| Welcome to SmallvilleNews. We hope you enjoy your visit. |
| QoTW 7/16/04 | |
|---|---|
| Tweet Topic Started: Fri Jul 16, 2004 5:59 am (193 Views) | |
| Smallvillian | Fri Jul 16, 2004 5:59 am Post #1 |
![]()
Jonathan's Lady
|
Since this has come up *so often* in other places, lets ask it here
:) What do you think of Jonathan's feelings about Lex in the beginning and how do you think he feels now? I'll just start now--I think Jonathan was civil to Lex at first. They guy ran his son down with his car after all and Lana makes it pretty clear in, I think, Nicodemus, that people know why Lex was sent to SV. He was a "bad boy." Given those things and what he knows of Lionel, Jonathan had good reason to be less than warm to Lex, but he didn't cuss him out or call him a so and so. He just said "drive slower" in a pretty nice way. He's got a son that is *the most powerful being on the planet* and a huge resposibilty to try to keep him away from bad influences. Then Lex keeps hanging around. Jonathan, as a parent, has to be wondering, why does this *man* want to hang out with my teenage son? Any normal parent would feel that way. So yeah, he's not very nice--because what usually happens when you're not nice to people? They leave. That's what he wanted. He wanted Lex to leave his family alone. Later, he does admit to being unfair and tells Lex some really nice things in Prodigal. Unfortunately, he got bashed from behind right after. That couldn't have been good. He had to know or suspect Lex was somehow connected to his attack. So now we have a Jonathan that is more willing to give Lex *some* benefit of the doubt but he's not going to completely drop hid guard--like with the blood sample. He knows Lex hasn't always been honest and he can't concern himself with whether Lex knew it was Clark's blood. He just knows Lex is capable of taking it, if he thought he had good reason. And it turns out Jonathan was right. Lex did take the blood. Now some would say "Well then why would he be in Lex's weding, that makes him two-faced. Not at all, He didn't *know* Lex did anything wrong and was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. I think that's understandable. And not only did he give him the benefit of the doubt, he gave Lex a gift that was a tradition in the Kent family and also attended Lex's 'funeral.' Do you really think he would go to Lionel's? To dance on the old guy's grave maybe lol I think we've seen that he grew and he saw something decent in Lex. Then when Lex is back, and explains that the compass saved his life and he bought the farm as a gift of gratitude, Jonathan offered to pay him back. I think they were in good standing at that point. I would have loved to see Jonathan's reaction to Lex walking in their door. Too bad we only saw Clark's. I would bet he smiled when he saw the guy :) |
![]() |
|
| Renee | Fri Jul 16, 2004 6:46 am Post #2 |
![]()
Don't mess with JS
|
Excellent question. You're right, it's time we in this forum gave this one a good discussion. I'm going to take some time to think it out, and then I'll probably have to spend some time paring down my answer a bit -- I could probably write a minor novel on the subject! For now, I'll just say that you make some very good and often overlooked points. |
![]() |
|
| miss_linda_lee | Sat Jul 17, 2004 11:40 am Post #3 |
![]()
Full-time Supergirl
|
I so want to see Jonathan's reaction when he learns about the Clark room Lex had set up. :) |
![]() |
|
| Renee | Sat Jul 17, 2004 11:46 am Post #4 |
![]()
Don't mess with JS
|
Didn't he already find out? I don't actually remember his finding out, but some people over at K-site said that Clark told his parents about it. |
![]() |
|
| Smallvillian | Sat Jul 17, 2004 12:24 pm Post #5 |
![]()
Jonathan's Lady
|
But even Clark couldn't have told them about the "shrine O'Kent" because he didn't know about it. Lex only admitted to investigating Clark, not to the mega-sized Kent wall decorum
:p That's why Clark was so mad in the finale. He had no idea about *that. lol |
![]() |
|
| Renee | Sat Jul 17, 2004 12:29 pm Post #6 |
![]()
Don't mess with JS
|
These people said that he told his parents in "Covenant," after he found out. I don't remember that happening, but my memory may just be faulty (wouldn't be the first time). And I haven't gone back and re-watched the episode yet. Too sad.
:( I've always wondered, by the way, what Lex needed with those life-size pictures of the whole family! I mean, I'd be glad to have a huge portrait of Jonathan on my wall :p , but Lex . . . ? |
![]() |
|
| Smallvillian | Sat Jul 17, 2004 12:48 pm Post #7 |
![]()
Jonathan's Lady
|
When was this?? I don't remember Clark saying anything cuz I know Jonathan would have had something to say about it, doncha know.
