Lena has no choice but to help her brother. Which is exactly what Lex Luthor had planned…

Jon Cryer, folks. Not only a man who has single-handedly dragged himself kicking and screaming out of the horrific vortex of Two and a Half Men, but a man who returned to the Superman mythos because of his last appearance here. Cryer’s turn as Lenny Luthor in Superman IV is the least of that movie’s crimes but it’s still on the list and Cryer is to be absolutely commended for wanting to balance the scales.

Plus he is so good as Lex. So good in fact that the all-time greatest Lex Luthors are now a quadrangle (Clancy Brown, Gene Hackman, Michael Rosenbaum, Cryer). He’s urbane and witty, terrifying and at the same time taking such joy in his work. Plus he genuinely cares for his sister until such time as… well…

The Lena plot is such fun here that it balances out the slightly wobbly Manchester plot. Stealing the Martian Staff of Jolar, he confronts and tortures J’onn with his past which, finally, forces the Martian to make a choice. It’s got weight and importance to it, but it also feels a little off key after the recent Manchester episodes. The scale is too large, the loss of life too high. Manchester has, in the past, been subtler than this.

Verdict: That being said there’s still a ton to enjoy here and the ending is killer. It’s just, especially after the last episode, this is a gear shift and a slight drop in quality. 9/10

Alasdair Stuart