Oh I'm not disagreeing that Jor-El is a manipulator. I just think that Clark, the Kents and sometimes the audience find it easy to blame Jor-El for *everything* because he has powers beyond their understanding. In that sense he is like a god, because it's always easier to blame the big impersonal omnipotent power than to take responsibility yourself. And Jor-El is just *so* alien to humans, there's a natural fear. I love that SV has deliberately created this fear and dread around Jor-El, but I don't think we should be blinded by it.

Yes, I agree the writers are leaving it intentionally ambiguous. I find it strange that the white eyes and lunacy was just temporary in the 'reboot' process. I guess I've been reading the link between Jor-El and Lionel as less total. i.e. I don't think Jor-El is wandering around in Lionel's body. Lionel seems too much like *Lionel* for that to be true. I have no evidence, but I just *feel* it's more complicated than that.

I wonder if/when we're going to get some answers on the Lionel-Jor-El connection? I really wanted to write about the bigger implications of their conflation, but I don't know when the right moment to do so is... I've been waiting for more evidence! Perhaps I should give up.