OSCC: Why We Need It

Chiriru [s] [e]

For the past few days, I've been searching blogs (Blogger accounts) and LJ's and reading the aftermath of "Vortex" and "Heat." I've been noting what others have been saying about the girl who is a major reason I watch.

Sure, I want to know about Clark. I want to see the journey, I want to know what his 'hometown' was like. I like the hero-before-the-Superhero idea. And TW isn't exactly hard on the eyes.

And, yes, Lex kicks ass. It's as much finding out about the boy before the cape as it is about the molding of the 'evil-est' man in our time. Seeing some one slowly being taken into darkness; into something he's tried so hard not to be... it's rather compelling television. And MR isn't hard for me to ogle EITHER.

But who makes the show *truly* a great thing for me to watch?

Chloe.

Now, it may be that I identify with this character to much : the newspaper editor of a small school, a crush on a close friend, an optimistic outlook yet sarcastic and flippant. Chloe Sullivan is the person who completes the triangle for me.

Yeah, Lex, Lana, and Clark might be these three orphans. And yeah, they might all look pretty together. But, that's not really the point.

On a broader scope of the show, the triangles switch around some. It's the BLT theory. Lex, Chloe, and Clark - well, they are all looking for something. Lex is/was searching for the truth about Clark. Clark is searching for a way to live a normal life while also looking for a way to save the people who matter to him. Chloe is searching for answers to questions no one likes answering.

And they all keep going in circles. Or, at least they *did*.

As stated earlier, Clark and Lex are the two main hitting points of the show. The Pre-Hero and the Pre-Villian and they have this odd web of friendship ( or, a web of HoYay! if you dig into the subtext a little further than I do )...

But somehow, they realized that the loop of the show, the really INTERESTING loop of the show didn't include the prenaturally pretty and lacking with acting KK. The dead parents just don't work for most of us, Mr. Gough and Mr. Millar, I'm sorry.

And obviously, I'm not the only one who thinks that it's, to be frank, boring. Lana's parents have been dead most of Lana's life and I know this probably seems a little callous but... she needs to get over it.  It's been twelve/thirteen years.  Her continuous talk of her parents is for pity now.

And, in some attempt to play up the Clanex triangle, downplay Chlarkex or Chlarkete and Chloe in any way, shape, or form, they have the new and improved Uber-Lana. She can rattle off S1 Lex lines verbatim, she can talk about keeping secrets and being about being an individual.

And while Uber-Lana is roaming the streets, Chloe has diminished. Her snark is either missing or bitchy to a killing point. She seems mean, back-biting, almost vengeful at times with her barbs. She seems to wallow in self-pity even when everything in S1 proves this contrary to who she was/is.

So Uber-Lana has low-jacked a lot of Lex and enough of Chloe from S1.

And Chloe is now S1 Lana.

And, I, for one, am tired of it already.

Chloe Sullivan is a mover and a shaker. She's after the story - to the point of putting the rest of her life on hold. She's there for her friends even when they aren't there for her (Drone is the classic example of THAT). She's got a temper and a sarcastic sense of humor and she's always using them for defense or just a laugh.

Chloe wasn't afraid to be Chloe. She's wasn't afraid to tell it how it is. She didn't play mind games or manipulations because she didn't believe in them. She is a journalist - she seeks out the facts (the truth, if you must) and tells it like it is.

So, why must our Chloe go down the drain?

From what I've read in spoilers and WB shots, there isn't a lot of Chloe. And what Chloe there is, she's not the Chloe people came to love in S1. I understand having Lana over for a slumber party or some such nonsense, but to have Lana move in? Hello, personal privacy? Hello, had issues with this girl before? Can we say, 10 shades of wrong?

The point is, I miss season one Chloe.

I miss the snark fests. I miss the investigations. I miss the cute  friendships of Chlark and Chlete. I miss her 'take no prisoners' mode. I miss the wall and her looking for meteor freaks. I miss her ability to be sarcastic yet adorable.

And I know I'm not the only one.

So, I'd like to offically say that the "Old School Chloe Campaign" has started.

What I'd like to see is people putting links to the site and supports in e-mail, sigs, on websites. That people will submit essay/rants on the issue on how the character is being handled - what is liked and what isn't liked. Maybe a petition or something.

I feel that at least for me, this is a step in the right direction. After all, S1 Chloe stressed that being your own person and doing what you feel you need to in order to get your point *out* there was extremely important. I hope it works and I hope other people will sign on and (maybe!) give me a hand or at least suggestions. And maybe if that happens, Old-Chloe's personality will be back. I can hope!

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