recent smallville thoughts
Mar. 20th, 2002 02:03 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mamajoanThoughts on recent "Smallville" episodes, without spoilers:
I had the interesting experience of watching "Zero" and "Nicodemus" almost back-to-back, because I was away and had TiVo'd "Zero" and didn't get around to watching it till Monday night. I was a little disappointed in "Zero." After watching it, I thought for a while about how many fanfics I've read that speculated on a) the exact nature of Club Zero and b) the exact nature of the trouble Lex got into there that caused him to be "exiled" to Smallville. It seemed to me that most of those fanfics were a lot more interesting and complex than the actual explanations given in the episode. And not just because of the slashy element, although that's part of it, of course.
Anyway, so then I spent some time thinking that in general, the fanfic I've read for Smallville is more interesting than the show itself. I mean, it seems like I spend most episodes waiting for the Clark/Lex scenes and then reading into them with all my might -- the rest of the episode, typically, is just the framework around which the next batch of fanfics are going to be constructed. (Of course, some of the canon Clex scenes are naturally slashy; others require a little more work on the viewer's part. ;) )
But then I watched "Nicodemus" and it changed my mind back, at least partially. The CLex moments in this one were delicious, full of layers and complexity as well as the usual slashy goodness. Not only that, but both characters individually continue to exhibit new layers and to evolve in fascinating ways -- plus some of the under-used secondary characters got good development, like Pete and Jonathan and Martha. (And damn if Jonathan wasn't lookin' GOOD in that tank top!)
So this is how I see Lex now, and what I think of the ever-riveting "How Will Lex Go Bad" question: that Lex is a basically decent guy, with good intentions, but with this one consuming obsession (namely Clark and What Happened That Night), and that with each new half-revelation, the balance between Lex's desire to know and his reluctance to let innocent people get hurt shifts slightly. I also think that each time Lex lies to Clark, it gets just a little easier, such that the degree of lying he's willing to do increases a little. I mean, as for the lie he told Clark in "Nicodemus," he *could* have worded the truth vaguely enough so as to quell Clark's fears while still technically being true; but instead he chose the lie, and that's telling.
Oh, and then there's the "What do *you* think?" response, which is almost worse than an outright lie. Because it's almost passive-aggressive in the implication: not just "no" but "no, and how could you ask such a thing?" And then when the truth eventually comes out, he can say "But I didn't lie to you, Clark...." Oh, that's evil, so evil. Poor Lex.
In marginally related news, there was a girl on the choir tour last week who really reminded me of Chloe. And I felt like a dirty old woman, lusting after a kid ten years younger than me. Oy.
I had the interesting experience of watching "Zero" and "Nicodemus" almost back-to-back, because I was away and had TiVo'd "Zero" and didn't get around to watching it till Monday night. I was a little disappointed in "Zero." After watching it, I thought for a while about how many fanfics I've read that speculated on a) the exact nature of Club Zero and b) the exact nature of the trouble Lex got into there that caused him to be "exiled" to Smallville. It seemed to me that most of those fanfics were a lot more interesting and complex than the actual explanations given in the episode. And not just because of the slashy element, although that's part of it, of course.
Anyway, so then I spent some time thinking that in general, the fanfic I've read for Smallville is more interesting than the show itself. I mean, it seems like I spend most episodes waiting for the Clark/Lex scenes and then reading into them with all my might -- the rest of the episode, typically, is just the framework around which the next batch of fanfics are going to be constructed. (Of course, some of the canon Clex scenes are naturally slashy; others require a little more work on the viewer's part. ;) )
But then I watched "Nicodemus" and it changed my mind back, at least partially. The CLex moments in this one were delicious, full of layers and complexity as well as the usual slashy goodness. Not only that, but both characters individually continue to exhibit new layers and to evolve in fascinating ways -- plus some of the under-used secondary characters got good development, like Pete and Jonathan and Martha. (And damn if Jonathan wasn't lookin' GOOD in that tank top!)
So this is how I see Lex now, and what I think of the ever-riveting "How Will Lex Go Bad" question: that Lex is a basically decent guy, with good intentions, but with this one consuming obsession (namely Clark and What Happened That Night), and that with each new half-revelation, the balance between Lex's desire to know and his reluctance to let innocent people get hurt shifts slightly. I also think that each time Lex lies to Clark, it gets just a little easier, such that the degree of lying he's willing to do increases a little. I mean, as for the lie he told Clark in "Nicodemus," he *could* have worded the truth vaguely enough so as to quell Clark's fears while still technically being true; but instead he chose the lie, and that's telling.
Oh, and then there's the "What do *you* think?" response, which is almost worse than an outright lie. Because it's almost passive-aggressive in the implication: not just "no" but "no, and how could you ask such a thing?" And then when the truth eventually comes out, he can say "But I didn't lie to you, Clark...." Oh, that's evil, so evil. Poor Lex.
In marginally related news, there was a girl on the choir tour last week who really reminded me of Chloe. And I felt like a dirty old woman, lusting after a kid ten years younger than me. Oy.
