norwich36 | Smallville 6.14 Trespass

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Smallville 6.14 Trespass

First of all, I thought a lot of the sequences in this episode--especially the one where the photographer was chasing Lana in the hospital--were beautifully shot. I'm not really a big horror fan, but I thought that as a horror episode this was quite well done, even though the identity of the stalker was pretty damn obvious. In fact, KK might consider making horror movies--she does the traumatized but stalwart heroine thing very, very well. And if you will pardon a shallow observation, she looked amazing in that purple robe in the opening scene. And I have to continue to give KK props for her acting this season; I saw the last few minutes of a rerun of a season 1 ep right before this started, and it was absolutely mind-boggling how much she's improved in the last two seasons. Even when she obviously had a cold, she was fantastic to watch. That scene where she convinces stalkerguy that she never wanted any of this and she was trapped? Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.

And Lana was very interesting in this episode, too. I was rather impressed by the way she utilized her legitimate peril to continue investigating Clark. On the one hand, as Chloe pointed out, she put herself in danger to protect his secret, and yet she was playing on her friends' desire to help her to continue investigating. I suppose I ought to be appalled at the way she was exploiting the Kents' hospitality, but I was more amused than anything. And AMAZED at the continuity with her ex-meteorite necklace. I was happy that Chloe is smart enough to password protect important files on her computer, though.

I don't know if Chloe and Jimmy are getting back together for real or not, but damn. I'll take Jimmy if Chloe doesn't want him. He was amazing tonight--I *loved* him threatening Clark--a girl like that is worth spending your life in a body cast. Oh, Jimmy. And then helping out Clark when he was the last person in the world Jimmy wanted to help. Chloe, you need to appreciate that boy!

The thing that impressed me about the final Lexana scene is how much better Lana is getting at lying to Lex. I guess that's a good thing? I wish they would let those two actually kiss, though. For an engaged couple, they are remarkably sexless.

Though that's ok--clearly all of Lex's sexual energy is still directed toward Clark. Wasn't that final scene fantastic? God. For once Clark actually APOLOGIZED for something that he needed to apologize for. I was so impressed, even if Lex wasn't. And here they are, breaking up again, even though it won't take anymore than Clark's breakups with Lana ever do. But damn, Lex pwned that scene. "What I want is to make Lana happy for the rest of your life and for you to be there on our wedding day to see what you lost." Ha ha, Clark, you could have had me ~~Lana~~ me if you trusted me. Could that scene have BEEN any slashier?

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Nora, even the Clana fans on DeKnight's blog were commenting on how slashy the last scene was. And none of them have ever HEARD of slash!

I wouldn't say "none" of them. :)

Great observations as usual, Nora. I always enjoy your comments.

Thanks! (Do you hang out on DeKnight's blog, too? I tried reading it a few times, but the comments were so negative that I stopped).

It is a generally horrible atmosphere, with a few bullies who seem to post incessently. BUT, I do post there occasionally (like just now believe it or not!), and I do have several friends who do as well. I used to get all bent out of shape over some of the comments, but my new approach is to just post my thoughts, and only converse with the people I think are respectful.

Sorry, that was poorly expressed. I didn't mean you (or any of the other Clana fans on lj.) Just meant it was cute to see some of the regular DeKnight posters commenting on the Clex for the first time. Here's a sample, from one poster who normally ONLY comments on Lana-related matters:

Clex: Hmmm they were acting REALLY gay tonight for some reason haha. I don't know what it is, but when Lex invited Clark to the wedding and said that he wants Clark to come and see "what he lost".......I got the impression that Lex was referring to himself and not Lana :P.

(So sweet....It reminds me of my brief period of savouring the Clana, around the time of "Hidden")

Don't apologize, I was just teasing you. ;)
You're right, there aren't a lot of Clana fans who like to acknowledge the Clex. For me it's always been a win/win thing. But I'm kind of a freak that way.

