What about Lana?

[amazingP]

Ok so I know most people probably don't want to hear about Lana anymore...but hear me out.

When Lana broke it off with Clark they both loved each other still. The reason they had to break it off was because:

a) Lana was holding Clark back from doing greater things - and she loved him enough to let him go

b) Clark knows (based on episode 100, the brainiac coma...etc) that being with Lana is only going to cause her pain. If the pain doesn't come from the lies about his secret (which is a large part of the story of Smallville) then it comes from people trying to hurt Lana to get to Clark. So Clark also knows that, even though it hurts and he still loves her, it causes less pain to Lana to not be with her.

How can you explain that being with Lois is going to be any different? I suppose this is something wrong with the superman story in general...

So I have 2 questions:
a) why would Clark start chasing Lois when he continues to love Lana (even though they can't be together)
b) how would Clark think anything is going to be different between Clark and Lois and between Clark and Lana?

If Smallville doesn't answer these questions than they are betraying all the stories they have created up until this point...and maybe it is time to end it before they destroy it

[SVsleuth]

I agree. These questions are begging to be answered, & ought to be one of the points of the entire series. There has to be a purpose for all of the story they've told. It needs to be shown WHY Clois will work, but Clana didn't. I've tried asking Clois fans. The best answer they've given me so far is that Lois isn't a high maintainance woman & is fun. It sounds like Clark is willing to settle for a surface relationship that gives a bit of levity to his life, and is unwilling to ever again invest his heart & soul in a relationship like he did with Lana. The Clois fans seem fine with that. I wouldn't be, if I were them. I'd want to see that Clark & Lois have connected on a deep emotional level, and that Clark is able to open up to her in a way he never could with Lana. I wouldn't be satisfied to just have "fun" banter, and no depth. But they seem to be fine with that, so fine. I'll choose to believe that Lana will forever be Clark's one & only true love, & Lois is just there to provide levity to his stressful life. I can live with that.

[amazingP]

I guess if that's the angle people look at it with (And even that isn't much of an explanation) than you're right - she isn't able to be anything more than levity.

But why would anyone want just that for Clark? Why move away from the stories that really made Clark a hero? The stories of making hard decisions and sacrificing for the greater good? That is what has made Smallville great.

[alienkinfolk]

Tptb will have to put resolve to Lana and the only way to do it imo is if Clark does it. Lana is still a big part of SV. love her or hate her she impacts the decisions of the hero

[LoveHurts38]

Lana who.. just messing...we will just have to wait and see what tptb have in store for Lana and I hope it's a good conclusion for Lana and Clark.

[susangail]

I suspect that no answer will satisfy, but I'll give it a shot.

Lois is a stronger woman, both physically and emotionally, than Lana. This seems to be true in any Superman story where both characters appear. Clark will simply be able to worry less about Lois, and she is better equipped temperamentally to deal with Clark. Lois can and will stand up and tell Clark what he needs to hear, and that's what will enable them to reach an understanding beyond clana.

[Flowergirl123]

Lana is comming back in the 10th episode. I think so that she and Clark can say goodbye for the last time. It's time for Clana to end. It's sad but the show is supposed to be comming to an end pretty soon and I really think it should with Lex gone and all and Tom Welling and Alison probaly really want to move on to other things after it's over. And to answer your question Lana and Clark didn't work out because he taught her not to trust him. Because all those years he didn't trust her and Lex messed with her big time. But Clark even said in Season seven that he taught Lana not to trust him. And if they don't have trust they have nothing.

[Hopefulsuicide]

well the way it is SUPPOSED to work, is that Clark secretly worships the ground Lois walks on, but he's too afraid to tell her who he really is so her doesn't try for anything more than friendship. because he is in his disguise with this he thinks she is as safe as she can be, but slowly the feelings start to grow and Lois starts to wake up and smell the roses. she falls for her best friend and partner because he is everything you would want from a man. even when they are in a relationship, there are many interpretations that have Clark trying to call it off because it's too dangerous, but the difference between Lana and Lois is that Lois doesn't care. her life IS dangerous, with or without him in it, and she'd much rather have him in it. she doesn't LET him push her away because she is such a pit bull

not really sure how it works if you have Lois fall for Clark first...

[ginnyfan]

A) Lois won't hold Clark back from doing great things. She's out running around chasing danger herself.

B) Clark won't save Lois from danger by NOT being with her. She's going to run out and get into trouble and be in danger Clark or no Clark; Superman or no Superman.

To answer your questions:

1. Clark won't chase Lois while he loves Lana. I think Lana broke his heart when she left him the DVD. So there are lingering feelings and he still has to heal from his relationship with Lana. I think we've already seen that he's trying to move on at the end of "Toxic." So before anything happens with Lois his relationship with Lana has to be resolved.

