How would you have handled the Return of Lana Arc?

[wattowatta]

Just to get this up before the storm starts in a few hours...

Many on the forums expressed the feeling that last week's episode of Power fundamentally damaged the character of Clark Kent by having him backslide into puppy-love for Lana Lang, rather than transitioning to a more civil, adult, platonic friendship that recognizes their previous history, but realizes that their sentiments are unsustainable. The prospects of Clark's transition into the iconic Superman known and beloved by all appeared to dim again, as well as beginning the equally-iconic Lois-and-Clark relationship also known and beloved by all.

I happen to agree with those individuals.

However, this attitude does not free us from the commanding legal requirement of having 5 episodes still on Kristin Kreuk's contract, and having to pay them off.

So, put yourself in the position of TPTB - what would you do? Would you have simply doled out the cash, and wished Ms. Kreuk well? Or, would you have kept the arc as it is (a little bone-throw to the Clana fans still out there)? Or, if you were to change it, what arc would you have made, instead?

All of our thoughts will be more informed after Requiem airs, but I did want to get the ball rolling on this thread.


So, what I would have done is to make the past two-three episodes a character study on Clark Kent, and where he is, psychologically-speaking, right now. What are his thought processes? What are his legitimate fears and worries? What does he want? In nearly every episode, this is spelled-out for us by dialogue. But, seeing is, dramatically, better than being told.

So, with Bride, I would have had Lana return in the same way as she did, only without the Kung Lang/Lana Fu attributes. She would still have interrupted the would-be Clois Kiss, and still have had the same conversation in the Loft with Clark as she did. After all, Chloe was her friend, too, and she should be there to support someone who was as a sister to her. However, when Doomsday struck, Lana's leg injury would have been more pronounced, and she would have been sidelined for the next episode.

For Legion - The Legionaires still arrive as they did, The Punisher is still thrown in for giggles, but this episode becomes a two or three-parter. Chloiac trains Doomsday in The Fortress, and Allison Mack is given even more of a chance to shine. The upcoming character building episode with Doomsday in Eternal is largely moved to this space. Creepy quasi-romance ensues between Chloiac and Davisday as part of training/equipping Doomsday.

Clark, Oliver, the JLA and the Legionaires join up to go on a quest for Chloe. Under the suspicion that Lex knows where Chloe has been abducted to, or is behind the matter in some way (after picking up that video clip/transmission of the wedding in the debris of the barn), the mission is expanded to hunting for Lex, as well. To do this, the JLA/Legion breaks into more LuthorCorp facilities, grabs information, and blows them up.

During all of this, Clark develops, shows, and grows in leadership skills. He works well with Oliver, soothes over differences that arise between everyone involved, and makes hard decisions. He truly steps up to the plate and becomes a hero, much to the amazement and approval of Oliver and the Legion.

However, his personal character growth is exhibited through a series of dream-sequences/intercuts that illustrate his feelings toward Lana - something relatively straightforward such as an imagined conversation with Lana at the Talon. There, they say all the things that we've wanted them to - yes, they have loved each other in the past, and yes, they still do love each other, now. But, their love is one of mutual respect and concern for each other, and not romantic, anymore. Dream-Lana reiterates her pride in what Clark's doing, doesn't want to hold him back, and still wants to be her own woman. Clark (as this is going on in his own mind), says he accepts that, realizes that he had built her into an idol, and knows the time has come to just move on.

Team Awesome, however, hits something of a brick wall, as Lex's tracks are simply too well hidden, and too detached from LuthorCorp's database to be detectable. They take the last option available to them - going to Jor El for help. There, they find the corrupted Fortress with Chloiac running the show. Epic fight ensues with Doomsday/Chloiac versus Team Awesome. Much more substantial than Bride, much less meaty than the Death of Superman fight. Doomsday tactically retreats on order of Chloiac. Brainiac is excommunicated from Chloe. Good times are had by all. Legion returns to 31st Century.

During an embrace, Chloe whispers into Clark's ear, "I know what you did, and I know why you did it. I forgive you." BFF status is restored.

Meanwhile, back in Smallville-proper, real-Lana pulls Tess away from Lex's control in the same manner as we've seen - no changes. However, in her anger, Tess gives the location of Lex's secret hide-out to Lana. Lana texts it to Oliver. JLA breaks in, sees Lex in his reduced state, and the great dilemma is put before Clark - do you kill Lex? Oliver demands a yes, Clark can't do it on ethical grounds.

Compromise is reached - he is placed in protected custody under the care of Tess. Both Clark and Oliver are close enough to Tess to keep an eye on her and Lex. The proposed Queen Industries/LuthorCorp merger goes forward with the new added motivation for Oliver to get even closer to Lex and kill him, should the need arise. Tess reduces Lex to essentially a comatose state, and locked in a room, somewhere, under guard.

