First off, I agree with all of you in that I found the only redeeming quality of last night's epi to be the Clark/Chloe stuff. That was great. Loved their banter and her dismay over finding out that Pete knew and got to see Clark's spaceship. My favorite line: "I didn't know that super whining was one of your abilities." Excellent!
And for my friend CC, I'll say that last night's epi went a long way in moving me toward her belief that Chloe *is* Lois. Last night was pure Lois and Clark goodness only with Chloe.
As for Lana, my problem isn't so much that they've given Clark another first love besides Lois. As I've stated before, I can accept Clark falling in love with someone else first and even losing his virginity to a non-Lois as simply another incarnation of the Superman mythos. If it makes it easier to swallow to call it such, an alternate universe if you will. And since Smallville has already deviated so far away from canon, it's not a stretch to push things that extra bit.
My issue is that for four years they've shoved Lana down our throats without making her an appealing character. In the beginning, at least she was the pretty girl-next-door/Clark's high school crush. I could understand why he liked her, and I would have probably been okay if sometime in Season 1 or 2 they had Clark and Lana get together only to be torn apart by his secrets.
But that's not what they did. Instead they've *teased* us (and I use this word very lightly since I view a tease as showing people something they really want but can't have - I've never wanted Lana and Clark together) with the idea of this relationship. Except they've neglected to show us a Clark that really seemed to pine for Lana or a Lana that was worth pining for in such a way that we want these two together. They've not given us any reasons to feel badly for this couple because of how badly they want to be together but how tragically they cannot.
They've simply given Lana too much importance. She could have held her own as Clark's high school sweetheart. They could have had Clark dating her, hiding his secret from her, and even used her as the catalyst for Clark discovering his own sexuality and what being a super-powered being means in terms of a physical relationship. Instead they elevated Lana to a role in the Superman mythos that is beyond anything I can accept, even in this alternate universe.
Last night, when Clark and Lana finally got together, I felt not one iota of happiness for Clark. I didn't feel relief or even a "finally!" I just felt sad.
What a waste.
But I think CC has the right idea. I'll join her in the land of Denial.
Lynn
