TiVo Community Forums Archives - Smallville

TiVoCommunity.com
(c)opyright 1995-2005 All rights reserved
indexcheckTC
This area is a static history of posts in the TiVo Community Forum Archive.
This archive history was made for the simple indexing of search sites like Google.

Pages:1

Smallville - 10/8 "Phoenix" (Spoilers)
(Click here to view the original thread with full colors/images)

Posted by: connery

Good episode to end the 3 part arc. As usual the people that find out Clark's secret are presumably killed, (though I doubt Edge was) but I thought they handled it better this time.

Some notes:

What happened to the scar on Clark's chest?
No Pete at all.
Chloe goes through hairstyles fast. A good thing in this case.
If Helen is so evil, why didn't she sell Clark's secret to Lionel instead of trying to kill Lex for her fortune?
More kung-fu Lana :rolleyes:
Lex moving to Metropolis should be interesting.

Much like last season, almost everything got resolved and is back to normal.

:up:

Posted by: GoodN

Lana doesn't ask why the Kents are being held hostage? And no one mentions that Lana has killed a man in self-defense? And not one, but two people who hold the keys to Clark's identity are missing, and presumed dead?

But I have t admit that Lex asking to be considered part of the family was a great scene. Can't wait to see the show next week!

Posted by: JYoung

Smallville still continues to kick Enterprise's ass, although either the writer's are getting a bit sloppy or these are plot threads that will come back to haunt the Kents.

Still, they keep things interesting......

Posted by: Rob Helmerichs

The scar wasn't a scar; it was a manifestation of the red kryptonite.

And Helen is smart--why get millions for the blood when you can get billions through a rapid wife-widow cycle? (Remember how she manipulated him last year on the pre-nup?)

And I trust the writers...this stuff is coming back to haunt the Kents.

Posted by: Redstixxx

I was pretty curious myself what they did with the body of the guy killed by the pitchfork.

Lana seemed to take his death pretty well.

Posted by: WinBear

This seemed to be a good opportunity to bring back that tough-as-nails lady sheriff and give the Kents and Lana some hell.

Posted by: ClutchBrake

You had to know Lex was going to buy and give the farm to the Kents. I'm glad they brought the compass into play. It gave Lex an excuse to be grateful to Pa Kent and made it easier for him to accept.

Posted by: Bryanmc

I thought the Lana kicking butt part was crap. Come on.

She's a 90lb. teenager. Sure she did all that self defense stuff, but to take down a 200+lb. guy with a gun? Good grief.

Why did Lex take Helen up in the plane? Just as a "setting" to turn the tables or here or was there some other reason?

I don't think Lex is going back to Metropolis. He just asked to help run LuthorCorp together, but I suspect he'll find a way to do that from Smallville.

The beauty of that moment (with Linoel and Lex) is that I was unsure if Lex was sincere or playing his father again. But, it doesn't matter. Either he is sincere and he's now willingly taking steps to the dark side, or he's being manipulative and is already well on his way. It's gold.

Good stuff but I'm still wondering what Jonathan had to sacrifice to get Clark back.

Posted by: holee

quote:
Originally posted by WinBear
This seemed to be a good opportunity to bring back that tough-as-nails lady sheriff and give the Kents and Lana some hell.

NOOO. Please not her. Not that "You're lying, this is a damn good cup of coffee" overplaying actress.

Posted by: WinBear

And now for something completely different...

How'd you react to Dido's new song being SO prominently featured in the Clark/Lana "breakup" discussion? I like Dido's music, but she's just been overexposed the last month with the new CD. I had to turn off my Dido wishlist since she appeared on every talk show singing "White Flag" and maybe "Thank You" and never anything else like "Here With You" or something really haunting like "Christmas Day."

Posted by: keefer37

Smallville always prominently features a couple songs every episode. I didn't notice it was any more intrusive or whatever than any other episode. I liked the "Ryan" episode when they played Five for Fighting's "Superman."

