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It's late, Clark (Tom Welling) is in the middle of an innuendo-filled conversation with Tess Mercer (Cassidy Freeman) regarding his destiny and the foretold slaying of Doomsday. In the midst of the many hints, nudges and winks to what is coming there is a distant cry: "Clark, help me."

It a fantastic sequence and for his second directed episode, Welling should be proud; it's stark, gritty and in an almost horror movie-esque with the Beast Chloe (Allison Mack) is running from never appearing on screen; hearing her screams, Clark swoops in (or blurs in at the least) at the most dire moment in another of "Smallville's" firm nods to Clark's future as Superman; and after the midnight heroics, the camera pans off to the side and reveals a cadre of black clad semi-baddies watching from the shadows.

The injustice of the episode is though that this is as cool as it gets and once the credits roll, the episode quickly loses its sparkle … even with some serious homage to the DC mythology. It's a great concept and an appreciated example of following up from previous episodes but suffers from clumsy storytelling and borderlines on pointlessness.

Season six's "Justice" introduced the Justice League with epic levels of excitement, a stack of moments that simply oozed coolness and a series of hefty nods to the future of several comic book characters.

"Injustice" is the very antithesis of that episode and not just because it spends its time introducing a gang of baddies. The excitement was kept to a minimal, there were no super-cool moments of the team walking away from an explosion in slow-mo, and aside from Plastique, the motivations of these characters was given very little exploration.

Plastique's (Sarah Parker Kennedy) whining was semi-fun the last time round, with more time being devoted to the emotional toll of becoming a meteor-freak rather than what she can do with her new found abilities. In "Injustice" though, the teen angst and emotional resonance that made the Kryptonite-infested outing unique is completely absent and leaves only a two dimensional villain who has been duped by Luthorcorp … how original.

These misfits are popped off one at a time in a forgettable fashion and without any real spark, leaving Clark powerless yet again at the most convenient time. Had it not been for the Green Arrow's (Justin Hartley) all too quick and easy infiltration of the Luthor mansion, the final fight would have been a complete waste and unworthy of a penultimate episode.

What Worked

The contrast of seeing Chloe in one piece driving off with Davis last week to her running through the trees screaming for help is hard to ignore but the complete one-eighty of Chloe's opinion on Davis is difficult to believe. Despite that however, the twist of what "Chloe" is really doing with Clark comes as a nice twist that sends the episode on its way.

Using Black Kryptonite in his plan to take town Davis (Sam Witer) is another such side-step in what would otherwise be single track objective, and again allows the opportunity for Clark to re-iterate what Superman stands for. His speech in the barn is reminiscent of his early debate with the Legion mid-season and serves to setup the final fight in the Luthor mansion in which Green Arrow's brand of justice is demonstrated.

Both elements wonderfully led up to Oliver revealing his part in the death of Lex Luthor. In the comics, the two heroes didn't exactly see eye-to-eye and this episode finally pushes their relationship further into line with their page-bound alter egos.

Plus, the ending comes packed with enough intrigue that could easily top any previous season finale (if only the single episode has enough focus to make the most of it).

What Didn’t Work

All the shouting of comic book names in the poorly performed Injustice Gang meeting was incredibly off-putting, as was Plastique as a villain. Without the inner turmoil that made her super-human development so fascinating at the beginning of the season, the series reverts back to the immaturities of its debut season.

Once again, the absence of Lois Lane (Erica Durance) was sorely felt and you can't help but feel slightly cheated by the similar nonattendance of Doomsday himself given the all out brawl that is currently being prepped. There is also the pesky matter that with everyone pushing Clark towards killing Davis, the villain is nowhere in sight (and is presumably skipping through the mountains with Chloe living happily ever after).

Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due

"Smallville" stars Tom Welling, Erica Durance, Allison Mack and Justin Hartley. "Injustice" was written by Turi Meyer and Al Septien. The episode was directed by Tom Welling. "Smallville" airs on The CW Thursday at 8 p.m.