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POST #2: THE GOLDEN YEARS, EXCEPT FOR THAT ONE WITH THE FAKE BABY, THAT YEAR WAS CRAP (SEASONS 5-7)
5x01: ARRIVAL
This is where we really start cooking, lol.
The Luthor crest window above Lex's desk is broken here.
Look for how its location has shifted noticably downward when the window is replaced.
Lex can no longer sit at his desk in a wide shot without it being visible,
and the crest is used more often in scenes to play up evol or tensions with Team Luthor.
5x02: MORTAL
CLARK: I thought we could start over, Lex. But you're too obsessed with the past. With me.
But I'm different now and I'm through playing games with you. You wanna test me?
You wanna see what I'm really made of? Do it yourself, you coward!
The final shot pulls out to the window, which is open with the curtains blowing.
5x03: HIDDEN
...and the morning-after scene pulls out from the window, which is open with the curtains blowing.
Watch for this later, it's the start of a running theme.
5x04: AQUA
LEX: There are plenty of fish in the sea, Doctor. Nobody's gonna miss a few of them that go belly-up.
5x05: THIRST
LEX: And what is it I believe, Professor?
FINE: That everyone is hiding secrets as dark as yours.
LEX: How did you know about Project 1138?
CLARK: Does it matter?
LEX: Only if it came from Professor Fine.
CLARK: What do you have against him, Lex?
LEX: Clark, he's the one who's been attacking me.
CLARK: Is that why you stopped by his lecture? To force him to stop looking at Luthorcorp?
CHLOE: The way I look at it, I had no place to go but up, up, and away…
5x07 SPLINTER
CHLOE: You think I told Lionel your secret? Clark, I would never, ever do that.
CLARK: I can't believe I trusted you.
LEX: My security team's coordinating with Chloe and the Kents.
LANA: They're not gonna hurt him, are they?
LEX: If that happens, somebody's getting transferred to Siberia.
5x08: SOLITUDE
JONATHAN: Is there something you're not telling me, son?
CLARK: …I'm just worried about Mom.
CHLOE: I think that would make a great story, if I could find any shred of evidence or a source that would actually talk.
LOIS: Well, there has to be something.
CHLOE: Oh, there's lots of sex, lies, and videotapes in Lex's vault. Problem is he sleeps with the key under his pillow.
5x09: LEXMAS
LIONEL: You said you didn't want to be a Luthor. That you wanted instead to be free. To live happily ever after. Go on, Lex. You'd better get back to it.
LEX: I want to be senator. I want it all.
5x10: FANATIC
LEX: Great leaders are forged by those who see beyond the boundaries. Who go beyond the extra mile.
They go the extra ten. Defeat is not an option.
(Now that Lex has made his "choice," look for lots more of these kinds of shots.)
CLARK: How far do you wanna cross this friendship boundary?
CHLOE: Since when did we have boundaries? …all right, why don't you just leave out the details?
CLARK: Well. Everything was fine between Lana and I, when I was human. I mean, it was great.
CHLOE: 'Kay, Clark…
CLARK: But now that I have my abilities back, it's like our…sex….life….has been on hiatus.
LEX: I heard what happened. I hope your father's okay.
CLARK: Trust me, this is about as close to my father as you wanna get right now.
LEX: He thinks I was behind it, doesn't he?
CLARK: What do you expect him to believe?
LEX: Maybe the truth?
SAMANTHA: I wanted to show you how devoted I am to you.
LEX: Well, you certainly have. I have all the enabling devices I need, thank you.
5x11: LOCKDOWN
CAMPAIGN GUY: Nobody's that squeaky clean. We'll find something to use against him.
LEX: You've obviously never met Jonathan Kent.
CLARK: I saved her from a bomb, doesn't that mean anything?
CHLOE: Yeah, you know what, it would. If she knew about it. Clark, the only reason Lana started talking to Lex in the first place
was to learn more about that spaceship.
CLARK: And if I would have been honest with her, she never would have had to.
CHLOE: No. She wouldn't.
CLARK: I love her so much, Chloe.
5x12: RECKONING
CLARK: I asked her to marry me.
CHLOE: Wow. Well, that one wasn't on the doppler. Not even a blip!
CLARK: I know what you're gonna say: that we're too young,
that there's a reason I hadn't told her before, that there's too much at stake…
CHLOE: That's funny. Because what I was actually gonna say is there are very few people out there
who really know what they want, and are willing to risk everything for it.
CHLOE: This doesn't mean that you have to lie to her forever.