JLA parts ways, again, to hunt/hide from Doomsday, pledging to get the band back together whenever they find him.

Clark and Chloe return to Smallville to rest, shower, and bake cookies for Jimmy. Lana has already left, but leaves a note for Clark saying again how proud she is of him, and adds that she wishes him well with Lois. She saw them at the wedding, and knows he's moved on in his heart. The letter is signed, "Farewell, Old Friend."

Clark puts it down, and knows, too, that he's moved on, as well (as we've seen in the psych sequences) - and is entirely cool with it.

Fade, To. Black. Credits roll.

Next episode - return of Lois. Clois is back to being a bit more tentative with each other, but Clark and Lois both want it to work, and the Great Chase begins.


Anyway, just an idea.

[melissan02]

Humm...how would I have handled it....

there would have been no Return of Lana arc.:cool:

[ManOfSteel87]

Bride - Nothing changes for me

Legion - Less Lana worship from the Legion

Bulletproof - Basic MM getting shot, Clark goes undercover, Dan Turpin story line was good IMO. I would even keep the one Clana kiss at the end of this episode.

Power - Clark opens the episode like he did, not having good feelings about the kiss and thinking it a mistake. Chloe would NOT be pimping Clana like she did. In fact, she would be pretty much a non factor in any episode after Bride (she should be in Star City with her husband). Keep the basic story about Lana going after powers to "save the world" and all that, but make Clark skeptical about her true motives. Get rid of the Clana kiss on the DP at the end.

Requiem - From what we know, keep the Toyman blowing up LuthorCorp storyline. Keep Lex and work both of them into the story. Have Lana and Clark work together like it looks like they will be doing in this episode. However, at some point, Lana uses her new found powers in some way that Clark really does not approve of. This makes him question the person Lana has become and question whether she is still the girl he loves. By episode's end, Clark realizes that, while Lana was important to him, she is no longer the girl she once was and that he no longer loves her like that and has moved on. He and Lana remain friends and so on. . .

I didn't rework the entire arc. I kept the same basic plot line that PS3 used, but I reworked a few things to make it a lot more bearable I think. This isn't very detailed either, just a brief outline.

----- Added 49 Seconds later -----


Humm...how would I have handled it....

there would have been no Return of Lana arc.:cool:

That would've been the best solution! :lol:

[dcmarriott]

I think I would have shown Clark and Lana being angry with each other when they meet at the wedding - Clark angry with Lana for dumping him the way she did, and Lana angry with Clark for exposing her to danger and allowing Brainiac to put her in a coma.

Then I would have shown Lana shutting down the Isis Foundation, and telling Chloe that she wants to put Isis and everything that it represents - her association with metero freaks and her relationship with Lex - behind her. She would say that she has decided to return to her art studies in Paris, and create an entirely new life for herself.

Ultimately, after some dramatic exchanges, I would show Lana and Clark forgiving each other, but admitting that their time together is over. They would each go their separate ways, believing that their paths would never cross again.

Sometime down the line, Chloe would get a postcard, saying that Lana had found a new love, Pierre Rousseau.

[Habits]

Sometime down the line, Chloe would get a postcard, saying that Lana had found a new love, Pierre Rousseau.

lol aka Peter Ross. :rotfl:

[stenochick]

I would have bought KK out of the remainder of her contract.

[RingzTerritory]

if it came back I'd simply stop watching the show, smallville has already killed so much of the superman story, so I wouldn't be shocked if they brought back someone who should have been gone a long time ago.

theres always room for a superman movie that'll make smallville look like crap.

[Mickey_Bickey]

In Bride, I would never have had Lana have any ineraction with Oliver at all! ! I would have just had her pop up at the wedding without Instead of an almost kiss, Clark and Lois would have kissed, but Lana would have entered in time to see it. Clark pulls away from Lois, but looks from one woman to the next with confusion and shock.

Lois pretty much would do and act the same as she did. Lana and Clark would still talk in the loft, but maybe at that time there could have been a mention of Lois with Clark saying that he wasn't sure where it was going to go yet, but that he has started having feelings for her.

Then, I would have had Clark looking to make sure Lois was okay at the hospital instead of sitting aside Lana on her bed. I wouldn't have really changed the conversation or scene between Lois and Clark, because I really liked the way Lois was so strong.

Now, from Legion on what we should have seen was Clark and Lana developing a friendship. I think it would have been much better that at the end of Legion Clark and Lana had a talk on the porch about their past and how they would be better as friends. Perhaps they could have said they'll always care for each other and be there for one another but it's best to part ways now.

Bulletproof for the most part wasn't bad actually. Take out the last scene and have it with Clark working at the DP and comtemplating maybe how his future should go.

