Splinter Quotes

[attitudejc]

Originally posted by FOG
"where did you get that from, a fortune cookie?" Lana to Lex

funny!

[tibbit78]

My favorite Splinter quotes:

1) Chloe to Clark: "You think I told Lionel your secret? Clark, I would never do that! I'd die before I ever betray you, Clark!"

2) Jonathan Kent to Lionel Luther: "So, you want to back me for Senate, running against your son? Now why would you want to do that?"
Lionel to Jonathan: "Lex is an extraordinary young man. He's always had an extraordinary appetite for power. If he succeeds in this first foray into the political arena, I'm afraid he'll develop into this fierce taste for it, he'll go on to devour the whole world."
Jonathan: "Well...I guess the apple doesn't fall that far from the tree."

3) Chloe to Clark: "You know, I have to admit that for once in my life, I'm glad that I'm not the object of your desires."

4) Clark to Milton Fine about human beings:
"You don't know anything about this race! Yeah, they can be petty, and dishonest and betray each other over nothing, but they can also be honest and loyal, and they would give up everything to protect someone they love, even if they are from another planet. My name is Clark (after Milton Fine calls him Kal-El). I'll always believe in my friends and my family."
(I believe Clark is talking about Pete, Chloe, Jonathan and Martha Kent. I didn't mention Lana Lang, because she doesn't know Clark's secret).

5) Chloe: Mrs. Kent, are you all right?

Martha: Chloe, how long have you known about Clark?

Chloe: Since last year.

Jonathan: How much did he tell you, Chloe?

Chloe: Everything, I think. That's how I knew about the Kryptonite he kept hidden in the barn. I just came in to check on him when I heard all this commotion.

Martha: What's happened? Why is he acting that way?

Chloe: I don't know. He came to visit me at the Daily Planet, and he just freaked out. He was accusing me of revealing his secrets to Lionel Luthor. Then I tried to explain it to him and he wouldn't listen. It was like he was a totally different person.

Martha: It must be red Kryptonite.

Jonathan: Sweetheart, this is different, somehow. I don't think so.

Chloe: Red Kryptonite?

Martha: There's another kind of Kryptonite. It's red instead of green. It changes Clark's personality. He loses all his inhibition and becomes very unpredictable.

Chloe: What about Silver Kryptonite?

Jonathan: Silver?

Chloe: I think I may know what's gotten into Clark.

6) Lana and Lex

Lana: I should have known you'd pull something like this. You just can't stand to see us together, can you?

Lex: I think this is the part where I usually say, "Lana, what are you talking about?"

Lana: I don't know how, but you knew what would happen when you sent this to me. (she throws a silver Kryptonite rock on Lex's desk)

Lex: I swear this is the first time I've ever seen a Meteor Rock that looks like this.

Lana: I don't have time for anymore of your lies, Lex. What did that do to Clark?

Lex: I just shared a most important secret in the world with you today. What would I have to gain by lying to you now?

Lana: If you didn't send this to me, then who did?

Lex: I honestly don't know, but you said this did something to Clark. What happened?

Lana: Chloe said it infected him. He's acting all paranoid, like everyone's turned against him. Lex, the way he looked when I saw him....

Lex: Listen to me. We'll take this to Luthorcorp and get my best people working on a cure. Whatever's happened to Clark, I promise I'll find a way to help him. Deep down, he's still my friend.

Lana: Thank you.

Lex: You're my partner, now. It's the best I can do.

Lana: I am sorry I didn't trust you, Lex. I know we have our differences, but you have always been there for me.

A little later...

Prof. Fine: Clark...you don't want to do that. Trust me. (Prof. Fine stops Clark from strangling Lana Lang).

Clark: I can't trust anyone, anymore. Are you one of Lex's experiments?

Prof. Fine: No, I'm your friend. If you hurt Lana, it'll destroy you!

Clark: What are you?

Prof. Fine: I am a Kryptonian, just like you. And I'm sorry...this is really going to hurt.
Clark Kent groans and moans while Prof. Fine pulled a splinter out of his shoulder with a red magnet.

Prof. Fine: You'll be all right now, Kal-El. (Professor Fine whooshes out of there with his super-speed).


7) The Kent Family

Clark: The thing is, I don't know what was real, and what wasn't.

Jonathan: Well, your parents loaning you to Lionel Luthor for medical research definately wasn't real.

Clark: Well, I know you'd never do that. I'm sorry.

Martha: It wasn't your fault, sweetheart. I'm just glad the infection burned itself out, when it did.

