Smallville 6.16 Promise

[bop_radar]

Conflicted feelings
My viewing of 'Promise' was punctuated by a lot of startled exclamations, ranging from gasps of shock to bursts of laughter. I loved some aspects, I hated other aspects. It was... odd. Visually it was absolutely spectacular, and I'd give it some points for plot twists. The three-part structure and the final reveals worked for this unspoiled viewer. I think I approve of its intentions. However, some of the execution was clunky.

On the other hand, Tom looked absolutely spectacularly beautiful. Oh, Tom, I've missed you! *happy sigh*

Crankiness
For once I'm going to get the complaining over with early.
- Chloe, WHAT THE HELL? Sorry, you do not agree to be Maid of Honour if you think your best friend is marrying a 'monster'. And you get NO POINTS for pulling that two-faced shit, reassuring Lex that she'll show after all and then making emo-face when she does. You think she shouldn't marry Lex? Maybe you should think about YOUR conscience for once, rather than Clark's or Lana's and open your trap and TELL HER THAT. NO LOVE.
- The sudden reappearance of Nell was improbable in the extreme. They suddenly desparately needed Lana to have a parent figure to confide in (to balance Lex confiding in Lionel and Clark in Martha) and so they dredged her up. Great. Pity you couldn't have done that all those times in the last couple of seasons when she might have actually been useful. *eyeroll*
- Martha, WHAT THE HELL? You too get NO POINTS for doing a ridiculous backflip in characterisation and suddenly implying to your son that he's just a bit commitment phobic. This despite you having been supportive of his initial break-up with Lana and then, far more recently, giving him a 'snap out of it already' speech. Oh, and then you have the nerve to show up at the wedding. NO LOVE.
- Lex, I give you slightly more leeway because I love you and I do buy that you're very vulnerable today. Also, because your speech about looking down and wanting to be able to pull strings and make people do what you wanted was wonderfully delivered. But honestly? Talking to your father? Biiiiiig mistake. Thought we were past that. I'll hand-wave that as Lionel having done a superbly good job of fooling everyone that he has changed. HA! No.

The comedic
Some random observations:
- Apparently Lana really clarts on the lippy in Clark's dreamscape.
- I liked Clark taking his angst out on the barn (and the bales of hay).
- I love how Clark totally doesn't need an excuse to bust into the Luthor mansion. Chloe doesn't even tell him she's trapped before he appears. What if she just needed verbal advice, Clark? Huh?! Oh, that's right. You don't do verbal. Also, you really needed to work out some aggression and better the Luthor mansion than your own barn, right?
- Proposing to Shelby? TOO FUNNY.

Lana Lang: tragic heroine
Much has been written about the way Lana is objectified in the Smallville universe, and this episode potentially compounded that, with Lex obtaining the 'trophy' of Lana, stealing him from his enemy Clark. Alternatively the hero (Clark) could have overcome the ultimate obstacle and saved Lana from the 'monster' (Chloe actually uses this language early in the episode). In many classic plots, the hero uniting with the heroine in marriage ('happy ever after') is a symbol of the 'righting' of the universe. All is back in order, the struggle is over, the obstacles overcome. But nothing is 'right' in this universe.

I've always argued that Smallville is a tragedy. Lex's journey most obviously fits this mould. Clark's story is one of great sacrifice; he becomes a hero, but at what cost? His is a life of great loneliness. I could see, I could feel how Smallville was continuing to frame both their journeys as tragedies. However, I was always less sure of how this would work for Lana. In 'Promise' they really showed me how she fit within the tragic structure. Yes, it was ridiculously melodramatic. And I suspect a lot of fans are going to react with a 'meh, it's Lana, why should I care?' response. However, the meta geek in me really really really loves that this part of the triangle has clicked into place at last.

