Smallville: Absolute Justice an absolute joy

     Long anticipated, Friday night's two hour television movie Smallville: Absolute Justice was more than just two episodes of the CW's popular Smallville series.  It mapped out the direction the show is heading towards.  The story centered on the discovery of an old group of super heroes known as the Justice Society of America.  DC Comics readers will know that this group was the original grouping of heroes.  However, besides adding new, possibly recurring characters such as Hawkman (Michael Shanks, Stargate SG-1) and Stargirl (Brittney Irvin), it also gave us large clues into what Clark's (Tom Welling) fate on the series will be, as per the visions of Dr. Fate (Brent Stait).

     By the end of the tv movie, it was clear that Clark would be forming his own society soon.  Currently, that consists of Chloe a.k.a. Watchtower (Allison Mack) and Oliver a.k.a. Green Arrow (Justin Hartley), as well as the newly reinvigorated John Jones a.k.a. Martian Manhunter (Phil Morris).  While we have seen Clark and company working with other superheroes in the show, they were all strangely absent, as were almost all the rest of Hawkman's team.  This was presumably due to budget and time constraints, though it gives hope that many or all will return soon.  The question is, will it just be another chapter in Clark's life?  Or will that be the new direction the show makes, as the network has no desire to end Smallville, but Welling seems ready to go?  Would a bigger ensemble series where his role is much more limited appeal to him?  It is an intriguing concept for a show that has often reinvented itself.

     For now, though, it seems Clark and his group will soon be facing a large army of super villians, and he is being manipulated into getting heroes together by Checkmate and Agent Waller (Pam Grier, The L Word), who clearly are far from moralistic.  This will be an interesting plot, and will it be connected or seperate from this season's big bad, Zod (Callum Blue, Dead Like Me, The Tudors)?  Other tidbits found out in the two hour special were that Tess (Cassidy Freeman) is a part of Checkmate, and to no one's surprise, Lex Luthor (Michael Rosenbaum) is still alive, and will be Clark's archnemesis.  Fans have long anticipated Lex's return, and the reveal will only fuel calls to get Rosenbaum back on the show.  Ultimately, for the series finale to be truly satisfying, whenever that ends up being, Lex will have to play a part.

     Smallville continues to air Friday nights at 8pm on the CW.