Loved it? Hated it? What did YOU think of this episode?

[RightWingConspirator]

Yes. To tell him that it was Isobel, not her.

Welllll....Kinda. The way she talked to Lex, she sounded like she felt responsible. I **think** she said words to the effect "Lex, I killed someone." In "Mortal", which aired I think the following week (just watched that again too, the other night) she told Clark that she "did things' to which Clark replied old secrets were in the past (this was when they were leaving the barn raising for the Kent farm to get supplies and have sex). The way I took her comment to Lex, was that she wanted Jason to hear the news of his mother's death from her, not someone else, and explain the circumstanses. I figured the reason she didn't object to Lex telling her he would take care of it was her being in shock.

You are probably right about Jason thinking he loved her for a while, but he let his mother go to Lana, knowing that she would torture Lana and likely kill her to prevent Isobel to go through with her revenge. And I feel sure that Lana believed that this had been his plan from the beginnin. After all, they agreed to not look for the "stolen" stone but then she finds him attacking Lionel because of it, right?

This is one of those times where we, the audience, have to come up with our own explanations due to poor writing. Jason had suddenly turned from a good guy to a bad guy (owing to the actor's unexpected leaving the show to star in "Supernatural"). And there was no follow-up to your point (which I almost forgot) about Lana walking in on Jason's assault of Lionel.
My take is that when Genivere left to confront Lana, Jason (stupidly) assumed she would not harm her, for Jason's sake, but just get the stone.
As for Lana, in "Commencement" she told Clark she had a feeling the stone was meant for him. Jason would not understand that--he kept bringing up Clark's name as it was--so I can see why she would try to get him to forget about the stone(s) and pretend the one she had was stolen.

I think, she really believed that Jason ensured that Isobel took over her body to lead him and his mother to the stones. What do you think is harder: to have endured a faked pregnancy or to have a medieval black witch possessing your body doing with it whatever she wants? She was angry with Lex because of the faked pregnancy - but he did it to marry her. How do you think she must have felt after understanding the Teaque's plan for her: give her body to Isobel and then kill her .

It's unlikely I'll ever be possessed by a witch, and someone conning me into thinking i'm pregnant is even more unlikely, so i can't answer your question. As for her anger at Lex, he was the latest in a long sting of men (Clark, Adam, Jason) who was less than honest with her, and this time the lie was beyond unforgivable 9not just faking her preganancy, but making her think she lost a nonexistant baby). Regarding being possessed, I didn't see her as being angry, but rather really scared (and for good reason).

[Freawaru]

Welllll....Kinda. The way she talked to Lex, she sounded like she felt responsible. I **think** she said words to the effect "Lex, I killed someone."

I am not sure how Lana saw her own relationship with Isobel. Did she feel possessed or as if Isobel was a part of her. In many ways Lana is similar to Isobel, more than a mere descendent after hundreds of years would suggest. Was it really Isobel's soul that entered Lana's body in Paris or was Isobel reborn and just received her old memories in Paris? I don't know - it was never explained.

In "Mortal", which aired I think the following week (just watched that again too, the other night) she told Clark that she "did things' to which Clark replied old secrets were in the past (this was when they were leaving the barn raising for the Kent farm to get supplies and have sex). The way I took her comment to Lex, was that she wanted Jason to hear the news of his mother's death from her, not someone else, and explain the circumstanses.

I agree.

I figured the reason she didn't object to Lex telling her he would take care of it was her being in shock.

Ah, no. They all were used to Lex taking care of something they couldn't for years. When you need supersavings go to Clark. When you need information go to Chloe. When you really need things to be taken care of go to Lex. It was their well established routine for seasons. I think this is part of why they all were so angry with Lex in the later seasons. They didn't have this save haven any more. Especially Clark, who strongly relied on Lex taking care of things in the earlier seasons.

This is one of those times where we, the audience, have to come up with our own explanations due to poor writing. Jason had suddenly turned from a good guy to a bad guy (owing to the actor's unexpected leaving the show to star in "Supernatural").

Was it like that? I mean, it was Jason who "introduced" her to Isobel, right? It was established that Lex knew his father's firm in one of the first episodes of season four - and didn't trust him.

And there was no follow-up to your point (which I almost forgot) about Lana walking in on Jason's assault of Lionel.

For me it was one more clue of why Lana didn't trust Jason any more.

