SV musings
5 February 2003 20:52![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mandragoraI haven't seen all the Season 2 episodes yet, although I have seen most of them up to 'Insurgence', courtesy of the ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
thermidor other half. I try not to favour one half of my slash-pairings too much over the other, but have to admit that in SV's case I am rather a Lex-slut. That said, I like Clark, like his brattiness, his misjudgments, his temper. I like that he is in so many ways a typical teenager, tempered with the knowledge that he saves people just because he can and doesn't use his powers simply for his own ends. When he could, oh he so easily could. He's got a hard future ahead of him being Superman and I try to bear that in mind at all times.
But. Lex. Sigh.
So I know that the Season 2 episodes 'Suspect' and 'Rush' are going to be hard for me to watch. Clark apparently engages in some teenaged self-centred and thoughtless behaviour towards Lex that he doesn't apologise for, when he really should. He also treats Lana badly, from the spoilers I've read but at least she gets an apology. Which is yet more proof that Clark doesn't have a problem (unlike some teenagers) with apologising per se. Just to Lex, apparently.
I don't hang out in places where Lex is disliked (hmm, are there any places where Lex is disliked?) so I don't know what overall fan reaction to Clark's recent behaviour is, but it seems that most people are irate with Clark on Lex's behalf. In some cases they're outright disliking the Clark Kent character. Now I've seen this type of thing before. Duncan/Methos anyone in Highlander fandom. But not to such an extent as it's happening in SV. And most times the Duncan bashers weren't people whose opinions I generally agreed with. But in this case, many of the people struggling not to dislike Clark are people whose opinions I respect. This disturbs me. In HL fandom I never thought that Duncan actually did treat Methos badly, or was at fault for the way he reacted towards Methos. But in SV it does seem as if Clark's behaviour really is thoughtless and insensitive. And this cannot be a good thing, bearing in mind that he's the Hero. The one we're meant to be all rooting for.
I can't believe that TPTB do not realise Lex's extreme popularity. It's apparent from critical reviews of SV, those written not by fans but by professional critics who are paid to think about this stuff. And their reactions all seem to be pretty positive towards the character. Plus, as TPTB send their minions to check out fan message boards etc, they must know, they have to know, that Lex is huge. Figuratively speaking, of course *g*.
Which makes me wonder, are TPTB doing something rather clever here? Could it be that they're building up to a big scene in which Clark gets called on his behaviour by Lex, who is about to call time on their friendship? And Clark realises that yes, he is about to lose something here, something real and good and valuable. So, he works hard at re-establishing their friendship, thus warming the cockles of every slashy heart out there, and keeping the Clark/Lex friendship dynamic going.
But as a result, Clark is now in a position where he has to tread more carefully with Lex in the future, can't call him on things like he used to. By default he is forced to trust Lex. Which is all hunky-dory until Lex does something to abuse that trust.
Clark is saying to everyone, "No, no, he's my friend, I trust him. It'll all work out, you'll see." etc. Only it doesn't. Because Lex, possibly for reasons that seemed good to him at the time, did something outright bad. Which all went horribly wrong and someone close to Clark got hurt.
It's all about trust betrayed. This would work really well for me, I would be chomping at the bit to see a storyline along those lines.
But. I fear that TPTB don't have a master-plan in mind in reality and are simply winging it. That they think we all will go along with whatever Clark does simply because whatever he does (when in his right mind) it must be good because he's Superman. And therefore good. Because he's Superman etc. Trouble with that approach is that it's overly simplistic for today's sophisticated TV audience. Here TPTB have given us a great dynamic, a whole fresh new approach to the Superman legend and actually invented a sympathetic, multi-faceted, complex Lex Luthor and a complex, multi-faceted Clark Kent (not so sure about the sympathetic at present). But they threaten to throw it all away in favour of some good-versus-evil approach, i.e. Superman = good, Lex Luthor = evil. Becuase that's the way it is etc.
God, I really hope not.
thermidor other half. I try not to favour one half of my slash-pairings too much over the other, but have to admit that in SV's case I am rather a Lex-slut. That said, I like Clark, like his brattiness, his misjudgments, his temper. I like that he is in so many ways a typical teenager, tempered with the knowledge that he saves people just because he can and doesn't use his powers simply for his own ends. When he could, oh he so easily could. He's got a hard future ahead of him being Superman and I try to bear that in mind at all times.But. Lex. Sigh.
So I know that the Season 2 episodes 'Suspect' and 'Rush' are going to be hard for me to watch. Clark apparently engages in some teenaged self-centred and thoughtless behaviour towards Lex that he doesn't apologise for, when he really should. He also treats Lana badly, from the spoilers I've read but at least she gets an apology. Which is yet more proof that Clark doesn't have a problem (unlike some teenagers) with apologising per se. Just to Lex, apparently.
