Originally aired January 22, 2009
Written by Bryan Q Miller
Directed by Morgan Beggs
After John Jones is shot, Clark goes undercover as a police officer to find the culprit and uncovers a conspiracy involving cops. Lana confronts Tess with a shocking truth about Lex.
Tropes present in the episode:
- Action Dad: Turpin, a Metropolis PD officer, has a young son.
- Age Lift: Dan Turpin (David Paetkau) gets a few decades shaved off.
- Broken Pedestal: Lex becomes one to Tess.
- Character Shilling: One more time with Lana. She walks into the Luthor Mansion, exchanges about one sentence with Tess, and this is enough to have her remarking that she sees what Lex saw in Lana.
- Dirty Cop: Talbert and Simmons, a pair of cops who like to commit "extrajudicial justice", and have been pressuring Turpin into assisting them.
- Five-Second Foreshadowing: The cops who pick up the suspect John was chasing in the cold open are very cold toward him.
- Foreshadowing:
- Lana investigates Lex's Project: Prometheus.
- Clark and Oliver get into an angry discussion about the morality of killing, and whether Oliver's ever felt pushed enough to consider it.
- Friend on the Force: J'onn has been serving as one to Oliver, and later to Clark, helping him clear up everything with the corrupt cops.
- Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Turpin, a blond guy who happens to be the Token Good Teammate of a group of corrupt cops.
- Happily Married: Dan and his wife Suzie.
- Headbutting Heroes: Clark and Oliver.
- Idiot Ball: Clark finds the sniper rifle used to shoot John, and then picks it up with his bare hands. Even if the cops didn't immediately jump him, he's still contaminated evidence.
- I Owe You My Life: Tess's loyalty to Lex is based on this. And, of course, in Lex fashion, he's twisted it.
- Ironic Echo: "Wear a vest." The cops advise Clark on it, and he shrugs off stopping a bullet by saying he did.
- Lured into a Trap: First Clark, then Green Arrow, by the corrupt cops.
- Mistreatment-Induced Betrayal: Tess against Lex after Lana reveals how he never trusted her.
- Moral Myopia: Talbert and Simmons talk a lot about loyalty toward fellow cops (no squealing and all), but don't consider detectives worth the same courtesy.
- Mundanger: The corrupt cops.
- Mythology Gag: Clark's disguise of "Joe Fordman" is supposedly from Coast City, usual stomping ground of Hal Jordan (who, in keeping with the cop theme of the episode, is a Space Cop).
- Pride: John Jones admits this is the reason why he didn't call for backup in the teaser, and points out that pride is also why he had to save Clark in "Odyssey" and why Oliver let his guard down.Clark: Why didn't you call me in sooner?John: Same reason I've had to pull you from the brink of death before. [to Oliver] Same reason you let your guard down last night. Pride. After knowing what it's like to truly feel powerful, to have the ability to change fate, it's hard to admit when you can't do it alone.
- Secret-Keeper: Emil Hamilton is introduced here as a doctor working at Metro General. He's on Oliver's payroll and knows about John's Martianness.
- Seeing Through Another's Eyes: Lana reveals Lex has being doing this to Tess the entire time.
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome:
- Clark tries to infiltrate the MPD, but his constant leading questions about the Johns incident make the corrupt cops suspicious, enough to soon make Turpin check his background and find it's fake.
- At the end of the episode, the corrupt cops are busted and all's well... though Turpin mentions that he's still going to face an inquisition for his involvement.
- Token Good Teammate: Dan Turpin
-
You Look Familiar:- David Paetkau (Dan Turpin) previously played Trevor Chapel in Season 1's "Hothead."
- Jim Thorburn previously played Max Taylor in Season 3's "Delete."
- Villain of the Week: Talbert and Simmons, a crooked cop duo.
- Workout Fanservice: A sweaty Tess practicing martial arts when Lana arrives to talk to her.
