norwich36 | A couple more thoughts on "Prototype"

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A couple more thoughts on "Prototype"

I think this would approach actual meta if I were more awake.

I was lying in bed thinking about the parallels between Wes and Victor from "Cyborg," and thought I should actually write them down before I forgot about them. Because Wes is clearly precisely what Lex was aiming for all the way back in "Cyborg," only in this case he was actually able to complete the brain implants that suppressed memory and emotional response to make Wes the perfect soldier. The process wasn't 100%, but it was still an impressive piece of bioengineering, "all ethics aside." (I personally have a moral objection to making people into robotic soldiers, just for the record).

But thinking about the parallels between Wes and Victor reminded me of the ways Victor was paralleled to Lex in Cyborg. In that conversation Lex and Victor had, right before the scientist was going to insert the brain implants, Lex strongly implied that in a way he envied the possibility of being completely free of one's emotional drives; he saw it as liberating. So I find it interesting that we're returning to a (mostly) emotionless soldier in the very episode where it becomes clear that Lex knows Lana probably doesn't love him.

I do think Lex loves Lana, in his way--I was having a conversation with

huzzlewhat about this earlier today, and she pointed out how his actions vis-a-vis Lana were typical of his pattern of going completely overboard in relationships too fast, and pushing too hard--and I think faking a pregnancy to tie her to him might be completely justified in his own mind. But I also happened to catch the rerun of "Shattered" on ABC family tonight right before "Prototype" aired, and I was dumbstruck by the parallels between Lionel in "Shattered" and the way Lex has been behaving toward Lana this season. I mean, I had completely forgotten how *sincere* Lionel manages to sound as he justifies his behavior to Dr. Foster; he really believes he is drugging and institutionalizing Lex for his own good, and that he really does love Lex. And he actually has *tears* in his eyes, as he looks through the window at Lex in the straightjacket. And that reminded me so strongly of Lex tearing up at the "miscarriage." I'm sure that just as Lionel, in his very twisted way, actually believed gaslighting Lex and electroshocking his memory away was really a loving act, so Lex feels that faking the pregnancy was justified. After all, he's better for her than Clark is, right? Clark is a liar who has only hurt Lana, so really he's protecting her by binding her to him in marriage.

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I was wondering exactly Lex was looking wistful about, when he was sending his phoney ultrasound pix to the fireplace flames.

Wes is clearly precisely what Lex was aiming for all the way back in "Cyborg," only in this case he was actually able to complete the brain implants that suppressed memory and emotional response to make Wes the perfect soldier.
Ohhh, yes! Of course!

I personally have a moral objection to making people into robotic soldiers, just for the record
*dies laughing then straightens face* Yeah, so do I.

I find it interesting that we're returning to a (mostly) emotionless soldier in the very episode where it becomes clear that Lex knows Lana probably doesn't love him.
Oh, I love that insight! And thank you for sharing the parallels with Lionel in Shattered--that's the sort of insight I look forward to having when I finally go back and do a big rewatch of the old seasons. How chilling! But yes, I think Lex totally loves Lana and he appeared very vulnerable again to me in this episode when he spoke to her. The more he loves, the more he wants to control and bind that person to him, and he goes completely overboard...

I have no doubt that Lex would like to have children with Lana (or at least that he did before he started to suspect she doesn't really love him)--basically he wants the Lexmas dream, but with more control--so I can definitely see him being wistful even though it was all part of his plan.

I just, you know, want to go on record with the idea that mind control=bad, if only because there are still folks who think what Lex did to Victor was justified (and probably they think what he did to Wes was also justified).

Yeah, I'm thinking a rewatch of the whole series this summer might be interesting. I saw "Shattered" with different eyes, for example, now that I'm more sympathetic to Clark--I appreciated more what an impossible position he was put in in the episode.

Because Wes is clearly precisely what Lex was aiming for all the way back in "Cyborg," only in this case he was actually able to complete the brain implants that suppressed memory and emotional response to make Wes the perfect soldier.

Oh, wow. I didn't even think about this, but you're absolutely on the money. I've been reading meta this morning, and I'm realizing how much I missed last night... I think "Prototype" is definitely going to need a rewatch this weekend. And probably "Cyborg," as well. I really like the idea that they're tying together threads from the past few years — a unified theory of Lex would be a great, great thing.

