thurSday

[xparrot]

The non-spoilerery reaction to SPN "All Hell Breaks Loose Pt.1":

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
*cough*
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

(--and it doesn't count! not if he's--because--argh! AHHHH!!)

And now a few comments on Smallville 6x21 "Prototype" from gnine and myself:

1. Lex is hot.

2. Lex is evil.

3. Lois is still in my good books, and has a genuine reason to be mad as hell and out to take Lex down. As opposed to Chloe, who blames Lex for, um, bringing her mother out of her coma. Still confused on that one.

4. Lex is hot.

5. Our Heroes are Dumb. And I want to smack them around. 'Oh, yeah, Lex used to be a bit shady but now he's gone black as the inside of a ninja's navel at midnight. Why? Oh, we have no idea. You know, he just is. The script says so. Why ask why?'

6. Clark is awful pretty. Dumb, but awful pretty.

7. Lex is trying to save the world. Yes, in a wrong and evil way. Still. Saving the world.

8. Lex is on the fast track to supervillain-hood for reasons I don't buy. If he's so convinced of the reality of the metahuman threat, why does he have to mind control soldiers to do his bidding? Couldn't he talk them into it? Especially when the guy had signed on willingly? Also, what about the aliens he knows are out there? Why doesn't he care? I'm totally fanwanking from this point on that Lex's number one priority is still alien invasion, he just doesn't have evidence enough to get people to believe him. Except that the doc at least knows aliens are real...

9. At least they're setting up the appropriate anti-Superman tension, with his whole metahumans = THREAT TO HUMANITY (totally justified) paranoia.

10. And Lex knew Lana was listening! And totally knew he wasn't the man she loved, either. Why he's still trying to win her affections, I have no idea. Just kill her, Lex. Please.

11. He needs to be better with his help, however. Threatening them is all very well, but no need to lose your cool. Though he is quite young, not as imposing as a fully mature supervillain, still feeling the chill of Daddy's shadow. And that momentary flash of guilt (?) when facing his successful test subject in the teaser...shows of temper to hide his own uncertainties, perhaps.

12. None of this changes the fact that Lex is hot.

13. Seriously. Hot. The no-tie and top-button-undone and black slacks and jacket and yow.

14. And he has good taste in brainwashed soldiers. Mmm, Tahmoh Penikett. One wonders what else those implants did.

15. And Lex has a minion, too! That dark-haired guy following him around is so going to die. Or betray him. Please, if you must go, do so saving your boss, Unnamed Minion! You know how much fanatic minion loyalty turns me on.

16. Um. So Clark totally just killed a guy. Even if he sort of wanted to die. Clark killed a victim of Lex's. I was expecting Lex to mention a preprogrammed self-destruct function, but no. Clark killed a guy.

17. I realize that I no longer care about anyone in this show except for Lex. And Clark, but only because Lex cares. This is not the best mindset to enjoy the show. Sigh. I might give it up over the summer. We'll see.

18. Did I mention that Lex is hot?

Comments

[bagheera-san.livejournal.com]

Sigh. I might give it up over the summer. We'll see.

No, no, no! Who will then explain the show to me in ways that make things awesome?

Lex was hot, just like the last three weeks. So was everyone, actually, except Lionel. He and Chloe have bad hair this season. No, wait, that was not what I wanted to say...

Ah, yes! World saving. Although Lex always delivers that justification in a way that sort of makes me doubt it's genuine, I can see no other motivation he could have for building an army of supersoldiers... so he's trying to do good in evil and non-sensical ways. Which is sort of what everyone on this show does, only they're not all quite that evil. But still. I see a theme here. *sigh*

And the Lex/Lana confrontation was awesome. Also, the show acknowledged that they're not having sex!

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Yeah, what's up with Lionel's hair?
...er, I mean--

Although Lex always delivers that justification in a way that sort of makes me doubt it's genuine

Hmm. Good, I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels this. The only time Lex has really sounded geunine to me, rather than EEEVOLLY scheming & manipulative, is his confrontation with Fine in "Oracle", and maybe in "Nemesis", though he doesn't mention the world-saving then. That's one reason I can keep fanwanking the alien invasion defense hypothesis, if his going on about meteor mutants and terrorist vigilantes is a cover for that.