In Power, I would have done Lana's background completely different. It didn't make one bit of sense and didn't tie in to any of the important storylines of this season. I would not have had Lana have any super powers whatsoever. I think that she could have just did some soul searching on her own which made her stronger inside. I would have eliminated the kissing altogether, and especially atop the DP. This was an abomination and had no place in Lana's story.

I think if they had written it this way fans could have seen Lana come back a stronger more independant woman who was making her own decisions and not concentrating totally on Clark or any other man. It also would have progressed Clark's character in terms of making decisions of the heart and would in no way shape or form make him look like he was back at Smallville High pining for Lana.

----- Added 32 Seconds later -----

[vyperman7]

Bride :

Lana - "Being gone, I have come to realize how much I love you and need you in my life."
Clark - "Lana, the time apart has caused me to gain perspective, and even though you will always be my first love, I have moved on. There is somebody else."
Lana - "Lois?"
Then right as Clark starts to answer, Doomsday crashes the party. So as a small cliffhanger, we are left with no answer as to who Clark is refering to, but with everything that happened in Bride and through out the first half we know it is Lois.

This is what people wanted to see. For Clark to be the one that ends things with Lana. It would show Clark demonstrating that he has grown up and that the past is no longer holding him back. It also shows that he isn't emotionally empty and it respects the groundwork laid for Clois in the first half. It also doesn't make Lois look like a rebound girl either. What ruined the whole Lana arc in my opinion was not keeping Clana strictly platonic. If they had taken romance out of the equation and respected the first half of the season, it all could have been avoided.

Next 4 episodes :

Lana serves as a friend/confidant and helps re-inforce Clark's destiny to him saying that she is proud of who he has become and that he should stay on the current path. She also helps him deal with his feelings for Lois. A convo between them resulting in an "I told you so" from Lana making reference to S4 when she said Clark would end up with Lois would have redeemed her so much in my eyes.

Finally, she does not get superpowers. Putting her on the same level as Clark is ridiculous in my opinion.

[Jack-El49]

Bride :

Lana - "Being gone, I have come to realize how much I love you and need you in my life."
Clark - "Lana, the time apart has caused me to gain perspective, and even though you will always be my first love, I have moved on. There is somebody else."
Lana - "Lois?"
Then right as Clark starts to answer, Doomsday crashes the party. So as a small cliffhanger, we are left with no answer as to who Clark is refering to, but with everything that happened in Bride and through out the first half we know it is Lois.

This is what people wanted to see. For Clark to be the one that ends things with Lana. It would show Clark demonstrating that he has grown up and that the past is no longer holding him back. It also shows that he isn't emotionally empty and it respects the groundwork laid for Clois in the first half. It also doesn't make Lois look like a rebound girl either. What ruined the whole Lana arc in my opinion was not keeping Clana strictly platonic. If they taken romance out of the equation and respected the first half of the season, it all could have been avoided.

Next 4 episodes :

Lana serves as a friend/confidant and helps re-inforce Clark's destiny to him saying that she is proud of who he has become and that he should stay on the current path. She also helps him deal with his feelings for Lois. A convo between them resulting in an "I told you so" from Lana making reference to S4 when she said Clark would end up with Lois would have redeemed her so much in my eyes.

Finally, she does not get superpowers. Putting her on the same level as Clark is ridiculous in my opinion.


Ryan: it's though you read my mind. This is exactly the way I would have liked to see the arc run its course. I would simply add that in Legion, Clark finally answers Lana: Yes, it's Lois. To that Lana would say, "I told you so". Then, the remaining episodes, Lana not only convinces Clark the error of not confiding his secrets to those he loves and trusts, but he also helps Lana get on whatever path (business) she needed to be the ultra successful woman she is in the comics.

Maybe have her conclude her appearance by answering the question, "Where do you think you'll be headed now, Lana?" She says, "I'm going to stop in Granite City to scout out a complex for my headquarters (business HQ)." Clark says to her, "Hey, look up Pete when you get there and tell him I said Hi."

[NIGHTRAVENXLR1]

Bride :

Lana - "Being gone, I have come to realize how much I love you and need you in my life."
Clark - "Lana, the time apart has caused me to gain perspective, and even though you will always be my first love, I have moved on. There is somebody else."
Lana - "Lois?"
Then right as Clark starts to answer, Doomsday crashes the party. So as a small cliffhanger, we are left with no answer as to who Clark is refering to, but with everything that happened in Bride and through out the first half we know it is Lois.

This is what people wanted to see. For Clark to be the one that ends things with Lana. It would show Clark demonstrating that he has grown up and that the past is no longer holding him back. It also shows that he isn't emotionally empty and it respects the groundwork laid for Clois in the first half. It also doesn't make Lois look like a rebound girl either. What ruined the whole Lana arc in my opinion was not keeping Clana strictly platonic. If they had taken romance out of the equation and respected the first half of the season, it all could have been avoided.

