Back at the farm, Clark sees Lana, and gets the answer that he wants to hear. Lana is going to make him the happiest man in the world. All of this went by pretty quickly, and although I was happy to see that Lana and Clark were happy, you just knew that Lana was going to die after all of this set up. That, of course, was the real payoff. Maybe it is not Tom Welling's and Kristin Kreuk's fault, but these two seriously lack chemistry when they are together. Maybe all of that would change since Clark isn't going to be hiding anything from her, but I wouldn't count on it.

The happy couple makes their first appearance at Jonathan Kent's campaign headquarters. There isn't much time to celebrate the engagement, however, because Jonathan Kent just won the election! Pandemonium ensues, and Jonathan shows us that he might be the smoothest person in Kansas when he tells his wife, "The only victory that has changed my life is when I won your heart." Awwww. Several layers of ice broke off of my heart after that one, cheesy as that line may be. Almost immediately, Jonathan received a phone call on his cell phone. I was assuming that it was Lex, calling to concede, but only moments later, Lana gets a call from Lex.

I can understand why Lana feels bad for Lex. When she gets there, it looks like he didn't even bother with an election party. He is drinking scotch, and is quite drunk. But why would you leave for Lex's house on the same day that you were engaged? You know that he is obsessed with you. What in the hell did she think was going to happen when she got there? Lex starts blabbing on about how he wanted to get out of his father's shadow, and as intoxicated as he is, says that Lana is lucky not to have a father because she would never have to endure the pain he caused her. Lana's parents were killed in the first meteor shower, and she feels anything but lucky to have not known them, so she is upset. Seeing that he upset Lana upsets Lex. Seeing that Lana know has an engagement ring really upsets Lex. He grabs her by the arms and starts yelling at her, and Lana throws a drink in his face and runs off.

Lana is racing down the highway in her car. She calls Clark and tells him what happened. When she told Lex that she was engaged, she mentioned that Clark is not hiding anything from her anymore, that things would be different. Lex got a look in his eyes, and that look told Lana that Lex somehow knew that she knew Clark's secret; she just had to leave. While on the highway, Lex catches up to her in his Mercedes. He pulls up next to her and tells her to pull over so they can talk, but Lana doesn't stop. Well, she doesn't stop until a bus hits her car. Clark had heard all of this, and he raced to the scene, not caring that Lex or anybody else saw how fast he got there. Unfortunately, it was too late, Lana was sprawled out on the pavement, and there was nothing that Clark could do to save her. Or was there?

Clark knew what the consequences of his life would be. Maybe if he had returned to the fortress and not worried about Lana's paper cut way back when he was trying to stop the disciples of Zod, none of this would have happened. Jor-El father decides to Clark him one more chance. Clark can save Lana, all he needs to do was pick up crystal, and her life would be spared. Now, Jor-El warns that the universe is going to find a balance. To me, that means that if Lana is saved, somebody else will die, but Clark doesn't want to hear it.

It's sort of hard to express how upset I was at this point. I thought the first half of the episode was very well done. Real emotion, real sadness. If there was anything that would prevent Clark and Lex from ever being friends, it would be the death of Lana. Instead, we get a do-over, and I think a very lame one at that. Why? Because it takes us down the same path we have known for a long time now. How upset was I? This is what I wrote in my notes on the episode "oh, this is bullshit. this is fletching bullshit. I can't believe they are going to kill her, and then pull this fletching shit on us. you are fletching kidding me. fletching same fletching shit all over again, those stupid fletchers." I, of course, used something a little stronger than "fletch".

We are returned to the scene from the beginning of the episode. Clark has a lump of coal in his hand, and when he sees Lana, he acts like she has come back from the dead. The Pantene he smells now is much better than the blood and burned rubber scent she gave off last time. Lana is ready for the most amazing day in her life, but instead of telling her the truth, Clark tries to cover up. Lana knows that he is lying, and says that she needs a break, not from Clark but "from us". Is this the final, final, breakup we have all been waiting for?

Posted by J-Unit on January 27, 2006 10:06 AM