I must first begin this long article by stating that I am not what you would call a superhero fan. I’ve seen the occasional superhero movie and enjoyed them, but I’ve never read a comic book and I don’t own a single t-shirt with a superhero logo on the chest. I got into Smallville not because I liked Superman, but because a friend talked about it all the time and ABC Family happened to start showing episodes daily, so it was easy for me to catch up. The thing that grabbed my attention the most was how Lex and Clark were really good friends. I knew little about Superman, but I knew enough to recognize this was a huge change of pace. I thought it was interesting that two people who are destined to be enemies could be best friends, so that must be kept in mind when my ranking is examined: I tend to rank episodes focusing on that pair higher than ones focusing on wearing spandex and flying.

This list took a very long time to create. I had to watch, re-watch, and consult episode guides if I just needed a quick refresher. Ranking everything was exhausting and I have a few shorthand keys I’ll explain. Firstly, I combined two-parters into one entry because it’s doubtful one half would rank very differently from the other. I also list season first, then episode. Ex: 4.5 is season 4, episode 5. FotW stands for “freak of the week,” which was an initial strategy the writers used to help explore Clark’s abilities and allow him to save people in the earlier seasons, but one that wanes as the series goes on. Enjoy!

#210 Metamorphosis, 1.2

The first Freak of the Week episode is my choice for worst Smallville episode. When the most interesting thing in the whole episode is the occasional fake fly walking across the screen like it is stuck inside your TV, you know you’re watching a bad episode. It also strives to be disgusting more than anything else.

#209 Isis, 10.5

Ok so as soon as Clark finds out that Lois knows about his abilities, she is possessed by the Egyptian goddess Isis who is going to unleash hell on Earth? Who decided this was a good idea for a plot?

#208 Spell, 4.8

The much maligned witch possession episode! People talk about how bad this one is and, really, it is pretty bad. Unless you just want to see the main ladies act really out of character, this episode can and should be skipped.

#207 Blue, 7.8

An absolute mess of an episode. Clark revives his mom and, accidentally, his uncle (Kara’s dad), who is a big jerk. Lois is hooking up with Grant, who is working for Lex, and who is also Lex’s supposedly dead brother, Julian. Kara gets amnesia and teleported to Detroit. I still struggle to understand why they would try to put all these convoluted plots into one episode. It felt like watching four different shows at the same time.

#206 Rabid, 9.3

Zombies are starting to take over due to a Kryptonian virus, and Emil and Chloe pair up to create an antidote that can be seeded into the atmosphere and rain down the cure. #Science

#205 Craving, 1.7

Amy Adams guest stars as the girl who eats the deer she runs over with her Jeep. It’s not as cool as it sounds and the CGI is downright awful.

#204 Thirst, 5.5

Lana joins a vampire sorority. Yeah, it’s about as good as it sounds.

#203 Collateral, 10.12

#202 Ageless, 4.20

#201 Ambush, 10.7

A happy Lane family shows up for Thanksgiving, and Clark has to help change Lois’ dad’s mind about the vigilante problem. It doesn’t feel like it belonged in this season, which is actually a common problem S10 had.

#200 Disciple, 9.10

Well, that was quick. In 9.9, Clark decides to befriend Zod. In this one, he says he’ll destroy them.. Make up your dang mind, Clark.

#199 Krypto, 4.14

Dogs with K powers? Uh, well, yeah. Dogs with K powers.

#198 Fallout, 6.6

A former child rapper, Lil Bow Wow, tries to portray a human possessed by a spirit from the Phantom Zone. This is the first episode where Clark must encounter and re-trap the phantoms, dubbed “zoners” by the show, and really shows just how far we have sunk when it comes to perpetuating the storyline. Yet another fetch quest that had to be concocted. Oh and Raya dies, which sucks.

#197 Lineage, 2.7

#196 Kinetic, 1.13

Possibly the only episode that could be considered “Whitney-focused,” it is basically an hour of bros saying bro a lot and getting tattoos.

