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Why must Clark shed his past?

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  • #46
    Originally posted by BoyScout-ManOfTomorrow
    It doesn't make any sense!

    He sells the farm but holds on to a telescope he used to spy on Lana?!! WHAAAA? And Lois is happy keeping it around and cleaning it from all the, ugh, "smudges" it's gotten from all those years of Clark "star gazing".
    That telescope was from his father. Hiram Kent gave it to Jonathan when he was young. Besides, it was Lois who put the telescope there, not Clark.

    As for Clark selling the farm, it is probably because he can't dedicate himself to the farm any more. He is saving the world at a larger scale and he has his career at the Daily Planet. His decision was logical, more than anything. He never had to sell the farm in the Comics, because his father was still alive and took care of the farm. Even after he died, recently, he had Conner living there with Martha, and he probably became the one responsible for the farm.

    In Hostage, Martha made clear to Clark that she doesn't want to live in the farm any more, because it has too many memories of Jonathan, and she has her career as a politian. There is a reason why she gave them the farm, and that is because she doesn't want it any more, and she doesn't plan on living there. Clark and Lois aren't the famous ace reporter couple who has enough money to live in an amazing appartment with a balcony. They can only afford a studio appartament with rusty pipes, in a bad part of the town. It is not reasonable, even if you consider that Clark has to keep his secret, that he would be able to keep a farm and work at the DP. It was already bad before, but now that he is going Global, and there were will be lots of eyes trying to discover his secret, it is important that people don't ask questions such as "how is Clark able to work in Metropolis and keep a farm running without help?"

    I am not fond of Superman IV, but I do remember that Clark sold his farm after his mother died in the movies, so, I guess it is possible they are just hinting at that as a possibility.

    Regardless, the future of the farm remains to be seen. Personally, I don't think this episode was only about "Clark selling the farm". I think this episode was about Clark letting go of the farm, and realizing he needs to live in Metropolis. In the end, he might not even sell it. It all depends if Martha decides to live there, or not.

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    • #47
      I forgot Martha died in the movies.

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      • #48
        Originally posted by Blue85
        I'm a bit disappointed that TPTB feel that Clark must become a non-entity, separated from his past to become Superman.
        1. He gives up his father's watch in Reunion. Why was that necessary?
        2. He says "Clark Kent is just a name"
        3. He decides to sell the farm. Why not discuss it with his mother or hold onto the farm as a respite. It's not like he can't afford to hold onto the farm if he wants it -- there's two incomes and a billionaire friend to help out if needed.

        I just don't think having reminders of the past prevents someone from embracing their future.
        Hanging onto the past is, arguably, precisely what prevents one from embracing the future.

        I've seen enough from this show of Clark just wanting to be "normal", just wanting to stick around Smallville with his head in the sand, remaining the plaid-clad farmboy forever, mooning after Lana, his highest ambition to play HS football, and wanting to be exactly like his dad, to know that in order to become Superman this Clark Kent needs to make a conscious break with his past.

        And Superman is hardly a "non-entity"!

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        • #49
          Where the heck is Ben Hubbard when you need him!

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          • #50
            Originally posted by Blue85
            It's not like he can't afford to hold onto the farm if he wants it -- there's two incomes and a billionaire friend to help out if needed.


            Not really. The show always tried to keep one foot grounded in reality. Several times, they established that the farm was struggling. As late as season 6 ("Prototype"), Clark remarks that they're barely keeping it running. And that was when he was there full-time. Now he's got a full-time job in Metropolis and another career as a superhero. He's gotta have some time to breath. And maintaining the farm would just swallow more time (and no, repairing a barn isn't relaxing). You mention that Clark and Lois have two incomes, but they probably don't earn enough to afford both an apartment in the city (not to mention food, clothes, cars and other essentials) and a farm in Smallville. You mention a billionaire friend. Okay, so Clark is supposed to just take advantage of his friendship with Oliver? Get him to pay all of Clark's bills, just so Clark doesn't have to make difficult life choices?

            Someone here suggested that Conner could run it. Okay, so has he expressed an interest in running a farm? The truth is, by keeping the farm, all they'd end up doing is turning it into a burden. The only question is, who'll draw the short straw, while everyone else is off living their lives. To tell you the truth, I don't think Jonathan ever really wanted to run the farm. I recall some season 4 episode, where it's established that Jonathan was going to go to college, but then his dad got sick and needed him on the farm. Preventing Jonathan from having a whole other life and trapping him on the farm. Jonathan would occationally snap, when Martha expressed an interest in having a job, outside the farm. Wouldn't surprise me if there was more to it. That what we saw was an externational manifestation of an internal conflict in Jonathan. He wanted to move on from the farm, but couldn't bring himself to openly admit it. Instead, he got angry at his wife, for wanting to do exactly what he wanted.

            Then there's Martha. Already in season 1, they established that Martha's originally from Metropolis. So, she has no roots in Smallville. When her son moves from there, her sole remaining relative in Smallville departs. If she one day leaves politics (which could be quite a while, as there's no term limits for senators), why would she move back there? She has no more family in town. No roots and what friends she may have had, she's probably lost touch with years ago (some might even be dead). She'd just be sitting alone on the farm, waiting for Clark and Lois to visit her once a month. However, if she moved to Metropolis, she'd have it all. She could live close to her son and his wife. Reconnect with relatives and old schoolfriends.

            Clark selling the farm isn't shedding his past, it's about moving on with his life. He'll always cherish his time there, but he isn't going to desperately hold onto a material building. He shouldn't have to keep the farm, just to hold onto past memories. He doesn't need the farm to remember.

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            • #51
              In a couple of fics I've written set in the future, I've had Clark keep hold of the farmhouse and barn even though he lives in Metropolis. He's sold most of the land but kept a small plot plus the two main buildings. I even have Martha move back to the house after she ends her senatorial stint. To partially explain it away, I wrote it as though the buyer who was closing escrow around the Finale had second thoughts after the Darkseid and Apokalips episode.

              It allows Clark to uphold Jonathan's advice to "always hold on to Smallville" without tethering him to the farm and a farmer's life. In my fics, Clark and Lois live in a different apartment to the one they moved into in season 10 - one with more space, more facilities and more seclusion to allow Clark/Superman to come and go unnoticed. To make it financially viable for them, I made it so that Oliver helped them secure some very favourable financing so his involvement helps them out without him digging into his own pockets on their behalf. Multi-billionaires can secure financing on better terms than those with a 'regular' income, and Oliver and Lois both know the more private location is handy for Clark to go about his day using his alter ego.
              Last edited by Bally; 07-09-2018, 12:18 AM.

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              • #52
                In Guardian #4, Clark says that he can't go back to the farm, because Lex could now track him. So, between that and Lois' line in "Homecoming", we can confirm that they didn't sell it in the end.

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