Lionel tells Lex from behind prison bars that he is dying but Lex doesn't believe him and is determined to have him convicted. But he needs an eye witness to Lionel's crimes in order to prevent the judge from granting bail. Clark offers to help, but Lionel tells him about the room in Lex's mansion, that has all of the information Lex has been collecting on him. So Clark ends his friendship with Lex and decides to go with Kara. This is after he forgets to drive Lana to the airport. But Lex is able to be there to see her off. When Chloe gives Jonathan the true identity of Kara he tries to stop Clark, revealing that the woman is just a pawn in Jor-El's scheme to bring Clark through the cave wall. Jor-El kills "Kara", then threatens the life of Jonathan, leaving Clark with no choice but to step through the wall. The episode closes with Lionel saying goodbye to his hair in prison, Lex seemingly being poisoned, while Chloe and her dad appear to be blown to pieces when their witness protection accommodation is bombed out.
I never had the pleasure of seeing this episode in continuity as the first season I properly watched was season 4. This meant that the explosion that supposedly kills Chloe and her dad never hit me quite as hard as I'm sure it would have done had I seen it without the knowledge of what comes next. Even so, if I put myself into the shoes of someone who did watch this in continuity, I can easily imagine it being a shocking moment. It's a brilliantly orchestrated sequence in which pretty much every main character on the show finds themselves in a tight or unfamilar spot at the end.
Jor-El really does come off as a controlling, manipulative, and even murderous douchebag in this episode. There's no way around it. He's simply not the noble character that you would expect him to be based on his history in the comics and other media. I'm not sure how I feel about that. On one hand they are telling their own story here so, ultimately, they don't have to be so strict in their adherence to the lore of these characters. On the other hand, I feel it more fitting for Jor-El to be the kind of man that Clark can aspire to be. But then there's always Jonathan.
I actually like the fact that Lex meets Lana at the airport. I'm enjoying his interactions with her over the past few episodes more than I am the ones between her and Clark. At this point I can sort of understand why some fans of the show prefer the Lexana relationship over the core Clana one.
It's painful to see how fractured the relationship between Clark and Lex has become. I really do feel sorry for Lex here. It always seems like he's the one who is actually making more of an effort to still be friends and do the right thing in spite of his circumstances. Even the care he shows to Chloe, by making sure she fully understands the danger she is putting herself in testifying against Lionel, is somewhat endearing.
Covenant is a densely packed season finale that is Smallville at its best. A great end to perhaps the greatest season of the show.
10/10
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