(no subject)

[frelling_tralk]

Hydro

I always wondered why Chloe's close friendship with Clark in early season 5 wasn't more of an issue for Lana. So I love Hydro making the point that Lana does not like feeling second best to Chloe, and goes right to the barn because she still can't stand that Clark is keeping something from her. (Reminds me of late season 1 when Lana wanted to get closer to Clark, once she saw the Chlark happenning. Oh and Chloe wanting to know if Lana knew the secret in Arrival). If Lana's main goal was the relationship with Clark, she could have simply approached him in the barn. Instead she tries to get the secret out of Chloe first (which I thought was significant), and then approaches Clark, showing that her primary motive was the secret IMO.

Loved the Chloe/Lana scenes. Especially that final scene. It reminded me so much of the old Clex dynamic. Chloe taking on Clark's place of evasion, and looking sad at the end. Lana being the one frustrated, and dropping the cutting remarks. "That part I'm pretty clear on" and "That's what Clark always says" was perfect for a future Luthor wife! Kristin's acting was very good in Hydro, and I'm excited to see if there is a rift between Chloe/Lana coming up. Chlark Vs Lexana just has to happen soon :D


I thought that Lex and Lana's experience with Clark was being paralled back in season 3, especially during Legacy with a tearful Lana asking Lex for advice on Clark, and then season 5 pushed it even more heavily. And the many times in seasons 4 and 5 that Lex begs for another chance with Clark. Lana was just as unable to walk away without finally accepting that Clark was never going to be able to stop lying to her.

Love that the newspaper article had Clark in the centre! It's a shame we never got a Lex/Lionel scene over that, I'd have enjoyed seing Lionel's response. There has been such little use of Lionel and Martha this season. Especially surprising considering Lionel's significant role in season 5, and Martha was being used more towards the end as well. Issues with the size of the cast?


Interesting that Lana tells Chloe she would have said yes to Clark without hesitation. She seems to be looking back at that relationship with more nostalgia than it warrants (we already know of the time she took in Reckonning to think over Clark's proposal). Other than Mortal and Hidden, was there ever a time when Clana were overwhelmingly happy together. I remember a lot of frustrating talks on secrets and lies, and Clark pulling away from Lana, and denying her true imtimacy in season 5. Don't remember a lot of happiness there. I see it as Lana having the fantasy of how it could have been with Clark, and we always tend to look back on our past with rose-coloured glasses, but it never actually was that good. Lex is offering Lana something real, and she is finally ready to leave all the childish illusions behind her, and grab what Lex is offering with both hands. She didn't want to be looking back with regrets, but the Clana loft scene gave her the closure she needs IMO. It reminds me of Arrival with Lex walking away from Clark one last time, and the rift was pretty much on after that.

She was rather brutally honest in admitting that she still has feelings for Clark, but I saw that as Lana totally committing to this new life with Lex, and wanting them both to be honest with one another. Again maybe I'm biased (hee maybe?) but I didn't think Lana was trying to say that Lex was second-best. She seemed genuinely happy when she smiled and accepted Lex's proposal, not resigned but I'll do it for the baby's sake. (And if she did only accept because of the baby, we should have seen her look trapped/regretful when hugging Lex). Instead it seemed to me like she just wanted to admit all of her issues to Lex, and then commit to a life together.

To be honest, I would rather Lana had just admitted to still having feelings for Clark, rather than putting it as "I love you both". But then "I would rather be trapped here with you, than never see you again" from Static, leaves me in no doubt that she is very much in love with Lex, whatever her feelings for Clark.


I wasn't sure what to make of Lex's expression at the end though, and I felt that it wasn't much of a scene for accepting a proposal...I was a bit disappointed at the lack of kissing (Tom directed the kiss in Fragule so beautifully, that I was really hoping for another). The hug was a bit underwhelming, especially compared to the twirly Clana hug from Reckonning *pouts* Lana's smile as she accepts was really sweet, just wish more time had been spend on the celebrating after she says yes. But oh well


The second Clois barn scene was incredibly annoying. Why on earth was Lois talking so fast? I thought that Oliver was a bit of a jerk to Lois in this episode actually. She seemed happy to find out he was the GA, said she loved him and would consider it one of his quirks, so why on earth was it so terrible that she know? Clark and Oliver both conspiring against her was a bit much. Lois suddenly slapping the GA (wtf for, she kissed him) meant that I wasnn't exactly crying for her though. I was expecting a light tap to cover up around Ollie, but it looked like she hit the "GA" really hard...

I also didn't like Lois being more wrapped up in the flashy superhero, after one kiss, then the guy she is dating. And telling people that the GA could teach her boyfriend a thing or do *sighs* Poor Clark...



