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Reviews
5:12 Reckoning
by Zoomway
Since this is a milestone episode, I'm going to make a double post review as I do with premieres and finales. However, my eyes kept rolling to the back of my skull during this episode and so I had to drill holes in the back of my head just to keep watching.
The episode opened with Lana making a loft visit, which is never a good sign. After Lana made small talk about a mystery date, she asked Clark if he was all right because his heart was racing.
"It's cause I'm terrified."
"What's going on?"
Lana, the way you've been ... I can tell by the way you look at me that I'm losing you."
"Clark ..."
"And it's not your fault," he added quickly to forestall another secrets and lies lecture. "There's something I should have shown you a long time ago."
The action switched to the caves.
"I don't remember this place ever being here. How'd you find it?"
"It was left here for me," Clark replied.
"For you?"
"I've rehearsed this like a thousand times."
That line was similar to Clark's line in the L&C episode We Have a Lot to Talk About where he said, "I've been rehearsing this for months."
In fact, a lot of lines and situations in this episode seem very familiar.
Clark pulled the octagon disk out of his pocket. "Lana, what I'm about to show you may change the way you feel about me." It should change the way she feels about him according to her own back history established on the show.
"Clark, whatever it is, it's okay." Yes, Lana's so uber understanding that the United Nations won't stop phoning her.
Clark put the key in the slot and all the glowing sparkling stuff started and they were transported to the Fortress of Solitude. Then Jor-El said, "Hey, Louise, you're still looking hot. Remember that night in the barn ..."
Oh, sorry, Jor-El didn't say anything. He was too stunned that his son was in a relationship with the niece of the woman he had sex with back in 1961.
Lana looked around with appropriate startled expressions. "Oh, my God."
"When you asked if I believed in life on other planets, you had no idea how ironic that question was," Clark said. "I'm from a planet called Krypton."
Lana touched his face. "Well, you're just like everyone else."
Clark picked her up and either leaped or flew up about 100 feet. I'm hoping he leaped because I'd hate to think he's had the power to fly for some unknown period of time and hasn't used it except for this stunt.
I tried to do a comparison picture of the flight sequence from Relic where, as mentioned, Clark's dad had sex with Lana's aunt, but the Relic picture was very dark and for some reason the capture in this episode came out fuzzy. I thought maybe it was a motion blur, so I did a screen capture of a similar scene from L&C of Superman flying with Lois up and towards the camera like the other two shots, but it came out clear.
However, as I kept watching, it was obvious the fortress scenes were being filmed using some kind of slightly out of focus low color technique. It rendered the scene dreamlike rather than realistic and to be honest, it was so over idealized I expected it to be a dream or at least a daydream.
Like a dream it had most of the form, but no substance of reality, but like a daydream, everything was absolutely perfect like only happens in fantasies. I actually expected Clark to wake up.
After they landed, Lana said, "This isn't the first time you've done that, is it? How many times have you been there when I didn't know it, saving me?"
That seemed like a pretty trumped up association, but it was clear this was not going to be an episode that would go into any detail, depth, or honesty.
"Doesn't matter, Lana. I couldn't let anything happen to you."
"No one knew."
"There were so many days I wanted to tell you." I don't know why he didn't say "so many times" other than he already used that line on Chloe, but 'days' sounds awkward.
"What makes today any different?"
"I want you to know who I really am," he said and held out a lump of coal.
"You're Santa Claus and I wasn't a good girl this year?" Okay, she didn't say that, but if she had a sense of humor, she might.
Clark crushed the coal in his hand and it turned into a diamond. This is an old pre-Crisis gag that I don't think has repeated itself in modern comic book continuity. It's funny because they not only create a diamond, they manage to put facets on it as well.
It was done in Superman III to replace Lana's engagement ring. No, neither Clark nor Superman proposed to Lana in that movie and she never knew Clark's secret, but it was a way to pay tribute to the old coal/diamond trick.
It seemed to first be done in the late 1940s.
