Loved it? Hated it? What did you think of "Power?"

[Mickey_Bickey]

The fact KK left the show makes 0 difference though that both Clark and Lana just gave up that easily in reguards to show canon. The writers knew she was leaving and for whatever reason they wanted to make Clark look like a quitter in reguards to the relationship(which really irks me and reeks of poor writing)

So true. Afterall, these aren't real people. They're actors who are written and directed into this show. The reality is in all other Superman versions Lana Lang was nothing but a high school fling and Lois Lane's bridesmaid.

Perhaps the writers could have used a Superman 101 course. The writers for this episode should be fired for being dumb.

----- Added 1 Minutes later -----


Clark could still be fighting for a cure without Lana around, but because Lana gave up on him, she may have been his first choice, but she's not the right choice. He doesn't give up on people, but I'd say spending more time with Lois instead of Lana, he's learning the Lane way of things- wait for the right person and then never give up. He'll realize finally that he was in love with the idea of Lana and not really Lana herself.

Despite that belief, I can't force myself to watch Power tonight. It makes me feel unclean. For the first time in eight years I was able to say that I disliked an episode of Smallville and it makes me sad.


Well, he's been looking over his shoulder for so long (Lana Lang) that he almost missed which was right in front of him (Lois Lane).

I guess we can all agree that Clark is now moving on, and in the words of his character, "Cheers to that"!

[Kid Collins]

Clark would have moved on anyway, because Lana's not the end game, so that point is moot.



Well it's the WAY they ended Clana they didn't have Clark realize that Lana wasn't for him. Even after he was about to kiss Lois in Bride and maybe started having some feelings for her, he still went after Lana full force.

He wanted Lana as part of his life and even compared his relationship with her to his parents Jonathan and Martha. Neither Clark or Lana moved on from each other. They were separated by forces out of their control.

Yeah, Clark will be with Lois because it's destiny but if Clark had a choice he would be with Lana. That's a fact based on what happened in Power and Requiem.

He'll move on with Lois of course and fall in love with her but that doesn't take away anything from the love he has for Lana for the past 7 seasons and 5 episodes. :D

[Mickey_Bickey]

Well it's the WAY they ended Clana they didn't have Clark realize that Lana wasn't for him. Even after he was about to kiss Lois in Bride and maybe started having some feelings for her, he still went after Lana full force.

He wanted Lana as part of his life and even compared his relationship with her to his parents Jonathan and Martha. Neither Clark or Lana moved on from each other. They were separated by forces out of their control.

Yeah, Clark will be with Lois because it's destiny but if Clark had a choice he would be with Lana. That's a fact based on what happened in Power and Requiem.

He'll move on with Lois of course and fall in love with her but that doesn't take away anything from the love he has for Lana for the past 7 seasons and 5 episodes. :D

It's not a fact that they would end up together. Clark always doubted (even in this episode) that he would actually end up with her. When did he compare her to his parents? That was another dumb thing the writers did, because their relationship was never like his parents. Lana was with many other men on this show. She talked Clark into thinking it could work between them. Sorry, but I wasn't sold on Clark being utterly and completely convinced that they would last.

What do you mean 7 seasons and 5 episodes? Sorry, but Clark loved Alicia and even said so along with (even after he had been with Lana) that she was the most exciting, sexy girl he had ever been with. Actually, him and Lana might have actually been a couple for a total of 2 seasons if you add up all their episodes "together". They were apart more then they were together.

So what if he pulled away from Lois in Bride? They hadn't even dated yet. He was still developing those feelings. Believe me, if Clark and Lois were in an actual relationship Lana's presence wouldn't matter.

You and I both know what should have happened at the end of Requiem. You seriously can't be happy with how it ended?! I think you're a Clark fan as well as a Lana fan. Wouldn't have been nice for them to transition to friendship instead? She was leaving the show, and I think it would have been much better to leave on a high note instead of this foolish, forced power girl story. I'm sorry, but I've watched this show since S1 and actually liked her character up until the Clexana stuff. Clark looked like nothing but a dope in that and these episodes! It regressed his character which was everyone's fear. He didn't save one person, and all other storylines went to the way side.

Regardless, it's not important to be a man's first love but to be his last love.;) Him and Lana could have parted as friends, and everyone would have been happy. Instead they threw a monkey wrench into an otherwise great season.

[Supsfan]

Neither Clark or Lana moved on from each other. They were separated by forces out of their control.

Well there is always a telephone till they find a cure

[kari916]

Lana a human being with superpowers how corrupt can a person get I guess it like anyone esle who has a certain amount of power it can be great thing or it can cause great pain and suffering depending on the one who wield it.

[Mickey_Bickey]

Well there is always a telephone till they find a cure

A phone, email, podcast, text, you name it. Well, looks like he was ready to let go!

Cheers to that!

[suzieQ]

Power is still a great episode! I love it from start to finish....with repeat viewings!

Kristin's acting is so good in this! As Lana, she showed Carter such will, strength and determination....even he was impressed and wanted to join her cause. Lana worked hard to get herself in this mental and emotional place of purpose and direction. Lana convinced Dr. Grohl to also join her in keeping the suit from falling into Lex's hands and his evil motives. Both Carter and Dr. Grohl saw the good in Lana and helped her.....that speaks volumes of Lana's intent which was to do GOOD in the world! This was crystal clear! All this before she even saw Clark again......

I thought the dialogue was clear and concise, .... the camera work was dramatic and captured the emotions of the scenes. The training Carter gave Lana was harsh and believable. The murder of Regan by Tess was sinister, like a psychological thriller.

The ending scene is one of my all time favorites in Smallville. It was another great Clark and Lana moment that showed all the love that these two, after all these years and all that they have been through, still have for one another. TW and KK never disappoint in the scenes that they have with one another.......they just have that close connection and it radiates! It has always been a delight to watch them together and I sorely miss them. Looking back on this series it will always be about Clark and Lana, .....and Lex!

One more thing, AM did a wonderful job directing!

[mallomm]

Wanted to commit fan suicide after watching this. I've decided that this episode was so bad, Im going into denial and pretending it doesnt exist. Thank you.

[Mickey_Bickey]

Actually, that's another thing, AM did a horrendous job directing. She doesn't "get" the Superman mythology or the way that the characters should be portrayed the way that Tom Welling does. She should never be allowed behind the camera again.

The dialogue was boring and juvenile. It seemed to be written by a novice instead of a professional writing staff. The sad part is that it appeared that no one had a clue of who Superman is supposed to be, and the writers and KK (input) made sure that his character was practically non-existant in this episode. No wonder Tom Welling's acting was off in this episode as well as Requiem. Clearly, he dreaded acting out these scenes, but he is a professional and went along with it.

Thankfully, the story ended one episode later and is now brushed under the carpet for good. Cheers to that!

----- Added 1 Minutes later -----


Wanted to commit fan suicide after watching this. I've decided that this episode was so bad, Im going into denial and pretending it doesnt exist. Thank you.

I don't think you're the only one. I decided after Requiem aired that these episodes were so stupid that they couldn't possibly be taken seriously. Thankfully, the writers have the show and characters back on track!

[actaeon]

that's another thing, AM did a horrendous job directing.
I agree. She's a fine actress, a real master of her craft, but she stumbled badly in her directing debut. This episode was a mess, and to a large degree I think it was her fault.

On a second viewing "Power" still didn't make sense! I still don't know if Lana was actually kidnapped. The lack of clarity in this episode was epic... turgid storytelling that was largely the director's fault. Muddy, muddled scenes like the one when Lana cuts her hair. For some reason she does this at midnight in an unlit abandoned restroom... with a straight razor. Huh? Why, in the name of all that's holy? In some misconceived effort to be arty?

Tom was awful. Shrill and strident in his scenes with Tess and Carter. When he does that, he comes across more like an hysterical girl than a superhero. It's not the first time he has drifted that way, which is all the more reason Allison should have picked up on it and had him dial it back. He was so bad he threw off Cassidy-- who usually turns in an excellent performance. In that Talon apartment scene TW and CF weren't even interacting-- they were just throwing lines at each other. Awful. It's amazing that Allison couldn't get a better performance out of them, given how long Allison has worked with these actors.

