Voice of Reason: Articles: The Clark-Lana Relationship

The Clark-Lana Relationship

The Clark-Lana relationship has gone through many stages - some immature, some mature, some genuine, some forced - but all stages shared a common factor: they were all controversial.

Lana in particular has been viewed in many different lights, perceived by some to be Clark's ideal, by others to be Clark's living nightmare. Here are the common accusations leveled at the Clark-Lana relationship:

"Clark just liked her for her looks."

For those of you who missed the first season, this frequent assertion probably originated in the pilot. The pilot introduced Lana in slow motion, showing her laughing with a friend, her kryptonite necklace glittering on her neck, Clark watching her. He approached where she was standing and, affected by the kryptonite, tripped clumsily, dropping his textbooks. She helped him to pick them up, and, seeing Nietzsche among them, remarked, "Nietzsche...I didn't know you had a dark side, Clark." Clark, feeling sick from the kryptonite, managed to say, "Don't we all?" She was intrigued by this reply and said thoughtfully, "Yeah, I guess so. So what are you, Man or Superman?" Soon her boyfriend came along and she and her boyfriend left together.

Later in the episode, Lana and Clark unexpectedly encountered each other in the cemetery at night. Lana had just given her boyfriend the necklace "for luck," and she and Clark were able to have their first real conversation. Clark was in a troubled state, as he had just discovered the identity his parents had hidden from him. The minute Lana saw him, she said, "Clark? Are you okay?" Clark didn't care what she thought of him at that point - his world was falling apart. "I'm hanging out in a graveyard. Does that strike you as okay behavior?" Lana was understanding and sympathetic. "Hey. I'm here too." "Good point. What's your story?" They found their common ground. "Can you keep a secret?" Lana felt instinctively that she could trust him, letting him see something that her boyfriend probably wouldn't understand. "I'm the Fort Knox of secrets." Lana proceeded to show him her parents' grave, and had a whimsical conversation with them, to which Clark contributed.

There are two views on this. A) Conversations like this come from liking someone's looks. B) Conversations like this come from a mutual understanding.

Personally, I go with (B).

In the next episode, Clark made a sacrifice and returned Lana's necklace, a gesture that would bring back the barrier between them, as they could not interact without Clark getting sick. He also saved the life of her boyfriend. Later in the season, he again walked away from the potential relationship, instead honorably reunited her with her boyfriend. He never put their relationship before Lana's wellbeing. Does this sound like someone mindlessly infatuated with a hot cheerleader...or like someone who cares about a girl and wants what's best for her?

The common assertion that "Clark couldn't have loved her, because until the pilot he'd never had a conversation with her" holds no place for me. None of us have ever had a personal conversation with Clark Kent, but we appreciate his values, his integrity, and his unique personality without personally interacting with them. Granted, we see him in more vulnerable situations than usual, but the fact remains that we watch his behavior from a distance and either like or dislike it.

Another spin on this assertion is that "Clark viewed Lana as a trophy to be won". This doubtless was suggested by the boyish strategies he employed to woo her, and Lex's habit of using analogies of battle tactics when discussing their relationship. However, Lex discussed everything in terms of battle and strategy, at least in the first season. As for Clark's strategies, what teenage boy doesn't use them? Even grown men plan ways to impress their girlfriends, even if it's something as simple as well-timed flowers or chocolate. In the same way, women plan to make themselves look good with strategic applications of makeup. Both of them want to be seen in a good light, and take action to make sure that happens. But I don't think anyone would blame the man for bringing chocolates or the woman for putting on makeup. In the end, this assertion too comes up against the many times when Clark gave Lana up. Was he handing over a trophy as part of a strategy, or doing the right thing by the woman he loved?

And, finally, the extreme accusation: "Clark was stalking her." In several episodes, Clark, unable to be near Lana because of her necklace, watched Lana longingly through his telescope. Yes, this was an invasion of space - but at the time, he was fifteen. Later he asked Martha what she would do if she could see anything, and she told him she would learn to close her eyes. In the second season, older at sixteen, he discovered lust and learned to control himself. If anything, Clark was unusually self-controlled.

More to be added later...

