Tonight's SV ep
Apr. 15th, 2003 10:40 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
scribblinlenoreOkay, I think I'm going to have to stop reading spoilers, because sometimes they really do-- well, spoil things. I probably would have liked this ep okay. Or at least I wouldn't have been disappointed. But I read them. And I am. Disappointed.
Lex is really acting weird and creepy. Although I did kind of enjoy the way he baited Clark about the whole alien thing, because, well, it was interaction between the two of them. And I found it kind of sexy. But then, I might find it sexy if Lex and Clark talked about what toilet bowl cleaner is the most effective. It's not a really high standard I have, I'm afraid.
But when he shows Helen the secret room? Shudder. He seems like a maniac. I mean, there's obsession. And then there's totally unhinged, freak-ass consumed-until-you-go-loony sickness. And, to me, this teetered.
I guess that could be one way Lex goes bad. By going completely INSANE. But yuck.
The secret room scene is the major source of my disappointment. When I read the spoilers I pictured less of a badly f/xed mad scientist's lair, and more of a-- well, masturbatorium with all kinds of Clark artifacts everywhere. I want my big gay fantasy, damn it!
I really felt that Lex deserved a better obsession than they gave him. So I wrote my own. It's mean to Helen. If you love her, I wouldn't read it.
***
Pondering
by Lenore
"Your obsession?" Helen sounds uncertain
Lex is not sure why that's so satisfying. Why he gets such a thrill out of pushing the envelope with the women he dates. Clark is very special to me. He'd said that just yesterday. I don't know why the girls at his school aren't more interested in him. A remark from last week. With Victoria, he'd once gone so far as to ask, Don't you think Clark is attractive?
Lex supposes these asides might seem perfectly meaningless if you didn't know him. Maybe that's even what he's been trying to prove. That none of these women really do. Know him at all.
Or maybe it's just that this is the closest he's ever going to get to actually telling someone. I want to fuck Clark so bad it hurts. Some people have true confessions. Lex has these cat-and-mouse games he plays with the girlfriends who are screwing him over.
Helen takes a tentative step into the room. She stares at the twisted wreck of the Porsche. Lex can only imagine how that must seem to her, a gruesome reminder ensconced as if it is a precious treasure. But when Lex looks at it, there is nothing like death, only the fresh earth beneath him, the sky curving overhead like endless possibility, a taste in his mouth so wholesome and sweet he still dreams about it.
"What do you do in here?" Helen asks.
"Ponder."
"It's, um-- very modern."
Space-age surfaces have the advantage of quick clean up, and pondering can get messy.
Lex only smiles.
Helen shifts her weight. It makes her nervous to be here, and maybe Lex shouldn't be such a sadistic bastard. The real game is with himself after all, not with her, and if Helen doesn't actually turn out to be on his father's payroll, he may have to feel bad about this somewhere down the line.
He's pretty sure, though, that's not a serious concern.
"I, uh-- There's something I need to--" She vaguely gestures in the direction of the door. "But thanks. For showing me."
"No problem."
He smiles like an attentive boyfriend while she flees the room. He can just imagine the look on her face as he closes the door behind her and turns the lock.
He moves to stand in front of the picture of Clark, who looks down at him with an unknowable expression, like a riddle, a challenge, like the only thing that will ever truly be worth having. It's ridiculous, Lex knows, to think that gaining Clark's secret will be anything like having Clark himself. But he suspects it's the closest he's ever going to get, and even he has to make do sometimes.
Lex cheers himself up by remembering Helen's shocked expression. After today, the door will stay locked, and Clark will be all his once more. Helen won't ask about it. She won't even come to this part of the house again, he feels certain.
And that will make it so much better. The problem with secret obsessions is that there's nobody to appreciate the greedy pleasure you're hording all to yourself. But now Helen knows, whether she'll admit it to herself or not, and every time Lex comes here, locks the door, immerses himself in Clark, it will be a little more vivid, a little more like the real thing.
He smiles up at the picture and decides to start enjoying his windfall now. Helen can wait. And when it comes to pondering the beautiful mystery that is Clark Kent, Lex has learned, there's no time quite like the present.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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Date: 2003-04-15 08:37 pm (UTC)Congratulations. You are the first in what will doubtless be an enormously long line of fan fics to reference that scene! *g*
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Date: 2003-04-16 05:30 am (UTC)I agree. I think Helen's in cahoots with Lionel. It always seem to me that Lex thinks so too from the cagey way he acts with her. But maybe that's just MR coming through and his objections to this particular storyline.
You are the first in what will doubtless be an enormously long line of fan fics to reference that scene!
Wheee! I've always wanted to be first at something. *g*
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Date: 2003-04-15 08:55 pm (UTC)Hoo-yah.
I wouldn't be the least surprised if Lex ever did say those sorts of things to his dumber than dirt girlfriends.
It's ridiculous, Lex knows, to think that gaining Clark's secret will be anything like having Clark himself. But he suspects it's the closest he's ever going to get, and even he has to make do sometimes.
