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Smallville: Abyss
I was not pleased with a major plot development tonight. Just a warning before you click.
People who can't stand any criticism of Clark should probably not read any further. [And just an fyi--I'm probably going to be backspacing out of Chloe-negative reviews faster than Clark fetches library books. Just in case you're wondering why I'm being even *more* quiet than I have been lately on the commenting front.]
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Clark, why is it ok for you to steal people's memories when it's bad for Brainiac to do it?
So. Now I understand why they had Chloe choose to kill that guy--it was to make Clark's decision look like it was the right one to make. Guess what? It still wasn't.
Honestly? If Clark had found out about what Chloe did and then had Jor-El take those memories away, I could have been persuaded that the decision was justified (if nothing else, to prevent her from doing it again, but also because it would be hard to bring Chloe to trial for killing someone with her brain). And if Chloe, *in her right mind* was making those decisions--which I don't think has actually been definitively demonstrated by the show--perhaps she shouldn't have knowledge of the secret.
But that isn't the motive behind Clark's decision; that's something metatextual that the viewers know and Clark doesn't. Clark made the decision to take her memories away --memories she had just been telling him were a core part of her identity-- just to "protect her." I have never been angrier with Clark in the history of the show. That's just not right. You can't steal a piece of a person's identity "for their own good." I don't care about his moving speech (and I'll grant it was very moving) about how much she did for him and how often she saved him and how hard this was for him blah blah blah--it was a fundamental violation of her selfhood, and it was wrong.
I can certainly understand the emotional place Clark was coming from--once again he's been reminded his secret is dangerous, and his oldest remaining friend was losing herself in front of his eyes--but dammit, not knowing his secret is dangerous, too, especially for Chloe, who's been so involved in his business for so long. I'm not even sure how can she retain memory of the past few years without knowing his secret, so much of her life has been wrapped up in it. And God knows the danger she's in from Doomsday isn't going to be decreased by her now dangerous ignorance.
If this is truly a retcon--Chloe's never going to know Clark's secret anymore, and the show's going to say this is a good thing, I am going to be completely pissed. If it's using this to show Clark that ignorance of his secret can be as dangerous as knowledge, that would redeem this plotline for me, so I hope that's where they're going.
Memories
I'm sad that the ending has left such a bad taste in my mouth, because up until that point, I was really enjoying the episode. I loved all the little flashbacks--to Chloe and Jimmy's dance at the engagement party, but especially to the 8th grade meeting of little Chloe and Clark, who were so damn cute (I just wanted to squish them both, especially Clark after he swished to the library to get the book for her).
And god, it was so heartbreaking to see Chloe lose pieces of herself. That room with all her memories on the wall! It's the Chamber of Chloe Sullivan! Oh, my heart. Especially her comment about how all those folks were just like facebook profiles of random people, to her. Ouch.
And wow, Jimmy really had my respect in this episode. Again and again and again he had to confront Clark's centrality in Chloe's life, and he clearly isn't completely over his jealousy, but he clearly kept making the choice to get over his issues and do what was best for Chloe, including going to Clark for help when he really wanted to solve her problem himself.
Of course, it looked like Davis was doing the same thing until the very end, which turned out to be so.damned.creepy.
People who can't stand any criticism of Clark should probably not read any further. [And just an fyi--I'm probably going to be backspacing out of Chloe-negative reviews faster than Clark fetches library books. Just in case you're wondering why I'm being even *more* quiet than I have been lately on the commenting front.]
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Clark, why is it ok for you to steal people's memories when it's bad for Brainiac to do it?
So. Now I understand why they had Chloe choose to kill that guy--it was to make Clark's decision look like it was the right one to make. Guess what? It still wasn't.
Honestly? If Clark had found out about what Chloe did and then had Jor-El take those memories away, I could have been persuaded that the decision was justified (if nothing else, to prevent her from doing it again, but also because it would be hard to bring Chloe to trial for killing someone with her brain). And if Chloe, *in her right mind* was making those decisions--which I don't think has actually been definitively demonstrated by the show--perhaps she shouldn't have knowledge of the secret.
But that isn't the motive behind Clark's decision; that's something metatextual that the viewers know and Clark doesn't. Clark made the decision to take her memories away --memories she had just been telling him were a core part of her identity-- just to "protect her." I have never been angrier with Clark in the history of the show. That's just not right. You can't steal a piece of a person's identity "for their own good." I don't care about his moving speech (and I'll grant it was very moving) about how much she did for him and how often she saved him and how hard this was for him blah blah blah--it was a fundamental violation of her selfhood, and it was wrong.
I can certainly understand the emotional place Clark was coming from--once again he's been reminded his secret is dangerous, and his oldest remaining friend was losing herself in front of his eyes--but dammit, not knowing his secret is dangerous, too, especially for Chloe, who's been so involved in his business for so long. I'm not even sure how can she retain memory of the past few years without knowing his secret, so much of her life has been wrapped up in it. And God knows the danger she's in from Doomsday isn't going to be decreased by her now dangerous ignorance.
