Realizing that his time with Carly and Sam has become too girly(despite his lingering crush on Carly), Freddie seeks some "guy time" with Spencer, which happens to be a fencing class for which Freddie turns out to be quite the swordsman. During this period, Freddie gets caught up in the rivalry between Spencer and a snobbish posse of fencers lead by Doug Toder, and finds himself competing with him in a duel. When his fretful mother finds out, she reveals a family secret in a last-ditch effort to try to talk him out of the competition. In the meantime, Carly is forced to endure and prepare for an upcoming visit from some embarrassing, ultra-geeky relatives.