![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Entry tags:
Smallville 6.19 Progeny
Edited to add: This review contains material that most would characterize as Lex bashing, so please read at your own discretion.
You know, I've been watching Smallville from the beginning, and Chloe and Lex have always been my favorite characters, and I never thought I could choose between them. But one thing I was certain of, and that was that I would always love both of them. I certainly never thought that Smallville could ever actually make me hate Lex.
Apparently I was wrong. I haven't felt this kind of passionate hatred toward an SV character since Lionel in "Shattered" and "Asylum." I'm sure I'll eventually recover my Lex love--I eventually forgave Lionel, after all, and I do like villains--just not when they're targeting characters I love. I honestly feel guilty, since all season I've been wanting Lex to be an effective villain, and he was nothing if not effective in this episode--downright masterful, really--and I found myself actually wanting Chloe to shoot him. And I was actually happy he got hurt when Clark saved him from the bullet.
Targeting Moira was brilliant, and the way he manipulated her and then the way he kept Chloe from releasing the story--grade A effective villainy. Not only that, but his desire to control Moira made sense--he feels he needs to control the mutants both to reduce their danger to society and to counter the alien threat--I could actually kind of see that in this episode. And I still wanted to crush his skull ever time he was gloating at Moira or Chloe.
ARGH. Cognitive dissonance!! I don't want to hate Lex! I wanted sexy villainy, not really evil villainy, dammit.
I don't actually have a lot else to say about the episode. It was a very effective piece of Chloe characterization; I loved getting to see how similar her 8-year-old self was to her adult self, both in her interest in the weird and her sharp perceptions of people. And it was, of course, heartbreaking to see her regain and lose her mom. I was a little disappointed we didn't get to see what Chloe's meteor power was in this, but I loved that her mom didn't actually abandon her, but had herself committed just to protect Chloe.
When Lex played the motherless card as part of his attempt to manipulate Moira, I realized that at this point every single main character on SV has lost at least one parent, which just serves to reinforce the idea that it's not the loss, it's how you deal with it. And speaking of loss, I wonder how Lana's going to deal with her double loss--first losing the baby, and then losing all faith in Lex when she finds out there never was a baby. She told Clark "I'm going to come through this like I always do," and I actually hope that's true--and that she manages to wound Lex and Lionel on her way out. Look at me, rooting for Lana against Lex and Lionel! It's like the whole world has turned upside down or something.
P.S. I am UNSPOILED for future episodes and would really, really appreciate it if people are careful about what they say in the comments so that I can remain unspoiled.
no subject
Clark and Chloe and Martha and Lionel knew about Zod, and about Fine's intentions toward him, but naturally none of them bothered to give Lex enough of the truth to warn him. I'd say a lot of the blood from Dark Thursday is on their hands.
I think it's interesting that you put it on them for failing to stop Zod, when Clark could have easily done so by killing Lex as instructed.
Don't forget, either, that Fine's first attempt was to use Clark as Zod's vessel, and that it was Clark who 'placed himself in those crosshairs.' Does that prove that Clark is also 'evil'?
I don't think I said that I thought Lex was evil for his role in the Zod arc, I think you missed my point. My point was that I don't think you can say that Lex's charity post-Dark Thusday is noble or selfless, because his choices played a large role in Zod's ressurection, even though that wasn't his intention. I think it parallels Clark's extreme efforts to help in the clean up to the point of practically running himself into the ground, because if he had acted differently (killed Lex to stop Zod) then Zod wouldn't have had the chance to wreck havoc. I don't think Lex is evil, just his charity after the fact isn't selfless but in fact him actually fulfilling a responsibility given his hand in the event.
I'd also argue your determination that no one informed Lex of the potential destruction from Fine's intentions, as I do believe Lionel tried to sit him down and warn him. Also, I don't think they weren't aware of Fine's intention to use Lex as a vessel until after Lex had already been deducted. Lana overhead Clark and Chloe figuring that link out at the planet, I do believe. At which point Clark refused to kill Lex the next time they met, even though Lex was already being pretty destructive under his own steam. Not to mention, Lex doesn't have a 'right' to the truth, especially not to truth from or relating to Clark until it's proven absolutely necessary, which I don't think it was in the case of Fine setting Lex up as the vessel, they worked that out too late. But Lex has proven himself untrustworthy in relation to Clark. See Nixon, the chamber of Clark, the shenanigans in Moral that put Lana and Clark's parents at risk because Lex believes he has a right to do whatever it takes to learn a secret before Clark was ready to share it. Lex may have an ability to do a lot of what he does, but he doesn't always (I might even argue often) have an unquestionable right to do it, even though he can.
Personally I think this is where Lex falls down. He thinks he has the right or authority to do whatever he believes is for the good of all, but no one gave him the right to play God. He isn't an elected government, no one gave him permission to do morally grey things to protect the people, he doesn't actually have any authority to do the things he do. This is why I said the proto-League is a 'less grey' example of saving the world to compare Lex to, because they're also on questionable ground there as well, but they also aren't causing deaths, injuries, or blackmailing, torturing, experimenting on people, or holding them against their will. Which gives them slightly more leverage in the morality stakes than Lex.
no subject
But Lex has proven himself untrustworthy in relation to Clark. See Nixon, the chamber of Clark, the shenanigans in Moral that put Lana and Clark's parents at risk because Lex believes he has a right to do whatever it takes to learn a secret before Clark was ready to share it.
