neurological dryer lint

tonight's smallville, sickeningly titled lexmas, had a surprisingly high percentage of over-arching story meat. if you haven't been following - part of the current plot thread is that lex and mr. kent are both running for state senator.

tonight, lex wakes up after being shot in a dream where, seven years in the future, he is married to lana, with a child, a middle class working schmoe who is friends with clark and chloe (also married). lex is told by the ghost of his mother that, if he makes an ethically positive decision not to eliminate mr. kent from the race by manufacturing a smear campaign, that he can end up with this kind of life - an average dude, but deliriously happy.

well, we know where it goes - lex is superman's enemy, so he obviously makes the evil call, even though in the dream, he has the life he desires. but why? at the end of the episode, in lex's dream, lana dies giving birth to their second child. when lex comes to his father, lionel for help - lionel, who took lex's inheritance when lex turned his back on him - lionel calls him pathetic. "you gave up the money and the power that would have enabled you to save your wife," he sneers.

so lex wakes up. what does he do? decides to take out mr. kent. because he wants to be powerful, to have it all, so that he's never out of money, resources, out of options, out of control. "what i want more than anything is to live happily ever after," he says. "the secret to living happily ever after... is money and power. once you have those two things, you can secure everything else, and keep it that way."

heard this story before?

question time. why is it i identify so much with these anti-heroes? anakin skywalker... michael corleone... lex luthor? 'identify with' i guess is a bad description - although i have seen pieces of myself in these characters. i think it's the control thing - i hate feeling out of control, especially when it comes to the people i love. what if - like these people - i start down the path of evil, and i justify it with the desire to protect and provide for my family and those close to me? it's a noble thought, one i am vulnerable to - the defender, the strong one, the one who can fix everything, protect everyone...

once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny.

hmm. so what smallville character do you think will die at the end of the series? my money was on chloe originally but i'm wondering if it'll be lana...

hey, snow outside! thank goodness for VPN.