Episode 4.21 - Forever

 

Written By: Brian Peterson and Kelly Souders
Directed by: James Marshall
Original Air Date: May 11, 2005

Clark (Tom Welling) must stop the school photographer (guest star Steven Grayhm) after he sets up a secret simulated high school and begins kidnapping students - starting with Chloe (Allison Mack) - to keep the glory days of high school going forever. Lex (Michael Rosenbaum) and Lionel (John Glover) are kidnapped and tortured by the Teagues in an effort to find the crystal. However, after Genevieve (guest star Jane Seymour) realizes Lana (Kristin Kreuk) has it, she decides to put an end to the hunt once and for all. Jensen Ackles, Annette O’Toole and John Schneider also star.

 

“On the Down” by Tim Cullen – Played during the Talon scene where Clark asks Lois for help in finding Chloe. Together, they sort of figure out that the “most likely” students have suddenly vanished.

“Around the Way” by Wonderlife – Complements the episode’s last scenes, starting with Chloe as she closes the door on The Torch. It continues to play, as Clark and Lana join her, and the three walk away from Smallville High School, talking about their futures, friendship, and the possibilities that await them all.

Jonathan: This is one of the most important decisions you’re going to make in your entire life.

Clark: You think I don’t know that?

Jonathan: [frustrated] Is Lana happening to go to Central
Kansas?

[Martha looks, but says nothing.]

Clark: I don’t know where Lana’s going to school, so no, this
is not about Lana.

Jonathan: Oh, so this is about us. You don’t think I can run
this farm without your help.

Clark: This is where I’m needed.

Jonathan: Clark, your Destiny lies far beyond those
cornfields out there and I’m not about to let you turn your back on
that just because of us.

Chloe: Brendan, wait. Don’t let the door shut behind you.
What are you doing? Are you playing along too?

Brendan: Playing along? Chloe, I planned it all.

Chloe: You brought us here?

Brendan: Just because it’s the last day of school, doesn’t
mean it can’t last forever.

Chloe: Brendan, you can’t keep us in here forever. You have
to move on.

Clark: You know I remember walking through those doors the
first day of Freshman year.

Lana: [smiles] Actually, I think you tripped.

Clark: [smiles too] Well, I couldn’t help it – you made me
nervous.

Lana: It was cute.

Clark: So you’re staying – in Smallville?

Lana: I don’t know. I think it’ll be really hard with all of
you gone.

Clark: Well, not all of us will be gone. I’m thinking of
commuting to Central Kansas.

Lana: [smile grows] Then maybe I won’t have to spend anymore
time figuring out how to say goodbye.

Lex: Luthorcorp is the legal conservator of the cave. We can do any excavation we want down there.

[Jason walks up, Lex notices.]

Lex: I’ll have to call you back. [hangs up phone] I thought
we concluded our business.

[Jason pulls out a “gun” and shoots Lex; a dart in the neck, which
Lex pulls out.]

Jason: Almost.

[Lex falls.]

Jonathan: Martha, Clark still feels responsible for my heart
problems. I’m not going to let him do this out of pity.

Martha: It’s not pity, Jonathan. Clark knows that if he
leaves, he can only come back a few times a year – and he doesn’t
want one of those times to be your funeral.

Lana: [looking at Chloe’s masterpiece] I don’t know if Met U
is ready for the Wall of Weird.

Clark: There’s no way Chloe would let the last day of school
go by without getting in her last word.

Lana: And when was the last time Chloe pulled an all-nighter with a deadline and didn’t finish her latte?

Clark: [picks up cell phone]… or without her lifeline.

Lex: [doesn’t notice Lionel’s restraints] Guess I should’ve
trusted my instincts – I knew that you were working with Jason.

Lionel: Judging from the fact that 10 minutes ago, I lost all
feeling in my hands, you have a very curious definition of
collaboration, Lex.

Lex: You’re making a big mistake, Jason. I know she’s your
mother, but don’t think for a second she won’t turn on you… Trust
me on this one.

Genevieve: Yes, Lex, your father has one of those stones.

[Lex levels a look at Lionel.]

Lex: Then what do you want from me?

Genevieve: I have a feeling that he’d sooner die than give up
the stone, but all that might change if his own flesh and blood were
at stake.