CLARK: Chloe, she knew for less than a day. There's always gonna be someone trying to find out about me
and as long as we're together, they're gonna be watching her every move.
LEX: Lana, I hate to say this, but it's possible Clark's never going to trust you.
LANA: I don't understand. Why would you lie to someone you love?
LEX: I wouldn't.
5x13: VENGEANCE
CHLOE: I guess exile's the price you have to pay when you play judge, jury, and executioner.
CLARK: Yeah.
CHLOE: Clark, what really happened out there?
CLARK: I should have listened to you, Chloe. You tried to warn me. I had my hand around that guy's throat.
And I thought if I just kept squeezing the life out of him, then it would make everything right again.
(The conflict-y part of the conversation is blocked/shot with the windows;
they move over to the desk when Clark says he doesn't want to lie about who he really is.)
5x14: TOMB
LEX: I want Fine located, or someone is going to be wondering where you disappeared to.
CHLOE: What if I look into her eyes and I see myself?
CLARK: What if you wait too long and you never get the chance to look into her eyes again?
5x15: CYBORG
CHLOE: Think he likes blondes?
CLARK: His girlfriend's a brunette. Sorry.
LANA: Does she know what actually happened to him?
CLARK: No, he doesn't want her to know, he's afraid how she'd react.
LANA: Well, what is he gonna do, just keep lying to her and hope she doesn't notice how different he is?
(The first shot pulls out off the window. Compare to 7x14.)
LEX: He must have misconstrued my intentions.
CLARK: That seems to happen a lot to you. Doesn't it?
LEX: You think he would have been better off if he'd died with his family?
CLARK: You always think the ends justify the means, don't you, Lex?
LEX: What I think is that some miracles have a price, but that doesn't make them any less profound.
5x17: HYPNOTIC
CHLOE: I just have to go grab something. I'll meet you there.
LOIS: Okay…
CHLOE: She'll understand.
CLARK: Maybe I don't want her to understand. As horrible as this whole thing was,
it did accomplish one thing I didn't have the guts to do myself. It broke me and Lana up.
LANA: I want you to look me in the eye and tell me that you don't love me.
CLARK: I don't love you.
5x18: FRAGILE
CLARK: You think Maddie's responsible for her own mother's death?
CHLOE: Well, didn't she say she was having trouble controlling her powers?
CHLOE: Her dad had the misfortune of being in a stained glass workshop when the first meteor shower hit.
LANA: There is nothing to be honest about! So I'd appreciate it if you'd stop spinning your rumor mill before you humiliate me more than you already have!
LEX: As long as we both feel the same way…
LANA: …that's all that matters.
5x19: MERCY
CLARK: What if he finds out what you're up to? It's too risky.
CHLOE: Oh, and waiting for Darth Luthor to hatch his evil plan isn't?
5x20: FADE
CHLOE: Maybe he feels guilty!
CLARK: What does Lex have to feel guilty about?
CHLOE: …I don't know.
5x21: ORACLE
CHLOE: Say we go digging through Lionel's closet of skeletons and we find a smoking gun.What then?
CLARK: Depends on what it was.
CHLOE: Would it? Is there anything we could find that would make Clark Kent kill someone?
LEX: One more thing, Clark. Lana called me. I don't want to hear you were rifling through her stuff like a crazed roommate again.
If you want something from me, don't go running to Lana to find it. You really crossed the line.
CLARK: All those years we were friends. Were you just waiting for me to step aside so you could swoop in and make your move?
5x22: VESSEL
Compare to 9x20.
LANA: How do I know you won't hurt him?
CLARK: You know me.
LANA: No. I don't. You have all these different sides to you and I can't tell if any of them is the real you.
If you have ever really cared about me, tell me what's happening to Lex.
CLARK: ...Lana, please...
LANA: You don't trust me. You've never trusted me, have you? I don't know how I could have ever loved you.
6x01: ZOD
JIMMY: Hey! …this isn't 'cause I didn't call you back, is it?
CHLOE: Jimmy Olsen.
JIMMY: You wanna grab some dinner at the vending machine?
CHLOE: Love to, James. Uh, Clark, are you hungry?
CLARK: Me? No. I'm okay. You guys go ahead.
6x04: ARROW
CHLOE: So what's the story worth bringing out the alter-Lois?
LOIS: Actually, now that we're both in the same biz, I probably shouldn't be leaking my story.
CHLOE: I can't believe you don't trust me!
LOIS: It's not all of you I don't trust, it's just one little side of you!
