Well...I think the problem with this interpretation is that Clark doesn't view Chloe as a missed chance. I can understand why Chloe might view Clark that way. But I don't think it's a two way street and I don't think it ever has been for CLARK. Clark was very much in love with Lana (and always had been) and then after Lana left....he didn't look at Chloe. He fell in love with Lois. He never really saw Chloe as a legitimate choice. Sadly, Chloe always seemed to be his back-up plan or the person he would turn to when he couldn't be with his #1 so that he wouldn't have to be alone. And sadly, this is something that he literally confirmed out loud in "Crimson" when he admitted that he was keeping her in his back pocket. As crazy as that episode was, it outlined pretty clearly where Clark's head and heart were with the women in his life at that point in time. He was in love with Lana, he was physically attracted to Lois and he was keeping Chloe in his backpocket.
And you know...as someone who used to really like Chloe....I wanted better for her. I wanted her to find a man who would put her first and truly look at her like she was the most beautiful creature on the planet and consider her his #1. Clark was never going to be that man for Chloe. He proved that over and over again. For 10 years, Clark looked for his soulmate. He never felt complete. He looked for her in Lana and eventually found her in Lois. But in all that time....no matter how close he was with Chloe....he was never complete in that way with her.
Now, let me be clear on something: I have never once believed that Clark did ANYTHING wrong in not returning Chloe's feelings the way she wanted him to. Nor do I think he did anything wrong in wanting to be with Lana all those years. Nor do I think he did anything wrong in falling in love with Lois as opposed to Chloe once Lana left. I don't think Clark EVER did anything wrong. You love who you love. And as much as I felt for Chloe....Clark was not to blame for his feelings.
That being said, as much as I have struggled with Chloe's character in the past few years, I could legitimately understand if Chloe felt a sense of hurt or resentment when Clark fell in love with Lois. Why? Because for several years, Chloe had been Clark's friend. And she had waited for years for Clark to look at her that way. And then Lois and Clark wind up the Daily Planet together and sparks start flying between them. Now, again, I don't think Clark or Lois did anything wrong nor do I think they wronged Chloe in any way. But I can understand how deep down that might have felt to Chloe kind of like, "I can't freaking believe this." It's sort of like the dunk tank scene from "Facade" all over again. That scene, in it's simplicity, said a lot about how shocking it was for Chloe to realize that Lois was a threat when it came to Clark. And Chloe recognized it right away in that scene.
My point with this is....I was not offended as a Cloiser by the hallucination scenes.
Is it pandering? Maybe. But I also think it's a way of acknowledging that Chloe harbored very deep feelings for Clark for a long time and there is a part of her that perhaps still harbors some feelings of lust. In that moment, Clark was essentially offering her what he NEVER offered her in real life. In 10 years, Clark literally never uttered those kinds of words to Chloe. He said those kinds of things to Lana and to Lois but never to Chloe. And yeah....in the hallucination she was tempted. I think it would have been more out of character if she was NOT tempted. Of course she was tempted by Clark.
And Lois showing up was acknowledging that Lois did wind up getting one of the things that Chloe wanted: Clark. Let's be blunt here. Lois shares a bed with Clark. She's marrying him. So yes...even if Chloe is over Clark....I can understand why a hallucination like that might shake her up. And I don't think acknowledging that there might some lingering envy over what Lois and Clark share together means that Chloe is a bad person or that she isn't happy for Lois and Clark or that she doesn't love Oliver. Envy is a very real human emotion. To me, it makes Chloe way more real to acknowledge these emotions rather than to pretend they don't exist.
I appreciated a lot of the introspection with Chloe tonight. It felt real to me for the first time in a long time.
And you know...as someone who used to really like Chloe....I wanted better for her. I wanted her to find a man who would put her first and truly look at her like she was the most beautiful creature on the planet and consider her his #1. Clark was never going to be that man for Chloe. He proved that over and over again. For 10 years, Clark looked for his soulmate. He never felt complete. He looked for her in Lana and eventually found her in Lois. But in all that time....no matter how close he was with Chloe....he was never complete in that way with her.
Now, let me be clear on something: I have never once believed that Clark did ANYTHING wrong in not returning Chloe's feelings the way she wanted him to. Nor do I think he did anything wrong in wanting to be with Lana all those years. Nor do I think he did anything wrong in falling in love with Lois as opposed to Chloe once Lana left. I don't think Clark EVER did anything wrong. You love who you love. And as much as I felt for Chloe....Clark was not to blame for his feelings.
That being said, as much as I have struggled with Chloe's character in the past few years, I could legitimately understand if Chloe felt a sense of hurt or resentment when Clark fell in love with Lois. Why? Because for several years, Chloe had been Clark's friend. And she had waited for years for Clark to look at her that way. And then Lois and Clark wind up the Daily Planet together and sparks start flying between them. Now, again, I don't think Clark or Lois did anything wrong nor do I think they wronged Chloe in any way. But I can understand how deep down that might have felt to Chloe kind of like, "I can't freaking believe this." It's sort of like the dunk tank scene from "Facade" all over again. That scene, in it's simplicity, said a lot about how shocking it was for Chloe to realize that Lois was a threat when it came to Clark. And Chloe recognized it right away in that scene.
My point with this is....I was not offended as a Cloiser by the hallucination scenes.
Is it pandering? Maybe. But I also think it's a way of acknowledging that Chloe harbored very deep feelings for Clark for a long time and there is a part of her that perhaps still harbors some feelings of lust. In that moment, Clark was essentially offering her what he NEVER offered her in real life. In 10 years, Clark literally never uttered those kinds of words to Chloe. He said those kinds of things to Lana and to Lois but never to Chloe. And yeah....in the hallucination she was tempted. I think it would have been more out of character if she was NOT tempted. Of course she was tempted by Clark.
And Lois showing up was acknowledging that Lois did wind up getting one of the things that Chloe wanted: Clark. Let's be blunt here. Lois shares a bed with Clark. She's marrying him. So yes...even if Chloe is over Clark....I can understand why a hallucination like that might shake her up. And I don't think acknowledging that there might some lingering envy over what Lois and Clark share together means that Chloe is a bad person or that she isn't happy for Lois and Clark or that she doesn't love Oliver. Envy is a very real human emotion. To me, it makes Chloe way more real to acknowledge these emotions rather than to pretend they don't exist.
I appreciated a lot of the introspection with Chloe tonight. It felt real to me for the first time in a long time.
I didn't mind the illusions at all either.
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