Smallville Absolute Justice Review

Two superhero generations are about to collide

Since we're nearing the end of Season 9, I figure I can go a bit out of order when it comes to episodes this season. So let's take a look at what is undoubtedly going to be Season 9's unforgettable TV Movie, Smallville: Absolute Justice.

The episode begins with Chloe Sullivan contacting Clark about trying to regroup with the rest of the Justice League. However the power begins to go out all around the area and she runs into a man with a glowing staff named Sylvester Pemberton. He tells her that he knows all about Watchtower and her "special friends" and alludes that he knows a couple of similar people himself. Before he can go into detail, they are interrupted when it suddenly gets much colder. Pemberton panics and stuffs Chloe into a dumpster, where she sees ice and lights flash all over the place. When the chaos is over, Pemberton lies dying from his wounds and warns Chloe that others like him will be targeted now. With one last breath he utters the word "Check".

At Metropolis General Hospital, Clark arrives to see Chloe who is being checked for her wounds and the police are questioning her about Pemberton's murder. Chloe manages to copy data from Pemberton's phone before the cops send her off and Clark sees a young teenager who is upset over Pemberton's death. He tries to help her, but because of his Daily Planet press pass he is mistaken for wanting an interview and the girl tells him he can shove his tape recorder up, up and away. Chloe informs Clark the last person Pemberton talked to was a man named Wesley Dodds.


In an apartment, Dodds dreams about the attack that left Pemberton dead and therefore dawns a fedora and gas mask. Okay, let's see where he's going with this. Right after putting on the costume, he's confronted by Pemberton's icy killer who addresses him as "The Sandman" and tells him "it's time to put you to sleep."

Yeah, his puns aren't that clever. But come on, give the guy at least one line of dialogue!

Oliver then arrives at Watchtower where Chloe has been trying to call the Justice League together, but of course no reply. I find it interesting that leadership of this team seems to have shifted almost unofficially to Chloe while Oliver simply follows orders and comes whenever she whistles for him. She's even managed to hack into the League's e-mail where Ollie tries to reassure him that his messages with Black Canary are "purely platonic".

Reference alert! And you can expect a lot of that this episode, since it's been written by comic book writer Geoff Johns.

Chloe realizes that Pemberton's belongings have been stolen by the blonde teenager, who Watchtower identifies as Courtney Whitmore. Ollie is instructed to go and steal it back, not as Green Arrow, but as himself! Because apparently a billionaire playboy is so inconspicuous a persona to use as a thief.

Clark goes to Dodd's apartment but finds himself too late to stop him from being killed. Written in Dodd's blood, his final act was to write "JSA" on a turned over table.

Dodd's body is taken to the morgue where Emil Hamilton inspects it. He confirms ice was the method of murder, but that is has human DNA within it that didn't belong to Dodds', which spells out a metahuman is responsible. In a room decorated to resemble a chess board, the killer lays out a number of photos taken of Whitmore, Pemberton, Dodds and several others he has on his hit list.

Back at the Daily Planet, Clark and Chloe go through the newspaper archives to figure out what Dodds and Pemberton had in common. They all have a criminal record and were said to have worked with a number of others in this supposed criminal organization. Pemberton was accused of stealing from his own corporation, while Dodds was arrested at a student riot. We're then introduced to other members of their organization.

Al Pratt, a physics professor who assaulted police. Ted Grant, a heavyweight champion. Jay Garrick a research scientist. Alan Sco...

Hold on a second! Back in the episode "Run", Bart had the name "Jay Garrick" on one of his fake IDs! Are we seriously not going to make any connection there? Clark was right there in the room! In fact he was the one who read the name out loud!

Alan Scott is another name, the CEO of a broadcasting company with an usual green lantern shaped ring on his finger. Abigail Hunkle follows, an elderly woman who is dragged away from what seems to be a kitchen. Clark and Chloe realize that there's substantial lack of evidence in their charges and that aside from their criminal records they don't see much connection. They find a name in Carter Hall, an archeologist who was also on Pemberton's call list. Clark and Chloe begin to question just what kind of team this was.

