This review may contain spoilers.

It is incredibly worrying when a supporting character like Oliver Queen can out shine our hero at every turn.

With an infinitely cooler costume, a dark and shadowy past and a hard edge, Green Arrow (Justin Hartley) makes a much more entertaining hero. Unlike the Man-of-Steel (Tom Welling) whose moral compass of often larger than life, the Arrow is morally human and regularly hits the pitfalls of real people who try to do what is right. He is flawed, motivated not only by the desire to exact justice but also by more selfish desires, and he has very real weaknesses.

And, despite being part of the show since the sixth season, he comes with a largely unexplored history ... a history which "Disciple" only briefly approaches. Meandering between a few developing plotlines, the episode struggles to maintain a balance between what is certainly a welcome change of pace to the Clark Kent action hour and the Krypton-heavy mythology of the ninth season.

The Luthorcorp solar tower, Zod's dastardly plan to regain his powers (as revealed in "Pandora), Chloe's secluded lifestyle and the romance between the principle duo are all given some screen time but ultimately amount to nothing more than a reminder that those elements have not been forgotten.

Where "Disciple" excels is in the hard choices that Oliver will have to make to be the kind of man he wants to be. Unlike Clark who has been haunted by his past for so long, it is Ollie's future that troubles him as he is destined to take over a role within an ancient Celtic cult of archers. His training of Mia (Elise Gatien), a character who is well utilized in the episode, continues to keep him on the steady and adds a whole new dynamic to the brooding billionaire. And, thanks to the introduction of the Dark Archer (Steve Basic), "Disciple" serves as an insight into the reasons why he sought an apprentice in the first place.

What Worked

In addition to the arrow-shooting shenanigans, "Disciple" serves as another example of Callum Blue's talents. Blue is a wonderful and charismatic villain who has an uncanny ability to say nice things but in a very menacing way. Who knew that "Tell Clark Kent he is a very lucky man," could be taken as an overt threat?

The entire Zod and Clark as a partnership is a fantastic development in the series - both are incredibly wary and extremely distrustful of the other, and both Blue and Welling prove to be suited to the dynamic perfectly. It is particularly interesting to see Clark now adapting to the knowledge that he is no longer the only Kryptonian on Earth, and, thanks to their habit of kneeling before everyone, he has become their leader whether he likes it or not.

What Didn't Work

As predicted, Steve Basic was a letdown as the Dark Archer. He may come with the right look for the Vordigan character but there is more to playing a television villain than fitting the mould. Throughout the episode, Vordigan comes off as a Ra's al Ghul clone from the Batman franchise. Unfortunately, Basic carries only a smidgen of the presence that made Liam Neeson's "Batman Begins" character so fascinating an antagonist.

But it wasn't for the lack of trying. The eyes of the killer approach, coupled with the intense breathing, are techniques lifted straight out of the horror genre and did present a threatening atmosphere. Sadly, the shot was over far too quickly to be of any impact. Plus, the choice to stalk Mia (who was proclaimed a worthy ninja at the beginning of the episode) isn't exactly the same as hunting an innocent victim.

In much the same way, mastering the shadowy assassin on a rooftop moment wasn't enough for the opening teaser to come any impact. Mostly it was because we know nothing will ever happen to Lois Lane. Most other characters on the show are expendable and can be written out or killed without causing much a problem with comic book continuity (even Jimmy Olsen has been killed then retconned). The same could never be done to Lois, and so, after seeing her lying on the side of the street with an arrow through her chest, it is difficult to feel any shock or desire to see how she survives. And, had it not been for the marketing material confirming that the Dark Archer would be making a "Smallville" debut there would have been some lingering intrigue on who the hooded assailant really is.

And, in the end, the ease with which Vordigan is disposed of is straight out of a Saturday morning cartoon - he commits a crime so the police send him to jail. No trial, no ambiguous reading of the law and no dwelling on the episodes events. He simply goes to jail.

Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due

"Smallville" stars Tom Welling, Erica Durance, Allison Mack, Justin Hartley, Cassidy Freeman and Callum Blue. "Disciple" was written by Jordon Hawley and was directed by Mairzee Almas.

"Smallville" airs Fridays at 8 p.m. ET on The CW.