The relationship between Clark Kent and Lana Lang drives the show Smallville, providing us with key moments throughout the series thus far. Their relationship has left us in suspense wondering when (and hoping) they will finally get together. After a great deal of build up in Season 1 and ‘will-they/won’t-they’ in Season 2, we finally got our moment in “Calling” when they share an honest kiss (and who knows what else?) in Clark’s loft. This is a case of friendship evolving toward a perfect romance if only outside forces would let them do it.

Season 1 -- Friendship toward Romance:

As with everything else on the first season, Clark and Lana’s relationship progressed slowly, developing from friendship toward romance. The obstacles were there of course right from the beginning. Despite the impediments however, their bond strengthens as the episodes progress, sweeping aside all the barriers at least temporarily.

The obstacles come from many fronts. First, there are the dueling love triangles: Clark-Whitney-Lana and Clark-Lana-Chloe. In several cases, tension and ultimately resentment turn into confrontations as can be seen by the “Scarecrow” stunt (Premiere) as well as Chloe’s many remarks. The parental figures impede this relationship as well. Lana’s Aunt Nell does not want them to get together. (Perhaps wishing her to get involved with Lex Luthor?) Jonathan and Martha Kent, while supportive of any relationship, worry about Clark revealing too much in the process. From the couple themselves, there are complications. They both feel torn between their feelings for the others (see above) and themselves. Clark can’t go near Lana while she’s wearing the kryptonite necklace. Lana can’t get near Clark because of his secret. These matters would make a relationship difficult to develop.

The theme of the season is developing trust. When we first see them together, Lana poses the question quoting Nietzsche in the process: ‘are you man or superman?’ While he may not have his full powers yet, Clark proves that he is the ‘Fort Knox of Secrets’. They share things increasingly. Lana introduces him to her parents in the graveyard (“Premiere”). They shout out their frustrations (Hothead). He assures her that she did not damage their friendship (Nicodemus). He urges her to go forward with the Talon and she trusts his word. She trusts him with the necklace (Leech). He rescues her from Greg “the Bug Boy” (“Metamorphosis”), Tina Greer (“X-Ray”), the ice guy (“Cool”), the flower pollen and herself (“Nicodemus”), the crooked deputy (“Obscura”) and the twisters (“Tempest” and “Vortex”).

The deepening bond drives matters too. At first, they are casual friends. (Granted, Clark worships her but he’s trying to be cool about it.) The cemetery scene shows seriousness on both sides. (“Premiere”) Things really heat up when the Nicodemus flower affects Lana’s mind releasing her hidden inhibitions toward things. As with everything else, this is a turning point for her away from the Fairy Princess view and Whitney. (Who can forget that outfit, the diving board cartwheel and the Kiss?) (“Nicodemus”) Other memorable moments include his birthday present to her (“Craving”), the “Look in the Rain” at Mr. Fordman’s funeral (“Crush”), his goodbye to her (“Leech”), his promise to Whitney to look after her and her look back at him (“Tempest”).

Throughout that season, we see that their bond is special and that they belong together. With the cliffhanger at the end of “Tempest”, we know bigger things are about to happen.

Season 2 teased us with the back-and-forth ‘will-they/won’t-they’ attitude toward the Clana relationship as the writers overratcheted the angst. Despite Whitney’s and Nell’s departures, the same issues remain for them along with some new ones.

The romantic obstacles are still there. Chloe is still interested in Clark (despite protesting otherwise). Even as she says that she’s moved on, she still tries to come between Clark and Lana. (See the ‘deal’ at the end of “Dichotic” for instance.) Whitney seems to make a “reappearance”. However, we learn it’s Tina Greer who still has feelings for Lana and uses the kryptonite necklace to deal with Clark in the process. (“Visage”) Clark’s brief liaisons with Kayla Buckwater (“Skinwalker”) and Jessie (“Rush”) not to mention Lana’s attention toward Byron Moore (“Nocturne”) and Ian Randall (“Dichotic”) threaten to derail the relationship. And of course, there’s always Jonathan and Martha’s unwillingness to let Clark share his secret with her.

Other obstacles also loom too. Their trust for each other wavers at times. Lana falters after seeing Clark under the influence of the red kryptonite (“Red” and “Rush”). She also knows that there is more to Clark than he’s letting on. Hurt by this, Clark tries to move on too. Fortunately for Clana fans everywhere, these matters are resolved (for now).

