Voice of Reason: Season Six: Trespass

Trespass

Overall

Whether or not you love or loathe this episode will probably depend on two things: whether you love or loathe Lana, and whether you look at the episode as a stand-alone or as part of a bigger picture.

Lana

Lana hides the bent chisel from Lex. For someone so adamantly against secrets, this could be seen as selfish inconsistency. Sure, she's against secrets, when they're not hers. Or, you could see this as an acknowledgement of Lana's inner conflict. As long as she is with Lex, she will have to either lie to Lex about Clark, or help Lex take Clark down. Lex and Clark are on opposite sides, and Lana has been in the middle. This episode, she chose her side. She's protecting Clark. To me, that's a major development.

Lana searches for clues to Clark's secret. Is this wrong? When it involves snooping in private files and drawers, of course. Would we all do the same thing? After six years of mysteries and several weeks of leads and now two unprecedented opportunites...we'd be dying to. I don't know if we all would actually do it or not, but Lana is a confused, messed-up person on the verge of committing her life to a man she feared not so long ago, and she wants the Clark door to either open wide for her or close and give her peace. I can completely see how Lana would try to find closure by trying to find out his secret. Furthermore, her deviousness wasn't so devious. Is she really trying to find out only to keep her knowledge a secret from Clark? I doubt it. She's already told Chloe everything she knows except the necklace. Once she finds out, she's not going to hide her knowledge from Clark. (If she does, that will be out of character.) I think she's going to be honest about it. As inconsistent as her secrecy appears on the surface, Lana is still all about clearing deceit out of the way. In the larger scheme of things, this is still about maintaining honest relationships.

The Significance of This Episode

Some see this episode as largely irrelevant. But to me, it seemed that this episode could not have been spared from the season. Here are a few developments that mean something to the season:

Lana chooses sides...she protects Clark, even when it jeopardizes her safety.

Lana finds her necklace, cleared of kryptonite, in Clark's drawer. This was a major development. Of course, if the writers decide to forget this development, then they will be guilty of major inconsistency...but not in this episode.

Lana takes refuge at the Kent farm, feeling safer with Clark and his familiar powers. Even though Clark wasn't there, I completely understood how she could feel safer there: remember "Mortal," when she's positive that Clark will return to the farm and save them all. This episode revealed her ultimate confidence in Clark, then reinforced it when:

Lana realizes that Clark really does care for her. She might have doubted in "Crimson," but this episode as she found his picture of her, was rescued by him twice, and whispered that he kept saving her after everything that had happened between them...she's beginning to see Clark as someone she can count on again.

The baby survives two major traumas, perhaps hinting that it may have superpowers.

Lana is confronted with the dark side of her relationship with Lex. A life with Lex is something to which she will never be able to fully adjust. She's hating the spotlight, dreading the marriage, and the fact that she hides the chisel from Lex, and her horrified reaction when the chisel is missing, shows that she still sees Lex as dangerous. This episode pushed her closer to the place where she'll have to make a choice...

The fact that most of these revelations and developments revolve around Lana explains why Lana-loathers will in all probability be frustrated by this episode. But Lana-hating-or-loving aside, the way that the writers brought these changes about was powerful. Yes, having a stalker of the week is trite, especially when it comes to Lana being the frightened victim...but while previous stalker episodes have been filler, this wasn't. This was in a completely different league from, say, "Dichotic". This was relevant.

(Note: *SPOILERS FOR FREAK* After watching "Freak," most of these developments are revealed to be definitely vital. Lana sided with Clark this episode: next episode, she will protect him in the most unabashed way. Lana witnessed Clark's strength and possibly speed as well as general mystery this episode: next episode, Lana will be upfront with him about her suspicions, even showing him a bullet that he stopped. Lana was rescued by Clark twice: next week, she'll reveal that she believes he saves lives on an almost daily basis. It's been confirmed - this episode was key.)

Back to Overall

Overall, this may not have been a perfect episode. But 1) the things to love about it definitely outweighed the minor glitches, and 2) any episode that can make me reel and say, "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh!" to an empty room three times in forty minutes is doing something right.

Things to love about this episode:

Lana finding the clear necklace from Season Two – I would never have seen this coming. This left me staggered. I had dismissed the clear necklace as a lost cause years ago. And not only did the writers not hesitate to deliver that blow, but they didn't buffer it with any dialogue like, "My old necklace. No wonder he never gave it back…" They trusted the audience to follow along and then took us on a fast, twisty, shocking ride. Gasp #1.

