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  • #46
    ^^ Ok, then here's a "translation":

    In order to really understand what happens in POWER, we need to look at the larger picture of what has occurred in Lana's life over the past two seasons. When Lana decided to leave Lex, she went to China & left a trail for him to follow. She intended to kill him, to rid the world of him. But she couldn't do it. Why? Because of the influence CLARK has had on her life. She couldn't do it because she knew she'd disappoint Clark.

    When Lana came back to Smallville, she went after Lionel in a vengeful manner. In her attempts to protect Clark, she again almost crossed the line that Clark would never cross.

    In WRATH, when Lana suddenly found herself with powers she was unprepared to have, she again went after Lex. Again, she intended to kill him, but remembering Clark held her back. She did not want to disappoint him. She then even tried to convince Clark that he should have killed Lex a long time ago & saved many lives that way. She held to an "end justifies the means" attitude. Clark rejected that outright.

    Finally, Lana understood, realizing that Clark is right, & his ideals not only guide him, but must guide her. She now approaches situations asking herself "what would Clark do?" And she's learned that Clark would save life at all costs, never directly kill purposely.

    Ollie also wants Lex gone, & has now twice (at least) attempted to kill him, to rid the world of him. Lana has grown from being like Ollie to being like Clark. She understands more than ever that what makes Clark Clark is his refusal to take a life. She refuses to help the Legion convince Clark to kill. She realizes that the moment Clark ever kills, he will lose his very self. Lana has committed herself to support Clark in that, and never ask him to go against his own core principles.

    In addition to this, after everything Lana has been through with Lex, Lana knows Lex better than anyone. She knows he's a real serious danger to the world & to Clark, and wants his every effort to be stopped. The "easy way out" would have been to kill him. But Clark's influence taught her that's not the way. Now she feels passionately about stopping him from using all his money and power to develop technology, especially alien technology, to gain power to rule the world. Back in Wrath, she chewed Clark out because he didn't go after Lex. Now she sees that Clark is meant to follow his own destiny, not to be her soldier-boy to take care of the things SHE is passionate to stop. She has realized that if SHE is passionate about stopping Lex, then she MUST do it herself, not expect Clark to take up HER cause. She must work to stop Lex herself, not by killing him, but by using his own technology against him. She knows that's the only way to defeat Lex. She's become the woman who is strong enough to be willing to go head to head against Lex Luthor.

    Lana has no aspirations to rule the world. She only wants to stop evil people like Lex from doing so. THAT's why she devised the plan she did, and put on the suit, so as to be able to defeat Lex with his own weapons, and eventually have him brought to justice through the judicial process, not outside of it. That's also what Clark believes in, and what the episode Bulletproof was all about.

    Lana has been shown to have been so profoundly influenced by Clark and his principles, that it has made her a stronger, more moral person. Ollie isn't there yet. And Chloe keeps vacillating on the issue. Lana has become more like Clark. During her training with Carter, however, she learned to act on her own convictions, not just Clark's. She basically made his convictions her own. She used to have an attitude of "if only I were half as strong as Clark", but she progressed from "if I do this, I'll disappoint Clark" to "this is who Lana Lang is: Lana Lang is someone who refuses to kill." She knows who she is now. Only after she got there did she continue on with the plan to use the suit. Lana Lang is now a woman who is willing to put herself through pain & suffering in order to help save the world from Lex, & in order to protect Clark from Lex.

    All of this growth and progress had nothing to do with any plans to get back together with Clark. Only when Clark asked her "What about what WE need" did Lana suddenly see Clark with new eyes. She saw him as not only the hero sent to take care of the world's needs, but as a MAN who HAS NEEDS of his own - emotional needs to be loved and to love. She realizes that maybe she actually can help meet his need for love, & he can meet her similar needs, even while they both work to help improve the world.

    All of this is just to show that, on Smallville, Lana represents US - average humans, with human weaknesses, who need to be lifted to new heights by adopting a higher moral code, & embracing it as our own. All of us need to turn from our own sinful and vengeful ways, not because being vengeful will "displease God" but because "God's way has become MY way, His code has become MY code". THIS is what Lana represents.

    I guess I've about said all I want to say. Sometimes it is helpful to step back and try to see the large picture, the larger story being told, rather then just have a knee-jerk reaction to something a character does. I hope these reflections help some of you to see that picture & to understand the power behind the story being told. CLARK transforms lives, one at a time. That's the message we all should get on this show. And translating that into our own lives, maybe there's a message for us as well: whose principles will WE adopt as our own?
    Last edited by SVsleuth; 02-10-2009, 12:48 AM.

