Voice of Reason: Season Five: Lexmas

Lexmas

Overall

This episode was a curious blend of the expected and the unexpected. The hanging of Christmas decorations, the baking of Christmas cookies, the Christmas music, Lex's golden dream-Christmas – these were all part of our expectations, and while they fulfilled our best expectations, they did not surprise. However, each storyline – Lex-plot and Chloe-subplot – had an element of the unexpected. I didn't expect that Lex's life (and Clark's cookie-crunching) would be this cute. I didn't anticipate a Santa plot, and definitely not one so saccharine and embarrassing. And I had no idea that Lex's complex inner life could get this good again.

"The road to darkness is a journey, not a lightswitch." – Lex.
Before this episode, when was the last time Lex made a choice? I should add a clause to clarify. Before this episode, when was the last time Lex, in his right mind, made a choice? While he's been split in two, zapped by one of the elements, and placed under other influences, he has never been faced with two roads and a choice. He has never been confronted with the problem: he has simply put his head down and charged at brick walls, without ever thinking about the consequences. And that's the thing – there aren't any. He's charged at brick walls and walked away without having to deal with the bruises. That isn't a choice – that's someone who isn't fully conscious.

This episode, figuratively speaking, Lex came back into consciousness. This Lex was not still in a wild-eyed emotional hangover from touching a stone in "Commencement". He rose fully conscious, looked at the two roads, and – in the reaction that we could see him being prepared for four years ago – his defense mechanisms kicked in. Every time he consciously places his trust in someone, he is betrayed. Helen Bryce tried to kill him. Lionel promised to train him…then erased his memory. Lex's unwillingness to trust in this episode was the culmination of years of character-building – and I believed it.

His acting was powerful. This episode, without the need for black kryptonite, split Lex into two sides again. But in this episode, both sides were three-dimensional. The grinning, guilty explanation about the Christmas tree, the big overgrown kid act as he carried it in, the pure joy over his daughter's birth, and the gutwrenching horror and pain as he watched Lana die, were good Lex – the Lex he wanted to be. The desire to have it all without giving anything up (which we've seen growing since the beginning), the "trust reflex" that would not allow him to take risks for the ones he loved (which we've also seen growing since the beginning), his rejection of his father and unflinching pinpointing of his father's bluff (an instinct that had developed in the beginning but went on hiatus from season four's premiere until now), and the Lex who chose power over love and pain – this was the inner Lex we'd glimpsed before, season one, season two, season three – not a revelation, but an unveiling. And both roles were played to perfection. The tears in his eyes as Lana struggled for breath, and the gaze into the distance at something unseen as Lionel entered the room, were equally compelling.

Yes, this episode's strength was balanced by weaknesses. Chloe's bright, happy, selfish manipulation bordered on obnoxious; the action was very sparse, leaning heavily on scenes like Jonathan sneaking cookies and Lana decorating the Christmas tree; and the Santa plot made me put my face in my hands for several minutes. But overall, the writers went with the right idea. This episode didn't rely on Lex's dream to make it funny, sweet, or poignant, yet in a pleasant one-episode way it was all three. At times unsteady and sentimental, but still an unexpected pleasure to watch.

Good/Bad Moments

The opening scene was probably my least favorite segment. For one thing, the entire time it played that laid-back Christmas song with lyrics about the wonderful feeling of spreading joy and cheer, and it held you back from experiencing the dark meeting in the basement, walking along the network of pipes; the covert conversation between Lex and Griff; and, finally, the shooting. The setting was cold and dark, the lighting was weird and twisted, the events were sinister, yet at first you felt detached, almost indifferent, because the music was so unconcerned.
The Lex-shooting was probably the least convincing shooting Smallville has had. A gun goes off, and it is unclear if he is shot; if he is, it doesn't really show in his face, and he's able to turn around and face her without apparent difficulty. Then she shoots him and he leans back a precarious distance but doesn't fall, instead turns around so that he falls in a spiral. If they were trying to make it weird and unreal in that dream-like way, they should have gone with the way they did it in "Hidden". The setting is so different and the scenario so different that it wouldn't have looked like a copy. As it was, he seemed to be defying the laws of nature in his strange balance and ability to turn.
It was strange to go from that constant, steady Christmas music (when it really shouldn't have been there) to utter silence in Lex's dream-life. It seemed backwards. You'd think merry Christmas music would be playing in the background during the second scene, not the first.
It was hard to believe (although it made a nice camera shot) that Lex's first instinct, seeing Lillian, was not to turn around but to continue talking to her reflection.
I appreciated that the writers immediately established exactly what the fantasy was, with Lex and with the viewer. "It's as real as you want it to be." "All of this can be yours if you make the right choices." Their clear, distinct messages kept it from being "Slumber" (in which the first quarter, unknown to the viewer, was a dream, thus making us viewers feel vaguely weirded out and unable to appreciate the lunacy). Once Lillian explained this (and it was fairly obvious, anyway), Lex didn't have to spend too much time bewildered, trying to adjust; his fairly quick adjustment wasn't unbelievable; and he could learn the lesson he was meant to learn and enjoy it for what it was, as we did.
The whole scene at the Kent's as they baked and decorated was sweet. Jonathan kissing Martha and stealing the cookie, Lana and Clark placing the angel on the tree. Slightly pointless, as it was independent of any action, and it could have been reduced to something much shorter with "Winter Wonderland" playing in the background and the camera always moving, a montage to show their holiday spirit instead of a whole scene. However, glimpses of a fully functional, healthy family life are rare on television, even recently on Smallville, so I'm not picky about this one.
The first hint of Chloe's grating, forward, slightly inappropriate role in this episode was when Clark's Christmas ringtone sounded, interrupting Clark and Lana's kiss, and they both laughed. "Tell her Merry Christmas for me," Lana laughed as she left, as if they are both acknowledging that Chloe's unsolicited calls for Clark happen often and are to be expected. Then Clark answers without looking at the Caller ID: "Hi, Chloe." This made Chloe look really needy and almost end-of-Season-Two possessive. If they had portrayed it as a problem, I could have understood it; but the writers let Chloe boss Clark around throughout the episode, and her strange, hyper behavior was allowed to pass as if it were normal Chloe energy. Chloe is by now fulfilled in some way by being Clark's secret-keeper: in some ways she is closer to Clark than Lana. She doesn't have the same needs now - and this moment denied that.
"Hi. I've got a problem. Meet me at the Planet. I need your help." And dangerous, intense music played in the background. This was badly directed. It shouldn't have been a dangerous moment, because a) the situation wasn't dangerous at all, and b) it was part of the set-up, not the climax. As it was, since all she had was her "gift-giving dilemma," it made her yet again look manipulative.
Because Lex's two worlds were so distinct – one joyful, one dark and tense in the hospital – and Smallville's world was in turn so distinct – almost all joy – there were some weird transitions to make it seem like something was happening when nothing was. Chloe's call for help is a good example. Nothing was happening, but they needed a more dramatic transition to the frantic hospital hallway. Later there were others.

