Smallville 9.11 & 9.12 "Absolute Justice"
If you hated it, please steer clear of commenting because I really don't want my squee harshed on this episode. I make no apologies for being either a Smallville fan nor a JSA comics fan. This was the happy collision of two of my favorite things in the universe. Consequently, in trying to make my elation coherent, I got wordy.
The Smallville players:
CLARK: because he's always number one. I thought that especially considering Tom's limited availability with him directing the second half, Clark's screentime was well utilized. I loved, loved, LOVED that as soon as Clark was given an inkling something didn't add up, he believed in the mystery men. It was an excellent contrast to Chloe and Oliver's pessimistic stance and illustrated perfectly what makes him Superman and a beacon of hope to others - he believes in others - he gives them the benefit of the doubt. He's learned that lesson the hard way with Lex and it's something he'll carry with him always. Even Chloe, who hasn't deserved it lately. I loved his comment about admiring loyalty! We got an early glimpse of it with the Kandorians and how he believes in their abilities to make new lives for themselves while Chloe does not and it's underscored later with Tess and going through Lois's files. He asks because he cares, but he also trusts and he does it with respect.
Also, Clark's eloquent in it's simplicity line to Courtney, "Yes, it's wrong" when she expresses her partial desire for Carter to get to Icicle first so there would be vengeance for the murders rather than justice. ♥♥♥♥x1 MILLION
CHLOE: OMG! I cared about Chloe again! That hasn't happened since about the middle of last season. I think her arc has been interesting, but I'm not as good as Clark and I'd honestly written her off as a lost cause. Now, I'm not so sure and if she can find her way out of seeing information as the be all and end all and back to caring about people, I will be very, very happy. I like her in investigative mode, but she needs to find the happy balance and I'm glad it was J'onn who reminded her of that. He's got the right mixture of wisdom, compassion, and telepathy to empathize with her - he's likely experienced something similar in the past. Whereas Ollie is still too close to the gray areas to properly recognize the danger and Clark is too close to Chloe to be willing to see it. Also, it was nice to see her really talk with Courtney - I'm trying to remember the last time we saw her really have a conversation with someone that wasn't all about getting the goods or manipulating their actions and I'm coming up blank. She used to talk to her friends - to Clark, to Pete, to Lois, to Lana. I'm looking forward to her redemptive arc and to getting some of that old school Chloe back.
OLIVER: Have I told you how much I love Ollie this season? Because, I really, seriously do. ♥ I think his redemptive arc has been great for him and he's become Green Arrow in my eyes in a way he wasn't before - worthy of it somehow because he's had to eat plenty of crow for his reprehensible actions. I've loved his work with Mia and his ultimately grudging respect with Hawkman was well deserved, even while the previous snarky interaction was hilarious.
J'ONN: Oh, J'onn! ♥ I'm going to have to reign in the hearts here. I have such love for Phil Morris and Smallville's J'onn and I'm delighted to have him back. This episode was all about Lost and Found Family - over and over again we were told or shown how the JSA had lost their families and in some cases built them again. J'onn was the heart of that story - our connection as Smallville viewers - he may have lost his entire people, including his wife and daughter, but he's found a new people and a new family in what Clark calls "a good start". :) It doesn't replace what he's lost, but it does give him reasons for keeping the faith in the good fight.
LOIS, TESS, and WALLER: Lois and Clark are always win and I'm glad Fate's prediction was reciprocal. I love her saying she believes in making her own fate. That's my Lois Lane! ♥ As for her story, this time Lois may not have gone beyond making sure the files dropped in her lap were legit, but I doubt she's going to stay Waller's information dissemminator for long. Also, Lois skipping out on a meeting with Michael Holt was likely not a throwaway reference as he is not only the Justice Society's Mister Terrific, but also Checkmate's White King, thus the man working most closely with/against Amanda Waller. At least, I hope Smallville will utilize it; I'm usually wrong about these things. *fingers crossed*
Tess as an agent of Checkmate means she's FINALLY fucking interesting to me. It's about damn time. A year and half is a long time not to care about a regular player. She finally has her own identity now - she's not Mercy, she's not Tessmacher, she's not wannabe!Lex - now she's Tess Mercer, Checkmate Agent. I am assuming/hoping the "apocolypse" Waller referred to had something to do with intel Tess gave her about Zod and the Kandorians and Tess's glimpse into the future... I am very excited for this arc and the whole rest of the season! It's the perfect way to up the ante. Oh, and Pam Grier was awesome - just the right amount of creepy charm and absolute conviction. Her "Welcome to the Suicide Squad" gave me chills.
