this post the result of too many concurrent fandoms

[aria]

One of the things I am enjoying about Smallville is getting to play the "spot how other late '90s/early '00s shows also did a variation on this plot" game, although usually 'other shows' really means 'Buffy.' (Imagine my amused eye-rolling when Lana accidentally joins a vampire sorority presided over by Buffy Saunders, and James-Marsters-the-professor takes a moment to seriously declare, "Clark, there's no such thing as vampires.") When it's not taking cheap shots, though, Smallville does delightful things like the bodyswap episode (Lionel Luthor clearly beats out both Faith and Callisto-from-Xena in the People You Don't Want Possessing Your Body Awards) or the one-person-split-into-two-bodies episode (Dorky Xander vs. Competent Xander < Idealist Lex vs. Evil Lex. Sorry, Xander).

It probably sounds like my point is that I am a big fan of the Luthors (which is true! I am also a fan of the Blacks, and the Horsemen, and I'm sure I'd be a big fan of the Master's family if we'd ever met them, &c) but my actual point is that I started thinking about how cool personality-aspects-in-different-bodies episodes are. And how the aspects that get split are different depending on the character! For instance, in Buffy the split was meant to hit Buffy herself, to turn her into Ordinary Buffy and Super-Slayer, but when it got Xander, since he didn't have superpowers, it split him down a competence line. I'm not sure it would have worked the anticipated way on Buffy either, though! I think it would have more likely turned her into Insecure Lovesick Teenager Buffy and Competent Self-Sacrificing Leadership Buffy, and they would have both still had Slayer powers. On the other hand, with Willow we'd probably get Sweet Nerdy Willow and Dark Willow, so don't point personality-splitting radiation at just anyone, okay.

The problem is that once I start, I want to point personality-splitting radiation at everyone just to see what happens. Earnest, idealist Delenn vs. kill-you-mercilessly Delenn! Do-anything-for-a-story Chloe Sullivan vs. do-anything-for-her-friends Chloe! Awkward paternalistic librarian Giles vs. Ripper! Patient, dispensing-backhand-wisdom Methos vs. shanking-you-with-his-second-sword Methos! I keep thinking of more, but I will stop now. (If anyone wants to continue in comments, though, man, I could do this for hours.)

I wonder if Clark would turn into Ordinary Farm Boy Clark and Superman. Somehow, I think this works about as well as Ordinary Buffy and Super-Slayer. It is much more likely that he would turn into saves-his-friends-at-all-costs while smiling like a total sweetie Clark vs. some lying asshat. It's even worse than Merlin! I want to call out Gaius and Jonathan Kent and punch them for impressing on their wards the importance of secrecy unto sheer stupidity. God, Morgana and Lex should form a fucking support group.

Comments

[aria]

Uh, because when they are not shattering my Chloe-is-Lois dreams, the producers actually LOVE ME? That, or they instinctually understand that while perhaps a cross-section of their target audience wants to bone/be Lana and her huge, huge eyes and her ability to make everyone on the show be in love with her, the producers also know that some of their target demographic likes morally ambiguous smirky rich boys who hurt real pretty. That is weirdly specific, AND YET THEY MANAGE.

[feverbeats]

I think they are vaguely aware of that portion of the audience and they like to facepunch them. :( :(

[aria]

Don't tell me they don't love us! by which I mean, not actively think we're dumb! I am pretty sure due South remains the only show where the incredible, intentional queer was there just because it was there, and not as a stunt and a way to secretly laugh at Those Silly Fangirls.

I hope Michael Rosenbaum, at least, knows that he was some damn fine fanservice.

[feverbeats]

Oh, bb. :( You did not get to enjoy the times during which s4 onward were airing, when people basically felt like the producers were slappling Clex fans in the face every episode. And I'm not sure I believe that. I do think it's a show in which the producers were singularly unaware of a certain portion of their fanbase.

[aria]

Mm, well, s4 is where I start to feel a little frowny-face myself, and I'm not even doing things chronologically, so I can well imagine. I do think that "Clex what?" is probably a lot better than "oh lol, those girls and their slash fictions!" thing that some other shows do, which is wrong on many counts and makes me feel a bit squodgy.

Um, that got a bit serious! In conclusion the amazing thing about Red is that Lex totally checks Clark out and then the camera does that panning-up-Clark's-body, checking-him-out thing. It is PRICELESS.

[feverbeats]

FOR EXAMPLE, SPN. JUST, YOU KNOW, FOR EXAMPLE. Ughhhh fuck I hate SPN so much.

I REMEMBER THAT! Ohhhh, I love "Red" so much.

[aria]

HAHA HOWEVER COULD YOU TELL WHAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT. God, I can only imagine how much worse it would be if I was actually invested in that fandom.

IT IS SO GREAT. IDK if you care about Television Without Pity, but the TWoP SV recaps are cracking me the hell up. Every week they award a Gayest Look of the Episode (usually to Clark or Lex, but not always! my favorite was how in Onyx they awarded it to Lex looking at himself <333) and the one for Red was AMAZING:

Lex turns and sees Clark -- really sees him for what seems like the first time. Oh my. Open-mouthed, Lex looks Clark up from toes to head. Clark is turned around. Lex doesn't need super-vision to get a good look at that ass. Lex continues talking, but he's still staring. Lex squints because really, the pleasure is too much. It is the Gayest Look of the Episode. I think it may be the Gayest Look in all of the cosmos.

IN CONCLUSION, YES. :D

[feverbeats]

True story: Dean has become such an abhorrent character than I haven't made it through the most recent season. Well, there is one way I think I can manage, and that is by pretending that Dean is ftm and overcompensating by being a raging sexist asshole. I mean, I was pretending that anyway, but it'll certainly be useful now.

LOL I MOSTLY HATE TWOP. Bunch of pretentious fuckheads, mostly. But that excerpt is only true.

[gehayi]

Deanna Winchester. Oh, yeah. And you know, Deanna being a raging sexist asshole would make SENSE, because I think John would have very very strict notions about what was male behavior and what was not, so Deanna would be constantly trying to act ultra-macho to send the message to John that "Yeah, hello Dad, I am not your tomboy daughter, I am your son no matter what biology says," and even though John is now dead, by now being a raging sexist jerk has become a habit for Deanna-called-Dean.

(I don't even LIKE SPN and I know this makes sense.)

[feverbeats]

GOD, YES, EXACTLY. Um, there's that one bit in s4 when someone--I think Alastair--says, "Not quite the man your father wanted you to be," and I was just like, "OH, GOD, DEAN." Because clearly I have made myself believe this awesome fanon.