Oh, no - presents!
Nice, the doctor's light turning into the glow of the dream.
The subtle comedy I love came back as Lex carried the carseat to the car, stammering excitedly, "I just – I – seven years, I – " then struggled to get the carseat in the tiny car. His attempts to buckle it and Lana's laughter at his ineptness, his bumping his head on the roof of the car – I was laughing out loud with the pure joy of it. It was funny, it was sweet, and it wasn't slapstick, like Lois Lane knocking a guy out. His excitement, his unfamiliarity with cars other than limos and convertibles, all contributed to the humorously real look at what life would be like if he had just landed in it.
More cute little moments, as Lex waved to his son, then got in the cramped car with its broken seat, looked helplessly at the ignition, then turned to look back at his giggling son. The little boy who played Alexander did an excellent job. He was full of that innocent, energetic love of life that pervaded the episode.
It was interesting that they found Chloe and Clark together at the tree farm. They (Chloe and Clark) obviously weren't married (neither wore a wedding ring, Clark told Lex later that maybe some day he'd get up the courage to propose to someone), and didn't seem to be dating (in the Lex-Clark conversation about why Clark and Lana didn't end up together, you'd think Chloe would come up if they were dating). But were just as obviously very close, and even bragged on each other with that kind of possessive pride that married couples have. There was also something interesting in the fact that they were tree-shopping together. The writers left the future of this relationship open.
"Uncle Clark, Uncle Clark, make me fly!"
"Yeah, they loved the idea of a LuthorCorp exposé complete with an anonymous tell-all source." Lex does a double-take. This was a cute moment, but it could have been revealed better. A more natural way to reveal it would be, "The book's coming out in May." "So soon?" "Well, apparently right now the public's got an appetite for these sorts of exposés. But not everyone has an anonymous tell-all source. I couldn't have done it without you, Lex." The first way seemed a bit staged.
"…you're faster than a speeding bullet, and you don't want to disappoint all those under-privileged children, do you?" They walk right past the janitor/"mysterious Santa", as Chloe is talking about faster than a speeding bullet, yet neither seems to notice him or care that he overheard. This was a strange moment. Also, this is the second time Chloe's told Clark that he's faster than a speeding bullet – she needs to find some different Superman metaphors.
"She'll understand…or at least she'll understand whatever story you make up to tell her." Again, Chloe is being inappropriate.
"Chloe, this isn't Toys for Tots, it's Toys R Us!" This made me laugh, as it was such an apt comparison.
Chloe putting the Santa hat on Clark, snapping pictures of him, laughing…if this had been two-sided (Clark in the same festive, giddy mood) this would have been slightly easier to believe, but even so – even if Clark had been participating just as goofily – Chloe's flighty orbit around him would still seem out of place, very uncharacteristic. She came across as very pushy. If she had asked this enormous favor and been apologetic about it, exhausted from all her work and drained of most of her holiday spirit, and Clark felt sorry for her and helped her, that would have been one thing. But her maneuvering and subsequent rollicking happiness were unattractive. It's as if she's happy because she's found a way to get him away from Lana and spend Christmas Eve with him.
Clark kneels down and puts the presents under the tree, looks up and sees the plate of cookies and glass of milk, and dashes out – and the camera pans down to show the plate emptied. I laughed out loud at this one. The cinematography was brilliant.
The shots of Clark dashing from place to place made me laugh…but see Details H.
After Clark told the kid that he was the new, improved model and the kid pointed out the other Santa, the camera shot was comical as Clark watched the drunken Santa staggering on the ledge. It wasn't until Clark reached the roof that it became corny.
Cute – and a relief – that Clark was immediately conscious of his Santa hat and took it off before continuing the conversation.
The light flute and piano music, saying in its melody "Ah, how sad," as Clark talked to the Santa, contributed greatly to the corny feeling. It was another musical selection that wasn't taking a scene seriously. Perhaps it was meant to play off the corniness, but I prefer the quirky, funny way Early Edition handled their "mysterious Santa," with nobody really listening to him and often quarreling with and talking over him until the end, instead of Clark having this nice, condescending conversation.
"What happened to Christmas? Peace on earth? Goodwill to men? I tell you something, the spirit of Christmas is dead!" The writing did contribute to the corniness in Santa's lines. But, again, perhaps it was meant to.
Another of those strange transitions, illustrating the Moments (i) transition problem, when Santa staggered up, went over to the edge of the building, it looked he was going to jump, Clark hesitated, the drums rolled – then cut to the quiet hospital. Again, they made a dramatic moment out of it, as if there were a problem where none existed, so that we would feel like something was happening. However, in the follow-up scene, Clark and Santa are both sitting down and Clark has been telling Santa his life story. If the writers wanted us to feel like something was happening, they should have made something happen.
Lex's grinning, guilty schoolboy confession about the Christmas tree was so endearing. The acting in this scene was full of the joy he'd been suppressing during the past year or two – excellently done by writers and Rosenbaum.
And then, keeping us from finding it too predictable: "Can you understand that?" "Of course I can, honey. It's the same thing you tell me every year."
"Come on, Muscles! Do I have to do this all myself?" Lex reaches out and taps the kid's head as the kid runs by. Lex himself has fallen into the daddy syndrome of being a big, overgrown kid and loving it. This was so real.
"As far as I'm concerned, getting shot was the best thing that ever happened to you. The choices you made that day…" Good moment, reminding us and Lex diligently of the point. You can see that it is all directly connected, that a lot hinges on what Lex does when he wakes up. Later Lionel's line complements this one.