And drifted into the Silver Age.
It was also used on an episode of the old Adventures of Superman to replace the eye of an idol.
Clark welded the diamond to a setting and asked Lana to marry him. I'd love to tell you what her reaction was, but we didn't get to see one. I'm not kidding. It cut off there, went to the theme song and then after the commercial break, Clark came out of the barn to talk to his parents.
"Mom, Dad, I have something important to tell you. I ... um ... told Lana everything."
"What?" Martha whispered.
"Right before I proposed to her in the fortress."
"So what did she say?" What did she say! Martha, your son is an unemployed teenager who proposed to another unemployed teenager!
"I asked her not to tell me yet. It's a lot to put on her all at once."
Can you picture that? He proposed, stopped her from answering, brought her back home, or took her to her Metropolis dorm and told her to mull it over and then he just ... left?
"Clark, have you really thought this whole thing through?" Jonathan asked.
"If I was ever going to risk sharing who I really am, I wanted it to be with her."
"I'm proud of you, Clark," Pod Martha said. "I know this has been weighing on you for a long time."
Jonathan looked at Pod Martha as if recognizing her pod quality.
Martha stood her shaky ground. "Just like this election. Any big decision has risks with it."
Jonathan, suddenly catching the pod virus, said, "I guess it's just hard looking over at your son and realize you're talking to a man."
Jonathan, snap out of it! A real man knows it's ridiculous to propose with no way to support a wife. Only a dumb kid would do something like that and only a dumber kid would accept that kind of proposal, but we'll get to Lana later.
"A man who doesn't need his father's advice anymore," Jonathan said as a giant bell inscribed, "For whom I toll," suddenly fell on him.
"I'm always gonna need you, Dad."
While the giant bell of doom laughed at Clark, the scene shifted to Lois's Talon apartment, I think. It's so different looking compared to Lana's Victorian parlor decor with fireplace, vanity table and candles strewn everywhere it's hard to tell. Anyway, Lois started some water running in a teapot in the sink as she talked on the cell phone about exit poll results and mentioned that patience wasn't her strong suit. She placed a stool next to a tall shelf unit and began reaching for a box of Ding Dongs and sounded almost sexual when she said, "Ohhhh yeah" as she grabbed the box.
For the uninitiated, Ding Dongs are small chocolate covered snack cakes with a cream filling. They look a lot like a large hockey puck. L&C fans will probably remember that one of the snacks Lois offered the Clark Kent from the alternate universe was Ding Dongs.
The stool wobbled and Lois began to fall, but Lana entered and steadied Lois, preventing the accident. It's one of those weird and rare scenes of Lois and Lana together, but apparently Lana was there at Lois's request to help out with the decorations because Lana apologized for being late.
"Hey, I'm just glad you're here. The whole decorating committee can't bunt to save their lives," Lois said, but noticed Lana was in her vacant stare mode. "Okay, spill it."
"It's nothing," Lana said and then blurted this peculiar laugh. She sounded like Peter Lorre.
Lois folded her arms. "Three guesses. Tall, dark and bumbling?"
"It's just ... um ... okay, what would you do if you thought you knew someone really well and it turns out there's this whole other side to them?"
This was a rip-off of Lois's scene with Perry in Ordinary People where she said, "Have you ever thought that you found someone who was exactly right for you, but then you found out some ...thing ... that you never knew about them that you thought could just wreck it all?"
In fact, when Lana delivered her line, it came across as a slight blooper of the real line from L&C.
Anyway, Lois persisted in questioning Lana. "I guess the question is, does it change the way you feel about him?"
Lana made her frightened doe eyes. "Maybe."
"Look, I don't know what's going on, but I would feel lucky to end up with someone as honorable as Clark Kent someday."
Yes, that was the lucky anvil of foreshadowing. It's now dating the giant bell of doom.