Next 4 episodes :

Lana serves as a friend/confidant and helps re-inforce Clark's destiny to him saying that she is proud of who he has become and that he should stay on the current path. She also helps him deal with his feelings for Lois. A convo between them resulting in an "I told you so" from Lana making reference to S4 when she said Clark would end up with Lois would have redeemed her so much in my eyes.

Finally, she does not get superpowers. Putting her on the same level as Clark is ridiculous in my opinion.

this i like. dont really know how i would have done it butt i would watch it like you posted it.
great post:D

[dreamsofnever]

Bride - Nothing changes for me

Legion - Less Lana worship from the Legion

Bulletproof - Basic MM getting shot, Clark goes undercover, Dan Turpin story line was good IMO. I would even keep the one Clana kiss at the end of this episode.

Power - Clark opens the episode like he did, not having good feelings about the kiss and thinking it a mistake. Chloe would NOT be pimping Clana like she did. In fact, she would be pretty much a non factor in any episode after Bride (she should be in Star City with her husband). Keep the basic story about Lana going after powers to "save the world" and all that, but make Clark skeptical about her true motives. Get rid of the Clana kiss on the DP at the end.

Requiem - From what we know, keep the Toyman blowing up LuthorCorp storyline. Keep Lex and work both of them into the story. Have Lana and Clark work together like it looks like they will be doing in this episode. However, at some point, Lana uses her new found powers in some way that Clark really does not approve of. This makes him question the person Lana has become and question whether she is still the girl he loves. By episode's end, Clark realizes that, while Lana was important to him, she is no longer the girl she once was and that he no longer loves her like that and has moved on. He and Lana remain friends and so on. . .

I didn't rework the entire arc. I kept the same basic plot line that PS3 used, but I reworked a few things to make it a lot more bearable I think. This isn't very detailed either, just a brief outline.

----- Added 49 Seconds later -----



That would've been the best solution! :lol:

Yeah, that is about how I would have handled it. Clark realizes in the end that Lana isn't the same and they don't work, but she still would have gotten a heroic moment after their break-up and thus they go on being friends.

[susangail]

I've written it a few different ways:
(1) Lana never returns.
(2) Lana returns but refuses to resume the relationship.
(3) Lana returns, but Clark refuses to resume the relationship.
(4) Lana returns, but they jointly decide not to go there for their own reasons.

When Lana refuses, it's because:
(a) She doesn't want to hold Clark back.
(b) She wants her own life, apart from consort to a legend.

When Clark refuses, it's because:
(a) Lana's become a different person, not one he wants anymore.
(b) They are both different people now.
(c) He's sensing feelings for Lois.

What they did in SV was unnatural. The sequencing just didn't make sense, given where Clark needs to wind up.

[green_arrow_girl358]

if she had to return, could they at least not kill her off, or put her in a life threatening condition, or have shelby bite her legs off, or.......

and the people rejoice

[wattowatta]

Just saw the episode. Had class that ran until 9, and caught it on Tivo.

Wow. This arc was made of Fail.

[Lilah]

I think Lana could have come for 1 episode "Bride" and then left... she wasn't needed for the last 4 episodes...

[tippership commander]

...you guys are all forgettign that this is part of a bigger thing...

i mean, imra even SAID lana would do great things byTHEIR standards..

so, with her 'powers' and the leftover monet from lex, she can help the world....'



-----------------------------------


intresting title name, LOL:

anyway, how i would rewtire THIS EPISODE(because i enjoyed power, actually)


Toy maker, ditto..

clark and lana go on patrol...

Clark and lana stop some thugs...MAYBE a meteor freak....Lana and him have a talk that makes him realize more about saving people, and such....

bring up the "dont kill" motto of ths season...

....

do the oliver bit....

....have Lex do his stuff

Lana realizes, as a superhero, that the feeling she got from saving the DR's life was something she really liked..


-have lana decide to expand ISIS

have Tess question her former actions, confront toymaker after finding out about him...he traps her


...she starts to escape, he and oliver go the rounds....(because this isnt a bad idea, seeing the big picture)

...and continue from there..

i would have it so, CLANA is real, but....lana's commitments , and HER wants , drag her away slowly...while CLark still loves her, but instead of beign ripped from her, realizes she is setting her place in destiny..

he can even still have feelings for her...which will all. ...be overshadow the next time he sees lois again, maybe on the ROOF of the DP, escaping some.....reporters after her because she was in some meteor frea kaccident, etc.....

[thehenry89]

I would have paid kk to not come back. I like kk and everything but at this point lana's charachter adds nothing to the show and only served to show the PS3 as incompentent.

[tippership commander]

I would have paid kk to not come back. I like kk and everything but at this point lana's charachter adds nothing to the show and only served to show the PS3 as incompentent.



they BROUGHT her back, to show what really happened, to SEAL CLANA, to have clark realize EVEN more that killing is never right, and to give him the experience he'll need in the future..


it also showed the extent of their love, s othat viewers will have a clear idea of not, and then, when CLOIS blows you away..

incompetent?

no, Lana needed a proper finish,


Clark needed t orealize some superma nvalues that were going to happen...