I do think Clark cares for Lois and has cared for Lois for a long time. The way they feel about each other has been largely undefined and basically blanketed with this playful rivalry and banter. So... I think "Instinct" was trying to make it clear that something is going on between Lois and Clark that neither of them are aware of. When Clark chased Lois out of the elevator he was acting on instinct. Why? Well... that's a question Clark will have to ask himself as Martha suggested at the end of "Crimson."

2. Lois Lane is NOT Lana Lang. They are very different women. So right there is enough reason that Clark's relationship with Lois will be different than his relationship with Lana.

Some things will be the same, situationally. I don't think we'll see the Superman years on this show but Clark will have a secret hero identity and Lois won't know. Superman will swoop in to save her and Clark Kent will constantly leave without explaination. But there the similarities end.

Lois doesn't really have secrets. Lois isn't passive aggressive. So anything Clark does that bothers Lois is going to result in an immediate confrontation. With Lana and Clark... things would kind of sit in stasis for long periods of time. They were both unhappy about something or they were both worried about something but wouldn't really confront the issue (the black ship, Bizarro, Lexana) until things got REALLY BAD.

Lois takes the mickey out of Clark. She teases him and makes him laugh at himself and vice verse when things could go brooding and angsty. Lois is anti moping. On the negative side this could be seen as insensitive but on the plus side, Clark has a tendency to mope around and so... Lois counter acts that well.

In general:
IMO when you fall in love with someone new that's just it, you fall in love with SOMEONE NEW. So Lois is NOT going to be like Lana or do what Lana did for Clark. She's a COMPLETELY different woman. LOL! So... Clark is probably going to discover some brand new likes and dislikes that he never knew he had. Perhaps he'll discover that he LIKES fiery, unpredictable women who are fierce fighters when it comes to loved ones, and injustice. Perhaps he'll discover that he NEEDS a woman who will bust his chops, keep him in check and not sugar coat her feelings and emotions. *shrug*

If you're waiting for Clois to be Clana 2.0. It's not going to happen. Clois is not going to look much like Clana AT ALL. I think we've already seen that. Clark and Lois' friendship was very different from Clark and Lana's friendship. Now that they are in that in between "what's going on, how do I really feel about you" transitional period - again it's very different from Clana's in between friends and dating period. So... There's not much comparison IMO. Clois is DIFFERENT than Clana (thank goodness) but that doesn't mean that won't lead to a love that is strong and true.

Clana has grown on me over the years. At it's best there was something soft and sweet about it. But not all lasting love looks the same. Soft and Sweet is NOT Lois and Clark. They have soft and sweet moments but... sometimes Clois is volatile, explosive, tempestuous.

ETA: erm... what susangail said.

[individuall]

You raise two very good questions.
for your first one: I really can't wait to see how they handle the Lana return I hope it gives good closure for Clark and Lana.
As for question b: The only answer I can come up with is that..Lois is different. And their relationship will be different from Clana. I think both Lois/Clark have a little ways to go for themselves individually before they get into a relationship with one another, though. I also think the mistakes Clark made in his relationship with Lana will help him in his relationship with Lois, in the future.
Also I believe maturity has a lot to do with it to for both Clark and Lois. They'll be at a different stage in their life, more adult and mature when they do decide to have a relationship, than Clark and Lana. They'll both have experience under their belts: heartache, love, sacrifice, trials etc. Also I think the fact they have been friends for such a long time and are close, will also be a factor towards Clois' success as a couple.
But, yes I hope the show does delve a little deeper to answer your questions better. But that's just my take.

[ginnyfan]

It will be interesting to see what Lana has to say about her relationship with Clark and why it will or will not work.

[Bizarrolover]

I used to like season 1 and 2 Lana, when she was a proactive, sweet girl with goals. She organized blood donations, she reopened the Talon, but she got tired of all that all too soon and ran away to study art in Paris only to return three months later. When she was with Jason, she was a completely different person, all mysterious and sexy. In season 5, she was with Clark once again and returned to her 'girl next door' status. Barn raisings, hanging out at the farm, the perfect girlfriend. Her interests switched from art (end of season 3) to astronomy. When things didn't work with Clark (she decided that rather quickly), she ran away to Lex, dropping her college aspirations. In season 7 we have her back at the farm, baking apple pies for a very passive Clark, telling him she doesn't want to be the one holding him back but doing nothing to change that. He says that that is what he has exactly what he wants, an idyllic life with her at the farm and ignores his destiny. But life is never that easy and the relationship almost sinks at the first mishap. For me, it was very Stepford wives, but without the robots: perfect wife, perfect household, but unrealistic, too good to be true.


