Superman on Television

Smallville: Episode Reviews

Season 9 - Episode 11-12: "Absolute Justice"

Reviews:

Absolute Justice

Reviewed by: Neal Bailey

MAIN POINTS:

  • The JSA reappears in the form of a few former members to fight Icicle.
  • Martian Manhunter turns into the Martian Manhunter.
  • Checkmate appears, along with Amanda Waller, and Tess is a member.

    REVIEW:

    This review can't possibly be fair, because I'm suffering from a severe case of fanservice. Well, actually, it's not an isolated case, it's something that's afflicted me some time ago, and so I've developed some immunity.

    Some time around, I dunno, seven years ago, I was introduced to a guy named Adam Grant who in no way associated in any way with bats, but somehow was supposed to be a proxy for a young Bruce Wayne.

    Then, soon after, Clark Kent was exposed to red Kryptonite, and I had the opportunity to interview Al Gough, and he said to me, "Well, that's our version of Bizarro, because we don't plan on doing the real Bizarro on Smallville." Paraphrased, because I was a moron and lost the tape, but along those lines, anyway.

    Then we got an actual comic book character. Maggie Sawyer. Then Morgan Edge. That was okay. It was like a mild case of a curable disease. Took a few chill pills, got over it. The 24 episode flu, if you will.

    Thought I'd kicked it, but then, all of a sudden, it showed up again. The Flash. Cyborg. Mxyzptlk. Crosby. The Wicked Witch of France, Monkeybella, Green Arrow, Brainiac, ALL before it would make coherent sense in the world of Superman.

    So my body got all confused. See, it thought this was a disease, to be treated with a heavy dose of regulated sarcasm drip. But then the doctors, they said to me, "If you don't like it, don't watch it!" And I was reminded of a group of druggies I knew in my hometown before I moved off to the small city to become a writer, and I realized, it wasn't a virus, it was a DRUG. Good for low-level highs, but then you go back to normal, and you realize you're just sucking on a can of empty skateboard riding Parasite. Rattle rattle rattle goes the paint can, you punks think you own this town.

    Looking back I realized, Al and Miles, they gave us tastes at first, but then they realized that they needed to re-up, so they went back to the well, but their usual sources were all used up. So they tried Bizarro again, but in a less effective way. And another red K. And another red K. And we all ballyhooed, because we still needed our drug of choice, but we'd developed one heck of a tolerance thanks to our cynicism drip.

    I am the doctor.

    But anyway, those dealers got run out of town on a rail, or, more aptly, they got enough money to retire to Oolong Island, and goody on them, they boogied right out, like blowing your nose at 400 PSI. Drives a nail right through the board speed.

    Another crew moves in, and they realize the old drugs aren't going to work, so they just start throwing EVERY single narcotic, upper, downer, wheezer, Krypto, Kandor... you name it, they did it. I mean, sweet lord of hosts, they put kryptonite in gum.

    One day I was watching Smallville and I realized I'd been doing it for nine years, and it was like that guy who was just going to work at McDonalds to get through college to realize his dream of underwater basket weaving, but then he realizes, oh man! I dropped out eight years ago and now I'm the MANAGER! I looked up all those pictures of people who started out young and pretty and then, nine years after they started taking meth, they have two teeth, a Michael Jackson nose, and they're on the streets offering up everything for a little bag of Lana. All they need is a little Lana, man. Get me back on the forums for just a few hours so I can bag on the haters, and I'll do anything, man! I'll let you suck! Your show, I mean. I'll let your show suck and still watch it. Just give me ONE NAMED CHARACTER, MAN! Even one I already know, just one I haven't seen in a year!

    So what is Absolute Justice, then? Absolute Justice is the final tear, really. It's when you take like, fifty lines of Lik-Em-Ade, and you've got all the people standing over you like "SNORT ALL THOSE LINES!" and you're like, "Dude, it'll ruin my nose." And the crowd is like, "THIS PARTY WON'T GO ON FOREVER, BOB! YOU GOT A YEAR AT BEST! You wanna live forever, or do you want to die with a smile on your face?"

    You shrug, you look at the nose candy, and you go, WHEEEEEEEEEE! SNOOOORT. All of a sudden, things get a lot more vivid.

    HOURMAN! STARGIRL! STARS AND STRIPES! SHAYERA! HAWKMAN! THE REAL MARTIAN MANHUNTER! SUPERMAN COSTUME AGAIN! ICICLE! AMANDA WALLER! BLACK CANARY! DR. FATE! ANOTHER ICICLE (REALLY?)! EMIL HAMILTON! THE JSA MANSION! GREEN LANTERN! WILDCAT! THE SPECTRE!