Awww...I love how great authors can take possibly squicky subject matter and turn it not only into something *understandable*, but sad and moving at the same time.
You know, this really is the question we need to ask ourselves after this episode: Why on earth would Lex show Helen the room? He's playing with them *all* now, and I couldn't be a happier girl if I tried.
It's about time Lex finally calls it for what it is...obsession.
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Date: 2003-04-16 05:33 am (UTC)You know, this really is the question we need to ask ourselves after this episode: Why on earth would Lex show Helen the room?
Totally. He never does anything without a reason. And more and more, his continuing relationship with Helen seem to be nothing more than a way to get at the information she has about the Kents. Jonathan, clearly, is not the only one thinking about the possibilities of pillow talk.
It will be interesting to see how it all plays out.
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Date: 2003-04-15 09:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-04-16 05:36 am (UTC)Tee-hee! I had this vision of Lex keeping a bottle of Fantastic and a roll of paper towels down in his secret lair. I'm sure it's not the done thing to have the cleaning people into your Hall of Obsession.
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Date: 2003-04-15 09:28 pm (UTC)It's ridiculous, Lex knows, to think that gaining Clark's secret will be anything like having Clark himself. But he suspects it's the closest he's ever going to get, and even he has to make do sometimes.
Yes, yes indeed. That's my stalker woobie. Thanks for posting this tonight!
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Date: 2003-04-16 05:38 am (UTC)I think I just lost touch with reality there for a little bit. And let my slashy imagination get the best of me. Oops!
Glad you liked the snippet, Corinna! Thanks for commenting. :)
wheee!
Date: 2003-04-15 10:37 pm (UTC)*ROLLS*
Re: wheee!
Date: 2003-04-16 05:39 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-04-15 11:03 pm (UTC)Your snippet was great; I especially like the idea of Lex dropping hints. It's when he stops doing that that he'll be dangerous enough to destroy the world.
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Date: 2003-04-16 05:45 am (UTC)(I'm also assuming that Helen has a red shirt on underneath anything she's wearing.)
Yes, you're so right. Not only does she know the Kents' secrets, but now she's knows Lex's. The poor thing has a target on her back.
As someone else said, Lex's whole treatment of Clark would make more sense in Season 4 or 5, but still I like the Bluebeard room.
I think so, too. I'm not ready for it now. Oh, and I loved your snippet. I'm going to go leave more thoughtful comments over on your LJ. But the "Bluebeard Room"? That's perfect.
It's when he stops doing that that he'll be dangerous enough to destroy the world.
I totally agree. He's still got a little of that "Somebody stop me!" thing going on. But that won't last forever.
I'm glad you liked the snippet, Rivka!
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Date: 2003-04-16 01:32 am (UTC)I really like how you've pitched this story - there's just enough humour to make you smile, just enough creep to make you shiver. Horror and humour work terrifically well together, and you've got the tone just right.
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Date: 2003-04-16 05:50 am (UTC)Thanks, Kirsten! I'm so glad you thought so. Lex really creeped me out in this ep, so he came off creepier in my snippet than I generally like to write him. For the first time, I could see the comic book Lex shining through. *shudder*
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Date: 2003-04-16 06:14 am (UTC)Okay, getting carried away by the creep. Sorry.
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Date: 2003-04-16 08:45 am (UTC)Okay, getting carried away by the creep. Sorry.
No, no, SV is all about the creepy. Lex is all about the creepy. You're right to enjoy it. It's just deluded dolts like me who resist it.
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Date: 2003-04-17 11:58 am (UTC)I would also like to sit at the "big gay fantasy" table, please.
Date: 2003-04-16 02:10 am (UTC)The idea of Lex dropping Clark-shaped hints at his girlfriends is very sexy and exactly the kind of passive-aggressive evil that Lex would indulge in.
Re: I would also like to sit at the "big gay fantasy" table, please.
Date: 2003-04-16 05:52 am (UTC)Anyway, glad you liked the snippet! If it's a big, gay stalkerish obsession, I just feel so much better about it. *g*
Re: I would also like to sit at the "big gay fantasy" table, please.
Date: 2003-04-16 03:07 pm (UTC)I also need to add, that the way you have Lex hinting around with his girlfriends about Clark works so well with the way he was baiting Clark in the ep: "I've always wanted to meet an alien." It's perfect. Long live the Big Gay Obsession! Hmm, that's crying out for an icon.
Re: I would also like to sit at the "big gay fantasy" table, please.
Date: 2003-04-16 05:01 pm (UTC)and the story!!! loved this line He's pretty sure, though, that's not a serious concern.. That line alone above everything else just gives me *chills*, the way Lex has weighed his own (future) conscience against his (current) obsessive nature, and guess which one wins?
Lovely and thanks for sharing, Lenore!
Re: I would also like to sit at the "big gay fantasy" table, please.