I found it hard to believe that Clark would sit there telling a drunken Santa the story of his relationship with Lana, telescope and all. It would be more Clark's style to empty a bucket of ice-water on his head and sober him up, or tell him when he asked why he shouldn't jump, "Because a little kid is watching from that window." Of all the people Clark's confronted, how many has he successfully "talked out of it"? It was also somewhat egotistic. "The spirit of Christmas isn't dead. After all, look at me."
The worst line of the episode came from Santa. "So the two of you decided to give up your Christmas Eve to play Santa Claus? I guess I was wrong. The spirit of Christmas isn't dead after all."
It was humorous, the way they portrayed Dr. Litvack as cocky. "Cue the Christmas music. I'm about to perform a miracle." (See Details G.)
"Mr. Kent…Jonathan…" Actually it seemed a bit weird that the man who was Lex's surrogate father would be called by his first name. They were closest in the end of the second season/beginning of the third season, and Lex was still calling him "Mr. Kent".
"This is what I want. What do I have to do?" This was good – this decision. I thought it was The Decision for a while, though they maintained a bittersweet "too good to be true" feeling – and it was realistic. It would have been unrealistic if they let him choose the dark path without showing that he did want that life.
"What decision? What are you talking about?" – "Lex, who are you talking to?" Clark laughing. I liked this – all the mystery building up about The Decision. We viewers knew what it was, and this was one of those situations where it's better for the viewer to understand the future while the character struggles with it. It makes it more poignant. Having all the allusions to The Decision, and cutting off before he really understands – this was perfect.
"No one. Or possibly myself." Clark joins him. "I really don't know – guess I'm feeling contemplative this evening." "Yeah, well, the, uh, holidays'll do that to you," and Clark suggestively lifts and swirls his glass of alcohol. That made me laugh.
It was good to show that Clark was older, since you couldn't exactly change his hairstyle as with Lana and Chloe. Instead they showed him drinking (he's no longer underage) and very comfortable with his own identity, not struggling with lying to himself or lying to others but clearly with a defined purpose, and speaking without reservation, very honestly, about Lana and about his own failure. "You became the kind of man she could love." "You mean the kind of man you've always been?" "And, Lex, you offered her something I didn't."
"Lex? Come quickly, it's Lana." Fades into Lex's operation. This was a good place to cut off, but since the danger and tension was pumped up in both worlds, there really should have been some suspense/danger music here in the operating room as they fight to save him, instead of utter silence. They could then cut back and forth with their struggle and with Lana's struggle, the music building up into that of triumph as Lana gives birth and Lex's life is saved.
The celebration between Lana and Lex was very well done. Every time I watch it, I find myself smiling. It was so unusual to see Lex in a state of pure joy that, as "Shattered" was a heavy weight, this scene was a weight lifted, a freedom.
Good and traumatic as Lex is thrust out of the room. They let you see the trauma in its fullness, or as much as possible given their time-constraints, having him watch through the windows, pressing up close to the glass, horrified.
"It's Lana, Dad." As he came up and stated his case, it was weird to have Christmas bells in the background, instead of showing how heartrending this was for him. They should have played either some heartrendingly poignant music, or some twisted music here. Preferably heartrending, as twisted would be rather obvious and misplaced, too early. It needn't have been rich music, just yet, but some kind of emotional prompt.
"She's the mother of your grandchildren." This was a good appeal. I hate it when you're left thinking, "Why didn't he just say…" or "He didn't seem worried enough. If only he had done it this way…" This dialogue used all the good arguments, and was delivered with compelling, broken earnestness.
"No, Lex. I'm not going to do that. Don't you understand that every choice you've made has led up to this moment? Starting with that day in the hospital when you decided to forfeit the senatorial race to Jonathan Kent." The Decision is exposed at last, at Lex's most vulnerable moment. This was perfect plotting by the writers.
"You said you didn't want to be a Luthor, that you wanted to be free…to live happily ever after. Go on, Lex. Get back to it." Lionel words this perfectly, seeming to expose a fantasy. "…you wanted to be free to live happily ever after," as if perfect endings only require the freedom to claim them. And Lex interprets that freedom as the freedom of budget-less, limitless power to claim the best for the ones he loves.
Lex appealing to Lana. "Lana, please. Don't give up. Don't leave me." Crying. I loved this. This was so real, so three-dimensional. Lana has a fear of being abandoned (her parents, Nell, Whitney, Clark, Adam, Jason) and Lex has a fear of being abandoned/betrayed (Julian, Lillian/Lionel, Helen Bryce, numerous others, in some ways Clark). Lex's compulsive need for family and love was challenged in a life-changing way, and it really would take something that life-changing to bring on The Decision. This was motive, and while I'd always prefer that motive take place outside of the imagination, it still hit close enough to home to make The Decision compelling and poignant.
"Santa?" "Suit gave me away, huh?" "Ah, heh…w – w – what do you want?" Allison Mack's acting of Chloe wasn't my favorite in this episode, but this moment was definitely its peak, as her new gracious self weakens and she struggles with logical doubts and suspicions.
Chloe turns around, and Santa and the presents are gone. This was another campy moment. I think it was an unwise move to have the Santa subplot…without it, this episode could have been about a dream and about human kindness. As it was, this episode was about a dream and a fantasy.
Great cinematography as Lex goes through four phases. Phase 1 - thinking hard about his choice.

