Poll: The Kandorian Conundrum
This poll is one that I think I am in the minority for. When Chloe showed Oliver the stockpile of weapons that she bought using his money it was obvious that Ollie was a bit taken back. However he didn’t totally disagree. She feels that she is justified in being prepared for a world of super powered kandorians. Now that we know that Zod has his powers and that he knows how to give the rest of the Kandorians their power as well, we have to look back at that moment at the cargo container. I remember having the impressions from various things I read and listened to, that many believed Chloe was going a bit overboard. What do you think? I will go on record that I always thought that CHloe was right to be ready for an army of kryptonians. The characters on the show have a hard time controlling Clark when he goes rogue, how will they fair against a military unit from Krypton who now has all of Clarks powers?
Luke, I agree with you. I would love to see this season finale show a direct contrast and parallel to “Doomsday” in that Clark’s belief in the good in people will be shown to be the RIGHT way and what saves them all. It would be a nice way to tie in with last year’s finale and his reason for leaving humanity at the end of last year. It would show growth for our hero and would move him one step forward. Personally, I’ve grown tired of Smallville’s insistence in making Clark suffer and wrong all the time. I’m not saying there shouldn’t be conflict. Obviously, this is a television drama so there is going to be difficulty. But I think it would say a lot if they allowed Clark’s belief in the good in the Kandorians to be right in the end. I’d like to see them inspired by his leadership and willing to follow him in the end. At this stage in Clark’s journey, he needs the chance to be right. He needs to be allowed to be the hero. I love the supporting cast on this show. Even though I have found Chloe’s actions horrible this year….I still find her interesting. But I don’t want Clark to be sacrificed on the altar of this supporting cast one more time. Chloe has made mistakes and she needs to pay for them. I’d like to see Chloe repent for her mistakes and ask for Clark’s forgiveness. And for what it’s worth—I think he’d forgive her or a second. Because he’s Clark and he forgives everyone….even when they probably don’t deserve it. That’s part of what makes him such an amazing hero. He is so selfless and gracious.
It would make the most sense in terms of the narrative for Clark to have the opposite reaction this year to his humanity. There needs to be change from “Doomsday.” If nothing changes…then what’s the point? Why bother having him walk away from humanity last year only to end this season the same way as last year….with Clark as the failure because he believed in someone. It would make absolutely no logical sense. So here’s hoping that these writers allow Clark to be right in the end.
Do you have any thoughts on all this Brian? Does it bother you when Clark is constantly blamed for things?
//Do you have any thoughts on all this Brian? Does it bother you when Clark is constantly blamed for things?//
It bothers the hell out of me, lol. And I agree with everything else you said, MJ.
@Luke, I love your scenario for the last stretch of episodes. I swear if it happens the way you speculated…I may imitate a sound only heard by dogs and Kryptonians.
Well MJ,
I think alot of this revolves around Chloe’s distrust for Clark and the fact that he wouldn’t go back and save Jimmy with the Legion ring. This has been a strange year for Clark, I think that in his effort to find his place he has lost his way. We have seen some great moments with him acting as we think a “Superman” should. But Clark has done some things that I have to shake my head at.
But to answer your question I think that “Superman” bears the burden of blame and responsibility simply because he feels he should. The constant struggle of Clark Kent is fitting into a world of humans when he knows that he is not a human, yet still treating Earth as his own because I believe that alot of the things that happen are due to the fact that he is there.
Meteor rock, Zoners, Maxima, Doomsday, Kandorians, the list could go on. Clark (IMO) feels that these things are his responsibility to take care of. Even when he finds people like the JL and the Wonder twins who are willing to take up the fight with him, he usually tries to talk them down from that ledge and say that “it’s too dangerous” for them.
Just goes to show you that anyone who claims that Superman is a”boy scout”, hasn’t read much about Superman since the Golden or Silver age.
My 2 cents.
Hmm….interesting.
Well hey….obviously different opinions make the world go round and that’s cool.
I agree with what you said about Clark feeling blame because he feels he should. That’s just part of Clark’s selfless nature. He’d rather take everything on himself. It’s one of this greatest strengths and greatest weakenesses. And I totally agree with you that many “fans” of Superman don’t understand Superman. He is so much more complicated than just a “Boy Scout.”
I have to be honest that I disagree with your opinion on Clark.
Lost his way this year? I actually think in many cases it’s been the opposite and I’m going to try to use examples from the show to prove my point . I actually think he’s been one of the only people on the show who has accepted responsibility for his mistakes and tried to correct them this time around. That, in my opinion, is HUGE. It takes great humility to be able to recognize that you were wrong and try to atone for your mistakes. How many of us struggle with that even in our own lives?
First off, Clark not saving Jimmy with the Legion Ring.
