I am – Hercules!! SMALLVILLE 6.11 FAQ What’s it called? “Justice.” Who’s responsible? Teleplay is credited to Steven S. DeKnight (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Angel”). What does TV Guide say? “The Green Arrow, Impulse, Aquaman and Cyborg try to destroy LuthorCorp's secret laboratory, but Impulse (Kyle Gallner) is captured and tortured by Lex, prompting the others to joins forces as a team to rescue him.” The big news? Chloe finally figures out Ollie’s secret identity, and becomes the new team’s Oracle. What else is TV Guide not telling us? This looks like the last “Smallville” for young Oliver Queen. Are the words “Justice League” used at any time? The word “League” is not spoken, not even by Aquaman. So this may actually be the formation of The Justice Society, Clark’s first team in the funnybooks. Is Bart calling himself “Impulse” or “Flash” now? In the comics he’s been known as “Flash,” “Kid Flash” and “Impulse,” and his aliases in 4.5 were those of Flashes Jay Garrick and Wally West, but Ollie names him “Impulse.” So it’s safe to assume Ollie is the team’s leader? It is. Do any DC icons besides Oliver Queen, Bartholomew Allen, Victor Stone and Arthur Curry turn up this week? Yes. Clark Kent, Lois Lane, Lex Luthor and Martha Kent. But, curiously, not Lana Lang or Jimmy Olsen. Annoying Hercules. Besides them. No, Ray Palmer doesn’t turn up or anything. It’s all super friends we’ve met in previous episodes. Are any other DC icons referenced? No. There’s not talk of recruiting Shiera Hall or Will Magnus or Rita Farr or Hal Jordan. There’s no talk of Ollie booking a flight to New Gotham City to check out that Dinah Lance girl Batman’s daughter is supposedly training. As I recall, Lex’s torture of Aquaman was pretty passive-aggressive; A.C. was merely denied water. Same sort of thing with Bart? I deem Lex more overtly sinister this time around. Lex constructs an elaborate device that forces Bart to move constantly at superspeed to avoid getting electrocuted. So Lex is totally evil these days? Lex thinks he’s Jack Bauer. He’s literally torturing Bart in the name of freedom and democracy. Was Herc enthralled with this tale of the larger DC Universe? Not so much! Blame expectations, or the Cartoon Network’s animated “Justice League” series, or an appreciation of how great “Heroes” has grown, but I can scarcely imagine a less inspired first live-action teaming of these five DC icons. It might have been fun to see the heroes compare notes about the strange evolution of the world into something suddenly teeming with superhumans. It might have been fun to talk about some heroes Ollie wasn’t able to recruit. It would have been nice to hear more convincing reasons for Bart, Vic and A.C. to throw in with The Green Arrow. (These guys, frankly, have powers that could earn them a mint as free agents; why do they need Ollie?) It would also have been nice to see some less appalling superhero garb. This show doesn’t take its source material nearly seriously enough for my taste. How does it end, spoiler-boy? “You make some pretty amazing friends, Clark Kent.” “Yeah, I do.” Herc’s Rating For “Smallville” 6.11? ** But what matters Herc’s opinion? USA Today says:

… The Justice League gets an early tryout in a clever Smallville …

Entertainment Weekly give it a “B-minus” and says:

… The stunt is a fanboy thrill, but beefcake casting and Wiggles-gone-glam costuming make it silly. If Smallville wants its thunder back from Heroes, it'll have to try harder. …

Variety says:

… Beyond being a lot of fun, the episode comes as a welcome respite from the ongoing "Smallville Place" love triangle involving Clark Kent (Tom Welling), Lana Lang (Kristin Kreuk) and Lex Luthor (Michael Rosenbaum) …

BONUS! TV Guide reveals that the two Aquamen got along famously. 8 p.m. Thursday. The CW.

Showcase Presents Justice League of America Vol. 2!! 520 beautiful b&w pages for $12.06.

Major season sets furiously winging toward you: Batman Beyond 3.x * Justice League Unlimited 2.x * Moonlighting 5.x * NewsRadio 5.x * Northern Exposure 6.x * The Rockford Files 3.x * The Shield 5.x * South Park 9.x *Twin Peaks 2.x * The Venture Bros. 2.x