Phase 2 - We see Lionel, so crucial to the formation of Lex's twisted identity, enter behind him.

Phase 3 - Lex stays turned away...

Phase 4 - ...but when we see him, we know what his decision will be.
"You went against the doctor's advice…not to save me, but because you didn't want a cripple for a son." "How dare you play God with my life." Speaks huskily. It was good, a) to hear Lex's real voice with raw emotion coming through again, and b) to hear Lex's penetrating insight stabbing through his father's armor again. I'd missed both.
Cute touch, the dog eating the refreshments and Jonathan quickly herding him outside. That really made it a family gathering. There's always a toddler that opens someone else's gift, or dog that knocks the tree over, or something like this, treated with good humor and fixed and forgotten.
It was strange to have Lana serving refreshments, and Chloe and Clark sitting in the corner whispering. Again, slightly inappropriate. Clark is the host and Lana is the guest, yet Clark and Chloe are whispering and giggling over their secrets while Lana is the one helping out.
"Maybe he really is…" "Yeah right." "Come on, Clark, there's a chance." This was weird acting by Allison Mack. Perhaps it was because it was a weird role for Chloe to play at all.

Chloe is more known for her skepticism and wittiness than her wide-eyed, excited, childlike trust in something impossible. I try to imagine this scene in the first, second, or third season, and always come up with something different. "Santa was gone." "What are you saying?" "Okay, I know that my imagination has a tendency to run away with me, but, what if…" (Clark looks at her waiting, then looks at her skeptically.) "Oh, come on, Clark." "Maybe it was someone like Alicia, with the power to teleport." "And he decided to deliver Christmas gifts to kids for fun? Clark. You have to be willing to believe in legends once in a while." This would have been a lot more Chloe-ish (not to mention would make a nice Superman allusion).
"Merry first Christmas together, Clark. First of many." Transition to Lex watching the snow fall. This was so powerful, the parallels of cinematography, the two legends setting out on their separate paths in the falling snow.
"Much like Ebenezer Scrooge, I realize that what I want is to live happily ever after. And you know what the secret to living happily ever after is? Power. Money and power. See, once you have those two things you can secure everything else…and keep it that way." This was, again, a believable premise for The Decision.
"Do whatever it takes to knock Jonathan Kent out of the race." Bell rings. "I want to be senator. I want it all." The Decision. Griff looks at him, unreadable, almost as if he's witnessing someone's destruction, a bit in awe. "Consider it done. Merry Christmas."
Lex stands there looking out, mother's reflection next to him, like a ghost…sad bells ring. The darkness has begun.

Details

The inset read "Granville, Kansas". I always thought people were saying "Grandville".
"See, what's printed about a man is gospel. Doesn't matter if it's fact or not." The first time around, I thought he said, "See, what's printed about a man is gossip. Doesn't matter if it's fact or not," and I was trying to figure out why he would be arguing the difficulty of making the public believe him. The second viewing, I figured it out.
Was the scar on Lex's stomach/chest from the operation that Lionel ordered? At first it seemed strange that he had the scar without explanation, and putting all the pieces together took so long into the episode that it wasn't until the second viewing that I realized this was probably the answer. Now that I understand it, I appreciate the nice, realistic touch – raising questions in our minds to be answered in the real world.
One of Alexander's drawings was taped next to the bathroom mirror. I liked this touch – it's like the Kent family pictures you see in the farmhouse.
"It's usually just me and Nell at Christmas. Lots of tinsel and an artificial tree." We haven't seen Nell since Season Two, when she moved away. What did Lana do during Season Three and Season Four? It seems odd that she and Nell would celebrate Christmas alone, especially considering her relations with Nell. Chloe and her dad live alone, one would think Lana and Chloe would at least celebrate together.
In this future, Lex sees that Clark becomes a "full-fledged reporter" for the Daily Planet. Since Clark isn't currently pursuing that road, Lex is seeing things apart from the guiding hints of the way things are now. This was good to know.
Chloe was wearing similar clothes in the future and the present.
"Get me Dr. Litvack." John Litvack is in the credits as Co-Executive Producer.

Also, Cameron Litvack wrote the first season's episode "Reaper".
When Clark was dashing around gift-giving, there were three mistakes. 1) Whenever he was shown placing presents under the tree, he did not seem to be carrying many presents – yet shown from the top, he never returns to the Planet for more presents but dashes from home to home. 2) Clark is shown as a red blur, but he is wearing his blue jacket, not his red one. 3) Clark never slows down to figure out how to enter a home. Is he kicking down front doors, breaking locks? Or is every single home with "tots" in the heart of dangerous Metropolis unlocked or really easy to break into?
If Lex has just finished telling Lana that Lionel stopped celebrating Christmas years ago, why is he surprised that Lionel isn't exchanging Christmas gifts?
At the Christmas party, Lana tells Jonathan, "Only a few weeks now, Senator." That night, the baby is born – several weeks early. When a baby is born prematurely, isn't it taken to another section of the hospital so that its breathing and heartbeat can stabilize? It would have been a while before Lana could have seen it or held it, yet she seems to be holding it quite soon after the delivery, as she is still slightly breathless and perspiring from it all.
Maybe my family's strangely practical, but on below-32-degrees Christmases I never see anyone wearing something without sleeves, like Lana was wearing in the falling snow.

Lex's Journey in a Nutshell

Allured...overjoyed...

Called...