The rescues continue here as well. Clark saves her from the twisters (“Tempest”), Byron Moore (“Nocturne”), the twin Ians (“Dichotic”), Tina Greer (“Visage”), Lucas (“Prodigal”) and Emily (“Accelerate”). In addition, the writers put in an interesting twist having her save him from trouble. Word to the would-be attackers out there—beware of the Spin Kick. (“Precipice”)

Clark’s secret, his reluctance to share it, and Lana’s determination to discern it set the tempo for this season. From the initial episode, she’s set in finding out what he’s hiding from her. The initial speech in the Kent barn (end of “Tempest”), the standoff/riding off scene (end of “Red”) the “hay wagon scene” (end of “Nocturne”) and her wanting to know what happened after the Ship’s explosion (“Exodus”) are prime examples. They know they should stay friends but they love each other too much for that overcoming these issues. Finally, she backs off (for now). (“Visage”) Yet the alien discussion in the Loft following Cyrus’ appearance sets a dark shadow over things. (“Visitor”) Finally, Clark’s reluctance to open up at the end sends bad signals. (“Exodus”)

Despite these issues, their bond remains and they support each other at crucial points. Lana goes to visit him in jail (“Heat”). His insistence that she stay in Smallville leads to her doing so. (“Ryan”) They help each other out with long lost relatives—Grandfather Clark and Henry Small. (“Redux”) She also urges him to find out about his birth parents (“Rosetta”). They save each other leading to her best line of the series so far: “It’s not every day that Lana Lang gets to save Clark Kent”. (Precipice) He tells her she’s not crazy when she sees Emily’s ghost. (“Accelerate”)

The romance is there toward the end at crucial points. He asked out Lana out although that ended badly. (“Rush”) Their hand holding in the Loft was special. (“Accelerate”) Who can forget his speech at the rehearsal dinner or those great kisses? (“Calling”) The goodbye to her when he prepared to deal with the Ship was moving too. (“Exodus”)

As Red Clark (or Bad Clark depending upon your viewpoint) rode off toward Metropolis and Season 3, the relationship between these characters was far from resolved. They trust each other on certain levels but not on all of them. They want to open up to each other but circumstances have shown them that it is not safe to do so. As time will tell, their relationship will either survive or end with their ability to trust, share and love each other.

Smallville Season 3 developed in unique and, one might argue from a Clana perspective, very disturbing directions. Whereas the first two seasons emphasized the developing romance between Clark Kent and Lana Lang, the third season held confusion and turmoil as the Ship was rocked by crises, mood shifts, new characters, intervening scenarios and the producers’ unwillingness to let the romance seen in “Accelerate”, “Calling” and “Exodus” continue on long term.

Circumstances in the first seven (?) episodes wiped out the momentum gained in the last part of Season 2. Between the latest appearance by Kal/Bad Clark (Exile) not to mention his pushing her away (Phoenix), Clark ends that romantic phase, breaking both of their hearts in the process. Then Lana makes the anti-FOTW comment against Clark (Extinction). This is followed by the “in your dreams” comment (Slumber) and her physically pushing him away when they’re talking at the fence. Perry White’s visit could have added some grist to this trend, especially after Clark unwittingly leads the reporter into Lana’s presence. (Perry) Toward the end of this cycle, three comments stand out as well. First, while under Seth’s influence, Lana tells him to butt out of her love life. Then she apologizes but tells him she’s not going to wait for him. (Magnetic) Finally, she tells him that he’s dangerous and asks him to stay away. (Shattered) During this sequence, it’s obvious that the writers did everything they could to sour the Clana romance, setting us up for what came later. (see below)

Of course, there were high points to the first third of the season too. I have to admit that these are some of my favorite episodes for watching Lana as she seems more confident and, despite the situations that keep coming up, she’s sticking up for herself. In each episode, she does so by going after Clark, fighting Morgan Edge’s goons, helping Clark against Van, teaming up with Clark to help Sarah, asserting her dignity in Perry White’s face and most importantly, that conversation in the Loft (Magnetic). She is trying to make this work and wants him to do the same. Clark does come through at some points to save her but he’s torn between hiding and expressing himself—a fact that’s not lost on Lana. And the producers did give us some incredible teases: the Skinny Dipping Scene (from Slumber) and the Joe-Louise romance (from Relic/1961). Who can forget the floating kiss between Joe and Louise? (Memo to Jor-El: if you loved Louise so much, let Clark be with Lana and be done with it!) Despite the lukewarm writing at some points, the bond still held strong.

