Review
Wow. That’s basically all I can say at this point.
Like I said a couple hours after I watched this episode
on this site’s message board, that was simply awesome.
This show isn’t simply about a boy with super powers
learning to live in a world in which he doesn’t belong.
There have been shows like that before. No, Smallville
is a show that dares to ask a question no one has fully
answered: how did Clark Kent become Superman?
And along the way, the show got sidetracked from this
mission. It got to the point where I had trouble understanding
why this version of Clark would ever become Superman. He’s
done such a good job saving Smallville (and more recently,
Metropolis) from evil, why would he change?
But now he’s starting to learn his true destiny.
To steal the mantra of Spider-Man, he’s starting
to understand that with great power comes great responsibility.
And not just to Lana, his parents, or Smallville. The whole
world is going to need him one day, and he’s going
to need to be ready.
And a lot of it is due to Oliver Queen. Like I said in
a previous review, Oliver is Smallville’s version
of Bruce Wayne. Whenever Superman goes astray, Batman is
always there to give him a different perspective.
Smallville couldn’t get Bruce Wayne, so they went
with the next best alternative. Oliver is a human that
wants to be super so he can help people. Clark, despite
his great power and desire to help, has always just wanted
to be normal. And Ollie is just letting him know….that’s
not gonna work.
This episode didn’t feature Clark Kent, it featured
Superman. A very young, raw Superman who needs to hone
his skills, yes. But we saw a guy who’s ready to
step up and fight for mankind. And even when he bows out
of the League, Batman-style, he’s doing something
for humanity in fighting the Phantom Zoners.
But let’s talk about the episode itself:
Can I say, at first, that I think the Bart character is
a lot of fun? Just like Wally West from the Justice League
cartoon, he’s just a good-hearted guy you like to
be around. When its time to be serious, he’s serious.
But when it isn’t, he’s always there with a
joke.
And, really, its fun to see someone who beat Clark at
his own game. The “catch me if you can” scene
was just cool because Clark is legitimately impressed.
And I’m sure it takes a lot to impress the Man of
Steel.
As for working for Oliver, I think it makes perfect sense.
I know, like Clark says, he’s not really a team player,
but Bart is all about using his powers to have fun. And
like young Dick Grayson, Bart sees crime fighting as fun.
He’s able to use his powers for good, show what he
can do, and travel around the world. And I’m sure
Oliver is helping to keep him in the lifestyle that Bart
envied so much about Lex in “Run.”
In fact, each member of the group really belongs there.
Even Cyborg and Aquaman benefit immensely from the resources
Oliver can provide. And Ollie himself? He needs the heroes
just as much since he can’t even dream to do the
things they can do. And I believe Clark when he says he’d
like to join, and we know one day he will.
I liked the continuity nods a lot. Bart hitting on Chloe,
AC asking about Lois, the mention of Cyborg’s girlfriend.
I know they’re simple and obvious, but they’re
also real conversations that would take place.
Lex is really becoming Lex Luthor, isn’t he? And
not just in his powers of evil…he’s actually
starting to play the supervillain role. He had no problem
torturing a teenager to get what he wanted. He even resorted
to a very comic-like stunt with the motion-detector cage.
Pretty smart if you ask me.
I kinda wish they hadn’t captured Bart, though.
I mean, even though the writers acknowledged it with a
throwaway line, all the heroes have now been captured and
tortured by Lex. Did they really have to turn it into a
rescue mission?
But that’s basically my only concern. The rescue
mission itself was done great. The team seemed to have
things down pretty well; each man knew his part and knew
how to take orders to get the job done. And I thought each
hero’s powers were used to their greatest advantage.
And can I say Chloe acting as Oracle from the “Watchtower” was
freakin’ sweet? It’s something Chloe would
be perfect at, as we’ve seen a couple times before.
I think she would make a great Oracle. DC, I’m sure
you can make it work in the comics if you want.
And the code names were pretty cool. Even Impulse. I realize
the writers weren’t able to use “Flash” due
to some kind of legal barrier, but I think they covered
pretty nicely for it. Bart Allen, in the comics, was known
as Impulse, so it works. And Oliver’s line about
him not getting to choose his name is a note to the fans
that it was out of the writers’ hands. And Boy Scout
was pretty funny too.
And a side note: I thought it was pretty cool how Lionel
covered for Clark, although I’m still not too sure
about what he’s doing. Is he working with Lex on
33.1 to help Clark, or is he back to his old tricks? Lionel’s
been a very confusing character the past couple of seasons,
and I still have no idea what he’s doing.
As for the B-story about Lois and Oliver, I thought it
went the way it had to. Oliver has bigger dreams than his
own desires, and I thought it was very noble to turn down
Lois to try and save the world. I know a lot of guys out
there, including me, wouldn’t be able to do it. But
Oliver Queen wants to help people. And nothing, including
Lois, is going to stand in his way.
I also admire Lois for not backing down. She doesn’t
want to live with someone who’s not honest with her.
It’s exactly what the Lana Lang character should’ve
been. Someone who can’t stand to live with someone
who leads a double life, but Lana seems to turn it into
spite more easily than Lois does. And it seems like Lois
at least tried.
And the final scene between those two was great. You can
tell that both of them don’t really want to say what
they’re saying. And the “this is the moment
I’m going to regret the rest of my life” line
was delivered so great by Hartley. It was only topped by
Durance’s response. Great work by two pretty underrated
actors.
So what’s next?
Honestly, I hope it will be a spin-off. Justice’s
ratings were fantastic (according to Kryptonsite, they
were 2nd in the “adult demo”), so there’s
obviously a desire to see a Young Justice League on the
air.
And, really, why wouldn’t it work? You have your
star in Justin Hartley, and the actors playing the other
heroes seem aren’t big enough names to turn it down.
And if any of them did, it could easily become like the “Justice
League Unlimited” cartoon with an ever-changing roster
of heroes. I’d even be favor of bring in Chloe as
Oracle.
I mean, look at the chemistry between the characters.
And even the chemistry between the actors. That series
would work, and I think it could be cool. And the show
wouldn’t have to be outrageous, since the “costumes” worn
by the characters aren’t outlandish at all. And we’ve
seen, though Heroes, that an ensemble superhero show can
work.
Would they get Tom Welling? Doubtful he’d stick
around, but you never know. But I’m more than fairly
certain that he’d be up for some kind of guest appearance
or two if he turned down a chance to be in the cast.
Heck, they might even get to the point where DC would
be willing to give the “Bat Embargo” a break.
Because I’m still hopeful that we’ll see Welling’s
Clark interact with the Dark Knight.
Will it happen? I don’t know. But I’m definitely
going to be keeping an eye on it.
If it doesn’t work out, I hope we get to see the
League in action on Smallville next season. Because I’d
really like to see Clark keep his promise.
That’s it for now. As for me, I have a plane to
catch.
I’m off to save the world…
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