Actually I thought that was very nice of Lois to say something so sweet about Clark even though he's still a lot more whiny than honorable, but at this point I'll take what I can get. It at least seems to indicate that Lois has seen good in Clark and she might even find him attractive on some level. It might be on an "eensy-weensy, microcosmic" level at this point, but it's a start.
Clark went to Chloe next to tell her he'd told Lana his secret.
"Wow ... um ... okay. After all those years of me yanking on your closet door, what's the real reason for this sudden coming out party?"
"It was only a matter of weeks before she broke it off," Clark said, confirming that he told Lana out of fear.
I'm going to use this as a comparison to Clark's situation on L&C. By the episode Individual Responsibility, Clark was in real trouble with Lois because of his secret. He kept running off with lame excuses and sometimes it was in mid-conversation. Often when they were talking about their relationship.
The truth is, Clark had always behaved that way since Lois had known him. The difference is, in the beginning, she welcomed him dashing off for whatever reason because she preferred covering stories her way. Over time, however, as she became accustomed to Clark being her partner and even enjoyed working with him, his disappearing act became annoying. Then, when she fell in love with him, his unexplained departures began to hurt.
Clark knew he was hurting Lois and that's the last thing he ever wanted to do, but had he caved in to fear as Smallville's Clark had and told Lois his secret at that point, he could have made life a whole lot easier for himself, but that's the problem. Clark would have made things easier for himself, but it was Lois's happiness that mattered to him. He had to be one hundred percent sure that Lois loved him in that "lifetime of love" way before he told her, or she'd be burdened with a very dangerous secret just because he wanted to make life easier for himself.
Clark wanted Lois to be free to choose and whether she chose him, Superman, or even Dan Scardino, it had to be her choice and he told her so. She knew about this quirky side to Clark from the beginning and for whatever reason it had always been a part of him. In the following episode she did choose Clark because despite his strange disappearing act, she couldn't get around the fact that she truly loved him. If it meant accepting that as part of Clark, then so be it.
It is here that Smallville's Clark falls woefully short and illustrates that he is doing everything out of a selfish motive. He wants Lana at all costs even if his decision isn't in her best interest. Until he understands that, he won't understand what true love means at all. It also illustrates that Lana doesn't understand true love either, which makes Chloe's next line so appropriate.
"Well, you guys were meant for each other," Chloe insisted. "You're like Kansas' version of Ken and Barbie ... except they broke up, apparently, which is kind of weird."
Chloe's comparison to Ken and Barbie was, at best, a backhanded compliment that implied a plastic type of artificial perfection. We're right back to form over substance and beauty over depth.
"I think I was pushing Lana to a point I don't know we could have come back from and I love her too much to let that happen." Yet again it's all about fear.
Lana created a very narrow one-sided zone in which to love Clark. She would fault him for his secret, but would not offer up her secrets in fair exchange. She apparently had no desire to tell him about working with Lex on the spaceship mystery until Clark found the papers from Luthor Corp. Then it was all his fault, to her mind, that she didn't tell him because she didn't like his attitude about the spaceship. She didn't tell him she killed Genevieve Teague either. It didn't even matter that Lana was possessed by Isobel when it happened, because she truly believed she killed Genevieve.
Lana just said "trust me" when she handed Clark the blood-covered stone and told him she believed it belonged to him. We still don't know how long Lana felt that stone belonged to Clark before she handed it over. Had she handed it over as soon as she had an inkling it belonged to Clark, then the stone wouldn't have been used to kill Genevieve, which also means the crazed police officer, who almost killed Lana, wouldn't have been after her in the first place because the second meteor shower wouldn't have happened. Ironic, isn't it?
Oh, well, Clark's a whipped dog who is willing to put up with that double standard as long as he can have Lana, which is another big neon sign that he's obsessed with her rather than in love with her. That neon light also blinds him to what he puts Chloe through in the name of friendship. As soon as Clark dropped the bombshell that he had proposed to Lana, Chloe put on her brave soldier face and tried to look happy.
"Wow," she said flatly. "Well, that one wasn't on the doppler. Not even a blip."
