Remembering Lionel
<I>By Craig Byrne
</I>

WARNING: Spoilers for the April 17, 2008 episode of <I>Smallville </I>are within.

If you are reading this column you probably came to after watching what many are saying was one of <I>Smallville\'</I>s best hours, "Descent." In addition to being a well-written, well-directed, and well-acted story, the episode also served as a goodbye to one of the show\'s finest creations - Lionel Luthor.

Watching the<I> Smallville </I>pilot, I had no idea that Lex Luthor\'s father would become such a big and grand role, especially since Lex had mentioned his father had never stepped foot inside the Luthor mansion. But then, we started seeing Lionel more... "Hothead" and "Jitters" being two early appearances that I can remember. Every time, John Glover knocked it out of the park, becoming one of <I>Smallville</I>\'s most consistent treats.

Even when Glover was given confusing storylines (Blind or not? Good or bad?), the truth in his performance came through, and Mr. Glover always gave an honest performance in what he believed the character to be. Over seven seasons we\'ve seen many sides of Lionel - we\'ve seen him evil, we\'ve seen him uncaring, we\'ve seen him desperate, we\'ve seen him charmed by Martha Kent, we\'ve seen him taken over by Jor-El, and we\'ve also seen sides of him that, at times, believed he was doing the right thing even when his actions were dubious. Like some of television\'s great villains, you could believe that Lionel Luthor rarely felt he really was the bad guy - just someone whose beliefs led him astray.

The other truly amazing thing about Glover\'s performance as Lionel is that John Glover the person is so completely different from his television alter ego. John Glover the person works tirelessly to raise money for the Alzheimer\'s Association in memory of his father. He is one of the kindest, least evil people you\'d ever meet, and fortunately, unlike Lionel, he is still with us, having recently been performing on stage in Los Angeles in "The Secrets of the Trade."

I understand the reasoning behind the character\'s departure and what it will mean for the future of Lex. I am thankful that Lionel went out with a bang, with three very good episodes in a row. A lot of <I>Smallville</I>\'s best hours - "Lineage," "Insurgence," "Shattered," "Memoria," and "Transference," to name a few - all had one thing in common - a great presence of Lionel highlighted by excellent performances by Mr. Glover. (A lot of the greatness of "Transference" could also be credited to Tom Welling, who did a perfect imitation of Lionel which Mr. Glover choreographed and worked closely with Tom on).

<I>Smallville</I> was extremely lucky in having John Glover and Lionel Luthor on the series for many years. He will be missed. Thanks go out to John Glover for a spectacular performance, and to the creators o<I>f Smallville</I> for giving Superman mythology a new and enduring creation.

-- Craig Byrne
April 17, 2008

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