I don't know if I was dying to have Aqua Man back. In my opinion he was the weakest Justice League character portrayed on Smallville, mostly due to the actor's lack of personality. Thankfully it's not an Aqua Man story, but a story about the Vigilante Registration Act where Aqua Man, his wife Mera and Oliver Queen all share the story with Clark. AC and Mera's presence is mostly in place as an example to move Lois and Clark's relationship forward, and in that I guess it succeeded.
The VRA plot was far from original, but I have to give the writers credit here in making it a little more interesting than "ambush" did. Slade was a good villain to introduce, even if he was a little over the top. The main action plot with Slade and the VRA is more or less an exact remake of the plot from season 6's "Justice" with even the action coming across as strikingly similar. Still "Patriot" has its exciting moments, and like many episodes this season, Slade as a villain brought a lot to a generic story. I can't say I love this episode, but it accomplishes what it intends to.
The VRA plot was far from original, but I have to give the writers credit here in making it a little more interesting than "ambush" did. Slade was a good villain to introduce, even if he was a little over the top. The main action plot with Slade and the VRA is more or less an exact remake of the plot from season 6's "Justice" with even the action coming across as strikingly similar. Still "Patriot" has its exciting moments, and like many episodes this season, Slade as a villain brought a lot to a generic story. I can't say I love this episode, but it accomplishes what it intends to.