Very few episodes of Smallville have done a good job of putting me in Lana's perspective, but this one did. I've always been aware, as a viewer, of how rarely I have a good handle on Lana's view of things. The vast majority of the time we see things from Clark's perspective (the creators have discussed how even the lighting can reflect where we are in Clark's emotional landscape). We used to be in Lex's perspective more often, but this has been rare since Season 4. We're occasionally in other characters' perspectives (Chloe, Martha, Lois) for the purpose of plot. By structuring this episode in three parts--Clark, Lex, Lana--she was given equal status in this episode as a 'perspective' character, not just an objectified ideal.

But it was more subtle than just structure. Having recently attempted to vid from Lana's perspective, I am super-conscious of how incredibly rare it is for the director, for the camera to put us in Lana's perspective. And yet, they did so on multiple occasions in this episode. Even before we reached Lana's official 'third' of the episode, the director had done a good job of making Lana sympathetic to the audience. We are introduced to her in this episode with a gorgeous shot of her face, so vulnerable and tender, as she watches the ultrasound image of her child. This reminds us that she is being manipulated, since we know there is something suspicious about the pregnancy. We next see her gasping as she's laced into her corset--such a great metaphor for the way her relationship constrains her. It's an hint of what's to come.

Lana's section of this episode is the third of three times that we are led through the day of the wedding. Hers is therefore the 'reveal' section, and this privileges her character. This is Lana's story. This is her tragedy and her sacrifice. We relive scenes from Lana's perspective, seeing the other side of the experience: her conflicted feelings, her uncertainty, her joy, her fear. And then we're shown Lionel's manipulation of Lana, which will explain what is to follow, though Lex and Clark are ignorant of it.

There are so, so many ways in which Lana's story is tragic, some of them immediately obvious, others more subtle:
- Clark feared telling her the truth about his secret would endanger her. He withholds it, loses her, she finds it out anyway and it's still dangerous to her.
- Lana's finally grown to the point where she can tell Clark that he doesn't 'owe' her the truth (and I believe she's genuine in that sentiment, for we've seen her reach that place with Chloe too), yet now's the time when he really would have told her.
- Clark shows at the Church, so that Lana must face him while she says 'I do' to Lex.
- Lana truly loves Lex, I believe that. But due to the manner of the manipulation, she enters the marriage not in a spirit of love. Yet she does want to love him, she doesn't blame Lex for this. I think that's why she manages to summon up some real anger when Clark asks what Lex as done, and certainly why she's able to tell Clark that she loves Lex. But even if the scary pregnancy was out of the picture, it would be so hard for this marriage to be truly happy now.
- Lana (like Lex and Clark) has long been judged on surface level. She was introduced to us as a little girl in fairy princess costume trying to turn a frog into a prince. She's far from perfect, but she's continually viewed that way by others. That's her tragedy. Underneath, her life is full of toads not princes. In the final scenes of this episode, with Lex and Lana leaving the church, the surface level image traps Lana as it always has. She puts on a smiling face, a beautiful 'princess' of a bride, but underneath she's manipulated and devastated. Lionel's trapped her in a picture frame forever.
- In hiding in the wine cellar, Lana gains the chance to observe the truth about not just one best friend, but two. While the emphasis was naturally on her getting complete and unequivocal proof of Clark's powers, she also saw another side to Chloe. She hears her call Lex a 'monster', she hears her say she'd wish that Clark would 'save her' from a terrible life. That's pretty confronting--it leaves Lana in an extremely lonely position. She'd recently rekindled her friendship with Chloe. Now that illusion has been shattered.

There is one key reason why I was finally sold on Lana's plot here. Her sacrifice is voluntary. She has every reason to fear Lionel, and no reason not to believe that what he says about being able to kill Clark. The stakes are set too high for her to risk it. She could lose everyone if she did: Lex and Clark. And it costs her. I do believe that. She walked down that aisle for Clark, to protect him. Supposedly the most selfish character in the Smallville universe, she made a great sacrifice in the belief (mistaken) that she was protecting a great hero.