    You're thinking you can NEVER freakin' come down, and then they're like, oh no, son, it ain't over yet. You still gotta take some of this MA HUNKEL.

    HUUUUUUUUUUNKEEEEEEEEL!

    Stephen King says he can't even remember large portions of Misery or Tommyknockers. He was knocker-knackered at the time. So if you look at him and say, "So, what was the experience like?" five minutes after he sobers up, I'm sure you'll get crap.

    I know that, analytically speaking, this episode was chaotic, threw too much at the wall, and did its best to please. Usually, Johns is great at this, because he usually has the ability to prepare for his mess, do his mess, and then clean up his mess. The JSA run in the comics is a prime example, as is his Flash run, his Action run to a degree, his Green Lantern run, and hopefully his new Flash run. For years he can prepare all of these things to make sense, and then, now, when you see eight different teams of colored Lantern teams fighting each other in different pairings on every panel, it makes total sense. And in the history of comics and in context, it still makes total sense.

    BUT, if you do that in Smallville, if you suddenly introduce fifty characters and then evict them from the series, it's kind of a cheat. And it's a cheat with good motivation, it gives us a chance to see all of the things we want this show to be, briefly, and it's why these episodes will be looked at fondly and remembered fondly. Visually, the characters were the characters (at least to me). In behavior, they were the characters to me, especially Hawkman. And thank you, Geoff, for making the Martian Manhunter the Martian Manhunter for the first time. Unfortunately, he will probably never appear again, because now he will cost money. Or he will appear as he did before, sans powers.

    I don't blame Johns for ambition. I blame Smallville for not having the outlet to fulfill it, or for not fostering it with bookends. I hate the game, not the player, if you will, because I know I would write an episode of Smallville if I were asked, and just turn a blind eye to all the crazy and do my best. That's obviously what he did here, and for that, it's worthy of salute.

    Icicle doesn't merit this much attention in terms of response, and we're supposed to forgive that for cool factor. I do.

    A few things really stuck out at me. The news reel was very convenient. Fate restoring Manhunter's powers was convenient. And beyond convenient to the point of absurdity was Amanda Waller and Tess Mercer as a Checkmate agent. That's like saying Green Arrow, all this time, has been working with Lex Luthor, and in fact didn't kill him (wait for it... next season).

    I was able to look over these things because I am addicted to the sweet, sweet crack of fanservice.

    I was overwhelmed by how well the costumes worked for me. In the stills, I thought it sucked. In motion, I was floored. Even Icicle, who looked like Malfoy in the pictures, played for me. Pam Grier, not so much, but I never imagined the JSA could be so well realized. Stargirl was a little hammy, but she fit the part of a young kid learning her way well in costume, and I think I'll miss her the most. Hawkman was a little forced, but the dialogue was good enough to forgive it. Even Fate was fun, and the voice didn't grate as much as I thought it would when I first heard it.

    Chloe still needs to jump off a cliff and land on Mortal Kombat spikes. She serves no real purpose here, even though I love the hell out of Allison Mack.

    Yes, I caught the reference to Apokolips. Yes, I know all they have left is Darkseid. Yes, I am scared. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

    All in all, not a terror, but not the epic win I was hoping for. Unique, though, which is rare for this show, and strong in a number of ways, where most are meh.

    4 of 5.

    LETTERS:

    Lex Vader wrote:

    RE: the red sun thing. I think the tower is just taking all of the yellow sun energy and leaving only red light visible. And it's the energy collected by the tower that is powering the Kandorians, not the superficial red light that's left over. I think the red light is just a side effect that happens to be aesthetically pleasing to Zod 'n' gang, and annoying to everyone else. Clark doesn't have powers because they're totally bogarting that yellow energy, man!

    That's thinking harder and giving them more credit than I'm comfortable doing. I don't like making excuses for bad writing.

    These aren't proper Kryptonians anyway, and it was never stated that if they went back to Krypton, they would have powers there. Heck, with all the time travel devices available, that idea could seriously backfire on Ole Joe! One piece of jewelry later and BAM, Zod's on Krypton all powered up and committing SUPER genocide.

