Courtney’s absence mentally from her role as JSA leader is starting to be noticed by her fellow team members. Sylvester continues to wrestle with exactly what it is he’s meant to do, but his advice may send his young comrades off into dangerous directions.

Courtney’s besotted with Cameron, and determined to try to help him master his powers and be a better person than his father was. To us viewers, it seems like she’s onto a loser here – he lives with his grandparents who clearly have other plans for him and he also has a temper that won’t go well with his abilities, but young love and all that.

Unfortunately, happy as she may be, Courtney’s new crush is taking her attention away from her duties as the leader of the JSA, which couldn’t come at a worse time. There’s still, after all, a killer on the loose, the gang are going into dangerous spots looking for clues and there’s mistrust and friction even within their own ranks. It’s all well and good leaving Sylvester to take up the slack, but is he really the ideal candidate for that?

Speaking of Sylvester, he’s certainly becoming an interesting character. He’s still struggling to know exactly what it is he wants to do/be in life, and some advice from Barbara sees him taking his role as a mentor to the new JSA more seriously. Unfortunately, their abilities may mean that he’s not quite cut out to do that job well yet. Yolanda gets advice which yields results but will only heighten tensions within the team and Rick also gets a tip which is helpful on the surface but might cause immeasurably more trouble than anyone – Rick included – is really prepared for.

On the lighter side of things, it’s flat out adorable watching the Crocks try to be ‘good’ guys, or at least as near as they can manage. Their confession about how exactly they’ve been proceeding with investigations of their own shows that they may be trying but they’ll always have that touch of bad about them. Personally, they’re some of my favourite characters in the show, and I hope their dedication to staying away from villainy sticks, because they’re great characters.

Also keeping things funny are Mike and Jakeem, who have a proposition for Cindy after an altercation with some seniors and her intervention therein. It’s not a proposal you can see her taking seriously, and it’s clearly driven by a little more than simply wanting another ally in their own quest to prove themselves to the JSA, but it’s entertaining nonetheless.

As to Cindy herself, she remains pleasingly enigmatic. She often acts apparently every bit as cruelly and selfishly as ever, but then the lens shifts and suddenly you wonder how genuine her intentions might actually be. The writers and the actress keep that plate spinning nicely.

Verdict: Feels like things are going to escalate quickly and explosively soon. 8/10

Greg D. Smith