Actually I think I figured out how to explain the mind control! It's still unethical (though Keenan did sign on...I wonder what he thought he was signing on for) but Lex has reasons for wanting absolute mental control over his soldiers. Partly because of meteor psychosis - most mutants have fairly evident neurological problems; combining all those powers couldn't be good for the brain. The soldiers might well be functionally insane without the mind control.

Also, if the alien defense hypothesis holds - Lex knows the aliens can take over peoples' minds/bodies. Zod took him over, and Lionel was possessed by Jor-El. So soldiers operating on remote control might be the only reasonable option. Doesn't justify doing it (mind control is pretty much unjustifiable, in my book, and after all the mindfuckery Lex has endured he should know this better than anyone...I like your explanation, that he's consciously or subconsciously taking those past transgressions on his psyche out on his victims...) but at least there's semi-reasonable explanations for it.

[bagheera-san.livejournal.com]

The only time Lex has really sounded geunine to me, rather than EEEVOLLY scheming & manipulative, is his confrontation with Fine in "Oracle"

Yeah! The cool thing is that the confrontation with Fine is also the only instance I can think of where Lex has no reason to lie or manipulate, because he's talking to the enemy.

But then, I've always gotten this odd vibe from Lex (maybe it's MR's acting) that the more serious and honest he tries to be, the more he sounds like he isn't. Like he's trying too hard or something. The only times when Lex came close to appearing completely honest and genuine were either when he was scared/under emotional stress/angry, like in "Vortex" or "Shattered" or "Reunion", or a couple of times with Clark, like their reunion after the island or in Nemesis. Most of the time Lex seems just slightly off.

that he's consciously or subconsciously taking those past transgressions on his psyche out on his victims
The show is definitely repeating the imagery from "Asylum" over and over again with Lex in Lionel's position: in "Mortal", "Cyborg", "Freak" and now "Prototype", and (less obvious) in the whole "drugging Lana to make her think she's pregnant" thing, which one could see as a parallel to Lionel drugging Lex to make him appear psychotic.

[attaccabottoni.livejournal.com]

Like he's trying too hard or something.
His sincerity, when not instantaneous, can always be taken as planned/controlled. Whether it's just his nature or the acting or both, I love it. You're not alone in feeling that vibe. If Lex is faking it, he's got it made! *tries not to get stuck on the hotass+sexy+villain mantra again*

repeating the imagery from "Asylum" over and over again with Lex in Lionel's position
Dude, I think I understand why it's not so disturbing anymore after the first time. Oh, you Luthors...

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Since the Fine-confrontation is a keystone in the Lex-nalysis, I've watched it quite a few times. It's one of my favorite scenes, Lex totally undeniably the hero!

ladydreamer got into a protracted discussion here concerning Lex's communication skills, or lack thereof. He shows some autistic traits, though I don't think that's quite it (such traits can be schizophrenia symptoms, though, and he does have confirmed schizophrenic tendencies). At any rate...yeah, there's something off about him, not sure if MR always is always playing him as manipulative/evil, or what, but.... Until 4th season, he's more natural with Clark than with anyone else, which I think is one of the (many) reasons he comes off as so desperately, hopelessly in love. (and Clark in turn isn't as put off by Lex's weirdness as everyone else...)

[jakrar.livejournal.com]

Lex has reasons for wanting absolute mental control over his soldiers. Partly because of meteor psychosis - most mutants have fairly evident neurological problems; combining all those powers couldn't be good for the brain. The soldiers might well be functionally insane without the mind control.

Also, if the alien defense hypothesis holds - Lex knows the aliens can take over peoples' minds/bodies. Zod took him over, and Lionel was possessed by Jor-El. So soldiers operating on remote control might be the only reasonable option.

Your theories always click with me -- I get this great 'Of course!' moment, with the proverbial light bulb flipping on in my head. Mind-controlling the supersoldiers to prevent violent insanity and/or alien mind-control makes perfect sense! So Lex still isn't totally evil; he isn't doing this just for sick kicks. He's being extra-careful to keep his troops on the side of humanity, as opposed to letting them fall into chaos or the enemy's hands.

[littlehollyleaf.livejournal.com]

Oooh, good working round the mind control thing. I also figure, since Lex HAS suffered from it so much he may well have hit the 'if you can't beat 'em, join 'em' camp'. Doesn't make it right, but Lex probably feels he can't afford to take the moral high ground if we wants to actually defeat the alien/mutant threats.