Lana Lang, this one's all yours! *toasts*

Paralleling Clark and Lex
However absurd it was at a textual level (and it WAS absurd) Lex and Clark are paralleled as equally possible husbands in this episode. We see Clark looking out a suit (a black, funereal outfit), we see Lex toying with a ring. Later we see Lex suiting up, ready for the wedding, and then Clark toying with a ring. Clark digs out a photograph of him and Lana at the ball--in formal outfits, it's as close to a wedding photo as he could find. Both men wore black and white predominantly in this episode. They are dressed surprisingly alike, and at different times black or white costuming was used to indicate their potential 'goodness' or 'evilness' (e.g. Lex white and pure in Clark's dream, Lex in dark suit murdering someone in reality).

This episode was surprisingly 'kind' to Lex. He killed someone with his bare fists in cold blood in a fit of rage. On the journey towards full villainhood, that's got to warrant a mention. However, this act was completely overshadowed by Lionel, who stepped out from behind a curtain and revealed himself once again (where are we? Season One?) as the puppetmaster. Not only has he manipulated Lana into marrying Lex, but he even covers up Lex's killing, gaining yet another advantage over him.

We were in imagery overload with a dead body in the crypt, the bridegroom washing blood off his hands, a spot of blood left on his cuff... Lex's glory moment, walking down the stairs of the church with Lana, is undermined, just as Lana's is. Superficially he gets what he claims to have wanted--Clark there on his wedding day to see him 'win'--but like Lana, he's actually putting a 'brave' face on it. He's just sold himself into Lionel's hands once and for all.

Nightmares: prophecies and recollections
Clark's dream is prophetic. By trying to steal his fiancee on his wedding day, he stabs Lex in the back. Lana then tells him that she loves Lex. He doesn't believe it, but while he's protesting, Lana sacrifices herself and her child, impaling herself on the same knife that stabbed Lex in the back. Their love for each other is what hurts (kills) Lex. It couldn't be clearer.

I love, love, LOVED Lex's dream of his scary freak baby on the big screen. (Oh, Lex!) The baby's image initially appears normal, but Lex is studying it in great detail (zoom in). Suddenly the baby turns towards Lex in a move of acknowledgment that it's being viewed. It's eyes fly open revealing it's vacant, alien status. Lex wakes with a start. Is this dream prophetic in any way? My hunch is it is, and as nightmares-of-one's-own-creation go, that one tops all.

Lana's dream is a memory, one that has recently resurfaced. She relives her moments in the tornado when she thought she'd merely imagined Clark saving her. She'd convinced herself, for years, that this was just a dream. In this episode she acknowledges that it was no dream, but reality.

Fear and reality are intersecting in these dreams. The dream world is no longer one in which the characters face their fears, so they're strong enough to overcome them in reality. Instead, at best, the characters experience a presentiment in their dreams of what is to come. There is no escape--we really are in tragedy territory here.

This episode opened with a song about loss, which clashed awkwardly with the warm opening scenes of wedding preparation. It ended with an uplifting song of exaltation, belieing the tragedy of the wedding. Smallville reminds us once again of the tragic gap between surface reality and hidden truth.

Comments

[attaccabottoni.livejournal.com]

Haven't watched it yet, but... no Clex? *hopeful look* I just might prefer to read other people's meta this time, because even with your great review (hey, making me sympathetic to Lana's plight is a feat!), I'm not encouraged to download and watch it for myself.

[acampbell.livejournal.com]

"Clarts on the lippy"

Australese?

I'm conflicted--loved parts, hated others, longed for a wee bit of Clex...must rewatch!

Great writeup, as always.

[myownghost.livejournal.com]

yeah, it took me a minute to figure out that clarting on the lippy must be overdoing the lipstick. *g* she did look rather whorish with that garish mouth. in fact, she look horrifying like helen to me.

this is a first, rash reaction. i'll read your post slowly and then comment again, probably. i was very unhappy during and after the show last night, but i haven't posted about it and won't. my reactions tend to be totally emotional and arise from my own felt need as to who the characters should be. but i like reading your analyses. :)

[giggleloop.livejournal.com]

You know, you could seriously get a job writing meta for like, a Smallville detailed episode guide or something. And not just SV, of course, but all the shows you do meta for. I love reading it. :D

[myownghost.livejournal.com]

uhhhh, horrifyingLY. ack.