CHLOE: Lois, I'm not gonna scoop your story, but watching you bumble through our database
is like watching Clark try and dance.
CLARK: I kinda ran into a dead end.
CHLOE: Funny. So did I. All my files on the ring are gone. Including the backup files. Clark?
CLARK: Don't look into him, Chloe.
CHLOE: You know who he is, don't you?
CLARK: As a favor to me, please don't.
CHLOE: And he knows who you are. Well, I guess there's some secret code of honor amongst superheroes.
6x05: REUNION
OLLIE: It's not something I'm proud of. I want you to know how much I regret it.
LEX: And I regret ever thinking I needed friends like you.
6x06: FALLOUT
CHLOE: What's in the briefcase?
JIMMY: Something illegal?
CHLOE: Jimmy, this isn't a story, it's a hunch.
6x07: STATIC
LIONEL: I don't know much about this stuff, but I do know - excuse me -
that when you hack into a secure operating system, you can
pick up some very nasty viruses.
CHLOE: Well, I guess I'd better take that to heart.
LIONEL: Miss Sullivan, Luthorcorp considers any breach of security a very serious matter, and you know that.
CHLOE: Mr. Luthor, I'm trying to find your son.
LIONEL: I appreciate that. In fact, I was hoping, being the dilligent reporter you are,
that you could provide a clue that would help me to find Lex.
CHLOE: Well, the only clue I have is a little lab called 33.1. Otherwise known as Meteor Freak Center?
I was always under the impression--
LIONEL: Meteor freaks? You're not in high school anymore, Miss Sullivan.
6x09: SUBTERRANEAN
LANA: Small town girl from Kansas in the presidential suite with a stretch limosuine at her beck and call.
It was definitely a change.
LEX: I'm sorry if you felt uncomfortable.
LANA: Not at all. Actually, I thought it was amazing.
LEX: Yeah, it's easy to get used to, isn't it?
LANA: Lex, there were two thousand people in line for that art exhibit. And suddenly the ocean parted,
and I was escorted past everyone. I realized that money isn't just luxury, Lex. It's power.
LEX: And that power can be yours too, now.
CHLOE: Your girlfriend has been living in Smallville for the past ten years, and believe it or not? She's still standing.
JIMMY: Well, then you must have one dedicated guardian angel.
CLARK: Nice byline.
CHLOE: Hey, thanks. Wouldn't have a happy ending if it wasn't for you, though.
6x10: HYDRO
JIMMY: Preliminary investigation is calling it suicide, but how does a guy who's larger than life drown in two feet of water?
CHLOE: Well, his career was over. And Lake was right, the coroner's report says that Dawson was juiced up on muscle mixers
JIMMY: Chloe, come on, you're gonna tell me that someone on a 'roid rage is gonna lie down in a koi pond and call it a day?
CHLOE: Lana, I would never do anything to hurt you.
LANA: That's what Clark always says.
6x12: LABYRINTH
CLARK: We have to get you out of here. We have to get you away from Lionel.
MARTHA: Clark, Lionel and I are married now. I meant to tell you. I was afraid of how you'd react.
CLARK: How could you?
MARTHA: He's a good, decent man.
6x13: CRIMSON
CHLOE: Trust me, Lois would have to be shot out of a canon to romantically land
remotely anywhere in the direction of Clark.
JIMMY: Hmm. Sounds kinda like you're jealous.
CHLOE: Of Lois?
JIMMY: No, of anyone getting between you and Clark. Come on, you spend all your time
with him and then you make up all these excuses. Why?
CLARK: Chloe. I can't say that I'm surprised that you're celebrating here. After all, once Lana's off the market,
all those years of unrequited pining may actually pay off. I can't say I haven't thought about it.
CLARK: Even though you're still in love with me?
LANA: What makes you so sure?
CLARK: Because I'm still in love with you. Don't marry Lex. Marry me.
LANA: I have given you every chance! I have stood in this spot so many times just waiting for you to say something,
and you decide to do it now?
6x14: TRESPASS
JIMMY: You know, he's not such a bad guy.
CHLOE: Yeah. But he's no Jimmy Olsen.
JIMMY: Does that mean that you miss me? …I know. Me too.
LANA: I went to the Kent farm instead. Lex, you weren't here, and I had to trust my instincts. You taught me that.
LEX: And those instincts led you to the place your ex-boyfriend happens to live.
LANA: I went to the Kent farm because I thought it was the last place anyone would look for me. That's the only reason.
