Long before superheroes on television were a normal occurrence,Smallvilletried its hand at bringing Superman back to life on TV for a new and younger audience. The result was a ten-year-long series that chronicled the young life of Clark Kent (Tom Welling) as he made his way through high school, pined after Lana Lang (Kristen Kreuk), befriendedLex Luthor(Michael Rosenbaum), and briefly attempted college before moving to Metropolis to work at the Daily Planet. Here, he met the love of his life,Lois Lane(Erica Durance), and eventually stepped into his role as the “Man of Steel”. This series went through lots of changes throughout its ten years and sort of “grew up” as Clark did. Starting off as aBuffy-esque high school drama, the show quickly took hold of its sci-fi roots and ended as a straight-up superhero series in the same vein as the most recent iteration ofThe Flash.
Now, after twenty years since the “Pilot” aired,Smallville’s legacy on the comic book/superhero genre (and especially the CW’s Arrowverse) has continued to show. With the return ofSmallville’s Clark and Lois in 2019’sCrisis on Infinite Earthscrossover event, anofficial series Blu-Ray releasethis year, and talks ofa possible animated series continuationin the works, it seems likeSmallvilleis just as important as ever.
After airing 218 episodes (the “Absolute Justice” two-parter is actually two episodes, “Society” and “Legends”),Smallvilleofficially ended in May of 2011, but some people have continued to hold on tightly ever since. So in honor of the series’ 20th anniversary, here are the top 25 best episodes ofSmallville, ranked! Also, spoilers ahead, if you haven’t seen the series.. In which case, what are you doing here? Go watch it!
RELATED:‘Smallville’: Tom Welling, Kristin Kreuk, and Michael Rosenbaum Look Back on the Series 20 Years Later
25. Vessel (Season 5, Episode 22)
Say what you will aboutSmallville, but they always knew how to deliver one heck of a finale. This episode saw the return of Brainiac(James Marsters) as he makes one last-ditch effort to cripple the Earth while also releasing the Phantom Zone prisoner, General Zod(who is played by Rosenbaum since he possesses Lex’s body). There are some great character moments between Clark and Lex here, including an explosive confrontation where Lex not only discovers Clark’s secret (which, as usual, is soon to be forgotten) but also reveals that he’s always “wanted everything [Clark] ever had”, especially Lana. Between Lex’s startling abduction by the Black Ship, the unforeseen (and basically ignored) “end-of-the-world” Clark and Chloe (Allison Mack) kiss, and Clark’s moral dilemma of whether to kill Lex or not, this is one of the most exciting episodes ofSmallville, strongly tossing Clark from one fire into the next.
Best Line:“I used to think you had this strong inner core. You were so virtuous. And yet you lie… all the time! To me, to Lana, to all the people who cared about you. What kind of sick person would do that? - Lex Luthor
24. Exile (Season 3, Episode 1)
Three months after the shocking Season Two finale, Clark, going by “Kal”, spends his summer vacation rambling about Metropolis on a self-destructive Red Kryptonite binge away from his friends and family. This episode isolates our core cast: Clark from his life in Smallville, Lex from the world via deserted island, Chloe from her friends due to her secrets, and Lana ultimately from Clark, but “Exile” also shows the truly unconditional love that Jonathan (John Schnieder) and Martha Kent (Annette O’Toole) have for their adoptive son, despite his many mistakes. Jonathan’s deal with Jor-El (Terrence Stamp), though rash, proves to be an ultimate act of sacrifice for the sake of his one and only son, which leads directly into a “to be continued…” For the second part, watch the following Season 3 episode “Phoenix”.