(I personally have a moral objection to making people into robotic soldiers, just for the record).

The deadpan nature of this made me giggle, even while I know that it's necessary to put in these disclaimers.

So I find it interesting that we're returning to a (mostly) emotionless soldier in the very episode where it becomes clear that Lex knows Lana probably doesn't love him.

Yes, very nice. I had been somewhat worried about Lana being the catalyst for the rift, or the reason for Lex's darkness, but it's just not so. Lana is more collateral damage from the rift, and Lex's darkness is already in place, and her "betrayal" of him, when it comes, will be more along the lines of a final straw rather than the prime motivator. It really works, if you consider that Lex has been wanting to shut down his emotional vulnerabilities for a while. And considering Lionel's age-old admonitions to Lex about his weakness being his emotions. Which brings us to...

I was dumbstruck by the parallels between Lionel in "Shattered" and the way Lex has been behaving toward Lana this season. I mean, I had completely forgotten how *sincere* Lionel manages to sound as he justifies his behavior to Dr. Foster; he really believes he is drugging and institutionalizing Lex for his own good, and that he really does love Lex. And he actually has *tears* in his eyes, as he looks through the window at Lex in the straightjacket.

This is one of the reasons that I've always loved the character of Lionel. Because it's not as simple as saying that he doesn't care about Lex. I do think he loves Lex, almost desperately, and that he's been the template all along for what Lex will become not because of his lack of emotion, but because of his extremes of emotion and his denial of them. They're both incredibly twisted, and think they're doing these terrible things to help or protect the person they care most about. And Lionel's protestations of "doing this for your own good" are exactly as sincere as Lex's protestations of love for Lana.

Right up to the reveal of all those Zoner bodies, I actually thought Lex was going to have himself injected with the residual Titan peptides (or whatever they were - LOL) and complete his final transformation into Evol!Lex. And, since they always evolve in parallel, Clark on his side was stretching himself emotionally by setting aside his own personal concerns during his chat with Lana, by watching Lois grieve and react to Wes' death, by sanctioning his mother's move to senatorhood.

I do enjoy the fact that Lex's purpose seems beyond greed and power.

Yes, very nice. I had been somewhat worried about Lana being the catalyst for the rift, or the reason for Lex's darkness, but it's just not so. Lana is more collateral damage from the rift, and Lex's darkness is already in place, and her "betrayal" of him, when it comes, will be more along the lines of a final straw rather than the prime motivator.

I said almost exactly this to

radioreverie in AIM:

LaTXCVI: Like, I'm sure the fandom went nuts about it, but. BUT.

LaTXCVI: THAT WAS A BIG HONKING BIT OF CHARACTERIZATION CONTINUITY FOR LEX.

LaTXCVI: What he said to her was *entirely in character*.

LaTXCVI: They've believably set it up that she could be the *last. goddamned. straw.*

Regardless of Lex's own hypocrisy (and I think you're right that he's being a giant hypocrite with Lana in that last scene in Prototype), from his perspective, what he said to Lana at the end of the episode this week is true. From Lillian and Pamela to Desiree and Helen and, of course (in Lex's mind) Clark, he's always been the most hurt by the people he's let in the closest to him emotionally. If Lana was used, from a storytelling perspective, as Lex's last grab at having a relationship with someone where he let himself be as emotionally vulnerable as he's capable of being, then it makes characterization sense that she would also be the last straw when she finally turns on him. I think it works perfectly for how Lex has been set up as a character all along.

I was lying in bed thinking about the parallels between Wes and Victor from "Cyborg," and thought I should actually write them down before I forgot about them. Because Wes is clearly precisely what Lex was aiming for all the way back in "Cyborg," only in this case he was actually able to complete the brain implants that suppressed memory and emotional response to make Wes the perfect soldier. The process wasn't 100%, but it was still an impressive piece of bioengineering, "all ethics aside."

Excellent call. I didn't think about that at all as I watched -- too busy squeeing over iconic!Lex and how awesome Lois was -- but I think you're absolutely right about it that Wes represents the refinement of Lex attempted with Victor.