Shattered proved to be a challenge point as the Clana relationship (and I would argue the series) veered off into a very weird place. Bound and determined to keep Clark and Lana apart, the writers introduced Adam Knight and Alicia into the series. While the Adam arc proved somewhat intriguing, there were those of us who couldn’t wait for it to end. Alicia, for her part, couldn’t hold onto Clark (Obsession). The most telling scene happened in the Talon with Lana’s “look away” from Clark. (Asylum) The Lanex (or Lexana) pairing launched in earnest at this point as well, setting things up for the inevitable season-ending surprise. Ironically enough though, instead of breaking under everything, Clark and Lana’s relationship survived and they remained friends. In addition, he actually becomes more sensitive to her needs too. (Maybe her words had an effect? One can only hope!) He hears her crying (Whisper), promises to be more sincere (Resurrection), comforts her (Crisis) and considers telling her his Secret (Forsaken). Progress was being made here. Imagine what would happen if the writers would just leave them alone?
Despite the looming threat of the Paris art school, the last part of the season held some hints of promise. Clark rescued Lana in dramatic fashion on a few occasions (Hereafter, Obsession, Crisis and Forsaken). Lana makes progress, asserting to Clark that they need a stable set of rules to make their relationship work. This was a perfect parallel to Dr. Swann’s lecture earlier in the episode. (Legacy) Clark almost tells her the Secret (Forsaken) and there is the scene that could have been/shouldn’t have had to happen at the airport (Covenant). The important thing here is that their friendship solidified itself again and was heading back toward romance if certain conditions were met. Importantly, Clark was trying to meet those conditions at several turns. Despite his continued waffling, he was moving toward renewing that link with her.

Maybe sensing this (and not understanding the concept of letting a story develop on its own), the writers put in an almost ridiculous set of circumstances guaranteed to make Clark hesitate. The hint of a Clanex triangle started this, peaking when Clark discovers Lex and Lana talking in the former’s mansion (Forsaken) and the embrace at the airport. (Covenant) Pete’s ordeal misled him back into the “ostrich theory”—‘if I can keep everyone blind to my secret then they’re safe’. (Clark fails to get it. Even if they don’t know his secret, Lana, Lex, Chloe and everyone around him are still in danger.) (Forsaken) Then Talisman had no Clana moments in it at all. And then Kara administers the coup de grace with the “kissing cousins” sequence, keeping Clark from driving Lana to the airport and making him doubt the intentions of Lana and everyone else around him. To add insult to injury, the writers could not even let Clark and Lana have a decent sendoff at the airport. He made the effort to get there. She sees him there. She even gets the flower. How about a hug at least? (Covenant) His hesitation cost him big time in the last few installments here.

In wrapping up, Season 3 did have more for Clana fans than it initially appears. While the writers did everything they could to make the romance fizzle, the friendship endured and was evolving. Despite the new characters and forces injected into the series to tear them apart, they stayed close. Elements of sensitivity and trust could be seen on both ends but especially on Clark’s end. He learns about responsibility and that his actions have consequences (a trend that starts at the end of Season 2, I might add). What is distressing though is that Lana took a huge step backward by running away to Paris. I agree she needs to live her life and experience new vistas. Change and perspective can be marvelous things. However, am I the only one who sees this experience as repeating Clark’s mistake from Exodus/Exile/Phoenix? After talking with Clark about stability and responsibility vis-à-vis their relationship, she backed out and seemed to be grasping at any straw. It’s too bad really because both she and Clark matured as characters and people in this season.

One can only wonder what might happen if the writers would just let their relationship develop….

In Season 4, Smallville became increasingly complex, adding plenty of twists for everyone to follow. While Clark continued to discover new aspects of his heritage, Lana’s ancestry reared its ghostly head, impacting the Kansas landscape in a big way. Meantime, both traditional characters’ observations and the new characters’ influence on Clark and Lana made things very (bordering on ridiculously) complicated. Rising from the ashes of Season 3 and surviving the twists and turns, the Clana seemed to peak by season’s end. (Note: If this seems really complicated, I apologize but this is the way the season was for all of us.)

