One of the most talked about moments from the episode, other than Chloe and Oliver being married which happened earlier, is how Johnathan can be there, able to make physical contact with Martha who doesn't think anything of it. This is never addressed in the episode. But there is an explanation: Brainiac-5. Back in season 5 the evil Brainiac tried to convince Clark to kill Lionel by pretending to be Johnathan Kent. He could physically interact with everyone. Earlier in this season we saw Brainiac, the Brain Interactive Construct as he was intended to be: a much kinder, update of himself called Brainiac-5. In the episode Homecoming he taught Clark to stop being afraid, stop punishing himself and everyone around him for past mistakes and to embrace his future. And Martha doesn't say anything about it because she's used to the craziness by now. Everyone seems fixated on how Johnathan could be back from the dead and Clark's wedding and a room full of people not notice, but that's just it: there's nothing to say anyone except Clark and Martha can even see him. Martha is there and when 'Johnathan' interacts with them, you can kind of see that he's just being there for his friends and recognizing the importance of this moment...but not sharing it.
Anything I know about Brainiac-5 outside of Smallville is Querl Dox/Brainy/Brainiac-5 from Supergirl. This version of 'Johnathan' actually reminds me a little bit of him. The hesitation in putting his hand on Martha's shoulder in the barn. Knowing it would be comforting but worried about over-stepping. I mean obviously Supergirl hadn't been written yet, but it makes a certain sense after season 5. The evil Brainiac once impersonated Johnathan to convince Clark to kill Lionel. So why wouldn't the more benign, supportive Brainiac 5 we saw earlier in this season take Johnathan's form trying to give Clark a gift? To Have Johnathan there in some form for a moment as important as the wedding? Johnathan does seem to be talking about himself a step-removed here, like he hesitates to refer to himself as Clark's father. Also, over the course of 5 years Johnathan never had so little reluctance in referring to Jor'el as Clark's father. It really sounded like this was coming from someone who knew and understood Jor'el, like J'onn Jo'nzz or someone from Krypton.
Lex and Tess acting the way they do, Tess being all alone and never sharing screen time with anyone but Lex was inconvenient and trying, but unavoidable. Cassidy Freeman wasn't on set with anyone else. Everything felt if not particularly rushed, more grand, fantastical and sweeping than anything that had come before it. And everything did happen pretty much at once. Which jarred me a little but it was a pretty adrenaline-filled explosive season finale and that fast pace and 'no time' feeling probably was what they were actually going for. Annoying as it was, I think it kind of fit. Also I saw Crisis on Infinite Earths of the CW Arrow-verse, in which Tom Welling reprises this role before I actually saw this final season. I wondered why Clark seemed perfectly cool with Lex being president, given how much of a monster Lex has been since season 6. Clark was so cool with it because Lex didn't remember any of this. He was no longer the monster we've come to know over the past few seasons and might have been just a normal politician. He had truly been freed from the shackles of being first raised, then confused and angered by Lionel as well as his feelings of betrayal with Clark's secrets and presumption. In season 5 as he explains in season six's Nemesis he got sick of Clark always having judgment on speed-dial, assuming the worst of him. And now he doesn't have to deal with what he perceived as a knife in his back and the loss of his best friend. Which gives more weight and certainty to Tess' final act. Tess didn't exactly redeem him. But she gave Lex a second chance and the rest of the world (unknown to the world) a brighter future. Which apparently held 20 years later when Supergirl's Lex showed up. And Tom Welling's Clark mentioned Lex was president. And seemed 1,000% cool about it.
Anything I know about Brainiac-5 outside of Smallville is Querl Dox/Brainy/Brainiac-5 from Supergirl. This version of 'Johnathan' actually reminds me a little bit of him. The hesitation in putting his hand on Martha's shoulder in the barn. Knowing it would be comforting but worried about over-stepping. I mean obviously Supergirl hadn't been written yet, but it makes a certain sense after season 5. The evil Brainiac once impersonated Johnathan to convince Clark to kill Lionel. So why wouldn't the more benign, supportive Brainiac 5 we saw earlier in this season take Johnathan's form trying to give Clark a gift? To Have Johnathan there in some form for a moment as important as the wedding? Johnathan does seem to be talking about himself a step-removed here, like he hesitates to refer to himself as Clark's father. Also, over the course of 5 years Johnathan never had so little reluctance in referring to Jor'el as Clark's father. It really sounded like this was coming from someone who knew and understood Jor'el, like J'onn Jo'nzz or someone from Krypton.
Lex and Tess acting the way they do, Tess being all alone and never sharing screen time with anyone but Lex was inconvenient and trying, but unavoidable. Cassidy Freeman wasn't on set with anyone else. Everything felt if not particularly rushed, more grand, fantastical and sweeping than anything that had come before it. And everything did happen pretty much at once. Which jarred me a little but it was a pretty adrenaline-filled explosive season finale and that fast pace and 'no time' feeling probably was what they were actually going for. Annoying as it was, I think it kind of fit. Also I saw Crisis on Infinite Earths of the CW Arrow-verse, in which Tom Welling reprises this role before I actually saw this final season. I wondered why Clark seemed perfectly cool with Lex being president, given how much of a monster Lex has been since season 6. Clark was so cool with it because Lex didn't remember any of this. He was no longer the monster we've come to know over the past few seasons and might have been just a normal politician. He had truly been freed from the shackles of being first raised, then confused and angered by Lionel as well as his feelings of betrayal with Clark's secrets and presumption. In season 5 as he explains in season six's Nemesis he got sick of Clark always having judgment on speed-dial, assuming the worst of him. And now he doesn't have to deal with what he perceived as a knife in his back and the loss of his best friend. Which gives more weight and certainty to Tess' final act. Tess didn't exactly redeem him. But she gave Lex a second chance and the rest of the world (unknown to the world) a brighter future. Which apparently held 20 years later when Supergirl's Lex showed up. And Tom Welling's Clark mentioned Lex was president. And seemed 1,000% cool about it.