#195 Combat, 6.17

An underground cage fighting league where people die, real life WWE wrestlers guest star, Lois tries to fight, and Lana loses the “baby.” Feels like a S1 episode where we aren’t really sure where the series is going yet.

#194 Gemini, 7.9

Well, when it rains it pours, I guess. Sometimes, Smallville plot twists seem to happen just because someone feels the need to include a plot twist. Chloe has a bomb planted on her, there are failed clone experiments, successful clone experiments, Lex hits Lois, and then it turns out Clark isn’t Clark, he is Bizzaro Clark, and real Clark is at the Fortress.

#193 Jitters, 1.8

#192 Shimmer, 1.10

Really bad acting by the guest stars in this episode. It’s so bad, it’s actually distracting.

#191 Persona, 7.10

S7 was a fairly convoluted season, with so many intricate plots trying to make something of themselves. More often than not, it falls flat. Grant is killed off as quickly as he appears, and Bizzaro Clark is as well. S7 felt like it didn’t know where it was going.

#190 Heat, 2.2

I always cringe a bit when I watch this episode. You’re basically saying that Clark gets so turned on while daydreaming about Lana that his eyes ejaculate heat rays. It sounds like the plot of a College Humor video.

#189 Supergirl, 10.6

#188 Conspiracy, 9.14

#187 Forever, 4.21

#186 Rage, 6.7

Oliver is secretive and we pretend like that is a new motif for the show. Also, Lana is pregnant in a storyline that sucks from the beginning.

#185 Exposed, 5.6

Lois dances in a stars and stripes bikini, which I’m pretty sure was the main point of this episode since it’s the only screencap you can easily find for it.

#184 Visitor, 2.18

We know from the beginning this kid can’t be an alien, which he claims, and it takes an hour for the writers to tell us we were right to begin with. Also, the random, no-name bullies in this episode are really over the top and unbelievable.

#183 Lara, 7.6

#182 Façade, 4.3

There is no way in hell I can believe Lois Lane is a high schooler. At least Clark has the whole “he is Superman” excuse for looking older than his character.

#181 Booster, 10.18

A professional superhero with sponsors who is in it for the cash? This episode honestly feels out of place in S10. Had it been in S4 or S5, it would have made more sense in Clark’s early years. But in this late season, when Clark has already embraced his destiny, it just feels weird. I’m guessing it was a story that got put off for a long time before they finally made it.

#180 Apocalypse, 7.18

An alternate reality where Jor-El uses Clark’s nightmares to get him to embrace his destiny. Also, he has to time travel to Krypton to save himself as a baby from Fine/Brainiac. Then, everything is returned to normal. This episode is too crowded to work well. There is so much going on that it could be its own mini-series.

#179 Echo, 9.4

#178 Void, 5.17

Lana becomes an addict while trying to talk to her parents via some Kryptonite drugs. It feels weird because I thought we had left all of this “Oh! My poor dead parents” stuff behind us seasons ago, plus seems out of character for Lana to suddenly be so desperate to talk to them.

#177 Harvest, 10.6

This feels like an episode of the X-Files more than it does Smallville: a weird cult, middle of nowhere, meteor dust. It’d work better as an X-Files episode. In fact, it might be a fairly good X-Files episode. But Clark and Lois aren’t Mulder and Scully.

#176 Power, 8.13

#175 Shield, 10.3

#174 Warrior, 9.12

#173 Lucy, 4.16

#172 Quest, 7.19

Jason’s (S4) dad is alive and posing as a friar in Montreal. He tries to kill Clark so he can’t be controlled by Lex. I was distracted by Robert Picardo’s (Star Trek Voyager) appearance in this episode, or I might have ranked it higher.

#171 Instinct, 8.3

A stunningly beautiful alien queen in heat shows up and kisses a bunch of guys to death.

#170 Crossfire, 9.6

Oliver trains a hooker to fight? Tess and Zod are going to build a giant solar death ray? Meh.

