mrsMxyzptlk: 
Thanks for dropping in to comment.
It seemed to jump quite abruptly to Lex's dinner with Lois Saturday night. It wasn't immediately clear that that was what was going on. I thought that Lois's observations about Nigel were just general statements of her opinion, not current observations. It would help to have some short lead-in to that section that clarifies that we've jumped a few days and who is in the room.
My newly added Clark scene does a bit to bridge the shift in time, but I'll still work on something more concrete to end Rival, but probably not until I finalize my Archives version, about the time I fix Lois not being freaked out by Miranda's dead body.
I'm more and more appalled by Lex's behavior and attitudes towards women. He's not just a normal, evil villain. He's a sick, amoral, demented monster. I don't usually see him portrayed to be quite this bad, even when he is shown to view women as expendable playthings. Ari is surprisingly gullible. I wonder what's at the root of her phobia, but I get the feeling that I don't really want to know.
Yes, I did make Lex a bit sick and demented. I left Ari's phobia vague for that very reason.
Regarding Lois getting a LoLex watch instead of the same kind as the other women, I figure this is another reflection of his obsession with her. Since there's no Rolex for him to have patterned the name after, I figure it's a combination of Lois and Lex.
Hmmmm. Interesting theory.
I wonder how long Lex has had surveillance at the DP and whether anyone will find it. These cameras and microphones have to be stashed somewhere.
Well, nobody picked them up the first time until Clark deliberately went to look for them. They were installed recently... about the time as her home ones were installed.
Thanks for your comments.