The final scene with Clark and Chloe jokingly discussing GA was adorable. Allison looked like she was having so much fun with that scene. It was a great episode for Chloe all round. Loved her standing up to Linda Lake's spec winning her the front page, but Chloe having her dignity down in the basement. And smashing up the computer! And landing a few decent punches! (Although her hair in the close-ups with Tori Spelling did make me nearly scream aloud. And it was looking so much better in the previous episode as well).

Comments

[cinderella81.livejournal.com]

I totally enjoyed this episode! Chloe totally rocked it!! And the GA scene with the clueless Lois was just PERFECT!!! It definitely had awesome moments, and pointed to some new triangles and pairs in the future.

[frelling-tralk.livejournal.com]

Me too! I thought Tori Spelling was pretty good as well, for what the character was supposed to be. Playing it campy and over the top really worked for her

[cinderella81.livejournal.com]

She is the epitome of campy and over the top! :D

[withafireinside.livejournal.com]

If Lana's main goal was the relationship with Clark, she could have simply approached him in the barn. Instead she tries to get the secret out of Chloe first (which I thought was significant), and then approaches Clark, showing that her primary motive was the secret IMO.

She had no intention of leaving Lex. She would have at least told him about the baby if she wanted a relationship with Clark.

"That part I'm pretty clear on" and "That's what Clark always says" was perfect for a future Luthor wife!

Yeessss. She was so Lex in that scene.

I agree on everything you said about Clexana. I'm glad I'm not the only one who saw it this way.

I was expecting a light tap to cover up around Ollie, but it looked like she hit the "GA" really hard. What's wrong with her???

Haha! I thought she was just really startled to discover the GA wasn't her boyfriend, just some random stranger. I thought it was pretty hilarious myself.

[frelling-tralk.livejournal.com]

I thought it was funny when she said "it was a hunch" to Oliver, but I didn't get her resorting to violence, when she had kissed him. But I'm aware that my Lois issues may cloud my judgment :P


And totally on the Clexana! The Clana was all played on the level of Lana wanting the secret. If anything Clark depressed me more when he went rushing to find Lana after the article (being that I hate hate hate the idea that the main freaking character is never going to move on from that failed relationship).

If the final Lexan scen just saw it put in a better way than "I love you both", I think a lot of people would have responed to it better. Maybe something like, "Some part of me will always love Clark, but I love you, and you are my future". Because I think that's what Lana was trying to get across

[acampbell.livejournal.com]

I've always had similar issues with the Chlana friendship. The only jealousy we ever saw was from Chloe in late S2. It just seemed to disappear after awhile with no explanation, although I suppose we could infer that Chloe was growing and maturing. But we know she's continued crushing on Clark, at least through "Zod".

Often, in S5, Chloe would show up when Clark and Lana were together, and Lana would just walk off, leaving them alone. I know it's just a device to let the two characters converse confidentially (she used to do the same thing for Clark and Lex!) but from a realistic viewpoint, it's weird.

I'd just expect a lot more jealousy to be involved overall. I mean, look at how Clark and Lex catfight over Lana now, and not to be too sexist, but in my experience, girls are usually worse that way.

Of course, Lex and Clark are really fighting about their own messed-up relationship. Lana is just a pretext!

And I, too, really wanted to see Lionel read that article. I really liked the ep, all in all.

[frelling-tralk.livejournal.com]

It really stood out to me in episodes like Mortal when Chloe is asking for a private word for Clark, or in Lexmas where they're whispering in the corner. I think it's natural to feel a little insecure, especially when Clark was pulling away from Lana as the season went on. But yet they never seemed to do anything with possible jealousy from Lana then


I think Chloe however did show some jealousy in season 5, when Clark talks of his feelings for Lana, or during the engagement. And there's moments like Blank and Spirit as well. I suspect that AM chose to underplay it by the time of season 5 though, just in order to show Chloe as more accepting of the role of friend



And I did too :)

[acampbell.livejournal.com]

IMO, because the writers generally focus on advancing the action rather than characterization and development, we wind up with situations like those you describe. What always gets me is that it would be so incredibly easy to convey a lot of these layers if they made the effort. A line or two of dialogue and a facial expression would do it. Lana could ask Clark: "What were you two talking about?" or remark: "You and Chloe are always going off together to talk." or show her looking after him or over at them enviously.

A line or two of dialogue would take care of many of the vague areas and problems on the show. I don't know why they don't take the trouble to do this.

[slinkling.livejournal.com]

Chlark Vs Lexana just has to happen soon :D

*starts to picture a cage-match*

*gets very distracted with this mental image*

*forgets what I was going to say*

I'm pretty sure I had some response, but now I'm stuck on mmm, Chlark vs. Lexana in a cage... Which, in all honesty, is not an unhappy place to be.

[frelling-tralk.livejournal.com]

Well that would work too *g*

[latxcvi.livejournal.com]

She seemed happy to find out he was the GA, said she loved him and would consider it one of his quirks, so why on earth was it so terrible that she know?