"I know what you're going to say, that we're too young, that there's a reason I didn't tell her before, that there's too much at stake ...." Clark, even if you were 40, you still don't have a job.
"That's funny, because what I was actually gonna say is there are very few people out there who really know what they want and are willing to risk everything for it."
This is some fine well-aged baloney. Clark told Lana out of fear, because by his own admission he knew he would lose her anyway if he didn't tell her. He wasn't risking anything. On the contrary, he had nothing left to lose by telling her. Worst case scenario, she'd hear the secret and decide to dump him, but if she didn't hear the secret, she was going to dump him anyway. In truth, by telling Lana, he could win or break even. The only sure bet where he'd lose was not telling her. Again, he risked nothing.
"If anyone deserves to be happy, Clark, it's you." Uh-huh. Notice she didn't say "you and Lana" deserve to be happy.
Then we clip to the bright happy snow scene where Lana accepts his proposal. Nothing on this series has ever been more anticlimactic except maybe their sex scenes. Lana had no issues at all. No problem with him being an alien even though she once said that meeting a real alien would freak her out a little. No problem with the idea that had Clark not come to Earth that day, her parents wouldn't have died that day. No problem with the mutants his arrival created. None of it mattered. She wasn't even bothered that neither of them had jobs. Maybe she thinks Clark will be turning coal into diamonds every day.
Then the happy brainless teen couple showed up at Jonathan's rally. The Pod Kents congratulated them and Jonathan said, "Lana, we couldn't imagine Clark spending the rest of his life with anyone but you." Well, considering this is the first year Clark is of legal marrying age, that's not saying much. Though I have seen parents look back over old photos and say things like, "Oh, look, you had such a crush on that girl for so long we always thought you'd end up marrying her one day. Thank God you came to your senses when you grew up."
Then Lois, standing at the top of the stairway, whistled loudly to get everyone's attention. "I just got the heads-up form the news room. Ladies and gentlemen, you are looking at our new senator!"
She then plowed through the revelers in Lois fashion and gave Jonathan a hug. She told the Kents they had to follow her for a quick photo shoot. As Jonathan moved through the crowd his cell phone rang. "I'll be with you in just a second," he shouted to Lois and Martha.
Then Clark told Lana that the photo session could take a while and then asked, "Is this really happening?"
Lana's reassuring response? "Go do your photo op."
As Clark departed, Lana's cell phone rang. It was Lex Luthor.
Here's a quiz. You're a teen girl just newly engaged to the unemployed teen of your dreams, but you receive a phone call from someone your future husband doesn't trust and the call comes during a celebration rally for your future father-in-law. What do you do?
1. Don't answer, but let Lex leave a message?
2. Answer, but tell Lex you can't get away at the moment?
3. Leave your future husband and in-laws at the victory rally without telling anyone where you're going and drive over to Lex's mansion?
Come on, you've known Lana long enough to answer that one.
When Lana arrived, Lex was well on his way to the second stage of drunkenness. That's just after the buzz and right before the vomiting. Since there were no peanuts or pretzels to go with the booze, Lex was eating worms. "You know how many people are cheering right now because the spoiled rich kid lost to some salt of the earth farmer?"
"Since when do you care about what other people think?" Lana asked.
"Since I was branded at birth with the sins of my father." Oh, please, Lex. This isn't first season anymore when you were trying so hard not to be like Lionel. Now you've committed plenty of sins without your father's help. "Just once, Lana, I wanted to get out from under his shadow, you know? Earn something on my own."
Are we supposed to be taking this seriously? Lex hired someone to find dirt on Jonathan. He wanted to win by any means necessary. He wanted to win the way Lionel would want to win. He wasn't trying to step out of his father's shadow, he was trying it on for size.
"Consider yourself lucky you never had a father to endure."
Normally this would be a cruel and insensitive comment to make to Lana, but now we're talking about a girl who feels lucky to marry the man who made it impossible for her to endure a father, or mother for that matter. Not unless we're to remember her biological father Henry Small, but I don't think we are.