Clark ventures off to the museum Carter works in where he runs into Mr. Hall to inform him that Pemberton and Dodds are dead. We're then shown a homeless man in the back of the room clutching a bag while whispering to himself DC reference after DC reference. His name is Dr. Kent Nelson. Carter tells Clark he didn't answer Pemberton's calls and hasn't talked to him or Dodds in years. Of course Clark's instincts tell him Hall is hiding something, or rather Kent in particular. He uses his X-ray vision to look inside the bag to see a helmet that he's talking to. Surprisingly, the helmet looks right freakin' at him when he realizes its there! Carter tells Clark to get lost, which he promptly does. Carter tells Kent that they need to handle their problems on their own, but Kent says maybe they shouldn't this time.

On the other side of Metropolis, Ollie finds Courtney who has stolen Pemberton's light staff. Like a clever thief, she's holding stolen police evidence in the middle of BROAD DAYLIGHT! Ollie tries to convince her to hand the staff over because he wants to find out who Pemberton's killer is, but before Courtney can respond, Kent Nelson pops in to flash the light in Ollie's face and vanish with Courtney.

Ollie and Chloe go to Pemberton's car, the Star Rocket Racer. Yes, that's actually a comic book reference so don't think that was Chloe, Ollie and Clark, but the entire Justice League. Because Pemberton knew who they were, they assume Courtney does as well because she followed him around.

At the museum, Courtney runs into Hall who takes the light staff out of her hands and tells her to go home to her stepfather. Courtney thinks that Carter knows as much as she does who the killer is and they need to do something. Carter tells her no, pointing at Kent and how he is right now. Courtney says she'll go to the Justice League for help, but Carter says they aren't even a real team. Courtney then hits a hard note on Carter's conscience when she asks "What would Shiera have done?"

Uh, don't you mean "What would Jesus do?"

Outside the Daily Planet, Chloe tells Clark that Pemberton knew their identities and passed on this information to his old playmates before he was killed. Chloe also informs him that the method of death by ice led her to the name of Joar Mahkent, who years ago was a cryogenic hitman who went by the name "Icicle". He's currently in Met Gen in a coma from severe injuries he received years ago. After all that's happened, Clark wonders if he's truly there.

At the museum, Carter tells Kent that they're going to need "him", which Kent is instantly terrified of because he's referring to the head in the bag. He says he wishes how he could remember his life before "him", which is revealed to be someone by the name of Doctor Fate. When Fate came in, he caused Kent to forget all about his previous life including his wife Inza. Kent believes Fate caused him to scare his family away, but Carter assures him he still has a family. This is enough to strengthen Kent who takes out the gold helmet out of the bag, puts it on his head and is surrounded by mystical energy. Eventually he is transformed from psychotic hobo to practically a cross between Darth Vader and a Power Ranger. This is Doctor Fate, ladies and gentlemen and he addresses Carter as "Hawkman". With the good doctor back at his practise, Carter unveils a secret compartment containing a helmet, a mace and a pair of wings and says it's time to get to work.

Chloe and Clark go to Met Gen to see the Icicle, who is just as comatose as his medical charts say he is. However, Doctor Fate has broken into the room where he's sucking information from the snowman's noggin'. Clark tries to stop Fate, who upon contact is able to see the future of our Kryptonian with the sight of a red cape flying in the wind and realizes Clark's destiny.

Okay, not only are they using archive footage but that's a pretty cheap way of him knowing all that from one flicker of crimson fabric! Either that or anybody who wears a cape in the future with psychadelic lights around them must be an all-powerful god of a superhero and you know, not some teenager at a Halloween Party with a strobe light!

Well Fate realizes who Clark is and warns Chloe that her fate will be the same as his own. He then kidnaps Clark through magic and they teleport away together. Chloe panics and sends Green Arrow to find Clark, but instead runs into Courtney now dressed in a patriotic costume. He thinks she's making herself a target and he comes down to stop her, but after an argument is taken down by, who else? The Icicle!