Tortured...

Betrayed in the present, betrayed in the future...

Abandoned...

Disturbed...

Angry...

Decision made.




Lexmas Overall This episode was a curious blend of the expected and the unexpected. The hanging of Christmas decorations, the baking of Christmas cookies, the Christmas music, Lex's golden dream-Christmas – these were all part of our expectations, and while they fulfilled our best expectations, they did not surprise. However, each storyline – Lex-plot and Chloe-subplot – had an element of the unexpected. I didn't expect that Lex's life (and Clark's cookie-crunching) would be this cute. I didn't anticipate a Santa plot, and definitely not one so saccharine and embarrassing. And I had no idea that Lex's complex inner life could get this good again. "The road to darkness is a journey, not a lightswitch." – Lex. Before this episode, when was the last time Lex made a choice? I should add a clause to clarify. Before this episode, when was the last time Lex, in his right mind, made a choice? While he's been split in two, zapped by one of the elements, and placed under other influences, he has never been faced with two roads and a choice. He has never been confronted with the problem: he has simply put his head down and charged at brick walls, without ever thinking about the consequences. And that's the thing – there aren't any. He's charged at brick walls and walked away without having to deal with the bruises. That isn't a choice – that's someone who isn't fully conscious. This episode, figuratively speaking, Lex came back into consciousness. This Lex was not still in a wild-eyed emotional hangover from touching a stone in "Commencement". He rose fully conscious, looked at the two roads, and – in the reaction that we could see him being prepared for four years ago – his defense mechanisms kicked in. Every time he consciously places his trust in someone, he is betrayed. Helen Bryce tried to kill him. Lionel promised to train him…then erased his memory. Lex's unwillingness to trust in this episode was the culmination of years of character-building – and I believed it. His acting was powerful. This episode, without the need for black kryptonite, split Lex into two sides again. But in this episode, both sides were three-dimensional. The grinning, guilty explanation about the Christmas tree, the big overgrown kid act as he carried it in, the pure joy over his daughter's birth, and the gutwrenching horror and pain as he watched Lana die, were good Lex – the Lex he wanted to be. The desire to have it all without giving anything up (which we've seen growing since the beginning), the "trust reflex" that would not allow him to take risks for the ones he loved (which we've also seen growing since the beginning), his rejection of his father and unflinching pinpointing of his father's bluff (an instinct that had developed in the beginning but went on hiatus from season four's premiere until now), and the Lex who chose power over love and pain – this was the inner Lex we'd glimpsed before, season one, season two, season three – not a revelation, but an unveiling. And both roles were played to perfection. The tears in his eyes as Lana struggled for breath, and the gaze into the distance at something unseen as Lionel entered the room, were equally compelling. Yes, this episode's strength was balanced by weaknesses. Chloe's bright, happy, selfish manipulation bordered on obnoxious; the action was very sparse, leaning heavily on scenes like Jonathan sneaking cookies and Lana decorating the Christmas tree; and the Santa plot made me put my face in my hands for several minutes. But overall, the writers went with the right idea. This episode didn't rely on Lex's dream to make it funny, sweet, or poignant, yet in a pleasant one-episode way it was all three. At times unsteady and sentimental, but still an unexpected pleasure to watch. Good/Bad Moments The opening scene was probably my least favorite segment. For one thing, the entire time it played that laid-back Christmas song with lyrics about the wonderful feeling of spreading joy and cheer, and it held you back from experiencing the dark meeting in the basement, walking along the network of pipes; the covert conversation between Lex and Griff; and, finally, the shooting. The setting was cold and dark, the lighting was weird and twisted, the events were sinister, yet at first you felt detached, almost indifferent, because the music was so unconcerned. The Lex-shooting was probably the least convincing shooting Smallville has had. A gun goes off, and it is unclear if he is shot; if he is, it doesn't really show in his face, and he's able to turn around and face her without apparent difficulty. Then she shoots him and he leans back a precarious distance but doesn't fall, instead turns around so that he falls in a spiral. If they were trying to make it weird and unreal in that dream-like way, they should have gone with the way they did it in "Hidden". The setting is so different and the scenario so different that it wouldn't have looked like a copy. As it was, he seemed to be defying the laws of nature in his strange balance and ability to turn. It was strange to go from that constant, steady Christmas music (when it really shouldn't have been there) to utter silence in Lex's dream-life. It seemed backwards. You'd think merry Christmas music would be playing in the background during the second scene, not the first. It was hard to believe (although it made a nice camera shot) that Lex's first instinct, seeing Lillian, was not to turn around but to continue talking to her reflection. I appreciated that the writers immediately established exactly what the fantasy was, with Lex and with the viewer. "It's as real as you want it to be." "All of this can be yours if you make the right choices." Their clear, distinct messages kept it from being "Slumber" (in which the first quarter, unknown to the viewer, was a dream, thus making us viewers feel vaguely weirded out and unable to appreciate the lunacy). Once Lillian explained this (and it was fairly obvious, anyway), Lex didn't have to spend too much time bewildered, trying to adjust; his fairly quick adjustment wasn't unbelievable; and he could learn the lesson he was meant to learn and enjoy it for what it was, as we did. The whole scene at the Kent's as they baked and decorated was sweet. Jonathan kissing Martha and stealing the cookie, Lana and Clark placing the angel on the tree. Slightly pointless, as it was independent of any action, and it could have been reduced to something much shorter with "Winter Wonderland" playing in the background and the camera always moving, a montage to show their holiday spirit instead of a whole scene. However, glimpses of a fully functional, healthy family life are rare on television, even recently on Smallville, so I'm not picky about this one. The first hint of Chloe's grating, forward, slightly inappropriate role in this episode was when Clark's Christmas