Lana, missing the irony completely, said, "I think it's best we talk about this when you're not drunk."
Then Lex whined about hurting her feelings and alienating everyone he cared about. Fortunately Lana, who is programmed to enable whiners, walked back and put her engagement ring hand on his shoulder. "You aren't going to lose me."
Fingering the small diamond, Lex said, "I guess it's a bigger day than I thought." Even he didn't ask how an unemployed farm boy paid for an engagement ring.
"Yeah, it happened so fast we never really got a chance to tell anyone about it." Or for it to be remotely realistic.
"So, after all the lies he told you, you still chose him."
"You don't understand."
"How many times have you come to me wondering what Clark's keeping from you?" Probably as many times as she ran to Clark when she was dating other guys like Whitney and Jason, but now she's dating Clark so she has to run to you. "Why he disappeared to Metropolis for months. How he rose from the dead."
"It's not like that."
"Really? Come on, Lana, I know you. You'd never say yes with all the doubts you have." That's Lana, all right. "Whatever he's been covering up all this time, you know, don't you?"
"Clark isn't hiding anything, Lex."
Lex noticed Lana's pants catch on fire. "After everything I've done for you, how could you lie to me?"
He tossed his drink into the fire and then grabbed Lana's arms. "Tell me!"
Lana grabbed a glass of booze and tossed it in Lex's eyes. Yeah, I know he threw his drink in the fire and Lana wasn't drinking, but the plot device was that Lex had filled several glasses at once before she arrived.
Lana bolted and then called Clark on her cell phone. "I went to see Lex. He was really drunk."
"What happened?"
"He knows. I don't know how he could tell, but he could tell I was hiding your secret."
Lana, it's because you made such a big stink over secrets and lies that no one would believe you'd accept Clark unless he told you. Lex said as much himself. You're the "full disclosure or else" gal, Lana. Live with it.
"I didn't say anything to him, but he got really angry and ..."
As she gave her location, Lex drove up behind her honking his horn. "Oh, God, he's coming after me!"
Lex pulled along side her car. "Lana, pull over so we can talk. Lana, look out!"
BLAM! She got hit by a homecoming bus from good old Smallville High.
Where was Clark? Still on the phone. He listened through every flip of the Jeep Liberty, yet in the short time it took Lex to get out of his car and shout, "Lana!" Clark was able to arrive on the scene. Obviously he could have gotten there shortly after Lana gave her location, but for whatever reason, he didn't budge until after she was road kill.
Clark did this weird alternating hand placement on Lana's dead body, then Jonathan drove up and pulled Clark away. Welling tried so hard to cry. He made all the noises and facial expression, but he just couldn't crank out one drop. It was like when Kreuk tried to cry earlier this year when Clark died. The motive just didn't seem to be right for the occasion in either situation.
Clark rushed to the Fortress of Solitude to yell at Jor-El to bring Lana back, but Jor-El told Clark that even though Kryptonian powers are extraordinary, "We are not gods." You could have fooled me.
"This is not her destiny and you know that!" How can he? He's not a god. Just ask him. "There has to be a way to fix this. Please!"
"There is one trial you have yet to experience, but you must heed my warning. The tide of fate is impossible to stop. Even if you are able to alter one course of events, the universe will find a balance. There is only one crystal. Once you make this choice, there is no second chance. Decide carefully." We know that's not happening.
I can only hold out hope that Jor-El turns out to really be General Zod.
"I have to save her," Clark said and grabbed the deus ex crystal without giving a single thought to the true consequences.
Then time reset to the point where Clark was in the barn waiting for Lana to arrive. As soon as she entered he hugged her. "You're here."
"Of course I'm here," she said and then repeated her original line about not being sure a mystery date is what their relationship needed. "So, where are you taking me?"
"I just thought we could spend the day together."
"That part I kind of figured, but it was the quote, 'day I'll never forget' that I was a little curious about."