The returning cast affected this trend. Chloe Sullivan, despite repeatedly “being over” Clark, continued to hang close to him even to the point of learning the Secret (Pariah), helping him with amnesia (Blank), taking up cheerleading (Devoted) and sharing the graduation/crisis moment (Commencement). In a return to Season 1 form, she manages to break up potential Clana moments even when she isn’t there directly. (See the non-Chloe appearance in the robe line in Forever for instance. Also she makes the reference to an amnesiac Clark about Lana being “the love of his life” and adding a frown. (Blank)) Likewise, Lex Luthor has developed feelings for Lana as demonstrated in his rivalry with Jason (see and). Although he technically was right that Jasana wasn’t a good thing, he continued to press and protect Lana to the point of smothering her concerning her relations with Lionel and Genieve Teague not to mention trying to buy her attention at every turn. (see the apartment (Gone), the hospital scene (Façade), new uniforms (Façade/Devoted) and the rescue (Commencement). In this way, he’s continuing the trend he established in Season 3. What is new is his pressing her for the power stones at several turns. (See Sacred and Commencement, for instance) Lionel Luthor impedes things for Clark and Lana both with the barn scene in Clark’s body (Transference) and spurring on the “stones game,” using the two teens almost as pawns in a game of possession between himself, Lex, the Teagues, Jor-El and the Countess Isobel. (Transference, Spell, Sacred, Spirit, Blank, Ageless and Commencement among others) Martha and Jonathan Kent, while encouraging him to look forward, also acknowledge the downside of his having to keep the Secret from the world (how that’s affected Clark’s relationships). (In particular, that realization rears its ugly head with the Alicia-Kal debacle (Unsafe). Speaking of Alicia, her reappearance in Unsafe and Pariah dampened the trust between Clark and Lana as well. Jor-El thankfully stayed out of the way for most of the season although the bookend appearances did quite enough. His turning Clark into Kal and stirring up the whole ‘stone game’ in the beginning got the whole mess started. (Covenant-Crusade) His warning to Clark about the bloody stone comes too late to save Lana from ‘blackmailgate’ with Lionel and Lex, the meteors (along with the rest of the town) not to mention whatever’s going to come out of the Ship’s Big Brother (Commencement).

Several new characters slowed the Clana redevelopment by their very presence. First and foremost, Jason Teague followed Lana back from Paris and involving her in a troubling relationship both while he was Smallville High’s football coach and afterwards. After Isobel’s initial possession attempt, he tries to leave but Lana follows him back to college. (Spell) After China, we see that his role was not just the boyfriend but as a player in the “stones game,” working with his mother to get the power stones. (after Sacred-Commencement) His mother, Genieve Teague, strutted onto the scene for six eppies, trying to influence Lana to: stay with Jason (and in the “game”), get the stones through whatever means possible and provide a convenient roadblock between Clark and Lana in the process. (See the ‘ungrateful’ remark in the lodge (Forever).) Ironically, her death and the Pandora’s Box it opened accomplished her goals for Jor-El. (Commencement) The Countess Isobel returned after a 400 year revenge plotting hiatus, possessing Lana to get the stones and giving Clark fits on three occasions. (Spell, Sacred and Commencement). In particular, Isobel delighted in the ‘lovers’ quarrel’ as much as she wanted the stones. (Remember the remark to Clark about “you want this body and this body wants you”? (Spell)) Last but not least, Lois Lane dropped out of Metropolis University and into Smallville, immediately complicating Clark’s life, getting (it seemed) all of the supporting roles and usurping Clark’s bedroom for much of the season. While there are many examples, the whole Clark-Lois-Lana thing can be summed up in two scenes from Gone: Lana’s seeing Clark and Lois together at the farm when she gets back from Paris and Lana’s concession speech vis-à-vis the future. (And don’t look now but the Producers are bringing Lois back again. Terrific<sigh>) These characters complicated things for our shippers (and the Smallville landscape) as a whole.

As for Clark and Lana themselves, they have big issues to settle for themselves. He’s still struggling with his heritage and its affect on the future. As noted earlier, Lana’s struggle with Isobel as well as the latter’s talents made things difficult for her and those around her. Foremost among those though is the whole trust issue. While he would like to be her friend again after she returns from Paris, she still is guarded. (Gone) The relationship with Jason creates tension in this regard too. This emotional strife—caused by his discovery of the Jasana deal—compels her to push Clark into a promise not to reveal anything. (Transference) When Lex revealed the relationship, she blames Clark. (Jinx) Lionel’s actions while in Clark’s body both at the high school and in the Kents’ barn provided still more kindling for the mistrust. (Transference) At more than one point, she gets defensive, talking to Clark about Jason as if the latter were Whitney Fordman. (In this way, we’ve regressed to Season 1 again.) Clark’s apparent refusal to help her after the first Isobel incident drove her back into Jason’s arms again. (Spell) Earlier, he doesn’t help her, setting up the whole distancing thing between them. (Gone) His apparent lack of interest about her condition while she was in the hospital was jarring to say the least. (Devoted) The writers play on her potential rejection of him in the dreamscape. (Scare) Alicia’s appearance amplifies this stance on Lana’s part. (Unsafe-Pariah) As late as Krypto, she’s still distrustful of Clark.