    Right, but they never said that they wouldn't, either. I mean, if you want to think FOR the show, you can say that they COULD be using Bizarro DNA to infuse the Kandorians so that they are given strength by the red sun, so Clark is totally screwed under a red sun, but they get strong. But why would we give them that courtesy when they don't go to such lengths with the story? There are a million explanations for any flaw, but Occam's Razor, ineptitude, is in this case the simplest.

    Mark Sposato wrote:

    Hey Neal, I'm going to try and keep this short and sweet. First off I want to let you know that I have been reading your reviews since season 1. I really appreciate your intelligence, your wit, and most of all your love for and knowledge of the character.

    Thank you! Very kind.

    As far as Smallville goes, I will watch it till the end, for better for worse, simply because I am that much of a Superman fan.

    Now you know why I keep watching when I don't like it at times. It's that simple. :)

    I feel your pain. I am angered too at times, and I am very sick of the lazy and incoherent writing. But I manage to enjoy the show for the mostpart by looking at each episode installment as issues of a comic book. As with the comics, you have a variety of writers, some silly ideas, some lazy story arcs, and sometimes convoluted plots and backward characterization. But amidst all that you're still getting a Superman story with some action, some humor, hopefully some heart, and at least some of the familiar elements that make you smile... And every now and again you get a Geoff Johns or a John Bryne on your book, and then you see what quality work is made of.

    That's the major thing that makes me keep watching.

    Thank Rao we have Geoff himself returning for Absolute Justice, and the first ever live-action interpretation of the JSA. Later in the season we have the return of Martha Kent and Perry White. Maybe we'll even get the return of Rosenbaum's Lex at some point. I guess what I'm trying to say is... it's not all bad... and for me at least, there are still things to be excited about, and things to enjoy in the Smallville universe.

    I agree.

    Not to get into semantics, but as far as the red-sun-Kandorian-powers-problem goes, it is entirely possible that we will have an explanation for why that solar tower does what it does. Maybe Jor-El's blue crystal zap altered the Kandorians genetically, in essence, blocking the mechanism that converts yellow solar energy into superpowers. Perhaps Zod's tower will emit a type of red radiation that will only affect the Kandorians b/c their Kryptionian genes have already been modified, thereby leaving Clark depowered due to the red sun. Maybe that original blue K zap switched the frequency receptors of their "super-cells" to collect and convert red spectrum radiation rather than yellow. Perhaps that's the only way Joe-El knew how to de-power them relative to Earth conditions. Now that's just one example, but with some creativity and serious thinking, a fan can explain away a lot of the absurdities.

    This is all true, but my point is that it's the show's job to explain away absurdities. Now there are some shows, like Lost, where you expect absurdity, so you forgive a lot of it. But there are other shows with a history of introducing things that you presume will be later explained that never are. Smallville does it all the time. I'm still waiting to understand how Jor-El put the stones into ancient ruins, among ten thousand other things. It COULD be X, Y, or Z, but it's most likely just bad, fly-by-the-seat writing.

    In a way, its just an extension of the suspension of disbelief we all engage in while enjoying our favorite Superman book. I am by no means saying you shouldn't hold Smallville or any TV show to the standards you do, I am just suggesting a way to enjoy it a little more. Well that wasn't too short, but I hope it was still sweet. Keep up the good work and take care!

    Thanks! I will point out, though, that there's a difference between suspension of disbelief (Superman is a man that can fly... we accept this.) and inconsistency, whereby you establish a world where Superman can fly and then have an episode where he walks everywhere. One explanation is "Well, maybe there was an anti-flight generator somewhere!" another is, "The writers forgot the world they set up, or don't care enough to be aware of it."

    Bruce Kanin wrote (RE: ABSOLUTE JUSTICE):

    Let's cut to the chase: this landmark episode should have been entitled "Absolutely Just a Mess". There were elements that made me actually feel good -- like when Clark is whisked to the JSA HQ and, with the appropriately somber and strong background music, views the JSA artifacts - GL's ring, Hawkgirl's cracked helmet, Wildcat's gloves...

    The fanservice stuff that informs my bias, yeah. I agree, it covers for a lot of weirdness here.

    But mostly, "Absolute Justice" was exactly what I thought SMALLVILLE would make it: a nearly incomprehensible, illogical and chaotic collection of characters, concepts and plot snippets thrown together like a three year-old would in a Sherwin-Williams store full of open paint cans.

    Better yet - it was like giving a baby a circular saw - watch out!

    I think Zod gave it to the baby. I will give the writers that much rope.

