What held Clark back

[REebee52]

I've written a few posts in defense (some edited, some deleted) of this episode, because I feel it's grossly underrated, primarily because it involved the 'Clana' once more. I'm not saying this was a phenomenal episode, but it was a solid one.
I think one of the most important part of the episode was when Clark said pretty much what everyone else has been saying here: "Once Lana left, I left the farm, I started helping people, yada yada yada." and Chloe says, "was it Lana or yourself?"
The bottom line is, Clark might have used Lana as an excuse, but Lana was never to blame. Clark held himself back. Now the question: How much anger can we spew at him?
We are watching a show in which we know the ending. Clark becomes Superman. The show started in high school, so it made sense that Clark would not don a cape, but now he's in Metropolis, at the Planet, still not wearing a cape.
And we blame him for this. Why? Because we know his destiny.
Problem: He doesn't (though after Legion he's probably getting the idea). There is an asymmetry in the knowledge of the character. It is truly an example in which we know more about the main character than that character knows about himself.
Now, what if Superman had never existed, and this was all original?
Well for one, people would ROOT for Clana instead of Clois. It would be the relationship established since the first episode, and we'd wait for that last episode where Clark chases Lana through the airport, she gets on the plane, but he flies after it (or something).
The show is a reinvention of CLARK'S journey, not ours. We know how it ends, he doesn't. We can NEVER lose sight of that. I can accept that Clark held himself back (For Lana or for any other reason), because he needs to discover for himself what his destiny is.
Imagine you are Clark: You want to be normal man and live a normal life, except you're anything but. Maybe you'd cling to some normalcy as well, maybe you'd hinder your own great destiny.
So to bash this episode because Lana is 'holding him back again' is not a fair or true statement. Clark can only hold himself back, but this is all part of the conflict to him deciding to put on an S and take his place as Earth's greatest hero. But he ISN'T that yet, but it isn't fair for us to judge him for that because we know he will be.

[gx25236]

I think Jor-El AI is one of the problems. I believe that clark would be flying if he wasn't afraid of being kidnapped/frozen/mindwashed every time he goes to the fortress.

[Mad Madam Mimm]

I've written a few posts in defense (some edited, some deleted) of this episode, because I feel it's grossly underrated, primarily because it involved the 'Clana' once more. I'm not saying this was a phenomenal episode, but it was a solid one.
I think one of the most important part of the episode was when Clark said pretty much what everyone else has been saying here: "Once Lana left, I left the farm, I started helping people, yada yada yada." and Chloe says, "was it Lana or yourself?"
The bottom line is, Clark might have used Lana as an excuse, but Lana was never to blame. Clark held himself back. Now the question: How much anger can we spew at him?
We are watching a show in which we know the ending. Clark becomes Superman. The show started in high school, so it made sense that Clark would not don a cape, but now he's in Metropolis, at the Planet, still not wearing a cape.
And we blame him for this. Why? Because we know his destiny.
Problem: He doesn't (though after Legion he's probably getting the idea). There is an asymmetry in the knowledge of the character. It is truly an example in which we know more about the main character than that character knows about himself.
Now, what if Superman had never existed, and this was all original?
Well for one, people would ROOT for Clana instead of Clois. It would be the relationship established since the first episode, and we'd wait for that last episode where Clark chases Lana through the airport, she gets on the plane, but he flies after it (or something).
The show is a reinvention of CLARK'S journey, not ours. We know how it ends, he doesn't. We can NEVER lose sight of that. I can accept that Clark held himself back (For Lana or for any other reason), because he needs to discover for himself what his destiny is.
Imagine you are Clark: You want to be normal man and live a normal life, except you're anything but. Maybe you'd cling to some normalcy as well, maybe you'd hinder your own great destiny.
So to bash this episode because Lana is 'holding him back again' is not a fair or true statement. Clark can only hold himself back, but this is all part of the conflict to him deciding to put on an S and take his place as Earth's greatest hero. But he ISN'T that yet, but it isn't fair for us to judge him for that because we know he will be.


ITA!!! Now you know why I coined the phrase, "mythos mongers." (and got cyber-slapped by several people for it!) People are so invested in nit-picking over how this story fails to follow the rules clearly established by the preceding literature that they are forgetting that this is a story on its own. I am saddened that there are viewers out there who are missing out on enjoying a damned good show just because it doesn't fit into their mythos box. Don't get me wrong, I respect the Superman mythos. The fact that people feel so passionately about it and have for so many years speaks volumes about the power of the original tale. That is great, I totally support it. But I also believe that this show should be enjoyed a la carte, and that people should be able to allow it to tell it's own tale without beating to death the mythos.

Your post is a great way of explaining it. Kudos. I could not figure out how to make that point lucidly, and I am glad you did!

[Sunny8]

I do not want Lois with this Clark Kent. I hope he and Lana get married and Lois get's with Bruce Wayne. SVClark and Lana are welcome to each other.

[kryptotrite]

Great points in this thread!! Let the story breathe a little. And I like the idea of putting yourself in Clark's shoes and trying to cling to normalcy. Who wouldn't?

[REebee52]

One of the tragedies of Clark Kent is that he will never live a normal life. He's going to live centuries longer than those he loves, he is the only one of his kind, he'll never be able to have children (despite what some movies have claimed...). I think it's understandable that he's kind of shirking his responsibilities for now.

[Jack-El49]

I think it's been grossly unfair to blame Lana for holding Clark back. Clark holds himself back. Whether you think it's fine that he does this or find it repugnant is personal preference.

Being the "mythos monger" that I am, I enjoy the story being told as a new and fresh perspective of the Superman origins. However, I am frustrated and often appalled that the actions of SV!Clark are so contradictory to those that define Superman. And those actions that are displayed simply for some titillation factor or some writers' twisted pleasure which undermine the morale and selfless nature of Superman occur with far too much regularity on SV.

The current arc is but just the most recent example. What makes it so greivous is that prior to Lana arriving, Clark was progressing toward the iconic Superman. Now, he seems lightyears away.

[theartist27]

Clark, not Lana, has held himself back.