Lana digging anywhere and everywhere for info on Clark. This was so intriguing – it not only outstripped Chloe's former digging, but for an added elegent touch, the computer scene nicely paralleled her dilemma in Season Two after looking at Chloe's "CK" pictures. As much as one part of me would like to point out that this was unfair and dishonorable, I must say I was inwardly shouting, "Hurry up! Find a clue before someone comes in!" There's a racelike quality to it that makes for good television – the pursuit of clues, picking up the trail, trying to beat the clock. And I felt the rush. I want Lana to find out. And since Clark can't honorably tell her while she's with Lex…well, let her find out her way. By now I'm feeling reckless.

Lana's emotions at being in Clark's room. Sitting down at his desk and looking at the pictures, smiling. Rummaging hastily through the drawer and unexpectedly finding his picture of her as a young, wholesome girl with a green necklace. Thinking about it…all the years he's loved her. Putting everything back into place, and walking over to lie down on Clark's bed. Somehow seeing her surrounded by Clark, essentially – surrounded by his essence, preparing to lie on his bed – brought them so close. And judging by her expression, and the music, she felt the same way. This was an amazingly powerful scene, leading up to the powerful climax of the necklace.

In the abandoned wing of the hospital, Lana watching Clark as she walked away in slow motion, closer than ever to discovering his secret. This shot, this music, as you're reading her mind – "Who is Clark Kent?" – was brilliant. I never thought we'd get this again, and it's intensely fulfilling.

Great new snowy camera shots. The Daily Planet, Lex's mansion, the Kent farm – the last time ongoing weather noticeably transformed the look of large portions of an episode was when Adam tried to shoot Lana in the rain, wasn't it?

Even the plot that I thought would seem recycled – Lana's Devoted Stalker – put a fresh twist on things. 1) All the key points of the plot were driven by the Lana-Clark-Lex arc: Lana hiding the text message from Lex, Lana seeking refuge at Clark's house, Clark saving Lana twice in ways that unavoidably hinted at superpowers, and Lana being confronted with the dark side of her relationship with Lex. The plot and the arc were inextricably intertwined. 2) Strangely enough, Evil Security Guy's love of former Lana and hatred of current Lana paralleled Clark's twisted side, loving former Lex and hating current Lex. Remembering the past, despising the present…and never thinking that the present might be changed. "It's too late to save you, Lana." I don't know if this was intentional, but for me it highlighted the unreasonableness of Clark's newfound habit of condemning former beloved friends from afar. Let us hope to witness some change...

The long moment of suspense, panning over the dead Evil Security Guy, showing the blood and shattered glass…and then stopping at Clark's feet. Oh, we knew that Clark would catch Lana in time…but the cinematography played this moment for all it was worth. It wasn't just any calm, matter-of-fact rescue. And after Clark saved Lana twice, this was the perfect way to make the second rescue the climactic moment it was meant to be.

Clark apologizing to Lex…finally. So often Clark is willing to beat himself up about things that aren't his fault and feel self-righteous about things that are. This time at least he got it partially straight. He saw how horrific his behavior was. And even though he might have justified it as beyond his control, he knew that since he couldn't explain that to Lex, he owed Lex a big-time apology. He did the right thing by Lex, at last.

Clark and Lex having a civilized, grown-up, but intensely honest conversation. Yes, in some ways this was a frustrating moment, as they set each other up with polite lines and then Lex stuck in little barbs…perhaps Lex was over the top...but the fact that they were actually communicating, vulnerably exposing their wounds, clashing without accusing, and above all, not making proclamations to each other, made this moment a relief. Granted, I still envision future Clark and Lex as more respectful Xavier-Magneto enemies than hating, grudge-holding enemies…and after all, Lex does know from "Lexmas" that he can be friends with Clark and marry Lana too…but the absence of proclamations was still a step in the right direction.

Very minor quibbles:

No Clark-Chloe payoff from last episode. The whole point of the "Crimson" breakup was to force Chloe to acknowledge her feelings for Clark; this episode breezed past them and reassured everyone (in the form of Jimmy) that Clark didn't care about Chloe and Chloe didn't care about Clark. Chloe and Jimmy happily reunite, the Clark-Chloe relationship is buried, and we're left wondering why the writers wrote the breakup in the first place.