I don't hang out in places where Lex is disliked (hmm, are there any places where Lex is disliked?) so I don't know what overall fan reaction to Clark's recent behaviour is, but it seems that most people are irate with Clark on Lex's behalf. In some cases they're outright disliking the Clark Kent character. Now I've seen this type of thing before. Duncan/Methos anyone in Highlander fandom. But not to such an extent as it's happening in SV. And most times the Duncan bashers weren't people whose opinions I generally agreed with. But in this case, many of the people struggling not to dislike Clark are people whose opinions I respect. This disturbs me. In HL fandom I never thought that Duncan actually did treat Methos badly, or was at fault for the way he reacted towards Methos. But in SV it does seem as if Clark's behaviour really is thoughtless and insensitive. And this cannot be a good thing, bearing in mind that he's the Hero. The one we're meant to be all rooting for.
I can't believe that TPTB do not realise Lex's extreme popularity. It's apparent from critical reviews of SV, those written not by fans but by professional critics who are paid to think about this stuff. And their reactions all seem to be pretty positive towards the character. Plus, as TPTB send their minions to check out fan message boards etc, they must know, they have to know, that Lex is huge. Figuratively speaking, of course *g*.
Which makes me wonder, are TPTB doing something rather clever here? Could it be that they're building up to a big scene in which Clark gets called on his behaviour by Lex, who is about to call time on their friendship? And Clark realises that yes, he is about to lose something here, something real and good and valuable. So, he works hard at re-establishing their friendship, thus warming the cockles of every slashy heart out there, and keeping the Clark/Lex friendship dynamic going.
But as a result, Clark is now in a position where he has to tread more carefully with Lex in the future, can't call him on things like he used to. By default he is forced to trust Lex. Which is all hunky-dory until Lex does something to abuse that trust.
Clark is saying to everyone, "No, no, he's my friend, I trust him. It'll all work out, you'll see." etc. Only it doesn't. Because Lex, possibly for reasons that seemed good to him at the time, did something outright bad. Which all went horribly wrong and someone close to Clark got hurt.
It's all about trust betrayed. This would work really well for me, I would be chomping at the bit to see a storyline along those lines.
But. I fear that TPTB don't have a master-plan in mind in reality and are simply winging it. That they think we all will go along with whatever Clark does simply because whatever he does (when in his right mind) it must be good because he's Superman. And therefore good. Because he's Superman etc. Trouble with that approach is that it's overly simplistic for today's sophisticated TV audience. Here TPTB have given us a great dynamic, a whole fresh new approach to the Superman legend and actually invented a sympathetic, multi-faceted, complex Lex Luthor and a complex, multi-faceted Clark Kent (not so sure about the sympathetic at present). But they threaten to throw it all away in favour of some good-versus-evil approach, i.e. Superman = good, Lex Luthor = evil. Becuase that's the way it is etc.
God, I really hope not.
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agreement
Date: 5 February 2003 14:24 (UTC)I know part of the reason I like Lex so much is because he is sexy and suave unlike Clark who is a (sometimes) doofy teen. But as you probably noticed this weekend as I talked back to the television, Clark is a big fat liar. Lex is not stupid and I think he hates being lied to. This makes me sympathize with Lex and obviously I am not alone. So I too wonder what are the SV folks thinking?
Re: agreement
Date: 6 February 2003 01:31 (UTC)God knows! *g*. However, I am now seeing more pro-Clark postings, which is reassuring. It's not everyone who is starting to dislike the character, thankfully. And of course I can't say what my feelings will be until after I've seen the episodes in question.
Or are you overestimating them?!
Date: 6 February 2003 02:14 (UTC)Which is I think back to one of the points you two made on Sunday, that Clark doesn't ever seem to experience the consequences of his lies, actions and inactions.
He's sixteen. He's been brought up all his life to lie. He has extraordinary abilities. It should be a disaster waiting to happen.
Here's hoping they use it intelligently, but I wonder if maybe we're possibly too used to a Joss-verse, where everything has consequences, sometimes years down the line -- does Smallville have anyone in the driving seat with the kind of vision and grip on continuity that Buffy and Angel have? It would be nice to think it does.
Re: Or are you overestimating them?!
Date: 7 February 2003 14:23 (UTC)Oooh, yeah. Good idea.
Will TPTB come up with anything good, though? I dunno. I mean, I have to give them credit for coming up with the fresh approach and re-inventing the characters. Martha and Jonathan are real, flawed people rather than the perfect parent types we've seen before, for example. Lana is... growing on me. She's showing flashes of spirit and I'm finding myself curious about her future. Pete, hmmm, well he's not a bad character but still needs development IMO.
And then there's the wholly made-up characters, Chloe and Lionel. And both are fabulous (although terribly under-used in season 2 in Chloe's case, sadly).
So, TPTB have got so many things right that it is possible that they do have some plausible, affecting game-plan in mind. I live in hope. OTOH, Joss they ain't. Sadly. Imagine SV with its existing characters being written by/overseen by Joss.
Whimper.