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    • #47
      What, I meant to suggest by saying 'lost in translation' is that while the message of the episode was intended to be good, it had unintended negative connotations. I'm not naive to Lana's history or her reasons for doing what she did. I understand what Lana reasoning was, but I thought it was misguided. You shouldn't need to imbue yourself purposely with super powers (after undergoing torture that it is supposed to make you 'tougher') to do great things or be extraordinary. You can be a hero without being superhuman. The Isis Foundation was a noble cause, and it would have been nice to see her reaching out to the meteor-infected and metahumans worldwide with an ever expanding network of Isis Foundations.

      Also, by Lana giving herself superpowers ceased to be an 'average human' just like us as you put it.
      Last edited by Vergon6; 02-10-2009, 05:22 AM.

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      • #48
        Originally posted by SVsleuth
        ^^

        All of this is just to show that, on Smallville, Lana represents US - average humans, with human weaknesses, who need to be lifted to new heights by adopting a higher moral code, & embracing it as our own. All of us need to turn from our own sinful and vengeful ways, not because being vengeful will "displease God" but because "God's way has become MY way, His code has become MY code". THIS is what Lana represents.
        I'm an average human and I don't think lana represents me. I don't think Lana was lifted to a higher moral code because everything she accomplished in Power was because she commited a crime: she lied, she emotiollay blackmailed someone and stole something that didn't belong to her in order to become superpowered. That's imoral and ilegal in my book and I don't believe that the end justifes the method she used.

        I want to help the world too, but I fight from my own place and with my own resources. I will never steal anything from anyone to become something I'm not. If I know someone committed a crime I will take them to the authorities instead of telling them they are amazing people if only they let their anger go. The message of this episode is very twisted and morality has been bent to serve certain characters' needs. Just because someone has an 'epiphany' and decides they are good from that moment on, it doesn't mean their sins/crimes are going to dissappear or that the temptation to abuse their new found power will not come again.

        In Descent, Lex also said he wanted to save the world. Now Lana is wearing the suit he created exactly to do that.

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        • #49
          SVsleuth, your posts were outstanding, so comprehensive and insightful.

          I think what people do not understand, is that Lana's story is not of the "average" person .....she has been affected by the extraordinary, she can never respond in an ordinary way to any circumstance again. The dangers of Lex Luthor loom over her like a dark Cloud.....she can't just go about her life normally. When she got infected by Brainiac, Lex was watching her and kidnapped her.......escaping that situation gave Lana the realization that she will NEVER be free of all the otherworldly events of Smallville. So Lana became Proactive and faced her challenges full on........she had to be stronger, smarter and more powerful....not just to protect herself but turn that into something GOOD.

          Who else but Lana Lang knows the full extent of the dangers that Lex can bestow on the world....Lana DID NOT run away.......she prepared herself, didn't ask anyone to protect her. She had the respect and confidence of Carter to join her cause....Carter saw the GOOD in Lana. Dr. Grohl also joined with her to take the power away from Lex.....he saw the GOOD in Lana.

          How can this be seen as "Power Hungry" , Lana said herself to Clark, "Nothing about us has ever been Normal" .....so how can her actions just be that of a normal person?

          It so clear and obvious in this arc that Lana has had a long and difficult life journey and I applaud the fact that the writers gave Lana the strength...... not just physical....but the strength of character. What Lana and Clark both have done is rise above themselves and realized what justice and sacrifice truly means.
          Last edited by suzieQ; 02-10-2009, 06:44 AM.

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          • #50
            I tend to agree with many of the insightful comments above, by also adding that sometimes we do need be patient and see what the writers have in store. We then realize their reasons for having the characters do what they do, even if it's something we may not like at that time.

            Personally, I liked that Lana wanted to improve herself. Perhaps she as an actress wanted to grow and stretch the character, as Linda Hamilton always enjoyed doing. Ms. Hamilton always preferred taking on roles such as that.

            As for Triplet's reviews, I always enjoy the technical parts and the background details (she does her homework for sure!), along with insights on the characters. It is also enjoyable reading other "reviews" here in the forums to get many sides of opinions. All in all what matters is what we fans think of it for ourselves and that's the bottom line!

            Keep watching the show which will be fun seeing where the writers take our beloved characters next.

            Comment


            • #51
              Originally posted by Bizarrolover
              I'm an average human and I don't think lana represents me. I don't think Lana was lifted to a higher moral code because everything she accomplished in Power was because she commited a crime: she lied, she emotiollay blackmailed someone and stole something that didn't belong to her in order to become Tsuperpowered.hat's imoral and ilegal in my book and I don't believe that the end justifes the method she used.