The JSA players:
Okay, speaking as a JSA fan and ignoring Smallville's paltry FX budget, let me just say I thought they were perfect and it was an absolute joy seeing them portrayed in live action. Now, onto their roles in the episode. Did I mention Lost and Found Families?
COURTNEY: Beginning from the first time we see her mourning Sylvester, it's clear Courtney's made the choice to really care about her chosen family. Chloe even marvels at it, "You're not related to any of them." Yet, she obviously cares deeply for not only Syl and Pat, but for Carter and Kent, and even by mention Jay, Alan and Ted too. I loved her asking about pictures on the walls and invoking Thanksgiving dinners. ♥
CARTER: Obviously, his love and mourning for Sheira drives his character a great deal. What I liked was that his friendship with Kent Nelson was also emphasized. The guy in that helmet's been his friend as long as Sheira's been his love.
KENT: Oh, Kent. Pushing J'onn through fire to make him whole again. Sacrificing himself in the process. Just being Fate sacrificed himself in a way. And he's been promised he'll see Inza again. *sigh*
ICICLE: The villain of the episode, he rejects family in every way, even killing his father. He even rejects his mission as part of Checkmate's, claiming it's personal. Fittingly, it takes the united teams to take him down.
To me Smallville's big themes are Family and What Defines It, Destiny vs. Personal Agency, The Control of Information (Secrecy vs. Trust), and plain ol' Right vs. Wrong. We got all of the above in "Absolute Justice". So, yeah, I loved it for the JSA, but I also thought it was a solid episode of Smallville.
As for that completely unexpected and utterly amazing reel of film: Thank you Smallville! Thank you Geoff Johns! Thank you Glen Winter! Thank you whomever else in the world I need to thank for those few minutes of wow. It made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me shout out loud and grab Ashley by the arm and was an emotional roller coaster of exceptional fantastic. Seriously, I'm not even sure words can express my absolute love for that sequence, so I submit a crude list, instead:
There are bits I've forgotten, but I will be watching this numerous times over, I'm sure.
♥♥♥♥♥♥ We got live-action JSA!!! Sixty-eight years after the team's inception - the team that was the FIRST team, without which there would be no subsequent teams such as the Justice League or even quite probably a cohesive intra-company universe. And the show honored and respected them and gave them their proper due! ♥ SO HAPPY! I spammed literaryll's post with spoilery-squeefilled comments here :D.
The Smallville players:
CLARK: because he's always number one. I thought that especially considering Tom's limited availability with him directing the second half, Clark's screentime was well utilized. I loved, loved, LOVED that as soon as Clark was given an inkling something didn't add up, he believed in the mystery men. It was an excellent contrast to Chloe and Oliver's pessimistic stance and illustrated perfectly what makes him Superman and a beacon of hope to others - he believes in others - he gives them the benefit of the doubt. He's learned that lesson the hard way with Lex and it's something he'll carry with him always. Even Chloe, who hasn't deserved it lately. I loved his comment about admiring loyalty! We got an early glimpse of it with the Kandorians and how he believes in their abilities to make new lives for themselves while Chloe does not and it's underscored later with Tess and going through Lois's files. He asks because he cares, but he also trusts and he does it with respect.
Also, Clark's eloquent in it's simplicity line to Courtney, "Yes, it's wrong" when she expresses her partial desire for Carter to get to Icicle first so there would be vengeance for the murders rather than justice. ♥♥♥♥x1 MILLION
CHLOE: OMG! I cared about Chloe again! That hasn't happened since about the middle of last season. I think her arc has been interesting, but I'm not as good as Clark and I'd honestly written her off as a lost cause. Now, I'm not so sure and if she can find her way out of seeing information as the be all and end all and back to caring about people, I will be very, very happy. I like her in investigative mode, but she needs to find the happy balance and I'm glad it was J'onn who reminded her of that. He's got the right mixture of wisdom, compassion, and telepathy to empathize with her - he's likely experienced something similar in the past. Whereas Ollie is still too close to the gray areas to properly recognize the danger and Clark is too close to Chloe to be willing to see it. Also, it was nice to see her really talk with Courtney - I'm trying to remember the last time we saw her really have a conversation with someone that wasn't all about getting the goods or manipulating their actions and I'm coming up blank. She used to talk to her friends - to Clark, to Pete, to Lois, to Lana. I'm looking forward to her redemptive arc and to getting some of that old school Chloe back.
OLIVER: Have I told you how much I love Ollie this season? Because, I really, seriously do. ♥ I think his redemptive arc has been great for him and he's become Green Arrow in my eyes in a way he wasn't before - worthy of it somehow because he's had to eat plenty of crow for his reprehensible actions. I've loved his work with Mia and his ultimately grudging respect with Hawkman was well deserved, even while the previous snarky interaction was hilarious.
