Very good points here. Strangely enough, though, the writerly infatuation with Lana works for me in a way that it doesn't seem to with a lot of (most?) Smallville fans. Because that's who Lana is in the overall epic story -- she's the high school infatuation, the crush that's nothing like the real adult relationships that come later for Our Hero. And while that robs Lana, as a character in this particular show, of anything truly resembling depth, it fits that she's just this idealized so-perfect shell of a girl. The audience is annoyed at Clark for being a blind, hormonally charged idiot for not appreciating other, more real girls, and of course, he is. But he won't be forever.

And I have little doubt that that isn't what the creators intended (and it would be much less annoying if we spent a little less time with the girl), but screw 'em. It makes sense to me. ;-)