              I want to help the world too, but I fight from my own place and with my own resources. I will never steal anything from anyone to become something I'm not. If I know someone committed a crime I will take them to the authorities instead of telling them they are amazing people if only they let their anger go. The message of this episode is very twisted and morality has been bent to serve certain characters' needs. Just because someone has an 'epiphany' and decides they are good from that moment on, it doesn't mean their sins/crimes are going to dissappear or that the temptation to abuse their new found power will not come again.

              In Descent, Lex also said he wanted to save the world. Now Lana is wearing the suit he created exactly to do that.
              I have to agree 100% on this, and that's another thing that bothered me about this episode. I kept hoping that Clark would realize that what Lana did was wrong and against all the values he stands for. It's understood at this point that anything Lex Luthor creates obviously isn't good for the world. Lana should have known that. Tess actually acted with higher ethics IMO when she tried to destroy the suit. At least she didn't show a self serving greed for power.

              That's actually another message that isn't good for young people. Let's steal, cheat and lie to get whatever we want in life. That's a real good message for young viewers!

              It brings me back to what BadToad posted on the page before which I think says it best. I've posted it below.

              Personally, true heroism and empowerment of Lana *to me* would've been to see her comfortable in her own skin, honest and forthright in her intentions to Clark from the onset, and her making the final decision to walk away from SV not due to some external conditions. Now THATS empowerment, THATS positive, THATS growth, IMO.

              Lana, the Super!Hero!, should never have been necessary if Lana the regular human was cool enough, and heroic enough all of her own. In the writers incessant need to make Lana better and shinier then everyone else, they in fact made her something less. JMO

              If KK and PS3 had only looked at it this way, they could have come up with a more intelligent and inspiring story for the viewers. Unfortunately, it was a failure across the board, and Clark's character looked like the ultimate bafoon in the process. It's too bad really.

              Comment


              • #52
                Originally posted by triplet
                Thanks, I'm glad you guys liked it.

                However, I'm getting some mixed reactions in PM and in comments to my user page.

                *shrug*

                I thought what I thought, it doesn't mean I don't like Lana or hated the Clark/Lana relationship, I don't hate Lana, and I (for the most part) didn't have a problem with their relationship.

                I just try to be honest and it's honestly how I feel about the episode.
                I can't find it -- can someone post a link?

                Comment


                • #53
                  Originally posted by eas
                  I can't find it -- can someone post a link?
                  It's right on the News page of this site.

                  Comment


                  • #54
                    Thanks -- found it. I was looking at the "columns" page.

                    Triplet -- excellent review. I agree with ALL of it. Including your analysis of Mack's direction. I didn't even notice the orange-ish aura around Lana, but you're right that it works. I think GW is a very talented guy.

                    Reading your review just reminded me of how terrible this episode was. Even worse than "Requiem".

                    ----- Added 2 Minutes later -----

                    Originally posted by triplet
                    It's weird....

                    Why do I get flack for saying what I think sometimes? Isn't the point of a review?

                    I'm used to it by now, I've been doing this for awhile, so it shouldn't surprise me what anyone says....

                    I think some think because I'm the site reviewer means I feel my opinion is more valid or carries more weight than theirs. I don't. My opinion is what it is, an opinion, others very well will feel differently about it and they do.

                    Some people think this episode was worse than I did. While others think that this is the perfect build up to the perfect ending to Clark and Lana's relationship...

                    *shrug*

                    To each his own.

                    I still have to finish my Requiem review, but as for this episode: I don't agree that what they did here was a good thing for either Lana or for Clark.
                    I'll be looking out for your review of "Requiem".

                    For what it's worth, I think your reviews are fun to read because you come at them from a different angle. You find stuff that most reviewers would miss, such as lighting & camera angles. So, it's cool to read your reviews.

                    And, as far as your comments on KK goes... I was thinking the exact same thing, so it's not just you. I was very taken aback that KK thought this was a good ending for Lana. She makes it seem like it was this ending that made a stronger Lana, but it didn't, at all. Lana completely sold out -- she sold her whole life for power. How is that a GOOD thing for girls to see and romantacize?
                    Last edited by eas; 02-10-2009, 07:38 AM. Reason: Automerged Doublepost

                    Comment


                    • #55
                      Originally posted by SVsleuth
                      Triplet,
                      Various thoughts on Power:

                      In the flashback, we saw Lana escape from her captors & go directly to Carter. This implies that she had previously been planning to search for him to undergo training, before she'd ever been incapacitated by Brainiac. This plan might have even been conceived as far back as when she faked her death. Maybe the induced coma, plus being forced to make the tape for Clark & then getting kidnapped just solidified her determination to move ahead with the plan, which maybe she had hesitated to do previously.

