Yeah, SV PTB really screwed up

[serafina20]

For some reason I went over to the WB Smallville message boards and started reading.

There's appparently a whole debate going on over whether Jason is a pdeophile or not. Now, we all know he isn't. He's still in his twenties and Lana isn't a *child*. From what I understand, lusting after a teenage girl isn't pedophilic, just gross. If she was under 15 (like, maybe 12-4), it would be pedophilic. They're also arguing over whether or not Lois is a pedophile. I don't know. She didn't get into the shower with Clark when she was 21, she just walked in. It's weird, but I don't even think it was that pervy.

Anyway, the problem is, everyone over there thinks both Clark and Lana are 17. They'er not. They're both 18. Lana we know is 18 because:

a. In the Pilot, she tells Clark her parents died when she was three. Now, she was about a month away from her birthday, so she could have been exaggerating he age, but I really don't think she was.

b. Tha child in the Pilot wasn't a two year old going on three. It was a three year old going on four.

c. The party in Craving? So a Sweet Sixteen birthday. It was a very sterotypical flowers, balloons, fancy party dresses 16th B-day party.

d. Lana remembers her last birthday with her parents. It's unlikely she'd remember if she was just turning two that year.

Now, Clark is a little more ambigious on his age. I'm mostly assuming he's 18 because the child in the Pilot, again, wasn't a 2 year old. I don't even think he was three. He looked more 4 or 5 to me. I can see the Kent's misestimating his age, or saying he was 3 instead of 4 do to developmental problems. I also can see both Clark and Lana being held back a year (or two) because of what they went through. But they're both legal now.

Also, I wonder if the space ship was somehow showing Baby!Clark pictures of Jonathan and Martha on the way over. If they were chosen to be his parents, it's possible that maybe, through the magic of technology, the ship captured their images and imprinted them on Clark so he knew (unconsiously) who he was looking for. Maybe.

Comments

[chicklet-girl.livejournal.com]

I think someone even said in the Pilot that Clark was 15, as of Fall 2001, which would make him 18 as of Fall 2004, with Lois only one year older (as Gen. Lane mentioned in Facade, Lois was supposed to be starting college right about now, but has to make up high school credits instead). That's neither illegal nor pervy. Tons of real-life couples straddle that high school-college division.

As for Lana, you probably know the rules of school grade vs. child's birthday better than I do (since you're a teacher), but as far as I know, if Lana's birthday is in October or November, she would have been nearly six before she started kindergarten, because schools require kindergarteners to be five years old before a certain date in order to start school. That would make Lana 18 as of the most recent birthday she celebrated (the one where she was supposed to go to Nice with Jason). Since Jason's supposed to be 20 or 21 at the most (didn't he mention in Facade that he's playing football at a lesser-known college than Met U., which dropped him because of his injury?), the only illegal thing about his relationship with Lana is that he's a school staff member, and she's a student, which TPTB has mentioned and made into an ongoing story issue.

[serafina20.livejournal.com]

if Lana's birthday is in October or November, she would have been nearly six before she started kindergarten, because schools require kindergarteners to be five years old before a certain date in order to start school.

No, she woudln't have necessairly been six. Most districts have a cut off date. In California, it's December 2. Anyone who will turn five on or before 12/2 is eligible to start school, so she could have started when she was 4. Some parents with fall babies choose to hold their child back a year before starting kidnergarten, but some start them "on time."

As for Lois's age, I'm going to quote what lexcorp_hope said to me:

Lois said her mother died when she was six, and that was fifteen years ago. Six + Fifteen=Twenty One.

[mecurtin.livejournal.com]

It's absurd to call any of these relationships "pedophilia", because the younger people involved are clearly not children -- they are not pre-pubescent, or even just pubescent, they are physically adult. They may be inappropriate -- especially Jason/Lana -- but they are not twisted.

But you're right about TPTB screwing up, because I don't think they consciously realized that they were showing both "teenage role models" in acceptable sexual or semi-sexual relationships with forbidden adults.

[serafina20.livejournal.com]

It's absurd to call any of these relationships "pedophilia", because the younger people involved are clearly not children -- they are not pre-pubescent, or even just pubescent, they are physically adult.

I think it's just another case of children using big words they don't understand.

[serafina20.livejournal.com]

I don't think Lois is supposed to be 21.

This is what lexcorp_hope said to me about it:

Lois said her mother died when she was six, and that was fifteen years ago. Six + Fifteen=Twenty One.

Maybe the decided to change it, but they forgot to change the original script to Gone when she actually said it. Which is sad because, I know SV isn't great on continiuty, but they've never been this bad. They changed Lois's age last minute and they forgot when Lana's birthday was.

So, yeah, in Facade she was 19, but last week, when she walked in on Clark in the shower, she was 21.

[capnzebbie.livejournal.com]

I think with Lana and Jason, the whole issue isn't really pedophilia, but an inappropriate student/teacher relationship. A high school teacher and a high school student at the same school dating is against the rules no matter what age the student is.

[serafina20.livejournal.com]

I think with Lana and Jason, the whole issue isn't really pedophilia, but an inappropriate student/teacher relationship

Bingo. And it drives me crazy that TPTB did't think of that. They should have had Lana graduate a year early or get her GED, go to *college* in Paris, come back to SV for whatever reason, and get a job outside of HS. It would have been less icky and, honestly? I've stopped looking for sense long ago.

[sabershadowkat.livejournal.com]

It's canon fact that Clark turned 18 at the end of s3, because he turned 17 on screen at the end of s2 with Lana and her cake, and then in the cut scenes from Talisman of s3, Lex was throwing Clark's bday party at the castle (remember the ice sculpture?).

Lana had her birthday in episode 1 of this season (just before the Wild Lana scene), which I think was supposed to establish that she's 18, but I can't remember if they said the actual age or not.

And yes, the problem is the teacher/student relationship, rather than an adult/child one. The Boyfriend said in Devoted he's only in college, so that puts him around age 20, which isn't inappropriate for their relationship, but his working at the school she's attending is ethically wrong.

It reminds me of CotW with Mark's questioning of wanting to be with a former student (Whitney) and the appropriateness of it.

And did I mention that I love you? Watch your inbox over the next few days, cuz there'll be a pressie :)

[serafina20.livejournal.com]

Lana had her birthday in episode 1 of this season

Which was incorrect, of course, since S1 established her birthday was well after the end of football season. But, whatever. :)

It reminds me of CotW with Mark's questioning of wanting to be with a former student (Whitney) and the appropriateness of it.

Because *I* think of things like that. Of course, I think of a lot of things the PTB don't seem to.

And did I mention that I love you?

I believe it was mentioned at one point. And I love you right back.