Why doesn't Clark tell Lana again?

[kennfree]

Has anyone asked the Powers that Be the following?:

Now that Jonathan Kent has paid Jorel's pound of flesh in "The Reckoning" and Lana is no longer in danger; and Clark has told her his secret and knows how she will answer; and he is concerned about losing her because he has gone back to his "secrets and lies" relationship with her; why in the heck doesn't he tell her again?

I'd be interested in the producers' answer if anyone who has contact with them has asked them this question.

[UpandAtom]

They explained that in "Reckoning". Clark can't tell Lana because she'll be in danger from the secret.

[mtaylor]

I almost think it's too late even if he did tell Lana.

[kennfree]

But Lana is always in danger anyway, and it hasn't seemed to cause a problem for Chloe, any more than usual.

[UpandAtom]

Look at what happened to Pete when Clark told him the secret. He doesn't want Lana to have to move to Witchita.

[Nataku]

He also feels like the cause of her parents death, with the meteor shower and all. Even though you see she would be ok with him being an alien in "Reckoning". Now the only real reason for him not telling is putting her in danger. (That fool needs to be with Chloe, ;) )

[I am the Superman]

Clark doesnt tell lana because the writers wont let him, all other reasons are bs at this point.

[chosenone76]

Because Lana is the unattainable girl in Clark's life, he never is supposed to actually be with her. So they (TPTB) won't let Clark actually get with Lana.

[myankskent]

Lana didn't even die because of the secret. No on murdered her. What happened was an accident. She could've been speeding off in her car being chased by a meteor freak and she still would've been hit by that bus. If Lex murdered her or if she died by something that wasn't an accident, then Clark would be right not to tell her. What TPTB are doing now makes no sense. All Reckoning did was make this show even more unrealistic, not unrealistic in terms of supernatural things that take place, unrealistic in terms of character reactions and decisions.

[UpandAtom]

Originally posted by Nataku
He also feels like the cause of her parents death, with the meteor shower and all. Even though you see she would be ok with him being an alien in "Reckoning". Now the only real reason for him not telling is putting her in danger. (That fool needs to be with Chloe, ;) )

Clark never told Lana that he came in a meteor shower. If she had known that, her reaction might have been different.

[dsv100]

I think Lana was able to deduce that part by herself, without Clark having to point it out. Especially given her recent fixation on meteor showers and astronomy. Either she immediately put 2 and 2 together at the Fortress, or at least by the time she accepted the proposal later.

myankskent: Accident or not, dead is dead either way. If your argument is "Lana is sometimes in danger from other unrelated things, so it's OK for Clark to endanger her with his secrets, because it's only one more threat to her life," Clark would certainly disagree. He is not that callous about putting people he loves in peril. It is in character for him to make Lana's safety a bigger priority than his happy couplehood with her.

[myankskent]

Originally posted by dsv100
I think Lana was able to deduce that part by herself, without Clark having to point it out. Especially given her recent fixation on meteor showers and astronomy. Either she immediately put 2 and 2 together at the Fortress, or at least by the time she accepted the proposal later.

myankskent: Accident or not, dead is dead either way. If your argument is "Lana is sometimes in danger from other unrelated things, so it's OK for Clark to endanger her with his secrets, because it's only one more threat to her life," Clark would certainly disagree. He is not that callous about putting people he loves in peril. It is in character for him to make Lana's safety a bigger priority than his happy couplehood with her.

No, my argument is that it is not logical. From Clark's perspective, the only thing that would be logical is if he doesn't want to tell Lana because then Lex will find out his secret. That's logical. Maybe he doesn't trust Lana will be able to keep the secret like Chloe can. But to not tell her because he thinks that she will die is ridiculous. Did he just forget about the fact that Lana would've died during the second half of Reckoning if he hadn't saved her life? I could argue that Lana would've never been put in harms way if Clark had told her the secret the second time around. Then she doesn't go to see Lex after being warned and she doesn't die. So in a way, Clark is responsible for Lana almost dying in the second half of Reckoning. He corrected it by saving her life but it could have been avoided. And how about the fact that he saw Lex and Lana together after the near accident? Wouldn't he be upset if he started to see that Lana was falling for the enemy and try to save her in that regard, or does he only save people when they are on the cusp of death? Geeze, he certainly didn't have a problem opening his mouth about Aquaman to Lois before he realized that he was a good guy. Once again, there is no logical reasoning for Clark to not tell her now.