#169 Descent, 7.16

Lex kills his father in an episode that would have been better had Lionel not fallen with this mask of stone-faced serenity on. He never seemed like that sort of character. In fact, he is almost always a selfish character, so I just never bought his indifference to his own death.

#168 Action, 7.5

Clark gets caught saving someone and Lionel is freed from being kidnapped, but reveals he knows Lana was behind it. I never thought Lana’s bad streak made any sense, probably because I never liked her character anyway.

#167 Scare, 4.10

#166 Solitude, 5.8

#165 Devoted, 4.4

It’s funny to see Chloe going gaga over Clark again, but also a bit cringe-worthy.

#164 Redux, 2.8

FotW episodes are stronger when they aren’t successive, and this one suffers from being a bit weaker than the ones around it. Also, why did they go through all the trouble of introducing a new principal, like truly establishing his character, only to have him die immediately?

#163 Wrath, 7.7

Another transference episode, this time with Lana. She, of course, lets the power go to her head, and the two basically cause earthquakes with their love-making.

#162 Veritas, 7.15

At this point in the series, everyone is plotting against, for, or both against and for everyone else. You can take that as you will, but I am not the biggest fan.

#161 Drone, 1.18

A FotW episode about bees and running for class president. Still not sure how Clark could have been “close” in the polls as a freshman.

#160 Prototype, 6.21

Lex uses DNA from Titan, one of the fighters from Combat (6.17), to make a super soldier to kill Clark. Clark wins (big surprise).

#159 Stiletto, 8.19

#158 Scion, 10.16

#157 Hereafter, 3.12

A downpoint in S3, but a guy does try to burn Lana alive, so there’s that.

#156 Savior, 9.1

So, Zod is back. Again. Isn’t this like, the third time?

#155 Idol, 9.8

#154 Prophecy, 10.20

Lois and Clark switch powers to experience each other’s lives for a day. Also, Oliver is apparently being manipulated. I always felt it was kind of late in the show for this sort of thing, especially since nothing really comes of it. But, hey, I’m not a Hollywood writer.

#153 Charade, 9.18

Lois has been talking to someone posing as the Blur (Zod) and Clark struggles to reveal himself to her or not. In the end, he cuts off ties between the Blur and Lois.

#152 Fierce, 7.3



Kara decides to compete in a beauty contest? Buried treasure in Kansas? Feels like a strange S1 episode where the series was still trying to find its legs.

#151 Prodigal, 2.15

#150 Persuasion, 9.13

#149 Magnetic, 3.7

#148 Vengeance, 5.13

#147 Cool, 1.5

As basic of a FotW as we can get: person is normal, person gets a K-power, person turns bad and Clark has to save the day.

#146 Prey, 8.6

Is Davis a brutal murderer? John Jones tells Clark he needs to stop saving people so openly or his secret will be revealed.

#145 Fade, 5.20

#144 Traveler, 7.14

#143 Siren, 7.11

#142 Bulletproof, 8.12

John Jones is shot and Clark goes undercover as a cop to find out who did it. Turns out, it was another cop who tries to get Clark into their little group.

#141 Promise, 6.16

Lana finds out Clark’s secret, tells him she won’t marry Lex, and then marries Lex after Lionel threatens her. It’s supposed to be a rollercoaster ride of an episode, but you can call it a mile away with your eyes closed. Still a good episode, though.

#140 Static, 6.8

33.1 episodes were a highlight in S6 because everything else kind of sucked and we wanted to believe in an evil mastermind plot instead of zoners and Kryptonians, which is what the series felt like at this point.

#139 Hypnotic, 5.16

Fine/Brainiac tries to break up Lana and Clark; Clark follows Fine to Honduras.

#138 Sleeper, 7.17

Kara and Fine are still MIA and Chloe is being watched because she is doing just a bit too much hacking online. Jimmy even works with the government to catch her, initially, before going to Lex to beg for her name to be cleared.

#137 Toxic, 8.4

#136 Masquerade, 10.14

Clark Kent, the alias, is born officially in this episode.