Date: 2003-04-16 05:29 pm (UTC)I thought that was interesting, too. My only hesitation is that
Thanks so much for the feedback on my story, Danielle. It's not how I usually write Lex (or *like* to write him), but it is how he struck me last night. I'm so glad it worked for you!
Re: I would also like to sit at the "big gay fantasy" table, please.
Date: 2003-04-16 06:57 pm (UTC)Hyperawareness! That's it exactly. The first thing I thought when I saw that first scene with Lex and Clark was that MR was acting as if someone had turned his this is going to sound very porny Lex-knob all the way up to 10. He'd lost any subtlety in his performance, and Lex came off totally manic. On purpose, I'm sure, but it was very jarring after nearly two-seasons of Lex being the exact opposite of that electric energy. Before, it was all implied. Last night it was made explicit.
Re: I would also like to sit at the "big gay fantasy" table, please.
Date: 2003-04-16 05:20 pm (UTC)Yeah. Yeah. That sounds right. I had this sense that somethig was off, but I couldn't quite put my finger on what it was. It's not that anything Lex did was terribly OOC. It just had a weird energy. Which made me ill at ease.
I was okay until a friend tried to convince me how seriously insane Lex was. And not in the fun gay way.
After reading the spoilers, I was primed for the good gay fun. And a lot of people seemed to have experienced it that way. But I got more of Dr. Mengele from Lex than Dr. Ruth. Not gay. Not fun.
I also need to add, that the way you have Lex hinting around with his girlfriends about Clark works so well with the way he was baiting Clark in the ep...
Thanks! I'm glad you thought it worked. I admire Lex's ability to bait. I just thought it would be more fun (for me) if he worked some of that on Helen.
Oh, and I love your gay obsession icon. Long live the Big Gay Obsession! That's my new rallying cry. *g*
Re: I would also like to sit at the "big gay fantasy" table, please.
Date: 2003-04-16 06:40 pm (UTC)Yes, from the first moment he enters that scene with Clark I felt he was off. As always when Lex comes to Clark, we hear Lex before we see him, and even his VOICE sounded odd. Like someone had pushed MR onto the set and he had to speak before he was ready. It was forced jovial and almost too loud. I'm sure I probably winced.
After reading the spoilers, I was primed for the good gay fun. And a lot of people seemed to have experienced it that way. But I got more of Dr. Mengele from Lex than Dr. Ruth. Not gay. Not fun.
I was unspoiled. I was talking to a friend on the east coast who was watching the ep, and she got very excited at the end, telling me I'd love it. That it would change everything. She got it half right. At first I wasn't all that upset by the room. I felt uncomfortable about what was going on, but I hadn't lost hope for Lex. Then
Oh, and I love your gay obsession icon. Long live the Big Gay Obsession! That's my new rallying cry. *g*
Thank you! It's very important to have a rallying cry. Maybe I'll make some more of these icons to give out. It'll be like therapy.
Re: I would also like to sit at the "big gay fantasy" table, please.
Date: 2003-04-16 06:53 pm (UTC)If you do, can I have one? *smiles hopefully*
Re: I would also like to sit at the "big gay fantasy" table, please.
Date: 2003-04-16 07:37 pm (UTC)I'll post the icons to my LJ when I've got enough of them.
big gay fantasy icons
Date: 2003-04-17 03:28 am (UTC)*snort* Yeah, "maybe." Talk about being in denial. Which is to say, I made a few icons. Stop by and pick one out.
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Date: 2003-04-16 05:28 am (UTC)You know, I thought he was fine when he wasn't in Helen scenes. Maybe a bit more...chipper than usual, but normal. But in the Hex scenes? Pod!Lex, totally. If this is the effect Helen has on him, I want her gone, now more than ever. And I was hoping Lex would have a nice relationship with her, despite the Clex.
Space-age surfaces have the advantage of quick clean up, and pondering can get messy.>/i>
Now that's a visual. You really gave a lot of depth to that scene in your snippet. I have a feeling that room is going to be referenced in a lot of fanfics.
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Date: 2003-04-16 05:59 am (UTC)You're right, actually. With Clark at the Talon, he was his usual pushing right up to the limit and then strategically backing off self.
Most of the scenes with Helen just made me want to gag. "I believe in us." Somebody make it stop.
But the secret room creeped me out. Maybe if it had seemed more like a shrine to the big, gay love. But then, it wouldn't have been on television. *g*
You really gave a lot of depth to that scene in your snippet.
Thanks, Lady T! I'm so glad you thought so. :)
I have a feeling that room is going to be referenced in a lot of fanfics.
Oh, yeah. Definitely a watershed moment.
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Date: 2003-04-16 07:29 am (UTC)But your Lex is way creepier and I love it.
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Date: 2003-04-16 08:42 am (UTC)Me too. Of course, he must be plotting something. But what? Hmm.
But your Lex is way creepier and I love it.
Hey, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. *g*
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Date: 2003-04-16 04:55 pm (UTC)no subject
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