From awkward Kansas teenager to Earth’s greatest champion.
It took Clark Kent two hundred and seventeen hours (with commercials) to go from awkward teenager to the Man of Steel. That’s two hundred and seventeen episodes of Clark not being able to decide whether he’s going to sh*t or get off the pot. There are those who are willing to relive every moment again when the series box set is released later this year. To those brave souls we wish you Godspeed. For the rest of us however, we’d rather sit back, relax and enjoy the best that Smallville has to offer. Out of two hundred and seventeen we’ve pulled together a list of what we consider the twenty-five best episodes of Smallville.
The second meteor shower to hit Smallville brought with it a mysterious ship from Krypton. From it emerges two Disciples of Zod, Mam-Ek and Aethyr. While they search for Kal-El, the citizens of Smallville are still recovering from the destructive force of the shower. Clark however finds himself at the newly constructed Fortress of Solitude which Jor-El informs him is similar to the geography of Krypton, making it suitable for training. Too bad Clark loses his powers after making a rather silly agreement with Jor-El.
The spaceship that the Disciples of Zod arrived on holds another dark secret. From within emerges the Brain InterActive Construct – BRAINIAC!
After seasons of Clark beating around the bush, he finally reveals who and what he is to Lana Lang. Sure, Lana had pretty much pieced everything together by that point but it was important for Clark Kent to man up and tell her everything. If he had done it earlier I’m sure their relationship would have turned out much better.
“Phantom” also featured a great cliffhanger that saw all three of Clark’s beauties apparently dying at certain points towards the end of the episode. Talk about suspense. The final moments reveal one of Clark’s more fun villains – Bizarro!
Clark Kent buys an expensive class ring that just happens to have a piece of red kryptonite rock at its center. With the red kryptonite unleashing his rebellious side for the first time, Clark starts defying the rules, telling off the principal and dating the hot new girl in school. We’ve seen Clark be evil so many times over the course of the series but there is something special about the very first “Red” kryptonite episode. Even back in the early part of the series Welling did a great job portraying bad boy Clark.
Clark’s relationship with his natural father had been tumultuous to say the least. The voice-in-the-Fortress that had acted as mentor to Clark seemed to torment the young Kryptonian rather than teach him. Often stealing Clark’s powers and then lecturing him on not embracing his heritage, Jor-El was more a pain in the butt than a guiding voice. “Kandor” gives Clark an opportunity to meet his father face-to-face. We learn a lot about young Jor-El’s relationship with Major Zod and his motives for creating Smallville’s version of the Bottled City of Kandor.
The cloned version of Jor-El meets present day Clark briefly, just before passing away. This impacts Clark as he has to suffer the loss of a father once more and it shapes his relationship with Major Zod throughout the rest of the season.
With Lana Lang and Lex Luthor gone from the series, “Odyssey” is the start of a new chapter for Smallville. To usher in this new chapter, Clark gets some help from a few friends. Green Arrow, Aquaman, Black Canary and Martian Manhunter all make appearances in the Season 8 premiere. While, this episode is saddled with having Clark powerless for a portion of the episode, it does highlight the importance of the rest of the future Justice League. The episode concludes with Martian Manhunter flying Clark Kent towards the sun in hopes that the Last Son of Krypton will regain his powers. In the process, Manhunter sacrifices his own abilities. While lacking Lex and Lana, this exciting new chapter in Clark’s journey looked to be every bit as exciting.
After the exciting conclusion to Season 3, Lois Lane makes her first appearance as she hopes to learn more regarding the death of her cousin Chloe. Clark, who is suffering memory loss and only goes by the name Kal-El, flies up to Lex Luthor’s jet, rips the door off and steals some mysterious Kryptonian stones that will play an important part later in the season. Now that the “Finale” has come and gone, it has to be said that this may have been the most impressive flight sequence in the entire series. While some may say it wasn’t technically Clark Kent, it still stands out as an exceptional moment.
