Yes, it was a heartbreaking conversation, but, as has been said, necessary. What Kal doesn't understand, and what Lois never explained to him in so many words, is that all the wonderful things that Lois described are the *private* aspects of a marriage--the love affair part, if you will--but that a marriage also involves a *public* dimension.
A marriage is not *only* a relationship between two people. It is also involves the public recognition of that relationship because that relationship confers rights bestowed by the society. What Kal is asking for--a private marriage--is a contradiction in terms.
Some of those rights involve the children, some involve things like property rights, some, in a feudal society like NKs, involve status and protection of the wife. But one of those public rights is the right to expect other people to leave your spouse alone. Lois expects that of herself where Za is concerned; she has too much respect for herself, for Kal, and for Za to allow herself to be the other woman. Obviously the NKers don't have the same expectations of their nobles, else why would they have concubines?
So it seems to me that Kal and Lois have only had *half* of the conversation they really need to have about marriage. What Kal is asking for, but Lois can't accept, is an affair, not a marriage. Kal is asking in all innocence, but Lois is not that naive and can't accept what he is offering.
Never fear, though, because, Kal being the determined leader that he is, something tells me that he will find a way to give her what she needs--a true, legal, monogamous marriage. He's going to dig up some obscure Kryptonian law of divorce or annulment. Perhaps there is some law that the marriage can be disolved if no heir is produced within a certain time frame? Then Kal can marry Lois and get busy producing the heir the old-fashioned way.
Come to think of it, disolving Kal and Za's marriage through infertility may have been part of Nor's plan, but he didn't reckon with the appearance of Lois Lane.
I will say that Kal's self-image reinforces my idea that Kryptonian ideas of beauty are different from ours. Maybe Lois is the only woman on this whole planet who is drooling over the Supreme Ruler. The others are just trying not to gag when they see him at the Report every month and Za is relieved that she never has to actually touch him. Either that or someone has deliberately undermined his self-image. And the way he phrased it himself, that he couldn't do anything about the way he looks, but he hoped the rest would be enough to make up for it was just precious.
Lois's comment about how awake Kal will become brings up a delicate topic. With all this awakening going on, Kal will soon be in need of a certain conversation that most dads have with their boys when they get to be 12 years old or so. I'm thinking about the one involving embarrassing loss of control over a certain body part. I'm surprised the subject hasn't already come up. Oh, what that poor man has lost with the disappearance of that globe! This Clark is in desperate need of a Jonathan.
Excellent part, Corrina. It's painful, but that will make the reunion that much sweeter.
Have a safe trip and a good visit!