I wouldn't say she should never be allowed behind the camera again. Letting her behind the camera this time was certainly premature, though.

[Mickey_Bickey]

I agree. She's a fine actress, a real master of her craft, but she stumbled badly in her directing debut. This episode was a mess, and to a large degree I think it was her fault.

On a second viewing "Power" still didn't make sense! I still don't know if Lana was actually kidnapped. The lack of clarity in this episode was epic... turgid storytelling that was largely the director's fault. Muddy, muddled scenes like the one when Lana cuts her hair. For some reason she does this at midnight in an unlit abandoned restroom... with a straight razor. Huh? Why, in the name of all that's holy? In some misconceived effort to be arty?

Tom was awful. Shrill and strident in his scenes with Tess and Carter. When he does that, he comes across more like an hysterical girl than a superhero. It's not the first time he has drifted that way, which is all the more reason Allison should have picked up on it and had him dial it back. He was so bad he threw off Cassidy-- who usually turns in an excellent performance. In that Talon apartment scene TW and CF weren't even interacting-- they were just throwing lines at each other. Awful. It's amazing that Allison couldn't get a better performance out of them, given how long Allison has worked with these actors.

I wouldn't say she should never be allowed behind the camera again. Letting her behind the camera this time was certainly premature, though.

I couldn't agree more, and you actually expressed all my thoughts and feelings better than I did myself.

The performance from Tom Welling was absolutely one of his worst, and I really believe that it also had to do with the fact that he dreaded acting out this script. It was that bad! I'm sure he could not have been happy with it. Also, AM could not bring out the performance in any of the actors including herself. Instead of sarcastically stating something about the "perfect couple" which would have made more sense, she sounded overly jovial and seemingly absent minded! As if she didn't know that this was far from the "perfect couple". Just stupid! I can't even find a better word to describe it!

AM changed the script for the Lana lab scene, and I believe there's a strong possibility that she was behind the kiss on top of the DP which was an abomination to Clark Kent and Lois Lane fans. Talk about a big no no and a big slap in the face!

Bottom line this episode was a failure of epic proportions! Thankfully, the show is back on track and Clark is pretty much over Lana!

[Snowfire]

I couldn't agree more, and you actually expressed all my thoughts and feelings better than I did myself.

The performance from Tom Welling was absolutely one of his worst, and I really believe that it also had to do with the fact that he dreaded acting out this script. It was that bad! I'm sure he could not have been happy with it. Also, AM could not bring out the performance in any of the actors including herself. Instead of sarcastically stating something about the "perfect couple" which would have made more sense, she sounded overly jovial and seemingly absent minded! As if she didn't know that this was far from the "perfect couple". Just stupid! I can't even find a better word to describe it!

AM changed the script for the Lana lab scene, and I believe there's a strong possibility that she was behind the kiss on top of the DP which was an abomination to Clark Kent and Lois Lane fans. Talk about a big no no and a big slap in the face!

Bottom line this episode was a failure of epic proportions! Thankfully, the show is back on track and Clark is pretty much over Lana!

TW performs and emotes the best when he works with KK. They don't even need words to express all that going on in their character's minds and hearts. That's what comes when two people have worked so long and closely together. Their intimate partnership has only made their scenes so powerful and passionate for 8 years. Countless of producers, writers and actors have commented on this amazing chemisty and relationship they have. The emotional range he gave in this episode was greater than any other episode this season. To presume that TW didn't like this script, just because you disliked so much, help prove how good he acted if you felt so strongly about it. To say it was the worst performance, is utterly hilarous.:rotfl: He must have been sooooo angry and disgusted after that kiss. :lol:

Also, Allison knows extremely well how good TW and KK are and made sure she brought out the best in her co-workers and friends. The story was perfect for her to explore Lana's journey and the relationship that has been at the heart of this show since day one. Out of all the Clana scenes that came before she gave us one of the better, if not the best, moments of their relationship/story. For her directorial debut she helped make Power one of the most talked about, viewed and essential episodes in the Smallville's history.

----- Added 11 Minutes later -----


Power is still a great episode! I love it from start to finish....with repeat viewings!

Kristin's acting is so good in this! As Lana, she showed Carter such will, strength and determination....even he was impressed and wanted to join her cause. Lana worked hard to get herself in this mental and emotional place of purpose and direction. Lana convinced Dr. Grohl to also join her in keeping the suit from falling into Lex's hands and his evil motives. Both Carter and Dr. Grohl saw the good in Lana and helped her.....that speaks volumes of Lana's intent which was to do GOOD in the world! This was crystal clear! All this before she even saw Clark again......

I thought the dialogue was clear and concise, .... the camera work was dramatic and captured the emotions of the scenes. The training Carter gave Lana was harsh and believable. The murder of Regan by Tess was sinister, like a psychological thriller.

The ending scene is one of my all time favorites in Smallville. It was another great Clark and Lana moment that showed all the love that these two, after all these years and all that they have been through, still have for one another. TW and KK never disappoint in the scenes that they have with one another.......they just have that close connection and it radiates! It has always been a delight to watch them together and I sorely miss them. Looking back on this series it will always be about Clark and Lana, .....and Lex!

One more thing, AM did a wonderful job directing!

Well said. This episode was a great addition to the Smallville series and to Clana's neverending story.

There is nothing about this episode that wasn't enjoyable to a Smallville fan. Knowing everything that Lana has gone through and evolved into, this episode brought Lana's story even higher and closer to Clark's. And the love they celebrated on that rooftop was a symbolic declaration to the world that their relationship on grows stronger and more beautiful with time. I can't wait until they get back together in the future and like the sunrising over Metropolis shine with hope reborn.

[suzieQ]

There was so much more to Power that you pick up when you watch it several times. It is better the more I watch it.

I thought that AM did a fantastic job with all the flashback scenes, the flow and the dialogue explained exactly what happened to Lana that we all speculated about for months. Cassidy did a great job showing her ambiquity of her personality.....one minute she was acting concerned about Lana and wondering about her safety....another minute she is acting devious with Regan in the car......another scene she was determined to kill who she thought was Lex but instead she was just as determined to kill Lana. Another scene Tess was a cold blooded, vicious murderer! Then in the scene with Lana at mansion, Tess had so many emotions...she showed fear, bitterness, controlled rage and sadness. There were so many layers to Tess and AM exposed each in a variety of scenes. That is craftsmanship from the Director and the actress.

I loved Carter and Lana........they played off of each other well.......the setting and dialogue were direct and meaningful. Carter knew how to hit all of Lana's emotional buttons. Kristin showed a woman in full determination trying to unleash all her past baggage. It was very raw and real. I loved this guy who played Carter! Kristin, in her short hair was transformed. The camera work floated around the settings and gave a full view of all the fire and metal surrounding Carter and Lana. It symbolized Lana walking into a new world and she wasn't afraid....... I loved the scene with KK lifting the hot metal ironwork, she played her ability to overcome the pain with so much believeablity. Nice job Kristin.

I thought Tom did a fine job....he always plays Clark's protectiveness of Lana with so much heart. He was aggressive with Tess when he found out her role in Lana's kidnapping.......and rightly so. TW and CF play off of each other very well. Tess in the Talon scene played her role as caring new friend to Lana,but you could tell she was anything but that.

Of course, AM had good instincts to show Lana emerging from the chamber with all her power exposed...........and Clark's expression of surprise was even better. To have only shown Clark saving Lana again would have been anticlimatic........this way the climax of Lana in all her Power was in full mode. I thought AM did the scene with much more drama. Tess was outstanding as she knocked that guy out and almost shot Dr. Grohl and Lana.

The effects were good as well. In my view, Lana was like the Phoenix (in her medalion) in that scene........as she burst through the chamber, the special effects made Lana's arms looked like "wings" ....I loved it!

Finally, the Scene at the DP was stunningly beautiful ........moving..........symbolic......
AM, TW and KK were at their finest.......it was obvious to me (and in the BTS pics) that these three enjoy each others company enormously and their efforts gave us one of Smallville's most memorable episodes. I loved it.