That's not how I read Lois' comments in the second Clark/Lois barn scene. She's not saying that she's happy about Oliver possibly being the GA. It's actually discomfiting for her that the masked vigilante whose methods she doesn't approve of could nevertheless be the boyfriend she obviously likes. By my lights, what's she saying there (and the reason it freaks her out) is that if Oliver really is GA, then she's going to have to somehow reconcile her disapproval of GA and his methods with the fact that she loves Oliver. In other words, she's facing the prospect that if Oliver is GA, then she either has to break up with him because he's really someone whose methods and attitude she doesn't like OR she has to find a way to live with it and neither prospect actually appeals to her. So I think it's ... not quite accurate to say that Lois would be happy or perfectly cool with it if Oliver were GA. She'd try to make peace with it because she loves him, but that's different from her being happy about it.

I also didn't like Lois being more wrapped up in the flashy superhero, after one kiss, then the guy she is dating.

I really don't see how saying she thinks GA is a better kisser than Oliver qualifies as "being all wrapped up" in GA. In that scene, Chloe's the one inflating Lois' interest because she (Chloe) is mocking Clark. Lois merely admired "GA"'s kissing skills. It doesn't mean she's suddenly into him at Oliver's expense.

[frelling-tralk.livejournal.com]

I didn't feel that Hydro emphasized Lois's previous problems with the GA that much. Well I guess the garbled bit about she'd been looking through her old articles, and maybe robbing from the rich for the poor is a good thing after all, does show her previous issues with him. But I didn't get the sense of any dilemma of a break-up on her part, so much as she seemed quite happy to say that his secret's safe with her, and knowing that Oliver as the GA would come to her rescue. I was just suprised that we jumped right from her confiding in Clark, to Clark and Oliver playing the trick on her. Clark wasn't even shown discussing it with Oliver to try and change his mind (especially after his own problems with Lana and distrust, I'd have thought Clark would have been shown to have some issues with Ollie's plan).

Lois merely admired "GA"'s kissing skills. It doesn't mean she's suddenly into him at Oliver's expense

I guess putting it as the GA could teach her boyfriend a thing to do, just uncomfortably reminds me of the future Superman dynamic, and why it really doesn't work for me for Lois to be more into the man with the mask. But itself that scene isn't that objective I admit. It's more the anvilly winks at the future Clois that makes me think urgh

[latxcvi.livejournal.com]

I was just suprised that we jumped right from her confiding in Clark, to Clark and Oliver playing the trick on her. Clark wasn't even shown discussing it with Oliver to try and change his mind (especially after his own problems with Lana and distrust, I'd have thought Clark would have been shown to have some issues with Ollie's plan).

You've articulated here exactly why it was bugging me. I know -- because some peeps helpfully reminded me -- that Clark said something to Oliver back in Arrow and again in either Reunion or Rage and I'll give him (Clark) points for that. But this is really the first time where Lois has articulated to Clark how she feels about the possibility that Oliver = Green Arrow and I think you're right that given how she was confiding in Clark there, well ... if Clark does consider Lois to be any kind of friend, he should have revisited the issue with Oliver again for her Lois' sake. At a minimum, he could have conveyed to Oliver that Lois had apparently decided she could deal with him also being GA.

And yeah, Oliver's complete lack of concern about the whole issue bugs me. At least Clark knew it was dubious to keep that kind of thing from Lana while seriously dating her. Oliver doesn't seem to recognize why it's at all problematic to keep Lois in the dark. Unless he's not as serious about her as she is about him, then his lack of concern about the whole issue really does kind of make him look bad.

[frelling-tralk.livejournal.com]

I'm not a Clois fan obviously, but yes I'm surprised that I haven't heard more complaints from the fans about what followed the barn scene with Lois trusting Clark to confide in, and saying he knows her better than anyone. It seems the kiss (as shippy as that moment can be seen to be) actually stepped all over that possible connection. I think the episode was missing a scene with Clark and Ollie discussing the scheme, and Clark at least articulating some concerns, bringing up that Lois suggested that it wouldn't make a difference to her because she's really into Ollie

But I guess it fits with the old superdickery thing, and as the writers are going in more of a comic book direction this year, maybe they only considered it in as far as it was totally what Superman and Batman would have pulled on Lois back in the day.

[angeleyesjg24.livejournal.com]

Hi! *waves* I found you via mkitty's page, and was suprised that you shared two of my favorite, little known fandoms: Smallville and Torchwood. Not to mention the fact that you seem to ship Lex/Lana, my favorite ship. So, I was wondering if it would be okay to friend you? Just seems nice to find a fellow fan of random shows!

Anna M

[frelling-tralk.livejournal.com]

Absolutely, feel free :)