Posted by: LooseWiring

The scar wasn't a scar; it was a manifestation of the red kryptonite.

The scar had nothing to do with RedK. The scar was put on there by "the Voice of Jor El" before Clark even thought of puttng on the ring.

Quote of the episode definitely goes to Chloe.

"Clark has more issues than Rolling Stone."

Power Ranger Lana was funny to watch.

Posted by: Philosofy

Power Ranger Lana. I like it. :)

Posted by: Philosofy

Oh, and as far as the little stunt Morgan Edge pulled with two guns on the Kents: Clark can run faster than a bullet, he's definitely faster than human reaction time. I think he could have snatched both guns before they could react, or at least handle one guy physically and the other with his heat vision.

Posted by: JYoung

quote:
Originally posted by Bryanmc

Good stuff but I'm still wondering what Jonathan had to sacrifice to get Clark back.

Well you see, Jor-El has his eye on the orange 1969 Dodge Charger with the Confederate Flag painted on the roof that Pa has stored out back....... ;)

One theory that I read is that Pa is now sterile. he gave up his ability to father any more children.
I still think that it's years off of his life which will cause Clark some angst when he finds out.

I also have to say that John Schneider has been very good in the role since Rosetta......

Posted by: Rob Helmerichs

quote:
Originally posted by Philosofy
Oh, and as far as the little stunt Morgan Edge pulled with two guns on the Kents: Clark can run faster than a bullet, he's definitely faster than human reaction time. I think he could have snatched both guns before they could react, or at least handle one guy physically and the other with his heat vision.

I was thinking the same thing, but I also wondered if Clark would be confident enough in his abilities to in effect bet his parents' lives on it...probably not. Confidence hasn't exactly been Clark's strong suit.

Posted by: Bryanmc

quote:
Originally posted by Medieval Guy
I was thinking the same thing, but I also wondered if Clark would be confident enough in his abilities to in effect bet his parents' lives on it...probably not. Confidence hasn't exactly been Clark's strong suit.

I agree. I thought Clark acted perfectly there, whereas Lana was stupid.

Years off Pa Kent's life would be a pretty good solution. It's powerful, would cause Clark pain, and it really does mean something. It's a real sacrifice.

And the golden part is that it's nothing they'd have to deal with in the series, he'd die years after it's over probably.

Posted by: Graymalkin

The sacrifice is that Jon Schneider will be replaced by Wilford Brimley in the next episode. Then Martha will really have a reason to be mad at Clark. :D

Posted by: Chandler Mike

quote:
Originally posted by Bryanmc
I agree. I thought Clark acted perfectly there, whereas Lana was stupid.

Years off Pa Kent's life would be a pretty good solution. It's powerful, would cause Clark pain, and it really does mean something. It's a real sacrifice.

And the golden part is that it's nothing they'd have to deal with in the series, he'd die years after it's over probably.

Well, if they stay with the films, then Pa Kent should die before Clark leaves for Metropolis, right?

That's what I immediately thought of when I saw that. Maybe years off his life, or something that will cause him to die before the show ends and he moves to Metropolis (will the show end then, or move on to Metropolis?).

Also, the Lana walking in on the kidnappers, and then never resolving what they told her, or what happened was tough to swallow. Like they almost forgot about that part when writing the script.

Finally, I thought the scene at the end when Clark tells Lana that he thinks he's not the guy for her...wow, that was the best acting by him I've seen in the entire series, IMHO. He just seemed older, darker and not so boyish from previous seasons.

A good change I think.

Mike

Posted by: Bryanmc

quote:
Originally posted by Chandler Mike
Well, if they stay with the films, then Pa Kent should die before Clark leaves for Metropolis, right?

And Metropolis would not be in Kansas, the Kents would be about 20 years older and the show would take place in the 50s.

The creators have used the movies as the basis for the feel of the show, but for almost none of the specifics that are allowed to be played around with.

Don't assume anything will happen or won't happen based on the movies.

