Smallville has brought about some mixed reviews from The Gorgeous Geeks. Some episodes we found unnecessary, pure crap, entertaining, inspiring, and some even had the power of "replay". We noticed a pattern with some of our favorites: they were all directed and written by the fabulous duo, Al Septien and Turi Meyer. They are two of the best Smallville writers, so we took great pleasure in having the opportunity to interview them, especially since they wrote the first part of the Smallville finale and The Vampire Diaries finale, “As I Lay Dying”.

Christina: How proud are you of the finale for Smallvile?

Turi: Very proud

Al: We think it’s awesome.

Turi: We think it’s the best stuff we’ve ever done.

Katrina: I'm so excited now!

Al: It was a real honor to be asked to write the first half of the finale. Kelly (Souders) and Brian (Peterson) have always been really nice to us and good to us. We’re thrilled to be part of it, because it’s not only a historic event in terms of Smallville, and Superman, but a historic TV event. So we’re very happy and excited.

Christina: So you don’t think the fans will be disappointed at all?

Turi: I hope not. I wasn’t disappointed. And I’m a huge fan myself. I think fans will be very pleased.

Al: Some fans are going to be disappointed. You’re gonna piss off some people no matter what. Some of the shows that we thought were some of the best shows we’ve done, it was always one or two fans that came out and were pissed off about it. And you know, it's like, what are you gonna do?

Turi: You can’t please everybody.

Al: You can’t please everybody. But I think people will be excited and happy over all.

Katrina: How do you guys go about taking liberties with the Superman mythology? Because like in "Scion" there was so much you could do with Superboy and with the mythology. How do you know which lines to cross and not to cross, what to take in and take out?

Turi: Well you try to be as true to the mythology as you can. With the show being on the air for ten years, it’s generated its own mythology. So you also be true to the Smallville mythology, what you created over the ten year span of Clark Kent’s life. I think there’s definitely that fine line between the two, but we try to be very true to the mythology.

Al: There’s so many different versions of the Superman story. Even different versions of the Conner Kent story which is a relatively new one. So we kind of have to pick and choose and then like Turi said, create our own mythology.

Turi: First and foremost, I think you have to always try to be true to Smallville as much as possible. That was the world we were in. That was the stories we were telling. Our whole goal is to then start bringing more of the mythology in and as you got closer to Clark putting on the suit…..you really wanted to build the mythology.

Christina: So are you guys big Superman fans?

Al & Turi: Yeah!

Turi: I was always into comic books when I was a kid. I collected comic books and enjoyed reading them.

Al: I did a little bit of comic books but most of my Superman knowledge came from the repeats of the George Reeves series on TV when I was a kid and then the Christopher Reeve, Richard Donner series of films. Those were the ones that I kind of knew more than the comic books really. Maybe a little bit from the comic books but more from those other shows.

Turi: And then being involved in the show too I think, we ended up learning quite a bit more.

Al: Right. Then at that point going back and reading more. Trying to read more of the original stuff, some of the Silver Age stuff, Gold age stuff. There’s a lot of good books on the history of Superman and we really used those as much as we could.

Turi: Yeah, as a present to myself for finishing the final season of Smallville, I went out and got myself a #6 Superman at the comic book store, a couple months back. We probably are pretty much comic book geeks at the heart of it.

Katrina: We love that! We absolutely love that so much.

Christina: So is working on this show like a dream come true then?

Turi: Yeah! It was a wonderful show to be involved with. We had everything from action to (the) comic book element to great emotion, great stories, great characters, it was a great job.

Al: Yeah. It builds on what we had started, because when we started, we started writing action movies and horror movies and it’s always this heightened reality. Which is kind of a playground we play in, and the sandbox we play in. So it fits very well and helps us expand our style and delve into other things a little bit, but still dwell on what we already kind of did. So we were very happy. And it was a great show.

Christina: Ok I wanna know, in season six, the episode "Labyrinth", whose idea was it to make Jor-El soap?

(Everyone laughs)

Turi: We were trying to get in all the elements in Clark’s life. And some were a lot easier than others. But when we got to Jor-el, it was like “Ok Jor-el, how are we gonna get that one in there?”

Al: I think it was Darren Swimmer, was the one that in the writer’s room said, “Jor-el sounds like Purell, or one of those soaps.” Then he said, “Jorel with jojoba oil.” And everybody in the room laughed and thought it was very funny and so we put it in.

Katrina: Yeah, that was brilliant. We never forgot that and we always talked about it 'til this day because it’s one of the funniest things I ever saw on that show.

