on Vortex:
Sep. 25th, 2002 06:47 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
aruanAnd so the new season has begun with a whimpering bang. Allow me to elaborate.
First, nits:
Martha is on serious probation - only by virtue of last season was she not slated for the wolves along with her dearly beloved.
Pete still barely had two things to do. Chloe's lines were recycled, along with her facial expressions.
If they're bringing on the flights we'd better not get gipped on the tights, or there'll be bloody hell to pay.
I can't even begin to properly describe the kinds of evil Lionel is. That scene was vile and twisted something so deep within the watcher, not to even mention Lex, that I actually clutched at my chest and had to focus on breathing.
It's painfully obvious that the seasoned writers are out, and not just dialogue-wise, although that sucked pondwater in parts this episode. The real problem is that they rarely if ever get coaching from the old team members, and that reflects in their characterization.
Actual musings:
Lana got major acting points from me for the look she gives Clark in the loft before leaving. Also, that exit rocked. But her face when he tells her, eyes everywhere but, that 'what you see is what you get' - Kristin Kreuk did disappointment, genuine hurt, suspicion, insulted intelligence, knowing she was being lied to, and untrustworthy all in the same singular expression. She must've hooked up with Michael's acting coach. How does Clark stand to have his friends look at him like that? I couldn't care either way about Lana, but I felt her in that moment, and how could Clark not?
I bid farewell to Lex/Lionel fic with some regret. Anything written with this episode behind it will be groundless at best; anything written in the past is unjustifiable considering Lex as we saw him in Vortex. Not that I love Te's See This any less. But it's the end of an era here, I think.
This episode almost felt like a culmination of the trials of Lex. If anything, his task seems more Herculean than Clark's at this point. Except, like most of the great Greek plays, his fate is a tragic one. He reminds me of Louis from Interview with the Vampire. When Louis is lying out on the balcony after turning Madelaine, when he tells Claudia that what died in that room wasn't her, but "the last breath in me that was human." That's what Lex's shooting of Nixon made me think of. Louis had no choice - he was in love with Armand and he knew Claudia was in danger if she stayed in Paris but wouldn't be able to take care of herself alone. Turning Madelaine was the only feasible solution, however much it cost him personally. Lex's shooting of Nixon was just as unavoidable. His own issues with Nixon had been resolved, he'd been dismissed and told to leave the Kents alone, and Lex has told everyone concerned as much. Yes, Nixon was about to kill Jonathan, as contrived as that all was, but the facts remain. He was also about to reveal Clark's secrets, something Lex realizes the weight and magnitude of even without having to know them. It was the only way to save Clark, Jonathan, and the friendship he's worked and fought for. I'm not entirely sure he had to think about it once before he pulled the trigger.
He killed a man, yes. This is not trucks, not concert tickets, not excessive organic produce investments or carte blanche to start over as friends with honesty as the foundation. But in the same few seconds' time, a part of him was lost too.
And Clark won't even thank him for it.
He won't be ungrateful and he'll somehow acknowledge that what Lex did saved them all, but he'll never agree on the principle. And if Bo Kent has the audacity to say something to any effect, someone needs to remind him that he'd be dead and Clark would probably be on a laboratory table in some government basement with a Y-incision in his chest.
What's interesting is that even as hero complex boy, Clark doesn't understand. He doesn't seem to see, and how you could miss devotion like Lex's is utterly beyond my comprehension. As intent as he is to save everyone he can't see the most desperate case of all right in front of him. Not meteor mutants, not manipulative cops, not greedy bastards, but the best friend who loves him like he doesn't love anything, even his own life. He shows Clark his weaknesses - confessing about hesitating when it came down to saving his father. He tells Clark about his dead brother, something he's never told anyone. He asks Clark's opinion, keeps him posted on his life (Stray), listens to him with all the intensity no one musters for a fifteen-year old. Anything Clark needs, anything Clark thinks he might want, any happiness, every gesture grand or simple alike Lex has freely given, made happen, never asking anything in return. He's laid down his money (Pilot, Cool, etc), his power (Rogue, Hug), his secrets (Zero, Stray, etc.), and even his life (Jitters). He's braved his trials and though somewhat morally questionable (he did call off Nixon, and his curiosity about the meteors does extend beyond Clark). He'd give Clark the world if that's what would prove himself worthy, anything at all if Clark would only let him. Just let me love you. Trust me to know what that means.
And not only will Clark not thank him for it, I doubt it changes the status quo at all because Lex won't point it out. Clark will never know the personal price Lex paid with Nixon's death because Lex won't try to capitalize on it with him, nor will Clark dare give him the opportunity by asking. Too close, too high risk.