"Why are you still watching over me?" "Maybe for the same reason you've been watching me…" This was one of the most intense moments of the episode. We expected it to lead to a dramatic revelation. Lana knows that Clark knows she's been watching him. What is she going to say? What's going to come to light? Is she going to tell him what she's found, ask him about it? How will he respond? Not only is the situation intense, but Clark and Lana are alone in the mansion, without anyone to call on to interrupt. It is a real one-on-one situation with secrets coming to light. How is Clark going to handle this? And then the writers leave the scene. We can only imagine what happened. My brother suggested that Clark might have promptly dropped her on the floor and announced, "I have to go." This conversation should have led to a turning point, not some presumably meaningless dialogue that apparently wasn't worth showing.

The writers pulled another “Smallville” and eliminated the aftermath of three corpses, all found in places where Lana and Clark might both be suspected. Smallville has done this before, and it’s safe to say that the tradition of disappearing bodies will not end soon.

Still, weighing things to love against quibbles, there's no question – things to love win out.

Verdict: 10. Admittedly, I'm grading on a curve here. This wasn't a perfect episode. But didn't we all give "Rosetta" a 10, even though Lana snooped and Chloe dramatically welcomed Lana into her family? Sometimes the good stuff is just too good to knock the weak spots.

Lana at Chloe and Clark's

It has been suggested that putting Lana in a position to "snoop" around both the Talon and Clark's room was contrived. However, a closer look seems to make sense of the situation.

Lana does not tell anyone but Chloe about the text message. As far as everyone else knows, Lex is leaving town and Lana has the jitters, so she's going to stay with a friend. Since Lana didn't choose to disclose her evidence, this setup made perfect sense.

As soon as evidence appears that there is a real stalker, Lex wants Lana moved to LuthorCorp. Lana protests. Considering the fact that numerous abductions have occurred at LuthorCorp ("Insurgence" is the first episode that comes to mind, followed by "Sneeze"), and that the security team was clearly being penetrated, I can see how Lana would be uncomfortable with that, especially when there was a safer option...Clark. As she demonstrated in "Mortal," she has faith that Clark will always be able to protect her. Recent developments have shown him to be more than capable of withstanding attack. Since she couldn't have known that Clark would not be at home, it made sense that she would choose the option that had offered protection in the past over the option (Luthor security) that had just failed her and that had failed others before her.