:) I'm with you about the Kent shrine lol |
![]() |
|
| Jonathan Fan | Sat Jul 17, 2004 2:48 pm Post #8 |
|
Unregistered
|
I think Jonathan is downright hostile to Lex from the pilot to the second season episode , "The Prodigal." Of course I still think it's funny when in "Nicodemus" when Jonathan drinks the beer and belches in Lex's face after telling him off. Lex's reaction to the belch is priceless! |
|
|
| Smallvillian | Sat Jul 17, 2004 4:22 pm Post #9 |
![]()
Jonathan's Lady
|
But see, he first met Lex as a result of almost (he thought) killing Clark. And even then he was civil. The hostility, IMO, was about keeping Lex away from Clark. Look at, I think, Zero. He's starting to come around, starting to see Clark's side and then *bam* Lex is looking into the field where Clark landed when he came to earth. You can literally see Jonathan changing his mind. He becomes very upset and changes almost instantly. He knows as well as Clark does that Lex isn't telling the whole truth. Yeah, he's not nice at other times when it's not directly related to Clark on the surface, but even if they aren't talking about Clark it's always about Clark. He worried about Lex's influence on his Super human son, not to mention what would happen if Lex found out the secret. I honestly think he would have been very different if it weren't for Clark's "specialness" and the fact that Lex hit him with a car. lol |
![]() |
|
| Renee | Sun Jul 18, 2004 5:40 am Post #10 |
![]()
Don't mess with JS
|
When I watched some of the early episodes again recently, I was surprised to be reminded that Lex's attitude toward Jonathan was fairly hostile in the beginning as well. "Metamorphosis" -- At the farmer's market, Jonathan shakes Lex's hand and then walks away. Lex says something to Clark like, "Well, at least I got a handshake." Well good grief, honey, you almost killed the man's kid. What do you expect, a red carpet and a brass band? (And isn't it a little rude to say something like that about a man to that man's son?) "X-Ray" -- After Lex is "seen" robbing the bank, he says something snarky to the Kents about how this will really set "some people's" opinions of him in stone. You can almost see Jonathan thinking, "How the heck am I supposed to respond to THAT?" Frankly, I don't know how you would. Jonathan feels how he feels, and not entirely without reason; he's tried to be civil, but you can't change how you feel about someone overnight. And saying things like that is not going to help. I've got more to add, but have to run right now. . . . |
![]() |
|
| Smallvillian | Sun Jul 18, 2004 6:39 am Post #11 |
![]()
Jonathan's Lady
|
:LOL: "Red carpet and brass band." Yes, I think it was getting to know the kind of father Jonathan is that gets Lex to soften and worry about what Jonathan thinks of him later on. Which is ironic. People love Lex but they don't respect his opinion and must think he's a pretty bad judge of character since he has enormous respect for Jonathan, despite the differences they've had. The bank robbery scene--I was thinking "You're in the man's home and take a swipe at him? Oh yes, that's going to help matters." And you gotta give it to Jonathan, he doesn't take the bait. He just smiles and excuses himself. |
![]() |
|
| miss_linda_lee | Sun Jul 18, 2004 8:50 am Post #12 |
![]()
Full-time Supergirl
|
Yes, Lex was just as hostile to Jon; he wasn't an innocent victim in all of this. I really lost respect for him when he lied to Clark about promising to stop the investigation . . . then there's Nixon . . . and Walden . . . . Oh, and in 'Covenant' I know Clark told Martha, but I don't think Jonathan was there at the time. |
![]() |
|
| Jonathan Fan | Sun Jul 18, 2004 10:38 am Post #13 |
|
Unregistered
|
As soon as I saw that scene I metioned to Livvie that Clark in "Covenant is forgetting all the good stuff Lex had done for him and his family. But Livvie pointed out that all the good stuff he did didn't mattter. Lex still lied to Clark about stopping the investigation in "Reaper." And like he said in one episode that a friendship built on lies and secrets is destined to fall. I'm just wondering if Clark won't be angry with Lex when his memory comes back in the fourth season like the spoilers say. |
|
|
| Renee | Sun Jul 18, 2004 4:08 pm Post #14 |
![]()
Don't mess with JS
|
Another thought largely unrelated to my previous post (I just have to type these things as they come into my head, before they fly away again!). . . . A lot of people make a fuss over the fact that, according to the creators, Jonathan plays some part in Lex's downfall. I think most take this to mean either that his harshness towards Lex helps do the trick (but that doesn't make sense, since he hasn't been harsh toward Lex for about a season and a half), or that something he'll do in the future will push Lex over the edge. But couldn't it just be that Lex's admiration for Jonathan, envy of Clark for having such a father, and frustration over his lack of a relationship with his own father combine to help make Lex evil? How many scenes have we seen with Lex looking longingly at Clark being happy with his parents? At least three that I can think of, and maybe more. I think he's been wishing since day one for what Jonathan and Clark have. And since then, Jonathan and Clark have grown even closer than they were. I could be wrong, but I certainly think it would be an interesting way to handle this -- have Lex around the Kent family more, and grow increasingly dissatisfied and envious as he watches them. Even with Jonathan liking him better than he once did (although that may change, thanks to the Clark room), he knows he's never going to mean half as much to Jonathan as Clark does. That's just the way it is, all talk of "being part of the family" aside -- Clark is Jonathan's son, and Lex is not and never will be. (And by the way, I think that "part of the family" line in "Phoenix" was a big mistake, because the writers didn't follow through with it. If they were going to have Lex say something like that, they should have had Lex at the house a lot more than in season 2. As it was, I don't think he showed up there more than once or twice.) |
![]() |
|
| miss_linda_lee | Tue Jul 20, 2004 2:25 pm Post #15 |
![]()
Full-time Supergirl
|
Amen, Renee. Couldn't have said it better myself. :) |
![]() |
|
| Smallvillian | Tue Jul 20, 2004 2:48 pm Post #16 |
![]()
Jonathan's Lady
|
Yes! I'm so glad other people feel this way about the whole "part of the family" thing. Given that, Lex *should* have been around a great deal more. But I think they may have had Asylum planned and they didn't want the Kents' reaction to seem strange. And for as much as I hear about Jonathan's reaction in Asylum, I didn't hear Martha saying too much about keeping Lex at the house, did I? She wasn't exactly opening the door wide. Yeah, I wish they had been much more helpful to Lex. They could have been, but then I look at it from their position. Lex showed *big* signs of mental instability while at their *home.* It wasn't just Lionel's word at that point. And you have to remember that they still have Clark to worry about. Lionel already is suspicious. I understand them being afraid to get involved. Even after Clark find's out about the drugs, what rights did they really have? He is Lionel's son, not to mention a legal adult. |
![]() |
|
| 1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous) | |
| « Previous Topic · The LJLS Forum · Next Topic » |









6:35 PM Jul 10