#6.11 “Justice” Review

NOTE: This review spoils major plot details so if you don’t wish to be spoiled, stop reading right now and go watch this episode. It’s terrific so I’m not sure what you’re waiting for….

Wow… what a great episode.

Steven DeKnight wrote and directed this episode, and despite some slightly over the top directorial decisions (I really hate it when the camera moves around actors like it did in the first act with Lois and Oliver kissing and he’s too fond of slow motion), the episode was terrific. It moved well right from the tease. DeKnight delivered an extremely tight script. That’s good since DeKnight had to jam a lot into this episode.

DeKnight (“Splinter,” “Mercy,” “Zod,” “Reunion”) has always been one of the more consistently good writers for the series and “Justice” was no exception. The action kept up a good pace and the stakes rose with each act and kept on rising until Clark rescued Bart and Oliver blew up the place. As exciting as the action was, probably my favorite moments were instead the humorous banter between the men of the nascent Justice League.

The writing was witty yet it packed in a lot of recapping of previous storylines while still being fun. The humor of the comic book references was genuine without feeling forced, like it sometimes can.

I LOVED Victor’s new abilities. Nice enhancements. It was very cool when he jacked into the Luthorcorp computers. I hope we get to see him again soon.

I thought Clark and Bart had the best banter. I get the impression that Clark genuinely likes Bart, despite his initial suspicion at Bart’s unexpected reappearance and his breaking into Luthorcorp, so I loved the fact that it was Clark that saved his friend. Unlike the other superheroes that have visited Smallville, I haven’t ever gotten the feeling that Clark is truly friends with any of the other guys. The reestablishment of the friendship between Bart and Clark in the first act made the fact that Bart was the one in peril an important stake for Clark later in the third act. It was very nice the way DeKnight established that.

DeKnight also wrote some excellent evil Lex in this episode. I loved the cool and casually evil of Lex in this episode. DeKnight has a gift for that and it helped that Michael Rosenbaum delivered the lines so well. (More about that later…)

Some fans have complained that Lex hasn’t clearly progressed toward his evil criminal mastermind self in the series. I don’t agree with that and this episode has proof of how much Lex has changed if you compare how he dealt with Bart now to how he did back in “Run.” Back in Season 4, Lex had actually felt bad about the crooks having Bart in their clutches. If you remember, Bart was out cold on the floor, knocked about by being pistol whipped by the bad guys, when Lex pointed out that he was “just a kid.” He even asked them to let Bart go. Lex of today gladly tortured the same kid in “Justice” in order to get the information he needed. Lex has made real progression to the dark side and it’s good to see.

I can’t figure out Lionel, however. He’s been eagerly helping Lex with his 33.1 experiments yet he warns Clark to be careful and later lies to protect him? Why? I was hoping we truly had the Magnificent Bastard back, but now I’m not so sure. I hope they make the reasons behind Lionel’s contradictory actions clearer soon.

The opening scene between Oliver and Lois was terrific and at the end there was real sweetness in how regretfully he broke it off with her. It would have been so easy for DeKnight to throw in some contrived plot point to break them up, but the progression in the episode toward the break up seemed realistic. It was very well done.

As good as this script was, there were some things I didn’t like about it.

Chloe was too passive guiding the guys back in the “watchtower” (funny reference to the comics, by the way). I haven’t been in love with the writer’s apparent fondness of the “Deus Ex Chloe,” but I’m not sure leaving her back at Oliver’s penthouse to help over the radio is a step in the right direction for her character.

Later, I was confused Chloe used Clark’s name over the radio when everyone else was being referred to only by their codenames. If DeKnight wanted to save the reveal of Clark’s codename for later comic affect, and Clark’s reaction to Oliver calling him Boy Scout was funny, then why have Chloe say his real name making it obvious she wasn’t using his codename on purpose?

And, now that we’re on the topic of Chloe spoiling reveals, why did she talk about lead shielding back at the Daily Planet yet didn’t actually connect that to the kryptonite refinement until later at Ollie’s? Wouldn’t that reveal have had more weight if Chloe had found out about the lead right before she realizes the danger to Clark, even though it was too late to warn him?