Clark: Yeah, me too. I guess no matter how much I trust someone, I'm going to worry about my secret coming out.

Jonathan: That's what I never wanted to have happened, which is why I've decided not to run against Lex Luthor.

Clark: Dad, I don't want you to put your life on hold because of me. I'm not going to let fear control my life or ruin yours. Kansas needs you. I want you to run against Lex. It's the right thing to do. If anything happens, we'll deal with it the same way as we always have, as a family.


8) Clark and Prof. Milton Fine

Before:

Prof. Fine: If you hurt Lana, it'll destroy you. (Milton Fine takes the splinter out of Clark. Clark is paranoid-free).

Later, Prof. Milton Fine visits Clark at the Kent barn.

Clark: Professor Fine?

Prof. Fine: How are you feeling Kal-El?

Clark: So, I didn't imagine that part.

Prof. Fine: No, you didn't.

Clark: I thought I was the last son of Krypton, but you people keep popping up.

Prof. Fine (laughing): Well, a Superior civilization is very difficult to eradicate.

Clark: Why are you here?

Prof. Fine: To stop what's coming, and to help you walk the path of a true Kryptonian.

Clark: So I can be superior? No, thanks.

Prof. Fine: Why do you continue to trust humans more than your own people?

Clark: I'm just going off what I've seen.

Prof. Fine: Maybe you need to look closer.

Clark: Why didn't you tell me who you really were instead of posing as my Professor this whole time?

Prof. Fine: Why do you keep your identity a secret, even from the woman you love? You've been on this planet many years, Kal-El. I had to observe you before revealing myself to determine just how much you've been influenced by these... ...humans.

Clark: You say "humans" like it's a bad thing.

Prof. Fine: I'm just going on what I've seen. This race shows promise. But at this point in history, they're still duplicitous by their very nature. Even the ones you love, can't be trusted.

Clark: You don't know anything about this race. Yeah, they can be petty, and dishonest and betray each other over nothing; but they can be honest and loyal, and they would give up everything to protect someone they love, even if they are from another planet.

Prof. Fine: Kal-El...

Clark: My name is Clark. And I'll always believe in my friends and my family.

Prof. Fine: I sincerely hope that your trust hasn't been misplaced. You'll know where to find me, when you're ready to accept the truth.

[Chandu.Lahari]

There are a lot of fantastic quotes in this episode... but my favorite: "Frictionless surface... at least that's what my experts tell me."

Before I say this--yes, I know this is going to make me a TOTAL nerd, but all I could think was: If you can lean your elbow against the ship and not have it slide right off, it means there's friction on the surface.

For being a genius, Lex Luthor is really stupid... and so are his "experts".

[MrsK]

There are a lot of fantastic quotes in this episode... but my favorite: "Frictionless surface... at least that's what my experts tell me."

Before I say this--yes, I know this is going to make me a TOTAL nerd, but all I could think was: If you can lean your elbow against the ship and not have it slide right off, it means there's friction on the surface.

For being a genius, Lex Luthor is really stupid... and so are his "experts".

And so are the writers... That line has always bothered me, too!

[DJ Doena]

There are a lot of fantastic quotes in this episode... but my favorite: "Frictionless surface... at least that's what my experts tell me."

Before I say this--yes, I know this is going to make me a TOTAL nerd, but all I could think was: If you can lean your elbow against the ship and not have it slide right off, it means there's friction on the surface.

For being a genius, Lex Luthor is really stupid... and so are his "experts".

Well, that depends on how you lean against it. If you lean on it in a way that simple gravity holds you in place then you're just fine.

It's like standing on a slippery ice plate. Try to walk and you probably slip and fall on your behind. But stand still and gravity will make sure you stay where you are.

[Chandu.Lahari]

In the scene mentioned, he's leaning his hand against a slope, though, which means there's some force keeping his arm from sliding down as gravity would like it to slide down (which is the friction force). Unless he just "rested" his hand on the surface and his own muscles are doing the entire work to fight gravity (as in he's physically holding his hand up to keep it from sliding)...

Even with the ice example you gave, if you're standing on a perfectly straight surface, you're right. Gravity is pulling you down, the surface is pushing you up, and you're in perfect balance. Even if there's a 1 degree incline to the ice slope, the friction between the ice and the boots (and yes, there is friction there, however small it is) is what keeps you from "gliding" across the surface until you find that balance.

Oh... wow. I cannot believe I'm going all nerd-o on you guys. Sorry! Of course, of all the GINORMOUS mistakes the show-makers make in this series, this is the one I chose to focus on. It does present a great point, though, I'd LOVE to research all the things in the show that are physically (as in physics-ally) impossible even for Superman!

