Oliver: "This isn't the end of the story, Clark. This is just the beginning."It's a good sign when you watch something with a huge smile on your face. What fun. And if this is their spin-off idea (which it clearly must be), I'm definitely on board. Go, team.
Of all the incipient superheroes they've introduced in the past couple of years, Bart Allen has always been my favorite, so it was great that so much of this story was about him. I liked the Flash touches: the thunderbolt on his backpack, the way he eats like a pig. Yeah, I know his "code name" isn't Flash, but Impulse, Shmimpulse, that's what he is. Since he was the one I cared most about, his capture and bizarre torture (by Lex!) was fairly upsetting. Good writing there.
I do like Oliver. And Cyborg and Aquaman weren't bad at all. Aquaman's corniness was downplayed, and Cyborg's special gifts were important to the plot. The costumes were understated and cool-looking with the hoods and the sunglasses and the complete lack of tights. I really enjoyed the code names and fish stick jokes, too. Dan and I had a long debate about the spinoff potential, and we agreed that there was a lot of room for story development and the addition of cool characters.
Speaking of which, how about Chloe? Chloe has always been one of my three favorite Smallville characters (after Lex and Lionel) and this episode made me fantasize about a Justice League spinoff with Chloe as their girl Friday – just as she is now Clark's best friend and confidante. Couldn't Oliver hire Chloe? Couldn't they offer Allison Mack a bunch of money and keep her character in the spinoff?
So Lex is protecting freedom and democracy by creating an army of supermutants? Does he really think torturing superheroes is doing good? It wasn't just Bart. Lex tortured Aquaman by withholding water, and he was going to have a control chip inserted in Cyborg's brain. Superheroes just bring out the worst in Lex. (But we knew that.) Ooh, Lex. He's gotten soooo bad.
Lionel was obviously still protecting Clark and keeping his secret, but why was he also helping Lex with 33.1? Major conflict. I'm confused. Lionel's motivations have always been confusing. I can rarely tell what side he's on.
Finally, in our minuscule B plot, Oliver broke up with Lois. I was more than ready for that relationship to be over, so that was cool. Lois with Green Arrow was like a relationship rehearsal for Superman, anyway. With Smallville probably winding down, it's time for the real thing.
Bits and pieces:
— Yes, it was cool, but it was still too much of a boy's club. What about a female superhero? I liked Andrea from the season five episode "Vengeance." I thought she was very cool and Batman-like.
— Kyle Gallner (Bart Allen) was a cast member on Veronica Mars last year. He was terrific. I want good things for him. If the possible spin-off doesn't include Impulse/Flash, I'm going to be seriously bummed out.
— Is Flash really faster than Superman? My comic book ignorance is showing.
— Dan said that JL International, or Justice League International, was right from the comic books. So was Watchtower.
— Just for what it's worth, Bart appeared in "Run," Aquaman (Arthur Curry) in "Aqua," and Cyborg (Victor Stone) in "Cyborg."
— No Lana this time. It was Lois' turn.
— This episode was written and directed by Steven S. DeKnight, who also worked on Angel. You did well, Mr. DeKnight.
— This one was called "Justice." I guess it was either that or "League."
Quotes:
Lois: "Is it just me, or is this relationship all interruptus and no coitus?" Did Oliver and Lois ever actually get around to doing it? I don't think they did.
Bart: "I want a lawyer."
Lex: "And I want a ponytail."
Green Arrow: "You make one hell of a can opener."
Cyborg: "You'd look good on a bag of green beans."
Clark: "Boy scout?"
Green Arrow: "If you hadn't run off all half-cocked, you could have picked your own code name."
Oliver: "I'm thinking about something with the word 'justice' in it."
Four out of four stars for all the great superhero spinoff fun,
Billie
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Billie Doux had a love-hate relationship with Smallville, which is why some of her reviews are briefer than they should be.
Why is Clark Kent so judgemental and controlling. He has got to be the most irritating Clark Kent/Superman I have ever seen on screen. In his own way, he is just as controlling as Lex Luthor.
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