    What I liked (not much)

    * Hawkman was decent. A bit too brooding, but the actor playing him was all right. Hawkman himself seemed a bit short, but his bulk and demeanor made me get used to that. (However, see "What I hated".) * I mentioned the scene with Clark in the JSA HQ. That was nice. Seeing the JSA rounded up and sent to jail was kind of neat, too. I just wish that the story had been about that - Clark and co. rescuing the JSA from jail. (And how could they keep the super-powered members ... the ones we were longing to see ... like Flash and GL ... under wraps for so long?) * Were the team-ups a (Hawkman & GA; Clark & Dr. Fate) a nod to the Silver Age JLA stories that would do the same thing? If so, kinda neat.

    I liked these things as well.

    What I hated (just the highlights)

    * Clark, GA, Hawkman, Stargirl and the Snapper Carr / Marilyn Munster / Oracle of the current "JLA", Chloe Sullivan, team up to fight ... *one guy*? Until Icicle dons the Dr. Fate helmet like Jim Carrey did with the magical mask in "The Mask", he was a run-of-the mill super-villain with icy powers. They needed all those super-heroes? * In a similar vein, Icicle just didn't seem like all that menacing a menace. Yes, he was a murderer. Yes, Waller / Checkmate / Suicide Squad was confusingly behind it all. But I certainly didn't feel that there was a huge threat warranting all that seriousness, hoopla, bad acting and a 2-hour "movie". * Somehow Chloe leaps to the conclusion that Icicle needs liquid nitrogen to power himself. OK, I'll barely tolerate that. But then the JSA-"JLA" combo decide that to catch Icicle, they'll stake out sources of liquid nitro. Then they decide that they'll issue a fake message that Icicle's dad is dying so that Icicle could be trapped in the hospital. But nothing ever comes of either! * Early on, in the hospital, Stargirl says to Clark, "my boyfriend was murdered". Clark says, without much emotion, "I'm sorry". If a complete stranger (especially a stranger who looked like Stargirl) said to me, "my friend was murdered", I'd rush over with an "OMG! That's terrible!" and show a little TLC (especially with a stranger who looked...oops). This was Tom Welling at his worst...which was on display throughout this episode (and maybe has been for awhile - he hasn't been the same since his foster parents disappeared from the series). * Amanda Waller. I don't know what to say about Waller's presence or Pam Grier's performance except that I need something stronger than Ginger Ale to settle my tummy. * Dr. Fate. Hard to believe that the stoic Kent Nelson from the comics is now a blithering doofus, but that aside, as Dr. Fate, he was too short. Worse, it all reminded me of Dark Helmet (Rick Moranis) from "Spaceballs". And Dr. Fate, who is arguably as powerful as Superman, seemed anything but. * Hawkman flying. Where was his jet pack? Were the wings a non-functional decoration? He zoomed through the air like Superman or J'onn J'onzz - not the grace of a bird. I actually liked Ollie referring to him as PigeonMan.

    Yeah, that scene with Stargirl in the hospital was pretty wooden. Fortunately, it ended quickly.

    Dr. Fate always drinks coffee when acting like Starman!

    Other aspects

    * The plot smelled in general and as well a bit too much like "Watchmen" ... someone killing off "mystery men". * When Clark was in the Daily Planet archives, before Chloe walked in and they watched the film of the JSA being rounded up, why wasn't Clark super-speed-reading through all those manila folders? Once again, the Absolutely Dumb SMALLVILLE writers missed a chance to inject some neat super-stuff into a scene. * Dr. Fate alludes to Clark's and Lois's futures. It was neat seeing Superman's cape - like we did eons ago in a Season 1 or 2 episode (my god - that was a LONG time ago) when a soothsayer of sorts saw Clark's future. But is it really necessary for Dr. Fate to reveal as much as he did? Especially that Lex will be Clark's greatest enemy? Why didn't Fate just blurt out, "Hey, you're going to be called Superman, marry Lois, and there'll be a franchise full of comic books, TV shows, movies and t-shirts awaiting."? * Kent Nelson looks like he kept his Dr. Fate helmet in a bowling bag worthy of Ralph Kramden. * The return of the powered Martian Manhunter! And for a moment, when Dr. Fate restores his powers, we see the green-skinned version. But what a lame attempt to suggest MM's uniform with Jackie Chiles...I mean, Phil Morris wearing crossed red suspenders. Oy. * Hey, did you notice that John Jones's police desk phone had a dial? I can understand the JSA having a Commodore computer (if that's what it was) and ancient phones, but the Metropolis PD? They didn't get a bailout?