ringtone sounded, interrupting Clark and Lana's kiss, and they both laughed. "Tell her Merry Christmas for me," Lana laughed as she left, as if they are both acknowledging that Chloe's unsolicited calls for Clark happen often and are to be expected. Then Clark answers without looking at the Caller ID: "Hi, Chloe." This made Chloe look really needy and almost end-of-Season-Two possessive. If they had portrayed it as a problem, I could have understood it; but the writers let Chloe boss Clark around throughout the episode, and her strange, hyper behavior was allowed to pass as if it were normal Chloe energy. Chloe is by now fulfilled in some way by being Clark's secret-keeper: in some ways she is closer to Clark than Lana. She doesn't have the same needs now - and this moment denied that. "Hi. I've got a problem. Meet me at the Planet. I need your help." And dangerous, intense music played in the background. This was badly directed. It shouldn't have been a dangerous moment, because a) the situation wasn't dangerous at all, and b) it was part of the set-up, not the climax. As it was, since all she had was her "gift-giving dilemma," it made her yet again look manipulative. Because Lex's two worlds were so distinct – one joyful, one dark and tense in the hospital – and Smallville's world was in turn so distinct – almost all joy – there were some weird transitions to make it seem like something was happening when nothing was. Chloe's call for help is a good example. Nothing was happening, but they needed a more dramatic transition to the frantic hospital hallway. Later there were others. Oh, no - presents! Nice, the doctor's light turning into the glow of the dream. The subtle comedy I love came back as Lex carried the carseat to the car, stammering excitedly, "I just – I – seven years, I – " then struggled to get the carseat in the tiny car. His attempts to buckle it and Lana's laughter at his ineptness, his bumping his head on the roof of the car – I was laughing out loud with the pure joy of it. It was funny, it was sweet, and it wasn't slapstick, like Lois Lane knocking a guy out. His excitement, his unfamiliarity with cars other than limos and convertibles, all contributed to the humorously real look at what life would be like if he had just landed in it. More cute little moments, as Lex waved to his son, then got in the cramped car with its broken seat, looked helplessly at the ignition, then turned to look back at his giggling son. The little boy who played Alexander did an excellent job. He was full of that innocent, energetic love of life that pervaded the episode. It was interesting that they found Chloe and Clark together at the tree farm. They (Chloe and Clark) obviously weren't married (neither wore a wedding ring, Clark told Lex later that maybe some day he'd get up the courage to propose to someone), and didn't seem to be dating (in the Lex-Clark conversation about why Clark and Lana didn't end up together, you'd think Chloe would come up if they were dating). But were just as obviously very close, and even bragged on each other with that kind of possessive pride that married couples have. There was also something interesting in the fact that they were tree-shopping together. The writers left the future of this relationship open. "Uncle Clark, Uncle Clark, make me fly!" "Yeah, they loved the idea of a LuthorCorp exposé complete with an anonymous tell-all source." Lex does a double-take. This was a cute moment, but it could have been revealed better. A more natural way to reveal it would be, "The book's coming out in May." "So soon?" "Well, apparently right now the public's got an appetite for these sorts of exposés. But not everyone has an anonymous tell-all source. I couldn't have done it without you, Lex." The first way seemed a bit staged. "…you're faster than a speeding bullet, and you don't want to disappoint all those under-privileged children, do you?" They walk right past the janitor/"mysterious Santa", as Chloe is talking about faster than a speeding bullet, yet neither seems to notice him or care that he overheard. This was a strange moment. Also, this is the second time Chloe's told Clark that he's faster than a speeding bullet – she needs to find some different Superman metaphors. "She'll understand…or at least she'll understand whatever story you make up to tell her." Again, Chloe is being inappropriate. "Chloe, this isn't Toys for Tots, it's Toys R Us!" This made me laugh, as it was such an apt comparison. Chloe putting the Santa hat on Clark, snapping pictures of him, laughing…if this had been two-sided (Clark in the same festive, giddy mood) this would have been slightly easier to believe, but even so – even if Clark had been participating just as goofily – Chloe's flighty orbit around him would still seem out of place, very uncharacteristic. She came across as very pushy. If she had asked this enormous favor and been apologetic about it, exhausted from all her work and drained of most of her holiday spirit, and Clark felt sorry for her and helped her, that would have been one thing. But her maneuvering and subsequent rollicking happiness were unattractive. It's as if she's happy because she's found a way to get him away from Lana and spend Christmas Eve with him. Clark kneels down and puts the presents under the tree, looks up and sees the plate of cookies and glass of milk, and dashes out – and the camera pans down to show the plate emptied. I laughed out loud at this one. The cinematography was brilliant. The shots of Clark dashing from place to place made me laugh…but see Details H. After Clark told the kid that he was the new, improved model and the kid pointed out the other Santa, the camera shot was comical as Clark watched the drunken Santa staggering on the ledge. It wasn't until Clark reached the roof that it became corny. Cute – and a relief – that Clark was immediately conscious of his Santa hat and took it off before continuing the conversation. The light flute and piano music, saying in its melody "Ah, how sad," as Clark talked to the Santa, contributed greatly to the corny feeling. It was another musical selection that wasn't taking a scene seriously. Perhaps it was meant to play off the corniness, but I prefer the quirky, funny way Early Edition handled their "mysterious Santa," with nobody really listening to him and often quarreling with and talking over him until the end, instead of Clark having this nice, condescending conversation. "What happened to Christmas? Peace on earth? Goodwill to men? I tell you something, the spirit of Christmas is dead!" The writing did contribute to the corniness in Santa's lines. But, again, perhaps it was meant to. Another of those strange transitions, illustrating the Moments (i) transition problem, when Santa staggered up, went over to the edge of the building, it looked he was going to jump, Clark hesitated, the drums rolled – then cut to the quiet hospital. Again, they made a dramatic moment out