On the other hand, Lois bursts in with an application for the Daily Planet, tells him that he's wasting his youth in that farm and that is time to do something about his future. She's constantly presenting him with new challenges, she teases him and enjoys provoking him because, basically, she giving him the kick on the butt that he needs to move on. With her impulse, he’s starting to act like a man.

In post crisis comics, the premise is very similar. Lana is his past, the girl next door that will happily spend the rest of her life in Smallville baking pies for Clark Kent, the super powered farmboy. But he grows up, he understands he has a much bigger role in life and becomes the journalist (not mild mannered, according to this mythology) and the superhero. He falls for a determined, independent woman (Lois) and she for this strong, pro active man. They complement and drive each other. Their love had persisted for 70 years and (please correct me if I’m wrong) became only married couple in comic books. So, I guess, there must be something good about the annoying, headstrong Lois Lane if she secured the love of the world’s greatest hero for so long.

[Clana4Life]

Wow, these were all such great posts. I wish I could multi-quote everyone and respond to what you said, but it would be too long. But I think everyone brought a lot of insight to this discussion.

Sometimes the writers back themselves into a corner, I think.

a. Lana did the same thing for Clark that Lois did for Oliver. Clark knows this, which I think would make him NOT pursue a relationship with Lois. It doesn't really make sense, unless he plans to lie to Lois about his Superman identity. If he does that, then he learned nothing from his relationship with Lana and the character has regressed. I think the writers should never have included that bit about Lois saying she had a hero-complex.
b. And you're right, Clark is still in love with Lana. I think part of him always will be, so that really does have to be resolved before he can start another relationship, but would he even start another relationship? I don't think he so - not for a long time. Clana had their problems but at the end of Season 7 they were on the up side. They had faced a heck of a lot and the relationship was still in tact. If they had broken up, it would have been Clark breaking up with Lana because of the danger he puts her in, sort of like he's done before, or Clark would have pretty much never used his powers again and lived life as a human, but Lana wasn't keen on that. They might have come to a crossroads b/c of that. Clark's being with anyone or being friends with anyone puts their lives in danger. True Lois gets herself into serious situations but not the sort of Brainiac/Doomsday/Crazy Boy-Who-Wanted-to-throw-Lana-off-of-the-top-of-a-building sort of way. Would Clark want Lois to be put in this type of danger, too? I can't see Clark saying, "Well, I love Lois and she gets herself into serious danger anyway, so why not be with her?" This would only compound the danger that she faces. I think Clark would be overprotective. Hmm...again, seems like the writers have backed themselves into a corner.
c.) I can only see Clois working if Lois takes back what she said - changes her mind and decides to be with a hero. That's only one half. Clark will have to decide that he will allow himself to be in a relationship with someone despite the danger that it poses to them. I can't see Clark doing that. He will have to have a dual identity before Clois will ever start and he will have to be honest with Lois about it from the very start. SV will never show this and they don't even have enough eps to go into all of this. Clois should just remain friends unless Superman can be shown on this series, otherwise it does not work. And I think Clark will not pursue this or ever put her into this situation until he came come up with a second identity. The dawning of that idea should not come into play for a very long time, otherwise what's to stop Clark from telling Lana about this dual identity idea and still pursuing a relationship with her? So AmazingP I don't know that TPTB can resolve all of this.

[amazingP]

This is true - Lois is a dangerous person - but honestly she would be dead if Clark hadn't saved her multiple times already. She might pretend to be confident and smart about things but isn't she just as much a damsel in distress as Lana was?

To that end I see Lois holding Clark back from doing greater things because he has to be following her around to babysit.
Lois might be putting herself in dangerous situations already - but they already take up 90% of Clark's time WITHOUT Lex/Brainiac/others chasing her down to get to him.

As for the trust issue with Clark having taught Lana not to trust him...She found out why he didn't tell her so that issue was resolved. If Clark had been cheating on her, or something like that, than Lana would have a reason not to trust him - but she found out the truth which resolved any distrust.
Last season when Clark told Lana "I taught you not to trust me" - I'm pretty sure she responded correctly when she said "don't blame yourself for my bad choices so you don't taint the image you have of me (or something like that). Which shows that she realizes the mistakes were her's - not a result of Clark teaching her not to trust him.

(Again, episode 100 and the brainiac coma show why Lana couldn't know his secret...and why Lois can't know either...which will create the same distrust aforementioned...which makes things no different than they were with Lana)

When Smallville tries to answer these questions they have got to hold water. Otherwise they are simply changing everything they were just so the story lines up with the real Superman. These issues are central to the Smallville definition of a hero.

----- Added 5 Minutes later -----

...and I agree Clana4Life...maybe they can't resolve these issues

[Smallville619]

to Bizzarolover please just don't mention Joe Quesada and Spider-man or i'll wretch!!!!!