No, no, not the one we just saw in a coma. This is a different Icicle, one complete with more lame puns than Arnold Schwarzenegger's portrayal of Mr. Freeze. Now that is pretty hard to beat.

Courtney fights off Icicle II, claiming herself to be "Stargirl". She's nearly killed by a hail of icicles when Green Arrow saves her, but like half the people in Smallville, she's ungrateful for him saving her life. Instead Carter flies in as the winged Hawkman to take care of Arrow for ruining their ambush. He then drops him off in the safest way possible...by chucking through the Watchtower's stainglass window.

Wow dude, there's teaching the guy a lesson and then there's just being a tool for the sake of being one.

Anyway Chloe goes to help Arrow when Hawkman warns them to back off in a deep gravely Batman voice before flying off. Chloe takes care of Ollie's wounds, feeling discouraged that these people know so much about the League and they know nothing of them. Ollie though has pulled a slight of hand and was able to grab a shuriken from Hawkman while he was in flight. Chloe realizes that it's from the same museum Clark went to earlier and tells Oliver to go in after him while making a phone call to John Jones for help.

Clark wakes up in the museum where he goes through the "artifacts". They are really memorabilia of Hawkman's ex-colleagues (Green Lantern's lantern, Flash's helmet, Wildcat's fighting gloves etc), which leaves him puzzled. He goes over to a wall where he finds a painting somewhat resembling that of DaVinci's The Last Supper except it contains superheroes. Steadily he connects the dots and realizes that the "criminal organization" from before is in fact the Justice Society of America.

Now this is part in the episode shows a very nostalgic and emotional moment where we see all that the Society members had to sacrifice during their careers and see the faces behind the costumes. This is also where the episode really brings to full its whole "Watchmen" feel to it where we see two generations looking back on each other and working together. You'll get a lot of that this episode.

Hawkman, Doctor Fate and Courtney enter the room to confront Clark. Apparently the Doc brought Clark there because "his path is righteous". Clark asks why they've been watching the League, to which Courtney replies Pemberton originally wanted a new Society with the members left along with the new generation. Of course Hawkman brings out the "I don't like change!" old guy side out and says that they'll just make the same mistakes the Society did in the past. In the midst of their arguing, Ollie breaks in without his hood and fires an arrow at the painting of Hawkman.

First of all, why are you bother firing it at the painting? "Yeah! Take that! That's...that's gonna be you in like...two seconds! Yeah!" Second, just because some of them know who you are doesn't mean there isn't the chance somebody in the room won't! For goodness sake, I'm surprised Icicle never thought of breaking into their headquarters all along!

Ollie is upset that Hawkman chucked him through the Watchtower's window, to which Carter sneers "I hope I didn't make you cry!" Through some pretty harsh banter, Ollie finally makes his move but ends up slammed onto the table by Hawkman with a mace chucked at his face. Of course because Hawkman apparently has the reflexes of anybody in slow motion (only in regular motion), Ollie pulls out his crossbow and points it his head. John Jones arrives at the meeting and says "I hope it's not too late to say we come in peace."

If that was a bad alien joke, that was a really bad alien joke.

What's awesome about this scene is that before the TV movie premiered, Geoff Johns said Arrow and Hawkman wouldn't get along together and this is definetely his word fulfilled to the letter. Could you imagine Doctor Fate locking these two in a room and saying "You can come out when you've both thought about what you've done?" They'd have killed each other before the lock even snapped!

Back around the Justice Society's table, Hawkman says the murder of their teammates is their business and tells the League to take a hike. They of course don't budge and say that they're making it their business. This then follows into the classic John Jones monologue. He says the reason he didn't leave Earth back when he had powers was because he believed in hope for the future. Humanity's capacity for violence is great but there capacity for hope is greater than any he's ever encountered.

John...what in Rao's name are you talking about?!

