In Praise of the Villains

In an introduction to the first book of the hardcover graphic novel "Justice," writer Jim Krueger gives a perfect summation of how the best villains are done.

In their minds, they are the heroes.

I had this in mind because right now, we've got a great group of villains on TV.

That was re-iterated last night with the return of "Lost," in which we see that the series' villains, The Others, think of themselves as the good guys using Machiavellan means to achieve goals that will ultimately benefit mankind. (Last night, they did so with a bus in one of the best visuals of the TV season. I have to say, I didn't see that coming - neither, apparently, did Ed.)

Tonight, one of my favorite TV villains is on, and it's the guy who inspired Krueger to write the introduction and the book itself: Lex Luthor.

In six years of "Smallville," (CW, 8 p.m.), Lex, as portrayed by Michael Rosenbaum, has always been the best-written character of the series, because he honestly believes he is the hero of the piece. Yes, he does bad things to people and is something of a megalomaniac, but it's really only because of the way he was reared and because he honestly believes only he can handle the power and the wealth in his possession.

In the comics, Lex has evolved from a one-dimensional evil scientist to a guy who believes he has genuine reason to fear Superman and his ilk, that they will render mankind obselete. In "Justice," Lex even goes so far as to band the world's villains together and solve problems like famine and disease, then accuses Superman and the other heroes of being the real villains since they do nothing with their powers to solve the day-to-day problems facing mankind.

It's a fascinating take on decades-old characters, and it's an idea that "Smallville's" producers have tapped into. They aren't the only ones, though.

In addition to the Others, we have the Cylons on "Battlestar Galactica," who believe they are doing God's work; we have Sylar on "Heroes," who believes himself to be chosen to a higher calling; and so forth.

Perhaps that's why I've grown tired of "Prison Break" and "24," shows which use more two-dimensional villains who do evil things apparently in evil's name. There's no gray area, no sympathy for them. When Graeme Bauer was being tortured by his brother Monday night, he told Jack he did everything because he "loved America" but we never see how that was the case or how his actions benefitted this country at all.

So, who are some of your favorite TV villains and why?

THURSDAY'S BEST BETS: "Survivor" (CBS, 8 p.m.) kicks off a new season tonight in Fiji, but I'm paralyzed by blinding indifference, which is why I won't be tuning into William L. Petersen's return to "CSI" at 9 p.m. either. I will, however, catch "Shark" at 10 p.m.

I will, however, check out my buddy Lex Luthor in tonight's "Smallville," followed by a new installment of "Supernatural" (CW, 9 p.m.)

Speaking of great villains, I've been loving Wilhelmina on "Ugly Betty" (ABC, 8 p.m.) all season long, and the addition of Alexis Mead (Rebecca Romijn) has only added to the mix. It's followed by what is being described as a big event on "Grey's Anatomy" with a big ferry fire that will encompass several episodes.

NBC gives us another full night of comedy, highlighted by Phyllis' wedding on "The Office" (NBC, 9 p.m.) and a new episode of "ER" at 10 p.m.