Your icon!! *Flails* Did you make that one? It's gorgeous! And damn, out of context it looks like something TOTALLY different.

I did! Isn't it awesome! There really are very few scenes that have all 3 nicely framed, I went nuts when I saw this one. I saw another icon someone had (I should ask if I can snag it) that's an animated gif file of Lana riding up and down Clark's leg. Omg.. I lmao when I saw it.

Which is why you are the coolest Clana fan EVER :)

Wow. Now *that's* slashy.

Yeah, it was very sweet actually! I would have thought the Lana folks would have been so interested in her plot that the Clexy undertones would have passed them by....but no!

I wasn't expecting to like a Lana In Peril episode, but I did. The Clex scene at the end was just icing on the cake for me, so I was well pleased.

In the early seasons, I disliked Lana intensely. I'm glad that I've since been able to come to like her. This doesn't mean that I don't still want to whack her upside the head sometimes, or that I don't get tired of the continual return to Clark/Lana, but it makes the show easier for me to watch now that I'm not always cringing away from her presence.

And I really liked Lana in this episode, despite wanting to, again, whack her upside the head for violating Chloe's computer and Clark's room. On the other hand, I was also rather amused and a bit admiring at her persistence into investigating the weirdnesses of Clark Kent.

(OK, I will admit here, I don't remember how exactly the meteorite necklace became an ex-meteorite, so that scene didn't have the resonance for me that it should have. Now that I know... wow. Great props to the continuity department.)

Chloe totally needs to appreciate Jimmy, because he's awesome. My Superman continuity-loving self also rather enjoys how easily the CK comes tripping off his tongue; I can imagine him saying that for years to come.

I still find it a little odd that Lana & Lex are apparently not sharing a room? Maybe it's a rich people thing, but personally, I'd at least want to share a bedroom with someone that I'm supposedly having sex with (even if we have seen very little evidence of this in recent episodes), even if I had a private room for myself elsewhere.

I about passed out when Clark apologized to Lex. I loved that whole scene, especially Lex metaphorically stabbing Clark in the gut with the whole, "I want you to see what you lost" thing. AWESOME.

In the early seasons, I disliked Lana intensely. I'm glad that I've since been able to come to like her. This doesn't mean that I don't still want to whack her upside the head sometimes, or that I don't get tired of the continual return to Clark/Lana, but it makes the show easier for me to watch now that I'm not always cringing away from her presence

Yes, I agree. It's made me able to appreciate the show a lot more, now that I don't spend every second she's on screen wishing she wasn't there.

OK, I will admit here, I don't remember how exactly the meteorite necklace became an ex-meteorite, so that scene didn't have the resonance for me that it should have.

I'm pretty sure that goes all the way back to "Visage," in the second season, when Tina Greer returns disguised as Whitney. She puts the necklace on Clark to weaken him, but the ship somehow transforms it. This is the first evidence we've had in a while that the writers even remember there were seasons of the show before season 5!

I still find it a little odd that Lana & Lex are apparently not sharing a room? Maybe it's a rich people thing, but personally, I'd at least want to share a bedroom with someone that I'm supposedly having sex with (even if we have seen very little evidence of this in recent episodes), even if I had a private room for myself elsewhere.

I remember reading an interview with one of the producers where they said something like they don't think of Lex as very sexual (?Huh? Are they watching their own show???!?), which may account for that piece of bizarreness.

I was really surprised at how much I loved this episode — I didn't expect to, at all. I think that it has to do with the construction of it. As always, Smallville does the parallels beautifully... and while Chloe was excusing Lana's behavior (grrrrrrr), the script itself wasn't — with the explicit parallel between Lana being stalked and her being a stalker. Jimmy even called her a stalker straight out — in an episode that made explicit how offensive and hurtful invasion of privacy is, from the paparazzi on down. Her presence in Clark's bedroom really played like an invasion. She even got the creepy music of evil while she was snooping.