It's the path of a superhero..

he'll become stronger..

after all, it didnt kill him


you're jumping the gun, i think...

[xrayvision]

Bride :

Lana - "Being gone, I have come to realize how much I love you and need you in my life."
Clark - "Lana, the time apart has caused me to gain perspective, and even though you will always be my first love, I have moved on. There is somebody else."
Lana - "Lois?"
Then right as Clark starts to answer, Doomsday crashes the party. So as a small cliffhanger, we are left with no answer as to who Clark is refering to, but with everything that happened in Bride and through out the first half we know it is Lois.

This is what people wanted to see. For Clark to be the one that ends things with Lana. It would show Clark demonstrating that he has grown up and that the past is no longer holding him back. It also shows that he isn't emotionally empty and it respects the groundwork laid for Clois in the first half. It also doesn't make Lois look like a rebound girl either. What ruined the whole Lana arc in my opinion was not keeping Clana strictly platonic. If they had taken romance out of the equation and respected the first half of the season, it all could have been avoided.

Next 4 episodes :

Lana serves as a friend/confidant and helps re-inforce Clark's destiny to him saying that she is proud of who he has become and that he should stay on the current path. She also helps him deal with his feelings for Lois. A convo between them resulting in an "I told you so" from Lana making reference to S4 when she said Clark would end up with Lois would have redeemed her so much in my eyes.

Finally, she does not get superpowers. Putting her on the same level as Clark is ridiculous in my opinion.

Nicely written. Too bad it didn't happen like this.

[Imzadia]

Bride :

Lana - "Being gone, I have come to realize how much I love you and need you in my life."
Clark - "Lana, the time apart has caused me to gain perspective, and even though you will always be my first love, I have moved on. There is somebody else."
Lana - "Lois?"
Then right as Clark starts to answer, Doomsday crashes the party. So as a small cliffhanger, we are left with no answer as to who Clark is refering to, but with everything that happened in Bride and through out the first half we know it is Lois.

This is what people wanted to see. For Clark to be the one that ends things with Lana. It would show Clark demonstrating that he has grown up and that the past is no longer holding him back. It also shows that he isn't emotionally empty and it respects the groundwork laid for Clois in the first half. It also doesn't make Lois look like a rebound girl either. What ruined the whole Lana arc in my opinion was not keeping Clana strictly platonic. If they had taken romance out of the equation and respected the first half of the season, it all could have been avoided.

Next 4 episodes :

Lana serves as a friend/confidant and helps re-inforce Clark's destiny to him saying that she is proud of who he has become and that he should stay on the current path. She also helps him deal with his feelings for Lois. A convo between them resulting in an "I told you so" from Lana making reference to S4 when she said Clark would end up with Lois would have redeemed her so much in my eyes.

Finally, she does not get superpowers. Putting her on the same level as Clark is ridiculous in my opinion.

WOW, and KUDOS to YOU, 'VYPERMAN7'! I TOTALLY and I mean Totally AGREE with YOUR 'Version' of how this 'Lana story arc' should have played out. You're BRILLIANT! It would have been PERFECT! :D ...And I would be feeling so much better right now. :\

[vyperman7]

I really appreciate all the kind words in regards to my post. To me that is what would have made the most sense, and for the life of me I can't understand why the writers didn't go in that direction.

[chlo-el]

I would have made it where it showed that Lana has grown and learned from her mistakes and made a good life of her own. And I would have done it where Clark and Lana would realize they aren't good for eachother and they both are much better off and stronger without the other holding them back.

[BadToad]

Ryan, that would've rocked.

The truth is that there were so many ways to do this arc that showed respect for Lana, showed respect for Clark, showed respect for Clana, and also showed respect for Clois in the future. So. Many. Ways.

And the choice was made to crap on everything, EVERYTHING, that wasn't Lana-centric.

I don't even think you needed to address anything related to Clois at all during this arc, but I do believe that the show really did a huge disservice to the character of Clark Kent by not giving him the closure, and resolution and PEACE this character deserved. And all that could've been achieved by a mutual parting, and a genuine basis for friendship.

[Cromartiefan]

Simple: Pretty much everything the same, but with less Lana-worship, and Lex kills her in the end by activating a failsafe in the suit that causes her body to reject it (It's made with alien DNA, after all), leaving skinless Lana to die of massive trauma and infection.

[Mars Investigations]

I just wrote out a massive post about what I would've done and lost it.

[Die Clana! Die]

Bride - Nothing changes for me

Legion - Less Lana worship from the Legion

Bulletproof - Basic MM getting shot, Clark goes undercover, Dan Turpin story line was good IMO. I would even keep the one Clana kiss at the end of this episode.