"Right .. um ... well ... I thought we could go for a drive. Maybe up to the lake and .. um .. but with this cold snap, the bridges are probably iced over so we should just stay here."
"Don't you think I know by now when you're lying," Lana said angrily, proving how much she had in common with Lex. "Just say something. Anything."
"It wasn't a big deal. I mean really," he said and then shrugged. "Trust me."
"Clark, you know that goes both ways."
"Lana, I ..."
"Don't, unless it's the truth."
Clark said nothing.
"Clark, as much as I love you, I can't do this anymore."
"Lana, you don't understand. If anything ever happened to you ..."
"Like what?" Like if you grew some compassion. "What can be worse than losing the person that you love?"
"Nothing."
"I need a break." Don't we all.
"From me?"
"No, from us."
Instead of a reprise of You're Beautiful playing in the background from the original time line, wouldn't You've Lost that Loving Feeling have been better in this time line?
After Lana huffed off Clark went to tell Chloe about his time reset.
"Right," Chloe laughed. "What did you do, spin the Earth backwards on its axis?" A reference, of course, to the Superman movie where Superman did just that to bring Lois back to life.
Then Clark pulled a page from the L&C episode 'Twas the Night Before Mxymas and pointed out things that were going to happen in the Daily Planet news room before they happened. In the Mxymas episode, Mr. Mxyzptlk made the same day repeat over and over a la Groundhog Day, but with the exception that people's attitudes deteriorated and they became increasingly pessimistic each time the day repeated.
Once Chloe was convinced that Clark was reliving the day, she asked how and why it was happening. Clark explained that he had told Lana his secret and asked her to marry him, but that Lex had figured out that she knew the truth.
"Yeah, Clark, but this time you can warn her about Lex. This doesn't mean that you have to lie to her forever."
"Chloe, she knew for less than a day. There's always going to be someone trying to find out about me and as long as we're together they're going to be watching her every move." This irrational thought process made no more sense here than it did in the L&C episode Contact where Clark broke up with Lois for her own good based on the same fear that it put Lois in constant danger. Actually it made less sense on L&C because Lois was dating Clark at the time, not Superman, the persona the bad guys were really after.
"Don't worry, Clark, we won't let her get anywhere near that road. Do you know exactly what time this is supposed to happen?”
"11:02, but there's a problem. She's not talking to me right now. I was hoping you could stay with her and make sure ..."
"Fate doesn't get a second chance? I won't leave her side."
At the rerun of the rally, a dour Lana entered with Chloe.
"Hey, you made it," Clark said, but Lana veered away from Clark.
The television announced that Jonathan had won the election, but as Clark applauded, he said, "Wait, something's not the same." He looked up at the top of the stairs where Lois had appeared and made the announcement in the previous time line. She wasn't there. "Lois?"
Clark went up the stairs and found Lois on the floor unconscious in a growing puddle of water from the overflowing sink. "Lois!" he shouted and picked her up just before the water reached an electrical appliance on the floor that shorted out across the puddle.
This was a bit like Final Destination (part 3 of that movie franchise was advertised during this episode) where fate seeks out balance. Though it was also like It's a Wonderful Life in that Lana apparently decided not to keep her promise to Lois and help with the decorations so she wasn't there to keep Lois from falling this time.
There's a theory on some Smallville sites that destiny was overriding fate in the case of Lois. She would have died in both time lines if someone hadn't intervened. I like that theory, but I think the main function was to illustrate to Clark what Jor-El said about changing one course leading to the universe seeking balance elsewhere.
Back at the rally, Jonathan's cell phone rang as it had in the first time line, but this time we got to hear part of the conversation. Lionel congratulated Jonathan and wanted to discuss a few things with him. Meanwhile, Chloe was looking for Lana, but ironically because Lana had not saved Lois, the electrical short caused by the water overflowing caused the power to shut down. Chloe couldn't find her in the dark crowded room. Lana, as before, toddled over to the mansion, but it at least made more sense this time.