[Herod]

Wanted to commit fan suicide after watching this. I've decided that this episode was so bad, Im going into denial and pretending it doesnt exist. Thank you.
:rotfl:

I hadn't watched it until this week and I went into it thinking, "It cannot be as bad as people make it out to be." And it wasn't as bad as people made it out to be. It was worse, much, much worse. I also finally watched Requiem and though some parts were okay, the rest of the Lana arc was horrible.


Seriously, who green-lighted this crap? :confused:

I cannot believe that Kristin Kreuk came back for this kind of story. I mean, I thought the DVD break-up was bad and in poor taste, but Power and Requiem took the cake. Oh man, so many cliches, and such a stupid, stupid story arc! I'm embarrased for Kristin. I'm embarrassed for Allison. I'm embarrassed for PS3. And I'm embarrassed for myself, for actually trying to give this piece of crap a chance. I was wrong and I want my 2 hours back!

Serioulsy, PS3, what the frak were you thinking?! This wasn't even funny bad. It was just bad....really, really bad. :\

And the whole lightswitching of Lana Lang as a hero. Lamest idea ever. Seriously: Epic Fail!

The sad thing is that if you are reading this PS3 you probably think you did a great thing. Well look around. Those people who you didn't believe could not like Lana, well they've multiplied...exponentially.

I was a huge Lana fan seasons 1-3. Huge. She was my favorite more so than Clark Kent.

Then you lost me season 4 on the whole Lana/Clark and then later on in seasons 5/6/7 you lost me as a Lana Lang fan.

But apparently that's hard for you to believe, PS3, that people don't like Lana Lang. Well, let me educate you on my perspective, on the reason why I don't like this character. Lana Lang is not a realistic character. She started off as a likable (although a bit one dimensional) girl next door character that you could root for. Sadly over the years you managed to turn her into this grotesque type of character that looks angelic on the outside and that everyone (heroes, villains, literally everyone) perceive as being perfect, but who commits the most atrocious villainous acts and does not suffer consequences for it. I mean, last time I checked embezzlement, kidnapping and torture weren't things that Superman supports and weren't things that good characters do. And yet Lana committed these offenses and multiple others and suffered no consequence. I get that Lana is your lead and I get that people should like the lead, but not when you write her like this. Not when you turn her into a criminal and make her into a bad person and not have her suffer the consequences. That's just not right.

Based on these actions Lana Lang is a terrible, terrible role model for women, especially the younger more influential ones. Just consider this, would you ever go to a place like Girls by Design and ask young girls to follow in the footsteps of Lana Lang? The woman who has committed multiple criminal acts and who in order to feel empowered and equal to her male counterparts had to endow herself with superpowers and a supersuit?

Is that a good role model? Is that a good protagonist and lead of this series? Really? :confused:

No, she's not.

But all of this is forgotten and you have Superman kneel to her feet like some idiot and we are supposed to think that is what? Romantic? Tragic? Beautiful? How about stupid? How about insulting to so many people? How about utter garbage?

Way to make Clana into more of a laughing stalk than Lexana made it out to be, or that even good ol' bizarro made it out to be. Yeah, because this story arc really took the cake.

Don't even know what else to add. I'm kinda embarrassed to be a fan of this series right now if I am completely honest. Real embarrassed. :\



Power and Requiem = Epic Fail :mad:

[Kalista]

Finally, the Scene at the DP was stunningly beautiful ........moving..........symbolic......



I would add iconic to that list as well. The scene was romantic and beautifully filmed. It had all the right elements. The DP rooftop, the way the camera pulls away to reveal the sun setting on the DP globe...

It took my breathe away. :)

[Fantasy]

i was gj i put grade 10 coz i love all smallville ep from 1. to last one !!

----- Added 1 Minutes later -----

CLARK KENT A.k.A. superMAN

[actaeon]

Cassidy did a great job showing her ambiquity of her personality

Ambiguity!? What was ambiguous about her beating a man to death, then kicking him repeatedly, until blood spattered against the window, until blood splattered all over her face? And then having the camera linger on her while she stands with a manic expression, and then finally show her licking the blood off her lips? So excessive, so over the top... the exact opposite of ambiguity.


.....one minute she was acting concerned about Lana and wondering about her safety....another minute she is acting devious with Regan in the car......another scene she was determined to kill who she thought was Lex but instead she was just as determined to kill Lana. Another scene Tess was a cold blooded, vicious murderer! Then in the scene with Lana at mansion, Tess had so many emotions...she showed fear, bitterness, controlled rage and sadness. There were so many layers to Tess and AM exposed each in a variety of scenes. That is craftsmanship from the Director and the actress.
She was all over the map, to the point where the character made no sense and lost all coherence. Far from craftsmanship, it struck me as a jumble of excess.

And I think I know what went wrong. Allison was trying to boost everyone's performance-- telling them to heighten the energy level. Tom was doing it, Cassidy was doing it. She wanted a more angry Clark, a more extreme Tess. She wanted blood sprays, which she got in two scenes. She wanted everything more extreme.

Allison is a very high-energy actress. She throws lots of energy into her performances, and it works for her. It doesn't work for Tom, and it doesn't fit his character. He's at his best when he's more reserved. The same for Tess-- she plays her evil closer to the vest. Allison wanted to try something different-- and it blew up in her face.

That level of graphic violence is wrong for Smallville. There may be lots of movies out there that she likes that does that kind of thing, and she wanted to try it in her directing debut. It was a mistake.

To a large degree, the failure of "Power" rests at her door. She displayed bad judgement and bad execution.

[Mickey_Bickey]

:rotfl:

I hadn't watched it until this week and I went into it thinking, "It cannot be as bad as people make it out to be." And it wasn't as bad as people made it out to be. It was worse, much, much worse. I also finally watched Requiem and though some parts were okay, the rest of the Lana arc was horrible.


It was horrible, absolutely atrocious! Seriously, who green-lighted this crap? :confused:


That's what I would like to know. Who thought this was a good idea?


I cannot believe that Kristin Kreuk came back for this kind of story. I mean, I thought the DVD break-up was bad and in poor taste, but Power and Requiem took the cake. Oh man, so many cliches, and such a stupid, stupid story arc! I'm embarrased for Kristin. I'm embarrassed for Allison. I'm embarrassed for PS3. And I'm embarrassed for myself, for actually trying to give this piece of crap a chance. I was wrong and I want my 2 hours back!

I hate to break it to you, but KK had say in this story. Now she's running for the hills after it bombed, hiding her head in the sand much like the producers and writers.


Serioulsy, PS3, what the frak were you thinking?! This wasn't even funny bad. It was just bad....really, really bad. :\ And the whole lightswitching of Lana Lang as a hero. Lamest idea ever. Seriously: Epic Fail!

Epic fail indeed. I honestly couldn't believe what I was watching! It was like a living nightmare after the first half of the season being so good. This was like a tornado touching down out of a clear blue sky, devastating the landscape and then disappearing.


The sad thing is that if you are reading this PS3 you probably think you did a great thing. Well look around. Those people who you didn't believe could not like Lana, well they've multiplied...exponentially. I was a huge Lana fan seasons 1-3. Huge. She was my favorite more so than Clark Kent. Then you lost me season 4 on the whole Lana/Clark and then later on in seasons 5/6/7 you lost me as a Lana Lang fan.

Lana had her place in the first 3 seasons, but the writers and producers just kept hammering us to death with her character while sacraficing Clark's character in the process. It's a wonder the show was able to survive! In this episode, Clark's character was unrecognizable from the first 10 episodes of this season. It was as if TW was reciting lines instead of acting as Actaeon stated above.

But all of this is forgotten and you have Superman kneel to her feet like some idiot and we are supposed to think that is what? Romantic? Tragic? Beautiful? How about stupid? How about insulting to so many people? How about utter garbage?

The writers and KK never once considered Clark's character in all this. They only thing they cared about was Lana, and the fact that she came out looking like the end all be all. In fact in one interview KK said that "Lana fans would be happy", and that she didn't want Clark to be the "end all be all to Lana". Well, I guess as long as Lana fans were happy nothing else mattered to these people. I really wish that someone who had true knowledge of Superman worked behind the scenes with these people and told them that


Way to make Clana into more of a laughing stalk than Lexana made it out to be, or that even good ol' bizarro made it out to be. Yeah, because this story arc really took the cake.

