Voice of Reason: Season One: Crush

Crush

Overall

This episode brought mixed emotions, as perky and independent Chloe becomes dependent and emotional toward Clark, even getting a little childish. What you admire about Chloe is her strength, her savvy, her independence. With that taken away, she is no longer Chloe. They could have made Clark and Chloe together more enjoyable, but once she started acting "out of herself" and turned into a needy girl with a crush, jealous of Clark's other friendships and accusing him of spending too much time with Lana and Lex, the whole thing became undesirable. You knew that it couldn't last, that it wasn't meant to be. And once you knew that, you wanted it over as soon as possible. It's a shame, because there was potential in that romance.

Lana also was portrayed in a slightly less flattering light, as she realized that she could no longer enjoy the attention of both Whitney and Clark. Clark was moving on, and she didn't like it. She attempted to keep Clark from asking Chloe out, which at least had the redeeming quality that it spurred a thought-provoking conversation with Clark, then tried to break up with Whitney so that she could catch Clark before he got too infatuated with Chloe. Of course, all that's putting it brutally. Lana was realizing that she had been letting her fear for Whitney rule her life, and now she was dealing with the consequences and wasn't entirely ready to deal with them. We can all relate to that. And let's face it, although we all reacted by thinking, "She has no business meddling in a relationship that both parties really seem to want"...we loved it when Clark told Martha, "She's not married, Mom." Lana would have been happy to stay with Whitney before Clark started wooing her. You have to judge Lana by the same standard with which you judged Clark.

Still, even with that extension of grace, it was undoubtedly a better dynamic when they were portrayed as more adult relationships – Lana feeling the need to be there for Whitney when his life was falling apart, but watching Clark from afar, etc. This episode, relationships were undoubtedly high school.

Good Moments

"I see you in a uniform, flying. Have you ever considered a career in the Air Force?"
Chloe talking to Justin and raising her voice for Clark's benefit. "Yeah, why not?" She was relishing the display of her independence, which proved all the more the existence of emotions she was trying to overcome.
Cute when Justin was caught in the middle. "Yeah, or we could all go together." "Right, okay." They always have the villain acting normal so you can see how he/she has fooled the world, but it's rarely this entertaining.
"It's like you find out this secret, and it colors everything." Clark's fear about sharing his secret with Lana, in a nutshell.
"Once you cross that line, you can't go back." Great conversation follows, in which everyone's feelings become clear to the viewer, while the dialogue remains subtle, and there is a poignant understanding that Lana knows who Clark is talking about when he says, "Chloe once gave me that advice about…someone."
Subtlely humorous when Lex enters the loft with Clark reading "Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus", and Clark starts trying to casually shield it from Lex's notice.
"I have these two really good friends, who both happen to be girls." "For argument's sake, let's call them Lana and Chloe."
It was interesting that Chloe promised Justin that he wouldn't end up on the Wall of Weird, a consideration that she had for very few people, including even Clark (until, of course, she realized that her suspicion was justified, at which time evidently her conscience smote her).
"Sounds like a description of family." "Not ours." The wonderful thing about Lex's dialogue is the way he pins down the truth and peels back other peoples' motives. He doesn't let his father verbally get away with anything.
Lionel's visit was carefully and well done. It must be difficult to write a scene in which someone like Lionel verbally accomplishes the opposite of what he intended. His awkward ways of attempting to cover for his blunder, like suggesting that Pamela had become ill from living a life of luxury, betrayed only a serious lack of understanding of his son's pathways of thought. "What did she want?" "My forgiveness." "She doesn't know you very well, does she?" Lionel is a curious blend of insight and keenness and shrewdness, and a complete lack of understanding in a few spots. This scene showed that well.
Fabulous acting when Lex tried not to cry as he stood by the hospital bed.

Details

The guy who plays Kwan's son looks so much like Kwan that it's scary. The first time I watched this episode I was preoccupied and wasn't watching closely, so that several times I confused Kwan and his son.
I always like the diamond-shaped Metropolis Police badge, which was seen in the background in this episode.
Personally, I thought Justin's first picture looked a lot more like Chloe than the second.
"How do you feel about that?" That's become the Clark-Lana question, and it's part of the texture and depth of their friendship. Their relationship is kept real by questions like these: it's the dimension of friendship to support the dimension of romance. One can't stand without the other.