Good/Bad Moments

Lana stares at the Bent Chisel. It appears that this has become a habit with her, studying it in her spare time. This was a good setup for the climactic buildup of drama and intensity - starting with a very small piece of the puzzle. As this little moment played out, I found myself hoping that Bent Chisel would not be the only key to Clark's secret that Lana would have to go on. Which made this whole episode and the following episode all the more fulfilling, as she gathered more clues, a la Lex. (This whole plot, as Lana goes through the stages that Lex went through three and four years ago, brought up the question - What would have happened if Clark had told Lex his secret years ago?)
"So all this secrecy is about that which we do not speak of." Chloe looks as if she's unsure if she's supposed to cover for Clark on this one. "Chloe, I just...I just want your help catching this guy. I'll find out the explanation about Clark on my own." Lana is letting Chloe off the hook, and I'm so glad. She's stopped hinting and pestering, and started doing something about it. Better for her character, better for the plot.
Nice moment as Martha comes out to check on Clark, holding herself stiffly from the cold. Her body language made me stiffen sympathetically.
"I feel like someone's looking over my shoulder, like I'm being watched." At first I interpreted this to be a hint at a future episode - perhaps a Zoner, or someone interested in Clark's powers. Then, however, as Jimmy joked that Lana was stalking Clark, as Clark told Lana "...you've been watching me," I concluded that the lurking onlooker was Lana. Her search for answers has officially risen above vague mentions of astronomy and curiosity about meteorites: she's going straight for the source now. Wow.
"I'm going to go inside and make some hot cocoa, to thaw out the two of us who can actually feel how cold it is!" Nice moment, reminiscent of the moment in "Cool" (Chloe: "It's like twenty thousand degrees below zero out here." Clark: "I don't know, it doesn't feel that cold to me." Chloe: "What, are you from an ice planet? It's freezing!"). This was the first moment that brought up memories of old seasons.
"Does this have anything to do with me, keeping my secret?" "No." Clark looks at her. "And yes." This was a sweet moment. Chloe wasn't going to let him carry the burden of her break-up. I thought this was characteristically generous...and it explains why Chloe needs the occasional Hydro-ish breakdown when she can't keep going, carrying it all herself. Her staunch loyalty was paid back in the next episode.
I thought that when Clark realized that Chloe had broken up because of him, he was going to hug her and apologize. Instead he walked past her and mused. The writers could have salvaged the inexplicable "Crimson" breakup plot with just one moment here, showing Clark and Chloe in close contact, worrying about one another. One camera shot of them hugging, with Chloe needing Clark. As it was, Clark merely seemed like some generic alien superglue fitting two pieces back together. It needed to be more about the relationships with these three.
"My lies have already pushed Lana away, and now - " "She's a lot closer than you think, Clark." This line from Chloe seemed to sum up this episode. Lana is closer to Clark, both emotionally and investigation-wise, than he thinks. The Bedroom Scene goes on to represent the situation very vividly...great theme for the episode.
Lana sitting at Chloe's computer, intrigued by a "CK" file, paralleled the moment in "Rosetta" when she decided to look at Chloe's large "CK" file. This was the second moment that brought up memories of old seasons.
Great shot of the Daily Planet and the rest of Metropolis, covered in snow.
"Hey. Clark. Um, Chloe's not here." Jimmy's very uncomfortable reaction and subdued voice was perfect. He is intimidated, frightened of a confrontation, agitated that Chloe's heart has been stolen, and trying to play it cool: this all comes across.
"Chloe obviously thinks that you can walk on air, so..." Great double-meaning. Subtle.
"...I don't care how impossibly gigantic you are..." While this was perhaps a bit childish for Jimmy, and while the cherry-tree mention distracted from this part of the line, this was still an interesting and endearing way to shed light on Jimmy's insecurities as he crawls about in Clark's shadow. In some ways, it seems that they are trying to make Jimmy the new Pete Ross - a helpful and somewhat forgettable sidekick who sometimes resents being forgotten and overshadowed. I can't say I think Clark needs another Pete Ross, but it's an interesting concept.
"I feel the same way." Jimmy looks down, taking it like a man. Clark reads his expression and quickly amends, "As her friend, nothing more. I swear." He says it steadily, but also comfortingly, leaving his innermost feelings for Chloe an open question. He could be reacting to Jimmy's expression and trying to reassure him, in order to get Chloe and Jimmy back together, leaving his own feelings unexamined...but the fact that the writers had that "I swear" in there seems to call his feelings into question. This was the one moment that felt out of place in the context of the season, especially sandwiched as it was between two episodes that revealed some Chlark feelings alive and well.
"Well, that, and I need your help. Lana's in trouble." This was the perfect way to assure Jimmy that Chloe was safe - go straight to Lana. Jimmy's relieved, excited expression and enthusastic "So, what's the 'sitch'?" was the perfect reaction, if not particularly sensitive.
The news report Lex watched on his cellphone had the announcer saying, "...as Lana Lang finally cracked under the pressure of marrying Lex Luthor." This was an interesting followup to the events of "Crimson," in which the pending nuptials were publicly portrayed in a more negative light.
"The only place I'll be safe is the last place anyone would think I'd go." I was inwardly telling her, "It doesn't make a difference, it's someone on the security team." But it could have made a difference if Clark had been there, and perhaps Lana knew it. I don't believe that "nobody will think of that" was Lana's real justification for going to the Kent farm, especially since in "Hydro" her feelings for Clark were published in the Daily Planet. Personally, I saw this moment as a completely straight-faced show of deviousness. Lana has learned how to get what she wants without showing her hand. Yet she is completely honest with the people she trusts. This was discreet deception.
Nice shot of the Kent farm, snowflakes drifting.