The acting wasn’t as good, overall, as last week’s. Maybe it does make a difference when the director is someone you know really well, as co-stars in a long running series probably would.

Tom’s Clark was very much like his comic-book self in this episode. He acted without really thinking through things first and put himself into danger in the process. He’s bullheaded and doesn’t always listen to reason when someone is in danger so Tom played that exactly right. I liked the way Tom portrayed Clark’s resolve to keep on fighting the Zoners in the face of Oliver’s crusade against Lex and his 33.1 program to build himself a super-powered army. Clark seemed to really regret not being able to help them. However, possibly my favorite moment was Clark’s reaction when Lois asked him “what if I’d been naked?” Clark’s barely disguised titillation at the thought of seeing Lois without her clothes on was priceless. It was a small thing but it was good continuity with Clark’s realization from last episode that he has growing feelings for Lois.

Michael Rosenbaum really kicked it up a notch with this episode. Lex was evil and it was almost like an afterthought to him to torture someone to get what he wanted. He delivered some really funny lines as well. The “And I want a ponytail line” was hysterical, and Michael delivered it perfectly. His scene with Lionel at the end could have been so over the top, but it wasn’t. Lex justifying his creation of an army of super powered people by fighting for freedom against Green Arrow and his terrorist friends could have seemed contrived but it wasn’t. Michael played it so well, I believe that Lex believes he is the earth’s protector rather than it’s biggest threat.

It was nice to see some of the guest stars return. They’ve previously guest starred in some of the best mythos-centric episodes of the series. Well, except maybe for “Aqua,” an episode which was largely something I’d rather forget.

I really like Kyle Gallner and his “Impulse” is one of the best takes on a DC Comic character ever written for the series. His wit and the quick delivery of his lines made every appearance in the episode a joy to watch. Kyle has a genuine charm that I enjoy. I loved all of his scenes, but especially the ones he had with Clark. The arrogant, sarcastic tone he had throughout the episode was perfect.

Lee Thompson Young’s Cyborg was terrific. He wasn’t in the episode as much as I would have liked, but Victor handled himself well and his one action scene was one of the better ones.

Alan Ritchson hasn’t learned much about acting since his less than stellar appearance in “Aqua.” He was best when he played off others more than when he had to deliver his lines more on his own. It’s probably a good thing Aquaman’s part wasn’t really that big in this episode, although I would have liked to have seen him do something other than just swim and crack jokes. The other guys all got some action but Arthur’s happened off-screen. Oh, well.

I love Justin Hartley’s Oliver Queen. I think he has a wonderful chemistry with Erica Durance and their scenes were wonderful to watch. He’s sexy and charming and he’s played Oliver so well that I’m glad he’ll likely be back.

Erica did a wonderful job in this episode. She did an especially good job in that final scene with Oliver. Erica played Lois’ sad resignation so well. That was a heartbreaking moment when she kissed Oliver goodbye.

Usually I love Allison so much, but there was something off with her in the opening scene of the tease. Allison didn’t play Chloe up to her normally convincing best, anyway. She did really well in the scenes with Clark and Lois, especially when she was playfully talking with Lois about Oliver and him liking green. However, I think the passive nature of most of the episode for Chloe was a bit hard for Allison to deal with. This is not her best episode ever.

The episode was beautifully shot by DP Glen Winter. Probably my favorite scene was the scene where Lex tortures Bart. The shot after Bart wakes up starts behind Lex on the floor, the camera then cranes up and reveals the rest of the lab as Lex walks toward his captive. It was well done. The lighting was terrific in that scene as well. I loved the deep shadows on Lex’s face as he taunted and interviewed his prisoner. It suggested just how dark Lex has really become. I also loved the ending Justice League moment with the five men walking away from the lab facility as it blew up. It was a nice use of slow motion and the camera zeroing in on Clark was a nice touch. It made me think how nice a Justice League spin-off might be…

“Justice” is probably one of the better episodes of the series and definitely one of the top ones of the season, I give “Justice” 4.5 evil labs out of a possible 5.

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