Before concluding parts of episode, Reardon (Ed) got smart (7)
I believe the answer is:
preened
'got smart' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
'before concluding parts of episode reardon ed' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
'before' could be 'pre' (prefix meaning 'before') and 'pre' is present in the answer.
'ed' is within the answer.
The remaining letters 'en' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This explanation may well be incorrect...
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for preened that I've seen before include "was self-congratulatory" , "Put down in the correct order" , "with pride?" .)