Jenn commented on this frustrating dynamic infinitely more eloquently in her diary: 4.24.02 - My Clark Issues
Quoting Te: "He's been raised not *just* to be a good, sweet, caring boy, but to be a boy who holds himself aloof. For good, logical reasons. But the thing is? He's a *kid*. It makes a terrifying kind of sense that he isn't old enough yet, *wise* enough yet to know where to draw the line between keeping his secrets and cutting himself off from the world."
The kid is aloof.
Clark seems to know exactly who he is--Future Superhero, Great Destiny Holder, Boy With Hopeless Crush, Good Son, Friend to All Humanity. He's--really, really, squeaky clean. He's compassionate and he's so good it hurts to look at him, he's mature in a weird, sort of frightening way.
[Lex is] a kid who loves fast cars, a plant manager who is doing brilliantly at his job, a son who feels unloved by his father, a man whose learned ruthlessness as a reflex and an instinct, that lying is a necessity, not an option, a guy who, when you get the loyalty, you get it with his entire soul--and just a boy who wants to be trusted and cared about and liked for his own sake. And it's symptomatic of his luck, lousy damn Luthor luck that he connects with the one person completely incapable of connecting back with him. It's--just horrifying, that there's this suspicion that the most damage done to Lex won't be by his dad or his life--the big damage is being done by Clark.
And on Clark's side....
Don't ask questions, don't ask too much of me, keep your distance, we'll be friends but only when I say so, you can give me things but don't expect anything in return, live with the lies and deal with me on my terms, close your eyes when I do weird things, take it when I kick you, or you know what? Forget it. And if you do all this? I'll be nice to you most of the time. The past will only matter when it's yours. I reserve the right to keep my moral high ground no matter how dishonest I am.
Clark really is a good, sweet, compassionate, kind, generous boy. He has wonderful, good qualities. But with the sole exception of Lana, they're all blurred by that--aloofness.
That slightly above the earth mentality. That--distance.
And Lex? He's ruthless; he emotionally unstable at times and acts out of that instead of reason; when he's cornered, he's absolutely merciless; he has a cold streak that comes out at the worst of times. There's not much compassion in his make-up, a real lack of empathy, and a scary ability to make right or wrong a public relations thing, not a personal moral code. Despite all those things above, he's also deeply loyal, kind, generous, and he's not malicious. At all. He has a--frighteningly idealistic mindset, coupled with ambition and intelligence and absolute confidence in himself. He has a strong desire to actually DO the right thing. And this is part of his NATURE, not his upbringing. And he's utterly incapable in every way of not giving everything he has and is. Completely.
That's a combination that's pretty much bound to go really fucking wrong.
I wanted to smack Clark during the end sequence when Lex and Jonathan shake hands. Sure he may've defended Lex earlier, but he'd also accused Lex of the very same things Jonathan was then, so whatevercakes as to irrational hypocrisy. Lex was genuinely surprised at the elder Kent's acceptance of his actions and will work to maintain that respect (we're not going into displaced father issues right now). Clark, however, will continue to smile when he shows up to deliver produce, sit for coffee in the Talon, make inconsequential small talk about Lana and pretend like everything's as it was before. That's the luxury of taking someone for granted - things big and small don't even make a ripple but are taken in stride, matter of course and all that.
And now I've confused myself. I wonder if Clark has any vague conception of what he means to Lex, and if he's afraid of that kind of intimacy because he can't allow it and is therefore trying to keep things on the straight and narrow or if he's honestly blind to it all. I wonder which one would be more painful - faulty logic or ignorance?
Sigh.
I'm sorry, Erika, but I can't write. My Lex is angry and all my he wants is to rage against the machine of Clark about not seeing that he's given him every reason and opportunity, no strings attached, to tell him the truth, that killing Nixon was something he didn't have to think about because he was saving Clark but which surely destroyed some moral fibers within himself, casting doubts on his character and goddamn it, what will it fucking take to believe in me, to believe that I can help you, protect your secrets and your family, let you lead any life you wanted and why aren’t I good enough?
And I have the sneaking suspicion that Clark is going to blow the whole thing off as blasely as the concert tickets, etc.
I had heard that in the premiere Lex takes a big step toward the dark side - and how ironic is it that his first big step is to protect Clark? -DT
What did Lex accomplish here? He's finally proven his character beyond what the Luthor name means to Jonathan, for better and worse - there's respect there, but the murder part taints that no matter how you want to rationalize it. He's proven to himself that he's got it in him to kill, that he has the power to make things disappear, inconsequential, and if that requires breaking a few eggs, he can do it. That much closer to being his father's son. And now with Lionel placing the blame squarely on him for the surgery, for doing the right thing even in the face of such a temptingly easy solution, and for the life he'll have to lead now as a consequence of it --
I can't. I just, I can't.