Power - Clark opens the episode like he did, not having good feelings about the kiss and thinking it a mistake. Chloe would NOT be pimping Clana like she did. In fact, she would be pretty much a non factor in any episode after Bride (she should be in Star City with her husband). Keep the basic story about Lana going after powers to "save the world" and all that, but make Clark skeptical about her true motives. Get rid of the Clana kiss on the DP at the end.

Requiem - From what we know, keep the Toyman blowing up LuthorCorp storyline. Keep Lex and work both of them into the story. Have Lana and Clark work together like it looks like they will be doing in this episode. However, at some point, Lana uses her new found powers in some way that Clark really does not approve of. This makes him question the person Lana has become and question whether she is still the girl he loves. By episode's end, Clark realizes that, while Lana was important to him, she is no longer the girl she once was and that he no longer loves her like that and has moved on. He and Lana remain friends and so on. . .

I didn't rework the entire arc. I kept the same basic plot line that PS3 used, but I reworked a few things to make it a lot more bearable I think. This isn't very detailed either, just a brief outline.

Add a few more Lois mentions, and that's how I wold have liked the story to go. :cool:

----- Added 42 Seconds later -----


Simple: Pretty much everything the same, but with less Lana-worship, and Lex kills her in the end by activating a failsafe in the suit that causes her body to reject it (It's made with alien DNA, after all), leaving skinless Lana to die of massive trauma and infection.

:lol:

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


if she had to return, could they at least not kill her off, or put her in a life threatening condition, or have shelby bite her legs off, or.......

and the people rejoice

Yey! :D

[Shadowlord367]

If I could handle the return of Lana arc, I would go back and do it exactly the way they did it.

On an iconic level, in season one, the season of ultimate simplicity, Clark could not go near Lana because of her kryptonite necklace. Now, the end of her story on the show, Clark cannot go near her once again because of kryptonite. So great that that came full circle.

I'm so glad that they brought her back for closure, and thought that it was beautifully handled. Its incredible to see how we saw Lana in the pilot was merely a fifteen year old girl, and now she is a grown woman. Her character development was handled superbly over the years, and it was very realistic. She didn't make a consistent ascent into adulthood, she faced misfortunes that made her stronger, and now shes out helping people.

In the pilot, her character was driven by the death of her parents and revolved around the insecurities she had. So it makes sense that her inspiration for heroism is because she, of all people, understands how sacred life is and wants to protect it. All these years, Lana has been the one that was the damstel in distress. It's a remarkable tribute to the character that she grew up to be the one who is now saving people.

The fact that in the earlier seasons, Lana was always pushing and pushing for Clark to trust her and to make her a part of his life was reflected will in the episode, as Lana understood that they loved each other, they both knew it and that was enough. She didn't insist on staying with him, she knew that he wouldn't give up on her beacuse of his Superman nature, which would never allow him to give up on her, so she made that sacrifice for him.

The Lana arc brought the character to exactly where she is in the comics, a character who is a confidant of Clark who always loves him, but understands that that is exactly what it is and is content and at peace with it being that.

Now in the remaining episodes of season eight, Clark can move on and realize his full, true love with Lois. Which is exactly how it should have been. For them to not have feelings for each other would be demeaning to Clark, Lois and Lana, because it makes the sacrifice of what Clark and Lana did for each other less empowering to Clark's character and persona as Superman.

[Mars Investigations]

If I could handle the return of Lana arc, I would go back and do it exactly the way they did it.

On an iconic level, in season one, the season of ultimate simplicity, Clark could not go near Lana because of her kryptonite necklace. Now, the end of her story on the show, Clark cannot go near her once again because of kryptonite. So great that that came full circle.

I'm so glad that they brought her back for closure, and thought that it was beautifully handled. Its incredible to see how we saw Lana in the pilot was merely a fifteen year old girl, and now she is a grown woman. Her character development was handled superbly over the years, and it was very realistic. She didn't make a consistent ascent into adulthood, she faced misfortunes that made her stronger, and now shes out helping people.

In the pilot, her character was driven by the death of her parents and revolved around the insecurities she had. So it makes sense that her inspiration for heroism is because she, of all people, understands how sacred life is and wants to protect it. All these years, Lana has been the one that was the damstel in distress. It's a remarkable tribute to the character that she grew up to be the one who is now saving people.

The fact that in the earlier seasons, Lana was always pushing and pushing for Clark to trust her and to make her a part of his life was reflected will in the episode, as Lana understood that they loved each other, they both knew it and that was enough. She didn't insist on staying with him, she knew that he wouldn't give up on her beacuse of his Superman nature, which would never allow him to give up on her, so she made that sacrifice for him.

The Lana arc brought the character to exactly where she is in the comics, a character who is a confidant of Clark who always loves him, but understands that that is exactly what it is and is content and at peace with it being that.