I understood where Chloe was coming from. I felt her pain and I thought it was a fabulous scene. Well acted on both of their parts and emotional. But I believe Clark did the right thing. The last time he tried to bringing someone back from the dead there was a huge consequence and Jonathan lost his life. I believe Clark learned from that mistake. He learned that he can’t play God with life and death and that he can’t intervene with fate in that way. Yes, it was extremely upsetting and I felt Chloe’s pain. I can’t even say that I wouldn’t have done the same thing if I was her. If I lost my husband? I would be begging someone to bring him back. But Clark did what was right. As painful as it was for him, he had to tell her no. So I don’t fault Clark for that at all.
At the beginning of the season, yes, Clark had lost his way. He tried to deny all of his human emotions and cut himself off from his life….and it didn’t work. We watched him stand on the rooftop in “Metallo” eavesdropping on people who were “living and connecting” and we watched how lonely he was without that kind of connection in his life. In the end, he learned that he couldn’t be the hero he needed to be by denying his human emotions and he also learned that he couldn’t stay away from the people he loved. He apologized to Chloe and accepted responsibility for the way he walked away. Notice that she never apologized to him even though, in my opinion, she owed him an apology for her lies last seasons. So he returned to his life as Clark Kent…..but his journey to try and belong and balance his two identities was just starting.
In “Rabid” we saw him proactively confront Oliver about his drinking and his depression. No moping. No brooding. He admitted to Oliver that he had made some mistakes and that he was trying to not make the same mistakes again. He was calm and wise when dealing with Oliver. He didn’t fly off the handle and he offered Oliver help and forgiveness. At the end of the episode, he maturely closed the book on this relationship with Lana after his realization that he had true feelings for Lois. All of this was huge huge emotional growth.
In “Echo” he made a mistake by assuming the wrong person was the hostage. It was an error in judgment on his part. But he LEARNED for that mistake and moved on. He learned that he had to carefully take in a situation and think before he acted with brute strength. In the end, he used his brain to defeat Toyman and save Oliver. He again apologized to Oliver for not being there for him (Again…note that Oliver never apologized to HIM for the arrow in the back last year….but Clark did it anyway and asked for nothing in return) and he told Oliver that he believed in him. At the end of the episode, Clark maturely apologized to Lois for standing her up and promised he would make it up to her.
In “Crossfire” Clark was proactive and assertive with a woman that he cared for for probably the first time in his entire life without Red K being in the mix. Instead of acting like a little boy….he acted like a man. He was honest about his feelings for Lois and he acted on those feelings. Again, this was a huge moment for Clark. After 8 years of whining and moping about Lana….Clark took a huge step forward and found the guts to after what he wanted. It was very mature.
In “Idol” Clark was able to see the goodness and heroism in the Wonder Twins despite their blunders and mistakes. He reminded the audience just how far he had come from years past by taking pride his father’s shield. He reminded us that he has been trying to spread hope for the city by leaving his shield. Now, there is going to come a time when Clark will realize that leaving the shield is WRONG. What the people really need to see is his FACE. He will be the hope. He will be the reason to believe. He’s not quite there yet. But he’s getting there. He’s on the right pathway.
In “Pandora” Clark rationally and logically made the decision to try and do things differently with Zod in the present timeline. Whether or not this was the right choice will soon be revealed. But the important thing is that Clark tried to learn from his mistakes. He was open to teamwork. He kept Chloe and Oliver in the loop. He was also strong and proactive with Lois. He marched right into the Daily Planet and told her that he wanted to be together. No childish games. No Dawson’s Creek melodrama. Just two adults mutually choosing to stop playing games and act on their feelings, How freaking mature was that? How far has Clark come from all those years moping in the barn over Lana? That was huge for him.
In “Disciple” Clark believed in Oliver even when all evidence was pointing to his possible turn as a villian. It wasn’t until Clark actually found the weapons hidden in Oliver’s wall that he thought he might have been guilty—and even THEN he tried to still believe in his friend. He confronted Chloe about her spying and her eavesdropping and he encouraged her to try and get out more. He was met with coldness from Chloe but Clark was right to call her out on her behavior. At the end of the episode Clark reminded Zod who had the power. Do I actually think Clark would physically hurt anyone? No, I don’t. But as you said above, Clark is not just some boyscout who rolls over and lets someone kick him down. Zod threatened Lois and Clark stood up to him and reminded him who had the power.
In “Absolute Justice” Clark was calm and gentle with Star Girl and he was open to the mentoring and leadership of Hawkman. He accepted the fate that Dr. Fate gave to him with grace and humility—it never once went to his head. As opposed to trying to fight on his own…he recognized that they needed teamwork to defeat the villian. He was willing to take advice and guidance. Again, this shows growth and maturity.