LEX: Then that's good enough for me. Lana, above anything else, I trust you and I love you.
(Window status: closed, with Lana sleeping in bed alone and secreths and lieths. Compare to 5x03.)
6x15: FREAK
CLARK: Considering Lex's history with 33.1 I bet he's behind this.
CHLOE: That wouldn't be a shocker, but this is the only clue I have.
CLARK: You and Lana, having the time of your lives, that's great...
LEX: Sounds like a real blunder, Doctor. For your sake I hope it hasn't gotten into the wrong hands.
DOCTOR: For both our sakes.
LEX: No. I have nothing to do with you or your research. Remember, Doctor? That was our agreement.
DOCTOR: I understand. But there's more than likely some mention of you…
LEX: Then you give me no choice.
DOCTOR: What are you implying?
LEX: I don't tolerate loose ends, Doctor.
6x16: PROMISE
LANA: I've had a change of heart.
CLARK: You don't mean that. Is this because of my secret.
Lana, I'll tell you. I-I'm not like everyone else, I'm-
LANA: Clark, you have to go.
CLARK: No. No. Not until you look me in the eye and tell me
that you'd rather spend the rest of your life with Lex Luthor instead of me.
LANA: I'm sorry, Clark. I love Lex.
LEX: It was an accident.
LIONEL: Of course it was. You don't have the guts to plan a successful murder.
And if anyone should discover that the fresh corpse downstairs happens to be the
bride's physician, they just might stumble onto the truth about Lana's pregnancy.
She's made a desperate man of you, Lex.
LEX: Okay. You win. Whatever you want, it's yours. Control of Luthorcorp, 33.1...
LIONEL: You don't have to worry, Lex. You'll know when it's time for me to collect.
LEX: Thanks, Dad.
LANA: Sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt.
LIONEL: Mrs. Luthor. Welcome to the family.
6x18: PROGENY
CHLOE: For what you've done they're gonna throw away the key!
LEX: What I've done? You don't have a shred of proof about any of this and you never will. But rest assured,
the evidence I have against you is locked away safe and secure. Now make that article disappear
and you'll remain a free woman. Deal?
CHLOE: My mother sacrificed everything to protect the world from scum like you. And if taking you down
means spending a little quality time behind bars? Sign me up.
LEX: You know, I thought you might say that. That's why there's a Plan B firmly in place.
A plan that makes prison look like a picnic.
(Compare to 6x07.)
6x19: NEMESIS
LANA: I think I know another way in.
CHLOE: Exactly when did you learn to pole vault over Lex's firewall?
LANA: I figured that if Lex was gonna look over my shoulder, it was time for me to start looking over his.
CHLOE: Are those the blueprints for the tunnels? You were sitting on the holy grail all morning and you didn't tell anyone?
LANA: I thought you said there wasn't much time.
6x20: NOIR
CLARK: You're holding back something from me, aren't you? I can't believe you'd lie to me!
CHLOE: I can't believe you can't hear the deafening irony in that statement!
CLARK: You know how much Lana means to me!
CHLOE: First, ouch. Second, if you really wanna help, Clark, just stay out of it. Please.
CLARK: I'm gonna find Lana's attacker, with or without you.
6x21: PROTOTYPE
CLARK: Looks like he works for the mob now.
LOIS: Wes? No way. He's career military, he's been decorated more than a Christmas tree.
Even my dad loved him and the general hates everybody.
7x02: KARA
CHLOE: She doesn't work here. I do. I'm Chloe--
GRANT: …Anne Sullivan, former editor of the Smallville High Torch, taking Met U journalism classes by night,
writing filler stories sandwiched between sofa ads by day. ...tell me about your close encounter.
LOIS: Can't share a trade secret. I work for your rival, the Inquisitor.
GRANT: Our rival? This is the Daily Planet. Read in virtually every country across the globe. We have no rival.
CHLOE: It's true. Besides the Planet wouldn't publish a story like that anyway.
GRANT: See, that's the kind of old-guard thinking that's putting newspapers in the crapper all around this country.
CHLOE: Since when is truth in journalism old-guard?
GRANT: She says it's true and I believe her. Tell you what, you deliver me your spaceship story,
a story that'll sell papers, and you've got yourself a job here.
7x03: FIERCE
CHLOE: How much blunt trauma do you think a stapler to the back of the head would cause?
JIMMY: Show 'em whatcha got, Chloester. You're busting your butt on stories of substance while Lois is out on assignment
in New York grabbing all the glory. Are you really gonna let your cousin beat you out of the basement?