Now in the remaining episodes of season eight, Clark can move on and realize his full, true love with Lois. Which is exactly how it should have been. For them to not have feelings for each other would be demeaning to Clark, Lois and Lana, because it makes the sacrifice of what Clark and Lana did for each other less empowering to Clark's character and persona as Superman.

Fantastic post! I never noticed the necklace-kryptonite parallel, and some of your other comments have made me view this episode on a deeper level. It's still not perfect in my eyes, but thinking about it from your point of view has improved it.

Unfortunately, it's also made me painfully nostalgic for the early seasons of Smallville, when they were all in high school and doing history projects as well as fighting off meteor freaks. :D As much as I love Smallville now, I do miss that fresh sense of discovery that it has in its first few seasons.

[Jaderoyale]

I would have handled it better than PS3 did. Lol.

[Drasix]

Bride :

Lana - "Being gone, I have come to realize how much I love you and need you in my life."
Clark - "Lana, the time apart has caused me to gain perspective, and even though you will always be my first love, I have moved on. There is somebody else."
Lana - "Lois?"
Then right as Clark starts to answer, Doomsday crashes the party. So as a small cliffhanger, we are left with no answer as to who Clark is refering to, but with everything that happened in Bride and through out the first half we know it is Lois.

This is what people wanted to see. For Clark to be the one that ends things with Lana. It would show Clark demonstrating that he has grown up and that the past is no longer holding him back. It also shows that he isn't emotionally empty and it respects the groundwork laid for Clois in the first half. It also doesn't make Lois look like a rebound girl either. What ruined the whole Lana arc in my opinion was not keeping Clana strictly platonic. If they had taken romance out of the equation and respected the first half of the season, it all could have been avoided.

Next 4 episodes :

Lana serves as a friend/confidant and helps re-inforce Clark's destiny to him saying that she is proud of who he has become and that he should stay on the current path. She also helps him deal with his feelings for Lois. A convo between them resulting in an "I told you so" from Lana making reference to S4 when she said Clark would end up with Lois would have redeemed her so much in my eyes.

Finally, she does not get superpowers. Putting her on the same level as Clark is ridiculous in my opinion.lana never says hes gonna end up with lois..clark says shes annoying and lana says the good ones always start that way.Thats it

[skugers]

lana never says hes gonna end up with lois..clark says shes annoying and lana says the good ones always start that way.Thats it
Yeah, but that was more like a hint from PS3 to sell SVLois/SVClark future relationship to Supes fans.

[Drasix]

Yeah, but that was more like a hint from PS3 to sell SVLois/SVClark future relationship to Supes fans.maybe but that was 4 seasons ago and theyve put way to much time into the clana relationship to let him forget about her.If they wanted clark to wind up with lois on smallvile they should have cut out lana 3 or 4 seasons ago.Now after all thas happened it just wouldnt make much sense

[wafflles87]

Bride, Legion and Buletproof - Keep as as they were

Power - Chloe is NOT pimping Clana. Actually, Chloe isn't even there. She's in Star City caring for her husband. Y'know, the guy who stood up to freakin DOOMSDAY for her? Clark is realising that the kiss with Lana didn't mean as much as it should have. Starts to realise he is getting over her. Keep the whole Lana in search for power plot, but make Clark think it's a bad idea, and question why she would do it. Have him mention that normal people can do just as much, if not more good in the world (I hated that Lana basically crapped on us regular Joes). Remove the frakin' DP kiss, replace it with the mature conversation we were all expecting, where they decide they are better off as friends.

Requiem - Remove all the Clana romance. They're just friends by now. Keep the plot as it was, including the krypto infection. Make it so after the infection, the suit is removed somehow, make Lana realise she went a bit loony (AGAIN!), and have her leave Smallville on good terms with CK.

End of arc. Noone hates Lana, Clana fans are happy.

[Shadowlord367]

Fantastic post! I never noticed the necklace-kryptonite parallel, and some of your other comments have made me view this episode on a deeper level. It's still not perfect in my eyes, but thinking about it from your point of view has improved it.

Unfortunately, it's also made me painfully nostalgic for the early seasons of Smallville, when they were all in high school and doing history projects as well as fighting off meteor freaks. :D As much as I love Smallville now, I do miss that fresh sense of discovery that it has in its first few seasons.

Thank you!

I have nostalgia for the early seasons as well. There was something so beautiful about it, the innocence and sincerity of the children in the autumn fall town. It had that sense of wonder about where their lives were gonna go and a feeling of being totally open to the future.

Alof of people complain about character development but in some ways I think the show handles it excellently, because it happens so subtley that we don' even notice it. If you look at all the characters in season one and then look at them now, they've all grown so much. Chloe as well, she was restless and pushy and she was actually slightly on the overbearing side for me in season one, but throughout the course of the show through her interactions with Clark she kind of settled down and let things roll of her back.

