Episode 2.03
“Duplicity”
Duplicity sees a major shift in the status quo which is surprising for an episode that is not a major sweeps, mid-season, or even season finale. For the first time, someone major, whom you know is not going to just get killed off learns Clark’s secret…and doesn’t get mindwiped.
Pete Ross, gets bumped up in usefulness. Througout the series, he always seemed to be one level up from extra, helping Clark and Chloe only when the other one was taken away by something in the story.
This changes everything though as now Clark has someone he can confide in, and cover up for when he mysteriously goes absent.
When Dr. Hamilton, seemingly effected with the jitters from the first season runs a local off the road, Pete stops by to check on him. They both spot Clark’s spaceship in the field.
Pete grabs Clark and brings him out to the spot and Clark is obviously distressed. He helps Pete bring it to Pete’s house reluctantly as he tries to convince Pete to bring it to his barn. Clark is able to stall Pete from telling anyone, and tells his parents who continue to stress that Clark not tell Pete anything.
Furthermore, we see how Jonathan can lose perspective of his morals when it comes to protecting Clark, suggesting that he and Clark go and steal the ship from Pete. Clark reluctantly agrees, but before they get there, Dr. Hamilton got there first.
Of course how Dr. Hamilton got it alone, noiselessly is left open to interpretation.
Pete sees Clark and Jonathan drive away from the shed and the next morning calls him out on it. After a few tip toes, Clark finally decides to tell Pete the truth rather than risk losing his best friend. Predictably, Pete freaks out but mostly for Clark lying to him all these years.
Dr. Hamilton loses his mind slowly after Lex cuts him out of his life. Knowing that he’s dying, he becomes obsessed with opening the spacecraft, knowing he needs the octagonal disk he found in the field that Lex lost to Roger Nixon during the tornado.
Hamilton kidnaps Pete, confident that he knows where the disk is because he had the ship. Clark finds them and is able to stop Hamilton from injecting Pete with liquid meteor rock. During a fight, when Clark is effected by meteor rock, Pete knocks Hamilton into a table, forcing liquid meteor rock to seep into his body and create jitters fast enough to kill him.
Clark and Pete get away and make up over some basketball and it’s great to see Clark get to be himself for once.
In a subplot we see Lana and Nell at odds over Nell’s boyfriend turned fiancee. A rather dull angle that is too soap operaish and reeks of giving Lana something to do until she has her moment with Clark when he can’t reveal his problems to her, driving a bit of a wedge between them.
It was a good time for a Clark reveal and a good way to reveal, thus overall a fine episode.
B+
References:
Pete: It’s not easy being you, is it? (quotes the Five For Fighting song, Superman)