Christina: I don’t know how funny that episode was intended to be but it was pretty hysterical.

Al: Well, we were having fun. In that one scene like Turi was talking about its kind of a The Usual Suspects scene, like at the end of The Usual Suspects scene, where Chazz Palminteri is looking on the board and all the pieces of Kevin Spaces’ story are right there in front of him and that was kind of the idea. So we took all the pieces of Clark’s life and explained them in a way in either magazine covers or pictures in the room of the asylum, and we had a lot of fun tying the pieces of Clark’s life to that particular room.

Katrina: Now I have to ask you guys, if there was a season 11, what kind of stories would you guys have wanted to write?

Al: Wow.

Turi: That’s a hard one. A lot of stories that we wanted to write, we’ve done, in building up to the finale in season 10. I would say in a way I think Smallville was near perfect, in a sense that, we went to 10 seasons; we had a lot of room to tell some great stories. I think a season 11 would have been problematic in some way. It’s a good wine; it finishes off right with no bad after taste.

Al: I think if we had gone to a season 11, I’m just kind of afraid, like Turi was saying; it would have been…we couldn’t make Clark Superman that was the thing. The series finishes with Clark becoming Superman. So what we would have to do is kind of tread water, waiting, figuring out, what else interrupted his growth. And I’m kind of glad that we didn’t have to do that I was talking the other day and saying we probably could have come up with another season. But the only thing is that it would have gotten frustrating. I remembered I hired a gardener once, who when he found out that I worked on Smallville said,” Oh my God I love the show, but when the hell is he gonna fly?” And that really pissed him off that he didn’t fly, and our feelings always was, he flies when he becomes Superman. Those two things come together for Clark and you know another season without him flying would be very frustrating.

Katrina: Yeah I think our mother would explode if that would have happened.

Al: Are you sisters?

Girls: Yeah

Al: Is it the three of you are sisters, or is it just the two of you and then a friend?

Katrina: No, we’re all sisters.

Al: Wow.

Christina: There’s six girls in our family and one boy.

Al: And is that your bedroom in where you guys do your youtube from? That you have converted into a geekdom?

Katrina: No, that’s our basement.

Al: I’m sure your mom is happy with that.

Katrina: Well yeah, cuz it’s not in her living room, so she doesn’t care. That’s like the bar area in our finished basement, so we just took it over and did that.

Christina: Yeah a room over is all of our comic books.

Al: Well we’re very happy that you guys are such passionate fans. It shows when you guys review the show. It seems like you’re passionate about all aspects of comic books and that whole world, but we’re very happy that you’re such big fans of Smallville. And the reviews too are very funny.

Katrina: Thank you!

Christina: I’m like, “Oh I’m glad I like their episodes. Because I know we’re not always nice.

Al: The two that I saw were nice. The review of "Harvest" and the other one was "Scion". You liked those two, so that we were happy with.

Katrina and Christina: Thanks.

Katrina: We have to ask you about The Vampire Diaries because you guys wrote the season finale for that too. So how was it working on The Vampire Diaries?

Turi: Great! Great bunch of people. Great writers and crew and actors, who do a fantastic job.

Al: Kevin (Williamson) and Julie (Plec) have done an amazing job of putting a great team together. It was a wonderful fit for us. We had worked in the past with Caroline Dries and that was a lot of fun to come into a room with her again. You know again, it’s a world that we know. Our past was in horror movies. Six years on Smallville where there’s a strong love story. We kind of felt this was a great show to move into from that so it exploited what we do. And we’ve enjoyed the time, and are happy to be coming back next year.

Katrina: So you guys are going to be continuously writing on The Vampire Diaries next year?

Al: We are yes.

Katrina: Ok that is so good to know.

Christina: So are there any inside jokes in the writers room; like everybody flies except Clark, or Lois gets knocked out again, or something like that?

Turi: Lois getting knocked out again was sort of a joke in the writer’s room. There’s others, but nothing that we can probably share because it would be too inappropriate.

Al: Actually the one that I think we can share is we always joked about Lex’s security. That he had the worst security company and the worse security in the history of mankind.

Turi: Yeah people would walk into the library unannounced.

Al: And if they were stopped, the security guard was hit or knocked unconscious.

Turi: Then right after the security guard would come into the library and go “Sir I’m very...” Then Lex would just shush them away.

Katrina: What advice do you give to other writers out there who are pursuing the same career as you guys?