of it, as if there were a problem where none existed, so that we would feel like something was happening. However, in the follow-up scene, Clark and Santa are both sitting down and Clark has been telling Santa his life story. If the writers wanted us to feel like something was happening, they should have made something happen. Lex's grinning, guilty schoolboy confession about the Christmas tree was so endearing. The acting in this scene was full of the joy he'd been suppressing during the past year or two – excellently done by writers and Rosenbaum. And then, keeping us from finding it too predictable: "Can you understand that?" "Of course I can, honey. It's the same thing you tell me every year." "Come on, Muscles! Do I have to do this all myself?" Lex reaches out and taps the kid's head as the kid runs by. Lex himself has fallen into the daddy syndrome of being a big, overgrown kid and loving it. This was so real. "As far as I'm concerned, getting shot was the best thing that ever happened to you. The choices you made that day…" Good moment, reminding us and Lex diligently of the point. You can see that it is all directly connected, that a lot hinges on what Lex does when he wakes up. Later Lionel's line complements this one. I found it hard to believe that Clark would sit there telling a drunken Santa the story of his relationship with Lana, telescope and all. It would be more Clark's style to empty a bucket of ice-water on his head and sober him up, or tell him when he asked why he shouldn't jump, "Because a little kid is watching from that window." Of all the people Clark's confronted, how many has he successfully "talked out of it"? It was also somewhat egotistic. "The spirit of Christmas isn't dead. After all, look at me." The worst line of the episode came from Santa. "So the two of you decided to give up your Christmas Eve to play Santa Claus? I guess I was wrong. The spirit of Christmas isn't dead after all." It was humorous, the way they portrayed Dr. Litvack as cocky. "Cue the Christmas music. I'm about to perform a miracle." (See Details G.) "Mr. Kent…Jonathan…" Actually it seemed a bit weird that the man who was Lex's surrogate father would be called by his first name. They were closest in the end of the second season/beginning of the third season, and Lex was still calling him "Mr. Kent". "This is what I want. What do I have to do?" This was good – this decision. I thought it was The Decision for a while, though they maintained a bittersweet "too good to be true" feeling – and it was realistic. It would have been unrealistic if they let him choose the dark path without showing that he did want that life. "What decision? What are you talking about?" – "Lex, who are you talking to?" Clark laughing. I liked this – all the mystery building up about The Decision. We viewers knew what it was, and this was one of those situations where it's better for the viewer to understand the future while the character struggles with it. It makes it more poignant. Having all the allusions to The Decision, and cutting off before he really understands – this was perfect. "No one. Or possibly myself." Clark joins him. "I really don't know – guess I'm feeling contemplative this evening." "Yeah, well, the, uh, holidays'll do that to you," and Clark suggestively lifts and swirls his glass of alcohol. That made me laugh. It was good to show that Clark was older, since you couldn't exactly change his hairstyle as with Lana and Chloe. Instead they showed him drinking (he's no longer underage) and very comfortable with his own identity, not struggling with lying to himself or lying to others but clearly with a defined purpose, and speaking without reservation, very honestly, about Lana and about his own failure. "You became the kind of man she could love." "You mean the kind of man you've always been?" "And, Lex, you offered her something I didn't." "Lex? Come quickly, it's Lana." Fades into Lex's operation. This was a good place to cut off, but since the danger and tension was pumped up in both worlds, there really should have been some suspense/danger music here in the operating room as they fight to save him, instead of utter silence. They could then cut back and forth with their struggle and with Lana's struggle, the music building up into that of triumph as Lana gives birth and Lex's life is saved. The celebration between Lana and Lex was very well done. Every time I watch it, I find myself smiling. It was so unusual to see Lex in a state of pure joy that, as "Shattered" was a heavy weight, this scene was a weight lifted, a freedom. Good and traumatic as Lex is thrust out of the room. They let you see the trauma in its fullness, or as much as possible given their time-constraints, having him watch through the windows, pressing up close to the glass, horrified. "It's Lana, Dad." As he came up and stated his case, it was weird to have Christmas bells in the background, instead of showing how heartrending this was for him. They should have played either some heartrendingly poignant music, or some twisted music here. Preferably heartrending, as twisted would be rather obvious and misplaced, too early. It needn't have been rich music, just yet, but some kind of emotional prompt. "She's the mother of your grandchildren." This was a good appeal. I hate it when you're left thinking, "Why didn't he just say…" or "He didn't seem worried enough. If only he had done it this way…" This dialogue used all the good arguments, and was delivered with compelling, broken earnestness. "No, Lex. I'm not going to do that. Don't you understand that every choice you've made has led up to this moment? Starting with that day in the hospital when you decided to forfeit the senatorial race to Jonathan Kent." The Decision is exposed at last, at Lex's most vulnerable moment. This was perfect plotting by the writers. "You said you didn't want to be a Luthor, that you wanted to be free…to live happily ever after. Go on, Lex. Get back to it." Lionel words this perfectly, seeming to expose a fantasy. "…you wanted to be free to live happily ever after," as if perfect endings only require the freedom to claim them. And Lex interprets that freedom as the freedom of budget-less, limitless power to claim the best for the ones he loves. Lex appealing to Lana. "Lana, please. Don't give up. Don't leave me." Crying. I loved this. This was so real, so three-dimensional. Lana has a fear of being abandoned (her parents, Nell, Whitney, Clark, Adam, Jason) and Lex has a fear of being abandoned/betrayed (Julian, Lillian/Lionel, Helen Bryce, numerous others, in some ways Clark). Lex's compulsive need for family and love was challenged in a life-changing way, and it really would take something that life-changing to bring on The Decision. This was motive, and while I'd always prefer that motive take place outside of the imagination, it still hit close enough to home to make The Decision compelling and poignant. "Santa?" "Suit gave me