Lex's Mom

[you_smell_terrific]

I love that they've kept the continuety and brought her back every time she's been shown. Even that deleted scene with the wedding a few seasons back. Nice they do something right ;)

[AndiGirl]

I thought it was weird how harsh she was though. The way she was described in the past she was so loving and kind. In this episode she was kind of *****y. (Hope i can say that on here?)

[kszonew]

Lilian was quite harsh here, but I think it was ment to show the cycle of abuse in the Luthor's relationship. Lilian snoops into Lionel's briefcase, Lionel blames Lex, Lex tells the truth, and Lionel berates his wife, who in turn takes her frusteration out on Lex. Sadly, that is what most abusive relationships are like.

[minerva73]

I thought it was weird how harsh she was though. The way she was described in the past she was so loving and kind. In this episode she was kind of *****y. (Hope i can say that on here?)

Maybe she was tense and stuff. Having your own spouse throw you against a shelf might make you feel that way. Or knowing that you're constantly lied to every second about the same thing. *cue Clana and Chimmy scenes* :) Then knowing that the person who you trusted (your own son) betrayed you might make you even more upset.

[AndiGirl]

Thanks to whoever fixed my post...I'll watch the language from now on. :)

I do think it would make me tense...but on the same hand, thats her son...who was being choked by his father. My first instinct would be to protect my child...not chastize him for "ratting me out."

[you_smell_terrific]

I agree with you andigirl. I guess she was just having an odd day :O?

also, your posts are edited automatically for swear words. You can still say them they'll just have stars in it xD

[Dannyblue1]

Maybe she was tense and stuff. Having your own spouse throw you against a shelf might make you feel that way. Or knowing that you're constantly lied to every second about the same thing. *cue Clana and Chimmy scenes* :) Then knowing that the person who you trusted (your own son) betrayed you might make you even more upset.

Little Lex did not betray Lilian. Psychologists will tell you one of the worst things you should do is put the weight of an adult secret on a child's shoulders. They shouldn't have to carry that sort of crap.

And I certainly wouldn't want my child to get beat up by his own father just to keep a secret I shouldn't have asked him to keep in the first place.

[AndiGirl]

I agree with you andigirl. I guess she was just having an odd day :O?

also, your posts are edited automatically for swear words. You can still say them they'll just have stars in it xD

Good to know! :lol:

----- Added 1 Minutes later -----

Little Lex did not betray Lilian. Psychologists will tell you one of the worst things you should do is put the weight of an adult secret on a child's shoulders. They shouldn't have to carry that sort of crap.

And I certainly wouldn't want my child to get beat up by his own father just to keep a secret I shouldn't have asked him to keep in the first place.

Exactly...Lilian should have never put him in that position to begin with. Then saying "dont speak, you've said enough" is rubbing salt into the wound. She was acting like a child...not a mother.

[jimmyolsenblues]

they did not distinguish from what lex actually saw as a child and what he thinks he remembers as the truth. i know i remember stuff different from the way it actually happened when i was a kid.

[minerva73]

Little Lex did not betray Lilian. Psychologists will tell you one of the worst things you should do is put the weight of an adult secret on a child's shoulders. They shouldn't have to carry that sort of crap.

And I certainly wouldn't want my child to get beat up by his own father just to keep a secret I shouldn't have asked him to keep in the first place.

I see what you're saying about Lex not betraying Lillian, but maybe she thought of it that way. I dunno really. But that is horrible for a child to have to carry that kind of responsibility like that. :(

[AndiGirl]

they did not distinguish from what lex actually saw as a child and what he thinks he remembers as the truth. i know i remember stuff different from the way it actually happened when i was a kid.

Thats a really good point too. But I imagine he didnt destort the truth that much? Obviosuly Lionel didnt come in and hug him, and his mom have him candy. Whatever happend...I'm sure it was similar to that effect.

[Jlvsclrk]

I looked at this as being symmetry with what happened in Memoria, and really sets that up. Here, Lillian commits a minor "crime" by going through Lionel's briefcase; Lionel finds out and blames Lex; under duress, Lex "rats out" Lillian; she gets angry at him for not protecting her secret. In Memoria, Lillian commits the ultimate crime, child murder; Lionel finds out and blames Lex; under duress, Lex's mind cracks; Lillian gets away with murder but dies soon after.