>I've always argued that Smallville is a tragedy. Lex's journey most obviously fits this mould.

oh yes, definitely. but you're doing a gorgeous job here of changing the way i see lana. i've disliked her from the beginning of the show, and you're convincing me that i've been unfair. i did feel for her last night. now that i've read this, i know why:

>That's her tragedy. Underneath, her life is full of toads not princes.

excellent post, k. honestly, i feel like you opened this up for me. (as i said, i perceive things on an emotional level, never analytical.)

>This episode opened with a song about loss, which clashed awkwardly with the warm opening scenes of wedding preparation. It ended with an uplifting song of exaltation, belieing the tragedy of the wedding. Smallville reminds us once again of the tragic gap between surface reality and hidden truth.

wow, yeah. i buy this all the way.

[cinderella81.livejournal.com]

I did enjoy how they did this episode, visually ... the different perspectives and such ...

And yes, I do feel for Lana ... She made a voluntary sacrifice ... she may have just redeemed herself for me

[frelling-tralk.livejournal.com]

I guess I'm finding it hard to feel sorry for Lana when she did accept the proposal of her own choice, and had a long time to change her mind after that. Yet it's on the wedding day itself that she suddenly decides to leave a note, and then finds herself forced into going through with it anyway. The mean part of me kind of sees that as poetic justice :P

I'm feeling the same about Clark as well. He had plenty of time to think about Lana marrying Lex, then it's the day of the wedding when he decides to reveal the secret, and try proposing. It reminds me of him crashing the Crimson engagement party with a proposal, and Lana calling him on his timing. But really I'm most stuck on the fact that Lex gave Lana months to think through the proposal, and make sure of what she wanted. And it's not until the wedding has been planned out and paid for, and everyone arrives, that she sets out to find out the secret and run away with Clark. And I know that her tears over the marriage were meant to move the audience, but honestly I'm more stuck on how intensely selfish Clark and Lana both came across as, and that's not even taking into account the issue of Lana carrying Lex's child

[herohunter.livejournal.com]

The only but for me is (and someone else pointed it out to me) :

I've always argued that Smallville is a tragedy. Lex's journey most obviously fits this mould. Clark's story is one of great sacrifice; he becomes a hero, but at what cost? His is a life of great loneliness.

Except for Clark's life isn't once he "finds" Lois. Lex has never been loved, NEVER. I have not seen Clark suffer even a fraction in his teenage years as much as Lex has since before he was 9.

I liked the episode, even if they're still giving Lana more attention than she had ever deserved. Thebig BIG rift? Will be all about her, just watch.

Lex was hot, though.

:D

[bop-radar.livejournal.com]

In all honesty, not much. There's one long, angsty stare across the crowd at the wedding, but other than that... they played this ep remarkably 'straight'. I say 'remarkably' because the recent barn scene had me expecting something a little different.

[latxcvi.livejournal.com]

Your crankiness is adorable. I talked in my own mini-review about why Chloe's behavior, thought not in any way admirable, nevertheless makes sense to me. I agree that it's problematic that she's essentially playing both ends against the middle, but I do think it's consistent with how she processes her relationships with Clark and Lana. With Clark, she's very much a truth-speaker, no matter how hard it might be for him to hear sometimes and even if it sounds like she's not being supportive (think back to S1's Drone: she actually wasn't supportive of his running for office because he was unprepared, but she also told him that was why she wasn't supportive and that was information -- "yo, maybe you actually need to have a platform" -- that would have made him a stronger candidate had he taken it to heart).

With Lana, Chloe's more about being supportive. She won't lie to Lana, but I think she privileges Being There for Lana above Being A Compass for Lana in terms of her friend obligations, whereas with Clark, I think she privileges being his compass ahead of being supportive. Ideally, she strives to be both things for both Clark and Lana, but I do think she prioritizes what they want/need from her differently.