The conversation started the same way, including Lex saying, "I'm sure you want to get back to the party."
"I was kind of looking for a reason to get some air. Clark and I had our last fight."
"Last, huh?"
"Yeah, I kept waiting for that armor to crack. Thought that if I was patient enough he'd finally let me in, but I guess people have armor for a reason."
"Lana, I hate to say this, but it's possible that Clark's never going to trust you."
"I don't understand. Why would you lie to someone you love?"
"I wouldn't," Lex said and copped a kiss.
Lana pushed him away and Lex apologized.
"It's okay, I'm gonna go."
After Lana hastily departed, Lex threw his drink into the fireplace and then chased after her as happened in the previous time line.
Watching a replay of the accident with footage added of the bus driver turning around to yell at the kids and possibly not seeing the stop sign as he blew into the intersection, Lana might have been toast even if Lex hadn't been there distracting her.
This time, however, Clark looked at his watch and whooshed to the intersection in time to slow down the bus. After doing so, he moved to the side so that neither Lana nor Lex could see him. Then Lex exited his car and comforted Lana after the near crash. "I didn't mean what happened back there, I was just coming to apologize."
"Lex, let's just forget it ever happened, all right?"
Clark, watching in the distance through a glaze of tears, whooshed away.
Then there was an odd eerie scene as Jonathan drove past and glanced at Lana and Lex with a rather reproving look on his face. No doubt wondering what his son's girlfriend was doing with Lex.
You'll recall in the other time line that wherever Jonathan had been headed was put on hold because of Lana's accident and comforting Clark. This time, there was no reason to stop.
"Senator Jonathan Kent," Lionel said as Jonathan entered the barn. "I didn't expect you to duck out of your victory party tonight, but I'm here and I'm alone as you requested."
"Good, so why don't you come down here and face me, you son of a bitch," Jonathan said as he removed his jacket.
"Oh, perhaps a few lessons in tact, Senator, now that you're going to be in the public eye."
"Why don't you just cut the crap, Luthor. Sure I know my campaign accepted funds from you, but I also know I'm going to pay then all back, so I won't owe you a thing."
"I wonder how far that virtuous stance will get you once you're in office?"
Jonathan let Lionel know that he wasn't going to be his puppet and Lionel said he didn't want a puppet, he wanted a partner.
"Don't forget you and I have a common interest," Lionel said and opened a manilla envelope. "One that both of us would protect with our lives." I have to point out that when Lionel looked at the photo, or whatever it was in the envelope, he said "oh" and turned away a moment as if surprised or disgusted by what he saw.
Lionel approached Jonathan. "I have nothing but respect for a man who would deliberately hurl himself into the spotlight with such a (glanced at the paper again) dangerous secret that must stay hidden," he said and handed the paper (photo) to Jonathan.
Jonathan seemed to study it, as if never having seen it before as Lionel stood in the background villainously stroking his beard. I don't know what's on the paper, but due to both Lionel and Jonathan's reaction, it wouldn't seem to be anything like a display of Clark's abilities or the bogus adoption papers. Not to mention that Lionel said it was a secret they both would protect.
Jonathan crumpled the paper in his right hand and said, "I won't let you destroy my family," and then decked Lionel with a great left cross sucker punch. He then tossed Lionel over a work table and told him, "We can withstand anything you bring down on us because we have each other. That will always separate the Kents from the Luthor’s. Now why don't you get ..." Jonathan seemed to suffer a spasm of pain. "Now why don't you get the hell off my property," he said, clearly not feeling well as he left the barn.
Martha and Clark drove up just in time to see Jonathan collapse. This was really a strange scene. Jonathan looked at Martha and smiled, but said nothing. Then he looked at Clark, smiled, but said nothing and then died. No last words, nothing and Martha screamed, "No! Not yet!"
This scene where Martha and Clark were getting ready for the funeral was nice, but marred. Martha was trying to fasten her pearl necklace, the one Jonathan had fastened for her at the rally. Later Clark fastened it for her, which made for a nice visual metaphor of Clark becoming the man of the house.