Personally, I've always thought Lillian did far more damage to Lex than Lionel. His worse nightmare in the delected scene was her blaming him for the murder of Julian.

[LadyJaneGrey15]

In what episode did Lillian blame Lex for the murder of Julian? And what was the episode with the deleted wedding scene? I haven't seen these, and I can't get enough Luthor family dysfunction!

[Mrs.Bizzaro]

Well you have to keep in mind that Lillian killed her own baby (Julian) in order to "protect" him from Lionel. One has to be open to the possibility that Lillian had some mental illness. Munchausen syndrome, perhaps, jumps to mind. Perhaps the reason Lex survived his childhood was due to the high white blood cell count he developed after the first meteor shower. Maybe the thought that she couldn't really "protect" Lex resulted in her slight resentment of him. Her lashing out at Lex could be from frustration. She can't do anything about Lex just like she can't do anything about Lionel.

[euterpe]

I've always thought Lillian was mentally ill and was just as guilty of emotionally abusing Lex as Lionel. Albeit, I don't think she was intentionally malicious like Lionel was. Her abuse was more subtle but just as damaging, if not more so.

I think the reason Lex always presented her as this wonderful loving parent is because that is the way he actually remembers her. We all know Lex has a tendency to repress traumatic memories. After all, little Alexander told Clark he would be safe inside that room with the door bolted from the outside because Lex never went in there. I think Lex only consciously remembers the good things about his mother because he desperately needs to believe that at least one person in his life truly loved and cared for him.

But I think Lillian was definitely a few peas short of a casserole, and Lex could very easily have inherited that predisposition.

[jimmyolsenblues]

i agree i always thought lillian was weak compared to lionel's abuse.
But I never thought she was outright nasty to lex.

[litew8]

I've always thought Lillian was mentally ill and was just as guilty of emotionally abusing Lex as Lionel. Albeit, I don't think she was intentionally malicious like Lionel was. Her abuse was more subtle but just as damaging, if not more so.

I think the reason Lex always presented her as this wonderful loving parent is because that is the way he actually remembers her. We all know Lex has a tendency to repress traumatic memories. After all, little Alexander told Clark he would be safe inside that room with the door bolted from the outside because Lex never went in there. I think Lex only consciously remembers the good things about his mother because he desperately needs to believe that at least one person in his life truly loved and cared for him.

But I think Lillian was definitely a few peas short of a casserole, and Lex could very easily have inherited that predisposition.

bingo!
You can see the comparative, if I'm not mistaken, when they've shown Lex's mother in his thoughts speaking directly to him - she's always wearing white. Then we have Lex wearing a white suit. That might be to imply the inherited trait. Lex's white suit is actually his mother's characteristics, all grown up (within Lex). When, or if, Lex kills his father - it might be that his mother's memories (or given traits) are what actually prompts him.

[6-Super-Man -5]

Shes an interesting character!

[Kal26]

I realized something about Lex's mom while watching this episode. I always kind of wondered why Lex would have kept his mouth shut about his mother killing Julian. I mean, I know he was scared of what his father would do to her, but at the same time, that was a big thing to keep from everyone. When I saw how his mother treated him after he had outed her to Lionel in this episode, I realized that she had conditioned him to be that way. He told on her this time, and she was angry with him, almost even mean to him. I think that's partly why he would keep her secrete later. He was scared she'd be mad at him, or love him less if he told. They were both pretty poor parents, just in different ways. They both seem to have been doing some hefty emotional manipulating to their son.

[LexLuv180]

Yeah she's wasn't affectionate. I think she was twisted too but he remembers her more as a guardian before he needs to at some level.

[Aldo]

I love Lillian! I loved her deleted wedding scene, she was sooo good (acting)

Im glad they havent changes the actress.

[MozartRequiem]

"In what episode did Lillian blame Lex for the murder of Julian? And what was the episode with the deleted wedding scene? I haven't seen these, and I can't get enough Luthor family dysfunction!"