I don't know what to say about Martha except that she's really suffered from the writers' machinations. When they need her to be a voice of reason with Clark re: moving on from Lana, then that's what she is. When they need her to enable Clark re: Lana for the sake of a plotline, then that's what she does. It's unfortunate, but it's symptomatic of the show's difficulty with respecting internal character consistency when they have to necessarily use the characters as devices to help move a plot or emotional arc in a certain direction.

That's her tragedy. Underneath, her life is full of toads not princes. In the final scenes of this episode, with Lex and Lana leaving the church, the surface level image traps Lana as it always has. She puts on a smiling face, a beautiful 'princess' of a bride, but underneath she's manipulated and devastated. Lionel's trapped her in a picture frame forever.

This is a lovely encapsulation of why Lana is deserving of sympathy within the episode and thanks for reminding me. She and Clark had the misfortune of mashing down, hard, on one of my worst pop culture buttons (I loathe Waiting Until The Day Of The Wedding To Try And Stop It as a storytelling trope with the fire of a thousand-and-a-half Kryptonian suns), so I spent much of the episode wanting to throttle both of them. And while I hate it that the show went ahead and gave us Lana-As-Martyr, I do respect and appreciate it that she ended up there for the sake of protecting Clark. Had Lionel blackmailed her about, say, Genevieve Teague's murder, there's no nobility in her sacrifice; it's about little more than self-preservation. Lana's sacrifice in Promise is a true one, because it's outer-directed; it's about someone other than herself. That makes it an act of grace and she does deserve props for that.

[bop-radar.livejournal.com]

Oh. Er. It's more likely to be Scots, since that's my family's background, but honestly I'm not sure.
Translation: paints on a great deal of lipstick

Yeah, I was conflicted too... it was not what I was expecting, yet I have to credit them with pulling off some great moments. And others that were just... odd. The Clex crowd stare was just strange, because by the time we got to it, it really wasn't the point at all... But Tom did make wonderful angst!face.

[bop-radar.livejournal.com]

It wasn't the episode I was expecting. My own feelings were conflicted. I expected a big Clex conflict, we didn't even come close. And I completely sympathise about having a strong personal reaction--sometimes that is the case and the most interesting meta debate in the world wouldn't change that. We're all attached to the show in unique ways.

[bop-radar.livejournal.com]

Aww, thank you for the lovely comment! *hugs*

[bop-radar.livejournal.com]

I was honestly very surprised at how well the show structured the episode so we'd have sympathy for Lana. They suck at that usually--they've sucked at it for six years. And it's going to be hard for many fans to care now. Those fans that've always hated Lana will probably continue to do so. But it's interesting to hear that you found yourself feeling for her in this episode... I certainly did. Lana's the character it's taken me longest to warm to, and I will always have issues with her, but once I accepted (it took a bit!) that this episode was essentially Lana's story, I appreciated it a lot more.

The gap between image and truth is so profound in the Smallville universe. From the beginning of the show the key characters have fought against being viewed superficially (Lex most obviously, perhaps!). And in many ways that's where their tragedy will continue to lie--Lex, always judged as a 'Luthor', will become his father; Clark will become a symbol of great hope for others, with all the accompanying pressure; Lana will be trapped in her nightmare wedding and perhaps by the motherhood that's to come.

[bop-radar.livejournal.com]

Oh, I'm not suggesting that they can or should be measured against each other--just that each character's journey is structured as a tragedy. With Clark, I think the interesting thing about the Smallville universe is that they've implied that Clark's immortal, that he may outlive all his loved ones. They've also heavily emphasised the sacrifices he has to make to become Superman. Not to mention his own partial culpability for creating the man that Lex is becoming/the loss of that friendship. All of those things are a deliberate attempt to frame his journey as one of tragedy. Whether we, as viewers, are sympathetic to him (or to Lana) is still another matter entirely.

There was some great Lex moments in the eppy, I thought! And Michael shone as always. :-)

[herohunter.livejournal.com]

Definitely a tragedy.