Posted by: Chandler Mike

quote:
Originally posted by Bryanmc
And Metropolis would not be in Kansas, the Kents would be about 20 years older and the show would take place in the 50s.

The creators have used the movies as the basis for the feel of the show, but for almost none of the specifics that are allowed to be played around with.

Don't assume anything will happen or won't happen based on the movies.

Well, I guess I get that, but it's just what I thought when I saw it. Obviously, he gave something up.

Moving a city to another state, or the ages aren't a big deal, but not having him die is a pretty big change, IMO.

But I wont assume anything :)

Mike

Posted by: vertigo235

The movies didn't take place in the 50s, the show did though...

Posted by: ClutchBrake

quote:
Originally posted by vertigo235
The movies didn't take place in the 50s, the show did though...

In the movies teenage Clark was in the 1950s.

Posted by: TiVaholic

You people read too much into it...Or I'm not that observant.

Posted by: LooseWiring

quote:
Originally posted by Chandler Mike
Well, if they stay with the films, then Pa Kent should die before Clark leaves for Metropolis, right?

I don't think Clark ever leaves Smallville for Metropolis. He leaves Smallville after High School(College?) and "Wanders the Earth" for 10 years before finally settling in Metropolis.

Once he finally gets to Metropolis we get to see Superman(Tights and all) but before that it was just Clark "Kwai Chang Caine" Kent.

Posted by: vertigo235

quote:
Originally posted by ClutchBrake
In the movies teenage Clark was in the 1950s.

That's right, duh

Posted by: Rcrew

quote:
Originally posted by Bryanmc
...He just asked to help run LuthorCorp together, but I suspect he'll find a way to do that from Smallville.

The beauty of that moment (with Linoel and Lex) is that I was unsure if Lex was sincere or playing his father again...

Just using your quote as a reference point to that scene.

Coming so close on the heals of Lex orchestrating his revenge on Helen, I have to believe he's sucking ole Lionel in. I thought there was just the tiniest turn of the corner of his mouth when he hugged his dad. I did not see any such twist in Lionel.

Lex is still walking the line. But when we see him asking to be considered part of the Kent family, he's showing which way he is leaning. I think he understands that for his own survival, he can't be all good. It could be that he has reached a point where he will select the tools and levels of force to match what ever an opponent throws his way.

I think there's a parallel with this in Clark. He admitted he has a dark side that he is ready to use in a similar fashion. He'll met out what ever is necessary, at what ever level is thrown at him.

I'm sure I'm reading quite a bit into this, but hey, that's some of the fun.

Posted by: David Platt

quote:
Originally posted by Philosofy
Power Ranger Lana. I like it. :)

Heh-- all the pink Lana wears finally makes sense. She's the Pink Ranger.

Posted by: Bryanmc

quote:
Originally posted by Chandler Mike

Moving a city to another state, or the ages aren't a big deal, but not having him die is a pretty big change, IMO.

Not at all.

There's nothing in the Superman mythos that says Ma and Pa Kent have to die at a certain time. In some stories they are both dead when he's Superman, in some only Pa, and in the current comic timeline (since the mid 80s) they are both alive and well.

In fact, there's much more of an establishment of where Metropolis is than the deaths of the Kents. So I'd argue that moving Metropolis is a bigger change than Pa Kent staying alive.

Posted by: drew2k

After the last 5 minutes of last week's show and the first 5 of tonights, I was thinking the show had become a cartoon. But then they resolved the Jonathan-as-Superfriend issue quickly and smartly, and I really enjoyed this episdoe.

A couple of observations/questions:

Anyone else wonder what the long-lasting effects of Clark's prolonged exposure to red kryptonite will be? When Edge confronted clark in the limo, Clark suddenly tore into a rage and then tore into the limo door. Clark has almost always tried to limit his responses to use his powers only when necessary, but this time his emotions got the better of him. Could be 'cuz Clark knew Edge was already aware of his powers, or could be that red-K has actually altered Clark's blood chemistry and the bad-boy is going to be lurking at all times now.