Miranda and I had fun watching. Much squealing and garlicy happiness. Hope Jon's eardrums are okay. Let the flood of makeup sex begin.
First, nits:
Martha is on serious probation - only by virtue of last season was she not slated for the wolves along with her dearly beloved.
Pete still barely had two things to do. Chloe's lines were recycled, along with her facial expressions.
If they're bringing on the flights we'd better not get gipped on the tights, or there'll be bloody hell to pay.
I can't even begin to properly describe the kinds of evil Lionel is. That scene was vile and twisted something so deep within the watcher, not to even mention Lex, that I actually clutched at my chest and had to focus on breathing.
It's painfully obvious that the seasoned writers are out, and not just dialogue-wise, although that sucked pondwater in parts this episode. The real problem is that they rarely if ever get coaching from the old team members, and that reflects in their characterization.
Actual musings:
Lana got major acting points from me for the look she gives Clark in the loft before leaving. Also, that exit rocked. But her face when he tells her, eyes everywhere but, that 'what you see is what you get' - Kristin Kreuk did disappointment, genuine hurt, suspicion, insulted intelligence, knowing she was being lied to, and untrustworthy all in the same singular expression. She must've hooked up with Michael's acting coach. How does Clark stand to have his friends look at him like that? I couldn't care either way about Lana, but I felt her in that moment, and how could Clark not?
I bid farewell to Lex/Lionel fic with some regret. Anything written with this episode behind it will be groundless at best; anything written in the past is unjustifiable considering Lex as we saw him in Vortex. Not that I love Te's See This any less. But it's the end of an era here, I think.
This episode almost felt like a culmination of the trials of Lex. If anything, his task seems more Herculean than Clark's at this point. Except, like most of the great Greek plays, his fate is a tragic one. He reminds me of Louis from Interview with the Vampire. When Louis is lying out on the balcony after turning Madelaine, when he tells Claudia that what died in that room wasn't her, but "the last breath in me that was human." That's what Lex's shooting of Nixon made me think of. Louis had no choice - he was in love with Armand and he knew Claudia was in danger if she stayed in Paris but wouldn't be able to take care of herself alone. Turning Madelaine was the only feasible solution, however much it cost him personally. Lex's shooting of Nixon was just as unavoidable. His own issues with Nixon had been resolved, he'd been dismissed and told to leave the Kents alone, and Lex has told everyone concerned as much. Yes, Nixon was about to kill Jonathan, as contrived as that all was, but the facts remain. He was also about to reveal Clark's secrets, something Lex realizes the weight and magnitude of even without having to know them. It was the only way to save Clark, Jonathan, and the friendship he's worked and fought for. I'm not entirely sure he had to think about it once before he pulled the trigger.
He killed a man, yes. This is not trucks, not concert tickets, not excessive organic produce investments or carte blanche to start over as friends with honesty as the foundation. But in the same few seconds' time, a part of him was lost too.
And Clark won't even thank him for it.
He won't be ungrateful and he'll somehow acknowledge that what Lex did saved them all, but he'll never agree on the principle. And if Bo Kent has the audacity to say something to any effect, someone needs to remind him that he'd be dead and Clark would probably be on a laboratory table in some government basement with a Y-incision in his chest.
What's interesting is that even as hero complex boy, Clark doesn't understand. He doesn't seem to see, and how you could miss devotion like Lex's is utterly beyond my comprehension. As intent as he is to save everyone he can't see the most desperate case of all right in front of him. Not meteor mutants, not manipulative cops, not greedy bastards, but the best friend who loves him like he doesn't love anything, even his own life. He shows Clark his weaknesses - confessing about hesitating when it came down to saving his father. He tells Clark about his dead brother, something he's never told anyone. He asks Clark's opinion, keeps him posted on his life (Stray), listens to him with all the intensity no one musters for a fifteen-year old. Anything Clark needs, anything Clark thinks he might want, any happiness, every gesture grand or simple alike Lex has freely given, made happen, never asking anything in return. He's laid down his money (Pilot, Cool, etc), his power (Rogue, Hug), his secrets (Zero, Stray, etc.), and even his life (Jitters). He's braved his trials and though somewhat morally questionable (he did call off Nixon, and his curiosity about the meteors does extend beyond Clark). He'd give Clark the world if that's what would prove himself worthy, anything at all if Clark would only let him. Just let me love you. Trust me to know what that means.
And not only will Clark not thank him for it, I doubt it changes the status quo at all because Lex won't point it out. Clark will never know the personal price Lex paid with Nixon's death because Lex won't try to capitalize on it with him, nor will Clark dare give him the opportunity by asking. Too close, too high risk.