away, huh?" "Ah, heh…w – w – what do you want?" Allison Mack's acting of Chloe wasn't my favorite in this episode, but this moment was definitely its peak, as her new gracious self weakens and she struggles with logical doubts and suspicions. Chloe turns around, and Santa and the presents are gone. This was another campy moment. I think it was an unwise move to have the Santa subplot…without it, this episode could have been about a dream and about human kindness. As it was, this episode was about a dream and a fantasy. Great cinematography as Lex goes through four phases. Phase 1 - thinking hard about his choice. Phase 2 - We see Lionel, so crucial to the formation of Lex's twisted identity, enter behind him. Phase 3 - Lex stays turned away... Phase 4 - ...but when we see him, we know what his decision will be. "You went against the doctor's advice…not to save me, but because you didn't want a cripple for a son." "How dare you play God with my life." Speaks huskily. It was good, a) to hear Lex's real voice with raw emotion coming through again, and b) to hear Lex's penetrating insight stabbing through his father's armor again. I'd missed both. Cute touch, the dog eating the refreshments and Jonathan quickly herding him outside. That really made it a family gathering. There's always a toddler that opens someone else's gift, or dog that knocks the tree over, or something like this, treated with good humor and fixed and forgotten. It was strange to have Lana serving refreshments, and Chloe and Clark sitting in the corner whispering. Again, slightly inappropriate. Clark is the host and Lana is the guest, yet Clark and Chloe are whispering and giggling over their secrets while Lana is the one helping out. "Maybe he really is…" "Yeah right." "Come on, Clark, there's a chance." This was weird acting by Allison Mack. Perhaps it was because it was a weird role for Chloe to play at all. Chloe is more known for her skepticism and wittiness than her wide-eyed, excited, childlike trust in something impossible. I try to imagine this scene in the first, second, or third season, and always come up with something different. "Santa was gone." "What are you saying?" "Okay, I know that my imagination has a tendency to run away with me, but, what if…" (Clark looks at her waiting, then looks at her skeptically.) "Oh, come on, Clark." "Maybe it was someone like Alicia, with the power to teleport." "And he decided to deliver Christmas gifts to kids for fun? Clark. You have to be willing to believe in legends once in a while." This would have been a lot more Chloe-ish (not to mention would make a nice Superman allusion). "Merry first Christmas together, Clark. First of many." Transition to Lex watching the snow fall. This was so powerful, the parallels of cinematography, the two legends setting out on their separate paths in the falling snow. "Much like Ebenezer Scrooge, I realize that what I want is to live happily ever after. And you know what the secret to living happily ever after is? Power. Money and power. See, once you have those two things you can secure everything else…and keep it that way." This was, again, a believable premise for The Decision. "Do whatever it takes to knock Jonathan Kent out of the race." Bell rings. "I want to be senator. I want it all." The Decision. Griff looks at him, unreadable, almost as if he's witnessing someone's destruction, a bit in awe. "Consider it done. Merry Christmas." Lex stands there looking out, mother's reflection next to him, like a ghost…sad bells ring. The darkness has begun. Details The inset read "Granville, Kansas". I always thought people were saying "Grandville". "See, what's printed about a man is gospel. Doesn't matter if it's fact or not." The first time around, I thought he said, "See, what's printed about a man is gossip. Doesn't matter if it's fact or not," and I was trying to figure out why he would be arguing the difficulty of making the public believe him. The second viewing, I figured it out. Was the scar on Lex's stomach/chest from the operation that Lionel ordered? At first it seemed strange that he had the scar without explanation, and putting all the pieces together took so long into the episode that it wasn't until the second viewing that I realized this was probably the answer. Now that I understand it, I appreciate the nice, realistic touch – raising questions in our minds to be answered in the real world. One of Alexander's drawings was taped next to the bathroom mirror. I liked this touch – it's like the Kent family pictures you see in the farmhouse. "It's usually just me and Nell at Christmas. Lots of tinsel and an artificial tree." We haven't seen Nell since Season Two, when she moved away. What did Lana do during Season Three and Season Four? It seems odd that she and Nell would celebrate Christmas alone, especially considering her relations with Nell. Chloe and her dad live alone, one would think Lana and Chloe would at least celebrate together. In this future, Lex sees that Clark becomes a "full-fledged reporter" for the Daily Planet. Since Clark isn't currently pursuing that road, Lex is seeing things apart from the guiding hints of the way things are now. This was good to know. Chloe was wearing similar clothes in the future and the present. "Get me Dr. Litvack." John Litvack is in the credits as Co-Executive Producer. Also, Cameron Litvack wrote the first season's episode "Reaper". When Clark was dashing around gift-giving, there were three mistakes. 1) Whenever he was shown placing presents under the tree, he did not seem to be carrying many presents – yet shown from the top, he never returns to the Planet for more presents but dashes from home to home. 2) Clark is shown as a red blur, but he is wearing his blue jacket, not his red one. 3) Clark never slows down to figure out how to enter a home. Is he kicking down front doors, breaking locks? Or is every single home with "tots" in the heart of dangerous Metropolis unlocked or really easy to break into? If Lex has just finished telling Lana that Lionel stopped celebrating Christmas years ago, why is he surprised that Lionel isn't exchanging Christmas gifts? At the Christmas party, Lana tells Jonathan, "Only a few weeks now, Senator." That night, the baby is born – several weeks early. When a baby is born prematurely, isn't it taken to another section of the hospital so that its breathing and heartbeat can stabilize? It would have been a while before Lana could have seen it or held it, yet she seems to be holding it quite soon after the delivery, as she is still slightly breathless and perspiring from it all. Maybe my family's strangely practical, but on below-32-degrees Christmases I never see anyone wearing something without sleeves, like Lana was wearing in the falling snow. Lex's Journey in a Nutshell Allured...overjoyed... Called... Tortured... Betrayed in the present, betrayed in the future... Abandoned... Disturbed... Angry... Decision made. © Voice of Reason, 2007