Lionel also has a key relationship with Martha Kent, Clark Kent's adoptive mother. This relationship first develops in season two when Lionel hires Martha to be his assistant; it is further developed in season five. Glover felt Lionel's attraction to Martha grows in season five when Jonathan Kent dies because he now sees Martha as a single woman and is now more attainable; Glover believes Lionel was seeking to attain Martha's "goodness" and the attraction is not based on lust. When Lionel is in Martha's company he tries to present himself as a man she could be with; he consciously attempts to change years of selfish behavior. Writer Holly Harold said his relationship with Martha parallels Lex's relationship with Lana; both men believe these two women will be their saving grace and pull them back from the dark side. Annette O'Toole said Martha's interest in Lionel is like watching a dangerous animal; "It's that attraction you have for a very beautiful, dangerous animal. You know you can't stop watching it, but at the same time you feel, 'Oh my God, he's going to kill me.'" O'Toole also said she believes Martha's motivation is to get close enough to Lionel to know what he is planning to do to Clark. When Martha left the show, writer Todd Slavkin said they wanted to give the character "more of a send-off" than they achieved on screen. Slavkin said they could do nothing equivalent to what they gave John Schneider because there were so many storylines by the season six finale they could fit nothing else in. The writers realized they could not kill off the character so they sent her to the U.S. Senate, creating a parallel to Clark where Martha fights injustice on the political stage. O'Toole and Al Gough said Martha has a small attraction to Lionel and that nothing serious would come from it.