Watch That 1st Step Mr. Luthor...Its A Doozy!

So this is a couple of days late but better than never right? I am seriously behind on my TIVO.

As a series-long fan of Smallville I have to say that the show has had its up and downs. In fact, there has been more than one occasion in which I was ready to stop watching. One of the story lines that really drove me crazy was when Martha Kent started falling for Lionel Luthor. It seemed highly unbelievable and downright disrespectful to the memory of Jonathan Kent. To make things even more annoying was the fact that Clark began to trust to Lionel. After all of the evil shit that he did...why on earth would Clark trust him? I wasn't buying it.

Knowing that the show was coming to an end...I decided to stick it out. There were too many questions that needed answers. Would Lana finally get killed off for good? How would Chloe make her exit? What evil deed would Lex commit in order to fully emerge into the ruthless villain that we all know and love? You get the idea. So in spite of my increasingly cynical view of the show...I continued to watch. If nothing else...the occasional appearance of Oliver McQueen and Clark without a shirt was enough to get through the less than plausible story lines.

In spite of my better judgement...I couldn't help but want to believe that Lionel really did have Clark's best interests at heart. In fact...the more evil that Lex became the more I wanted Lionel to be good. Lionel seemed to be the father figure that Clark desperately needed. I believed that in spite of all of the double talk and secrets that Jor-El had chosen the right man to look out for his son.

I was buying it until the whole "Veristas" storyline began to unveil. Are we really supposed to believe that Lionel, Virgil Swan, The McQueens, and ___ (too lazy to care about the 4th member of the secret society) knew that a "traveler" was coming? If so...why is this the first time that we heard about it in seven seasons? I'm calling bullshit. Regardless of the fact that I don't believe it nor saw it coming...there is one thing that I definitely didn't see coming...and that was the way that the show killed off Lionel. In spite of the fact that I had spent this afternoon in an amazingly great mood...I was bumming hard as the show started with Lex murdering Lionel. As the show progressed...it became clear that Lionel died protecting Clark's secret.

That is the funny thing about secrets. Most of them are so insignificant that it really doesn't matters if they are kept. But every now and then...a secret comes along that is worth everything to protect. In fact...I can only think of one that I would make every sacrifice to protect. (Of course my life isn't nearly as exciting as the folks on Smallville.) Strange as it might sound...sometimes it doesn't matter what the consequences are...it is worth everything to protect that secret. To have someone trust you completely is worth everything..and when that person makes you believe and feel something extraordinary...it makes it all the more easy to be loyal...and the feeling of protectiveness all the stronger.

I think that Clark saved Lionel by giving him that rare something to believe in. He realized that there was something great in life once he learned Clark's secret. There is something validating and addicting about being around a great man and I think that Clark was the only man that Lionel ever met that was greater than him. In the end...the desire to protect that great man was stronger than the desire to save himself. Of course...it is fiction so it isn't that amazing but the idea is. If one meets someone that great who can provoke those kind of emotions...wouldn't it be worth the risk?

So yeah...the bottom line is that in the end...I believe that Lionel was a redeemed man. I even teared up at the end of the episode when Clark threw a handful of dirt on Lionel's cast. (Every reminiscent of when Jonathan died.) Now that he is gone I realize that Lionel had become one of my favorite characters on the show. He was one of the good guys and he will be missed.

I tried to cheer myself up with some ice cream. Though it made me smile...it didn't have the effect that I had hoped for. No matter how hard Fred Meyer's brand tries...it is not the same as Ben & Jerry's.