Jack Smith is an inhabitant of Dual Spires. He alerts the town to Paula Merral's death when he clumsily rides his bike up to the stage at the annual Cinnamon Festival and exclaims that something has happened at the lake.
He becomes suspected of murder when Shawn and Gus find out that he used to date the victim until she left him for Cinnamon King Randy Jackson a year ago. However, Jack explains that although he was angry with Paula at first, he got over it and the two became best friends. The duo consider it even more unlikely that Jack has anything to do with the murder when they discover that he is mostly blind as a result of his early-onset macular degeneration that started in 2005, leaving him with only 30% vision in his right eye, which also explains his clumsy bike ride earlier. Despite this, Jack is a rather avid photographer who was the sole member of the school's photography club.
When asked for his alibi, it turns out he doesn't really have one because he was with Paula the night she died. He was trying to dissuade her from leaving Dual Spires together with Randy when he was suddenly knocked out cold. When he came to an hour later, Paula was gone. However, he had been taking pictures the entire evening and in one of them Randy is seen running towards the two. He has a bump on his head to prove his story, and this combined with his blindness convinces Shawn and Gus to drop Jack as a suspect.
When the truth unravels, Jack plays a vital part in apprehending the real killers, Andrew Jackson and Donna Gooden, by leading Lassiter and Juliet to the cabin. His passion for photograpy ends up saving the lives of our duo and Peter Westley, as he made a point of photographing the entirety of their little town, including the cabin that supposedly only Jackson, Gooden and Robert Barker knew existed. Jack and the detectives arrive just in time to prevent more bloodshed.
In the final scene of the episode, Jack is seen sporting an eye patch and a fancy red suit in the Sawmill Diner while dancing to music from the jukebox.
Trivia[]
- Since Jack is completely blind in one eye he could be considered a One-Eyed Jack, which is the name of the Canadian casino/brothel from Twin Peaks. His choice to wear an eye patch is a nod to Nadine from the show, and in the final scene he dances like the Man from Another Place in Agent Cooper's dream. Another reference to the show is that Gus initially suspects Jack Smith of killing Paula because he's a creepy dude in a creepy place, much like Harold Smith is suspected of killing Laura for the same reasons.
- Shawn compares Jack to Jon Cryer in Pretty in Pink, whose character Duckie is secretly in love with his best friend Andie. However, just like Paula Andie prefers the flashier type and accepts the advances of Blane, who would be Randy Jackson in this scenario.
- Randy claims that he knocked out Jack with a "Super Elbow", which is a wrestling move. This is one of many wrestling references in the Psychverse.