I agree, it didn't make either Clark's character or Lana's character look good. It was a laughing stalk, and it couldn't be taken seriously, because it was too ridiculous.


Don't even know what else to add. I'm kinda embarrassed to be a fan of this series right now if I am completely honest. Real embarrassed. :\

I was very embarressed for Tom Welling in this, and I even feared for his career!! This and Requiem were his worst performances that I've ever seen. Can you imagine people tuning in who had never seen him act before or even seen this show before? The horror!!!


Power and Requiem = Epic Fail :mad: [/quote]

Epic Fail is right! Thank goodness for all the Superman fans' sake that the show is back on track, and that the storylines have picked up where they left off in Bride including Clark falling in love with Lois. I'm so glad that they didn't have Clark mope for a second about Lana's character, and TW is back on top of his game. Hex was actually one of his BEST performances! Wow, what a difference a few episodes make.

This espisode along with Requiem were swiftly deleted from my DVR never to be seen or heard from again!:lol:

[suzieQ]

Ambiguity!? What was ambiguous about her beating a man to death, then kicking him repeatedly, until blood spattered against the window, until blood splattered all over her face? And then having the camera linger on her while she stands with a manic expression, and then finally show her licking the blood off her lips? So excessive, so over the top... the exact opposite of ambiguity.

She was all over the map, to the point where the character made no sense and lost all coherence. Far from craftsmanship, it struck me as a jumble of excess.




If you had not separated my remarks, I believe I explained clearly how Tess showed her ambiquity in the ENTIRE episode not just in one scene!

"Ambiquity- having two or more possible meanings....not clear, vague...."

I think this describes Tess' character perfectly. You never quite know what her motives are. In Power she exhibited many different personality traits throughout the entire episode and you were left quessing. Was she really protecting Lana,.... was she trying to kill Lex....was she trying to preserve the research for herself....was she trying to show Clark she was trustworthy now after Lana helped her? So many elements to Tess' character were brought out in this episode. Cassidy did a wonderful job showing each and every side. It kept me guessing and each time I see her... I still don't know how I should feel about her. I don't think anyone can truly define this character at this point. AM showcased Tess' character differently in each scene and that is a demonstration of directorial skill to make that come across on screen. Kudos to AM and CF!




Allison is a very high-energy actress. She throws lots of energy into her performances, and it works for her. It doesn't work for Tom, and it doesn't fit his character. He's at his best when he's more reserved. The same for Tess-- she plays her evil closer to the vest. Allison wanted to try something different-- and it blew up in her face.


That is exactly why I loved Power. Allison did bring so much energy to the story. Tom always plays Clark reserved,....its dull.......to see Clark get riled up and show initiation and determination is great...he does it so well. When Clark is in full protection mode for Lana, his character comes alive. I love when Clark has full expression of his emotions on his face and he showed that passion in Power!


That level of graphic violence is wrong for Smallville. There may be lots of movies out there that she likes that does that kind of thing, and she wanted to try it in her directing debut. It was a mistake.



Smallville has always had graphic violence.....to bring this up now, for this episode, is a weak point. This scene was no different than the scene when Lex killed the doctor in Promise or when Lionel beat that woman to death! There are countless other scenes as well.

Allison in her first directorial debut told a complete story that flowed from past to present with a lot of action and drama. The climax was built and executed with great special effects. The ending scene on the DP rooftop, brought a dark story back into the light . The sunrise was a symbol of hope and served as the background of the Love that was being displayed as Clark and Lana embraced and kissed!

It was a job well done by all, AM, TW , KK and CF. Regan and Carter were just superb in their respective roles.



Based on these actions Lana Lang is a terrible, terrible role model for women, especially the younger more influential ones. Just consider this, would you ever go to a place like Girls by Design and ask young girls to follow in the footsteps of Lana Lang? The woman who has committed multiple criminal acts and who in order to feel empowered and equal to her male counterparts had to endow herself with superpowers and a supersuit?



Girls by Design has no place in the discussion of this episode. Smallville is a TV show based on a comic book character........it is a fantasy ,.....it is entertainment. To mention this here has no relevance. I think you could argue that there is no character on Smallville that is a role model for real life people. They are all flawed. Again, GBD is not appropriate in this discussion,.... a very weak argument to add as a negative to Power.


Can't wait to see Requiem again next week...............

[Mickey_Bickey]

That is exactly why I loved Power. Allison did bring so much energy to the story. Tom always plays Clark reserved,....its dull.......to see Clark get riled up and show initiation and determination is great...he does it so well. When Clark is in full protection mode for Lana, his character comes alive. I love when Clark has full expression of his emotions on his face and he showed that passion in Power!

The only time I've seen Clark's character interesting is when Lana's not in the picture. I understand that you feel this way about having Clark's character secondary to Lana, but for myself and most other Clark fans this was God awful! He is as dull as water when interacting with Lana's character, and combing the streets of Metropolis looking for her was painful to watch again. This was the same old song and dance that we've painstakingly watched for 7 seasons on Smallville. The only difference was that this time Lana's character was deemed the hero instead of Clark which made it all that much worse than in the past. Clark's character was as dim as nightfall. There wasn't anything illuminating from his performance. It was dreadful. Thankfully, we never have to see this again on Smallville as KK has stated she is done for good with the show. I hope to never see TW's character take a backseat to any other co-star ever again! It was lousy the cards that were dealt to him while KK was back on this show.

AM did a terrible job trying to bring anything out that even remotely resembled Superman in this episode.



Allison in her first directorial debut told a complete story that flowed from past to present with a lot of action and drama. The climax was built and executed with great special effects. The ending scene on the DP rooftop, brought a dark story back into the light . The sunrise was a symbol of hope and served as the background of the Love that was being displayed as Clark and Lana embraced and kissed!

There was no flow or no cohesion between this episode and the rest of the season! It was like an AU. The storylines from the first 10 episodes and following this and Requiem were nonexistant. There was no flow at all. It was like a major blockage actually. There was no symbol of hope at the end, because their relationship was ending, so that was another dumb thing that they did. Why have a scene like that that should have been reserved for the iconic Clark Kent and Lois Lane for a doomed relationship? It must have been the brainstorming (or lack thereof) of AM, KK and the writers. That scene insulted and disregarded Superman fans. It's such a shame that they had such novices writing and directing this episode.


It was a job well done by all, AM, TW , KK and CF. Regan and Carter were just superb in their respective roles.

Tom was reciting lines, not acting. Very sad! KK didn't have any passion and wasn't convincing as a "strong and tough woman". Again, they probably tried to make her like Lois Lane, but KK couldn't deliver it even though she contributed to the storyline. AM's performance was "goofy" at best, and her directing was a major failure. CF was the only interesting thing in this episode.


Girls by Design has no place in the discussion of this episode. Smallville is a TV show based on a comic book character........it is a fantasy ,.....it is entertainment. To mention this here has no relevance. I think you could argue that there is no character on Smallville that is a role model for real life people. They are all flawed. Again, GBD is not appropriate in this discussion,.... a very weak argument to add as a negative to Power...

If it's good enough to be stated in the official review of this episode, then I believe it should be good enough to be mentioned in this thread. Her character in these episodes gave a bad message to young female viewers that being yourself is not good enough. The message failed to convey that stealing, cheating and changing your whole persona will make you a better person. Lana did not become a hero. She did not become a better person or a stronger person. In fact, it weakened her character, it weakened her scruples, and it showed that she wasn't good enough to be with Clark by just being herself.

----- Added 7 Minutes later -----


Ambiguity!? What was ambiguous about her beating a man to death, then kicking him repeatedly, until blood spattered against the window, until blood splattered all over her face? And then having the camera linger on her while she stands with a manic expression, and then finally show her licking the blood off her lips? So excessive, so over the top... the exact opposite of ambiguity.

Like Cedric once said, it looked like kool aid splatter! I'm glad someone else caught the licking of the lips thing! Gross!!


She was all over the map, to the point where the character made no sense and lost all coherence. Far from craftsmanship, it struck me as a jumble of excess.

I couldn't agree more.



To a large degree, the failure of "Power" rests at her door. She displayed bad judgement and bad execution.