(In case you're wondering what I think about the later seasons, here's the relationship in a nutshell:

Season Two, Clark and Lana and the writers became more changeable (Clark liking the repulsive Kyla, Lana snooping in Chloe's computer) and therefore dislikable, but overall their chemistry gained momentum as Lana's abandonment issues and Clark's ability to be there for her meshed beautifully (Visage, Exodus). One poorly played out issue was Lana pushing Clark to tell her his secret after his "Tempest" rescue - it was too early in the relationship for her serious forecasts of what happens when couples are secretive. But this petered out eventually, and the bond they forged as she learned to lean on Clark was compelling. Interesting relational dynamic - Lana telling Clark that she would feel a little weird about meeting someone from another planet, whereas Chloe enthusiastically imagines the experiences an alien could share.
Season Three, the writers made the mistake of a pendulum relationship, so that Clark pursuing a wary Lana, Lana pursuing a wary Clark, and both of them pushing away while wanting each other, became a joke. Once, all three forms of pursuit appeared in one episode (Whisper). It was hard to take seriously when, after two emotionally intense episodes (Exile and Phoenix), Clark told Lana that they couldn't be together...the very next episode ended with Lana gently touching Clark's stomach, and the episode after showed Clark fantasizing about Lana. The season was a tedious merry-go-round. However, we still understood Clark's decision to break the cycle and tell her his secret, and their silent connection in the finale almost made up for the weightless words of the middle episodes.
Season Four...their relationship went the way of all the relationships, characters, and storylines. See "Why Smallville's Fourth Season Failed".
Season Five, the relationships resumed advancing in wobbly baby steps. All the writers seem to have different takes on the characters, so the first dozen episodes have been like a patchwork quilt. One episode, Clark respects Lex despite their disagreements. Another episode, Lex is dirt under his feet. One episode, Lana is sweet and wholesome and wants to trust Clark. The next, she is the drama queen of S4, challenging, accusing, and acting as if the world is against her. All the crucial relationships have been hopskotching between dynamics of love and hate, from "How can they stay apart" to "Why don't they just admit they hate each other". In some ways, the fact that they have visible dynamics again is a big step forward from S4. But all the tiny contradictory steps backward and sideways get distracting; and since Lana and Clark are nothing like the down-to-earth, sweet, messed-up kids they used to be, seeing the stereotypical high school jock [in college] and beauty queen together is anything but fulfilling.)