[dsv100]

The logic Clark uses is this:
(1) Telling Lana the secret equals becoming a couple unburdened by secrets. He wants to marry her and she would agree, were there no secrets.
(2) Sometimes there are folks who discover that Clark has some kind of secret and want to know what it is.
(3) Those folks are sometimes evil, and they'll see that Lana, as Clark's fiancee or wife, is in on the secret.
(4) That makes Lana a target. The danger is from those people from step (2), whoever they may be. Not necessarily Lex, and not necessarily because she will be intentionally killed. It could be an accident, it could be murder, it could be Lex, it could be anybody.

[myankskent]

Originally posted by dsv100
The logic Clark uses is this:
(1) Telling Lana the secret equals becoming a couple unburdened by secrets. He wants to marry her and she would agree, were there no secrets.
(2) Sometimes there are folks who discover that Clark has some kind of secret and want to know what it is.
(3) Those folks are sometimes evil, and they'll see that Lana, as Clark's fiancee or wife, is in on the secret.
(4) That makes Lana a target. The danger is from those people from step (2), whoever they may be. Not necessarily Lex, and not necessarily because she will be intentionally killed. It could be an accident, it could be murder, it could be Lex, it could be anybody.

Well what you are saying then is according to Clark, he can't be with anyone, because if he is with any girl then they will be the first target. So if this is the case, then why would he ever be with another girl again. He would never be with Lois then because the memory of Lana dying would be a constant reminder to him througout his life. It would be a wound in his heart that would never heal and never go away. Of course, this never stopped him from deciding to tell her the first time in Reckoning. So what changed? She died but he didn't tell her the second time and she would've died as well if not for him saving her. What is that supposed to tell Clark? According to TPTB, it's supposed to tell him nothing because the whole thing is not logical.

[dsv100]

Originally posted by myankskent
Well what you are saying then is according to Clark, he can't be with anyone, because if he is with any girl then they will be the first target. Correct. So?

Clark at this point isn't going to seek another love-interest anyway if he can't have Lana. So the point is moot.

She died but he didn't tell her the second time and she would've died as well if not for him saving her. What is that supposed to tell Clark? According to TPTB, it's supposed to tell him nothing because the whole thing is not logical. No, he did think over the sequence of events. It doesn't matter if the exact source of Lana's peril was a bus that would have hit her either way; the reasoning I laid out still exists. It's still sound. Clark simply put the logic together after the trials and tribulations of "Reckoning." It's not like he's born knowing these things: it takes a catastrophe sometimes before you realize some significant fact of life.

[myankskent]

Originally posted by dsv100
Correct. So?

Clark at this point isn't going to seek another love-interest anyway if he can't have Lana. So the point is moot.

Well I have to disagree because many think that they will try to start a Lois/Clark relationship next season. I agree, he shouldn't be romantically involved with any girl for the remainder of the series at this point, but you and I both know that he will be, whether it be Lana again, Lois or some other girl. My point is that the way they have made this accident go down, it would destroy Clark's chances of ever being with someone if he feels that they will die because of his secret. They're not giving us any reassurance that Clark can in fact be with someone, which is the case in the comics.



No, he did think over the sequence of events. It doesn't matter if the exact source of Lana's peril was a bus that would have hit her either way; the reasoning I laid out still exists. It's still sound. Clark simply put the logic together after the trials and tribulations of "Reckoning." It's not like he's born knowing these things: it takes a catastrophe sometimes before you realize some significant fact of life.

This I can't agree with. It's not a concrete standpoint. Either Clark doesn't want to tell Lana because of Lex finding out his secret or he doesn't want to tell Lana because he fears she might end up dying. The first standpoint I can agree with, but the second I cannot based on what happened. The "catastrophe" occurred a few episodes ago and Clark is making no effort to save his relationship with Lana. As far as we know, he is pulling away because he doesn't want to put her in danger again, that's what he told Chloe. This line of thought is ridiculous to me because Clark should realize that it was not him telling Lana the secret that would've killed her. Warning her about Lex and telling her his secret would've ultimately saved her life. So there in lies the problem with me, it's a problem with the way Clark thinks but it is more a problem of the writers doing whatever they want even if what they do makes absolutely no sense.

[dsv100]

Originally posted by myankskent
Warning her about Lex and telling her his secret would've ultimately saved her life. It would have saved her life this once. (Even assuming for the moment that Lana would have even listened to Clark's warning. Clark, in that episode, clearly didn't think Lana would, but OK. Let's pretend.) What you're not taking into account is: what about the next time? It doesn't have to be a bus, and it doesn't have to be Lex, that imperils Lana in the future, if she knows the secret. The danger doesn't go away. There will always be some FOTW, or some Big Bad, who will be next in line to endanger Lana thanks to her knowing the secret. And then when Clark saves her from that person, the next FOTW or Big Bad will come along. And so on. Sooner or later: Lana could wind up just as dead as in "Reckoning."