I think not only AM, but the writers and KK as well by collaborating on such an overly exaggerated story that made no sense and only served to bring the main character down to a new low on this show.

[suzieQ]

The only time I've seen Clark's character interesting is when Lana's not in the picture.I understand that you feel this way about having Clark's character secondary to Lana , but for myself and most other Clark fans this was God awful!
AM did a terrible job trying to bring anything out that even remotely resembled Superman in this episode.



I understand that we both see things differently about this episode however, you have no knowledge how I feel about Clark....you are making wild assumptions that I have some "feelings" about "Clark's character seconday to Lana"?! I don't know how you came to that conclusion....again, some assumption on your part......which I don't really appreciate when people make up comments that were never stated by me.

If I enjoyed Lana being portrayed in a strong, purposeful, determined light and I interpreted it as such, I think I have that right to state it.

By the way, Clark is not Superman yet........



Again, they probably tried to make her like Lois Lane, but KK couldn't deliver it even though she contributed to the storyline.



I disagree, Lana was in no way like Lois Lane,....thank GOD! That is why I love Lana Lang because she is polar opposite of Lois Lane. I am not going to bash Lois, she just doesn't have character traits that I enjoy watching, that is all I will say about that and won't engage in any conversation about that further.





If it's good enough to be stated in the official review of this episode, then I believe it should be good enough to be mentioned in this thread. Her character in these episodes gave a bad message to young female viewers that being yourself [B][I]is not good enough.


I vehemently disagree, just because it was there in a review does not mean it was "good enough" in my view. I voiced my opinions about this in Triplet's review thread, it is still not appropriate to discuss in THIS thread ! GBD discussion is off topic in this thread...... I think the forum rules would support this!

I am stating my opinions about this episode , because I think there were some valid positives in this episode and many things that those of us who loved it should have the freedom to express upon second (or more) viewings. I feel that it has become more of a personal attack of me when you make false statements about what I think or don't think.

If anything, let me convey that there are many of us who thoroughly enjoyed this episode and value the efforts of AM, TW , KK and CF. Thanks to all!

[supes0]

The fact KK left the show makes 0 difference though that both Clark and Lana just gave up that easily in reguards to show canon. The writers knew she was leaving and for whatever reason they wanted to make Clark look like a quitter in reguards to the relationship(which really irks me and reeks of poor writing)

This is the problem, not Clana.

Two weeks after she leaves, TWO WEEKS, he gives up and moves on.

He has the opportunity in Infamous to change events so he and Lana end up together. The proverbial kill 2 birds with one stone, he's going back anyway, so why not? He doesn't.

It's not like he'd have to go back years in time (as he would to change other pivotal moments in his life) , only days which should have made it very tempting. But he doesn't nor does he show any conflict that he didn't, or even show it crossed his mind.

Yes. The actress left the show, but that shouldn't dictate Clark's emotional state. He should still be grieving. He's not. Not by a long shot.

We're shown in SV canon Clark doesn't care enough to search for a cure for Lana, and that isn't right.

In the mythos, after Mon-El is poisoned and he has to live in the Phantom Zone or die, we see Clark working on a cure whenever he can.

Why isn't he doing the same for Lana? The problem isn't insurmountable considering everything else these characters have faced, yet they give up in a span of minutes. She doesn't have to be in the same city for him to work on a cure.

Clark shouldn't be falling in love with anybody else, yet he is. This arc was as disrespectful to Clark and Lana as it was to Lois.

[Mickey_Bickey]

This is the problem, not Clana.

Yes it is, at least romantic Clana. It should have transitioned to friendship. The relationship is long past it's hey day and never should have been on a course like this this season.


Two weeks after she leaves, TWO WEEKS, he gives up and moves on.

Actually, Infamous is supposedly 4 weeks later, and I for one was thrilled to see that Clark was not moping. That was my biggest problem with Clana over the years. The affect on Clark's character was never a positive one.


He has the opportunity in Infamous to change events so he and Lana end up together. The proverbial kill 2 birds with one stone, he's going back anyway, so why not? He doesn't.

The writers are at least showing that he's moved on, which is what he should have done during this arc. Instead they regressed his character back to a 15 year old.


It's not like he'd have to go back years in time (as he would to change other pivotal moments in his life) , only days which should have made it very tempting. But he doesn't nor does he show any conflict that he didn't, or even show it crossed his mind.

He shouldn't have had to even weigh out such an option. Clark should have told Lana in this episode or before that there is no romantic future between them. That would have settled everything and not created any problems or conflicts with current and more important storylines going on this season.


Yes. The actress left the show, but that shouldn't dictate Clark's emotional state. He should still be grieving. He's not. Not by a long shot.

I for one do not want to see Clark grieving unless someone he loves dies! Sorry, but the writers have done the right thing by at least having Clark realize it's over, and he needs to go on with his life. How awful would it be if this arc was still affecting the current episodes? It's bad enough people are still bringing it up! Thank goodness he's back on track.


We're shown in SV canon Clark doesn't care enough to search for a cure for Lana, and that isn't right.

They stated there is no cure through Lana in Requiem. There isn't a reason for Clark after all these years and with Lois Lane on this show to be thinking about Lana anymore. It's time for this show to finally move past this angsty drawn out horrendous relationship that has done nothing but brought the show down for seasons! I want to see Clark become Superman with Lois Lane on his arm, not a wimpy Clark Kent still refusing his destiny and pining over his high school girlfriend.


Why isn't he doing the same for Lana? The problem isn't insurmountable considering everything else these characters have faced, yet they give up in a span of minutes. She doesn't have to be in the same city for him to work on a cure.

If she didn't steal Lex's suit to begin with she wouldn't be in this situation. It's not Clark's job to constantly find a way to help Lana. We've seen enough of that. The writers and KK obviously thought somehow this storyline was good. It wasn't.


Clark shouldn't be falling in love with anybody else, yet he is. This arc was as disrespectful to Clark and Lana as it was to Lois.

Well, Clark should have been already in love with Lois a few seasons ago. This is ridiculous the way the writers have delayed the actual romance in Clark Kent/Superman's life that actually makes sense. He's at the DP working with her, and before this atrocious arc he was developing feelings for Lois. If anything, what Clark shouldn't have done is get back involved with Lana Lang!

Sorry, but the writers and KK made one hell of a mess with these episodes. Let's just be glad that they're not dragging anything out in the new episodes, and they're proceeding with the RBB/Doomsday/Clark and Lois relationship/falling in love storylines.

It's high tide that these characters come together as a couple, and Clark becomes Superman. I want him to start flying and perhaps wearing a suit like Olivers but in red and blue.

It's best to leave this episode and Requiem where they started........marooned on an island all their own!

[supes0]

Actually, Infamous is supposedly 4 weeks later,

No, Infamous takes place 4 weeks after Bride, not 4 weeks after Lana leaves.

[Mickey_Bickey]

No, Infamous takes place 4 weeks after Bride, not 4 weeks after Lana leaves.

Silly me!! Well, either way it doesn't matter if it's 2 weeks or 2 days! The reality is this arc and especially Power and Requiem never should have been written the way they were! They absolutely stunk up the joint! Honestly, these episodes were rotten the first time around. No need to mention them in the new episodes to pollute the rest of the season.

Time for Clark to proceed with more important things, like becoming Superman and falling for the one woman in his life where he has that everlasting relationship with, and of course that's with the legendary Lois Lane.

[actaeon]

Tess showed her ambiquity in the ENTIRE episode not just in one scene!

"Ambiquity- having two or more possible meanings....not clear, vague...."

And I don't believe she showed ambiguity, either in single scenes or in the episode taken as a whole. And I lay the blame for that squarely with the director, not the actress-- because the actress has shown herself to be capable of much, much finer work in other episodes.

She was way too out of control in her bloody-murderer scene. Tess isn't a crazed killer; she's far too rational, far too in control for that. It was like a scene out of Sweeney Todd: Johnny Depp is crazy in that movie. But once crazy, always crazy-- he sings songs to his razors, for crying out loud! Trying to portray Tess as cooly rational in one scene, and a messy bloodthirsty killer in another, is wildly inconsistent. It leaves the actress not knowing how to play her character, it makes her job impossible. Which is why Cassidy Freeman was visibly floundering throughout the episode, at a loss.