In previous eps, proximity to Kryptonite (the green kind) severely weakened Clark to the point he'd start collapsing when he was within a yard of it. Shouldn't the kryptonite duct-taped to his chest for such a prolonged period have had a more devastating effect?

Now, about Lex and Lionel and working together ... Lex' expression can read two ways: happy and content to bond with Dad, or smug that he's about to pull the wool over Dad's eyes. Lionel, on the other hand, was an easy read for me: he's uncomfortable - shocked, even - about the proposal to work together, and is NOT looking forward to it.

To follow-up on my post from last week: I'm so glad the Kents get to keep the farm, and I can't wait to see how it all plays out if Jonathan will eventually come to resent Lex for bailing the family out!

Posted by: Philosofy

I think Clark ripping the door off of Edge's car was a bluff. He knew Edge thought he was ruthless (from his Red K days), and wanted to make sure Edge knew not to mess with him. Kal would have thrown him around a little more: Clark just threatened him.

Posted by: Bryanmc

quote:
Originally posted by Philosofy
I think Clark ripping the door off of Edge's car was a bluff. He knew Edge thought he was ruthless (from his Red K days), and wanted to make sure Edge knew not to mess with him. Kal would have thrown him around a little more: Clark just threatened him.

Yes. I agree with this.

Posted by: allan

quote:
Originally posted by Bryanmc
The beauty of that moment (with Linoel and Lex) is that I was unsure if Lex was sincere or playing his father again. But, it doesn't matter. Either he is sincere and he's now willingly taking steps to the dark side, or he's being manipulative and is already well on his way. It's gold.

I think both. Lex WAS sincere when he said he survived because his father made him a tough, mean SOB. And since Lex IS a tough, mean SOB, he's going to turn on Lionel as soon as it's to his advantage.

Posted by: connery

The scar just kind of went away with no explanation. It was definately there well before Clark put on the red K ring. Maybe the producers were spending too much money on shirts so they just got rid of it.

I agree with holee, I hope they drop that HORRIBLE sheriff altogether. No explanation needed! She must be related to one of the higher ups on the show to have gotten the job, atleast that's what I tell myself so I can sleep at night.

Also Lana's horse was more deserving of a spot in the opening credits than Pete, since he wasn't in the show for 1 second (am I right on this or just forgetting?)

Posted by: Rcrew

quote:
Originally posted by Philosofy
I think Clark ripping the door off of Edge's car was a bluff.

That doesn't explain the transformation of Clark's face. There was pure evil on his face for an instant. Between that and Clarks discussion with Lana, I got the distinct impression that Clark took great pleasure in releasing that fury. To me that was why he is breaking off with Lana. At this point he believes he will release it again, and again, and that would be dangerous to her.

I think you have to throw away any preconceived notions of where the Superman story has gone in books, comics, and movies. This is Smallville, not Superman.

Posted by: Rcrew

quote:
Originally posted by connery
The scar just kind of went away with no explanation.

That scene was one my GF replayed for me a couple of times. Did anyone else notice that as it vanished, the last remaining vestage was simply a large S?

Posted by: Attack

quote:
Originally posted by Rcrew
That scene was one my GF replayed for me a couple of times. Did anyone else notice that as it vanished, the last remaining vestage was simply a large S?

Yes, I noticed that.

Posted by: bobcarn

quote:
Originally posted by Philosofy
I think Clark ripping the door off of Edge's car was a bluff. He knew Edge thought he was ruthless (from his Red K days), and wanted to make sure Edge knew not to mess with him. Kal would have thrown him around a little more: Clark just threatened him.

Definitely. They made it a point to show Clark's face as Edge drove away. Once Edge was out of sight, the angry defiant look dropped, and he had a worried expression on his face. He was definitely purposely acting like he thought Edge would expect and hoped to frighten him away.