"If you're taking the Luthor name, I guess armed guards and dodging the press go with the gold ring." This seemed like a very un-Martha-like line. Maybe it was the delivery, but part of it was also the calm usage of the phrase "taking the Luthor name" after Clark used it so hurtfully in "Crimson". I also can't picture Martha finishing the sentence with the phrase "go with the gold ring". She'd be more likely to say something less snappy, like "are part of the package".
When Lana suddenly jerked the drawer open and started digging through it, I had to laugh. It was fun to see her go at it, not pretending to herself, but unabashedly prying.
I've already gone over the best moments of the Bedroom Scene in "Overall," but I have to note the photographs. The pictures on Clark's desk were the third reminder of old seasons - Clark and Chloe and Pete together, the Kent family picture. Then the picture of Lana from earlier seasons, wearing her old necklace, combined with the very moving music, made for a very reflective, melancholy moment. Made me long for the earlier seasons - and seemed to make Lana long for them too.
As Lana lay her jacket on Clark's bed, looking down, surrounded by Clark's knickknacks and little statements about Clark's character and Superman colors, the music was so beautiful and sad...and then built up perfectly to that moment when her eyes fixed on the dresser drawer. This was a music-lover's heaven.
Lana lifts the clear, mysterious necklace out of the drawer. She's just seen it in the picture: there can be no mistake. This moment, as she stared at it in shock, made me reel.
Lana's cellphone rings and she jumps. This was a very believable moment, as she looks around guiltily, then recovers and quickly hides the necklace again. The acting was perfect.
Good moment, as Brady grabs Lana's ankle. In retrospect, you realize that he was trying to warn her.
"All I care about is - " "The baby will be fine." The fact that the baby survived this traumatic fall appears to be key. This pregnancy is not typical, and this baby is very hardy...this pointed strongly to superpowers. Lex's krypto-powers haven't really been explored, but they enable him to escape near-death experiences and heal him from illnesses. Perhaps the baby has inherited those powers. Intriguing moment.
Martha is very cheerful-looking for someone who first found Lana unconscious and bruised at the foot of the steps, then found a bloodied corpse at the top of the steps. I think her dialogue was all right: but the delivery needed to be completely different.
Evil Security Guard comes in, and his first words are, "How is she?" This moment gave me the creeps. At this point, we all felt - if we didn't actually put it into words - that there was something wrong with this guy. The delivery was perfect.
Clark and Jimmy walk around Esposito's lab, and Clark expresses to Jimmy his belief that Esposito's actions are reprehensible. This was, in a way, an interesting bond between Lana and Clark. Clark has always been adamant about the importance of privacy; now Lana's privacy is being violated. Previously he has been the one avoiding stalkers with video and still cameras; now there was a nice double-meaning as he said things like, "Just because there's a market for it does not make it right."
"I'll be right there." This was injudicious of Clark, especially since he immediately superspeeds away...and in the next episode, he pulls another disappearing act on Jimmy. Since Jimmy virtually saw Clark as Green Arrow superspeeding in "Hydro," how long will it take for him to put 2 and 2 together and form the wrong conclusion? This is a potentially interesting plot...or else, of course, a coincidental sequence of disappearing-on-Jimmy scenes that means nothing.
The camera shot of Lana's bare feet on the cold tile floor was great. It placed you in the scene, conveying that sensory detail.
"What are you doing here?" "Your job." This moment, as Evil Security Guard and Clark exchanged a long look, was perfect. We were cheering for Clark, inwardly berating Evil Security Guard, who was obviously disconcerted and angry, and feeling the contradictory mixture of relief and apprehension that the writers wanted us to feel. We know that this story is not over, but for the moment we want to forget that and gloat over Clark's rescue. After all, Lana is seeing Clark in a whole new light. The writers manipulated our emotions perfectly.
"It's over, Miss Lang. Let's get you back home where you belong." Evil Security Guard starts to cross the line between professionalism and over-friendliness, and we sense it and are alarmed...but she's still standing next to Clark, looking at him, as if waiting for a sign from him. Right next to Clark's shoulder. Which is so interesting that we're not screaming that anyone could see that Evil Security Guard is evil. We're just gazing in awe as Lana looks up at Clark, her savior once again. Again, the conflict of what to want more keeps the stalker plot from getting too pat.
Evil Security Guard puts his arm around Lana. Warning bells sound. Ominous music plays in the background. Clark stands and looks after them protectively. And now for the best part - Lana turns and looks at him. She is being led away by her self-styled hero, but Clark is her real savior...and that "Who is Clark Kent?" look, as she looks at him with new eyes, with the knowledge of the necklace and his strength and his invincibility, is perfect.
Nice shot of the Luthor mansion in the thickly falling snow.
"If it wasn't for you, I don't even want to think about what would have happened." Interesting moment. Even if Esposito had been carrying a gun, Clark would have protected her, and she knows it. This set up a pattern for the scene, up until the "Princess" line, in which Lana seemed to be deliberately speaking in a grateful and friendly tone to set Evil Security Guard at ease, even when she didn't feel appreciative. This seemed to me to be an example of very graceful acting on Lana's part. She sensed something wrong.
"Yeah, I know. I don't think I've eaten since this whole thing started. Could you ask the kitchen to bring something up for me?" As she speaks, she's walking very normally away from him. She's uncomfortable and she's trying to get rid of him, but she does it all very naturally. It's such a relief to see her so mature and intuitive. She may need rescuing, but she isn't just a damsel in distress - she knows what she's doing.
"Do you remember that line?" On first viewing, I thought this was some obscure reference to a line in a song or a movie. Then, of course, I realized that this was a referrence to "I hope I'm not crossing a line" earlier in the scene.
