characters will die and they will stay dead," maintains my insider. "This is the real deal."

"Of course, that's not to say producers aren't planning a twist or two, because they are. But I'm told those twists do not involve bringing either character back to life.

"If you're looking for another clue, you're out of luck. I'm not even going to do one of those morbid charts where I assess each character's chances for survival. I wouldn't want to do anything beyond writing this spoilery story to ruin the surprises in store.

"Eh, one more little tease won't hurt anyone: One character qualifies as a Smallville vet... the other one, not so much. Source: The Ausiello Files