>I think what Lex really wanted about Clark in s1 was his parents.

oh yes. that longing look on his face every time he'd watch them hug and dote on clark -- it was heart-breaking to me.

or >he wanted to be Clark in the way that Tina Greer wanted to be Lana in s1: as part of repressed homosexual longings she was unable to articulate yet!

aha! i get that now. see, i tend to take everything at face value without puzzling out meanings. glad i commented, even though my comment was (now i realize) pretty elementary. ;)