Sarah and Nat go to a party with some unexpected consequences. Clark and Chrissy start to notice Lois isn’t exactly firing on all cylinders. Lana receives a strange phone call.

After a barnstormer of an opening episode, in which the writers touched lightly on various potentially controversial topics, this week is a perfect follow up, doubling down on the sort of familial drama the show thrives on while also remembering the core solidity at the heart of the Kent family.

Lois is carrying a huge, and fairly obvious (to the audience) burden, as the news she dreaded sinks in completely. Determined to simply carry on as normal, it becomes as painful for us viewing it as for those surrounding her to see the normally unflappable reporter clearly off her game. Clark may be a big loveable goof but he’s also not stupid, and in one of the most Clark moments ever finally gently confronts his wife to assure her he knows something is off, and he’ll wait for her to be ready to share it. When she does finally come clean, the circumstances make it all the more emotionally resonant, and by god if I wasn’t rooting for these two before…

On the kids end, Nat and Sarah decide to go to a big High School party in Metropolis, with the intention of tracking down one of Nat’s old crushes to see how this world’s version measures up. Unfortunately for the Kent boys, they separately arrive at the same party, and some uncomfortableness ensues. But this being Jonathan and Jordan (and props again to Michael Bishop for picking up the reins on Jonathan so well), they manage to navigate a way through it which suggests that friendship between Sarah and Jordan may not be impossible.

Midst chasing down leads on the reappearance of Henry Miller, Supes ends up face to face with Bruno Mannheim. True to form, the show gives us an antagonist who is richly realised, and their conversation leaves some doubt as to exactly what Mannheim’s motives are, if not how ruthless he is capable of being.

Back in Smallville, Lana receives an unexpected and terrifying phone call from her Mayoral predecessor, one which raises more questions and leads her and John Henry into the direct path of danger. As Kyle and Chrissie continue to awkwardly flirt, could we be witnessing the start of another beautiful relationship in town?

It’s to the credit of both writers and director that in spite of the heavy air of sadness hanging over Lois, the episode never overdoes it, sprinkling in just the right amount of levity at just the right moments and never feeling hopeless thanks to the sheer resilience and love of the characters involved. What could be a doom-laden misery fest instead becomes an emotional rollercoaster the equal of anything else the DC onscreen universe has produced, and my one concern is how they can possibly keep topping this standard going forward.

Verdict: Emotionally harrowing while retaining just the right level of hopefulness. Sublime. 10/10

Greg D. Smith