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Who wants Martha out of politics?

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  • Who wants Martha out of politics?

    I know we're not even seeing her. But it still bothers me that Martha Kent is a senator. It's just so far off from the Superman story, and when you know the Kent farm is the home of a famous politician it contradicts the feeling the farm is suppoose to have....

    If Annette O'Toole can't be on the show, find a better way to leave her character... Maybe have Lex or Tess resonsible for injuring her, and put her in a wheelchair and leave in that home we saw in Hourglass in Season 1? Or the injury could come from Doomsday or Brainiac? This could all be explained without even showing it.

  • #2
    You know, you've painted a 'different' picture of Mama Kent in politics. I never thought of it that way. However, I'm for whatever it takes to have her back at home on the Kent Farm, preferably retired. I'd like to see her baking pies again and nurturing her flower garden as well as being there dispersing wisdom to Clark whenever he needed her. It might even be less strange with her away IF Clark would mention her from time to time, or we could catch the end of a telephone conversation between Clark and her. At least That would appear more 'normal' for a mother and son who were so close while he was growing up. It feels so 'wrong' for her to be gone.

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    • #3
      99% of all Smallville fans would love to see Martha Kent back on the farm... But if things can't be worked out with Annette O'Toole, the writers have to deal with it.... Leaving her some place quiet (like a retirement home) seems fitting. Making her a famous politician does not.

      I mean, with everything Clark is going through, reminding myself that he's the son of a now famous politician doesn't help seem believable that he could keep his powers a secret.... The idea of Martha becoming a politician was a stupid idea from Al & Miles, and I'd like to see PS3 fix it.

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      • #4
        I think she's fine as is, and it's nice to have her doing something constructive. It's better to have her as a senator out there doing something than someone sitting on the farm doing nothing. I've always loved the direction of her being senator.

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        • #5
          Not me, I like her just where they took her. It's the 21st Century. We're long past the era of the lifelong housewife, who does nothing but bake pies and cookies. Give her an education (which they did), give her a job (which they did, several times), give her ambitions outside of the home (which they did).

          Not to mention, the series finale had Lex become President of the United States. No doubt, he'll eventually be forced to leave office. There is a line of succession for these sorts of things:

          1) Vice President.

          2) Speaker of the House of Representatives.

          3) President pro tempore of the United States Senate.

          If the Vice President and the Speaker are incapable or unable to assume the position, then it's up to the president pro tem. If Martha could reach that position by the end of Lex's time in office, it would provide us with one good, honest politian to assume the role of President of the United States.
          Last edited by jon-el87; 10-01-2019, 12:38 PM.

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          • #6
            Originally posted by ForzaItalia
            Leaving her some place quiet (like a retirement home) seems fitting.
            Um, Martha was about the same age as Jonathan (born 1961), as they met in college. This would make her about 46 in 2007. Seriously? A 46-year-old being put into a retirement home?

            I mean, with everything Clark is going through, reminding myself that he's the son of a now famous politician doesn't help seem believable that he could keep his powers a secret.
            You keep saying "famous politian". Are politians really "famous"? Sure, perhaps you can name a few, but how many of their children can you name? With few exceptions, you can't. You only hear about their children, when they're caught doing something illegal (that could harm their parents politically or make them unsuitable for office), or it's exposed that their parent might have exploited their position to help the children profit from something (like getting a juicy government contract).

            No one would care about Clark Kent, when it comes to Senator Kent. He doesn't do drugs, he doesn't party wildly. He never gets into trouble. Senator Kent is never caught trying to help Clark secure a government contract. Why would anyone care about Senator Kent's son?

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            • #7
              I can see both sides here. Having her be a politician does seem a tad much, considering that her father seemed to run in the same circles and she seemed unhappy with that lifestyle growing up. Why else marry Jonathan and be a simple farm wife?

              But then, on the other hand, that would be a waste of the business degree she got at college where she first met Jonathan. She seemed to be the happiest running and owning the Talon, though. It seemed like she got to have her cake and eat it then... be a simple housewife, but also put her business degree to work.

              She only took on the political role because others asked her to do it after Jonathan died. She only accepted out of a sense of obligation, and not because she wanted it. and ever since then, I don't think she's been truly happy, even if she was very good at her job as one of the few incorruptible politicians out there.

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              • #8
                You know, as a United States Senator... Martha earns around $174,000 per year. Thought about that, while checking out the Snyder cut, a while back. The DCEU Martha Kent works as a waitress (minimun wage, dependent on tips). The Lois & Clark Martha and Donnerverse Martha were housewives. Never seen Superboy (1988-1992), but probably the same there.

                Smallville's Martha has got to be the most successful Martha Kent ever. Then there is the question of female empowerment. There are a lot of definitions of what that means, but I'm going to go by what's on Wikipedia:

                Scholars have identified two forms of empowerment, economic empowerment and political empowerment. Rahman et al. said that empowering women "puts a strong emphasis on participation in political structures and formal decision-making and, in the economic sphere, on the ability to obtain an income that enables participation in economic decision-making."
                The article that I looked at, also cited the importance of education.

                If we look at Martha. She's got a college degree (education). She has a job that grants her a high salary (economic empowerment). A job in government (political empowerment).

                Let's looks at the other main Smallville female characters:

                Lana Lang: a high school graduate, never finished college. Economically independent... because she married and then divorced (getting ten million dollars out of it) a billionaire. No visible political influence or involvement.

                Chloe Sullivan: a high school graduate, never finished college. Economically independent... because she married a billionaire. No visible political influence or involvement.

                Lois Lane: a high school graduate, never finished college. She's got a job as a reporter (average salary: $30,540. How you look at her job, depends on how you look at how she got it in the first place. *cough* Grant Gabriel *cough*). Headed Jonathan Kent's senate campaign, then served as Martha's chief of staff for a while. She's also outspoken politically (political empowerment).

                Kara: fake high school graduate. Worked for a time as a waitress, in season 7. No word on any jobs since, in S10 or 11. Political involvement?

                Tess Mercer: Harvard graduate (education). Worked as a regional VP, later CEO, for LuthorCorp (economic empowerment). Because of that position, she might have had political influence.

                Looking at real-world standards of empowerment: education, economy and politics (rather than ones often used in fiction, like someone having superpowers or can beat people up). Martha might have been the most empowered female character on the show, alongside Tess. Because those are the two with the college degrees and well-paid jobs. The others lacked anything above a high school diploma. Chloe and Lana got rich... but because they married rich husbands. Out of Lois, Lana, Chloe and Kara, Lois is the only one who've visibly participated in politics.

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