I've seen ambiguous evil on this show. John Glover was a master at it. Sometimes he verged on losing control, but he always pulled himself back-- because that's what makes a character truly menacing: the ability to remain rational and in control while doing unspeakable evil. Now there was an ambiguous character: you were never quite sure what he was up to, or whether or not he believed his own lies. But he was consistantly ambiguous!

Tess, in Power, was just inconsistent. And that was the director's fault.

[ChlarkerFan]

This episode made me want to stab my eyes out. I gave it a one. I puked a little in my mouth when watching it. I really did. This episode answered the question what would Lanaville be like. The answer: It would suck, epically.

[Mickey_Bickey]

This episode made me want to stab my eyes out. I gave it a one. I puked a little in my mouth when watching it. I really did. This episode answered the question what would Lanaville be like. The answer: It would suck, epically.

The episode was an atrocity! How could anyone think that this was a good idea when they were coming up with a story for Lana's farewell!! You wanted to stab your eyes out, and I wanted to throw my TV through the window!:lol:

[Hopefulsuicide]

This episode made me want to stab my eyes out. I gave it a one. I puked a little in my mouth when watching it. I really did. This episode answered the question what would Lanaville be like. The answer: It would suck, epically.

:rotfl:

[Ritza]

This episode made me want to stab my eyes out. I gave it a one. I puked a little in my mouth when watching it. I really did. This episode answered the question what would Lanaville be like. The answer: It would suck, epically.

And according to Kelly Souders the point of this episode was to end Lana's journey as far removed from the helpless cheerleader of season 1. Well my question to Ms. Souders would be, and you had to turn Lana into a friggin' ridiculous super "fu" hero in order to do that? You couldn't have accomplished it through a more believable less ridiculous storyline? So damn pathetic and sad. What an ending for a character. Death would have been better, at least she'd have left with dignity and respect. Instead she left all diseased and soiled. Yuck.

[Mickey_Bickey]

And according to Kelly Souders the point of this episode was to end Lana's journey as far removed from the helpless cheerleader of season 1. Well my question to Ms. Souders would be, and you had to turn Lana into a friggin' ridiculous super "fu" hero in order to do that? You couldn't have accomplished it through a more believable less ridiculous storyline? So damn pathetic and sad. What an ending for a character. Death would have been better, at least she'd have left with dignity and respect. Instead she left all diseased and soiled. Yuck.


Well said!! I couldn't agree more!

[Kid Collins]

Lana left with dignity intact. She left a super hero! :lol:

[Supsfan]

And according to Kelly Souders the point of this episode was to end Lana's journey as far removed from the helpless cheerleader of season 1. Well my question to Ms. Souders would be, and you had to turn Lana into a friggin' ridiculous super "fu" hero in order to do that? You couldn't have accomplished it through a more believable less ridiculous storyline? So damn pathetic and sad. What an ending for a character. Death would have been better, at least she'd have left with dignity and respect. Instead she left all diseased and soiled. Yuck.

If i was writing the Lana arc, I would have brought back a bunch of her stalkers(even from the dead, just make them clones that Lex had in his lab) and have normal Lana kick all there butts. I think it would be a much better way to show Lana getting over her demons and becoming more independant, and both lovers and haters of Lana can get a few chuckles out of seeing characters like Tina Greer, Bug Boy, Emily, the Trespass guy again.

[Mickey_Bickey]

Actually, Lana left being what she always was.......a destraction. Luckily, Clark didn't skip a beat after this episode or Requiem!

So glad the show is back on track, and the real superhero is saving people again and focussing on more important things like becoming Superman and falling for Lois Lane.:)

[Kid Collins]

Actually, Lana left being what she always was.......a destraction. Luckily, Clark didn't skip a beat after this episode or Requiem!

It's expected that Clark would move on since Kristin left the show for good.

TPTB have always worked that way. They hardly ever mention any cast member that's left the show.

Heck even when Lois left after Bride, Clark acted like she didn't exist while he was with Lana...and she was coming back!

Now if Clark moved on from Lana but she was coming back after a short while, then I would agree that Clark moved on too quickly. But since Lana is no longer with the show, I didn't expect TPTB to linger on Clark's Lana loss.


So glad the show is back on track, and the real superhero is saving people again and focussing on more important things like becoming Superman and falling for Lois Lane.:)

Yeah, because he couldn't have Lana. His first choice. Can't forget that. That's canon. :D

[Mickey_Bickey]

It's expected that Clark would move on since Kristin left the show for good.

TPTB have always worked that way. They hardly ever mention any cast member that's left the show.

Heck even when Lois left after Bride, Clark acted like she didn't exist while he was with Lana...and she was coming back!

Now if Clark moved on from Lana but she was coming back after a short while, then I would agree that Clark moved on too quickly. But since Lana is no longer with the show, I didn't expect TPTB to linger on Clark's Lana loss.

Either way, he would have never ended up with Lana Lang, and either way he's moved on to Lois Lane without skipping a beat. Luckily for us they didn't pollute the new episodes with Clark moping about her character!;)




Yeah, because he couldn't have Lana. His first choice. Can't forget that. That's canon. :D

Actually, what's canon is Lois Lane being his soul mate! Better to be a man's last love than his first!:D

[Selina]

Lana is his first love. Lois is his great love.

As for the episode, absolutly awful. I'm not surprised that 500,000 viewers didn't both watching the following episode.

[Mickey_Bickey]

Lana is his first love. Lois is his great love.

As for the episode, absolutly awful. I'm not surprised that 500,000 viewers didn't both watching the following episode.

True! The greatest love of them all is Lois Lane! Now, that's canon! The writers failed to have Clark make a mature decision and break up with Lana on his own. Terrible, just terrible!

[Kid Collins]

Lana is his first love. Lois is his great love.



Not in this show. Yeah, Lana is his first love but also the woman if he had a choice would be his soulmate. The woman he would be with.

Even in Crimson when he was under the influence of Red K and a horndog and Lois was throwing herself at him, he still chose to go crash Lana's engagement party instead of having sex with Lois. He rejected her in the bedroom and then ditched her again when he kidnapped Lana to propose to her in his loft.

And with the ep Bride, that's 3 times Clark left Lois for Lana.

This show was never about Clark and Lois. It was always about Clark and Lana in terms of main romantic couple.

That's the way this show has been written. That's the truth.

Now if your talking about the comics, Superman movies and Lois and Clark, yeah, Lois is the love of Clark's life. But in this rendition of the mythos, it's Lana Lang.

[Selina]

Time will tell.

We've had 8 years of Clana and I wont deny that Lana has been the dominant love interest. However we need to see Clark in a relationship with Lois first, the dialougue etc and the extent of his feelings. If it's portrated as though Lois has been the one all along, then I dont see how Clana can be seen as his great love.

Having said that, I can totally understand why some fans would see Lana as Clark's great love for the reasons you've listed.

I simply take a different view. :) The reason I say great love with Clois is because we all know how it's going to turn out. She's the only women for him and has been over the last 70 years. Yes, I understand this is SV, not the comics and while they do put thier own interpretation to the mythos, I highly doubt they are going to do a huge U-turn and have him end up with anyone else, other than Miss Lane. Therefore for me she is his great love and I believe that notion will only reinforce when they get together. It really does depend on what angle you look at it.

Clana though is the most memorable partnership in SV time though, I'll give you that.

[jlbtjb316]

Though TPTB have indicated their intention to follow the traditional Superman mythos and have Clark end up with Lois, I think it is premature at this point to say how Clark's relationship with Lois will be portrayed on the show and how far they will be allowed to progress the relationship romantically. It seems that when it comes to Lana and Lois, many fans (on both sides) want their character elevated at the expense of the other. Both Lana and Lois play important roles in Clark's life at different times. Just because Clark loved Lana does mean that he cannot truly love Lois in the future, and just because he loves Lois in the future does not mean that he did not truly love Lana. In the last arc with Lana, I think the writers tried to respect the love that Clark and Lana have always had for each other while at the same time respecting the future relationship that Clark will have with Lois. I hope that the writers will respect both groups of fans by taking the Clois relationship slowly and that they will not feel the need to disparage or minimize the Clana relationship as they develop the Clois relationship. In the end, it will always be difficult to compare the two relationships because Lana and Lois are both very different people. In addition, when Clark and Lois do eventually get together, Clark will also be a different person than he was with Lana. His history with Lois and Lana will be completely different. To me, he will love them both at different times in his life, and each love will be beautiful in its own way. It is not necessary to say that one is better than the other.



