Welcome Guest [Log In] [Register]
Welcome to SmallvilleNews. We hope you enjoy your visit.







Username:   Password:
Add Reply
Jonathan/Lex revisited
Topic Started: Wed Feb 9, 2005 3:39 pm (152 Views)
Renee
Member Avatar
Don't mess with JS
If you can believe it, the same old argument has popped up at K-site AGAIN. :rolleyes: This time the subject line was "Martha's and Jonathan's stupidity will kill them." Pretty much a rehash of the debate we've heard a thousand times. I bring it up only because I spent a few minutes summarizing my thoughts on the subject, and then it occurred to me that it might be useful to copy my post over here, in case anyone would like a sort of timeline of the Kents/Lex relationship for use in future arguments, stories, etc. So here it is, for whatever it's worth:

***

If you watch carefully, the Kents' attitude toward Lex makes more sense and is more consistent than you think.

Season One:

Jonathan -- doesn't like or trust Lex (and it's not WHOLLY because he's a Luthor, though that's a big part of it. Watch the early episodes again, and you'll see that Lex acts quite pushy toward Jonathan), but doesn't forbid Clark from being friends with him
Martha -- seems to like him and is not as distrustful, though she warns Clark to be cautious of him at one point because of the way he was raised ("Zero")

Season Two:

Jonathan -- thanks Lex for saving his life, grows to like him more but still doesn't trust him, blows up at him over privacy issues (I do think Jonathan is in the wrong here), then apologizes and asks for help, then gets upset with him again over the hostage situation (this time I think he's justified), takes him in without question when he needs help, gradually grows in respect for him, and agrees to play a significant role in his wedding (and gives him a significant gift). This is where we see the biggest growth and change in Jonathan's feelings.
Martha -- attitude seems about the same as before; as Annette O'Toole has said, Martha seems to see him chiefly as a motherless young man and thus someone to feel compassion for

Season Three:

Jonathan -- again, seems to feel pretty friendly towards him; believes he's truly mentally ill in "Shattered" (as do several others, such as Chloe), pities him for what happens in "Asylum" but is glad that, according to Clark, at least he seems to be happy and at peace; on the whole, doesn't see much of him
Martha -- about the same as Jonathan

Season Four:

Jonathan and Martha -- and this is key -- have learned that Lex lied to their faces and has been investigating their teenage son for years. Despite this, they STILL don't forbid Clark from being friends with him. Neither of them now feels that he can be trusted, but they do give him credit for good things he does even when Clark doesn't ("Gone"), and the most they do is tell Clark to be careful around him.

Now I seriously think that if you look at what really happened, and not at all the stereotypes that get tossed around the Internet, you get quite a different picture. And neither party is entirely free from blame in all this. Jonathan has been in the wrong before where Lex is concerned, but there also have been times when Lex was at fault. Let's at least look at both sides, and give both parties the credit they deserve, before we rush to judgment.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Snarky
Smallville Nut
Well said. Jonathan doesn't have a lot of trust for anyone outside his immediate family. Just because he's skeptical doesn't mean he's being a stubborn old fart. His distrustful attitude toward Lex has been justified. But you have to wonder if he'd truly given Lex a chance in the early stages would Jonathan have been able to help Lex overcome some of emotional damage caused by Lionel creating a little more incentive for Lex to choose the "right" path.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Renee
Member Avatar
Don't mess with JS
Yes, I think you're right. It is sad when you think about it. It seems like Jonathan didn't understand what Lex was really looking for (and was too distrustful even to try), and Lex didn't understand the right way to approach Jonathan. He couldn't know that the Luthors-bearing-gifts routine was the very worst thing he could have done. Of course, he might have guessed that the little sarcastic comments weren't such a great idea either! But I guess that's a typical Lex reaction when he feels thrown back on himself. Their personalities just didn't mesh very well.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Jonathan Fan
Can't Stay Away
But I can also understand why Jonathan doesn't like Lex. Like the old saying about the apple not falling far from the tree is sometimes quite evident in Lex. It seems like the more he tries to break free from Lionel the more he's starting to turn into him. And Jonathan doesn't trust Lionel Luthor because of the lies he told about the fertilizer plant and blackmailing Jonathan just to open the place. I think that Jonathan thinks that if he doesn't trust Lex, like he did Lionel, he won't get tricked again.But I do agree that Jonathan is sometimes wrong about Lex. Lex has tried to keep Jonathan and Clark's relationship together. Something he doesn't have with his own father. And Jonathan is just a little too touchy when it comes to Lex trying to make the Jonathan/Clark relationship warm.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Tayoni
Resident Goofball
:blink: I never heard of this issue before!

Now that I think about it, JK and MK on the whole seem to be pretty open minded and forgiving when it comes to Lex. JK gave Lex a pretty harsh scolding that time when MK got taken hostage and it WAS because of Lex that it happened, but ya know he didn't mean to do it. He was all like :oops: and I think he deserved to get smacked upside the head for it. Yet, JK still allowed Lex in the house after that one.

But then that other time when Lex lived on the farm and did all that work, JK gave him some well deserved praise. I think JK sometimes lets his mouth think for his brain, but lots of people do that when they get pissed off. Most of the time he's pretty fair to Lex.

When I think about it carefully, it looks to me like the Kents just seem to treat Lex like any other kid who hangs around, scolding him when he's bad and praising when he's good.

:LOL: but isn't that the way moms and dads are?
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous)
« Previous Topic · The LJLS Forum · Next Topic »
Add Reply