Cast

Tom Welling as Clark Kent
Kristen Kreuk as Lana Lang
Michael Rosenbaum as Lex Luthor
John Glover as Lionel Luthor
Sam Jones III as Pete Ross
Allison Mack as Chloe Sullivan
Annette O'Toole as Martha Kent
John Schneider as Jonathan Kent

Written by Brian Peterson and Kelly Souders. Neither of them appears to have an IMDB entry.
Directed by Rick Wallace.

Original Airdate

Nocturne originally aired on Tuesday, October 22, 2002.

Synopsis

Martha Kent starts working for Lionel Luthor, while a nocturnal boy romances Lana.

High Point

The "Man of Steel" and "my family doesn't fly much" cracks were amusing, but the part I liked the most was that the freak of the week had no apparant relationship with kryptonite.

Any scene with Lionel Luthor was excellent, as well.

Low Point

I like the fact that Lana's upset about being kept out of Clark's personal life, but does she need to mention that every single time they talk to each other?

The Review

This was a moderately original episode. The freak of the week was basically the reverse of the grey Hulk from Marvel comics. (The grey Hulk emerged only at night.) We've seen the unexpected assisstant before, but I'll forgive that because it was used to show us completely new aspects of Martha Kent and Lionel Luthor. As I mentioned above, the freak of the week was completely unrelated to kryptonite. I give it 4 out of 6.

The effects were convincing, but not challenging. This crew has done those effects before. I give it 5 out of 6.

The story was nicely written, although it lacked subtlety in places. We had a lot of clues about the danger of Byron going into the light before we witnessed the ramifications. I also think Byron would have been a little more informative while Clark was breaking him out. As I mentioned above, Lana doesn't need to remind Clark about not being open with her every time they meet. On the plus side, any scene with at least one Luthor was very well written. I give it 4 out of 6.

The acting was fairly impressive all around. Acting ranged from acceptable (Tom Welling, Kristen Kreuk) to good (Annette O'Toole, Richard Moll) to excellent (John Glover, Michael Rosenbaum.) The Luthors really make this show. I give the acting 4 out of 6.

The emotional response this generated was above average. I laughed in the right places, and felt sympathy toward Byron. My opinion of Byron's parents changed through the course of the episode as we learned a bit more of what happened. My curiosity was also peaked, as I wondered how much Lionel has decyphered about Clark, and whether or not Byron would be back in the future. I give it 4 out of 6.

The production was the usual Tollin/Robbins high. The technical aspects were all competant, but not outstanding. I give it 5 out of 6.

Overall, this was an entertaining episode that I'd watch as a rerun. It has a few elements that will serve to move the story along from one week to the next. I give it 5 out of 6.

In total, Nocturne receives 31 out of 42.