TVSquad

Michael Ausiello has posted on EW.com some first pictures of the Justice Society appearance in Smallville. A photo of Hawkman had already been released which admittedly I thought was a gag. Now we have another photo of Hawkman laying the smack down on Green Arrow and a picture of Doctor Fate and Stargirl to boot.

Once again Geoff Johns shows his subject matter expertise. In the comics, Hawkman had conservative tendencies while Green Arrow had liberal ones, so they tended to not get along unless a supervillain showed up when they would team up to stop him or her.

These sort of costumes are a step away from the "no tights no flights" rule that was there since the beginning of Smallville. Perhaps their appearance is marking a policy change for the show. Of course, once Clark puts on the cape and takes flight, the show is pretty much done.

To paraphrase Dexter's Trinity Killer, traditions matter because they give us a sense of history. They also teach us who we are and what's expected of us.

So in celebration of that fiendish character's warped but delightfully old-fashioned worldview, I'm happy to take part in this little Thanksgiving Day tradition we have here at TV Squad. Here are a few things I'm thankful for this TV season ...

Year four of Dexter – Well, duh ... Sure, the Batista-Laguerta relationship is a little dull, and Quinn is a poor stand-in for Dokes, but Dexter's dealings with Trinty and his Dark Passenger are fascinating to watch. John Lithgow's complex and unnerving portrayal of suburban serial killer Arthur Mitchell is sure to earn him an Emmy nod, if not the win.

Community - Here's the thing: It's just so damn funny. And it has the best and weirdest cast of characters on TV. I can't get enough of Señor Chang and Abed.

There comes a time of the year when one has to count their blessings because, when truth is finally told, things could be a lot worse. This is that time. And what am I thankful for? Glad you asked.

Big LCD televisions that hang on the wall - I think that says it all. Of course, some day all the current display technologies will be abandoned in favor of the video waves that transmit directly to our brains, but until then there is the LCD (or plasma, depending on your technology choice) on the wall.

The Big Bang Theory - It's hard to believe that the creator of Two and a Half Men (a show of which I am not a fan) could create such a terrific show. I only discovered the show this past year. I'm usually not a fan of sitcoms but with all the geeky references in BBT, I find that if I could give the show a big, sloppy, wet kiss, I would.

(S09E08) The whole alternate timeline or alternate future concept has been around sci fi for ... well, I don't know how long. The most famous example I can think of is the classic Star Trek episode "Mirror, Mirror," though I'm sure there are many more. We've already had alternate timeline stories in Smallville (such as Lana's "death" in the 100th episode), and now we have an alternate future story.

Although it used an old television and sci fi concept, this particular story served a dual purpose: it let the viewer know what happened to Lois between the 8th and 9th seasons and also let us know the stakes of a potential Zod victory (although we probably could have figured that one out on our own).

I'm sure most of you Smallville fans have already seen this preview pic of Michael Shanks as Hawkman, taken from the upcoming Justice Society episode. So why am I posting it here?

Because that photo looks weird, man!

First off, I must say that I'm really looking forward to this Smallville two-parter, and I think Stargate's Shanks is a fine pick to play Carter Hall. Smallville has been a lot of fun to watch this season, and I hope the upswing continues through next year.

Now, back to that photo ... Why does it look like a still image from a video game? Is it a mostly CGI shot? Concept art? Did somebody switch the real photo of Shanks with a fan photo manip? I'm hoping that some of you graphic designer-types can tell me what's really going on here, because ... yeah ... that photo looks weird.

(S09E08) Wonder Twin Powers, Activate! Okay, so it wasn't so much the Wonder Twins as an homage to the Wonder Twins. Or Wonder Twins: The Next Generation. You get the idea. The blingy Gleek cell phone was a nice touch. Hell, the ringtone even sounded like an alien monkey.

Of course, the Wonder Twins were just gravy for the actual purpose of the episode: to further the legend of the Blur and heighten the Lois/Clark relationship. Like her predecessor in the 1990's Lois & Clark series, Lois is a smart cookie but really blind when it comes to secret identities. Speaking of cell phones, her ringtone for the Blur was very cute indeed.

• At 7:30, Cartoon Network has a new Batman: The Brave and the Bold.
• At 8, ABC has a new Supernanny, followed by new episodes of Ugly Betty and 20/20.
• CBS has a new Ghost Whisperer, then new episodes of Medium and Numb3rs.
• NBC has new episodes of Law and Order, Dateline, and The Jay Leno Show.
• The CW has a new Smallville at 8.
• PBS has a new Washington Week at 8, then new episodes of NOW and Bil Moyers Journal.
• MyNetwork TV has a new Smackdown! at 8.
• TBS has The Wizard of Oz at 8.
  