Lex: You obviously don’t know my father as well as I do.

Chloe: [to Lana] We’ve been collected.

Chloe: Brendan wants high school, we’ll give him high school.

Genevieve: Lionel, Lex is your son and despite what you want him to believe, I know you don’t want to watch him die.

Lionel: [unable to watch Lex harmed further] Stop! Stop it!

Genevieve: Where is it?

Lionel: I gave it to Lana.

Lex: Lana doesn’t know anything about this!

Genevieve: No, you wouldn’t entrust anything that valuable to her.

Lionel: I gave it to her for the same reason I gave her the
map to the temple. She is the Chosen One. We all know that!

Lex: [to Lionel about Jason/Genevieve] Makes us look like the Waltons, doesn’t it?

Lex: To be honest, Dad, I’m glad you’re here with me. Now
knock that iron out of the fire and get it as close to my chair as
you can.

Jason: [on the edge!] Wait, wait Lex! Don’t do this! Don’t do this. Come on, look at me. Look at me. You and I, we’re not that
different. It was never about you or me. It was about our parents.
Please, Lex. Please!

Lex: [ready to strike] I always knew I had to protect Lana
from you.

Jason: But not as much as you’ve been protecting your best friend. Clark, huh?

Lex: Clark doesn’t have anything to do with this!

Jason: Oh, but you don’t believe that. Clark’s more connected to this than any of us.

Lionel: [after shooting Jason to his fall] He was about to
kill you, Lex.

Lex: … or divulge something you didn’t want me to know.

Lionel: Lex, you saved my life back there. I was returning
the favor, Son.

Lex: I had no choice. I know you have the stone… [angry]
And if anything happens to Lana, you’ll be begging for an end
like that.

[Lex walks away, leaving Lionel to reflect on his son's words and
Jason’s fate in the river.]

Clark: [to Brendan] You have to let them go. Things change. No matter how much we don’t want them to. We can’t live in high school forever.

Jonathan: Clark, I just don’t want you sacrificing your
potential for me.

Clark: It’s not a sacrifice. It’s a choice.

Jonathan: It’s a really fine line, don’t you think?

Clark: Dad, I get the feeling we can talk about this all
night and you still won’t understand.

Jonathan: Oh, I understand more than you think.

Jonathan: I had a full ride to Met U waiting for me when I
graduated; problem is, my father needed me on this farm, so I
stayed.

Clark: [stunned] Dad, that’s a pretty big footnoted to leave
out. Why didn’t you tell me?

Jonathan: I didn’t want it weight you down.

Clark: Dad, it’s not about the kind of father you are. It’s
about the kind of son I want to be.

 
 

Quote [Scene] of the week:

Chloe: So I guess this is it, huh?

Clark: It’s not like we’re never going to see each other
again.

Lana: Yeah, you’ll have summer and holidays.

[The three walk a little more, quiet until...]

Chloe: This sucks.

Lana: Big time.

Clark: Suddenly all those tests and teachers we hated seem a lot less scary than the big question mark out there.

[Chloe and Lana look at him, continue to walk.]

Lana: You’d think after everything that happened with
Brendan, it’d be a whole lot easier to say goodbye to all this.

Clark: There’s a whole lot here to say goodbye to.

Chloe: You know, not to go all psycho-sympathizer on you guys, but I can’t blame Brendan for wanting to keep everybody
together… although after that little lock-in, I can’t think of
anything scarier than being stuck in the past and not moving on.

[The three continue to walk together, contemplative.]

Chloe: Wait a minute, Lana, did you say I’ll having
summers and holidays? What about you?

Lana: I’m staying in Smallville.

Clark: I thought you said you weren’t sure.

[Lana looks at him, back to Chloe.]

Chloe: Don’t you want to see what else is out there?

Lana: Well, that’s exactly why I went to Paris last year,
but there’s a reason that I was drawn back home.

[Shot of Clark, Chloe, back to Lana.]

Lana: I’m just not sure I’ve explored all the
possibilities here.

[She looks at them both, smiles, and walks on. Clark looks at Chloe
and then goes to join Lana.]

Chloe: [watching Clark/Lana] Maybe things won’t change
much after all.

[Resigned, Chloe hurries to catch up with her two best friends, as
the three walk off together.]