Smallville finally ends its cruel November-til-February hiatus this week with an Ollie-centric episode that reunites the Emerald Archer (Justin Hartley) with a face from his dark past. And since fans are already frothing over next week’s “Absolute Justice” movie event, we figured this was the perfect time to talk to the hilarious Hartley about his character’s upcoming adventures…and possible on-screen entanglements.

So just when it looked like Oliver was finally getting back to his happy place, here comes his old mentor to mess things up? How bad does it get?
Yeah, the Dark Archer. He’s this guy from his past, and he’s sort of looking for Ollie to do something for him that he’s not cool with anymore and Oliver is like ‘Yeah, no.’ Then, at one point, arrows are flying everywhere. Lois gets hit. Chloe gets hit.

Yikes. It’s a bloodbath!
Well there’s this code. See, he was my trainer, and there was this code. “Never have any lovers, friends or allies.” So to get to me, he targets them.

And how does all of this Dark Archer stuff impact Oliver? Will we ever see him as that charming guy again?
Well…I like to think I’m always charming! [Laughs] No, I have always said let this guy be f---ed up, let him have flaws. At least he knows that about himself. And I think part of that downward spiral [he was earlier this season] was him second-guessing himself. Instead of asking questions, he just said ‘Well, this must be who I am then. I must be a loser.’ But by facing his demons, literally someone face-to-face from his past—and coming out on top—that kind of reinforces the fact that he’s not a loser. He doesn’t have to be that guy.

And it seems that all season, Chloe and Lois and even Clark have been trying to save Ollie by telling him what he is. ‘You’re a good guy, you’re a hero.” But now, with the Archer, he’s able to finally see what he isn’t.
Right! Like, were his friends just pumping him full of smoke? It’s all on Oliver’s lap…and there is a very cool little save that happens with Clark, but it’s not one of those things where his friends have to keep telling him he’s OK anymore. It’s a cool way to put an end to all of that.

Do you factor into “Warrior”?
The one Allison [Mack, Chloe] directed? I do, a little bit. There’s a pivotal scene, but it’s a little scene…I’m just glad I got to work with Allison.

How was she as a director?
She’s fun! I mean, she’s a royal pain in the ass, but aside from that, she’s terrific. [Laughs] I’ve always said that she’s a smart person, and she did a great job. People are saying it’s great. I told her ‘I’ll apologize in advance for bringing your show down a bit, but even with me in it, it’s pretty good!’ [Laughs]

You also get some fun work with her in “Absolute Justice,” right?
Yeah. It’s not like a CSI or anything, but there’s a little bit of a procedural with us as two detectives trying to figure out what’s going on, to find clues.

You realize that every time you two appear on screen together, there’s some mad chemistry, right?
Oh yeah. [Laughs]

So what can you tell me about either of your upcoming relationships?
We’re working a lot together, I can tell you that. Hopefully whatever we do…that whole thing is out of my hands. That’s up to the writers and producers. But once you get the material, finding any kind of chemistry and anything interesting in that relationship [is the key] and hopefully they’ll like what’s going on. It’s not for lack of effort. I think we’ve been given good material and so far it’s been fun working with her. We’ll see what happens.

Should fans be ready to play more of the Green Arrow Drinking Game, where they take a shot for each shirtless scene in the next batch of episodes?
Um, let’s see…[Laughs] Man, I am naked so often on this show! In “Disciple,” I think you’ll be doing a couple of shots, but you might want to do half-shots, because I lost a lot of weight. I’ve been working a lot and didn’t get to the gym, so you should probably do half-shots. But the good news is you can do three or four of them. [Laughs]

Will any of your female costars be in those scenes?
Always! I’m not going to walk around naked by myself! [Laughs]

Where does Ollie fall into the Amanda Waller/Checkmate stuff?
Right now, he’s privy to all of it and he’s on the quest to figure out what they’re up to and put an end to all of it. I think he and Clark are going to start working together on that, which is cool, I always love working with Tom.

Finally, Clark and Oliver, together again!
It’s fun, isn’t it? Instead of the two of them bitching at each other, to have them actually working together? Yeah, you’ll be happy.

For more on Smallville and "Absolute Justice," pick up the new issue of TV Guide Magazine.