Asylum

Season 3, Episode 9, Aired
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Episode Summary

Three of Clark's former opponents approach Lex to enlist his help in luring Clark to the hospital after they hear that Lionel has requested Lex be given electroshock therapy to erase his memory. However, the plan goes awry when the villains double-cross Lex and use kryptonite to steal Clark's powers. Meanwhile, Lana meets a mysterious stranger in the hospital.moreless
9.4
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EPISODE RATING: Superb
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Fan Episode Reviews (15)

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  • The Ides of Insanity

    9.7
    "Superb"
    By lenzinoH20, Nov 06, 2010 Report Abuse
    Asylum-Three of Clark's former opponents approach Lex to enlist his help in luring Clark to the hospital after they hear that Lionel has requested Lex be given electroshock therapy to erase his memory. However, the plan goes awry when the villains double-cross Lex and use kryptonite to steal Clark's powers. Meanwhile, Lana meets a mysterious stranger in the hospital.

    Often overlooked after the sheer brilliance of "Shattered", "Asylum" is just as captivating and emotionally driven as it's predecessor. The episode opens with a powerful teaser as Clark visits Lex and Lex almost attacks him for bertraying him, followed by suspenseful escape seuqence that ends with Lex getting tazed mutiple times. Micheal Rosenbaum continues to craft his acting as his performance is flawless as well as John Glover. The scenes between Lionel and Lex in this episode are Emmy-Worthy as they are both so compelling. Lionel has never been so cold-hearted, driving his son insane to cover up his dark past is too cruel, not to mention, forcing electroshock threrapy on him. Another highlight is the team-up between Ian, Eric and Van, who all return for another clash with Clark. It's ncie to have them back as the characters get to be fleshed out more and actually more interesting their respective episode, especially Ian from "Dichotic." Jonathan Taylor Thomas gives a great performance as Ian and is more menacing than his first appearence. The scene where he confronts Lex about his treatment was well done. I also loved the how all 3 characters betrayed each other in the end. From Ian killing Van to Eric killing Ian using Clark's powers. It's a great action sequence as Clark strategizes to get his powers back at the end. Also, Lex's electroshock scene looked painful and Micheal really sold that scene.

    Suprisingly, I enjoyed the sub-plot with Lana's physical treatment and the introduction of Adam Knight. Ian Somerholder plays the character well and I love his attitude toward Lana about sucking it up. It's refreshing for once to have a male figure who doesn't just bow down to Lana but actually challenges her. The episode ends with Lex fully recovered and forgetting the memories during his mental break. But there is a possibility that Lex might have some memory left somewhere... "Asylum" is an exceptional episode that continues the dark storyline of "Shattered" and makes for an equally astonishing follow-up.moreless

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  • this was a good ep

    9.0
    "Superb"
    By cube2k8, May 11, 2010 Report Abuse
    in this ep of smallville lex is about to get electric shock therpy and clark wants to help lex when he learns that some of his foes have been put there he must be careful and then lex and the villians hatach and excape plan but then they doulbe cross lex and steal clarks powers in this one clark must figure out away to get them back in this one this was a good ep i thought and it was very interesting. and clark must figure out how to recreat the same situation to get his powers back this was a good ep.moreless

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  • Lex's attempt to escape the mental asylum following his incarceration at the hands of his father prompts Lionel to subject Lex to electroshock therapy. Clark attempts to rescue his friends but falls victim to three returning foes from his past.moreless

    8.0
    "Great"
    By C-Rav, Feb 17, 2009 Report Abuse
    Smallville's darkest season gets even more grim with "Asylum". Taking place a few weeks after "Shattered", the episode's story is extemely well written, with two key plots cleverly interwoven. The Lex storyline allows us to see first hand the dark actions we've heard of Lionel taking to crush his enemies. Michael Rosenbaum's performance is incredilbe, with Lex showing a wide range of emotions, it shows how much range Rosenbaum has with the character. John Glover is at his most evil perhaps with his twisted and cold perfomance adding great layers to the wickedly written elder Luthor. Tom Welling's improvement as an actor also shows in this episode. Welling's ability to show torment in his failur to save Lex is a tour de force. The decision to bring back three of Clark's foes from the last three seasons was a great choice by the writers. It allowed us to see where these villains end up, but more importantly, for the story they provided not only good action, but serve as the ultimate obstacle that keeps Clark from saving Lex. Making that plots connection to Lex's strong and relevant. Overall, a dark episode that shows how strong the character are growing and ultimately how some are doomed to grow apart. Brilliant.moreless

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  • In the Belle Reve Sanitarium, Lex faces electro-shock therapy at the insistence of Lionel, and Clark continues to try to free him. Adversaries from previous episodes trap Clark and rob him of his powers.moreless

    7.2
    "Good"
    By cxtasy, Sep 04, 2008 Report Abuse
    Confined in the prison-like Belle Reve Sanitarium, Lex is visited by Clark, and asks him to break him out, but Clark's refusal sends Lex into a frenzy. Lex overpowers a couple of the brutish guards and nearly escapes but is tasered into submission. In something of a past-cast reunion, three former adversaries of Clark are also featured - Ian Randall (Johathan Taylor-Thomas) from Season Two's " Dichotic," Eric Summers (Shawn Ashmore) from Season One's "Leech," and Van McNulty (Jesse Metcalfe) from "Extinction," earlier this season. The three conspire to escape, using Clark, whose powers they know well.

