As the worlds begin to merge, can our Earth and all the people on it hope to survive against Ally without the help of Superman?

How do you make Superman relatable? So far Superman and Lois has found various ways of doing so, by giving him enemies which challenge him, by focusing on the family and personal struggles he’s not able to solve simply by flying really fast or punching something really hard. At the end of last week though, it revisited a trope that various other screen incarnations have dabbled with previously – losing his powers and becoming mortal.

And so that’s where we pick up. Ally Alston now has god-like power and is set on merging the worlds forcefully, and the Man of Steel can’t stop her because he’s just mortal like the rest of us. Fortunately, he has a decent backup team.

John Henry and Natalie get to work together, trying to find the exact nature of what’s happening and more importantly how they might be able to stop it. It’s genuinely lovely to see the pair of them working as a team, not only on this but as other events transpire throughout the episode. Theirs is a team built not just on familial bonds but on mutual respect, but even so there are still limits to exactly how much harm John will place his daughter in the way of.

Meanwhile, Jordan is able to use his own powers to try to help out while his Dad is benched. But though he has powers, Jordan lacks the experience or discipline of those he faces. Lana-Rho doesn’t ride into town alone as she seeks to finish off Clark and anyone else who might stand in the way of Ally’s plans, but she and her teammate aren’t necessarily going to get it all their own way.

Meanwhile as a second, square sun appears in the skies and things start randomly going backward, Sam and the DOD’s instinct is to invent a plausible cover story to keep people calm. Lois, on the other hand, has learned a fair bit about the power of honesty in recent weeks, and elects to help Chrissie tell the whole truth to Smallville’s new mayor, so that she’s armed with all the information she needs to make a responsible choice.

Which brings us rather neatly back full circle to Clark, and what he (or rather Superman) is able to do to help when he has no powers. Turns out, that whole deal of being a symbol of hope, truth and the good old fashioned American way might just have more cachet than his muscles alone.

It’s an episode that deals with a lot of stuff, and as usual it’s admirable to see how some of its biggest moments aren’t related to super-powered people throwing each other through walls or shooting lasers from their eyes but in the quieter, more intimate and human exchanges between various characters.

Verdict: Effortlessly does an hour of Superman without him actually being Superman and doesn’t miss a beat. 9/10

Greg D. Smith