Lana and Lex with their layers of lies (how's that for alliteration!) were delicious to me. That scene at the end, when Lana lies about why she went to the Kents, and Lex lies about believing her, and he doesn't believe her but he still doesn't get the truth of it... it had me cackling insanely with glee because they're both so shady.

And Clark... with his apologies to Lex and Jimmy, and his talking Jimmy into patching things up with Chloe... and his burn statement to Lana after he saved her... that's the second time she's tried the passive-aggressive way to get him to spill his secrets, and the second time he's called her on it. First was his "I know about the pregnancy," which backed her off, and this was "I know you've been stalking me," which had exactly the same effect.

And I squeed when she found the necklace. Continuity is precious, and must be squeed over when it occurs. ;-)

And the... "Are we done?" was just — so charged. And of course, was about so much more that just "are we done with this conversation." And of course, Lex's answer was, essentially, "no, we're not."

Heh.

Oops--sorry, the first post had some extra c&p stuff stuck at the bottom, so I'm reposting:

As always, Smallville does the parallels beautifully... and while Chloe was excusing Lana's behavior (grrrrrrr), the script itself wasn't — with the explicit parallel between Lana being stalked and her being a stalker. Jimmy even called her a stalker straight out — in an episode that made explicit how offensive and hurtful invasion of privacy is, from the paparazzi on down. Her presence in Clark's bedroom really played like an invasion. She even got the creepy music of evil while she was snooping.

Yes, I really appreciated those parallels in the episode. And I agree with you as well about the delicious shadiness of Lex and Lana. That's the aspect of their relationship I really like best. It's really too bad that Almiles are so committed to preserving Lana's innocence, because I would love to see Lana go dark enough to really go head to head with Lex--KK just seems to play those plotlines with a lot more zest.

Still, I like this Lana, too, as a sort of season 1 Lex: sincere yet manipulative and sneaky, with a streak of self-sacrifice but one that is balanced by a dangerous curiosity and sense of being entitled to know.

Clark's burn statement to Lana after he saved her... that's the second time she's tried the passive-aggressive way to get him to spill his secrets, and the second time he's called her on it. First was his "I know about the pregnancy," which backed her off, and this was "I know you've been stalking me," which had exactly the same effect.

I hadn't noticed this before you pointed it out--good obeservation. Does this mean Clark is actually getting better at keeping his secret? I hope? I was a little annoyed that Chloe was the one pushing Clark to trust Lana, since it seems out of character for where she stands now vis-a-vis Lana and the Luthors, though I guess it does echo what she kept telling him last season. Still, I would have thought Clark would be more likely to want to tell Lana, at this point, than Chloe would be. Is he actually growing up/growing past Lana?

Oh, and "Are we done." Lex and Clark, you silly boys, you will never be done.

Hee! Evidently, when I said, "One of the posts that Eat Crow links to...", I mean, "your post"?

*Grins* That's ok, when you said that, I thought, hmm, I wonder which post it was? So if *I* don't even remember what I said, I don't expect other people to.

Does this mean Clark is actually getting better at keeping his secret? I hope? I was a little annoyed that Chloe was the one pushing Clark to trust Lana, since it seems out of character for where she stands now vis-a-vis Lana and the Luthors, though I guess it does echo what she kept telling him last season. Still, I would have thought Clark would be more likely to want to tell Lana, at this point, than Chloe would be.

Well, I thought there was a really interesting tension, between Clark's calling Lana out on her stalking, and then being really more open than he ever has been in using his powers in front of her. I mean, he threw the photographer across the room while she was still conscious and aware, and didn't even try to disguise the fact that he'd caught her in her fall from the roof. It was really remarkably blatant. While, at the same time, he was essentially saying with that stalking comment, "I love you, but don't pull this bullshit." Which, actually, I could really get behind, if that was to be Clark's new attitude within Clana.

