Duplicity II

In the previous post, I summarized what I thought were salient points from Smallville: Duplicity but neglected and even forgot what must be regarded as two important plot developments from a "Smallville as soap opera" perspective (a lot does happen in this one episode, even without involving any meteor powers):

Lana tells Clark that she has ex'ed the absent Marine, Whitney (we saw her start to do this when recording a video message in the previous episode);

Lana's Aunt Nell tells Lana that she has become engaged to the annoying new guy, Dean.

Whitney's ex'ing, Nell's engagement, the blind Lionel Luthor's return to Smallville and Pete Ross's inclusion in the Kent family secret are bound to have major implications for future episodes, although Hamilton's convenient death helps to preserve that secret for the immediate future. Clark clearly does not start to think of developing a relationship with Lana and she continues to resent his obvious reticence about she knows not what. Clark has become too used to lying. This used to concern me a bit in Superboy comics: can all this lying be right? In this version of the story, it is the systematic duplicity that turns out to be the fatal weakness that will make Superman and Lex Luthor enemies in later life.

Smallville: Duplicity

Season 2, Episode 3

In the comics, Pete Ross was introduced as the friend who found out that Clark Kent was Superboy. In a later comic book version, Pete did not know that Clark was super-powered although his wife, Lana, did because Clark had shared this with her before leaving Smallville.

In the Smallville TV series, Pete has existed as a friend for one season and two episodes before Clark is forced to confide in him in a story that bears no resemblance to the original "Pete finds out" scenario. This Pete cannot see Clark changing costume because this Clark does not wear a costume.

What else happens? Hamilton is yet another character who learns too much but then dies. Will there be another mad scientist coincidentally called Professor Hamilton in Metropolis? Luthor Castle gains the now blind Lionel Luthor as a semi-permanent resident. Lionel has felt the spaceship... The truth is always just out of Lex's reach. Lex tells Clark that he has a problem trusting anyone who has deceived him once... This is the basic tragedy of this version of the Superman story.

In the current film series, a Lexcorp logo is seen while Kal-El fights Zod in Metropolis. Kal and Lex will first meet there, as they did in the first Christopher Reeves film and in John Byrne's comic book revamp.

Some elements in the alloy of the spaceship not in the periodic table? Is that possible?