Crush Overall This episode brought mixed emotions, as perky and independent Chloe becomes dependent and emotional toward Clark, even getting a little childish. What you admire about Chloe is her strength, her savvy, her independence. With that taken away, she is no longer Chloe. They could have made Clark and Chloe together more enjoyable, but once she started acting "out of herself" and turned into a needy girl with a crush, jealous of Clark's other friendships and accusing him of spending too much time with Lana and Lex, the whole thing became undesirable. You knew that it couldn't last, that it wasn't meant to be. And once you knew that, you wanted it over as soon as possible. It's a shame, because there was potential in that romance. Lana also was portrayed in a slightly less flattering light, as she realized that she could no longer enjoy the attention of both Whitney and Clark. Clark was moving on, and she didn't like it. She attempted to keep Clark from asking Chloe out, which at least had the redeeming quality that it spurred a thought-provoking conversation with Clark, then tried to break up with Whitney so that she could catch Clark before he got too infatuated with Chloe. Of course, all that's putting it brutally. Lana was realizing that she had been letting her fear for Whitney rule her life, and now she was dealing with the consequences and wasn't entirely ready to deal with them. We can all relate to that. And let's face it, although we all reacted by thinking, "She has no business meddling in a relationship that both parties really seem to want"...we loved it when Clark told Martha, "She's not married, Mom." Lana would have been happy to stay with Whitney before Clark started wooing her. You have to judge Lana by the same standard with which you judged Clark. Still, even with that extension of grace, it was undoubtedly a better dynamic when they were portrayed as more adult relationships – Lana feeling the need to be there for Whitney when his life was falling apart, but watching Clark from afar, etc. This episode, relationships were undoubtedly high school. Good Moments "I see you in a uniform, flying. Have you ever considered a career in the Air Force?" Chloe talking to Justin and raising her voice for Clark's benefit. "Yeah, why not?" She was relishing the display of her independence, which proved all the more the existence of emotions she was trying to overcome. Cute when Justin was caught in the middle. "Yeah, or we could all go together." "Right, okay." They always have the villain acting normal so you can see how he/she has fooled the world, but it's rarely this entertaining. "It's like you find out this secret, and it colors everything." Clark's fear about sharing his secret with Lana, in a nutshell. "Once you cross that line, you can't go back." Great conversation follows, in which everyone's feelings become clear to the viewer, while the dialogue remains subtle, and there is a poignant understanding that Lana knows who Clark is talking about when he says, "Chloe once gave me that advice about…someone." Subtlely humorous when Lex enters the loft with Clark reading "Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus", and Clark starts trying to casually shield it from Lex's notice. "I have these two really good friends, who both happen to be girls." "For argument's sake, let's call them Lana and Chloe." It was interesting that Chloe promised Justin that he wouldn't end up on the Wall of Weird, a consideration that she had for very few people, including even Clark (until, of course, she realized that her suspicion was justified, at which time evidently her conscience smote her). "Sounds like a description of family." "Not ours." The wonderful thing about Lex's dialogue is the way he pins down the truth and peels back other peoples' motives. He doesn't let his father verbally get away with anything. Lionel's visit was carefully and well done. It must be difficult to write a scene in which someone like Lionel verbally accomplishes the opposite of what he intended. His awkward ways of attempting to cover for his blunder, like suggesting that Pamela had become ill from living a life of luxury, betrayed only a serious lack of understanding of his son's pathways of thought. "What did she want?" "My forgiveness." "She doesn't know you very well, does she?" Lionel is a curious blend of insight and keenness and shrewdness, and a complete lack of understanding in a few spots. This scene showed that well. Fabulous acting when Lex tried not to cry as he stood by the hospital bed. Details The guy who plays Kwan's son looks so much like Kwan that it's scary. The first time I watched this episode I was preoccupied and wasn't watching closely, so that several times I confused Kwan and his son. I always like the diamond-shaped Metropolis Police badge, which was seen in the background in this episode. Personally, I thought Justin's first picture looked a lot more like Chloe than the second. "How do you feel about that?" That's become the Clark-Lana question, and it's part of the texture and depth of their friendship. Their relationship is kept real by questions like these: it's the dimension of friendship to support the dimension of romance. One can't stand without the other. © Voice of Reason, 2007