So you have Clark not actually telling Lana anything, but coming pretty damn close to just showing her. Which in a way ties in with Chloe's observation that Lana proved where her loyalties lie by protecting him — honoring the actions, and not the words.

I was a little annoyed that Chloe was the one pushing Clark to trust Lana, since it seems out of character for where she stands now vis-a-vis Lana and the Luthors, though I guess it does echo what she kept telling him last season.

Heh. I actually thought this was interestingly selfish on Chloe's part. If Clark just tells Lana, then Chloe no longer has to be trapped between the two of them in terms of her friendships with them. We know that this is an issue for her; it's why she blew up at Clark the way she did in Hydro. She doesn't like being caught between them on this issue and at this point, she herself has grown past that need to be the only one Clark ever confides in. I think Chloe is probably secure enough in her friendship with Clark and cares enough about her friendship with Lana that she's comfortable encouraging Clark to trust Lana about the Secret. I'm not entirely sure it's conscious on Chloe's part, but I do think there's a part of her that probably believes it'll put her in a more comfortable position between Clark and Lana if Lana knows.

Yes, that makes sense. But on the other hand, given that Chloe is often not merely Chloe but exposition fairy speaking on behalf of the writers things they are too lazy or inept to show (Lex is evil now, etc. etc. etc.) I find Chloe encouraging Clark to tell Lana even more annoying than her blaming Lex for Lana's invasions of privacy, because it suggests that we the viewers are supposed to trust Lana now, like Chloe does--despite the fact that the episode deliberately sets up a parallel between Lana's creepy stalking of Clark and the guard's creepy stalking of her.

KK did do an amazing job ... her acting has improved 500%!!

And here's what I wrote in my lj about that last scene: Working out some issues ... Honest work ... They're bantering ... I LOVE IT!! Wow, he apologized ... They're such like ex-lovers fighting ... He still suffers from it! You're never done!! You still want him Lex, admit it!! To see what you lost ... and by what you lost, I mean me!! *g*

Yes, that scene really was just for the Clexers, wasn't it? It's about time they gave us something!

And I have to continue to give KK props for her acting this season; I saw the last few minutes of a rerun of a season 1 ep right before this started, and it was absolutely mind-boggling how much she's improved in the last two seasons.

I've just finished watching the first season and part of the second season and I couldn't agree more. I've been catching a couple of s4 episodes here and there and she'd obviously built a stronger set of acting skills even by then, and last night, I thought she was very believable in all the different shades of emotions that she went through, all the fear and the deceptiveness and the blatant curiosity tempered by just enough guilt at nosing around Chloe's computer files. She looks a little gaunt for my tastes, but it certainly lent some weight to the struggle I think she's going through -- as you point out above, she's sort of at the crossroads point here with both Clark and Lex and the moral quandries they both represent.

I *loved* [Jimmy] threatening Clark

And Clark's casual mention of traction! Heeeeeeeeeeee!

For an engaged couple, they are remarkably sexless.

Mmmm, yeah, intentionally so, don't you think? I mean, they're both using each other to gain something other than a true, meaningful, soul-bond -- their relationship is a little icy. Separate bedrooms? And I keep thinking about Lex's overt sexual aggressiveness in the early seasons, which were a lot more genuine, even if he wasn't as emtionally invested in those relationships.

Though that's ok--clearly all of Lex's sexual energy is still directed toward Clark.

Ah, ha! Yes.

God, I am such a sucker for these two.

*dances like a puppet*

She looks a little gaunt for my tastes, but it certainly lent some weight to the struggle I think she's going through -- as you point out above, she's sort of at the crossroads point here with both Clark and Lex and the moral quandries they both represent.

Yes, I was just talking to

serenography about the fact that she's starting to look unhealthily thin. And my thoughts about Lana representing the midpoint of the moral quandries Lex and Clark represent is very influenced by

huzzelwhat, who has written I think some of the best meta on the role of Lana in season 6.

For an engaged couple, they are remarkably sexless.