Oh, Smallville! Look at you, wearing the grown-up continuity! *pinches its cheeks*

(I personally have a moral objection to making people into robotic soldiers, just for the record).

This made me laugh out loud in how deadpan it was, but of course you know I agree (and think it's sad that such disclaimers are nevertheless necessary).

*nod nod* Yeah, last time I watched 'Shattered' I was way more sympathetic to Clark. It's going to be fascinating to rewatch.

I'm not sure I've ever rewatched all of "Shattered" before, more than a random scene here or there, because I found it so painful the first time around, when I was completely in the Lex camp. I still am deeply sympathetic to Lex in that episode, but damn, for a 16 year old Clark really actually was impressively loyal to Lex (through many disconfirmations, and exhausting really all his options, even after Lex causes Lana's injury. That he broke when confronted with his worst fear doesn't seem as unforgiveable to me anymore.

I'm thinking of rewatching all 6 seasons sometime this summer; I expect I'm going to see a lot of things differently now that I'm more sympathetic to both Lana and Clark.

If Lana was used, from a storytelling perspective, as Lex's last grab at having a relationship with someone where he let himself be as emotionally vulnerable as he's capable of being, then it makes characterization sense that she would also be the last straw when she finally turns on him. I think it works perfectly for how Lex has been set up as a character all along.

Yes, I agree with both of you on that point.

The deadpan nature of this made me giggle, even while I know that it's necessary to put in these disclaimers.

I didn't even realize this would come across as funny--it just seems like an unfortunate necessity, given disagreements I've had with people over Lex's methods in the past.

This is one of the reasons that I've always loved the character of Lionel. Because it's not as simple as saying that he doesn't care about Lex. I do think he loves Lex, almost desperately, and that he's been the template all along for what Lex will become not because of his lack of emotion, but because of his extremes of emotion and his denial of them. They're both incredibly twisted, and think they're doing these terrible things to help or protect the person they care most about. And Lionel's protestations of "doing this for your own good" are exactly as sincere as Lex's protestations of love for Lana.

I love that reading of Lionel, though I think I've resisted it precisely because I love Lionel so much and I always feel that giving him any human feelings is letting my desire for him *not* to be a complete sociopath color my interpretation of him, if that makes any sense. Not that this particular twisted love for Lex makes him redeemable, really, but it's better than total socipathy.

Oh, wow, that would have been a fabulous plot twist--and such a great bookend to the beginning of the season, if it started with Lex being involuntarily taken over by an alien and ended with him voluntarily making himself into an alien.

I am also happy that Lex is given a motivation beyond power-seeking.

I know! Continuity! Though wasn't this DeKnight's last episode? I think after getting yelled at about it in season 4, he got serious about continuity in s5.

but of course you know I agree (and think it's sad that such disclaimers are nevertheless necessary).

Me too. I mean, I love Lionel Luthor, so it's not like I don't know about having passionate attachments to evil characters, but...dude.
To some folks Lex is simply ontologically incapable of committing any actions that are morally wrong. If Lex does it, it is right, even if that means all the laws of the universe, physical and moral, must be rewritten to demonstrate it.

I sadly agree.

They really are spinning out his character in full warp. It's pretty well done, 'though I mourne the loss of woobie!Wexie.

I rewatched it at Kate's last year (and it sapped all the joy out of us) and then I've watched bits for vidding purposes since. I definitely agree that Clark was impressively loyal to Lex--in fact, I have gone from seeing it as the terrible betrayal episode to seeing it as the ep that proves Clark really DID love Lex.

I was going to hang on and rewatch once the whole thing was finally finished, but seeing as there's maybe two more seasons in the pipeline, I don't think I can wait that long. I could be talked into rewatching this year too...

Well, the hiatus is very long--I'm sure by July we'll start needing an SV fix, especially because that's when new spoilers start creeping out as they restart production, so we'll need something to keep us away from temptation.

That's what I thought! Just a bit of leftover Wes peptides to push him back to the past-perfect.

I am also happy that Lex is given a motivation beyond power-seeking.

That's what I've been waiting to see. I'm still not clear what that motivation is, but I know he feels it and that it is a complex beast.

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A couple more thoughts on "Prototype"

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