Just Say No

All of this has sparked a controversy in fan land. Some are upset by Clark's continued deceit. Some are annoyed that the breakup will lead to a Lex/Lana romantic alliance. Others are simply so sick of this couple that they'd rather have a broken back in Hell than suffer through a sexual version of their relationship. However, many are very disappointed that Clark will be losing his virginity to Lana Lang rather than saving himself for Lois Lane. Though Gough was quoted as saying DC Comics had no real problem with that particular plot line.

He's probably being truthful. Not much about Clark's youth is seen as terribly important. As long as Krypton blows up, Jor-El and Lara send Clark to Earth and the Kents raise him, the core elements of the pre-Superman years are preserved. Anything else really doesn't matter. However fans aren't nearly as laissez-faire about this particular issue as the comics and a few sites have started petitions and mail-in campaigns to plead with The WB network to drop this story line.

Sadly their cause, unless something drastic happens, is already lost. The episode has already been filmed. Though The WB might give the fans' heartfelt letters to the publicity department to drum up more interest in Smallville, which has been losing viewers for the last couple of years. And that's the true bottom line. This has nothing to do with 'updating' the famous hero's morals, or lack thereof, but everything to do with trying to bolster the show's flagging Nielsen numbers.

Will the ploy work? Possibly, though shows that promised sex last year didn't deliver ratings. However the producers might be hedging their bets by scheduling the sex scene early on in the season when traditionally the show has higher ratings anyway. The early scheduling also guarantees the sex scene will not be protested away because it has already been filmed. And while it's impossible to guess how the general viewer will react, Superman fans, many of whom deserted Smallville during its third season when Clark was turned into a bank robbing thug, will probably not be surprised at all.

Update:

Well, the Clana sex episode has come and gone. Mortal, where they "did the deed," received a 3.6/6 rating. What's the significance of the rating? Nothing, apparently. Last year the episode Gone received a 3.6/6 rating and like Mortal it was the second episode of the season. Back then Clark was still a virgin and Lana was dating Jason Teague. It seems the Smallville audience wasn't clamoring for Clana sex after all. The episode Hidden, which followed Mortal and had trailers advertising the hump-happy duo having afterglow and a giggling good time trying to sneak past Clark's parents received an even lower rating. Apparently viewers were hoping for a slightly more moral Clark Kent, or at least one who waited for Lois Lane, but couldn't find him.

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