This subject could not be more randomly squeezed into the conversation. Here they are talking about a murderer and that the League shouldn't be involved in their priorities and he just goes into this whole speel about hope! It's like he's just been waiting for like an hour thinking "Awww man, I just wanna go into a whole speech about hope! Hope is good! Yeah, cookies are good too! Hey, I'll talk about cookies next!" This feels so out of context when spoken, but of course you'll find out later that his speech is necessary for Clark to learn about himself.

Clark says the League isn't going anywhere and we cut to Lois Lane at the Daily Planet. Yes, because this is technically a Smallville Two Parter, Erica Durance appears in the second half. She mistakes a guy with glasses to be Clark and also alludes to her secret ambitions for mud wrestling along the way. I smell the next water cooler story at the office!

Lois ends up at her desk where a black and white package is on her desk saying "The truth will set you free" and containing the profiles of the Justice Society members. Tess of course comes in trying to take the package from her but Lois reminds her who's name was on it from the sender and has her boss slinking away.

Because she's Lois Freakin' Lane! Dang! Erica Durance is on fire this episode, even for a character so spicy, and she only stepped through the door less than five minutes ago!

Back at Men Gen, Icicle II goes to visit Icicle I where it's revealed that he is the latter's son. He wants revenge on the Society for putting his pappy into a cold slumber and then treats us with an icy tear of regret. Reminding us again just which lame ice themed villain we'll be comparing him to for the next hour!

At the museum, the Society says that they broke up in the past because the government wanted them to work as agents, once again a Watchmen reference. The Society said "no" and so the government started to uncover their identites and frame them for crimes, which eventually led to them quitting when they couldn't fight back anymore. Courtney reminds Carter that they have a plot to get on with and that there's still living members of the Society who will be targeted by the Icicle next. So they FINALLY agree to work with the League and try to figure out where Icicle might be next. Chloe wanders into the scene to say that Icicle has been spotted near the hospital visiting his dad and that his powers will likely require recharging from liquid nitrogen. She says she'll need their computer to find the nearest nitrogen depot, to which we're shown their really beat up computer with the punch hole cards.

Oh yeah, 'cause they're old, right? Okay, I admit that was a clever joke. But seriously, with Watchtower's network Chloe could probably figure out the name of the kid who poured paint on her dress back in kindergarten! Don't tell us she can't find a freakin' nitrogen depot!

Back at the Daily Planet, Tess finds her office broken into with her computer fizzing in and out and a white chess piece left on her desk. Yeah, because whoever left it there must have thought "Hey! You know what would REALLY freak her out? Having her computer flicker in and out while she looks at that chess piece! I mean I know it's probably going to be a HUGE inconvenience to her job and totally irrelevant to what I'm supposed to be doing, but I just can't resist adding to the coolness factor!"

At Watchtower, Courtney and Chloe are apparently taking a break from their life and death mission where Courtney divulges into how she joined the Society. Her stepdad used to be Pemberton's old sidekick Stripesy and she found Pemberton's old equipment at the house one day. Well why was Stripsey holding his partner's outfit all these years? Eventually Courtney got hooked into the Stargirl role. She tells Chloe that she needs to lighten up with the Watchtower being so dark and brooding and says that the old museum used to be where the Society members would have Thanksgiving with their kids.

Yeah! Because a little kid is just the perfect person you want trusting your secret identity to! Geez, no wonder the government found your secret identities out! You probably bribed their sons and daughters with Pop Rocks for crying out loud!

Chloe and Courtney are contacted by Ollie and Hawkman. I say Ollie instead of Arrow because he TAKES OFF HIS GLASSES AND HOOD! Yeah, he's on a building rooftop but there's absolutely no reason he should be taking off his disguise! You're a superhero, you idiot! How can Hawkman of all people not be berating him for this?