[DJ Doena]

Don't worry I'm fully aware what friction is and how it works

I just couldn't remember the scene and how Lex leaned against or touched the ship.


The most egregious error I hat in the Superman universe is the "survival by Clark-catching" one. If you fall down a dam or a staircase shaft it does not matter if Clark catches you on the ground. It's not the fall that kills you, it's the impact.

Ironically the nerds from The Big Bang Theory were discussing this very scenario in their very second episode of the entire show but their argument was wrong because Sheldon claimed that Superman caught Lois two feet above the ground in Superman: The Movie, i.e. exactly like Clark does most of the time on Smallville. But in this very example Sheldon was wrong. Supes catched Lois halfway up the Daily Planet building, in this case he did have the time to decelerate.

Here are the scene:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCLi3_-iXHk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLjxyPy9bI4

[Chandu.Lahari]

Oh, man, I was giggling throughout that entire BBT clip! I don't watch the show, but I do enjoy the nerdiness! Thanks for that!

I actually don't think it's as much of a problem as Sheldon makes it out to be. Think about a car crash--how much room does a person actually have to decelerate? Less than a foot or so? That's usually enough to not cause horrible damage to the internal organs. With Superman, he can control how far he decelerates too. It happens so fast that we don't see it, but I'm sure he pulls his arms down as he's catching people so it's not like they're going 'splat' against his arms instead of 'splat' against the ground. Plus, we know that Superman can control the "metal-ness" of his body, otherwise people would notice that his skin doesn't feel human (honestly, I'm not really sure how this part works either--he feels like flesh-and-blood but bullets still bounce off him? The only explanation I can think of is that his alien-skin is just different than human skin? So it's not that it's metallic and 'hard', but rather that it's just made of different, impenetrable material like rubber that's not so flexible?). So that negates Sheldon's argument about slicing Lois's body into three equal pieces.

Still, decelerating in that short of a space should cause some problems--like bruising at the very least! How do these people not have Superman-arm signs (like seat-belt signs in motor vehicle accidents) on their backs?!

The bigger problem with the Clark-catch saves in Smallville is that he doesn't protect the neck/head. He usually catches them with the arms behind the back and legs, which would still lead to major whiplash, c-spine damage, brain damage, internal bleeding, etc. If he wants to save them right, he needs to cradle the head, or decelerating the body is going to end with the person's neck snapped in two.

[Chandu.Lahari]

Also, can I just say how much I'm enjoying this discussions with you, DJD? Love being able to discuss the physics!

[DJ Doena]

I actually don't think it's as much of a problem as Sheldon makes it out to be. Think about a car crash--how much room does a person actually have to decelerate? Less than a foot or so? That's usually enough to not cause horrible damage to the internal organs.

Well that depends on how fast you're driving or how deep you're falling. In Earth's atmosphere (i.e. with air friction ) a human body can reach a maximum of about 300 km/h (186 mph) in free fall. A person who doesn't want to die is not going into a perfect dive and will reach max 200 km/h (124 mph) after about 10 seconds of fall (a free fall without atmosphere would reach that same speed after about 6.5 seconds).

If you're sitting in a car driving 100 km/h straight into a wall, you decelerate from 27.78 m/s to 0 m/s in 1.5 meters, which means the force of 257g are pressing upon your body.

The survival of an impact beyond 100 km/h becomes very unlikely, even in a modern car, so if you fall down longer than 3 seconds it's very unlikely even Superman's catch will save you.

Also, can I just say how much I'm enjoying this discussions with you, DJD? Love being able to discuss the physics!

me too

[Chandu.Lahari]

Assuming Lois fell from about a 40-story building (which is how tall the DP is, right?) she'd be traveling at about 130 mph by the time she's 2 feet above the ground (without atmosphere)... Let's face it, we both know you're right--she's not walking away from that without her spleen rupturing, her spine snapping, and much more damage that would require serious hospitalization/surgical intervention. It would be nice to at least see an effort on Clark's part to catch them up much higher and decelerate with them, but that would involve flying (which TPTB made a big deal of not happening until the last episode). And it wouldn't look nearly as cool, huh?

Oh, but the scenes that are even worse: the ones where Superman catches them WHILE "flying" upward! Like the clip you linked above and I'm sure there are a couple of scenes in SV too! I mean, there's ZERO deceleration there unless he somehow stretches his orangutan-arms down to his feet after catching them (which I'm assuming he doesn't because--last I checked--super-stretchiness wasn't one of his abilities?) Come ON!