Turi: Uh, don’t do what we did. (Laughs) I’m just kidding. You have to be really passionate about what you wanna do. My daughter actually wants to be a screen writer, so I had this conversation recently. She’s fourteen and she really wants to write psychological thrillers. So I had this conversation with her. First and foremost you have to write. Whether or not it gets made, you have to write. The more you write the better you’re gonna get at it. Then secondly you have to have a real passion for it. You really have to love it and you also have to eventually, hopefully have something to say at the end of the day. Just stick to it. Be persistent. We’re proof of that. We spent many years toiling away on stuff that never gotten made. Eventually things started to click and it wasn’t an over night success for us, it took a long time. So tenacity and persistence.

Al: And read too as an addition to writing, which is the most important thing. People make the mistake of writing one script and then thinking “Okay now this is it, I’ve got my script, I’m going to go out there and sell it”. It happens very, very rarely. You gotta write, finish your script, put it aside, or give it to people. While you’re trying to sell that or learning how to make it better, you gotta be writing your next project. We’ve written, that haven’t been made, 20 something scripts before we got into television. We wrote feature specs and we wrote television specs. You just keep continually writing and with that reading. Reading, I think, scripts and also focus on screen writing. There’s a lot of great books out there, the Robert McKee and the Syd Field’s books, all these different books that are out there from really talented people that know about the craft. And it’s all good advice. Or taking classes and practicing it that way. I think Turi was talking about, in terms of not doing what we did; we kind of went at it in a way that I don’t know if people do it anymore. Which was, we came out here to Los Angeles, we started writing, putting scripts out there, and eventually got an agent, then eventually got something produced. But now a days, especially if you want to write on television, kind of a road to success there is, trying get a writer’s assistant job. And from the writer’s assistant job hopefully getting a break to being a writer.

Turi: But that’s in television.

Al: Yeah that’s in television. On the feature side, I don’t even know anymore what you do.

Turi: But write a great spec and hopefully get it on the right desk.

Al: And moving out to Los Angeles. You really kind of gotta be here to do it. It’s a very difficult arena to be in anywhere, and it’s so much harder not being in LA. So I would say to anyone who is really interested in doing it professionally should be in Los Angeles.

Turi: I’m not sure how you would approach it in today’s environment. I mean there is a way with the internet to carve out a career outside of Hollywood, but it just seems so…

Al: Well so much of it is a social business. There’s a social aspect to this business of who you meet and when you meet and being in the right place. That comes I think over time and over just kind of creating your life in a world where opportunities can present themselves. And I think for that to happen you gotta be here in LA.

Katrina: Wow. That’s some really good advice.

Turi: A lot of it is relationships. Being a writer can be a very solitary thing. That’s why Al and I hooked up together, because it was another person to bounce ideas off of and to talk to and get support from. But as a writer, in the film business you really have to adapt at building relationships, getting to know more people and that really won’t happen unless you have that face to face situation. That means you really have to get out here. At the end of the day you could be the best writer in the world and if you don’t have those relationships, you don’t have someone that’s going to put it on the right desk or give it to a person who’s gonna read it, you’re not gonna go very far. You really need to have an ability to carve out relationships.

Katrina: Are you guys gonna be going to any comic cons this year?

Turi: We’re trying to go to Comic Con (San Diego), we’re planning it, but who knows what will happen at the end of July, but yeah.

Katrina: And I have to ask this, are you guys looking forward to any comic book movies that are coming out, or have came out?

Turi: I’m looking forward to Captain America.

Al: Yeah me too and the X-Men.

Turi: …and the X-men. I’m looking forward to Green Lantern. You know all of them I really like them a lot.

Christina: Did you see Thor?

Al: I was not a fan.

Turi: I enjoyed it.

Christina: Well that’s all our questions. Thank you for letting us interview you.

Al: Thank you for being such great fans and supporting the show for all these years.

Turi: Absolutely.

Katrina: Thank you!

Christina: Well it’s been 10 years of our lives, sometimes it feels like and abusive relationship, I really want him to fly.

Al: I’m glad you stuck with it. And we appreciate all the support you guys have given us, and showing interest in interviewing us today.

Turi: Hopefully you’ll tune in to The Vampire Diaries next season.

Christina: Oh yeah!

Katrina: Definitely. We are so hooked to that show and I cant wait to see the finale. Especially because I know you guys are writing it. So I am just so thrilled to see it and I can’t wait. Did you guys know that the top tweet right now is ‘Poor Damon’?

(They both laugh) “Really?”

Turi: That’s great.

Al: Cool. Well stay tuned and see what happens to ‘Poor Damon’.