As for the Power episode, it would not have been my first choice to give Lana superpowers. I understand that the writers did this so that they would have a way to infect her with kryptonite and effectively end the Clana relationship and give Lana a larger purpose doing good in the world. The concept could have been executed better, but in the context of the entire arc I didn't think it was such a bad thing to do. I do think the writers could have been more clear with the dialogue and made Lana's motivations and intentions more clear. Having said that, I do think some of the criticisms leveled against her have been a little harsh.

Following the timeline during Lana’s arc, I don’t think that she put on the suit for Clark as I think she had made that decision already thinking that she and Clark could not be together because she was hindering him from fulfilling his destiny (a reasonable assumption on her part given Clark’s work as the red-blue-blur after she left). I think that after she escaped from Lex's men she probably wanted to lay low for a while and stay off of Lex’s radar screen while she prepared herself to better resist such attacks in the future. Clark did not know that she had been kidnapped but thought that she left so that she would not hold him back. Perhaps after learning about all the good that Clark was doing, she felt that maybe Clark was better off without her. Even back in season 7 (in the episode Action I think) Lana expressed concern to Clark that she was holding him back from his destiny. I think she still loved Clark and wanted to be with him but felt like they couldn’t be together because Clark’s constant concern for her safety would hinder his work. I think Lana so believed in Clark and the great good that he could do for the world that she gave up what she wanted so that he could fulfill his destiny. I think her decisions are debatable and that she should have gone back to talk to Clark about this, but I think she thought she was doing the right thing for Clark. I think she then tried to bury her feelings and focus on what to do with her life and maybe how she could help both Clark and the world - which led her to the Prometheus suit. I think that she had already decided to wear the suit before going to see Carter and that the purpose of the extensive training was to prepare herself mentally and physically. Having misused Clark’s powers before, I think she was well aware of the danger and that is why she took such extreme measures to prevent that from happening again. She also knew that the process to wear the suit would be painful, and she needed to prepare herself for that. When she went as far as she could with Carter, she left to take the next step.

I don’t see that Lana lied to Clark about the suit. She didn’t tell him right away what she planned to do and told Chloe that she planned to tell Clark what she was doing at the right time. As far as her stealing the suit from Lex goes, Dr. Grohl and his team developed the suit under Lex’s direction. Lana went to Dr. Grohl and implored him to reconsider allowing his technology to be used for evil by Lex and offered instead to wear it so that his technology would be used for good. She offered to employ his team in a new lab and could reasonably have taken over funding of the project at that point. It is true that she used money that she collected while she was married to Lex, and while I don’t think she should have taken his money, I understand that she felt like she was between a rock and a hard place. She feared for her safety as well as Clark’s and had no other resources to get away. Lex could have gone after Lana for taking the money but allowed her to keep it in lieu of a divorce settlement presumably. I am reluctant to be overly critical of Lana on this point when the writers have had almost all the other characters including Clark and Chloe make questionable legal and moral decisions at times in self defense and/or pursuit of the greater good.

I also do not think that Lana's choice to use the technology to help people means that she is trying to be Clark's equal or that she has an inferiority complex. Given all that Lana has been through in the last few seasons, I am sure that she is tired of being victimized, possessed, kidnapped, etc. Having the suit would really help in that regard, and while it is possible that this could have influenced her decision, I don't think that was her main reason for trying to use the technology. She and others repeatedly stated her intent and desire to keep the technology out of the hands of a madman and to use the suit to do good in this world. As I saw it, Lana knew that the technology could not end up in Lex's hands because of the harm that he could inflict on others. She knew that whoever wore the suit could be a threat to Clark and knew that if she were to wear the suit that she would not only be able to do good on a much larger scale than she normally would but would not have to worry about it being used to harm Clark. If the technology had been used by someone else, Lana would have no way of ensuring that it would be used for good and that it would not be used against Clark. Maybe that’s why she wanted to wear it herself. Having once had Clark's powers, maybe she saw the potential to enhance her own abilities to help people even more than she normally would be able to. It's true that she could have destroyed the suit, but maybe she didn't want technology that could be used to help so many people to be destroyed, and she was willing to take the risk to do that. We can agree or disagree that wearing the suit was the best way for her to choose to do good in this world. It was simply her decision on what to do with her life.

Throughout the show, Lana has shown a desire to help others. Lana (and the audience) knows that she could do good in this world without the suit, but with the suit she would be able to help people on a larger scale than she normally would be able to. Given what she knows now about Lex, about the existence of aliens and about the terrible enemies facing Clark (Brainiac, Doomsday, etc.) maybe she also wanted to be more of a direct help to Clark by being able to watch his back so to speak. I also think that her experiences with the meteor infected, aliens, etc. have opened her eyes to a need that most people don't know exists, and she was willing to make the sacrifices necessary to help people on a larger scale. I don't think that this implies that she feels inferior without the suit. Given that this is science fiction, I also don't think her choice sends the message that you can only do good if you have special powers. In some ways it is like those who join the military special forces or aspire to high political offices or serve as police officers and firefighters. They could do a great deal of good as average citizens, but they can also serve in a greater capacity by aspiring to these careers. Just because they seek these careers does not mean that they feel inferior as regular citizens or that they are trying to be equal to someone else serving in those fields. Depending on the type of career that they choose and the dangers they will face, they train, prepare and arm themselves as necessary and many do so at great sacrifice to themselves and their families. I think Lana had the opportunity to enhance her ability to do good and was willing to endure the pain and sacrifices that would be necessary. When she told Clark that they were "equals" I don't believe she meant that they were equal in every way, just that they were both invulnerable to pain and physical harm and could now share their lives in a more intimate way than would normally be possible.

Just because Lana could have done good as an average citizen doesn't mean that it is wrong for her to want to do good in a greater capacity. I feel bad for her because in the end, she could not have known how Lex would take out his revenge on both her and Clark. She will be able to go on and do much good in the world, but she will have paid a high personal cost that she could not have anticipated.

[WhoRU?]

Though TPTB have indicated their intention to follow the traditional Superman mythos and have Clark end up with Lois, I think it is premature at this point to say how Clark's relationship with Lois will be portrayed on the show and how far they will be allowed to progress the relationship romantically. It seems that when it comes to Lana and Lois, many fans (on both sides) want their character elevated at the expense of the other. Both Lana and Lois play important roles in Clark's life at different times. Just because Clark loved Lana does mean that he cannot truly love Lois in the future, and just because he loves Lois in the future does not mean that he did not truly love Lana. In the last arc with Lana, I think the writers tried to respect the love that Clark and Lana have always had for each other while at the same time respecting the future relationship that Clark will have with Lois. I hope that the writers will respect both groups of fans by taking the Clois relationship slowly and that they will not feel the need to disparage or minimize the Clana relationship as they develop the Clois relationship. In the end, it will always be difficult to compare the two relationships because Lana and Lois are both very different people. In addition, when Clark and Lois do eventually get together, Clark will also be a different person than he was with Lana. His history with Lois and Lana will be completely different. To me, he will love them both at different times in his life, and each love will be beautiful in its own way. It is not necessary to say that one is better than the other.



As for the Power episode, it would not have been my first choice to give Lana superpowers. I understand that the writers did this so that they would have a way to infect her with kryptonite and effectively end the Clana relationship and give Lana a larger purpose doing good in the world. The concept could have been executed better, but in the context of the entire arc I didn't think it was such a bad thing to do. I do think the writers could have been more clear with the dialogue and made Lana's motivations and intentions more clear. Having said that, I do think some of the criticisms leveled against her have been a little harsh.

