Anissa makes some new friends and discovers a new enemy. Lynn deals with the fallout f last week’s horrible choices. Khalil comes to a crossroads. And Gambi’s alive!

Yes, I agree, pulling the trigger on… not pulling… the trigger… on Gambi inside a week is a bit weird. But the rest of the episode is so good that it more than makes up for that. Plus Gambi is great and I’m really happy he’s back.

There’s a moment very early on this episode where we meet Looker for the first time that honestly plays like Twin Peaks. Her unusual colouring, mannerisms and terrifying powers mark her out as something far from human and that’s only accentuated by her locale. This old fashioned movie idol trapped in the middle of not-quite bayou feels like a monster hiding at the end of the book. And it turns out she is.

This is one of the most important moments of the season to date, possibly even the series. Up to now the show has entirely been about Jefferson and Tobias and how everyone else is drawn into the orbit of their war. But this week the perspective shifts to Anissa, and the world she’s making for herself. It’s Anissa who uncovers Looker, Anissa who takes the initiative and is drawn into the war between the Sange and the Perdi with her father as an onlooker. Better still, especially after last week, Jefferson doesn’t question that at all. This is his daughter’s fight, he’s there for the assist. That says a lot about him as a hero, a man and a father. It also speaks very well to the show’s willingness to engage with its world and grow it.

That being said, this is the best Tobias episode we’ve had to date by a good margin. Krondon is on magnificent form this season and, like compatriot Vincent D’Onofrio over on Daredevil, has nailed the physically intimidating but mentally terrifying elements of his character. Tobias’ ebullient love of violence is to the fore here and the moment where he starts talking about unit cohesion and takes his jacket off is genuinely frightening. With the Green Light babies still dominating the news cycle and Tobias’ constructed rehabilitation very much in play, he’s making moves he’s never made before and is clearly going to be a major threat again very soon.

But, weirdly, the episode belongs to Jordan Calloway as Khalil. Painkiller has had the biggest journey of any character, transitioning from athlete, to wheelchair bound to villain to something very different. He’s still, fundamentally, a teenager and Calloway shows us that here as he struggles with his orders. He makes good, tough choices and suffers for them but isn’t broken by that suffering. It’s suggested that he may be leaving but honestly I hope not. The character is just getting started.

Verdict: Rounded out with some welcome human consequences for Lyn’s work this is a very strong episode of a consistently great show. The CW’s rookie show is consistently one of its most impressive and this episode proves it’s just getting started. 9/10

Alasdair Stuart