                      When she left Carter, she contacted Dr. Groll, taped their communication, and hid that at ISIS - which is when Chloe bumped into her.

                      I think Lana believed she couldn't be with Clark, that she was holding him back from becoming all he could be. She continued to believe this, even while continuing her training & planning to steal the Prometheus suit. I think when Clark came to her at the Talon and said "What about what WE need" she had an epiphany. I think she suddenly realized that Clark NEEDS her, needs love, her love, to sustain him in order to keep doing what he needs to do. I think she realized that she's NOT just a distraction to him, but that she's what motivates him to be a hero.

                      At that point, she apparently realized that being with Clark just might be a fringe benefit of her putting on the suit. From her conversation with Chloe, we know that she DID plan to tell Clark about it after she had done it. Maybe some part of her always harbored a hope that once she was in the suit, that maybe there would be a chance for her and Clark to be together, if he wanted that. But her primary motivation was to get out of Lex's clutches, and deprive him of the ability to ever use the suit. By using it herself, instead of destroying it, she got Dr. Groll to her side, away from Lex. If she had just destroyed it, Groll could have built a new one for Lex. From some episode way back, we know that Groll tried to get away from Lex, & was probably being blackmailed into helping him now. Groll took a huge risk to use the suit on Lana & claim it was Lex's orders. Maybe Groll assumed Lana would use it to kill Lex, thus solving his own problem as well. Otherwise, I'm sure Lex would follow through on whatever threats he made to entice Groll to work for him.

                      I think another reason Lana wanted to use the suit was so that Clark would stop being so worried about HER & be free to focus more on helping the rest of the world. She figured if she could take care of herself, Clark would stop worrying about her safety.

                      Her final reason to use the suit was her own desire to be able to do something significant to stop evil in the world, all on her own. This opportunity was something that she was in a unique position to take advantage of. Who else could pull it off & provide the world with another hero? Who else even knew about it? Lana was the one on the inside, who knew what Lex was up to. She feels an obligation to the world to stop Lex and people like him. I think she feels that fate or circumstances have placed her in a unique position to be able to thwart Lex's every move, not out of hatred or revenge, but out of a sense of duty to the world. Life has led her here; she chooses to make the most of it for the betterment of the world. And thus, her mother's prediction comes true: "I never made a difference here; but maybe my children can..."
                      You make some really good points. If I get inside Lana's head and not my own, I can see why she would be drawn to wearing the suit and not just keeping Lex out of it. It makes sense that she would desire physical invincibilty as a way to protect herself and feel safe.

                      She is a battered wife of sorts, when it comes to the hold that Lex has over her. Whatever Lex' intentions were, he had his people violently kidnap her against her will. Even though Clark would not hurt her, Brainiac sure did because he knew that Clark loved her.

                      She knowingly got involved with both these men, but her intentions were pure, at least with Clark. It took Lana many years to realize that Clark has very powerful enemies, most notably Brainiac, Bizarro, and Lex.

                      But, at the end of the day, TPTB have made sure that fate would always be against Clark and Lana. Sure, there are ways to "fix" the krypto-radiation problem. But, at this point, these two have been miserable together more often than they have brought each other happiness. And the same goes for us the viewers. I am so sick of these two bringing me down week after week, season after season.

                      Lana left Clark because she realizes that she is no longer a victim. She has the power within herself to decide to end the Clana misery and make her own decisions and find her own happiness. She can go forward with her original plan to use the suit to rid the world of the pain caused by Lex and people like him. Reuniting with Clark was not even part of her original plan.
                      Last edited by stenochick; 02-10-2009, 10:11 AM. Reason: to reflect that I agree with poster's comments about episode, not his disagreement with triplet's review of it.

                      Comment


                      • #56
                        Originally posted by suzieQ
                        I am asking her to EXCLUDE the part where she compares Kristin's work in GBD and her "approving " Lana's storyline......like Kristin had a choice or it was totally up to her to decide we have NO WAY OF KNOWING! Can you honestly say that YOU KNOW what Kristin thought of felt about all aspects of the storyline. Again, it is ALL SPECULATIVE to everyone. SO NO, it is NOT fair to ASSUME anything.

                        How Triplet "feels" about the episode , I could really care less about, because I disagree. Not only do I disagree I find her assessment inaccurate......throw in the poor objectivity and you get a very weak and poor review. That is my opinion and I am entitled to express that.
                        You're entitled to your opinion, but KK did go on record to say that she at a hand in shaping Lana's exit and she seemed genuinely happy with it. She didn't, in any shape or form, express misgivings about how it made Lana look or how it was not a good message for young girls.