But as I type this I can predict that all of this, to you, "makes absolutely no sense." So be it. I'll agree to disagree with you on this point. What we are talking about is (of course) the decisions that 18-year-old Clark is making at this point. Tomorrow? He might change his mind and decide to hook up with Lois after all, for all I know.

[myankskent]

Originally posted by dsv100
It would have saved her life this once. (Even assuming for the moment that Lana would have even listened to Clark's warning. Clark, in that episode, clearly didn't think Lana would, but OK. Let's pretend.) What you're not taking into account is: what about the next time? It doesn't have to be a bus, and it doesn't have to be Lex, that imperils Lana in the future, if she knows the secret. The danger doesn't go away. There will always be some FOTW, or some Big Bad, who will be next in line to endanger Lana thanks to her knowing the secret. And then when Clark saves her from that person, the next FOTW or Big Bad will come along. And so on. Sooner or later: Lana could wind up just as dead as in "Reckoning."

But as I type this I can predict that all of this, to you, "makes absolutely no sense." So be it. I'll agree to disagree with you on this point. What we are talking about is (of course) the decisions that 18-year-old Clark is making at this point. Tomorrow? He might change his mind and decide to hook up with Lois after all, for all I know.

Well I understand your point and you are right. I guess stepping outside the boundaries of a show you would realize that Lana is in danger every single episode of the show anyway so I guess you just have to disregard that fact. However, if this is how Clark really feels, then the proper thing to do would be to stay away from Chloe and not have a lot of contact with her. He should stay away from just about everyone he knows because even if they don't know his secret, they are in danger. Someone, as you say, will come along and torture anyone in his life and even if they don't know anything, chances are they will be killed anyway. A wedding ring is not going to be the boundary for someone getting the dirt on Clark, evidence of that is Pete and perhaps Chloe down the line. This is where I don't think it's logical, because either you take your chances and let people into your life and trust that you can protect them, or you cut everyone out of your life.

[cotton candy girl]

Knowing the secret puts Lana in no more danger than Chloe.

[JacosK]

I think that the show is following the general genera like the movie, in this case Lana will never know about Clark's secret. The comics and the other TV series Lois and Clark where Pa Kent is still alive when he becomes Superman, Lana knows his secret, and there wasn't a love interest between them. She was just close to the family.

[attitudejc]

i thought that the only reason that she was "in danger" was becuase Jor-el was "coming to collect". now that he has, what is the problem?

[cotton candy girl]

Wow...that's a great question. I wonder if anyone thinks they have an answer.

[myankskent]

Originally posted by cotton candy girl
Wow...that's a great question. I wonder if anyone thinks they have an answer.

Oh I do, because the writers have painted themselves in a corner with their relationship and they are ultimately going to get out of it by adding a stupid twist to end their relationship.

[attitudejc]

i mean, i still can see where clark is coming from though. he is just too stubborn to listen what chloe and martha having been saying. he is caught up in his own little world and is trapping himself. it is his fault. im not trying to be negative, just saying.

[Coyote]

Generally if you really want to keep something secret the fewer people you tell the better. There are too many people who know about Clark already, and no real reason to add another. Clark knows he isn't going to have anything permanent with Lana, she's just a high school girlfriend. So why tell her? Especially since she wouldn't be able to keep it from Lex longer than about 45 minutes.

[cotton candy girl]

That's not all Lana is to Clark (just a high school girlfriend). He will always love her...at least as a friend. And she's already kept the secret from Lex, so where are you getting that? She would never betray Clark.

[attitudejc]

he knows NOW that he won't have anything pernament. but, just a couple of episodes he did. he wanted to be with her forever. and technically he didn't tell chloe. but, if he wanted the relationship between lana and him bad enough, he would have told her. but, i guess he didn't. if he had told her about 5 episodes ago, she probably would have been able to hide it better from lex. but, she has created a relationship with him that is so "trusting" that she can't keep it from him.

[cotton candy girl]

Originally posted by attitudejc
she has created a relationship with him that is so "trusting" that she can't keep it from him.

This is just speculation. I think she would never betray Clark. And I think we'll see that when (hopefully) she does find out the secret.

[attitudejc]

oh, sorry, i didn't mean physically tell him. i meant like in Reckoning. when lex could just tell that she knew something. i agree, i don't think that she would do it on purpose.

[cotton candy girl]

Ok, got'cha. :)

[myankskent]

Originally posted by attitudejc
oh, sorry, i didn't mean physically tell him. i meant like in Reckoning. when lex could just tell that she knew something. i agree, i don't think that she would do it on purpose.

