A meteor crash gives Pamela Ferrer, a jewel thief, a fanged new lease on life…

The central plot here does three things. The first is provide us with a memorable new villain. The second is show us exactly what sort of a man Ben Lockwood is. The third is set up the idea that Kara is, slowly, healing.

That last one to start with. Kara’s interaction with Alex, especially her joy at getting to work with her again, was adorable and is a very sustainable new status quo for the show. It also mirrors Lockwood’s actions. Kara’s family are voluntarily wounded to help her. Ben radicalizes his son to help him. Both think they’re in the right. One is and their surname is not Lockwood. Sam Witwer always turns in good work but his venal, plausible turn here is one of his all time greats.

All of this is wrapped round a nice chunky SF plot with Menagerie which continues the show’s adept approach to connecting all its disparate elements together. It also leads to an ending which is both definitive and ambiguous, one that shows Kara just how many sides people are coming at her from.

Verdict: Rounded out with some sweet Brainy/Nia stuff this is another excellent episode in a strong season that’s continuing to engage with necessary issues of the day. Great stuff all the way down. 9/10

Alasdair Stuart