If this is truly a retcon--Chloe's never going to know Clark's secret anymore, and the show's going to say this is a good thing, I am going to be completely pissed. If it's using this to show Clark that ignorance of his secret can be as dangerous as knowledge, that would redeem this plotline for me, so I hope that's where they're going.
Memories
I'm sad that the ending has left such a bad taste in my mouth, because up until that point, I was really enjoying the episode. I loved all the little flashbacks--to Chloe and Jimmy's dance at the engagement party, but especially to the 8th grade meeting of little Chloe and Clark, who were so damn cute (I just wanted to squish them both, especially Clark after he swished to the library to get the book for her).
And god, it was so heartbreaking to see Chloe lose pieces of herself. That room with all her memories on the wall! It's the Chamber of Chloe Sullivan! Oh, my heart. Especially her comment about how all those folks were just like facebook profiles of random people, to her. Ouch.
And wow, Jimmy really had my respect in this episode. Again and again and again he had to confront Clark's centrality in Chloe's life, and he clearly isn't completely over his jealousy, but he clearly kept making the choice to get over his issues and do what was best for Chloe, including going to Clark for help when he really wanted to solve her problem himself.
Of course, it looked like Davis was doing the same thing until the very end, which turned out to be so.damned.creepy.
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I wouldn't be at all surprised if the writers figured out a way for Chloe to regain her memories without even knowing Clark took them away, though. And the more I think about it, the more I expect they will probably go that route.
I'm not even sure what Chloe's role on the show could be if she's not Clark's secret keeper. I mean, she's given up the DP, and her whole "mutant counselor" role is a total snoozefest; her romance, theoretically, is wrapped up once she marries Jimmy (I'm doubting that will actually happen, but I am unspoiled); her sparring with Tess has been fun to watch, but a huge part of that was wrapped up in protecting Clark....I'm at a loss at where they could go with her character from here, unless the Doomsday storyline is really going to take a whole season--but unspoiled me expects a couple Doomsday eps for November and Feb sweeps (next week and then when they return from hiatus) and then some other plotline-eg the Lana return--to take precedence for a while, and the Doomsday plot to then lie dormant again until May sweeps.
Just predicting from the 7 seasons I've watched in the past and all.
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This is what I'm predicting as well. It's the only strong dénouement predicated on this choice by Clark. And, I also hope that Clark will see the error of his ways and see why he 'must' tell Lois about his powers.
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I don't think the two are related at all, though, because of the rationale Clark gave to the AI for why he wanted Chloe's memories wiped. He did it to protect her (in his eyes). I think it only ties in to what Chloe did with Sebastian if Clark's stated rationale for the mindwipe was that he no longer trusted Chloe. But he didn't do this because he thinks Chloe is untrustworthy with the secret. And I really don't think the show wants us to think that's why he did it either. If we were supposed to think that, then Clark would have had some language in his spiel to Jor-El about how Chloe knowing his secret isn't just dangerous for her but potentially makes her dangerous to others. Certainly, the screenwriters could have spun it like that, because an argument can be made that Chloe wouldn't even be subject to being overtaken by Brainiac -- which would make her a threat to Clark and everyone else -- if she hadn't ever known Clark's secret in the first place. Since they didn't frame Clark's decision as being about anything other than trying to protect Chloe from harm (as opposed to framing it as him trying to keep Chloe from causing harm), I can't see a through-line between this decision and what happened at the end of Identity.
But that's just a minor quibble because I agree with you that Clark's decision was egregious. I'm sure in his mind it makes sense -- and hell, I've even argued that Clark's not being a crazyperson when he says that knowing his secret is dangerous for people and like I said above, Chloe might not have even been attacked by Brainiac if she hadn't known the truth -- but I just don't think that any one person gets to make a unilateral decision about the mind/memories of another person. If they'd at least framed it as a condition of Jor-El's -- "I'll save her life but only if I can remove the knowledge of your secret, Kal-El" -- I could tolerate it. I wouldn't like it, but I couldn't have faulted Clark for wanting Chloe alive even if it meant she didn't remember his secret. The way it played out, though, reflects poorly on Clark and that pisses me off.
Of course, it looked like Davis was doing the same thing until the very end, which turned out to be so.damned.creepy.
Oh, man, when he kissed her even after she'd clearly shot him down, I wanted to punch him.
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but I just don't think that any one person gets to make a unilateral decision about the mind/memories of another person. If they'd at least framed it as a condition of Jor-El's -- "I'll save her life but only if I can remove the knowledge of your secret, Kal-El" -- I could tolerate it. I wouldn't like it, but I couldn't have faulted Clark for wanting Chloe alive even if it meant she didn't remember his secret. The way it played out, though, reflects poorly on Clark and that pisses me off.