J'ONN: Oh, J'onn! ♥ I'm going to have to reign in the hearts here. I have such love for Phil Morris and Smallville's J'onn and I'm delighted to have him back. This episode was all about Lost and Found Family - over and over again we were told or shown how the JSA had lost their families and in some cases built them again. J'onn was the heart of that story - our connection as Smallville viewers - he may have lost his entire people, including his wife and daughter, but he's found a new people and a new family in what Clark calls "a good start". :) It doesn't replace what he's lost, but it does give him reasons for keeping the faith in the good fight.
LOIS, TESS, and WALLER: Lois and Clark are always win and I'm glad Fate's prediction was reciprocal. I love her saying she believes in making her own fate. That's my Lois Lane! ♥ As for her story, this time Lois may not have gone beyond making sure the files dropped in her lap were legit, but I doubt she's going to stay Waller's information dissemminator for long. Also, Lois skipping out on a meeting with Michael Holt was likely not a throwaway reference as he is not only the Justice Society's Mister Terrific, but also Checkmate's White King, thus the man working most closely with/against Amanda Waller. At least, I hope Smallville will utilize it; I'm usually wrong about these things. *fingers crossed*
Tess as an agent of Checkmate means she's FINALLY fucking interesting to me. It's about damn time. A year and half is a long time not to care about a regular player. She finally has her own identity now - she's not Mercy, she's not Tessmacher, she's not wannabe!Lex - now she's Tess Mercer, Checkmate Agent. I am assuming/hoping the "apocolypse" Waller referred to had something to do with intel Tess gave her about Zod and the Kandorians and Tess's glimpse into the future... I am very excited for this arc and the whole rest of the season! It's the perfect way to up the ante. Oh, and Pam Grier was awesome - just the right amount of creepy charm and absolute conviction. Her "Welcome to the Suicide Squad" gave me chills.
The JSA players:
Okay, speaking as a JSA fan and ignoring Smallville's paltry FX budget, let me just say I thought they were perfect and it was an absolute joy seeing them portrayed in live action. Now, onto their roles in the episode. Did I mention Lost and Found Families?
COURTNEY: Beginning from the first time we see her mourning Sylvester, it's clear Courtney's made the choice to really care about her chosen family. Chloe even marvels at it, "You're not related to any of them." Yet, she obviously cares deeply for not only Syl and Pat, but for Carter and Kent, and even by mention Jay, Alan and Ted too. I loved her asking about pictures on the walls and invoking Thanksgiving dinners. ♥
CARTER: Obviously, his love and mourning for Sheira drives his character a great deal. What I liked was that his friendship with Kent Nelson was also emphasized. The guy in that helmet's been his friend as long as Sheira's been his love.
KENT: Oh, Kent. Pushing J'onn through fire to make him whole again. Sacrificing himself in the process. Just being Fate sacrificed himself in a way. And he's been promised he'll see Inza again. *sigh*
ICICLE: The villain of the episode, he rejects family in every way, even killing his father. He even rejects his mission as part of Checkmate's, claiming it's personal. Fittingly, it takes the united teams to take him down.
To me Smallville's big themes are Family and What Defines It, Destiny vs. Personal Agency, The Control of Information (Secrecy vs. Trust), and plain ol' Right vs. Wrong. We got all of the above in "Absolute Justice". So, yeah, I loved it for the JSA, but I also thought it was a solid episode of Smallville.
As for that completely unexpected and utterly amazing reel of film: Thank you Smallville! Thank you Geoff Johns! Thank you Glen Winter! Thank you whomever else in the world I need to thank for those few minutes of wow. It made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me shout out loud and grab Ashley by the arm and was an emotional roller coaster of exceptional fantastic. Seriously, I'm not even sure words can express my absolute love for that sequence, so I submit a crude list, instead:
- Wesley Dodds holding an injured Dian Belmont in his arms;
- Jay's proud descent down the stairs;
- Alan's defiant stare from his cell;
- Grant's Gym;
- Al Pratt;
- MA HUNKEL!!!!!! OMG! I totally should have expected that, but I did not;
- Checkmate railroading them worked brilliantly as a stand-in for the McCarthy hearings. Brilliantly.
There are bits I've forgotten, but I will be watching this numerous times over, I'm sure.
♥♥♥♥♥♥ We got live-action JSA!!! Sixty-eight years after the team's inception - the team that was the FIRST team, without which there would be no subsequent teams such as the Justice League or even quite probably a cohesive intra-company universe. And the show honored and respected them and gave them their proper due! ♥ SO HAPPY! I spammed literaryll's post with spoilery-squeefilled comments here :D.