*nods*

[bop-radar.livejournal.com]

whereas with Clark, I think she privileges being his compass ahead of being supportive. Ideally, she strives to be both things for both Clark and Lana, but I do think she prioritizes what they want/need from her differently.
Great point! I usually strive to give Chloe the benefit of the doubt and to see how she navigates her friendships. Perhaps it was post-hiatus distance, or the fact that the episode was dragging me so strongly into Lana pov (strange place!), but I just reached my breaking point with Chloe and couldn't summon up the energy to justify her actions. I'm grateful someone did, and I think the point you make about her emphasising different priorities with each of them is very insightful.

I feel bad for Martha. :-( Grrr, writers!

I had very conflicted feelings about Promise. I had to fight through initial disbelief that they were seriously using that Wait Until the Day of the Wedding trope. But I'm delighted that Lana's sacrifice is noble. The show hasn't always given me hope that it would be. As you point out, Lionel could have blackmailed on other grounds, in which case I'd have far less sympathy. But an act of grace, it was.

[norwich36.livejournal.com]

I've been being rather cranky in response to people's reviews to this episode, so I waited a bit to comment so I wouldn't be cranky at you. And I was going to send you to LaT's review for a good unpacking of Chloe's motives, but I see she's actually gone into more depth here already.

I love your comments on Lana's tragedy. While I kind of gnashed my teeth at the way the writers decided to get us there, I still loved where it ended up: in the most devastating possible solution to the triangle for all parties! A tragedy indeed. And I agree with your observations about how unique it was to get to see things from Lana's perspective. In fact, this was Lana's "Reckoning" and her "Lexmas," and there were callbacks to both of those episodes that I discussed a little bit in my review, including the blending of dreamscapes with reality and the alternating perspectives on different events--yet they did something new, too, with the time-shifting. I really loved the structure of the episode a lot.

Lana (like Lex and Clark) has long been judged on surface level. She was introduced to us as a little girl in fairy princess costume trying to turn a frog into a prince. She's far from perfect, but she's continually viewed that way by others. That's her tragedy. Underneath, her life is full of toads not princes. In the final scenes of this episode, with Lex and Lana leaving the church, the surface level image traps Lana as it always has. She puts on a smiling face, a beautiful 'princess' of a bride, but underneath she's manipulated and devastated. Lionel's trapped her in a picture frame forever.

I just had to quote that in its entirety because it's a beautiful statement of Lana's tragedy. You should totally make that vid, you know.

In hiding in the wine cellar, Lana gains the chance to observe the truth about not just one best friend, but two. While the emphasis was naturally on her getting complete and unequivocal proof of Clark's powers, she also saw another side to Chloe. She hears her call Lex a 'monster', she hears her say she'd wish that Clark would 'save her' from a terrible life. That's pretty confronting--it leaves Lana in an extremely lonely position. She'd recently rekindled her friendship with Chloe. Now that illusion has been shattered.

And for me, that almost justifies the writers decision to NOT have Chloe directly confront Lana, because it makes the scene that much more powerful. Though I'm not sure it will, necessarily, alienate Lana from Chloe, because the other thing Chloe is doing in that scene is encouraging Clark to tell Lana his secret before it is too late . Lana's big fear this season has been that Chloe and Clark were deliberately excluding her from the "we know Clark's secret" club--and here she has concrete evidence that Chloe, at least, has not been deliberately excluding her. (And honestly, Chloe has expressed doubts about Lex to Lana before--that was even referenced in the discussion they had when Lana asked Chloe to be her bridesmaid--so I'm not sure hearing what Chloe thought about Lex was completely new information).

[bop-radar.livejournal.com]

I'm grateful for LaT's insights into Chloe's actions. I was in despair. Regarding her overhearing Chloe's words: You may be right that it will not alienate Lana from Chloe. However I found that scene appallingly written in its extremity. Having your best friend call your partner a 'monster' is, imo, very different from having her express doubts about him being a good person or her asking you if you're really sure about marrying her. I think Lana may forgive Chloe; I may not be able to. I think part of my annoyance is just loss: there was once a time when I found Chloe the easiest character to identify with on the whole show. She may now be, for me, the hardest.