Both Evil Security Guy and Chloe mention that Lana has changed from being around Lex. And it's true. The dialogue in "Fallout" as Lana lied to Lex about her reason for taking his car...their cat-and-mouse games...we've seen evidence that Lana has become more independent and more willing to deceive for the right cause. Since the right cause is usually either protecting the world from Lex or protecting Clark from Lex, this works for me.
"Clark...what happened? How did you..." Lana looks up at the broken skylight, so many questions unanswered. Clark tries to stop them before they start with some of his usual reassuring words. "You're safe now. That's all that matters." Except this time, Lana isn't taking the cue to let it drop. "No, it isn't. You're here, after...everything. Why are you still watching over me?" She's still in his arms, looking at him in wonder. This wasn't exactly "Reckoning," but it was a very good substitute. You can't have a "Reckoning" revelation twice, but you can have this kind of slow, graceful dawning instead.
"Maybe for the same reason you've been watching me." This was an intriguing line. While its secondary message was to let Lana know that he was aware that she was spying on him, its primary message - the answer to her question - seemed to be, "Because we can't stay away from each other. We belong together." (Which makes it all the more unbelievable that they cut to commercial.)
"I think she's proven where her loyalty lies." Chloe gets to sum up the episode. Combine this moment with Moment h and you have, in a nutshell, the reason this episode was so important.
"You know, he's not such a bad guy." "Yeah. But he's no Jimmy Olsen." Chloe's line here struck me as a bit insensitive, given her feelings for Clark, which are never too far from the surface. She has a tendency to gently belittle Clark in favor of Jimmy when they're together, a stroking of Jimmy's ego that should be unnecessary and comes across as a little childish.
I find it interesting that when Lana wakes up and sees Lex standing over her, she smiles. It's a genuine reaction. She and Lex have always been fascinated with each other, and her agreement to marry him wasn't just a surrender to the fact that she couldn't be with Clark. She really does treasure him. This moment offered a little insight into that relationship. She does love him...even if she feels trapped in his world.
Her feeling of being trapped seems to return, though she hides it well, apparently lying with perfect seriousness. "I went to the Kent farm because I thought it was the last place anyone would look for me. That's the only reason." Chloe thinks that part of Lana's motivation was to watch Clark and look around for clues to his secret; another reason was that she felt safe there, as opposed to being surrounded by Lex's people. Either way, she's holding something back, and Lex is too intelligent not to notice. Simple reasoning like Lana's describing would never lead her to the Kent farm without any other motive.
"Looks like you're working out some issues there." Now this was the kind of line that the old Lex would use. Clark, instead of being civilized, says without turning around, "Just doing a little honest work, Lex. You should try it sometime." That was, for lack of a better word, catty. Lex slides into the same tone, gloating a little. "Why start now? My life's perfect." Clark turns around. Says, shortly, "What do you want?" The communication is intensely frustrating...but still, it's communication. They aren't making announcements at each other, they aren't accusing each other.
"Nothing. I just wanted to take a little sleigh ride down memory lane, visit the scene of the crime. Hey, here's where you took my fiancée after kidnapping her. Right before you tried to kill me..." Lex is inviting Clark to offer input on that night. Clark realizes that this is a chance to explain his hideous behavior that night, and is a little humbled. "I wasn't myself that night." Long pause. He looks down for a moment. "I'm sorry." This is the best Clark has been with Lex since...when? I can't remember how long it's been since Clark has done the right thing by Lex at detriment to his own pride. Go Superman.
"Sorry? What, that you didn't finish the job? Heh. You know, I'm still a bit fuzzy on the details, what with you trying to choke the life out of me, but what fascinates me is how after all that, Lana could still feel safe coming here." The first part of this dialogue is callous, way too harsh...but in the end, he's showing that it agitates him that Lana keeps coming back to Clark. He feels threatened. Lex is already tortured by Clark: he doesn't need harsh words. Clark's habit of drawing the attention and affection of everyone whose love Lex craves is enough. This vulnerability made Lex so human again.
Clark sees that Lex is bothered, and speaks in a subdued tone. "That was her choice. I had nothing to do with it." But Lex is somehow more visibly hurt than he was in earlier years. He can't contain himself. "You never do. That's all right. You see, I understand the allure of trying to unravel the mystery of Clark Kent. I suffered from it once, too... when I thought you mattered." The fact that Lex is saying this shows that Clark does matter, very much. Clark is, albeit unintentionally, a significant thorn in Lex's side.
Clark steps up close to Lex. "Are we done?" He doesn't say it exasperatedly. But he is keeping his dignity. Lex looks at him, makes a slightly scornful face. This was perhaps a bit overdone. "Nothing left but the formalities."
Clark takes the wedding invitation and looks at it. Looks at Lex. And suddenly Lex's voice is completely real. Low. Wavering. Almost whispering. "Don't look so surprised, Clark. Lana still cares about you, I know that. And I know what it would mean to her having you there." It's hard for Lex to say. He's not making the concession for Clark's sake - he's saying it because it's true. And the fact that it's true kills him. This moment, with Lex admitting that his wife-to-be, whom he wants to own completely, still loves another, was Lex's best, most haunted moment in a long time.
"Is that really what you want, Lex?" I'm not sure I understand Clark's delivery here. His voice cracks a little, and his eyes seem sad. His tone is challenging, but his expression seemed to indicate that he wishes, for old times' sake, that this were what Lex really wanted.
"What I want? What I want is to make Lana happy for the rest of her life. And I want you to be there on our wedding day...to see what you lost." In some ways, this seemed to be Lex's final claim to Lana. Clark has given up all right to Lana: she is Lex's now. The careful wording of this dialogue brilliantly conveyed the image of a coveted prize being claimed. Perhaps Lex's delivery was a little more "snarly" than it needed to be, but the dialogue was actually quite good.