Mmmm, yeah, intentionally so, don't you think? I mean, they're both using each other to gain something other than a true, meaningful, soul-bond -- their relationship is a little icy.

Ah, here you are making logical sense of the storyline, whereas I'm just thinking, damn, if I were Lana I would never let that man out of bed. But I guess she's still pretty conflicted about the relationship, and Lex is definitely in this relationship with mixed motives.

God, I am such a sucker for these two.
Oh, yes. I just hope that we get to see them interacting more, again, now that they're enemies. It seems like most of the time they don't even get scenes together, anymore.

Whoops. That should have been

huzzlewhat above.

I suppose I ought to be appalled at the way she was exploiting the Kents' hospitality, but I was more amused than anything.

It's appalling in a theoretical sense, I think, because of course in RL this is intrusive, indefensible behavior. But Chloe and Lex also engaged in this kind of behavior, so it felt like Lana was going through a rite of passage as a SV character. So it didn't bother me from a practical perspective because it's part of the show's ethos. What did bother me was Chloe, once again, trying to pawn Lana's bad behavior off on Lex/Lana's association with Lex. I'm pretty sure I'm not misremembering that entire episode in S2 where Chloe didn't talk to Lana because Lana invaded her privacy by snooping on her computer, so it was weird to hear Chloe excusing similar behavior as though Lana could have only ever done something like this if she were dating the Prince of Darkness. I liked it that Lana multi-tasked in her (975th) hour of peril; it showed moxie and agency on her part. So I can't help but dislike it when the writers undercut those moments of moxie, agency or initiative on her part by hardly ever letting the other characters hold her accountable for them.

The thing that impressed me about the final Lexana scene is how much better Lana is getting at lying to Lex.

She's definitely smoother at it, but he didn't believe her, IMO. Like I told Bop, his line to Clark about "understanding the allure of trying to unravel the mystery of Clark Kent," or whatever it was pretty much only makes sense if Lex did not believe Lana. If he'd believed her but was still inclined to think she had mixed motives, then he would have assumed that her un- or subconscious motive was that she still had feelings for Clark. That he so specifically honed in on the idea that Lana's trying to unravel Clark's mysteries strongly suggests to me that he correctly pegged what she was really up to.

I wish they would let those two actually kiss, though. For an engaged couple, they are remarkably sexless.

I find this really weird, particularly when one remembers that the entire denoument of Wither was about them getting busy with each other. Like, if the show was trying to say that theirs is a chaste relationship because they don't really love each other or whatever, then why spend the entire denoument of an episode on them sexin' each other? It also doesn't make sense as any kind of statement about Lana, either, because we know she wanted to get with the sexin' when she was with Clark even after he pulled away from her. And wasn't Bound all about Lex's voarcious sexual appetite? The sexlessness of current Lex/Lana doesn't make sense from any perspective of character continuity that it would be examined.

I'm pretty sure I'm not misremembering that entire episode in S2 where Chloe didn't talk to Lana because Lana invaded her privacy by snooping on her computer, so it was weird to hear Chloe excusing similar behavior as though Lana could have only ever done something like this if she were dating the Prince of Darkness. I liked it that Lana multi-tasked in her (975th) hour of peril; it showed moxie and agency on her part. So I can't help but dislike it when the writers undercut those moments of moxie, agency or initiative on her part by hardly ever letting the other characters hold her accountable for them.

I agree with you, here, as I said upthread. And it's particularly odd, because I felt like Lana snooping on the computer was *deliberately* paralleling her actions in S2 (just like discovering the necklace was another reference to season 2).

I find this really weird, particularly when one remembers that the entire denoument of Wither was about them getting busy with each other. Like, if the show was trying to say that theirs is a chaste relationship because they don't really love each other or whatever, then why spend the entire denoument of an episode on them sexin' each other? It also doesn't make sense as any kind of statement about Lana, either, because we know she wanted to get with the sexin' when she was with Clark even after he pulled away from her. And wasn't Bound all about Lex's voarcious sexual appetite?