The structure of the episode did a lot to save it for me, and I'll be very interested to read your thoughts on its relationship to Reckoning and Lexmas.

[norwich36.livejournal.com]

I think when Lana finds out what Lex is doing with the baby--which is likely to be sooner rather than later--she is more likely to agree with Chloe than disagree, though at that point she may be angry (justifiably) that Chloe didn't make her aware of all she knew and suspected about Lex. But Lana bears some culpability, too, because every time Chloe *has* tried to broach the subject of Lex's evil with her, Lana has completely shut her down. And considering that Chloe was the latest victim of Lex's experimentation campaign, I don't find her calling Lex a monster to be too over-the-top.

[isilweth.livejournal.com]

I loved this analysis, especially your focus on the structure of the show as a tragedy. TPTB have repeatedly stated that the show isa tragedy and the execution of the show itself bears this out. It's one of the things I most love about it.

I hadn't noticed the parallels between Clark and Lex in this episode, while I was viewing it, but you are so spot on. It makes me feel (a little bit) better about Clark preparing to propose to Lana. As funny as that scene was (and it was lol funny!), I just couldn't get Clark's POV in that scene. Your right, textually is absurd, but as a parallel to Lex, it makes a skewed sort of sense.

Love your dream analysis, especially about Lana's, as I've been struggling to see how it fits into the larger episode, but you've articulated it very well.

Smallville reminds us once again of the tragic gap between surface reality and hidden truth.

*hearts you and the show*
I LOVE this about Smallville, the sublimation wrt to truth and lies and their impact is actually rather masterful. (Sometimes)

Oh, but I did like Chloe and Martha in this episode and said so in my review (http://isilweth.livejournal.com/1558.html). *wins at delurking for making three posts in a row, then commenting to f'list*

[bop-radar.livejournal.com]

I don't want to hurt you by attacking Chloe, but I feel very differently about her, I suspect. I go round in circles with her: if she's (justifiably) that scarred by Lex's experimentation on her then why not tell Lana?! Yes, Lana's made it difficult, but definitely not impossible and I feel Chloe has a right to be assertive on her own behalf in regards to Lex as well as to help Lana. This is one of those cases where my personal morality is just sooo different from the character's that I find it very hard to empathise. LaT has convinced me it's in character for Chloe, but it's not something I have a lot of sympathy for. I'm more used to feeling this distance from Lana, whose actions are often 'understandable' within her character make-up, but unsympathetic to me personally. I just now feel that way about Chloe too.

[bop-radar.livejournal.com]

The tragedy is definitely one of the things I love most about it as well. And yes, you have been very prolific recently! I've been so busy this week I haven't had a chance to comment, but I saw your post on why you watch and thought it was terrific.

textually is absurd, but as a parallel to Lex, it makes a skewed sort of sense.
Totally absurd! But Smallville really does lose it textually quite often. It so often pays to take a step back and look at the big-picture symbolism. Frustrating as the need to do that can be! ;-)

rather masterful. (Sometimes)
Indeed!

And I'll be keen to read your Chloe and Martha thoughts. I felt so conflicted about this episode I could only do the emotional work required for about half the characters--and I copped out on those two and through my hands up in despair! ;-)

You DO win!

[bop-radar.livejournal.com]

Yes, it was one of those rare times when I found her genuinely sympathetic.

[bop-radar.livejournal.com]

When I take the big picture approach, I agree with you. Clark and Lana have made this bed for themeselves. So has Lex. And I do hate the Wait Until the Wedding Day trope. The writers were just piling on the melodrama--I'm not surprised it alienated some. I enjoyed the episode in isolation. Big picture, pretty much everyone's actions are STOOPID. *considers* Yup, everyone's. Lois gets a pass for not being in this episode. ;-)