Best Line:“…For my son, I’ll do anything.” - Jonathan Kent
23. Kandor (Season 9, Episode 7)
In the middle of Season Nine’s Kandorian Army arc, a young clone of Jor-El (Jullian Sands) arrives on the Kent farm to find the kindly family that helped him in his youth (see “Relic” for that story), only to learn that his planet has been destroyed with his son among the only survivors. Clark and Oliver Queen (Justin Hartley) attempt to find his father before the clone, Zod (Callum Blue) can, which makes for great bro-bonding. But what truly makes this episode great is the elaborate backstory behind the animosity between Jor-El and the young Zod that takes place on Krypton (somewhat mirroring the Clark and Lex dynamic from earlier in the series). Seeing Krypton in full was something on many fans’ “Smallvillebucket list”, and this episode delivered. The powerful imagery of Clark holding a deceased Jor-El by the episode’s end sticks with you and is eerily reminiscent of the last time his father died…
Best Line:“It seems to me like you’re a chip off the old block. After seeing how he saved our spunky sidekick, I’d say you’re both heroes.” - Oliver Queen
22. Nemesis (Season 6, Episode 19)
After Lex is kidnapped by a grieving widow who believes that he stole her husband’s body (he did), Clark races to the rescue only to learn that the underground tunnels are lined with Kryptonite, which forces the two of them to work together to escape. “Nemesis” is a wonderful character study on why the friendship between Clark and Lex failed and the complex jealousy that exists between the two as they reveal secrets that the other had no business knowing. The saddest moment may be when Clark asks Lex if they were ever really friends, to which Lex replies that he has nothing else to compare it to, revealing that Clark was his only true friend. It’s also a crazy Lana episode in that she becomes a stone-cold Luthor, threatening her then-father-in-law, Lionel Luthor(John Glover), withholding information about LuthorCorp from the police, and only revealing her hand once Chloe tells her that Clark is in real danger (yeah, she still loves him).
Best Line:“When Lex pulled me out of that rubble, I saw a glimpse of something I hadn’t seen in years… My friend.” - Clark Kent
21. Pariah (Season 4, Episode 12)
This one is crazy! After Clark’s teleporting, sort-of girlfriend, Alicia Baker(Sarah Carter) is accused of attempted murder on Lana and her then-boyfriend, Jason Teague (Jensen Ackles), all evidence seems to point her direction, causing a huge rift between her and Clark. This results in Alicia using her powers to force Clark to finally (albeit unknowingly) reveal his powers to Chloe by catching a car, marking the moment when Chloe starts seeing superpowered people not just as stories or “meteor-freaks”, but as human beings (which, ironically, in Clark’s case isn’t technically true). Unfortunately, Alicia is also murdered in this episode by the real killer and Clark stumbles upon her body. Thankfully, Lois is there to comfort him and talk him down from killing Alicia’s murderer. It’s a heartbreaking episode that pushes Clark further into adulthood, cementing his desire to save as many people as he can.
Best Line:“You write all these articles about the people you call freaks and you don’t even realize that someone close to you is one of them. Why are you ignoring what’s right in front of your face, Chloe? Don’t you want to know the truth about Clark Kent? - Alicia Baker
20. Arctic (Season 7, Episode 20)
The seventh season finale served as the send-off for various cast members and series’ creatorsAl GoughandMiles Miller; “Arctic” is truly the end of an era onSmallville. The episode sees Clark face off against Brainiac one final time, lose his cousin, Kara (Laura Vandervoort), to the Phantom Zone, and say a not-so-final farewell to Lana as she leaves Smallville “forever”. But the ultimate climax of this episode sees Clark and Lex go head-to-head at the Fortress of Solitude, where Lex strips Clark of his powers and reveals that he knows his true name: Kal-El. This Clark/Lex moment was what many thought to be the final interaction between these characters, and culminates their seven-year-long relationship as ‘frenemies’. Also, Jimmy Olsen (Aaron Ashmore) finally proposes to Chloe in a super-cute and meaningful moment that is (sadly) interrupted prematurely by some of Lex’s goons.
