While Clark and Sam continue the search for Leslie Larr and try to get Edge to reveal the whereabouts of the Eradicator, Sam also struggles with what to do about his stockpile of Kryptonian weaponry.

Considering that there isn’t a tremendous amount of action in this episode, even by the standards of the show itself, it certainly feels packed to the gills with various subplots going on, above and beyond the two main ones outlined above.

With Edge/Ta-Rho safely in custody, Clark wants to determine the location of the Eradicator and Leslie Larr and then have nothing more to do with his Kryptonian half-sibling. It’s clear to us that Rho is up to something, but the precise nature of what that might be is slowly teased and drip fed in flashbacks of his experiences at the hands of his father’s hologram over the course of the episode. I wouldn’t say that the show is exactly trying to rehabilitate its core villain, but it’s certainly making a strong case for the nurture part of Rho’s upbringing having a strong influence on the man he became.

Speaking of which, Sam, duly chastened by recent experiences, wants to get rid of his stockpile of Kryptonian weaponry, feeling that Clark has fully proved to his satisfaction that they are no longer required, save for a handful to guard Rho and deal with Larr when they find her. Clark, on the other hand is not so sure. The episode teases this one out as well, including full domestics Chez Kent when Lois finds out what Clark has proposed to her father. Everyone is convinced beyond doubt now that Clark has proven himself incapable of turning against humanity – even Irons – but Clark himself has reservations, and the nature of those when revealed both leads back to earlier threads seeded into the character by the show and also the nature of his torture at Rho’s hands. Much as the show likes to play had into the optimistic, wholesome nature of its lead, it isn’t afraid to explore his darker side too, and once again it does so with sensitivity, nuance and aplomb.

But aside from all that there is so much more at play here. The town is still very much turning its back on Kyle and Lana, which causes huge struggles for the pair of them. With Kyle off duty indefinitely until things ‘calm down’ and Lana out of a job and struggling to find employment again in a town which hates her, the pair of them are forced to start considering that maybe their home isn’t their home anymore.

Jordan and Jonathan both separately end up skipping their first day back at school, and both separately get caught and in trouble. Inevitably, each was ‘led astray’ by a girl, but even here the way that the show deals with each is interesting. Jonathan, the jock, finds his head temporarily turned by one of the popular girls showing interest in him, but the way in which he responds when it becomes clear why reinforces yet again why this is Clark Kent’s boy. Jordan spends some quality time with Sarah and when they find themselves on the receiving end of some fairly heavy-handed treatment by the authorities, it’s brought home to both of them and their respective parents just how bad things are in town.

Other smaller moments occur throughout – Lois falling out with Chrissy when the latter realises that her superstar reporter is not being entirely truthful, some surprising interactions between Irons and the Kent family and Lana hearing the Mayor of all people sticking the knife into her and her family when he doesn’t realise she’s listening. It’s a packed episode, full of human moments large and small, and each one of them lands perfectly. Can’t really ask for more than that.

Verdict: A relaxation of pace but no less compelling for it. 9/10

Greg D. Smith