    Reusing the cape effect was a bit lame.

    Rating

    * *D*. The scene with Clark at the JSA HQ helped the rating, as did the jailing of the JSA and the glimpses of GL, Flash, Wildcat, Atom, etc. (even Ma Hunkle) but this was typical SMALLVILLE trash. I'd say it was a letdown or a disappointment, but I know SMALLVILLE too well. They met my expectations perfectly.*

    This may be what I'd re-review it at six months from now, to be perfectly honest.

    Coming attractions

    * Something about a comic book store and heroes coming to life. I dunno. And the show was renewed for a Season Ten. Incredible.

    -- Bruce Kanin

    Actually, not yet, from my understanding, but then, last year we got the news in late Feb, so we'll see...

    JJ G wrote:

    Hey neal. How ya doin??

    Good! Thanks.

    I always enjoy reading your reviews as well as dougs. My question has nothing to do with superman. I haven't been on the site in a while so I'm not sure if anyone asked this..

    What did you think of Avatar? If you saw it.

    Personally, I loved it. A lot of people complain that the story had a lot of similarities with Dances with wolves. I can see that, but I think we can draw comparisons with every movie. Just wondering what you thought?

    J

    Well, after your kind words, I hate to say something contradictory, but honesty is what it is...

    I did see Avatar. I liked it at first on a surface level, but then I thought about it. While visually it was very interesting, I found the plot upon any real examination wholly derivative, semi-racist, and so full of clichés it made me sick.

    I mean, the basic plot is that a white guy comes to a group of natives with the intention of raping and pillaging their land. He then infiltrates them, learns all of their centuries of custom in a few scant weeks, then becomes their spiritual and physical superior in every way through deception and careful application of force.

    He is directly responsible for the success of the Navi tree destruction, directly responsible for thousands of deaths, and his reward for this is to be made a Navi permanently, get the girl, and have the most powerful toys. If that isn't, for lack of a better way to put it, Manifest Destiny wish fulfillment porn, I don't know what is.

    At least in Pocahontas (this story minus the cool visuals) they're obviously and overtly racist. Here they try and gussy up and make "safe" the idea with the main character's good intentions, but ultimately it comes down to the insinuation that no matter how unique or strong a given culture is, it will bow immediately in the face of one strong white guy with a gun. I can't stand that concept, even when it's obfuscated with pretty hair devices and those cool dragon things.

    It's a Master's thesis waiting to happen, but honestly the above few paragraphs are all the energy I'd care to devote to it. I do, however, shake my head at what the enormous popularity of this concept says about our own culture, in that we choose not to be unique and embrace the most stock and self-affirming crap that comes out while movies with any originality rot on the vine. We made our own bed, and our Navi tree fell a long time ago, in that respect.

    God, that got introspective. Uh, half naked blue chicks are hot! Insert a monkey farting the national anthem, and I'm up out!

    Don't forget to check out the updated KO Count.

    Neal



    Absolute Justice

    Reviewed by: Douglas Trumble

    Supershort run on sentence summary: The Blur and his Superfriends meet up with some Old School Supers and a spunky teenage Super Padawan to find a cold blooded killer (pun intended) who's hunting down retired Supers one by one and when the killer adds the powers of Dr. Fate to his own it takes some mega, multi-generational, team-up action to take him down.

    I'll admit I was a little disappointed with this Smallville mega movie event. Why? Not because of anything that was there. Everything they showed in this episode was awesome. Really awesome, but where was Clark's action scenes? We had awesome shots of Hawkman, Stargirl, Green Arrow, and even the Martian Manhunter and Dr. Fate in action but the only time the "Blur" went into super action mode was at the very end with his heat-vision.

    Really? We had a 5 minute fight scene with Frosty the Snowman and Stargirl/Green Arrow but we are totally denied any real Superman action until the final fight? Seriously? That sucks.

    I liked what we saw but it is a Superman show gosh darn it. Show me some Superman in action with these other Supers.

    Plus did anyone else think this was going to be a self contained "movie"? Because I sure did. What we got instead was your standard Smallville episode just longer. Good to even great episode but not the self contained story spanning two hours that was set in the current Smallville universe I expected.

    Okay, maybe I am over playing it a bit. It's not like Clark wasn't in the episode and it's not like what they did show wasn't awesome. I guess I expected something different. I am certain I will enjoy it more during future viewings when I am able to watch it without any preconceptions about it. I was tempted to watch it again before writing this commentary but I've always tried to write these up after one viewing and feel it's important to get my initial thoughts down.