In “Conspiracy” Clark saved Zod’s life even though he didn’t have to. He did it because it was the right thing to do. He did it because it was what his father wanted him to do. He did it because that’s what Superman does. He does what’s right. He’s the ultimate first responder. Villians are responsible for the poor choices that they make. If Zod becomes a villian—it is not Clark’s fault. Zod (like Lex before him and like Chloe now) is responsible for the choices that he makes. If he makes bad choices….that’s on HIM. It’s not on Clark. Clark did what was morally right even though it was difficult.
I know I’ve skipped a bunch of episodes but this post is already so long. I’m not saying that Clark has been perfect this year. Of course he hasn’t. Clark isn’t perfect. He makes mistakes. But in general, I feel as though this has been his most heroic year in many many years. He has proven time and time again that he is humble, selfless, forgiving, gracious, brave and willing to do what is right even under difficult circumstances and peer pressure.
He hasn’t figured it all out yet. We all know that he will eventually realize that people need to see his face. He can’t hide in the shadows. In order for people to trust him….they need to see him.
We all know that he can’t really keep Lois safe by lying to her. He needs to tell Lois the truth eventually so that they can truly be together. And yet, he seems to be more joyful and happier than he has EVER been with Lois. So clearly he’s doing something right there and it’s been a good thing for him to maturely confront his feelings like a MAN. And he will tell her the truth eventually. We all know that he can’t be fully alien or fully human—he has to be a combination of BOTH in order to truly be Superman. So I completely understand your point that he’s still trying to find his place. I don’t think he’s there yet. But I disagree that the mistakes Clark has made this year have made him “lose his way.” He’s on the right path. He’s closer at this point to being Superman than he has NEVER been. He just has to keep learning and growing and keep going. So I think he is halfway down the pathway but still has a ways to go. But do I think he is somehow on the wrong pathway or lost? No way. I think he has shown on a number of occasions this year that he has learned from past mistakes and that he is reacting with more maturity than ever before. So to me, that signifies that he’s on the right path….and just has to keep learning and growing.
Sorry for all the show examples. It’s just that you gotta understand that I went to law school and it’s one of my biggest pet peeves when people make blanket statements about the show or bash a character without using actual examples or evidence to back up their point. (Not accusing you of this Brian just in general.) I’m trained to never make a statement unless I can back it up or I have no credibility. It’s why I become infuritated with fans who bash Lois using the same false points over and over and over again. I know this isn’t court but if it was…they’d lose.
MJ- Just wanted to say I love it. Love your post about ALL those show examples ;) and I love that you said “I know this isn’t court but if it was…they’d lose.”
I do agree with you about Clark stepping up though. He’s not there yet, but he is getting there.
indeed, well thought out MJ. I guess my point was that he’s not there yet and I am anxious for him to step out of the shadows. Even though I’m not sure how that will be achieved on the show.
Hey Brian! First off, thanks for chatting with us. I think has been a really cool discussion and I’m happy to hear you chiming in!
I totally understand what you mean. I think we all want to see Clark come out of the shadows and show his face and we can’t wait for that to happen. I just think there is a big difference between saying that someone is not quite at their journey yet vs. saying that they’ve “lost” their way. They don’t mean the same thing. I completely agree that Clark still has a ways to go but I don’t think he’s on the wrong path by any means. He just has to continue to head down the right one and keep taking steps forward towards his destiny week after week.
Honestly…I’m just very protective of Clark. When I think about all the characters that I know and love on television….Clark is just such a rare character. (And obviously Superman in any media is such a rare character which is why he’s the greatest hero of all time.) Can you think of many other TV shows where the lead male character is as humble, selfless, forgiving, generous and gracious as Clark Kent? Fans are so quick to criticize him and jump all over every flaw or bad choice. But seriously…..I just think he’s amazing. I don’t think he’s perfect. I think he makes mistakes. But I also think that in many ways he’s a great role model in terms of character. We could all stand to be a little more like Clark. I know I could. It’s why Lois’ line in “Conspiracy” was such a powerful little moment for their relationship when she said, “It’s what Clark would do.”
I’m a huge fan of this show and I honestly love the entire cast. I don’t care for Chloe’s actions right now but I still find her super interesting and I think Allison is awesome. But when it comes down to why I watch this show? It’s Clark Kent. And I’m on his side until the end. So in general, if someone is deceiving him or treating him poorly…..I’m upset about it as a viewer.
In Defense of Clark Kent, by MJ *stands up and applauds*
I understand about the “evidence” thing, MJ. I majored in philosophy, so I tend to get just as passionate about the character of Clark Kent/Superman as you do. You’re right, there IS no other character like him. And the fact that SV’s version of this character isn’t perfect makes him even more amazing, IMO.