With Oliver Queen firmly established after the start of Season 6, it was time for Green Arrow’s introduction. “Arrow” certainly did not disappoint. Green Arrow appears in full costume, which is something you did not see that often on Smallville till that point. Most heroes from the DC Universe who made appearances would wear regular street clothes that also happened to oddly match their tights. Green Arrow was a turning point for the series as he proved to be a full-on super hero with a costume and an exciting arsenal of arrows.
“Arrow” features great action, a fun story and the start to an important friendship that would shape Clark’s view of what it means to be a hero.
I’ve always been a sucker for this coming-of-age yarn. Clark, eyeing his beautiful new teacher, has an uncontrollable reaction that causes him to shoot heat rays from his eyes. Due to his inability to control his heat vision, Clark is charged with causing suspicious fires while the object of his admiration, Desiree Atkins, parades around town using her super pheromones to cause trouble. It may not be as “epic” as many of the episodes on this list but it’s a lot of fun and a Smallville classic.
The first episode of Season 7 features a couple of great fights between Clark Kent and his evil-doppelganger Bizarro. It was great seeing Clark facing off against a super villain with equal strength, even if that villain had to be a replica of himself. With their destructive bout damaging Reeves Dam, Kara Zor-el is freed from suspended animation and the future Supergirl is introduced to the Smallville universe. Just like her cousin, Kara saves Lex and he becomes infatuated with her.
“Bizarro” also features one of Clark’s most dramatic saves as he uses his heat vision to vaporize rushing water from the broken dam in order to save a boy and his father.
The premiere episode of Season 10 offered a lot of promise for Smallville’s final season. Lois strapped to a poll like a scarecrow was a great visual reference to the “Pilot” and bringing Jonathan Kent back with a few words of wisdom for Clark was a great way to start the season. We’re still not sure how Jonathan managed to return but it’s always good to see John Schneider.
The episode also featured a great Lex clone villain. While he wasn’t Rosenbaum, Mackenzie Gray did a good job playing the part and scaring the crap out of Lois. The other Lex Clone turned out to be quite the surprise once he was all grown up. We also get our first peek at Darkseid who makes barely any appearances throughout the season.
Also, the shot of Clark’s outfit entombed in crystal was a great tease for the rest of the season.
There had been much build up and speculation leading into Season 8 regarding the nature of Doomsday and whether or not the character could be pulled off on a Smallville budget. The wedding of Jimmy Olsen to Chloe Sullivan was a great stage to reveal the monstrosity that lay within Davis Bloome as well as a great vehicle for the return of Lana Lang. “Bride” was an exciting and devastating chapter for the characters of Smallville. What was supposed to be their happiest moment was turned into their darkest hour. Smallville’s Doomsday may not have stood up visually in the long run but nevertheless he was still a powerful force to be dealt with. This episode shook the very foundation of the story at that time. Jimmy and Chloe would never be the same.
Who doesn’t love a classic ‘split a single character into two’ episode? In “Onyx” Lex is split into two versions, one good (for now) and one very reminiscent of his future evil self. Without a transporter accident around, a kryptonite explosion sufficed as the mechanism to split Lex into two. Evil Lex (Alexander) goes on a rampage, immediately attacking Chloe and Clark. He’s later involved in a fun fencing scene with Lionel (who happens to be a good guy now) and eventually makes his way into trying to coerce Lana to move in with him. “Onyx” is one of the best representations of Evil Lex on the series. It’s just too bad that it took a kryptonite explosion to bring him out so soon.
This is one of the best Smallville finales. The opening shot alone makes it one of my favorites as it teases Superman soaring through the sky. If you pause at the right time you can almost see him! Zod’s troops spread themselves across the globe while they vandalize landmarks and cause a general ruckus.
The building tension between Clark and Zod throughout the season led to a great final showdown as the two fight it out without their powers in the middle of the rain. It’s a little clichéd for a fight sequence, sure, but it looked fantastic. Clark finally outsmarting Zod was a great way to end their feud.