I still have a problem with Lana coming in to find the Kents all tied up and about to be killed. I don't have a problem with her kicking the guy's butt. I mean, if you can accept someone having super strength, invulnerability, and heat vision, you should be able to accept a girl who took (and would theoretically still taking) martial arts lesson being able to fend someone off for a little bit. What I have a problem with is that she acted like nothing happened when she was talking with Clark. This is definitely stuff that simply doesn't happen to a simple farm family. While I doubt she'd think "People after the Kents, tying them up, trying to kill them..... Clark must be a superpowered alien", it would be more logical to consider that the Kents are involved with some serious, and deadly, people.

I'm also concerned about so many people learning about Clark.

And why doesn't Clark just say to Lana "You know, that red meteorite rock affects me strangely. That's why I was acting so badly." They all know that the meterorite rocks have strange influences on people. It's not like them affecting Clark in an odd way would be all that unusual. C'mon Clark! Get with it!

The only other thing I can complain about a little (and something I've complained about before) is that Tom Welling really has very limited range as an actor. He's so drastically overshadowed by everyone on the show.

I still choose to have my Tivo catch Smallville rather than Enterprise though. But I do have to say that I've been enjoying Enterprise this season more than I thought I would.

Posted by: lew313

Something that's bothered me since the beginning- What is Lex, probably a man in his mid to upper 20's (went to college- has his own business, etc.) doing hanging around with a bunch of high school kids. Last year they were'nt even seniors- does Clark still go there? Will they ever graduate? Even Buffy went on to college and adulthood.

Posted by: Bryanmc

quote:
Originally posted by lew313
Something that's bothered me since the beginning- What is Lex, probably a man in his mid to upper 20's (went to college- has his own business, etc.) doing hanging around with a bunch of high school kids. Last year they were'nt even seniors- does Clark still go there? Will they ever graduate? Even Buffy went on to college and adulthood.

We are assuming that Lex is about 5-6 years older than the "gang".

He looked to be about 12 in the pilot when Lana was about 6.

Posted by: meridian

quote:
Originally posted by JYoung
Well you see, Jor-El has his eye on the orange 1969 Dodge Charger with the Confederate Flag painted on the roof that Pa has stored out back....... ;)

:D I laughed out loud at that!

quote:
Originally posted by Chandler Mike
Finally, I thought the scene at the end when Clark tells Lana that he thinks he's not the guy for her...wow, that was the best acting by him I've seen in the entire series, IMHO. He just seemed older, darker and not so boyish from previous seasons.

A good change I think.

Mike

Yup. Welling is getting better in the role especially as they give him more -- and more interesting stuff -- to do.

Posted by: Rcrew

quote:
Originally posted by bobcarn
...Once Edge was out of sight, the angry defiant look dropped, and he had a worried expression on his face...

Hey Bob, et all, test drive this...

Same expressions, different interpretation...

Clark's worried expression is because he's still enjoying the rush of excitement from unleashing his dark side.

All the red kryptonite did was keep Clark from holding the darkness in check. That potential simply exists within him. By using the ring for so long, Clark has had ample opportunity to build a liking/craving for the feelings that power gives him.

Let me take this to another level, admittedly a highly debatable one. From other scenes, looks to me like Clark is still a virgin. I think he kept picking up and rejecting all the hot babes while he was 'red' Clark because he was pining for Lana. However, I think he was also able to do without them because his use of the dark power is on some level a sexual substitute.

Wouldn't most agree that a big motivation for most men is sexual gratification. I think that this dark power release is giving Clark satisfaction at that level. No, I'm not saying it's orgasmic for him to rip a car door off. But I think there's a bio/pshcyo release for him that is so powerful, he's unable to completely step back to the Clark of last season.

He has had a strong taste, and I think he knows he won't be completely able to resist it in the future.

Posted by: johnmoorejohn

When clark's dad challenged clark to kill him, did clark punch the metal wall because his dad moved out of the way or because he was finally ready to get rid of the ring?