Lex could also tell that Chloe knew something too in Commencement. I don't see the difference between Lex and Chloe in that episode and Lana and Lex in Reckoning. If anything, the Lex/Chloe scene gave Lex a little insight into what Clark could be hiding. Chloe pushing Lex into the wall is kind of a dead giveaway that she knows about Clark as well, regardless of that storyline getting dropped so far this season. What did he really find out in the Lana scene? Nothing even vauge regarding what Clark is hiding. This is why I don't see how Lana reacts any differently than anyone else protecting Clark's secret. The engagement ring is what really set Lex off anyway.

[Antithesis]

I think the point of Clarks choice is he isn't going to VOLUNTARILY put Lana in possible more danger. Even if in reality Lana is no more danger knowing, Clark isn't willing to take that risk. You could call him paranoid about it. Chloe already knows. He didn't have a choice with her. If he'd had a choice he probably wouldn't have told her either. I'd guess with Lois it won't be a choice either considering how pushy she can be. And after the secret is out there and the possible danger is there anyway, why wouldn't Clark take advantage of having at least someone to confide in?

[kennfree]

My response to all this is that it never seems to make any sense anyway, whether or not Lana or Chloe or Pete or Lois Lane or Jimmy Olson or whoever knows Clark Kent's secret or not. In the greater context of the Superman mythos and I include Smallville in this, the stories require danger. And quite often that danger is to people who are considered "friends" of Superman or Clark Kent. How many times have Lana, Chloe and Pete or in the future Lois and Jimmy been in danger simply because they do what the do or because they are friends with Superman. Pete got into to trouble several time before and after he learned Clark's secret, Lana and Chloe are always in trouble because of where they live and who they have confronted (Lionel Luthor e.g.) None of what happened in "Reckoning" to Lana was because she knew Clark's secret, it happened because she went to Lex Luthor when she should have been with Clark at the victory party. Now that Chloe has proved that people can know Clark's secret along with Barry Allen, Aquaman, Cyborg, the guy from "Blank" and several others, Clark can take what he has learned from his first coming out to her and build on that. If he'd rather lose her than take the chance she might die because of it, then give her up, stop fooling around and move on and let her do the same. The whole scenario just doesn't make sense. As far as Clark's destiny to end up with Lois Lane, the whole Smallville epic has been to reinvent Superman, so that isn't necessarily true, either. Thanks for letting me rant.

[UpandAtom]

Which brings back to Clark's basic point that it's dangerous to be around him. Anyone who knows Clark Kent or is affiliated with Superman will end up in danger. But there's a difference between whether you know the secret or not. What if Lana isn't very good at lying? When she gets captured, the freak will know that she's keeping something from her. Whereas if she never knew the secret to begin with, she'd have nothing to lie about and the freak will believe her story.

[myankskent]

Originally posted by UpandAtom
Which brings back to Clark's basic point that it's dangerous to be around him. Anyone who knows Clark Kent or is affiliated with Superman will end up in danger. But there's a difference between whether you know the secret or not. What if Lana isn't very good at lying? When she gets captured, the freak will know that she's keeping something from her. Whereas if she never knew the secret to begin with, she'd have nothing to lie about and the freak will believe her story.

I disagree. No one is going to kidnap someone Clark loves to get the secret out of them and then just let them go afterward. They will either be killed or their mind will be wiped so it never gets back to Clark that they were responsible. Now if you say that it's because Clark feels that Lana can't keep the secret, then you might have a point but I don't know how he would ever think that. Lana didn't tell Lex and like I said above, what happened in Reckoning was no different than what happened in Commencement with Chloe, except for the fact that Lana died and Chloe didn't. Lex knows that Chloe knows the secret too so why is that not being made a big deal of? Both Chloe and Lana reacted the same way. It's the engagement ring that gave it away to Lex, and I again have to say, Clark didn't tell lana the whole story either. By whole story, I mean all of the dirty details about Lex and all of the details about his arrival on earth and what his destiny involves. I'm not going to assume that all of that took place offscreen. I always approach this show with the idea of if you see it take place on screen, it happened, if you didn't see it, it never happened.

[ProudPenny]

We seriously delete this exact thread EVERY OTHER DAY. We keep thinking you guys will catch on that by the Clark/Lana 'shipping threads repeatedly disappearing, they aren't appropriate for the "General Smallville Discussion" thread, but instead belong under the 'shipper forum or the speculation forum, where you can find a similar thread in each.

STOP STARTING THREADS HERE ABOUT SPECIFIC CHARACTERS OR 'SHIPS.

This forum is so bad about this that we're considering not letting people start ANY threads in here. So stop.