Ep 4.22 - Commencement

[Chiriru]

The season's storylines come together. Lana becomes free of Isobel after killing Genevieve. Lex takes her in to help, but really he wants her stone. Lana passes her stone along to Clark, who now has two of the three pieces. Jason goes after the Kents thinking they can lead him to the stones. The merging of the crystals summons a meteor shower on Graduation Day.

[Jlandsw]

Amazing episode.....nuff said!!

[OutlawAngel]

I really liked this episode.I still dont like what the wriiters did to Jason's character but this episode is one of the best of the series. Infact put Commencment and Arival together and they are the best IMO

[greggbray]

I was so happy to see the subplot die. :-D

Jason could have been a much better character. Does every one of Lana's boyfriends have to turn evil? Or dead?

Aside from that, it was nice to see the fortress forming, and I really loved Arrival--an episode that couldn't have happened without Commencement. So, ultimately, a pretty darn good episode. One of the best of Season 4.

[jdot]

If they had bothered to have an arc in place for Jason at the beginning of the season, his behavior in the last few episodes would have made sense. Heck, if they had let Jensen in on the secret he could have done something with the rest of his work in the season. It just seems like they decided midway through that he was going to be a bad guy for no real reason.

Overall, this episode was incredible. It's definitely the best season finale they've done.

[OutlawAngel]

This makes me wonder if Jensen was gonna be brought in as a main character for season 5 but then (maybe becasue of Supernatural) something happendso out of the blue they turned him evil.

I really liked Jason's character when he was nice. he was one of the best characters on the whole series. He was unique and witty and fun and darn it is Jensen is so very very hot. Just man that guy is smoking fine. And he made me like Lana's character because the chemistry between them was very cute and the actors worked very well together. and she seemed to jump off her 'lieth and secreteth' wagon. But now in S5 her character seems to be right where she was back to the old angry squirrel Lana

[UpandAtom]

I was really surprised by the way they ended this episode. I thought we'd finally get to see the Fortress of Solitude but we didn't.

Me: I've waited through 9 months of filler episodes but now I'm finally going to see the Fortress of Solitude.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Me: Do'h!

[greggbray]

Yeah, but watching the FOS' construction, and everything that followed in the first episode of Season 5 was absolutley wonderful.

[vyperman7]

This is an episode that has really grown on me. The first time I saw it I was not that pleased. I was really unhappy that Clark didn't find out what Chloe knew about him, as well as the fact that we did not get to see the FOS form. A much better cliffhanger would have been fading to black with the TBC after you see Clark enter. I also thought that Lex was lightswitched in this episode. The whole series he has fought against beoming like his father, and then all of a sudden he is his father's son?

But now that Arrival turned out so well, I am not bothered by my main complaints anymore, and this episode has become one of my favorites from S4.

[UpandAtom]

Yeah. Lex definetely changed too fast. Another thing I don't understand is why Isobel suddenly left Lana after killing Genevieve. What about the stones? and what about Jason?

[greggbray]

^ I think the writers realized they were striking out with the Isobel storyline. Outside of this forum, one would be hard pressed to find too many folks who enjoyed that subplot.

I think they just wanted to end the storyline and move onto the FOS stuff.

[IvanDA]

Not to get technical but it wasn't the merging of the crystals that caused the meteor shower. I believe Jor-El said that "human blood touching one of the crystals (Genevieve's blood in this case) is what awakened a danger" which I guess is the meteror shower and the disciples of zod.

Also does anyone know how Lana figured that the stone in her possession was meant for Clark. She said something like "I somehow know it's meant for you," when she gave it to him.

[brainiacowen]

I think it was just because of all the signs pointing to it. The burns on his barn...in the feild...everytime something with the crystals is going down, he's there...

The scene where Jonathan tells Clark that everything they have taught him his entire life was all for "This moment." gave me chills. So awesome.

Also when Lex tells Lionel that he did create the son he always wanted.

[Clark/Lois-fan]

I have seen this episode so many times. I just LOVE it!!! Lionel had the best line " For a woman without a heart- Genevieve Teague sure had a lot of blood..." I truly thought that when the helicopter with Lana crashed she was dead- but then I remembered Lex's planecrash in Exodus Lex & Lionel were awesome and Lex telling his father he did create the son he always wanted- with the drums ( I think ) in the background. Jonathan & Martha were also awesome when Clark told them he had to stay to find the stones. Lois laying in the grass and saw the aftermath of the meteors was touching. The ending was AMAZING. Clark throwing "the thing" away ( I don't know what it's called ) and with the music and then it says TO BE CONTINUED.....

One of my absolute favorites in the series

[UpandAtom]

The only part I disliked was how Lex suddenly lightswitched.

Lex: "Before you leave this earth dad, I want you to know that you did create the son you always wanted."

[OutlawAngel]

Yeah I know. I thoght watching the re runs on DvD and i could figure out how and where that really happend but it does seem like one day the writters just said 'ok lets just make him evil right here'

[UpandAtom]

Is it just me or do the special effects of the meteor shower look reused? I mean, it looks like they took the same meteors from the pilot without creating new ones.

[OutlawAngel]

I thought that maybe some old footage was mixed in with some new stuff. I did notice that though.

[UpandAtom]

what scenes did ABC Family cut from this episode?

[Pal-El]

When put along side Arrival they form easily the 2 best episodes of the series so far.

I loved that the stupid witch story line was finished (albeit leaving a major plothole) even though everyone seems to completely forget about the stones in season 5

I loved the way they made lex's eyes glow blue when he crept up to the water stone. For me it was a very nice touch and gave the overall feeling that the stone had somehow seduced lex.

Also the last few scenes, as mentioned earlier in the thread, where Lois is lying on the grass & tears at all the destruction and Clark at the north pole (*COUGH vancouver mountains COUGH*) throwing the stone....

Goosebumps all over.