Lower Decks

Smallville’s first two-hour movie in the show’s history is a pretty solid event.  Not only do we get Smallville’s version of the Justice Society (including major appearances by Doctor Fate and Hawkman), but we get the first on-screen references to a lot of mainstream DC heroes.  Not since the original Justice League episode has an episode of Smallville felt like a comic book event.  But what worked for “Absolute Justice” wasn’t simply the fact that it feels like something special – it also tries to move the series forward in more ways than one.

I’d like to say that I’m glad that the Martian Manhunter got his powers back in this episode.  I realize that’s not really the point of the episode (and it’s an odd way to lead off), but it just felt really weird that John sacrificed his powers to save Clark last year…and it was never resolved again.  Like the death of Lex (more on that in a second), it just felt wrong for the series, and I’m glad it’s been fixed.

Of course, I’d feel a lot better about things if the show actually carried through some of the things it talked about in these episodes.  Everything seems to be building to the final scene, where Oliver, Clark, Chloe, and John decide to spend time together…just as friends/family.  Several times, it’s alluded to the fact that the Justice League is so hard to get a hold of, and it seems like Chloe and Oliver (as the leaders of the League) vow to do something about it.

Unfortunately, though, I’m not really sure that’s going to happen.  It’d be really cool if, at least a couple times a year, the Justice League did show up on the show.  Maybe not all of them every time (particularly since the League is growing), but it’d be cool if they were all solid guest stars.  Particularly since it’s not really clear what the rest of the League is supposed to be doing while Oliver and Clark are busy in Metropolis.

And it made me kinda wonder if this episode shouldn’t have been a season finale – there’s even a chance, with a bit of tweaking, that it could’ve worked as a series finale.  Because Clark and company learn a lot here, and it feels like the stakes have been kicked up.  And if we just get another freak of the week episode where Clark and Oliver and Chloe are all doing their own thing next week…what was the point?

But let’s not worry about that right now – let’s focus on the movie itself and let the rest of the season map itself out.

I really loved how much Chloe was featured, and I love that she’s taken such a big role in the universe.  You can just see how much Oliver and John respect her, and it’s great to see that she’s able to keep up with all of these epic heroes.  It was a bit strange that she and Clark were on good terms so quickly (especially since, even last week, they were fighting), but it was great that they were able to team up again.  I wonder if the goodwill will continue beyond these two episodes, though.  I hope so.

But let’s talk about what everyone wants to talk about – all the guest heroes.  On center stage were Hawkman and Doctor Fate, and I thought both were handled pretty well.  I’ll admit that I don’t know a whole lot about either character, but I thought each worked in the context of the series.

One of the great fears coming into the episode was whether or not the costumes would look cheesy.  After all, most “costumes” on this show have been updated/altered to make a bit more sense in a realistic world, but these people were going to try and look like their comic counterparts.

And, yes, I felt like Fate looked a bit ridiculous at times, but I didn’t think it was particularly over the top.  And I agree with the producers that they needed to favor authenticity over realism in this case, and I think they did a great job with what they’re working with.  Much better than last year’s Doomsday if you ask me.

We also get glimpses of several other heroes, including Hawkgirl, Green Lantern, and the Flash.  It would’ve been nice if we could’ve seen some of these heroes in action (they aren’t even allowed to use Flash’s name – it’s part of the same embargo that made Bart Allen be called “Impulse” in the Justice League episode), but it was still cool to see them.

One of my concerns was how the Justice Society would fit in with Smallville continuity – after all, the first few seasons did a pretty solid job of explaining that Smallville was unusual for it’s super-powered crowd.  If there were “metahumans” and superheroes already, Smallville wouldn’t have seemed so strange.  Besides the fact that if the Flash were well known, Bart Allen’s ability wouldn’t have intrigued Clark so much.

The writers are able to skip around this fact with the simple idea that the Justice Society kept themselves hidden – kinda like Clark has done.  And it really is a great way of doing things – you get a great sense of history without really affecting the show’s continuity.

Although one thing did bug me about that.  Hawkman mentioned that the “museum” was closed forever (implying that it was open at some point) - and it seems to be the same building that served as the Justice Society’s headquarters.  Later scenes seem to imply that the headquarters doubled as a museum (with all their weapons on display).

