Title:
ZERO
Production:
Season 01 | Episode 14 | 14
Original air date:
March 12, 2002
Writer:
Mark Verheiden
Story:
Alfred Gough & Miles Millar
Director:
Michael Katleman
Series regulars:
 
Tom Welling (Clark Kent)
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Michael Rosenbaum
(Lex Luthor)
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Kristin Kreuk (Lana Lang)
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Allison Mack (Chloe Sullivan)
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Sam Jones (Pete Ross)
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Eric Johnson
(Whitney Fordman
 
Annette O'Toole
(Martha Kent)
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John Schneider
(Jonathan Kent)
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Guest stars:
Cameron Dye
(Sam Phelan)
Mitchell Kosterman
(Sheriff Ethan Miller)
Corin Nemec
(Jude Royce)
Judy Tylor
(Amanda Rothman)
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Adults (18 - 49):
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Lex is faced with the consequences of his past shady cover-ups in Metropolis while Clark tries to keep Chloe away from the mystery of his adoption.
What's up with Chloe? For a class assignment, Clark is Chloe's choice
of subject for a biography. She starts by questioning the Kents and prying into
the details of Clark's adoption. Clark gets defensive when she goes overboard
investigating. Chloe later apologizes. In the end, despite her vows and apologies,
Chloe saves mysterious records on Clark's adoption.
What's up with Lana? Lana is busy preparing the rescued Talon Theater
for the grand re-opening, supervising the contractor in the remodeling. Jude Royce, who says he's a former Metropolis acquaintance of Lex's, applies for the Assistant Manager position.
Who is Jude Royce? From a variety of flashbacks to 3 years ago, we learn that Jude
Royce was the fiancιe of Lex's friend Amanda. Lex and Amanda were out at a Metropolis
nightclub, Club Zero, when they ran into Jude with a girl on each arm. Amanda
threw her engagement ring at him. Jude blamed Lex. Lex told the sleaze he didn't
deserve Amanda. Lex followed Amanda towards the door, with Jude rushing behind.
Jude attacked Lex, stabbing him with a knife. We see different accounts of what
happened in the confusion that followed. First account: the bouncer stepped
between Lex and Jude, shooting Jude dead. Second account: once the Metropolis
detective who is on the Luthor payroll arrived, Lex told him Lex himself shot
Jude. The detective's police report will say that the bouncer, in an effort
of security, shot Jude. The detective bribed a witness to agree, told Lex he'd
cover it up, and to never again speak to Amanda. Now Jude is back (from the
dead?) and wants the truth.
What's up with Lex? After he hears about Jude's arrival from Lana, he
goes out to look for him. Later that night at the Talon, Lex is supposed to
meet with the contractor. But instead he, Lana, and Clark find the contractor
on the floor, apparently attacked from behind. There is a gift left behind,
addressed to Lex with a card from Club Zero. Inside is a human hand wearing
a "K" initial ring. Lex knows it's the hand of Max Kasich, former bouncer at
Club Zero who was involved the night of the shooting. Max is later found dead.
Jude comes to Lex's gym. With Lex at gun point, he demands the truth. Clark
comes in and Jude disappears. Lex asks Clark to stay out of it.
| Corin Nemec, the veteran actor who played "Jude Royce" in the "Zero" episode shares a connection with Allison Mack ("Chloe"). A very young Allison Mack appeared with Corin Nemec in the 1989 made-for-TV-movie "I Know My First Name Is Steven." You might also recognize Corin from his role as "Jonas Quinn" in the sci-fi series "Stargate SG-1."
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What's up with Clark? Jonathan's continued mistrust of Lex is fueled
when Clark and his dad find their herd of cattle dead in the pasture. The HAZMAT
team finds LuthorCorp. chemical drums spilled on the property. When Lex arrives,
he assures the family payment for their livestock loss. Clark suspects the incident
has to do with Club Zero and Jude. As Lex goes to talk to the CEP environmental
officer at the scene, it turns out to be Jude, who kidnaps him in a van. With
the help of Chloe's photos taken at the poisoned livestock scene, Clark matches
the CEP officer's face with a photo in an article about Jude's death at Club
Zero. Suspecting trouble, Clark is on his way to Metropolis.