Details

Numerous headlines celebrating Lex and Lana's marriage. This was an interesting touch. I'm not sure if it was too far out or not, though...how many front-page headlines do you usually read about bald billionaires who run fertilizer plants getting married?
Lana has been reading about herself in the papers. She almost never leaves the mansion these days, especially with all the publicity, so is she mail-ordering trash papers like the "Inquisitor"?
"So you didn't actually see or hear anyone?" "No." She could have said that she heard someone without giving away Clark's secret. Then she would have had better protection...unless what she wanted was more space from Lex and Co.
Lana quickly closes Chloe's laptop, even though the password prompt is still open. While I can see why it was more effective, artistically speaking, for her to feel caught and quickly slam it shut than for her to craftily cover her tracks and waste screen time, this was too obvious. It kept bothering me. Perhaps they should have shown her staring at the prompt, then shown her pouring some coffee, implying that she had given up and closed the prompt.
When Lana grabbed the knife, I kept thinking, "Don't hold it with your thumb on the end of the handle...hold it pointing outward!" Then it showed her holding it as she descended the steps, her pointing finger stretched along the side, and I was relieved. Then it showed her finding the gift, and she was holding it point-down again.
The gift of lingerie and threatening note were an interesting twist. The gift brought up several questions...namely, Why would the killer want her to die looking properly beautiful, and Why didn't he just kill her then, instead of playing mind games? Assuming that it was Evil Security Guard who left the gift box, it makes sense that this was part of his attempt to frame Esposito: Esposito (supposedly) sent her the picture of herself in lingerie, so it would have been in character for him to leave a gift of lingerie with his death threat. Except, of course, Esposito wasn't responsible for picture, lingerie, or death threat... The fact that this was a set-up also explained why Lana wasn't killed then and there.
The mug on Clark's desk switches back and forth from emitting heavy steam to having no steam at all.
Why was Lana sitting on very long steps in Esposito's first picture on the disc?
I'm not sure what the significance of the lingerie on the bed was. (At first I thought it was the silk that had wrapped the chisel.) Evil Security Guard wanted to save her, and if he couldn't then he was only going to kill her as a last resort. If he wanted her to die in the lingerie, then what did he intend to do, tell her to stop and change before he shot her? She was going to keep running and fighting as long as she was alive. I think this follow-up was actually unnecessary - the basic idea ended up being too clumsy.