    Once I got past those items above though I did really enjoy the episode.

    They did a very good job bringing in older heroes and explaining why they were not something well known to the current generation of Supers. Still not sure why Amanda Waller and her Chess club chose to push things into motion now but that seems to be a running story line for the rest of the season so I am okay with not getting all the answers right now. Not exactly what I would have expected in a "movie event" but totally acceptable for a serialized TV show.

    All the flash backs to the larger group of heroes was fantastic. They needed to keep the active cast smaller to have enough time for the characters in the story to be properly showcased but they found a way to make sure other characters in the JSA were not forgotten about. Not sure why a Green Lantern power ring and battery would be allowed to just lie around like that but let's just assume those were permanently powered down or just replicas of the real thing and move on from that.

    I think my favorite part of the entire episode was Dr. Fate's visions of Clark's future. Not only did we get another shot of Superman's cape vision from something waaaaayyyyy back but we also got a glimpse of why Clark is so important to the current generation of heroes. The example he will set will be the difference. Contrast that with Hawkman who was obviously burnt out and over the line and you can see why the JLA will succeed where the JSA failed.

    Hawkman had a line that really drove that point home when he mentioned Clark's reasons for being a hero. Pointing out that Clark doesn't do it for thrills, for vengeance, or with a chip on his shoulder is something I hope they spend more time on in the remaining episodes of the series.

    I am not saying they can't show Clark enjoying being a hero and I am not saying Clark can't find motivation from some negative events but they are not the driving forces in Superman's choice to be a hero. I like that they took the time to point that out.

    The comments about Lois being the "key" to Clark's rise as a savior were also pretty cool to mix into the story. It ties back into our alternate future and how a Lois-less Clark was defeated by the Clones. The reason why that future will not come to pass now that Lois is back in Clark's life.

    Dr. Fate was important in two other ways as well. Giving back J'onn his powers was awesome and I loved the brief shot of him in full Martian mode but I think even more important was having the mask fall into the enemies hands. I know that required Dr. Fate's death but there was no way I would have believed an Iceman wanna be would be a threat to Superman and Green Arrow let alone a JLA and JSA mega team up.

    Give him Dr. Fate's mask and a major power up? Heck yeah. I can see why they had to hit him with high-tech arrows, star staff blasts, Kryptonian heat-vision, and a Thanagarian mace to take him down.

    Admittedly I don't know the intimate details on Dr. Fate so I don't know how this version with the death and having the mask find a new person fits with that Character's DCU history but it worked for me.

    (Quick note: Extra points go for giving J'onn an outfit that hints at the Manhunter's classic look. I liked it!)

    Hawkman was very well realized in this story. I really dug the scruffy, jaded, cranky, veteran superhero they played him as. (Could have done without the Christian Bale Batman voice but that's a nitpick). The tension between him and Green Arrow was fantastic. It was really great how neither of them really got the upper hand on each other throughout their little back and forth.

    In fact looking at the story as a whole, no hero, old or new, was allowed to out-shine the others. Maybe that was the reason why they limited Clark's action in this story? Guess I can live with that.

    Stargirl was well done as well. The costume worked considering the age of the character and they did a good job explaining where she fit in this group of older heroes. I loved her fight with frosty but I think her best addition to the episode was her scene with Chloe in the Watchtower. Her comments on making the base a home and treating the team like a family really hit home in pointing out why the JLA was currently struggling. (Also showing Chloe that maybe her big sister routine might not be the way to go). That really paid off in the end when Oliver invited J'onn and Chloe out for dinner. I wish Clark would have been in that scene though. It would have made it even better.

    An interesting twist showed up with Lady Lex actually being a government agent. That brings up some questions about her work for Lex and the fact that Dr. Fate hinted that Lex lives but I am not going to speculate too much on that. I just think it's important to point out that she was bugged and monitored 24/7, for who knows how long, by the world's greatest villain. I think it needs to be explained at some point whether or not Lex is aware of, or is a part of, this group.

    So while I expected something a bit more self-contained and I was hoping for more Blur action scenes, I have to say I really enjoyed this episode for what it was. Over hyped? Absolutely! Yet not terrible by any means and certainly one of the can't miss episodes of the series.

    I give it a 4.5 out of 5.

    Didn't see a preview for next week but I believe it's the one set at a comic book convention. Looking forward to all the jabs they take at us geeky fans!

    Doug



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