Jenn commented on this frustrating dynamic infinitely more eloquently in her diary: 4.24.02 - My Clark Issues
Quoting Te: "He's been raised not *just* to be a good, sweet, caring boy, but to be a boy who holds himself aloof. For good, logical reasons. But the thing is? He's a *kid*. It makes a terrifying kind of sense that he isn't old enough yet, *wise* enough yet to know where to draw the line between keeping his secrets and cutting himself off from the world."
The kid is aloof.
Clark seems to know exactly who he is--Future Superhero, Great Destiny Holder, Boy With Hopeless Crush, Good Son, Friend to All Humanity. He's--really, really, squeaky clean. He's compassionate and he's so good it hurts to look at him, he's mature in a weird, sort of frightening way.
[Lex is] a kid who loves fast cars, a plant manager who is doing brilliantly at his job, a son who feels unloved by his father, a man whose learned ruthlessness as a reflex and an instinct, that lying is a necessity, not an option, a guy who, when you get the loyalty, you get it with his entire soul--and just a boy who wants to be trusted and cared about and liked for his own sake. And it's symptomatic of his luck, lousy damn Luthor luck that he connects with the one person completely incapable of connecting back with him. It's--just horrifying, that there's this suspicion that the most damage done to Lex won't be by his dad or his life--the big damage is being done by Clark.
And on Clark's side....
Don't ask questions, don't ask too much of me, keep your distance, we'll be friends but only when I say so, you can give me things but don't expect anything in return, live with the lies and deal with me on my terms, close your eyes when I do weird things, take it when I kick you, or you know what? Forget it. And if you do all this? I'll be nice to you most of the time. The past will only matter when it's yours. I reserve the right to keep my moral high ground no matter how dishonest I am.
Clark really is a good, sweet, compassionate, kind, generous boy. He has wonderful, good qualities. But with the sole exception of Lana, they're all blurred by that--aloofness.
That slightly above the earth mentality. That--distance.
And Lex? He's ruthless; he emotionally unstable at times and acts out of that instead of reason; when he's cornered, he's absolutely merciless; he has a cold streak that comes out at the worst of times. There's not much compassion in his make-up, a real lack of empathy, and a scary ability to make right or wrong a public relations thing, not a personal moral code. Despite all those things above, he's also deeply loyal, kind, generous, and he's not malicious. At all. He has a--frighteningly idealistic mindset, coupled with ambition and intelligence and absolute confidence in himself. He has a strong desire to actually DO the right thing. And this is part of his NATURE, not his upbringing. And he's utterly incapable in every way of not giving everything he has and is. Completely.
That's a combination that's pretty much bound to go really fucking wrong.
I wanted to smack Clark during the end sequence when Lex and Jonathan shake hands. Sure he may've defended Lex earlier, but he'd also accused Lex of the very same things Jonathan was then, so whatevercakes as to irrational hypocrisy. Lex was genuinely surprised at the elder Kent's acceptance of his actions and will work to maintain that respect (we're not going into displaced father issues right now). Clark, however, will continue to smile when he shows up to deliver produce, sit for coffee in the Talon, make inconsequential small talk about Lana and pretend like everything's as it was before. That's the luxury of taking someone for granted - things big and small don't even make a ripple but are taken in stride, matter of course and all that.
And now I've confused myself. I wonder if Clark has any vague conception of what he means to Lex, and if he's afraid of that kind of intimacy because he can't allow it and is therefore trying to keep things on the straight and narrow or if he's honestly blind to it all. I wonder which one would be more painful - faulty logic or ignorance?
Sigh.
I'm sorry, Erika, but I can't write. My Lex is angry and all my he wants is to rage against the machine of Clark about not seeing that he's given him every reason and opportunity, no strings attached, to tell him the truth, that killing Nixon was something he didn't have to think about because he was saving Clark but which surely destroyed some moral fibers within himself, casting doubts on his character and goddamn it, what will it fucking take to believe in me, to believe that I can help you, protect your secrets and your family, let you lead any life you wanted and why aren’t I good enough?
And I have the sneaking suspicion that Clark is going to blow the whole thing off as blasely as the concert tickets, etc.
I had heard that in the premiere Lex takes a big step toward the dark side - and how ironic is it that his first big step is to protect Clark? -DT
What did Lex accomplish here? He's finally proven his character beyond what the Luthor name means to Jonathan, for better and worse - there's respect there, but the murder part taints that no matter how you want to rationalize it. He's proven to himself that he's got it in him to kill, that he has the power to make things disappear, inconsequential, and if that requires breaking a few eggs, he can do it. That much closer to being his father's son. And now with Lionel placing the blame squarely on him for the surgery, for doing the right thing even in the face of such a temptingly easy solution, and for the life he'll have to lead now as a consequence of it --
I can't. I just, I can't.
Miranda and I had fun watching. Much squealing and garlicy happiness. Hope Jon's eardrums are okay. Let the flood of makeup sex begin.