My take is that when Genivere left to confront Lana, Jason (stupidly) assumed she would not harm her, for Jason's sake, but just get the stone.

Possible. Lionel on the other hand seemed to think that Lana would come out of this confrontation as victorious. Even told this Genevieve - but she didn't believe him. Jason looked thoughtful. He and Lex had directly witnessed Isobel taking over Lana's body when Lana's life was in danger in China.

As for Lana, in "Commencement" she told Clark she had a feeling the stone was meant for him. Jason would not understand that--he kept bringing up Clark's name as it was--so I can see why she would try to get him to forget about the stone(s) and pretend the one she had was stolen.

They both knew the story of Naman. I think, Lana at least had a hunch that Clark was Naman and thus the owner of the stones.

It's unlikely I'll ever be possessed by a witch, and someone conning me into thinking i'm pregnant is even more unlikely, so i can't answer your question.

Well, you never know

What I meant is to identify with Lana as a character.

As for her anger at Lex, he was the latest in a long sting of men (Clark, Adam, Jason) who was less than honest with her, and this time the lie was beyond unforgivable 9not just faking her preganancy, but making her think she lost a nonexistant baby). Regarding being possessed, I didn't see her as being angry, but rather really scared (and for good reason).

What I am trying to get at is that I think that faking a pregnancy to marry the woman is less evil than making her possessed by someone for the goal of this someone leading one to powerful artefacts and with the ultimate solution of killing her. If Lex had "raped" Lana by faking a pregnancy what was it that Jason did?

Yes, Lex did go too far, but "going too far" is part of his personality and Lana knew that. She had met evil Lex herself and knew that Lex would go to any length to get her if he really wanted it. And Lex did it so she would marry him. Jason on the other hand just wanted the power of the stones and only used her to get it. And because of the danger Isobel was to his family he would eventually have killed her.

[Arbar]

Oh Clark. One of the only times Jor-el was firm but fair by letting you save Chloe, and you messed it up. Sometimes I think the directing and editing is at fault - why did he have to take so long picking up Lana, taking her over the to conveniently-visible setting sun, and lingering over her when they could have shown the sun already setting as he was defeating the two Kryptonians; then his attentions to Lana would have been after he already knew it was too late. The way it turned out, he just looked like he couldn't be bothered to try because Lana was there looking shiny.

[Freawaru]

Oh Clark. One of the only times Jor-el was firm but fair by letting you save Chloe, and you messed it up. Sometimes I think the directing and editing is at fault - why did he have to take so long picking up Lana, taking her over the to conveniently-visible setting sun, and lingering over her when they could have shown the sun already setting as he was defeating the two Kryptonians; then his attentions to Lana would have been after he already knew it was too late. The way it turned out, he just looked like he couldn't be bothered to try because Lana was there looking shiny.

I think this was the point: Clark going into the Lanalanalana mode again. He could have reached Jor El even then, right? He could have gone to the caves, even if the Fortress might already have been too far. He even forgot to call Chloe and tell her that he would not be able to visit her and to take her home. No, when Lex came to take her home she still expected Clark. It seems Lana takes more than 99.9 percent of Clark's brain capacity and he forgets about everything and everybody else.

[RightWingConspirator]

I'm not faulting Clark for this, I'm faulting Jor-El for Windows. Clark had a good reason for missing the deadline--he took down the menace of Zod's disciples and saved Lana. If he's intended to be earth's greatest saviour, as Jor-El says, then he should be, well, saving people. The fact it's someone he really wants to save shouldn't make any difference.

[super_j_man]

This episode was great and an awesome follow up to my most favorite episode Commencement. Everything with the show was changing with this episode. The FOS, a new threat, and no more high school. Chloe telling Clark that she knows his secret and then him revealing to her that he's an alien is the best scene IMO. Acted really well and both TW and AM did a great job in that scene.

LOVED the disciples of Zod. And I remember thing WTF when I first saw Brainiac (of course I had no clue who it was at the time). They really set up what was going to be a great season (even though it kinda wasn't that great later on).

The only problem I had was with how Lana seemed to just forget Jason after she put the article down. I get the feeling the writers thought that maybe he was a mistake to bring in but to just completely sweep him under the rug. It was never really explained well in season 4 why Lana went back to Clark and pushed away from Jason. But with all the awesome stuff in this epi and since I didn't really care too much for Jason in the end, this never really bothered me too much.

10/10