Well, the denoument of Wither was absolutely necessary to the pregnancy storyline--but for all we know that's the only time Lex and Lana had sex. Maybe that's why Lana's suddenly dangling after Clark again? She's not getting enough at home? :D She must have blanked out the part about how he became Mr. Frigid after "Hidden."

I'm not sure we're supposed to have read "Bound" as a statement of Lex's sexual appetites as much as an example of the way he uses people. :Gags: I know it makes no sense to divorce these two things, but the logic of "Bound" is already outside the bounds of our earth logic, as far as I'm concerned.I did read some interview with Almiles where they said they don't conceive of Lex as being very sexual. (!!!!) Clearly, they never watch Rosenbaum's scenes.

It really isn't fair. Every other character on this show gets to be supersexed when they are evil; if Lex is evil now, he should at least be getting lots of sex.

Wasn't that final scene fantastic? God.

Hands down, it's the best Clark/Lex scene of the season. Even if the surface text was all about Lana, the way it was directed and acted respected the fact that Clark and Lex have a history with each other that's about more than her.

For once Clark actually APOLOGIZED for something that he needed to apologize for.

You know what I loved about that? It should have been the first thing out of his mouth when Lex walked into that barn, regardless of Lex's attitude. Clark being high or not, Lex now being the Prince of Darkness or not, Clark's behavior last week was unacceptable and he should have apologized for it. He didn't and that was poor form and when Lex pointed that out to him, he stepped up and did the right thing even though Lex was being a pissy bitch to him.

I loved that like cake, because how you (general 'you') treat people, even people you don't like, is a moral issue. The mere fact that you may not like someone, that you may even think he's a bad person, does not excuse you from your responsibility to make it right if you cause that person harm. Clark got it in that scene and I really, really liked seeing him do so. Clark could have gone right on not apologizing and told himself it was Okay to not apologize because (a) Lex was being a pissy bitch and (b) Lex is the Prince of Darkness now. But he didn't do that. He rose above and it's moments like this that remind me that he's the boy who will be Superman one day.

And here they are, breaking up again, even though it won't take anymore than Clark's breakups with Lana ever do.

LOL! It's so true. This was just as much their nine millionth break-up as that final Clark/Lana scene in Hydro was their nine millionth break-up.

But damn, Lex pwned that scene. "What I want is to make Lana happy for the rest of your life and for you to be there on our wedding day to see what you lost." Ha ha, Clark, you could have had ~~me Lana~~me if you trusted me. Could that scene have BEEN any slashier?

Nora, they were playing deeply emo-boy alt-rock under the scene! The only way it could have been any slashier would have been if Lex had kissed Clark before saying, "I want you to see what you lost!"

Is this the first time Clark apologized to Lex for something like this? I was trying to remember and couldn't. But I agree, it is important for Clark to make amends to people he hurt, even if he doesn't like them.

I didn't notice the music in the Clark-Lex scene as I was watching it, but wow, you're right. Hee hee!

Is this the first time Clark apologized to Lex for something like this?

As far as I can recall, it's the first time he's ever said the words. The closest he's come to expressing the sentiment in the past was in Exposed when he went over to Lex's at the end of the episode to thank Lex for providing the lead that made it possible for Clark, Chloe and Lois to prove Senator Jenkins didn't kill Melissa Page. But Lex called him out then for the way he jumped to conclusions and Clark didn't actually say "I'm sorry." This is the first time he's said it, as opposed to just acting like it.

it is important for Clark to make amends to people he hurt, even if he doesn't like them.

It's easy to be nice to the people you (general 'you') love and like, but I think it's a real measure of character if you can show grace towards people you don't like when it's warranted. There's a reason, after all, that compassion is considered a virtuous trait.

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Smallville 6.14 Trespass

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part I

Re: part I

part II

Re: part II

Re: part II