If that’s the case, was it supposed to be a JSA museum?  And if that’s the case, who was supposed to be visiting this museum…especially if the JSA was this big secret that no one knew about – not even the “current” superhero team?

I also found it a bit odd that, at no point, do Hawkman and company reach out to the other JSA members.  I realize that this couldn’t be a battle royale, but it seems like Hawkman is more concerned with leaving the rest of the team alone than actually protecting them.  Particularly since they didn’t seem to have any idea that Icicle was working alone.

Anyway, I’m a thousand words in and haven’t really mentioned the plot.  Let me do a really quick summary.

Chloe is contacted by a former superhero (the Star-Spangled Kid) who tells her that her team is in danger.  Before she can do anything, she’s thrust into a dumpster, and a super-powered brawl takes place.  When the dust settles, the hero is dead.

After another hero (Sandman) is killed in a similar way (killed via an ice weapon), Clark, Chloe, and Oliver begin looking into what’s happened.  It turns out that both dead people belonged to a team that was imprisoned decades earlier, and Clark moves in to try and protect the remaining members.

Not before long, they stumble upon the truth – that everyone that was arrested was a superhero, part of a secret team of heroes called the Justice Society of America.  And while our heroes are investigating the deaths, Hawkman, Doctor Fate, and Star Girl (the Star-Spangled Kid’s protege) work on their own.

Eventually, the two teams clash.  The Justice Society members think that the Justice League is young and careless, while the Justice League is eager to prove that they have what it takes.  The biggest clash comes between JSA leader Hawkman and de facto leader Green Arrow – who don’t like each other one bit.  It’s great to see the chemistry between the two characters, and I loved every scene between the two.

It turns out that the villain after the old heroes is Icicle – a villain with cold-based powers – who is looking for revenge for the defeat of his father at the hands of the Society.

Eventually, the two teams (and the Manhunter) find a way to work together, and they save the day.

What no one else finds out is that Icicle is actually the pawn of  a larger game – run by the mysterious Amanda Waller.  She’s a leading agent of a group called Checkmate that was responsible for the imprisonment of the heroes in the first place.  And at the end of the episode, we get three interesting revelations about Checkmate.

1. The whole scheme was designed to get the JSA out of hiding and working with the new group of heroes.  Waller claims that she’s getting the world ready for the coming apocalypse.  Maybe she means Apokalips?

2. Waller is creating the Suicide Squad.

3. Tess Mercer is a member of Checkmate, subservient to Waller.  It’s unknown how long she’s been a member.

The Checkmate stuff is really cool (I loved all the Cadmus stuff on Justice League Unlimited, also featuring Waller), and I’m looking forward to seeing what they do with it.  Amanda Waller is a really interesting character, and I’m glad she’s finally made her way to Smallville.

So, all in all, the episode really advances the storyline.  We’ve been slowly building to Clark as a leader of other heroes, and we’ve also seen Chloe and the League take more prominence in things (although, again, the heroes are always off-screen).  Hopefully, some of the advice the characters receive actually goes to heart.  Especially Chloe trying to get out of the Watchtower every once in a while.

A couple final things – one good and one bad.

I mentioned Lex earlier, and Doctor Fate seems to indicate that Lex is alive.  Whether or not they actually get Michael Rosenbaum back (and I’m hoping they can before the show ends), I’m glad that they at least left that door open.  Lex is such an important character to the Superman mythos that they can’t leave him dead for too long.

As far as the negative goes, I felt it was a little odd that Icicle was the sole villain in the episode.  He seemed to be pretty powerful, but even Waller admits at the end of the episode that it was a bit ridiculous to assume that he could take down the whole JSA by himself.

Particularly since the main problem with defeating Icicle was simply finding the guy.  Star Girl was almost able to handle him by herself, and the heroes, once teamed up, defeat him really easily five on one.  I wish a better villain had been used, just because it would’ve added a bit more danger and drama to things.

Although that also might have washed out the heroes a bit.  It was really great to have two full hours for this because it really gave the guest heroes a chance to shine.  Even Clark takes a backseat to give the JSA people time for themselves (he really doesn’t do much, even when fighting is required, in either part).

In conclusion, I thought it was really well done.  I’m glad the producers gave the writers enough freedom to do the Justice Society right, and I couldn’t have been more happy with the results.  A great television movie, a great event, and a great job.

And, hopefully, something great to build on.