I also wondered if some of the red-k got into his sytem, but after review it looks like the red-k bits fly away from his punch.

Posted by: ClutchBrake

quote:
Originally posted by Rcrew
Wouldn't most agree that a big motivation for most men is sexual gratification.

Yes.

Posted by: drew2k

quote:
Originally posted by Rcrew
All the red kryptonite did was keep Clark from holding the darkness in check. That potential simply exists within him. By using the ring for so long, Clark has had ample opportunity to build a liking/craving for the feelings that power gives him.

I posted this earlier and defintely agree. I think Clark is now going to struggle with his desire to do good and his urges to explore the darker side of his personality. Last season, Jor-el told Kal-el his destiny wasn't on the farm. In the cave this season, didn't Jor-el tell Jonathan something like "Kal-el is not ready"? What if exposing Clark to his dark side is some part of Jor-el's "plan" to test or nurture Kal-el into becoming a "good" person, able to appreciate and value life?

I remember an artist on PBS who would always say: "without the dark there can be no light!", so it may be an attempt to have Clark experience evil first-hand in order to willingly accept his powers.

Posted by: Rcrew

Great post Drew! I hadn't pushed my thoughts out that far. Excellent theory, absolutely the missing puzzle piece for me!

Posted by: e30mpwrd

quote:
Originally posted by bobcarn
What I have a problem with is that she acted like nothing happened when she was talking with Clark. This is definitely stuff that simply doesn't happen to a simple farm family. While I doubt she'd think "People after the Kents, tying them up, trying to kill them..... Clark must be a superpowered alien", it would be more logical to consider that the Kents are involved with some serious, and deadly, people....I'm also concerned about so many people learning about Clark.

Actually, I think Lana would have been more likely to believe that Clark got mixed up with serious, deadly people while he was away.

Regardless, the thing about this week's episode that made the least sense to me was that Clark extracted his own blood in front of the bad guys theryby exposing both his identity and his only weakness. That just didn't make sense; he could have easily said "I'll go get what you need", taken the box with the kryptonite and extracted his blood elsewhere. Clearly they wanted Clark to expose his powers to additional people to further the plot, but for me this just didn't make any logical sense, even for Smallville.

Posted by: JYoung

quote:
Originally posted by meridian
:D I laughed out loud at that!

Thanks..

My main complaint is that Lana killed a man (albeit in self defense) and there were no consequences.
I would have thought she would have at least freaked out a bit for after that.....

Perhaps this will be revisited in the future.

Posted by: Philosofy

I find it very intersting that Lionel didn't know it was Clark's blood.

Posted by: Bryanmc

quote:
Originally posted by Philosofy
I find it very intersting that Lionel didn't know it was Clark's blood.

Yeah. But these are rabbit trails that I don't want to follow.

Lionel doesn't know the blood is Clark's but probably knows about his powers.

Helen knows about the blood, but not about Clark's powers, but she may be dead.

Rutger Hauer knows about the blood and Clark's powers but he may be dead.

Pete knows about Clark's powers but apparently he's been abducted by Darksied.

I hate keeping track of who knows what and where they are, etc. IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE A SECRET!

I wonder if the Kents have an Excel spreadsheet with all the people that know certain things and they just check them off as they die.

Posted by: Chandler Mike

quote:
Originally posted by Bryanmc

I wonder if the Kents have an Excel spreadsheet with all the people that know certain things and they just check them off as they die.

I don't know if they do, but it sure sounds like YOU have one :D

Mike

Posted by: Bryanmc

quote:
Originally posted by Chandler Mike
I don't know if they do, but it sure sounds like YOU have one :D

Mike

I love Superman.

In a completely non-sexual kind of way.

Well, that's only half true....

Posted by: jschuman

quote:
Originally posted by Bryanmc

I wonder if the Kents have an Excel spreadsheet with all the people that know certain things and they just check them off as they die.

That's hilarious! :)

Posted by: LooseWiring

quote:
Originally posted by Philosofy
I find it very intersting that Lionel didn't know it was Clark's blood.

