acampbell

Well, "Crossroads" just isn't working with me today. I'm having trouble with the action, and with Lana's characterization--I don't really want her to go out a hero (we had that on the show, for Pete's sake!) but making her dark and villainous doesn't seem right, either, because she's already begun to be "redeemed" from that. On top of that, I have to produce "action" at this point, and I suck at that. And even the few sentences I'm coming up with sound dumb.

I'm moving in on the conclusion of another fic I've been working on for about a year and a half. Mostly just need to move stuff around toward the end and flesh out a bit. Not feeling that either, yet, this aft. It's been kind of a downer day, because I really had hoped to go on a trip and I'm disappointed it didn't happen.

So, maybe the next Clex pic post? "Crush"! I'm especially ready for it after slogging through the S8 Clana arc.

Chloe is upset (and rightly so) because Clark forgot to sign the two of them up for a journalism conference in Metropolis. And now it's too late to get tickets. She complains that she had to "pry him away from Lana" the day her car broke down, and "Whenever Lex and Lana are around, it's like the rest of us don't exist."

It's interesting the way she includes "Lex" here, because, while we've already been alerted that PETE is jealous of Clark's friendship with Lex, this is the first mention by Chloe, and an even better indicator that Clark is likely dazzled by Lex's attention and has been focusing on him to the exclusion of his old friends.

Clark wonders why she's so upset, and Pete confirms: "She wanted to spend the day with you. No Lana and no Lex."

The guys only have one scene together in this ep--seemed as though, even toward the end of S1, they were cutting back on their screen time together.

In the early days (when Clark actually READ and they didn't have him solely depend on the research skills of others for information) he had an endearing habit of turning to self-help books. Earlier, Chloe had accused: "Most men are from Mars, Clark, but you're from some distant galaxy I've never even heard of!" And she didn't know, then, how right she was!

When Lex shows up at the loft, Clark is clearly a little embarrassed to be caught reading this particular title.

Lex's nonplussed reaction to Clark's choice of reading material is a hoot.

"I have these two amazing friends who just happen to be girls."

"For argument's sake, let's call them 'Lana' and 'Chloe'." This is amusing because it indicates that a) Lana and Chloe are likely Clark's ONLY female friends, and b) Lex's droll response indicates that he's bored with Clark's assumption that he might not know who he was referring to!

He seems to be looking somewhere other than at Clark's face...:)

"...always liked Lana, blah, blah, Chloe likes me and now I might have feelings for her, too..."

"Which one do you want to pursue?"

"That's just it: I want to protect my friendship with both."

"Then you'll never get either."

Clark, a tad miffed, says he'll stick with the book.

Lex tells Clark that being willing to put himself "out there" is a requirement for romantic success.

Clark asks if Lex has ever been in love.

He's only loved two women, he says. One died, the other betrayed him. Considering the context of this ep, he is likely referring to his mother and to Pamela, his former nanny.

"Some people are meant to be alone."

And damn Martha Kent anyway, for interrupting this moment! (with the news of Principal Kwan's death.)

In this scene, Lex continues his tradition of giving Clark romantic advice, exhibiting his "Go for it," philosophy. Even though he's clearly amused by Clark's predicament, there's just a hint of slight boredom at Clark's befuddlement over the situation. And Clark is clearly discombobulated by Lex's "no-nonsense" recommended strategy.

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