I thought your comment about MR playing himself playing Lex is very astute...there was this hyperawareness of himself in relation to others, that makes him seem not quite comfortable in his skin.
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.
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.