                        And, I'll say this about KK: Over the years, she has been vocal about what she didn't like about Lana and her problems with the direction of her character. (It's one of the reasons I've liked her and had no problems seperating her from her character.) She went on record, again and again, about the issues with Lana Lang.

                        This time, though, she seemed content with the mini-arc. Therefore, I think Triplet's comments are justified. It *is* very confusing to see KK endorse this final arc and exit of Lana's. I'm not saying she had control in how it went down - but she had control in what she said in interviews about it & she NEVER went on record to say that she had misgivings.

                        And, frankly, anyone SHOULD have misgivings about the message that's being sent. Which is that a girl can only be with a "perfect" person if they become "perfect" themselves -- even if the girl has to torture herself to get that point.

                        And, yes, Lana stated that she did all this to be with Clark. She may have turned him down at the end of "Bulletproof" but it was only because she hadn't completed her quest for power, yet. The second she was his "equal", she sought him out and offered him a chance to be by her side for life.

                        I won't even get into the fact that it's impossible to take Lana seriously when she claims to be doing this for the greater good, when this is a woman who has kidnaps, tortured, and almost killed in the name of the greater good. She is not an ethical person and, yet, believes herself to be most ethical person in the world.

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

                        Originally posted by TheANIMAL (marcus)
                        I disagreed with alot of the points Triplet made.

                        Didn't Lana say over and OVER again that she wanted to do some good, that becoming super!lana had to do with her quest for power rather than her self hating or because she wanted to be with Clark?

                        Didn't she say that she was planning on never coming back to Smallville until she decided to go to the wedding?
                        That was one of the things that made this episode so poorly written. She claims she never intended to come back to Smallville, but also claims that she couldn't be with Clark until she was his equal & she was in a position where she wasn't a liability, anymore. All decisions she made on her own and all decisions she kept Clark in the dark about. In fact, they said that she'd come back to Meteropolis more than once and didn't bother to check in with Clark or Chloe. Great friend. In fact, her quest for power was so high that she couldn't even be bothered to take time out of her quest for the suit to go to her best friend's wedding? Or stop by for coffee?

                        She couldn't tell Clark what was going on with her and what her plans were? Why? Because he would stop her. That doesn't even make sense. If what she was doing wasn't wrong, why would she think that Clark would stop her? Obviously, she felt guilty.

                        Overall, this arc showed Lana to be a selfish person who is only interested in her own ends. How does she benefit? How does she become stronger? How does she gain power and control of situations, even if she leaves all the people who love her behind in the dust.

                        How is that the story of a good person?
                        Last edited by eas; 02-10-2009, 08:52 AM. Reason: Automerged Doublepost

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                        • #57
                          Let me see if I got right, a woman to feel empowered need to go under extreme Navy Seal training and, since that is not enough, do deals with shady scientists (that work to their insane ex-husband) and graph the skin with nano-tech?

                          Poor Martha Kent then...
                          Last edited by Timester; 02-10-2009, 08:46 AM.

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                          • #58
                            I didn't know people were allowed to argue and bash someone who takes time out of their schedule to post a review solely for this site that is their opinion *raises eyebrows*

                            A review is someones opinion and people need to respect that. Fair enough you may not agree with what Triplet has said in her review, but you do not need to go on a long rant at her. Is disrespectful.

                            I for one always enjoy your reviews Triplet, they are your opinion and thats why i enjoy reading them. I didn't like Power either, but its nice to read why others didn't also.

                            Comment


                            • #59
                              Originally posted by Jaderoyale
                              I didn't know people were allowed to argue and bash someone who takes time out of their schedule to post a review solely for this site that is their opinion *raises eyebrows*
                              Me neither.

                              Comment


                              • #60
                                I can tell from what you wrote that your own biases against Lana & Clana greatly colored your interpretation of the episode & caused you to greatly misinterpret the story the writers are telling.
                                In all fairness, couldn't the reverse be said of those that feel this was some awesome story, that was so great for the show? Of course, but I doubt very much you'd want your opinions dismissed with claims of bias, would you? That being the case, I don't see how thats right to do to Triplet or anyone that didn't see what you saw. If I was all about Lana, I might've saw some merit in the episodes as well. Unfortunately (or not), I'm much more about Clark, and the show as a whole.

                                *If* this arc was supposed to be all about the influence that Clark has on people, and how he inspires them to the right path, and goodness, etc, etc, then I would say the writing failed miserably. And why? Because there wasn't enough of that aspect highlighted in the episodes themselves. In Lana's whole final speech, does she once say how much Clark influenced her? Not once.

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