Well Chloe made a call to Icicle II with the ruse that his dad's condition is worsening to get him to go to the hospital. Ollie and Hawkman argue to the point where Hawkman even tells Ollie to just plain-old "Shut up". Ollie wants to know why Icicle would have waited all these years to get back at the Society for what they did. Of course Hawkman has no answer.

Back at the museum, Doctor Fate has asked Clark to stay for a minute. Because their most powerful member should be hearing a little bit of something he's already going to know years down the road when their members are getting killed off one by freakin' one! Fate tells Clark that the useless hope monlogue John spoke of earlier wasn't useless at all, because Clark is the hope he was talking about! Fate says that Clark will be the one to lead his generation of superheroes in the future, which reminds him of the Legion of Superheroes visit back last year. Fate decides to be more specific then they were of their warnings and says that one day Clark will defeat his ultimate opponent Lex Luthor. Clark says that Lex is dead and Fate changes the subject.

What the...?! He just said he would be specific! Yeah, I get everyone who was worried Lex was gone for good now is expressing a sigh of relief, but you can't just do that when Fate said he wasn't going to be vague about it!

Anyway Fate alludes that Clark will lead a "silver age" of heroism. I know that's supposed to be poetic to the DC Comics, but for anyone unfamiliar, isn't that a kind of sting to Superman! "Yes, you'll be the silver age, because we were the golden age. Because, not to toot my own horn here, but we were freakin' GODS!"

Fate also references that Clark's future will be fulfilled when people look up to the sky to see him with hope, alluding that Smallville is liking to end with Clark not only in the costume we know but taking off for the first real time. Meanwhile Lois has broken into the museum with the info she's given and Clark runs off even after Fate says that she is "The Key".

Oh no, why is there always someone to has to be "The Key"? Can't somebody just be "AK-47" for once? It makes things go so much faster!

Anyway Fate tells Lois that he sees her future and that "you are the one he will need. He is the one you will need." Of course, a reference to Superman, or as he put it "the sentient power". The awesome thing here is that the way it's spoken it doesn't sound like Fate's saying that just for the sake of a comic book reference, his tone is serious and it almost sounds like a grave warning that these two are equals and they'll need each other if they're going to get through what's ahead.

Back at the black and white room, Icicle II is greeted by a woman named Agent Waller, his employer. She warns him that he's making this too personal in getting revenge on the Justice Society. Icicle II has apparently been in contract for killing people on behalf of the organization she works for, Checkmate. Eventually she caves in and says she'll let him finish what he started.

Clark goes to the Daily Planet, once again the only member of the team not going out to do something about this Icicle guy. Need I remind you that he could probably search every possible nook and cranny of Metropolis in about ten minutes tops and yet Chloe has John, Ollie, Carter and the Doc going out to find Frosty?

Clark catches Tess rummaging through Lois' desk, searching through her files. Apparently her usual "lackeys" for doing that kind of task have the day off. Clark takes the files out of Tess' hands, only to look through them himself. He tells Tess to get lost, apparently not giving a crap that anybody who may be watching them might think "Dude, is he telling his boss to take a hike?" Tess warns Clark that whatever Lois is involved in is way over her head.

Lois eventually runs into Clark and tells him she received classified information from an unknown sender about superheroes like the Blur. Clark insists that she let him join her, but she gives a polite "no" this time around for ditching her at breakfast. She also tells him how Icicle II was in juvenile hall but that the government pulled some strings to get him out. The real good stuff is when she says that every one of the super-baddies the Justice Society ever fought now has been released by the feds. Clark realizes that they're being collected.

At a nitrogen depot, John Jones and Doctor Fate (well at least you're putting ONE all powerful being into action) go searching for Icicle II. Fate is interested in John for sacrificing his powers to save Clark back in Season 8. Fate says that John sees what he does in Clark and relates to the Martian in many ways. He tells him that his powers became too much and eventually he lost his family. Fate then decides to open some old wounds and asks John about his family back on Mars before they were killed; his wife and daughter. John admits it so and Fate realizes he misses his family.

Well, duh! Of course he's going to miss his family when you just brought up their DEATHS!