To me, its one of my favorite parts of Smallville, that eight years ago these kids were fourteen year olds, and now they're actually aduts. It's so cool.

[davidbrenton]

It should have been capped at 2 episodes. Power and Requiem could have happened to explain Lana, and then move on. It would have been less hated had it taken up less of S8.

[Nerial]

While the end of Clana was creative, it doesn't follow the mythos worth a darn, and ends in a very inconclusive way. We all know Lana and Clark can be around each other in the future, so having her kryto-infected and finishing it like that is just silly.

The ending cheapened, not only Clois, but any relationship Clark might have in the future. Heroes must make choices. Lana is not the hero of SV; Clark is. While she did a noble thing, Clark not choosing, but being forced away from her ruins the entire thing.

I felt like the writers were trying to redeem Lana (for whatever reason), and wound up de-evolving Clark. Also, they wanted to add some Clana lovin' (which is just annoying nowadays).

Personally, I would have had Clark happy to see Lana, thinking he felt something for her for a short time, but realizing that he wasn't in love with her anymore. Have her get powers--have her fight by his side, but also have him tell her no. How hard is that to write?

[MrZeppo]

Bride

I would keep this exactly as it was.


Legion

I would keep this exactly as it was. Maybe a little less hero worship from Imra, I felt it came off as heavy handed and forced. Also Chloe would have left for Star City at the end of this episode. I'd have Chloe's speech to Clark about Lana & Lois at the end of this episode.


Bulletproof

This is where things would have changed a lot more drastically. I would have Lois come back because I LIKE the Clark/Lois/Lana triangle and I think they didn't play this up as well as they could have. I'd have Lois come back and investigate John's shooting from the reporter side of things while Clark was undercover. Instead of having Chloe setup his fake ID, we'd see some of Lois' street savvy and getting one of her street contacts setup Clark's undercover identity. I would still have Lana's interaction with Tess. That was excellent.


Power

Okay I'd completely rework these because I didn't like how things turned out at all. Instead of having Lana acting power hungry, I would have her actually tracking Lex down.
Instead of alterior motives, I would have it that Lana really was trying to track Lex all this time.

Here is where I'd significantley change things.

I'd have Lex get minions to kidnap Lana. Lex plans on using Lana as a guinea pig for the power suit he needs to use to survive. He wants revenge against Clark and Lana for wronging him. A reason I disliked Lana's arc was that she sought power. I think power is handled most responsibley when it's thrust onto someone who didn't want it, not someone who desires it.

So this suit is forced onto Lana. Clark is too late to save her, however Lana saves herself before the final step was taken, being irratiated with green K.

Meanwhile, Lois ends up digging more and more dirt on Lex to finally incriminate him. By episode's end she convinces Tess to publish a full expose on Lex's criminal acts, written by her.

In the end of the episode we see Lex ordering Winslow Schott to implement phase 2 of his plan.


Requiem

I'd keep the Toyman and mad bomber storyline. But instead of just having Lex want to destory the DP, have him also want to destory Lois for ruining his name. Now the world knows Lex Luthor is just a criminal.

We see Clark and Lana acting as friends. With a better relationship than they have had in years. Lana asks Clark about Lois, and he admits to caring for Lois. Clark and Lana have a very grown up and mature talk while patrolling. Lana tells Clark that for years she was defined by who she was with, and after being on her own for months she sees that she still needs to get to know Lana Lang. Clark admits he still loves Lana but he realizes their time has past. The moments between them are meloncholy as the former lovers realize they are just friends now.

As an homage to the Superman movie, I'd have Lex contact Clark using an ultrasonic signal telling him there is a bomb in the city. Clark and Lana find the bomb on top of the DP with an unconcious Lois chained in front of the bomb. Clark tries to stop the bomb, but he's weakened. Lana knows what she has to do.

Lana starts absorbing the Green K as the countdown approaches zero. She yells at Clark to save Lois. Clark struggles to get Lois and is in extreme pain as he grabs her and finally collapses. Lois regains conciousness and tries to drag Clark away from the bomb. Lana's suit starts malfunctioning and overloading on the Green K. In a last desperate act to save everyone she superspeeds towards the bomb and grabs it and leaps from the roof. Her speed and momentum carry her over the river where the weakened bomb explodes in a large green and yellow explosion over the water. Lana has disappeared.

Days later Clark and Lois are mourning Lana as they are grabbing a cup of coffee near the Daily Planet. She saved the city but her body was never found. We see Clark trying to deal with his feelings and Lois tries to comfort him. He is really sad but Lois makes a joke that manages to make Clark smile a little. As they head into the Daily Planet we see Lana watching from the distance, now lethal to Clark but happy that he is okay and able to move on.

I'm not saying this idea is perfect. But I think it makes everyone look pretty good.