In the allure of superpowers, the cost they entail is often forgotten, especially how maintaining a secret identity can take a toll on the lives of people who are burdened with said power, and of those close to them. Putting Luthor’s quest for vengeance in the backseat, this week Superman and Lois focuses on a less discussed side of the Man of Steel—the necessity of his secret identity and how efforts to maintain it have affected Clark throughout his life. As shown previously in the season, a significant number of people in Smallville are already aware of Clark’s true identity, and in the seventh episode, “A Regular Guy,” things take a dramatic turn, which prompts Clark to take the most crucial decision of his life. To add to the excitement of fans, the episode also introduces the series’ version of Jimmy Olsen, Clark/Superman’s best buddy, whose presence always adds much wholesomeness and jubilance to any Superman narrative.Â
Spoilers Ahead
Conundrum With Secret Identity
As the episode begins, Clark is seen trying to convince Smallville townsfolk—the ones who know his secret—that he isn’t really the caped savior like they assume him to be. Clark is going a mile above to convince them, as seen during his conversation with Coach Gaines, where he fakes an injury to pretend he is just a normal guy. For him, keeping his identity a secret is an extremely important matter, although his twin sons don’t share similar urgency.
As Jonathan and Jordan go to the movies, Jonathan gets into an argument with Timmy Ryan, former quarterback of the Smallville football team, who had a bitter rivalry with Jordan in the previous season as he had lost his spot to him. At present, now that Coach Gaines and the others are quite openly discussing the twins being superpowered, Timmy accuses Jonathan of using his superpowers for his benefit—although at that point in time Jonathan didn’t have powers, and by the time they emerged, he had quit sports. Kyle, who was around when this was going down, handles the situation before things get any worse and informs Clark about it.
Later, as Lois and Clark ask their sons about the incident, they are shocked to learn that Jonathan’s girlfriend, Candice, knows about their secret identities as well. Clark appears really angry with them, as he believes that it was not a decision they should have made without even consulting their parents. The twins don’t get why their father is so concerned over the issue, and later, Lois reveals to them how difficult it was for Clark to gain control over his powers at a young age, and how his adoptive parents became overprotective of him in fear of his identity getting exposed and him being taken away from them. All this, along with his concern for the people close to him, have made it imperative for Clark to treat this secret identity issue with the utmost priority, a perspective that won’t change overnight.
Cost of Keeping a Secret
Superman and Lois brings its own version of Jimmy Olsen into the narrative for the first time, and the choice of story to introduce him is just spot on. Superfans already know—aside from his parents and Lois, Jimmy Olsen is the only person who had connected with Clark as a person, beyond his Superman identity, which makes his inclusion in this particular story quite impactful. Clark reminisces about his days as reporter at Daily Planet in Metropolis, at a time when only Lois was aware of his truth. Jimmy and Clark used to be good friends, but in fear of getting exposed, Clark had refused Jimmy’s offer to join an office softball tournament. However, Lois was able to convince Clark to join by suggesting he underplay, and following her advice, Clark joined the team and was able to enjoy being part of a team for the first time, given that his father didn’t allow him to join sports at a young age out of fear of exposure. However, Clark missed the next few matches as he became busy while protecting the world as Superman, and being a capable journalist himself, Jimmy was able to connect the dots to realize Clark is Superman. However, as he confronted Clark about it, he denied it, and Jimmy remarked on the day of the final match—he will finally become aware of the truth if Clark’s absence coincides with Superman’s activity. To avoid suspicion, Clark remained absent from the finals and didn’t appear as Superman either, which convinced Jimmy about him not being Superman, but he also assumed in that case that Clark didn’t like his company. As a result, Clark’s desperate attempt to hide the truth cost him his friendship with Jimmy.Â
At present, as the twins agree to go with Clark to convince Timmy Ryan, they feel guilty when Timmy’s mother, who grew up with Clark back in the day, vouches for her friend and scolds her son for coming up with wild claims of Kents being super powered—even calling out Timmy using X-Kryptonite as enhancing drugs in the past. Later, as the brothers chat, Jonathan realizes the burden of having powers and mentions he doesn’t want a life like their father—which will result in him sacrificing much in his life. For the younger generation, the desire to get everything—a regular life, the perks of having superpowers—is evident, which unfortunately wasn’t an option for Clark.
Clark Reveals His Identity to the World
On the other hand, awaiting to welcome a new member in their family, Kyle and Chrissy are facing financial issues while saving up for their dream house, and the expectant couple are prepared to sever ties with the things they love the most. Kyle is prepared to sell his grill and his truck, and Chrissy is willing to sell her share in the Smallville Gazette, much to Lois’ dismay, who isn’t prepared to part ways with her editor. However, Chrissy isn’t able to sell her share after realizing the top offer is from a shell company operated by Luthor, who isn’t leaving any stones unturned in his crusade to torment Kent family still, and she refuses the deal. At this critical juncture, Lois and Clark step up, as Lois decides to buy Chrissy’s share using the money Sam had left to Lois and her family. Lois’ decision ensures Chrissy and Kyle get to bring their child up in the house of their dreams and it just adds on a wholesome moment in an otherwise emotional episode.
As Clark and Lois celebrate along with Chrissy and Kyle at diner, Emmitt Pergande, Candice’s abusive, addict father, arrives, who has a score to settle with Clark, who had humiliated in public after he threatened Lois in the third season. Emmitt has learned of Clark’s secret identity from Lex, as both of them were imprisoned at Stryker’s island, and he starts taunting Clark by calling him out about his secret. Emmitt takes a drastic step to prove his claim as he pulls out a gun and shoots at Clark, and in that moment, Clark realizes it is not worth it anymore. He appears in his Superman outfit and reveals his identity to everyone present at the diner, and Kyle drags Emmitt outside. Later on, after learning that Lex was behind this debacle as he’d shared the information with Emmitt, Clark decides to reveal the truth to the rest of the world as well—to protect his family and the people close to him by not letting people like Lex exploit the secret.
Was Clark Able To Make Amends With Jimmy?
Quite obviously, given Clark’s perspective and background, the decision to reveal his identity to the world is the toughest one he has ever made, and he knows there is no going back from this. A normal life isn’t on the cards for him and his family, but Lois and the twins convey their unwavering support, which helps Clark to strengthen his resolve further. Lois uses her journalist cred to call in the media at their house in Smallville and invites Janet Olsen—Jimmy’s sister of all people—to interview Clark, where he confesses his truth to the world. Clark shares his piece in a short, simple, heartfelt way—something that is very typical of him.
However, the highlight of the episode turns out to be the final moments, as upon Clark’s request, Janet invites Jimmy to Smallville, and the friend duo catch up, almost seeming like they are picking up their conversation from yesterday—despite meeting after a long, long time. Jimmy was the first person to figure out Clark’s identity, and a sense of guilt had affected Clark ever since he’d had to lie to his best friend, which affected their relationship. Which is why the first thing he does is to reconcile with his pal, and Jimmy isn’t holding any past grudge against him either. He understands what Clark must have felt like—growing up alone, shut off from the world due to his powers, being unable to have a normal upbringing—which quite inevitably grafted the fear of his identity getting revealed in his psyche. With a happy ending, the episode once again reminds viewers of the series’ core strength in writing compelling dramas by using the very basics of superhero narrative.
