What's significant about this being the ep wherein Lex lies to Lana again is that it's *also* the ep where she kind of demonstrated she's not necessarily trustworthy. Yes! Interesting. Although Lex is generous about it, he's also well aware that this is a world in which this sort of situation ('not yourself') could arise again, for either of them. A more generous reading would be that Lex feels that *he* was 'not himself' in his vision, and therefore dismisses it. And I do think there's an element of self-denial in his lie to Lana. But it's largely calculated. I think Lex recognises that Lana is somewhat behind him in the developmental scale from naive victim to calculated controller. Her very naivety means he can't trust her: she's weak, she's vulnerable, she's not as guarded as he is. He sees himself as her protector too, which puts a power dynamic in place. He may think he's protecting her by lying to her.
On another notes, a question arose in my journal this week about the theology of Smallville--whether there's a true Afterlife and/or God. I wondered where the comic canon stands on this? I thought you'd be the most likely person to know. SV has really avoided the question of God, but playing with these near-death experiences does bring the matter rather more into the foreground. (Although I still lean towards reading the visions as manifestations of the subconscious because I find that reading more satisfying.)
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Yes! Interesting. Although Lex is generous about it, he's also well aware that this is a world in which this sort of situation ('not yourself') could arise again, for either of them. A more generous reading would be that Lex feels that *he* was 'not himself' in his vision, and therefore dismisses it. And I do think there's an element of self-denial in his lie to Lana. But it's largely calculated. I think Lex recognises that Lana is somewhat behind him in the developmental scale from naive victim to calculated controller. Her very naivety means he can't trust her: she's weak, she's vulnerable, she's not as guarded as he is. He sees himself as her protector too, which puts a power dynamic in place. He may think he's protecting her by lying to her.
On another notes, a question arose in my journal this week about the theology of Smallville--whether there's a true Afterlife and/or God. I wondered where the comic canon stands on this? I thought you'd be the most likely person to know. SV has really avoided the question of God, but playing with these near-death experiences does bring the matter rather more into the foreground. (Although I still lean towards reading the visions as manifestations of the subconscious because I find that reading more satisfying.)