Originally aired January 14, 2004
Written by Todd Slavkin & Darren Swimmer
Directed by Greg Beeman
Institutionalized in Belle Reve, Lex begs Clark to break him out. Lionel plans to have Lex's memories erased. Three of Clark's past foes scheme to steal his powers so they can break out of Belle Reve. While in physical therapy, Lana befriends Adam, a mysterious young man.
Tropes present in the episode:
- Artistic License – Law: One wonders how Van, Ian, and Eric ended up in a mental institution, as none of them fit the definition of criminally insane, and insanity pleas are far more difficult to pull off in real life than in movies.
- The Bad Guy Wins: Lionel succeeds in wiping Lex's memories of the past several weeks despite Clark's efforts to prevent it. Clark even invokes the trope in the final act. The only good thing that comes out of it is that Lionel finds out too late that Lex knew Clark's secret before his memories were erased.
- Bedlam House: Belle Reve
- Blood from the Mouth:
- Lex, after Ian beats him up with a baton while Clark is being dragged away.
- Also Clark, after he's beaten by Ian's clone with a chunk of Kryptonite.
- Character Death: Ian kills Van after Van manages to get a piece of Kryptonite to use against Clark. Ian himself is later betrayed by Eric and tossed aside into a wall, presumably killing him.
- The Glasses Come Off: After gaining Clark's powers, Eric ditches his glasses.
- Laser-Guided Amnesia: Lionel plans to have Lex subjected to a radical electroshock treatment to erase his memories of the past few weeks and thus keep the truth about his parents' deaths hidden.
- Never My Fault: Arguably applies to Ian, who claims that he could be a co-ed at Harvard with a girl on each arm if it wasn't for Clark, overlooking the fact that he killed a man before Clark took a serious interest in his activities.
- Pyrrhic Victory: Lionel succeeds in wiping Lex's memories and ensuring the secret of the death behind Lionel's parents is kept a secret. But, he doesn’t find out until afterwards that Lex knew Clark's secret, and wiping his memories included all knowledge of said secret.
- Quit Your Whining: This trope pretty much sums up what Adam tells Lana when they first meet. Lana's having a hard time in physical therapy, but Adam tells her to push through the pain and stop feeling sorry for herself, deeply offending Lana at first.
- Rewind, Replay, Repeat: The episode ends on a devastated Lionel replaying a clip of Lex telling Clark he knows his secret, forced to realize he's just blown his best chance at finding it out himself.
- Terrible Trio: Eric, Ian, and Van, though Ian and his duplicate kill Van after he supplies them with a piece of Kryptonite, and Eric turns on Ian near the end.
- This Is Unforgivable!: In the teaser, when Clark refuses to break him out of Belle Reve, Lex reacts angrily.Lex: Bastard! I'll never forgive you for this, Clark! Never! NEVER!!!
- Took a Level in Jerkass: It's clear Eric's imprisonment in Belle Reeve has made him more psychotic and evil, whereas in his last appearance, he was a Tragic Villain.
- Uncertain Doom: Ian was tossed into a wall by Eric when he had Clark's powers, so we're probably supposed to assume he's dead. But it's never confirmed In-Universe, and other characters have survived as bad or worse injuries so it's not inconceivable that he survived.
- Villain of the Week: Eric Summers, Ian Randall, and Van McNulty.
- Villain Team-Up: Van McNulty (from this season's "Extinction"), Eric Summers (from Season 1's "Leech"), and Ian Randall (from Season 2's "Dichotic") join forces to escape from Belle Reve by having Eric take Clark's powers. However, Ian and his clone kill Van after he supplies a piece of Kryptonite, and Eric turns on Ian.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: Eric and Ian never appear again or are ever mentioned again. The last time Ian is seen is being tossed aside by Eric into a wall, so he could presumably be dead.
- You Have Outlived Your Usefulness:
- Ian kills Van after he gets a piece of Kryptonite for him and Eric to use against Clark.
- After Eric steals Clark's powers again he tells Ian they were never friends and tosses him aside into a wall, presumably killing him.