• Also at 8: Nickelodeon has a new episode of The Troop.
• At 8:30, Disney has a new Suite Life on Deck.
• Cartoon Network has a new Ben 10: Alien Force at 8:30, followed by a new Clone Wars.
• At 9, USA has a new Monk, then a new White Collar.
• Syfy has a new Stargate Universe at 9, followed by a new Sanctuary.
• Travel Channel has two new episodes of Ghost Adventures at 9.
• BBC America has a new Friday Night with Jonathan Ross at 9.
• At 10, E! has a new episode of The Soup.
• History Channel has a new Lock 'N Load with R. Lee Ermey at 10.

Check your local TV listings for more.

After the jump, the late night talk shows.

Pam Grier, famous for her appearances in '70s blaxploitation flicks like Foxy Brown and later for her appearances in Quentin Tarantino movies, will be stopping over in Smallville. She'll be playing the character of Amanda Waller for the upcoming two-part episode with the Justice Society of America.

Amanda Waller was created in the comics and has appeared on television already in the animated Justice League series. She was ... how shall I say ... bigger than Ms. Grier. To play the character as she was created, Grier would either have to gain a lot of weight or don a fat suit.

Actually, the creators will probably just leave her as she is. Smallville is something of its own universe (as proven by the appearance of the Wonder Twins). Her appearance is slated for the episodes written by comics writer (and writer of the previous Smallville episode "Legion") Geoff Johns, so I'm already convinced it will be a good episode. Pam Grier is just icing on the cake.

So that silly pair of purple-clad superheroes, The Wonder Twins, are coming to Smallville this Friday. I can think of worse things that could happen to the show: Kristin Kreuk could return (shudder), for example, or Clark's bare chest could start to sparkle in the sunlight, ala Edward Cullen. Now that would be truly terrible.

But Zan and Jayna nerding up the joint? Sounds like fun to me.

Being a fan of the veteran superhero series, I'm not embarrassed to say that I'm looking forward to seeing the live-action Twins bump fists this Friday. (I wouldn't even mind a cameo from everybody's favorite blue monkey, Gleek, but sadly I don't think that's in the cards.)

(S09E07) If Smallville continues to produce episodes of good quality like tonight's, I may have to take back some of the things I've been saying about it. Seriously.

Tonight we got a lot of backstory and explanation about some of the stranger aspects of the Smallville universe. Why is Earth such a magnet for Kryptonians, dead or otherwise? Because Krypton has been observing Earth for a long, long time and designated the planet as a bolt-hole. We also learned more about that Kryptonian artifact that has been a mystery in Smallville for a few seasons now.

All this and no Lois, too.

• At 8, ABC has a new Supernanny, followed by new episodes of Ugly Betty and 20/20.
• CBS has a new Ghost Whisperer at 8, then new episodes of Medium and Numb3rs.
• NBC has a new Law & Order at 8.
• The CW has a new Smallville at 8.
• There's a new Washington Week on PBS at 8, followed by new episodes of NOW and Bill Moyers Journal.
• MyNetwork TV has a new Smackdown! at 8.
• Disney has a new Wizards of Waverly Place at 8.
• Cartoon Network has a new episode of The Clone Wars at 8, followed by a new Ben 10: Alien Force.
• Travel Channel has a new Ghost Adventures Live: Post-Mortem at 8, then two new episodes of Ghost Adventures.
• At 9, USA has a new Monk, then a new White Collar.
• Syfy has a new Stargate Universe at 9, followed by a new Sanctuary.
• BBC America has a new Friday Night with Jonathan Ross at 9.
• National Geographic Channel has a new Dog Whisperer at 9.
• At 10, NBC has a new Jay Leno Show.
• History Channel has a new Lock 'N Load with R. Lee Ermey at 10.
• Also at 10: E! has a new episode of The Soup.

Check your local TV listings for more.

After the jump, the late night talk shows.

(S09E06) Tonight's episode had everything but the metaphorical kitchen sink. There was a lot going on. We had the rather amusing attempt by Lois to score a morning show job, the start of Green Arrow finding his sidekick Speedy and a little more Tess/Zod action.

In all the years I've watched or read Superman in various forms, I've never seen him go on an online date. I would have enjoyed watching more of that, particularly with Lois whispering in his ear. Isn't it illegal to tape someone without their permission (unless you're the government)? What would Clark write on his profile anyway? " Can lift cars, run real fast and shoot lasers out of my eyes. No Kryptonite, please. Must love farm animals."