How it ends: Lex is strapped into a straight jacket, hanging upside-down
in the abandoned Club Zero, being threatened by Jude. As he repeats the story
of the night at Club Zero, the contractor from the Talon steps up and shoots
Jude. The contractor is Amanda's brother, seeking revenge for her suicide. He's
just out of prison, and had found "Jude," at least a double who looked like
Jude, to help him in his plot to get Lex. Now Lex tells the brother the third
account of what happened that night at Club Zero. It was Amanda who grabbed
the gun and shot Jude dead. Lex tried to protect her with the altered police
report. Enraged, the brother pushes Lex through a glass barrier on the second
floor balcony. Clark arrives at this moment. Using his speed, he pushes a couch
below Lex to cushion his fall, runs upstairs to stop the brother from shooting,
then runs back to the door and re-enters to approach Lex who doesn't realize
what just happened.
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| OFFICIAL DESCRIPTION (The WB): |
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Lex (Michael Rosenbaum) faces the consequences of his shady dealings in Metropolis years ago when an old enemy comes to Smallville intent on destroying his life, ultimately putting Clark (Tom Welling) and Lana (Kristin Kreuk) in harm's way. Meanwhile, Clark has his hands full as he tries not only to protect Lex from the past, but also keep Chloe (Allison Mack) out of his after she discovers a mystery surrounding his adoption.
Sam Jones III, Eric Johnson, Annette O'Toole and John Schneider also star. Michael Katleman directed the episode; story written by Alfred Gough & Miles Millar, teleplay by Mark Verheiden.
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Three years ago, Lex went out with Amanda to Club Zero while her boyfriend Jude Royce was out of town. Jude is playing around behind Amanda's back at the club, and he tries to stab Lex, only to get shot. In the present, Lex is being stalked by Jude as he and Lana tend to the reopening of the Talon. Jude cuts off the hand of the security guard who apparently shot him on Lex's behalf three years ago, poisons the Kents' cows with toxic waste to discredit LuthorCorp, and rigs Lex's car with the music that played the night of the shooting. Jude finally captures Lex and hauls him to the now-condemned Club Zero. Then "Jude" is shot by Amanda's brother, who reveals that Jude did die that night. He found someone who looked just like Jude and paid him to impersonate Jude to "haunt" Lex in revenge for Amanda killing herself. Now he forces Lex to reveal what really happened, which is that Amanda ended up shooting Jude. Clark has put two and two together and arrives in time to secretly keep the brother from killing Lex. In the B plot, Chloe is assigned to interview Clark for a school paper and discovers that the Kents' adoption of him was borderline legal, and she decides to keep the information on file at the newspaper.
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Martha: Body parts in boxes and poisoned cows...this isn't normal!
Jonathan: Let's just say that it's a very long road between what's sitting in our storm cellar and what's written on your birth certificate.
Chloe: And so the mystery that is Clark Kent deepens.
Pete: In a world of designer water, Clark Kent is straight from the tap.
Chloe: Come on Pete, I'm desperate. Now the only information I could get out of the Kents was the earth-shattering admission that Clark hates peas.
Chloe: Okay, this isn't an official question and I don't want you guys to take it the wrong way, but has your son always been this strange?
Clark: You know, uh, Chloe this is a class project not a corruption scandal.
Chloe: Relax Clark, it's not like you have anything to hide.
Pete: No offense, Clark, but digging up six pages of interesting stuff on you is going to require serious excavation.
Clark: I do stuff.
Chloe: Can I ask you a question - totally off the record? Do you ever wonder about your biological parents?
Clark: Every day of my life.
Lex: I don't believe in obligations.
Kasitch: She's cute.
Lex: She's engaged.
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Song: "Let's Go For A Ride"
Artist: Eleventeen
Album: Everything I've Ever Wanted To Say
Song: "God Is A DJ"
Artist: Faithless
Album: Sunday 8pm
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Song: "Lonely Road Of Faith"
Artist: Kid Rock
Album: Cocky
Song: "Battleflag"
Artist: Pigeonhed/Lo Fidelity Allstars
Album: How to Operate with a Blown Mind
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