Following the timeline during Lana’s arc, I don’t think that she put on the suit for Clark as I think she had made that decision already thinking that she and Clark could not be together because she was hindering him from fulfilling his destiny (a reasonable assumption on her part given Clark’s work as the red-blue-blur after she left). I think that after she escaped from Lex's men she probably wanted to lay low for a while and stay off of Lex’s radar screen while she prepared herself to better resist such attacks in the future. Clark did not know that she had been kidnapped but thought that she left so that she would not hold him back. Perhaps after learning about all the good that Clark was doing, she felt that maybe Clark was better off without her. Even back in season 7 (in the episode Action I think) Lana expressed concern to Clark that she was holding him back from his destiny. I think she still loved Clark and wanted to be with him but felt like they couldn’t be together because Clark’s constant concern for her safety would hinder his work. I think Lana so believed in Clark and the great good that he could do for the world that she gave up what she wanted so that he could fulfill his destiny. I think her decisions are debatable and that she should have gone back to talk to Clark about this, but I think she thought she was doing the right thing for Clark. I think she then tried to bury her feelings and focus on what to do with her life and maybe how she could help both Clark and the world - which led her to the Prometheus suit. I think that she had already decided to wear the suit before going to see Carter and that the purpose of the extensive training was to prepare herself mentally and physically. Having misused Clark’s powers before, I think she was well aware of the danger and that is why she took such extreme measures to prevent that from happening again. She also knew that the process to wear the suit would be painful, and she needed to prepare herself for that. When she went as far as she could with Carter, she left to take the next step.

I don’t see that Lana lied to Clark about the suit. She didn’t tell him right away what she planned to do and told Chloe that she planned to tell Clark what she was doing at the right time. As far as her stealing the suit from Lex goes, Dr. Grohl and his team developed the suit under Lex’s direction. Lana went to Dr. Grohl and implored him to reconsider allowing his technology to be used for evil by Lex and offered instead to wear it so that his technology would be used for good. She offered to employ his team in a new lab and could reasonably have taken over funding of the project at that point. It is true that she used money that she collected while she was married to Lex, and while I don’t think she should have taken his money, I understand that she felt like she was between a rock and a hard place. She feared for her safety as well as Clark’s and had no other resources to get away. Lex could have gone after Lana for taking the money but allowed her to keep it in lieu of a divorce settlement presumably. I am reluctant to be overly critical of Lana on this point when the writers have had almost all the other characters including Clark and Chloe make questionable legal and moral decisions at times in self defense and/or pursuit of the greater good.

I also do not think that Lana's choice to use the technology to help people means that she is trying to be Clark's equal or that she has an inferiority complex. Given all that Lana has been through in the last few seasons, I am sure that she is tired of being victimized, possessed, kidnapped, etc. Having the suit would really help in that regard, and while it is possible that this could have influenced her decision, I don't think that was her main reason for trying to use the technology. She and others repeatedly stated her intent and desire to keep the technology out of the hands of a madman and to use the suit to do good in this world. As I saw it, Lana knew that the technology could not end up in Lex's hands because of the harm that he could inflict on others. She knew that whoever wore the suit could be a threat to Clark and knew that if she were to wear the suit that she would not only be able to do good on a much larger scale than she normally would but would not have to worry about it being used to harm Clark. If the technology had been used by someone else, Lana would have no way of ensuring that it would be used for good and that it would not be used against Clark. Maybe that’s why she wanted to wear it herself. Having once had Clark's powers, maybe she saw the potential to enhance her own abilities to help people even more than she normally would be able to. It's true that she could have destroyed the suit, but maybe she didn't want technology that could be used to help so many people to be destroyed, and she was willing to take the risk to do that. We can agree or disagree that wearing the suit was the best way for her to choose to do good in this world. It was simply her decision on what to do with her life.

Throughout the show, Lana has shown a desire to help others. Lana (and the audience) knows that she could do good in this world without the suit, but with the suit she would be able to help people on a larger scale than she normally would be able to. Given what she knows now about Lex, about the existence of aliens and about the terrible enemies facing Clark (Brainiac, Doomsday, etc.) maybe she also wanted to be more of a direct help to Clark by being able to watch his back so to speak. I also think that her experiences with the meteor infected, aliens, etc. have opened her eyes to a need that most people don't know exists, and she was willing to make the sacrifices necessary to help people on a larger scale. I don't think that this implies that she feels inferior without the suit. Given that this is science fiction, I also don't think her choice sends the message that you can only do good if you have special powers. In some ways it is like those who join the military special forces or aspire to high political offices or serve as police officers and firefighters. They could do a great deal of good as average citizens, but they can also serve in a greater capacity by aspiring to these careers. Just because they seek these careers does not mean that they feel inferior as regular citizens or that they are trying to be equal to someone else serving in those fields. Depending on the type of career that they choose and the dangers they will face, they train, prepare and arm themselves as necessary and many do so at great sacrifice to themselves and their families. I think Lana had the opportunity to enhance her ability to do good and was willing to endure the pain and sacrifices that would be necessary. When she told Clark that they were "equals" I don't believe she meant that they were equal in every way, just that they were both invulnerable to pain and physical harm and could now share their lives in a more intimate way than would normally be possible.

Just because Lana could have done good as an average citizen doesn't mean that it is wrong for her to want to do good in a greater capacity. I feel bad for her because in the end, she could not have known how Lex would take out his revenge on both her and Clark. She will be able to go on and do much good in the world, but she will have paid a high personal cost that she could not have anticipated.

i'm new here, but you said everything that I would have said.

[Megaman]

This episode made me want to stab my eyes out. I gave it a one. I puked a little in my mouth when watching it. I really did. This episode answered the question what would Lanaville be like. The answer: It would suck, epically.

:rotfl: OMG Funniest thing i've read in my life 10/10 :rotfl:

[BigT]

One word!

LANAVILLE!!!!! :mad:

[FanofTom]

How I love this forum. I have regularly been reading it for the last few months and it has given me so many wonderfull insights,
It's like I'm discovering the characters all over again.
I enjoy reading all your reviews and opinions. Thank you all for making Smallville an ever intenser experience.

You all have convinced me to start posting. And that is a first for me !
Kryptonsite is the first forum I joined, ever.

[Clark/Lois-fan]

I hated the episode. Just one more ep with L*n*- and then it's forever "see ya"

[Nimkong]

This episode is the worst of the season.I only liked the flashback.The plot sucked and the clana scenes were the worst ever

[BigT]

Not in this show. Yeah, Lana is his first love but also the woman if he had a choice would be his soulmate. The woman he would be with.

Even in Crimson when he was under the influence of Red K and a horndog and Lois was throwing herself at him, he still chose to go crash Lana's engagement party instead of having sex with Lois. He rejected her in the bedroom and then ditched her again when he kidnapped Lana to propose to her in his loft.

And with the ep Bride, that's 3 times Clark left Lois for Lana.

This show was never about Clark and Lois. It was always about Clark and Lana in terms of main romantic couple.

That's the way this show has been written. That's the truth.

Now if your talking about the comics, Superman movies and Lois and Clark, yeah, Lois is the love of Clark's life. But in this rendition of the mythos, it's Lana Lang.


You can keep on telling yourself that all you want but the fact of the matter remains that Lois Lane is INDEED Clark Kent's true love! Yes! Even in this show! :p :D

[biggumt]

I loved how they got in that shot of the DP globe at the end during the clana scene.

[Simba_Muffy]

WTF was that?

[KneelBeforeSmallville]

This episode really killed season 8 for me. It had a great momentum going but Power killed it. The Scene at the end is visually stunning but it was ment for clois, ontop of the DP i mean cmon?

[ck123]

excellent^^

[Superboogie]

It's expected that Clark would move on since Kristin left the show for good.

TPTB have always worked that way. They hardly ever mention any cast member that's left the show.

Heck even when Lois left after Bride, Clark acted like she didn't exist while he was with Lana...and she was coming back!

Now if Clark moved on from Lana but she was coming back after a short while, then I would agree that Clark moved on too quickly. But since Lana is no longer with the show, I didn't expect TPTB to linger on Clark's Lana loss.

Yeah, because he couldn't have Lana. His first choice. Can't forget that. That's canon. :D

But did Clark know Kristin left the show? :)

[Simba_Muffy]

No comment.:\