    Lionel visits Lex in his severe confinement - no bright colors or fuzzy animals here! Lionel really lacks familial warmth, but is trying in his own clumsy way to be a sympathetic father. He coerces Dr. Foster to treat Lex with electro-shock, a procedure Foster resists. While Clark and Chloe are working together to help prove Lex does not belong in a mental hospital, Clark admits he has not visited Lana in the rehab hospital, but only sent a card, leading Chloe to quip, "Nothing says 'I love you' more than a dollar-fifty piece of cardboard." They discover the plan for electroshock therapy on Lex, which may cause severe memory loss, and see Dr. Foster, urging her to resist Lionel's insistence on the procedure.

    Meanwhile, back at the unholy trio, Van bribes a guard to bring him a meteor rock, but Ian, the original split personality, knocks Van out of the picture. Dr. Foster is killed off in this episode, who's to blame? Clark still tries to prevent the shock therapy, taking Lex from the hospital, not even hiding his powers, until the Bobsy twins stop the rescue with kryptonite and haul Clark to the utility tunnel. With some handy battery cables, Eric transfers Clark's powers to himself. It works, and Clark is thrown around like a human bowling ball. Ever clever, Clark uses turnabout as fair play, overpowering Eric with the same kryptonite.

    All this unrelenting violence and asylum mayhem makes this an unhappy and unpleasant episode. Clark is restored, but Lex is overshocked and Clark is too late to stop it. Lex is released, and seems to be back to normal, but his memory of several weeks is gone, including everything he saw of Clark's abilities. But Clark considers Lionel a criminal, responsible for the death of Dr. Foster.

    In the side plot, Lana is deep into physical therapy for her leg, broken by the horse in "Shattered," and meets new continuing character Adam (Ian Somerhalder), who challenges Lana to push her recovery harder. Lana struggles with her broken leg while Adam says he was injured trying to rescue his parents from a fire - so they both have fears to face. Eventually, Adam and Lana pledge friendship. Lana gets a pretty big homecoming bash, which Clark attends with misgivings. It's a case of bad timing and continued estrangement for him and Lana, so it's mostly a somber, hopeless ending. Rerun rating, together with "Shattered," C-.moreless

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  • Insane in the membrane!

    9.0
    "Superb"
    By MovieMark, May 22, 2008 Report Abuse
    Asylum marks the beginning of a good run of episodes from Smallville, a rarity to be sure. A far more interesting look at Lex than the previous episode, this effectively trenchant hour has quite a few things going on at once, and unlike Shattered manages to juggle the separate storylines with aplomb, building tension with four acts that reveal something slightly more sinister than the last. Michael is superb in this hour, as is John Glover, they have the kind of onscreen chemistry most shows would kill for, it was great watching them spit venom at one another. I also enjoyed several inmates teaming up to take on Clark and eventually each other. Sure, as sub-plots go it carried very little other than to serve as a means of unintentionally saving Lex, but there was a genuine sense mythology having been built and it added layers to what were simply two dimensional characters beforehand. Asylum is a must for all Lex fans and it also boasts some cool fight scenes, too!moreless

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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  • Trivia

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    • When the guards caught Lex trying to leave to help Clark, they gave him a shot in the neck. He was moving around quite a bit and so was the needle that was in his neck. A needle that far into the neck would cause considerable damage if moved like that. Edit
    • When Clark rips the fence open, it is easy to see the weaving of "fake fence" down the line he rips. Edit
    • The guards at the asylum use a tazer gun to stop Lex as he attempted to escape. In the next shot of Lex on the ground, the wires that were connected to the gun that tazed him have disappeared. Edit

  • Notes

    ADD NOTES
    • First appearance of Ian Somerhalder as Adam Knight. Edit
    • Music: "Future Proof" by Massive Attack, and "So Far Away" by Staind. Edit
    • Last appearances (presumably) of Lorena Gale as Dr. Claire Foster and Jesse Metcalfe as Van McNulty. This is the second "reversal" for the Foster character - in the comic books she's good rather then evil/immoral, and despite what happens here, in the comics she is a part of the adult Superman's life. Edit

  • Quotes

    ADD QUOTES
    • Ian: Do you feel any different? Eric: (throws Clark across the room) Does that answer your question? Welcome back to being normal, Clark. Kinda sucks, doesn't it? Edit
    • Adam: Would you believe me if I told you I was a nice guy once, with no issues? Lana: Nice guys normally have the most issues. Edit
    • Lionel: It's sad to see a man who's lost his mind. But it's tragic when he's convinced himself that he's sane. Edit

  • Allusions

    ADD ALLUSIONS
    • Road Runner When Lex starts his painting in the day room, other inmates are watching a Road Runner cartoon in the background. Road Runner is a Loony Tune, which is produced by Warner Studios...which also runs DC Comics. Edit
    • Orderly: Get up, Curly.
      The orderly, when speaking to Lex, is of course talking about another famous bald guy, Curly of The Three Stooges. Edit
    • Ian: If it isn't Klu Klux Van
      The Klu Klux Klan has historically been a racist group targetting minorities. Van has a prejudice against meteor freaks. Edit

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