John and Fate are confronted by Icicle II, but Fate uses his magic to turn John back into his Martian form momentarily before knocking him unconscious. Icicle II takes this oppurtunity to jam an icicle through the magician's chest, killing Nelson but with the Helmet of Nabu still whispering. Icicle II realizes the potential power and takes it away.

At Met Gen (geez, you people sure LOVE your hospitals this episode), Hamilton looks over John who is supposedly in some strange of metamorphosis. Clark and Courtney go to visit, finding out Hawkman has gone rogue to bring Icicle II down for killing his friend. Courtney says she wishes Hawkman would find Icicle II first, to do what she can't even though she knows it's wrong. Clark reminds her it is wrong and it's up to her to correct her generation from the mistakes of the past. Courtney says he reminds her a lot of Pemberton back when he was alive.

Back at the Daily Planet, Lois is rummaging through files when she's confronted by Agent Waller. She says she hired Lois because of her in depth and investigative reporting. She gives Lois a communicator and tells her she'll be in touch.

Icicle II goes back to Met Gen (yes, because THAT'S A NEW LOCATION) to visit his old man with the Helmet of Nabu. He tells him that this will give him the power to take down the Justice Society once and for all and then wishes him goodbye, realizing his father's condition has worsened. Icicle II then pulls the plug on his dad, puts the helmet on his head and screams.

Now here's something I'm wondering, if the helmet's supposed to be able to do all this crazy stuff, why doesn't Icicle II just put it on his dad's head and heal him? I mean hypothetically, couldn't it work? Here he'd not only have his father back, he'd be much more powerful and they'd BOTH get to take down the Justice Society for what they did to them. But no, we have to be all moody!

At the museum, Carter is furious and Ollie says they should regroup with the others before taking on Icicle II for what he did to Doctor Fate. Ollie knows that Carter is dangerous when angry, but Carter doesn't listen and loads up on weapons. Ollie sees a scratched Hawkman-like mask in a glass case with a female dummy's head and realizes the connection and thinks she was the reason Carter crossed the line and shut the team down. Carter reveals she was Shiera Hall/Hawkgirl, his wife who was killed in battle. Apparently Carter and Shiera were born eons ago and were cursed to be reincarnated throughout eternity and watch each other die after falling in love. After losing everyone around him, Carter welcomes getting killed so that he can be reunited with Shiera. Ollie says that he also went through a stage of wanting death, but reminds him that people need him. Steadily they come onto common ground and decide to rejoin with the team.

Hawkman flies Arrow to Watchtower to regroup with Chloe, Stargirl and Clark dressed in his Blur trenchcoat. ABOUT FREAKIN' TIME! They realize they can't break apart anymore and...son of a gun...Icicle II pops in (literally) with much stronger powers with the Mask of Loki, I mean Helmet of Nabu on his head.

The League and Society take Icicle II on all at once, all of their weapons seemingly powerless against the helmet. Icicle is just about to freeze Stargirl when John Jones flies in to save the day, his powers not only returned but evolved! Icicle says he thought he killed John, but the Martian replies "I'm Mars sole survivor. There's a reason for that."

Uh, no Icicle you didn't kill him. You didn't even touch him. You just saw him lying on the ground motionless. Idiot.

Anyway, the League and Society take Icicle II down and Hawkman knocks the helmet off his head. When it does, we somehow go from night to day outside the Watchtower. I guess Icicle decided to screw with daylight for the sake of having a dark atmosphere for his final showdown.

At the museum, Hawkman is hanging off his wings when Clark goes to visit him. He tells Clark he doesn't do this job for glory or vengeance and the League isn't what he thought it was. Carter says Clark needs to start trusting them more but that they'll make mistakes. He says he has the capacity to break the chains holding him down and when he does, the future Doctor Fate spoke of will be fulfilled. Clark asks if Carter will stop his hero job and he says "no". Is that just the word of the day? Hawkman and Courtney are going to find the old Society members and train their children and students how to become heroes. Courtney then comes in and asks Clark what they call his team, to which he replies "a work in progress".

