while I do think Lana does share many personality traits with Lex, and she *is* much more ruthless than Clark, I also think her choice in this episode shows she has the capacity to sacrifice her own happiness for the greater good
In addition to the parallels with Lex, Lana's dispatch of Bizarro was a great bit of foreshadowing: she's going to stand at that crossroad one more significant time before all is said and done, and now we know she really does have the strength to let go of the man she loves for the sake of the greater good. For all that Lana can be legitimately dinged for how some things went down with Bizarro, in that moment in the Clocktower he was her dry run. And she passed the test with flying, if bittersweet colors, just like she will when Clark finally decides to embrace his destiny.
The second thing I loved in this episode is how it so clearly demonstrated that the Lionel-Lex power shift is 98% complete. Lex was literally above his father in their opening confrontation, and he's the one with power. In the past Lionel used many means to separate Lex from forming bonds with other people; now Lex has done the same with Lionel. Rather than let Lionel set Julian up as a rival to him, he has Julian killed. And significantly, just moments after Lionel has declared Julian to be family regardless of how he came to be. (Hmm. It just occurs to me that in doing this, Lex is not only finally committing the crime his father convicted him of years ago, he has actually adopted his mother's tactics.
What's also interesting is that Lionel actually proves that Lillian was right: he would have pitted Lex and Julian against each other had Julian lived. It's the first thing he does in the Lex/Lionel scene -- ensure that Lex knows he already prefers Grant. I've seen criticism that this episode somehow does a disservice to Memoria, but I think it's an interesting bookend, because so much of the dynamic Lillian feared came into play and because Lex actually committed the crime of which he was falsely accused all those years before.
And yay for Brainiac! He really was one of the best things about the episode.
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In addition to the parallels with Lex, Lana's dispatch of Bizarro was a great bit of foreshadowing: she's going to stand at that crossroad one more significant time before all is said and done, and now we know she really does have the strength to let go of the man she loves for the sake of the greater good. For all that Lana can be legitimately dinged for how some things went down with Bizarro, in that moment in the Clocktower he was her dry run. And she passed the test with flying, if bittersweet colors, just like she will when Clark finally decides to embrace his destiny.
The second thing I loved in this episode is how it so clearly demonstrated that the Lionel-Lex power shift is 98% complete. Lex was literally above his father in their opening confrontation, and he's the one with power. In the past Lionel used many means to separate Lex from forming bonds with other people; now Lex has done the same with Lionel. Rather than let Lionel set Julian up as a rival to him, he has Julian killed. And significantly, just moments after Lionel has declared Julian to be family regardless of how he came to be. (Hmm. It just occurs to me that in doing this, Lex is not only finally committing the crime his father convicted him of years ago, he has actually adopted his mother's tactics.
What's also interesting is that Lionel actually proves that Lillian was right: he would have pitted Lex and Julian against each other had Julian lived. It's the first thing he does in the Lex/Lionel scene -- ensure that Lex knows he already prefers Grant. I've seen criticism that this episode somehow does a disservice to Memoria, but I think it's an interesting bookend, because so much of the dynamic Lillian feared came into play and because Lex actually committed the crime of which he was falsely accused all those years before.
And yay for Brainiac! He really was one of the best things about the episode.