With Alfred having liberated Stormcloud from the Raven Headquarters, he now just faces the small challenge of breaking some difficult news to his mother, avoiding the continued attentions of Gully Troy and dealing with any other small surprises which may occur.

That final shot of last week’s episode, with the gang all in that big American car and Pa Pennyworth ensconced in the back amidst all that apparatus in his wheelchair with a pair of goggles strapped to his face, was important. Not only was it proper, don’t care fun, but it also – arguably for the first time – shifted the show from gritty graphic novel and more towards its comic book roots. I’m happy to say that this instalment takes that baton and runs with it gleefully.

With Stormcloud safely out of Salt’s hands, Alfie goes home to try to find a way to break the news to his dear old mum that her husband is very much still alive, though arguably not kicking. Essays could be written on the Pennyworth marriage and the various, incomprehensible and often contradictory qualities it is suggested to have, and Ian Puleston-Davies and Dorothy Atkinson deliver some of the episode’s absolute best moments at entirely different ends of the register. There’s heartfelt emotion and genuine laugh out loud moments aplenty but most of all, amidst all this cartoonish action, boys-own adventure and gore, there’s realism – a heart to the interactions that says this is a married couple who – in spite of all their differences, large and small, love one another very much.

Meanwhile, Gully Troy is hunting the streets of London looking for Alfred, though how violent his intentions in that direction may be isn’t exactly clear. James Purefoy is great value whatever he’s in, and he’s played this unlikeable but never uninteresting character perfectly from the start. Here, he uses that charisma to great effect, whether he’s deferentially speaking with Mrs Pennyworth or bursting into a room, guns blazing, demanding of the Prime Minister the location of Alfred.

As to Alfred himself, Jack Bannon has always been great in the role, even when the character has become difficult at times to relate to or even much like. Here, the writers wisely leave him slightly in the background as there’s so much else for so many others to be doing. It’s not that he’s absent, but Bannon’s talent lies in being able to be front and centre while still not taking up all the space in the room. His understatedness allows other characters room to breathe, and fits well with a character who’s unassuming nature is part of the skillset he possesses and the trade for which he seems almost born.

Paloma Faith continues to be my absolute favourite cast member, Bet getting to have a little bit of fun here as she and her sister finally get to confront Salt. Salt of course has a devious plan his enemies might not have encountered, but even given that, nothing in his Machiavellian mind has prepared him for the Sykes sisters with their dander up and revenge on their minds, much as he might think otherwise.

As things barrel along towards the conclusion, the writers throw in the odd misdirection here and there and there’s some genuinely surprising moments. The way in which they choose to close out the episode is one that could have – in lesser hands – been dangerous, but it’s used to good effect here, avoiding cliché and setting up some superbly threads for season 3 if it happens. In particular, once again it embraces those comic book roots in some respects, meaning we might get a very different version of the show if and when it does return.

Verdict: A great end to what’s been a very strong second series. 9/10

Greg D. Smith