"I'm sorry," Clark said as he entered the room. Martha told him to sit down.
"Clark, I know you're blaming yourself, but this was not your fault."
"How can you say that? I went back to save Lana and now Dad's gone."
The truth is, it is Clark's fault. Not because he went back to save Lana, but because his father's heart was in such bad shape after Jonathan bargained with Jor-El to give him super powers to bring Clark back home third season. The stress of having super powers weakened Jonathan's heart, which used to be "as healthy as 20 year-old's heart" prior to that.
It's true it was Jonathan's choice to go after Clark, but he loved his son and didn't want him to continue down the destructive path he'd chosen.
Martha then addressed the choice of Lana over Jonathan. "Do you think you could have chosen between them if you'd had the chance?"
There it is, ladies and gentlemen, the reason for the contrived instant engagement of Clark and Lana. It was so Martha's line wouldn't seem foolish suggesting that Clark would have even a moment's hesitation deciding to save his father over a teenage girlfriend. Lana had to be instantly elevated to near-wife status for the line to work and even then it really doesn't because Clark knew someone else was going to die.
Whatever his choice, someone was going to be condemned to death. When he chose to bring Lana back he knew someone would die in her place and he went ahead with it anyway. Clark was going to be guilt-ridden one way or the other in this episode. I absolutely hate how they've tried to turn Superman into Spider-man.
"Clark, a heart beats only so many times in a lifetime. Your father used his more than anyone I know."
"I just don't know how I'm supposed to be the man he wanted me to be without him here."
"You're his son. You know what's right and wrong and whether your father is here with us or not, you're a man he's proud of. A man he could look up to and something tells me he won't be the only one."
The funeral was artistically filmed. Lex watched in the background. Lionel slimed up behind Martha. Lana showed up, held Clark's hand, but he did not look at her when she looked at him. Then she walked away. Chloe and Lois glanced back while leaving. Chloe's expression was kind of hard to read, but I suppose it was mainly to reflect concern. The funeral and the episode ended with Clark sprinkling soil over Jonathan's coffin.
This episode was a disappointment on many levels because so many things were mere plot devices rather than honest character moments. That, in turn, forces characters to be written to suit the plot device and when that happens you get incredibly bad and disingenuous characterization. Come on, the Kents thrilled with Clark's engagement? Of course not.
Then we have Lex obsessed with Lana and Clark obsessed with Lana. Why? Aside from being a pretty girl, what merits does she possess? She's not witty, in fact she doesn't have a sense of humor most of the time. She's not a scintillating conversationalist and despite being pretty, she's not sensual. I can't lay all of this on Reckoning's doorstep since it's been the truth about Lana for the run of the series, but this episode did serve to illustrate how shallow this obsession is and how everything surrounding the Lana obsession starts to ring hollow.
Now where does the Clark/Lana relationship stand? If that was to mark the end of it, it was an unsatisfactory ending because it would seem to reset Clark back to his old "pining from afar" days. I want Clark to decide, really decide, to end it with Lana once and for all. Not for any external reason, but simply because he realizes it is not and never was a good relationship and never had the foundation of a good relationship.
I realize that's a fruitless dream because this show is determined to make everything Clark's fault, but just once I'd like the writers to surprise me.
Next week, speaking of no surprise, we'll have a masked avenger who is a mild-mannered minion of the Daily Planet during the day, but a costumed crime fighter at night. Judging by the promos she's a vigilante and Clark starts acting like a vigilante, too, apparently spurred by grief over Jonathan's death.
I guess they'll have Chloe pull Clark back from killing someone this time instead of Lois so the Chloe=Lois faction can hang onto their threadbare hope. Chloe will also make mention of how different the avenger looks wearing glasses. Gee whiz, I can't wait.
Lastly, a big thank you to Georgia for the comic book scans and screen captures of Superman turning coal into diamonds.
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