First off, I point out that there is no evidence that Lex sent the mutants after Clark in "Mortal." Yes, it was Lex the lead mutant bumped into in order to turn off his restraining device, but that strikes me as pure coincidence. Lex had every reason to be at Belle Reve on that day; Lionel had just been admitted in a state of catatonia strikingly similar to the state whats-his-name the linguist was in before he abruptly gained superpowers and started running around blasting people, so Lex naturally wanted to get another close look at his father before personally giving the doctor instructions to notify him immediately if Lionel's condition changed. And of course Lex had extra security (including extra cameras with a separate power source) on the kryptonite solution he'd been experimenting with; he had good reason to expect attempts by superpowered mutants to try to steal that solution, and he wanted it kept safe, if possible, and to know exactly who had taken it, if not. After returning to Smallville and being informed that there'd been a power outage and a possible break-in, Lex naturally checked the video footage, and was surprised to see Clark and Chloe breaking in, and further surprised to see Clark apparently injured by the laser when Lex had long had good reason to believe that Clark was far harder to hurt than that. Clark and Chloe promptly leaped to the conclusion that these bits and pieces somehow 'proved' Lex's guilt, but then they also concluded that Lex was the one who had exposed Clark to the 'silver kryptonite' in "Splinter," and they were dead wrong then, too.
And, in fact, Lex has proven himself utterly trustworthy regarding Clark's secret. In the "Shattered"/"Asylum" arc, Lex saw Clark use his powers and yet, aside from his initial startled outburst while drugged out of his mind, he kept Clark's secret the entire month he was locked up in Belle Reve -- despite the fact that Clark had allowed him to be locked up in the first place, and then flatly refused to break him out when he came to visit and Lex begged him for help. Lex kept Clark's secret throughout his imprisonment, even though he could have used it to bargain with Lionel for his freedom. Lex kept Clark's secret, even though he could have used it to bargain with Lionel to keep Lionel from frying his brain. I'd say that's at least as much proof of trustworthiness as Pete's refusal to tell a crazy scientist that Clark was the alien the guy was looking for. Yet Clark not only never trusts Lex with the truth afterwards, but he endangers Lex's sanity and Lex's life in "Memoria" in order to keep Lex from possibly remembering what he'd seen Clark do. If you ask me, it isn't Lex who's untrustworthy -- it's Clark.
no subject
I think it's interesting that you put it on them for failing to stop Zod, when Clark could have easily done so by killing Lex as instructed.
Clark might have done so by warning Lex, too, but -- even at the last possible moment, with the fate of the world at stake -- he couldn't bring himself to tell Lex the truth. Clearly, lying is a tough habit to break.
I'd also argue your determination that no one informed Lex of the potential destruction from Fine's intentions, as I do believe Lionel tried to sit him down and warn him.
Lionel has lied to and manipulated and betrayed Lex all his life. Lionel has drugged Lex and poisoned him and locked him up and fried his brain. Lionel has tried to swap bodies with him, leaving Lex trapped behind prison bars in a body dying of liver disease. Lex has no good reason to blindly trust anything Lionel has to say, and Lionel did not bother to give Lex enough of the truth to make it credible and/or useful.
He thinks he has the right or authority to do whatever he believes is for the good of all, but no one gave him the right to play God. He isn't an elected government, no one gave him permission to do morally grey things to protect the people, he doesn't actually have any authority to do the things he do.
If I pass a small fire in dry grass, and I stop to put it out before it can spread and maybe destroy thousands of acres of timber or homes or whatever, am I wrong in doing so just because I'm not an official firefighter? Sometimes you have to step in because the 'officials' aren't there ready to do what needs to be done, but you are; the circumstances themselves give you both the authority and the ethical responsibility. Lex tried to get an official position in the government from which to work, but he lost the election, so he's forced to do what needs doing as a private citizen. No one else is seeing the danger Lex sees. No one else is doing anything about it. If Lex doesn't take these steps, no one will, and the human race will be left defenseless. Clearly, Lex considers that an unacceptable risk -- so he's stepped up to do what needs to be done. He's not evil; he's just taking responsibility.
no subject
Also, I dunno, maybe it's just me but I don't really equate torture and kidnapping and possible murder with a small fire in dry grass. *shrug* And I'd really argue that no one sees the danger Lex does. Clark is better informed about dangerous aliens running around than Lex is, and it's not stated clearly but it's possible that Oliver/the League are now being brought in on it too as it was Ollie that got Clark the heads up on Zoner activity in Combat.
Anyway, as I said, I can see where you're coming from but I have to disagree with your interpretation of Lex's motives. And I think categorising Lex as evil is risky business, because evil is a much disputed term. I go more for defined terms. I think he's dangerous, misguided, self-righteous, and with the potential for even greater harm, as is pretty clearly depicted in pre-Smallville canon anyway. But I think we're going to have to agree to disagree there.
no subject
Honestly, that sounds like my description of Clark and the pre-Justice League, especially given that the JL is being lead by Oliver Queen, who -- in SV, at least -- is a sadistic sociopath.
But, yes, we'll have to agree to disagree.