This team-up of the best super heroes Smallville had to offer up until that point was a big deal for its time. Until “Justice”, Smallville had only used one guest hero at a time. “Justice” changed all that and gave the series a sense of being something greater. This proto-Justice League may not have been comprised of the best that the future League will have to offer but it was still exciting for its time. That slow-mo shot of the team walking out of the exploding 33.1 base, while a little cheesy, is still a classic moment from the series. Since “Justice”, Clark has teamed up with countless other heroes from the DC Universe, but the first time is always special.
After being shot, Lex Luthor lapses into a coma. During the coma he meets his mother who shows him an alternate reality in which Lex has chosen a path of good instead of following in his father’s footsteps. “Lexmas” is a classic Smallville story, showing the alternate history of Lex, living a happy life with Lana Luthor by his side. Events turn sour however as a pregnant Lana Luthor dies during childbirth. Despite the happiness he felt during his time in this alternate reality, Lex tells his mother he wants no part of it. Believing that money and power are the only things that could have saved Lana, he makes a decision to reveal some incriminating evidence about his senatorial opponent Jonathan Kent. “Lexmas” does a great job of defining Lex’s vision of justice and gives the sense that his dark deeds have the best intentions.
“Commencement” was an excellent conclusion to what had been a disappointing season. With a second meteor shower headed towards Smallville, Clark races against time to gather various kryptonian stones that will hopefully repell the oncoming meteor strike. Amidst the impending meteor shower, Jason Teagues terrorizes Jonathan and Martha Kent, while Lana is whisked away in a Luthorcorp. helicopter and Chloe does her best to help her friends. “Commencement” is a testament to the great effects work Smallville produced in seasons past. The meteor shower sequence is some fantastic work and Clark saving the kid from a direct meteor hit is a classic Smallville moment. The episode concludes with Clark obtaining the Crystal of Knowledge and using it to create the Fortress of Solitude.
The first appearance of Christopher Reeve as Dr. Virgil Swann was an important moment for the series. The introduction of Virgil Swann gave Clark an important mentor who helped the young Kryptonian learn more about his heritage. Clark learned about the fate of Krypton and that he was part of a greater destiny. Christopher Reeve’s appearance on Smallville turned a lot of heads, giving the show legitimacy amongst some Superman fans who may have previously dismissed the show. With no current actor playing the role theatrically, it was a landmark moment to have a past Superman pass the torch to the current incarnation of the character.
If you ever wanted to know what made Lex Luthor tick, “Memoria” would be the best place to start. Trying to dig into his own past, Lex subjects himself to an experiment that will hopefully allow him to recall some erased memories about his father. We see Lex alone at his birthday party when he was twelve and we see how his baldness affected him at a young age. Later, we learn more about the fate of his younger brother Juilan who passed away when Lex was young. It’s rare that we get to see Lex’s mother Lillian, but I don’t think we’ve ever really seen her happy.
Clark is subjected to the same treatment, however we only ever see him lowered into the crib by his parents before the memory system shorts out. “Memoria” is an important episode because it allows us to take a glimpse back to the youth of one of the most infamous villains in comic book history.
Just as “Reckoning” was a key turning point for Clark, “Descent” was an important moment in Lex’s development. Lex had been on a steady dark descent throughout the seventh season, but as his plans butted heads with Lionel’s it was finally time to make a stand. Would Lex Luthor live in his father’s shadow anymore? A father who had recently allied himself with Clark Kent? Not a chance. Lex pushing Lionel from the Luthorcorp window towards the pavement below was a stunning and fantastic visual that cemented Lex as the villain he was always meant to become.
Smallville’s very first episode did a great job establishing the tone of the series. The introduction of Clark Kent, his relationship with his parents and the establishment of his core group of friends gave the series a secure base from which to grow. The unnatural friendship between Lex Luthor and Clark Kent began in an unexpected fashion that highlights Clark’s abilities and heroism. The “Pilot” had everything that made the series great. While the series stumbled at times, anyone could look back to the “Pilot” and be reminded of what the story is really about. It’s about Clark Kent learning to understand, love and appreciate his foster world through those around him while gaining an understanding of who he really is.