Who says he didn't know it was Clark's blood? Sure he made the /surprise face but this is the guy who let the world think he was blind so he could appear weak and get the upper hand on those who would exploit him.

I doubt very much if Clark has ANY secrets from Lionel.

Posted by: David Platt

quote:
Originally posted by JYoung
Thanks..

My main complaint is that Lana killed a man (albeit in self defense) and there were no consequences.
I would have thought she would have at least freaked out a bit for after that.....

And really now, what an unbelievable death it was-- who in their right mind still keeps pitchforks stored with the tines facing straight out??

Have slasher movies taught us nothing?

Posted by: Rob Helmerichs

quote:
Originally posted by David Platt
And really now, what an unbelievable death it was-- who in their right mind still keeps pitchforks stored with the tines facing straight out??

Have slasher movies taught us nothing?

Or perhaps more to the point, has living on a farm for four generations taught the Kents nothing?

Kinda makes ya wonder how there was ever more than one generation! :D

Posted by: connery

quote:
Originally posted by lew313
Something that's bothered me since the beginning- What is Lex, probably a man in his mid to upper 20's (went to college- has his own business, etc.) doing hanging around with a bunch of high school kids. Last year they were'nt even seniors- does Clark still go there? Will they ever graduate? Even Buffy went on to college and adulthood.

quote:
Originally posted by Bryanmc
We are assuming that Lex is about 5-6 years older than the "gang".

He looked to be about 12 in the pilot when Lana was about 6.

Lex was 9 in the pilot which took place in 1989 so he would have been born in 1980 (I only remember this because that's when I was born). So he would have been 21 in the first season and 23 this season. I'm pretty sure Lana Chloe and Pete were 15-16 in the first season as they were freshman, so it's not unusual that they would still be in high school. And Clark of course we don't actually know how old he is.

It's also not unusual that Lex hangs out with Clark considering he has had his life saved by him quite a few times. The others he just tolerates as a favor to clark ;) .

Posted by: hookbill

quote:
Originally posted by Rcrew
I think you have to throw away any preconceived notions of where the Superman story has gone in books, comics, and movies. This is Smallville, not Superman.

Probably the smartest comment I've read this entire thread, and I agree. Just the same I can't keep the thought out of my hear everytime Lex even starts to do something evil that "ah-ha....this is the start of it" meaning that he is going to be like the evil Lex we know from the comics. This never comes about and probably won't. As you said, this is Smallville not Superman.

Two other comments I agree with in this thread were on Clark showing a little bit more anger and his dark side. I think this is a good thing. The other is on the Sherriff. She rubbed me the wrong way the moment they introduced her, very irritating. So let's just assue that when Clark was doing his Kal thing he "took care" of that problem and forget all about her, shall we?
:D

Posted by: ufo4sale

I'm confused about something. Did Lionel Luther hire her to watch over Lex. Lionel made a comment at the end of the show which he said that I wasn't expecting you to fall in love with her?

Posted by: rtype

I believe the red kryptonite "version" of Clark is being used to show why Clark has a need for a release which gives him some more believable reasoning for hopping around the city in spandex than just wanting to do good deeds.

I do believe Lionel hired Helen to spy on and manipulate Lex and that things somehow got out of hand--how much emotion she felts for him is left purposefully open ended, I think. She may very well have been in love with him--being in love has never prevented an evil bitch from being an evil bitch. (Trust me on this one.) The device is to cause Lex to question the value of love itself--that his feeling it leaves him vulnerable and that someone else feeling it for him doesn't prevent them from hurting him.

The beauty of Smallville is the parallel of Clark and Lex's lives. They are absolutely similar crossing over a grey line only slightly... and then magnified by the huge amounts of power that both of them come to possess.

Posted by: Philosofy

IMHO, Lionel hired Helen, and Helen took advantage of that. Why bother with the $100K or so Lionel would pay when she could marry and kill Lex for a billion or so?