The Clark-Lana Relationship The Clark-Lana relationship has gone through many stages - some immature, some mature, some genuine, some forced - but all stages shared a common factor: they were all controversial. Lana in particular has been viewed in many different lights, perceived by some to be Clark's ideal, by others to be Clark's living nightmare. Here are the common accusations leveled at the Clark-Lana relationship: "Clark just liked her for her looks." For those of you who missed the first season, this frequent assertion probably originated in the pilot. The pilot introduced Lana in slow motion, showing her laughing with a friend, her kryptonite necklace glittering on her neck, Clark watching her. He approached where she was standing and, affected by the kryptonite, tripped clumsily, dropping his textbooks. She helped him to pick them up, and, seeing Nietzsche among them, remarked, "Nietzsche...I didn't know you had a dark side, Clark." Clark, feeling sick from the kryptonite, managed to say, "Don't we all?" She was intrigued by this reply and said thoughtfully, "Yeah, I guess so. So what are you, Man or Superman?" Soon her boyfriend came along and she and her boyfriend left together. Later in the episode, Lana and Clark unexpectedly encountered each other in the cemetery at night. Lana had just given her boyfriend the necklace "for luck," and she and Clark were able to have their first real conversation. Clark was in a troubled state, as he had just discovered the identity his parents had hidden from him. The minute Lana saw him, she said, "Clark? Are you okay?" Clark didn't care what she thought of him at that point - his world was falling apart. "I'm hanging out in a graveyard. Does that strike you as okay behavior?" Lana was understanding and sympathetic. "Hey. I'm here too." "Good point. What's your story?" They found their common ground. "Can you keep a secret?" Lana felt instinctively that she could trust him, letting him see something that her boyfriend probably wouldn't understand. "I'm the Fort Knox of secrets." Lana proceeded to show him her parents' grave, and had a whimsical conversation with them, to which Clark contributed. There are two views on this. A) Conversations like this come from liking someone's looks. B) Conversations like this come from a mutual understanding. Personally, I go with (B). In the next episode, Clark made a sacrifice and returned Lana's necklace, a gesture that would bring back the barrier between them, as they could not interact without Clark getting sick. He also saved the life of her boyfriend. Later in the season, he again walked away from the potential relationship, instead honorably reunited her with her boyfriend. He never put their relationship before Lana's wellbeing. Does this sound like someone mindlessly infatuated with a hot cheerleader...or like someone who cares about a girl and wants what's best for her? The common assertion that "Clark couldn't have loved her, because until the pilot he'd never had a conversation with her" holds no place for me. None of us have ever had a personal conversation with Clark Kent, but we appreciate his values, his integrity, and his unique personality without personally interacting with them. Granted, we see him in more vulnerable situations than usual, but the fact remains that we watch his behavior from a distance and either like or dislike it. Another spin on this assertion is that "Clark viewed Lana as a trophy to be won". This doubtless was suggested by the boyish strategies he employed to woo her, and Lex's habit of using analogies of battle tactics when discussing their relationship. However, Lex discussed everything in terms of battle and strategy, at least in the first season. As for Clark's strategies, what teenage boy doesn't use them? Even grown men plan ways to impress their girlfriends, even if it's something as simple as well-timed flowers or chocolate. In the same way, women plan to make themselves look good with strategic applications of makeup. Both of them want to be seen in a good light, and take action to make sure that happens. But I don't think anyone would blame the man for bringing chocolates or the woman for putting on makeup. In the end, this assertion too comes up against the many times when Clark gave Lana up. Was he handing over a trophy as part of a strategy, or doing the right thing by the woman he loved? And, finally, the extreme accusation: "Clark was stalking her." In several episodes, Clark, unable to be near Lana because of her necklace, watched Lana longingly through his telescope. Yes, this was an invasion of space - but at the time, he was fifteen. Later he asked Martha what she would do if she could see anything, and she told him she would learn to close her eyes. In the second season, older at sixteen, he discovered lust and learned to control himself. If anything, Clark was unusually self-controlled. More to be added later... (In case you're wondering what I think about the later seasons, here's the relationship in a nutshell: Season Two, Clark and Lana and the writers became more changeable (Clark liking the repulsive Kyla, Lana snooping in Chloe's computer) and therefore dislikable, but overall their chemistry gained momentum as Lana's abandonment issues and Clark's ability to be there for her meshed beautifully (Visage, Exodus). One poorly played out issue was Lana pushing Clark to tell her his secret after his "Tempest" rescue - it was too early in the relationship for her serious forecasts of what happens when couples are secretive. But this petered out eventually, and the bond they forged as she learned to lean on Clark was compelling. Interesting relational dynamic - Lana telling Clark that she would feel a little weird about meeting someone from another planet, whereas Chloe enthusiastically imagines the experiences an alien could share. Season Three, the writers made the mistake of a pendulum relationship, so that Clark pursuing a wary Lana, Lana pursuing a wary Clark, and both of them pushing away while wanting each other, became a joke. Once, all three forms of pursuit appeared in one episode (Whisper). It was hard to take seriously when, after two emotionally intense episodes (Exile and Phoenix), Clark told Lana that they couldn't be together...the very next episode ended with Lana gently touching Clark's stomach, and the episode after showed Clark fantasizing about Lana. The season was a tedious merry-go-round. However, we still understood Clark's decision to break the cycle and tell her his secret, and their silent connection in the finale almost made up for the weightless words of the middle episodes. Season Four...their relationship went the way of all the relationships, characters, and storylines. See "Why Smallville's Fourth Season Failed". Season Five, the relationships resumed advancing in wobbly baby steps. All the writers seem to have different takes on the characters, so the first dozen episodes have been like a patchwork quilt. One episode, Clark respects Lex despite their disagreements. Another episode, Lex is dirt under his feet. One episode, Lana is sweet and wholesome and wants to trust Clark. The next, she is the drama queen of S4, challenging, accusing, and acting as if the world is against her. All the crucial relationships have been hopskotching between dynamics of love and hate, from "How can they stay apart" to "Why don't they just admit they hate each other". In some ways, the fact that they have visible dynamics again is a big step forward from S4. But all the tiny contradictory steps backward and sideways get distracting; and since Lana and Clark are nothing like the down-to-earth, sweet, messed-up kids they used to be, seeing the stereotypical high school jock [in college] and beauty queen together is anything but fulfilling.) © Voice of Reason, 2007