The “Pilot” is also home to some of the show’s most iconic moments. Lana and Clark’s conversation in which the name Superman is first used; albeit via Nietzsche. Clark saving Lex’s life after a brutal car accident and most importantly, Clark shirtless, tied to a pole, with the letter “S” written on his chest. I recall that image being all my girlfriend would talk about at the time. Thanks Welling.
The first of three episodes written by DC Comics CCO Geoff Johns brought the Legion to life on the small screen. Not only did Johns do a great job bringing Cosmic Boy, Lightning Lad and Saturn Girl to life, he also managed to tell a great story about Clark having to face one of the toughest decisions of his life – Kill Chloe to save the Earth. Chloe Sullivan, infected by Brainiac, looks ravishing in her bloodied wedding gown.
With his best friend infected by one of his deadliest enemies, Clark works with the Legion to save Chloe Sullivan and restore some order to the chaos that Doomsday’s attack left behind. “Legion” showed us that it really wasn’t that hard to create a DC Universe quality episode on a Smallville budget.
Smallville’s 200th episode is a recent favorite that certainly deserves a spot on this list. After facing the darkness of Darkseid for the first time, Clark needs some strong reassurance that he is the hero the world has been waiting for. Brainiac 5 returns from the future to guide Clark through his doubts by giving him a glimpse of his past, assuring Clark that he wasn’t to blame for his father’s death.
Clark’s future is what makes “Homecoming” so memorable though. Clark is taken to the future and given a glimpse of a Lois who knows his secret and a Clark Kent who is a little clumsy. The scene with Clark talking to his future self was absolutely hilarious. The shot of a red-blue blur flying to save Metropolis from a nuclear meltdown was a great little hint to what we would hopefully see in the finale.
While there have been plenty of mixed reactions to the series finale, it’s hard to deny that if features some of the best moments of the series. The prominent use of Jonathan Kent and the focus on Clark’s family do a great job of bringing the story back to the core themes of the series. Clark struggles with memories of the past while he tries to embrace a present with Lois and contemplate a future that is uncertain; all this with the impending threat of Apokolips literally looming overhead.
Despite not seeing a mid ranged shot of Clark Kent wearing the Superman costume, we do get more from the Man of Steel than many expected. Superman flies, saves Lois Lane in a crashing Air Force One and then sends Apokolips back where it came from. A little rushed, sure, but Superman finally soared on Smallville and it’s hard not to get excited about seeing Clark Kent fulfill his destiny.
With the culmination of ten years resting on its shoulders, the “Finale” may not have been perfect but it certainly got the job done.
The death of Jonathan Kent is one of the most pivotal moments of Smallville. For Clark Kent, “Reckoning” is a rollercoaster of emotions as he goes from the happiest moment of his life, telling Lana the truth, to having the absolute worst happen to him. Clark is forever changed by what transpires and the events of this episode start a change in the dynamic of the series. Without his father, Clark is forced to take on more responsibility around the Kent home and without a mentor he now founds himself relying more on his own decision making. He stumbles at times but the lessons his father gave him continue to shape the man he has become.
The only other two-hour Smallville episode besides the finale, “Absolute Justice” needed plenty of time to establish the history of one of the great DC superhero groups. Geoff Johns’ second foray into the Smallville Universe is by far his greatest effort as he breathes life into the Justice Society. While a bit heavy on the exposition at times, Absolute Justice does a good job of bridging Smallville’s present with the DC Universe past.
Even the costumes look good. The effects team did a surprisingly good job with Hawkman’s wings while Dr. Fate’s costume looked great for television. “Absolute Justice” is quite the triumph for a show on as tight a budget as Smallville but once again Geoff Johns proved that you can get away with a surprising amount with smart writing.