I know, I can't either! LOL! :) It's a deleted scene for "Scare" on the season four DVD (which also has some cool deleted Lionel stuff). Hope that helps!

[Jlvsclrk]

I wonder if Lillian is supposed to be a Lana-like character: fooled into marrying someone and then gradually distorted by the effort to survive in that environment. But Lillian never broke free because her child (Lex) actually existed so the twisting went ON and ON and ON... Until as I said earlier, she causes more harm to Lex's psyche than Lionel because her abuse has all these mixed messages.

And look at her appearance in Lexmas: how could she think showing Lex that particular future would make him want to change his ways? The woman of his dreams DIES in that future. I'm not surprised that Lex would think that if that was as good as it gets by renouncing Lionel and power, that he should do the opposite.

[euterpe]

Thank you for mentioning that. I get frusterated with people thinking evil of Lex because he chose not to walk away from the money at the end of 'Lexmas'. If that was truly his mother who truly knows her own son, then she should have known that the one thing Lex craves is love - someone to give it to and someone to give it back. So, to show him that giving up your money and power leads you to lose the one you love most...how else was he supposed to respond? I would probably have made the same choice Lex did. Hmmm, let me see...no money, my beloved wife dies; if I keep the money, I probably could save her life. A real hard decision.

Maybe it would have been different if Lillian had shown him an alternate future where he keeps the money but as a result never gets the beloved wife or family. That would have presented him with more of a true choice between good and evil. If Lillian was supposed to be guiding him toward the good path, she couldn't have picked a worse tactic.

[Dannyblue1]

If Lillian was supposed to be guiding him toward the good path, she couldn't have picked a worse tactic.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Lillian was the worst guardian angel ever. They must have let her out of training early or something, because she seriously screwed up the job. I very much hope she won't get any more assignments after that fiasco.

[mobiusklein]

If I were Lillian, I would've just shown him the previous Christmas and hoped by the time Lexmas happened, he would be strong & good enough that he wouldn't choose bad anymore. Lillian was a failure to him and I doubt she's in heaven.

[6-Super-Man -5]

She was really nice in Lexmas and then she seemed mean in Fracture.

[smallvillecrazygurl04]

I thought it was weird how harsh she was though. The way she was described in the past she was so loving and kind. In this episode she was kind of *****y. (Hope i can say that on here?)

I agree, the way Lex would describe his mother... it seemed as if she would never do any wrong and that she was this loving woman.. but her actions have been totally different; Even in this episode, going through Lionel's things and then Lex getting blamed for it. I just don't understand it really.

[Dannyblue1]

I think Lex idealized Lillian for two reasons. First, it's not unusual to set someone you love on a pedestal after they've passed on. You tend to focus on their good qualities, and almost forget their flaws. With Lillian not around to say not-so-nice things to him anymore, Lex could ignore that part of her personality, and focus on only the good, wonderful things he remembered about her. (And I do think that Lillian was loving towards Lex at times given how he feels about her.)

Plus, since Lionel was knocking them both around, Lex probably felt a sort of kinship with his mother. They were both in the same spot, both victims of Lionel's abuse.

Second, children in abusive homes tend to idealize the parent who isn't as abusive. So, on one side, Lex has got Lionel abusing him in very overt, obvious ways. (Yelling, threatening, hitting.) On the other, Lillian says the occasional snippy things to him, and outright blames him on at least one occasions (that we saw) for her husband knocking her around. We as viewers know what she's doing is emotionally abusive. But, to Lex, it wasn't abuse. He probably blamed himself for what Lionel did to Lillian that day (even though he wasn't to blame), and hearing what his mother had to say just confirmed it for him. To him, she wasn't being abusive. She was just telling him "the truth."

[kal-el_Girl]

I think that Lillian was only being truthful and showing her emotions and fears to lex WAS KEY for him to lie about how Julian died. He knew Lionel would go crazy on her so he blame it all on himself!
ps I love Alisen Down she plays it awesomely!!!
kudos to TPTB for continuity