7x04: CURE
KNOX: Perhaps it's because you insisted on eradicating any recollection of their stay at Hotel 33.1.
LEX: No, I insisted they be able to start new lives unfettered by disturbing memories.
KNOX: Especially those that could incriminate you.
(The Luthor crest has been replaced again. Now it's yellow.)
JIMMY: I brought this to remind you why we belong together. It's the cocktail napkin from that July Fourth party where you gave me your number.
CHLOE: Oh, the Granville carnival. This was the best first date ever.
JIMMY: And my favorite -- a piece of stained glass from the bullpen that broke during that weird earthquake last fall.
CHLOE: Okay, now I'm the one that needs the decoder ring.
JIMMY: We lost touch for the longest time, and the day that we bumped into each other again, the world...
Well, it literally shook. And if that's not a sign, I don't know what is.
(Compare with 6x01: the window Chloe shot out when meeting Jimmy wasn't stained glass. This is from the window the car crashed in 5x22.)
7x05: ACTION
LOIS: Orphanages? Hospitals? Nobody goes to bed Satan and wakes up Oprah. It's a front.
GRANT: You're new here, so maybe you didn't read the memo, but you need proof to write a story.
LOIS: There's nothing on the property except a lone cabin and a bunch of Danger: Trespassing signs.
GRANT: Do yourself a favor, Lane, drop the lead.
CHLOE: Do you wanna cue my editorial or do you wanna help me find the guy who's gonna out you in front of a thousand people?
CLARK: What about his harddrive? It might help.
CHLOE: It's too rational. I mean, if Ben is this fractured, we're gonna have to loosen a few screws of our own.
CLARK: Approach his next move like someone who's blurred the line between fiction and reality.
CHLOE: So let's think. If I'm Devilicus, what is the worst possible thing I could do to Warrior Angel to make him accept his destiny?
7x08 BLUE
LEX: I'm keeping an eye on you so you don't get into trouble.
GRANT: You're spying on me, and it stops now. I don't care how much you've helped me,
I'm not a rat in one of your labs.
7x09: GEMINI
GRANT: I'm living proof you've forgotten how to love. But if you want to play God,
you might want to remember His greatest gift: free will. Let me live my life.
7x10: PERSONA
Set up as an obvious callback to 5x03: in both scenes Lana wakes up and says, "Hi," and both scenes open
with pulling out from the window. But this time the window is only cracked open. Secrets and lies!
To be honest, the biggest thing in favor of my "closed windows in the shot composition = not so good" theory
at the DP is not even so much the scenes SHOWING the windows.
It's how in this scene, the windows are the freaking PLOT and yet they don't rate in the shot.
The obvious choice is to have a wide shot where Clark steps into the light cast by the window to drive the point home.
But they shoot the whole thing tightly on their faces here and only rely on the color of the lighting
to show that Clark is in the sun.
Aaaand it's closed now. SYMBOLISM!
7x11: SIREN
CHLOE: Okay, I've been sort of doing a sidekick side job for Oliver.
CLARK: What?
CHLOE: Look, Clark, a girl has gotta pay her bills. And let's face it, you kinda fill my pro bono quota.
CLARK: His missions are dangerous! And the fact that he's taking you with him…
CLARK: Dinah Lance was the only one who logged on last night. That's doesn't help us much.
CHLOE: Why, because she's not blonde? Please, Clark. The new bad girl could be as blonde as I really am.
LEX: I'm not much for philosophical debates. I just want what I paid for.
7x12: FRACTURE
CLARK: There's nothing that's lost that can't be found again.
The crest changed to the Veritas one.
7x13: HERO
Lex wonders why he never noticed the plot that has been casting pretty patterns on his desk since one episode ago CHILDHOOD
CHLOE: My computer's completely fried. Judging from the collective sighs, so is everybody else's.
7x14: TRAVELER
Compare to 5x15.
7x15: VERITAS
LEX: It's funny. All those global treasure hunts and cave excavations, and the secret of Veritas was much closer than I thought.
7x16: DESCENT
LEX: I was raised in your shadow. Now you're going to die in mine. No one will remember your name.
7x18: APOCALYPSE
LEX: Is there anything you can remember that might explain how this could have happened?
CLARK: ...I wish there was.
7x19: QUEST
Churches on SV = still creepy.
7x20: ARTIC
KARAIAC: Veritas also means truth. So what do you say we have some right now?
ON TO PART THREE!