Yes, I completely agree. I could certain see Jor-El making a condition like that, too, and it would have made Clark's choice a lot more acceptable to me.
I agree with you about wanting to punch Davis, too. He crossed the line from creepy to stalkery when he kissed her. He barely even *knows* her--I mean, WTF??
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This whole decision is just really bad all around.
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My guess would be that she gets her memories back fairly quickly. You have to wonder how much there is in her remaining memory - so much of her day-to-day life revolved around Clark's secret. What else is left? Jimmy, coffee with Lana, breakfast with Lois and huge inexplicable gaps?
If it's using this to show Clark that ignorance of his secret can be as dangerous as knowledge, that would redeem this plotline for me, so I hope that's where they're going.
Ignorance of Clark's secret didn't keep Lex or Lana safe. Clark should know this already!
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Seriously!! And yeah, I agree, ignorance didn't save Lex or Lana. But Clark is never really rational when it comes to his secret.
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Right! Because the problem isn't just Knowing the Secret or not. The problem -- the potential danger -- lies in associating with Clark period. In other words, everyone in Clark's inner circle, whether they know the secret or not, is potentially in danger from anyone who wants to find out about Clark without taking Clark on directly. What Clark has yet to factor into his thinking is that his choice isn't really Whether or Not to Tell. His choice is really Whether or Not to Have People I'm Close to At All. Eventually, he will take the leap of faith that it's better to have people in his life, whether they know or not, than to be alone. In fact, that's part of why he'll come up with the Superman identity. So that he can have a life as Clark Kent that involves having relationships with other people where those people aren't in danger just because they know Clark Kent.
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I think its another lesson learned for Clark, and a new story line for Chloe.
I'm not going to think badly of Clark, because he always does everything with the best of intentions. He's learning the long way around, what Jor-el in the movie told Kal-el in the space of 5 seconds, and ignored anyway, "that it is forbidden for you to interfere with human history".
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I agree with you, though, that his intentions were good. TW did an excellent job with that scene in the fortress, saying goodbye to Chloe. Obviously he thinks he's doing the right thing. I just hope you're right that it's part of a cycle of learning for him.
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Yes. It's really indefensible, to me. It complete denies Chloe her own agency. I mean, I can understand in a way the emotional place Clark was coming from when he made the decision, but it was still an awful decision.
Though I'm not sure I agree precisely that it was sexist, because I honestly think if Oliver (or Jimmy) were in the same position, Clark might have made the same decision--he's just that convinced that knowledge of his secret leads to death. And I didn't actually think Ollie was saying Chloe couldn't handle Clark's secret; my reading of that scene is that *no human* (and I really thought he was including himself in this) should be messing around with Kryptonian tech. I really read that more as him freaking out about Chloe's supercomputer thing than anything else. But I can certainly see how that scene is open to different readings.
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wouldwill (because I refuse to believe she won't get her memories back at some point) kill him when she finds out what he did. And he will deserve every bit of the ass-kicking she will give him. Although I suppose Clark making unilateral decisions about what people should and shouldn't know isn't exactly unheard of in the wider Superman canon - see Clark mind-wiping Lois about who he is in the movies. About which I'm sure Lois would also quite justifiably kick his ass about. (Hence why I'm using the Lois icon, since I don't have a Chloe one.) Still doesn't make what he did to Chloe any less egregiously awful and utterly stupid. Really, Clark? Really? *sigh*(I cannot for the life of me figure out how Chloe's even managing to cope at this point, given how much has been ripped out of her head. Did the writers of this episode think it through at all?)
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I cannot for the life of me figure out how Chloe's even managing to cope at this point, given how much has been ripped out of her head. Did the writers of this episode think it through at all?
Yeah--suddenly many of the most important events of the past 4 years, things that have consumed huge swaths of her daily life, are inexplicable. You do have to wonder.
I referenced the Superman II mindwipe of Lois above in another comment--another plot I always hated intensely, and that I would actually like to see Lois kick his ass for. Actually, when I think about it, I think at the time we were supposed to see it as tragically romantic, but how can stealing a core piece of someone's identity be anything other than a violation?
I actually expect Chloe will probably forgive Clark when she finds out, but there ought to at least be a verbal asskicking, for sure.
(Reply to this)
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I shan't talk meta because I can tell it's not a time when that will help. Even though we disagree I'm still sad for you that the show did something you really hated. I know how horrible that feels and how even when it does good things later it still hurts. So I'm sorry.
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I can't agree more. This episode still makes me so very angry and heartbroken, for all the reasons you've pointed out. Clark knew that he was able to get rid of the infection, and restore ALL of her memories. But he chose not to, and it's just wrong. I could even understand if they had at least implied that if it was an immediate life-and-death situation if she retained those memories, or Jor-El being the one to make the call -- but that wasn't the case at all.
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