Yes, in a TV special where it's just reference after reference after reference after FREAKIN' REFERENCE, Smallville just has to keep one last big tribute under wraps. Needless to say, they've earned it.

At Watchtower, Chloe is greeted by a gust of wind and turns to face Clark, only to find John Jones. He expresses regret that Doctor Fate sacrificed his life to give him his powers back, but says the Helmet of Nabu will one day find a new host to become the next Doctor Fate. He tells Chloe that now that he's put the "super" back into superhero, he won't let his powerless experience go to waste. Now he'll use every tool he's got. Ollie steps in to invite them to dinner to which Chloe and John accept, giving hope that the League will start to lighten up about their superhero alter egos.

Let's just hope they're not on break when Darkseid hits our doorstep.

At the Daily Planet, Lois has gotten her story put on the front page "Who was the Justice Society of America?" She says the writer's names could have read Clark's name next to hers, forgetting that he had begged her for that earlier. Lois also tells him how Doctor Fate had spoke of her future and "the sentient power". Clark asks if she believes in fate, to which she replies "Only the kind you make happen."

Gushy, but not the worst romantic dialogue I've heard these two share.

Back at Checkmate, Icicle II is held hostage with his head all screwy from putting the helmet on. Dude, you don't just slap a mystical object onto your scalp and think there's going to be zero side effects! Waller comes in to tell him that he didn't fail his mission, but that his real objective was to get the Justice Society back into the game. She wants the old and current generation of heroes to come together to stop the "apokolips" that's headed for Earth.

And yes, according to the writer Geoff Johns himself, the line is supposed to be written in that manner. You didn't think I threw that Darkseid reference up there for nothing, did you?

Anyway Waller says Icicle's usefulness is over with and pulls a gun on him to say "Welcome to the Suicide Squad" another DC comic reference. Surprisingly, Icicle welcomes the bullet which he receives at about 200 miles per hour aimed for his closest cranium. Waller exits the room to greet her fellow Checkmate agent...Tess Mercer!

Dude, that's not surprising. Don't you know Tess has made it her number one priority to join as many evil organizations as humanly possible? In fifteen minutes she has a joint meeting with a doomsday cult and the Walt Disney corporation!

CRITICAL COMMENTS

We have a lot of great examples of new characters brought to life. Britt Irvin portrays Courtney Whitmore as a girl who enters the superhero business young, but still has her share of experience. She's not too "let's make this a happy time", she does have some decent moments of taking things as grim as they are.

Michael Shanks embodies a very dark, gritty portrayal of Carter Hall, a believable representation of the Society's leader. Where his performance dropped was his choice of what has now been known as the Christian Bale Batman Voice. Aside from his first couple of scenes in the first parter and last scene in the second parter, he doesn't drop the voice even when he's out of costume!

Brent Strait as Doctor Fate is most definetely the character who is shown uniquely different from his comic book persona, but retains the same gravitas he's known for. We see a very sympathetic light to who he is long before he is killed and every line broken in both his roles as Nelson and Fate are awesome.

Pam Grier as Amanda Waller is shown as a woman who takes charge from her very first appearance. She's able to come down to the same level as our other cast members, but for the most part you can feel her as intimidating even from behind the scenes.

Wesley Macinnes has a couple of sympathetic moments with his character of Icicle, but much like the now Governor Schwarzenegger, the puns are what kills him. Not to mention we've seen characters seeking for daddy's approval or vengeance before on Smallville and there's not that much creativity to him.

The rest of the cast brings their roles exceptionally well to the table, with everyone finding someone they can relate to.

RATING: 9/10

Geoff Johns shows his finest Smallville script yet with Society and lets viewers know just why he's so good at what he does. Glen Winter's direction of the first part is primarily just steady build up, but shows a good number of fine moments. Tom Welling's second part is where we're able to see the tension grow tighter with every scene that plays onward.