Review - Smallville, “Absolute Justice”

There were a few people banking a lot on the two-hour event “Absolute Justice” airing as Friday night’s instalment of Smallville. The network and producers were banking on big ratings and big buzz for the aging superhero drama, while fans were banking on the entire endeavour not sucking. (Meanwhile, the episode’s writer, Geoff Johns, was banking on nothing because if this TV thing doesn’t work out, he’ll just go back to the 30 some-odd comics he pens on a monthly basis for DC.)

Well, most doubts were laid aside rather quickly super-friends, because “Absolute Justice”, as advertised, turned out to be one of Samllville’s better outings. Although it wasn’t entirely seamless, the integration of the Justice Society of America into Smallville lore, along with the introduction of Amanda Waller (as essayed by Pam Grier), Checkmate and the Suicide Squad, was extremely enjoyable.

Johns, who wrote last season’s introduction of the Legion of Superheroes to Smallville, clearly used Watchmen as a model for his “in” to establishing the JSA. Someone with ice powers eliminates Sylvester Pemberton, a man once known as the Star-Spangled Kid. Next, a man named Wesley Dodds, formally known as the gas-masking wearing Sandman, is frozen to death in his own apartment. Clark and Chloe’s investigation leads them to connecting Pemberton and Dodds to a group of criminals, or make that a group of heroes framed as villains when they refused to play ball with the government.

Typical misunderstandings give way to a cross-generation hero team-up as Clark with Green Arrow and J’onn Jonz join forces with Hawkman, Dr. Fate and Stargirl to find the Society’s killer – the son of former Society arch-nemesis, The Icicle. Now just to get this out of the way, yes, the final fight between the combined JSA, pre-JLA and Icicle was powerfully lame. Like, Heroes lame. But come on, we’re talking about the CW here. They don’t exactly have that big network money to play with.

Obviously, the character stuff is where the money was for this outing. The classically adversarial dynamic between Green Arrow and Hawkman was brilliantly preserved by the performances of Justin Hartley and guest star Michael Shanks, with the former Stargate SG-1 star smoothly and assertively ingraining himself into the mythos. It’s been kind of a Shanks revival lately between a cameo in the pilot for Stargate Universe, a guest spot on Sanctuary and now Smallville. But no matter how fake the Hawkman wings looked, Shanks’ grizzled hero routine more than makes up for it.

Grier, meanwhile, does a passable job as Waller, although she lacks the menace of CCH Pounder’s portrayal on the Justice League animated series. And did anyone catch the possible double entendre of the “apocalypse” that Waller said was coming. Or did she mean “Apokolips” the hellish homeworld of the villainous Darkseid. Certainly he would a threat significant to require an army of heroes. Somehow though, I don’t think we’ll be seeing New Gods and Parademons on Smallville anytime soon.

For the most part, the series’ ongoing storylines were left to their own devices this week as there was a scant mention of Zod and the Kandorians, however there was room to expand on the whole “Clois” romance. It appears that Waller and Checkmate will be an ongoing presence, not that I’m complaining, but did Tess Mercer have to be the undercover agent? Because, man, she’s got her hands in everything. To me, it would have been more interesting if Chloe or Doc Hamilton had been the Checkmate agent in secret.

But like past Smallville flirtations with the DC Universe “Absolute Justice” fired on all cylinders and delivered an extremely enjoyable episode filled with little Easter eggs for comic fans. A few more episodes like this and Smallville might secure that elusive 10th season, but at this rate, Clark won’t become Superman till his Social Security kicks in.

Reviewed By Adam A. Donaldson