Despite these tensions (and everything the writers threw at them), the bond gradually reformed between them. Even when he’s in “full Kal mode,” she feels his actions. (Crusade) She trusts him enough to ask for his help on returning from Paris. (Gone) Despite her desperation to keep the relationship going with Jason and not repeat her mistakes with Clark, she doesn’t tell him to stay away. They’re still talking despite everything. In spite of his feelings, he defends her to Lex. (Jinx) I think the turning point is Spell. At this point, she realizes that almost everyone around her is interested not in her but the “stone game”. She turns to Clark once again (Spell). His feelings for her are evident both when Lana shows up at the Kent Farm, when he and Chloe visits the hospital and the latter two are in Lana’s apartment. (Chloe’s comment: love isn’t something you ease out of.) Lana also talks to Clark about Jason, trusting him for advice. (Love his quote here in response to her query about being shallow: “Maybe he needs to get to know you as well as I do.”) (Scare) When he offers his help and accompanies her to China, you can almost see their defenses lowering bit by bit during the trip. (The bump/“accidental” look they share in Shanghai put everyone on notice—the Clana magic was on its way back.) After their return, she talks to him about Isobel and the effect that have something hidden can have on a person and their relationships. He also sacrificed his feelings for her benefit twice: by keeping the whole Jasana thing quiet and by giving her the opportunity to get out of the Prom date Dawn had arranged. (Transference and Spirit) Both times he faces Isobel, he’s more concerned about Lana than himself—a tendency that the spirit uses to her advantage. (Sacred) When he loses his memory, Lana talks with him about things, dealing with her own pain in the process. (Blank) He’s worried about her when she disappears during Brennan’s ‘collecting activity’ and during the second meteor shower. (Forever and Commencement) (Although this does get lost during the chaos related to the latter.)

In a move almost reminiscent of Season 2 (and driven more than likely by ratings pressure), the Clana bond turns romantic once more. Although we see glimmers of this throughout the first half of the season, the episodes following Sacred really show a progression. (The writers teased us with kisses by Lionel/Clark, Isobel/Lana and Jason’s nightmare about Clark and Lana in the Loft, leading one to wonder if something more was coming.) (Transference, Spell and Scare) After several episodes where they hardly speak directly to each other, the relationship blossoms once more. In Onyx for example, when he says she’s seen him at “his worst,” she replies that she’s seen him at “his best” and gives him a warm look. Then he calls her to warn about “Evil Lex” and we hear real concern in his voice. (Also Onyx) The whole matter related to the Prom also brought this feeling out. Both don’t want to go because they envision themselves only dancing with the other. After a lot of “will they/won’t they” throughout the week leading up to the dance, Lana makes a dramatic entrance literally sweeping Clark off of his feet. The Prom Dance was truly something special and watching it, we knew that Jason was officially history. (Spirit) The whole heat vision/fire thing flared up (pun intended) when an amnesiac Clark saw Lana in the Talon, reminding us of early Season 1 and Heat while putting him back in “worship mode”. In addition, he states to her twice that “this time would be different.” (Blank) The whole “parenting” experience with Evan solidified things further (especially for Lana). Had to love the way she was looking at Clark throughout the eppie and the Hug at the end. (Ageless) The flashbacks to freshman year (both literal and memories) harkened back to those simpler times and their feelings. This is something that Brennan picks up on and tries to use against Clark. (Façade and Forever) Clark and Lana also realize that they’re both staying in Smallville, albeit for their own reasons but they also share the bond too. (Chloe’s remark about things never changing lends emphasis to this fact.) (Forever) Last but not least, there is the scene in the barn at the end. Before the meteors hit, she gives him the stone to let him find a piece of himself and guard it. In a move completely turning “Exodus” on its ear, she tells him good bye and leaves. Of course, the pivotal moment in that concerns a revelation. In that moment, they admit their feelings for each other and share a kiss! (Commencement) Thus, the relationship has bloomed once more.

So where will they go from here? Obviously, this season’s twists and turns not to mention the multiple complications muddied the waters where Clark and Lana were concerned. They went through a great deal and realized a lot about themselves and each other. In particular, she learns what it means to live with a secret. Could this be a building block toward her (finally) learning the Secret? Who knows (where these writers are concerned)? Jonathan and Martha seem to be leaning toward letting Clark tell her. With Lois, Chloe and Lex still in the picture, the picture grows more complex. Lionel—if and when he comes out of the coma—now knows everything. Who or what is going to come out of the Ship’s Big Brother to confront Lana and everyone else? There are spoiler hints about a new villain that’s really a big deal. <Great (sigh….)> Most importantly though, will Clark and Lana have a chance to stay together and explore their feelings this time? Or is this another insidious tease by the writers to get ratings? We’ll have to wait and see where the show goes once it picks up in late September/early October.