Best Line:“I love you like a brother, Clark, but it has to end this way. I’m sorry” - Lex Luthor
19. Commencement (Season 4, Episode 22)
In an extended episode that closes out Clark, Chloe, and the gang’s time at Smallville High, a second meteor shower occurs which decimates Smallville. Of course, it wouldn’t be aSmallvillefinale without a million cliffhangers: Lana stumbles upon the Black Ship, Clark assembles the Stones of Power, the Kent farm gets destroyed, and Lex is as obsessed with the Kawatche Caves and alien symbols as ever. There’s also a pretty iconic moment during the meteor shower where Clark saves a young boy namedHenry, which (among a bunch of other references from this episode) gives off some great Superman vibes. This episode also highlightsSmallville’s ability to turn just about everyone into a raging murderer at some point, but hey, they had to get Jensen Ackles onSupernaturalsomehow…
Best Line:“Even if I could spell, the last thing I would do is spend my time in a newsroom. With my luck, I’d probably end up across the desk of the most bumbling reporter on the masthead.” - Lois Lane
18. Blank (Season 4, Episode 19)
Finally, a Clark-Chloe-centered episode that dives deep into their friendship and Chloe’s ability to keep Clark’s secret! After Clark loses his memory due to a meteor-freak with the ability to give someone short-term memory loss (or worse, if you’re a Kryptonian), Chloe has to look after him while his parents are out of town. Chloe teaches him how to use his superpowers while also trying to keep him away from Lex. This episode is a hoot! While amnesiac Clark is definitely the star of the show (of course he would still fall in love with Lana), Chloe keeps it all together, proving herself to be the best friend any superhero could have. Even when Lex tries to take advantage of the situation, the amnesiac Clark knows that he can trust Chloe more than anyone else in the room, something normal Clark wouldn’t learn until next season…
Best Line:“You had a clean slate to start all over with and you made all the same choices. Except for one… You trusted me.” - Chloe Sullivan
17. Luthor (Season 10, Episode 10)
Parallel earths and multiverses are all the rage nowadays, but back duringSmallville’s tenth season, they tried it out with “Luthor”. Here, Tess Mercer (Cassidy Freeman), who turns out to be Lionel’s illegitimate daughter, and Clark accidentally open a portal to Earth-2, switching Clark Kent with Clark Luthor. The evil Clark Luthor is everything our beloved Clark Kent isn’t, to the point that he can both fly and kill without a second thought. Honestly, Tom Welling really sells it as C.L., with a frightening intensity we haven’t seen in his performance since the days Clark was on Red K. This episode also introduces a parallel Lionel Luthor, one who hasn’t had years of a redemption arc and has fully embraced his villainy in ways the original Lionel never could. With complex themes of nature versus nurture, this episode explores the idea that, as Clark says, “Luthor blood is Luthor blood. It’s poison.” and how true that actually may be…
Best Line:“The heart, it’ll blind you, son. You want to be your own man. That’s natural. But remember, Clark, I am your father and I alone raised you in my own image to become the man you are today.” - Lionel Luthor of Earth-2
16. Legion (Season 8, Episode 11)
The immediate follow-up to the Chloe/Jimmy wedding fiasco in “Bride”, this episode deals with the fallout. Doomsdayis on the loose, having abducted Chloe and infected her with Brainiac, and the Legion of Superheroes arrive from the 31st century just in time to help Clark stop the evil Kryptonian A.I. for good. While it’s fun to hear the Legion tip-toe around Clark’s destiny as Superman, what’s better is Clark inspiring them to true heroism. He stops them from killing Chloe to get to Brainiac by instead, performing a “techno-exorcism” on her. Speaking of Chloe, Allison Mack’s portrayal of Brainiac is haunting, and watching her taunt the confused Davis Bloome (Sam Witwer) with his destiny as the Kryptonian Destroyer is a real creep show.
Best Line:“If your code was really based on me, your number one rule would be, ‘Do not kill.’ Ever. If you ever believed in me, and even if you don’t know, help me.” - Clark Kent
