Nocturne

## "Nocturne"Season 02, Episode 05

**"Nocturne"** is the fifth episdoe of Season Two of The CW's *Smallville*. It was written by Brian Peterson & Kelly Souders and directed by Rick Wallace. It is the twenty-sixth episode of the series overall, and premiered on October 22, 2002.

## Synopsis

Clark is concerned when he discovers someone has been leaving love notes for lana at her parents' grave and warns her to stay away from the mysterious poet. Fed up with Clark's over-protectiveness, Lana follows the dark and handsome stranger to his home and discovers his parents keep him locked in chains. Unable to leave him like that, Clark and Lana break into the house to save the boy, but soon realize why he was locked up in the first place.

## Recap

Lana Lang rides her horse out to the cemetery to visit her parents' grave and finds an envelope on the headstone addressed to her. As she opens it, Byron Moore runs frantically through the woods. Byron falls on his back and his father, who appears to be out hunting him with a hound, shoots him with a tranquilizer and throws him back down in the cellar and threatens to kill him if he ever sneaks out again, and installs a stronger door on the cellar.

The next day at school, Lana shares the love letter with Chloe and Pete, but she seems less interested in sharing it with Clark. It seems like she is still mad at him for the way he acted under the influence of red kryptonite. Clark thinks the letter is from a stalker rather than an admirer.

At the Talon, Lana shows the letter to Lex. He likes the poem, and Clark comes in and tries to apologizes for criticizing it. He complains that Lana didn't want to share it with him. Lana says he can't expect her to share everything with him when he insists on remaining so secretive. He tries to warn her about her admirer, and she gives him a hard time about the way he's always spying on her with his telescope.

At the Luthor Mansion, Lionel Luthor is firing his fourth assistant in a month. It is Lex's job to hire them, and Lionel is unhappy with his choices. Lionel is reading the newspaper with a special mechanical device that reads typewritten pages. He become frustrated and throws the device across the yard, just as Martha Kent comes up the walk to collect the monthly check for organic produce. She greets Lionel, takes the paper from his hands, and continues reading for him. When she comments on the news story, Lionel compliments her on her understanding of the business world.

Byron is writing another letter to Lana when his mother comes down to the cellar to bring him a book. He complains to her about having to stay in the cellar, but she assures him that it is better this way. When she leaves, he moves a poster from the wall and removes several cinder blocks. He finds Lana at her parents' grave. She has fallen asleep waiting for him. When she wakes up, he runs away, but she calls out to him and stops him. When she shines her flashlight in his face, he raises his arm. Suddenly, Clark jumps out of the bushes, startling him. He falls back, hits his head on a stone, and faints.

Clark and Lana take Byron to the Talon and feed him chocolate cake. He quotes Shakespeare and explains that he has been home schooled. Clark notices scars on his wrists. When he hears the morning milk truck, he becomes very anxious to get home before his parents wake up. Clark and Lana drive him to his house but as he runs across the yard, his parents greet him on the porch. His father levels his rifle at him, so Clark and Lana jump out of the truck. Mrs. Moore pulls Byron into the house. Mr. Moore threatens Clark and Lana with the rifle, so they turn and go.

Martha tells Jonathan that Lionel offered her a job and she wants to take it, but Jonathan thinks it is a very bad idea. When Clark and Lana arrive, they tell them they are afraid the Moores are abusing Byron. They return to Byron's house with Sheriff Miller, but Mr. Moore claims that his son died eight years ago and he has never seen Clark or Lana and accuses them of playing a cruel joke. The sheriff leaves, but he promises Jonathan that he will get a warrant. Meanwhile, Byron is in the cellar, chained to the wall.

At the Torch, Chloe has found Byron's death certificate, signed by Dr. Emil Jenkins. Eight years ago, Dr. Jenkins supervised a medical trial over at Metron Pharmaceuticals in which Byron was a participant. All the children in the trial were being treated for antisocial behavior.

Lex is furious with Lionel for hiring Martha and warns him not to hurt the Kents and Lionel makes fun of him. Meanwhile, Clark and Pete arrive at Byron's house. They go through a boarded-up window and find the cellar door. Byron asks to be left alone, but Clark breaks his bonds and carries him outside. When he gets out into the sunlight he falls to the floor of the porch and growls. When he stands up, he throws Clark across the yard, and when he turns to Pete, his eyes are black. He throws Pete into a car and runs off. Clark takes Pete to the hospital where he is diagnosed and treated for a broken arm.

Clark and Jonathan return to Byron's house and speak with his mother. Byron's father is out looking for him. She explains that the change that came over him is a side effect from the drugs he was administered. Six other boys died while the doctors tried to reverse the effects, so they decided to bring him home and lock him in the cellar. Clark asks if he gets him of the sunlight, will he change back? She says yes, but that he is so strong now she doesn't know how anybody could do that. Lana is angry with Clark for going to Byron's house without her. Chloe arrives with information that the medication administered to Byron targeted his adrenal system. She also informs them that Lionel Luthor funded the research. Clark decides to ask Lex and Lana decides to join in the search for Byron. She finds him in the cemetery at his own grave. He insists that he is not going back down in the cellar. Lana tells him that the Luthors did this, and they might still be able to find a cure. He grabs her and Lana scratches him; he throws her against a stone. Lana falls unconscious and Byron runs off.

Lex promises Clark that he will look into Metron. Clark looks out the window and sees his mother getting into the helicopter with Lionel on her way to Metropolis when Byron arrives and prevents the helicopter from taking off. He pulls Martha and Lionel from the helicopter and might have done Lionel real injury, but Clark rushes down and pushes Byron down a well where it is dark, and Byron changes back to his true self.

Byron is taken to the hospital and is resting under special lights when Clark visits him and brings him a book of limericks. Lana visits as well. Her wrist is bandaged, but it will be all right. Byron apologizes for hurting her. She says she knows it wasn't really him. Clark leaves as they hold hands tenderly. Meanwhile, at the mansion, Lionel's arm is also in a sling. Martha informs him that the paperwork to fund research into Byron's condition is ready for him to sign. She has convinced him that funding this research will be less expensive than the advertising campaign that would be necessary to restore consumer confidence.

## Cast

* Kristin Kreuk as Lana Lang
* Michael Rosenbaum as Lex Luthor
* Sam Jones III as Pete Ross
* Allison Mack as Chloe Sullivan
* John Glover as Lionel Luthor
* Annette O'Toole as Martha Kent
* John Schneider as Jonathan Kent
* Gwynyth Walsh as Mrs. Moore
* Richard Moll as Mr. Moore

Co-Starring* Mitchell Kosterman as Sheriff Ethan Miller
* Jonathan Sutton as Tad

## Trivia

### Production Notes

* First mention in the series of the nickname "Man of Steel".

### Goofs

* No matter how strong Byron is, there is no way he could keep the helicopter down, unless he is very, very heavy. He would just pull himself towards the helicopter because there is nothing holding him to the ground