#135 Aqua, 5.4

Aquaman comes to town. If you’re into huge, hulking beefcakes, this is your episode. AC, though, is fairly one dimensional.

#134 Reaper, 1.17

#133 Recruit, 4.13

#132 Hothead, 1.3

A typical FotW episode. Not much to the plot besides 1) A problem and 2) Clark fixing it. Although the flamethrower sprinkler scene is pretty sweet.

#131 Fanatic, 5.10

#130 Resurrection, 3.15

#129 Rush, 2.14

The spiritual sequel to S1’s Nicodemus, this time with red K and a worm. A pretty fun episode, especially Clark’s swaggering reveal to Chloe of his powers. Too bad she forgets!

#128 Relic, 3.6

Cigarette Smoking Man returns and Clark sees Jor-El visit Earth. The flashbacks were interesting, but the episode just feels like it is missing something.

#127 Splinter, 5.7

Another new form of Kryptonite, silver, is introduced, which makes Clark paranoid. Prof. Fine reveals he is Brainiac. This episode feels more like exposition than anything else, but you do need to know certain things when future episodes come along.

#126 Gone, 4.2

S4 marks a turning point for the series as they started looking more toward long story arcs, and less at both one-off episodes and FotW’s. This episode further establishes Lois’ character.

#125 Noir, 6.20

Jimmy gets knocked out and dreams everything is the 1940s, but the other half of the episode is just more of your typical spying on each other, which has become pretty drab at this point in the series.

#124 Red, 2.4

First sighting of red K and Tom Welling has too much fun as bad boy Clark, although the rest of the episode is average.

#123 Fever, 2.16

Chloe is often a marginal character in the earlier seasons, but you get to see a bit more of her here, even if it is heartbreak

#122 Identity, 8.7

Clark’s abilities are almost revealed via a blurry picture, but he uses it to create an alter ego. But Chloe discovers someone knows about Clark’s secret anyway and forcibly makes him suffer a stroke. Chloe has a dark side, apparently!

#121 Sneeze, 6.2

Clark gains one of his last remaining superpowers: super breath. And Oliver Queen debuts.

#120 Hostage, 9.20

Martha Kent returns with Perry White in tow, and reveals herself to be the Red Queen. Martha was such a weakling in the early seasons and I struggle to see her being some sort of dark mastermind behind the scenes.

#119 Visage, 2.11

#118 Dominion, 10.19

Clark and Oliver have to work together in the Phantom Zone in order to escape.

#117 Bloodline, 8.8

#116 Velocity, 3.13

#115 Crush, 1.19

#114 Slumber, 3.4

#113 Sacrifice, 9.19

Oliver takes one for the team, and Clark fails to get the soldiers to rebel against Zod.

#112 Homecoming, 10.4

Clark and Lois attend their high school reunion, and it still makes me laugh that we were expected to believe any of them would be allowed into a classroom as a student back then.

#111 Checkmate, 9.16

#110 Pandora, 9.9

#109 Delete, 3.11

Emails hypnotize people to kill Chloe in a good stand-alone episode.

#108 Witness, 2.20

Steroids and baseball go together, apparently! Even in a Kryptonite world. Lionel getting Chloe on his rolodex is also an interesting twist.

#107 Hero, 7.13

Pete comes back and has chewing gum that gives him a K power, which Lex tries to use for evil, of course.

#106 Crimson, 6.13

#105 Arrow, 6.4

#104 Lockdown, 5.11

#103 Leech, 1.12

A typical power transfer episode is fairly mediocre, but it was fun to see a future Jimmy Olsen actor’s twin brother and the dam scene reminded me of the James Bond movie, Goldeneye.

#102 Extinction, 3.3

FotW style returns with a small twist: this time, the freaks are the targets! It was actually pretty exciting seeing Clark get shot and actually hurt for once.

#101 Mercy, 5.19

Lionel must endure many “tests” in a Saw-esque episode in order to save Martha’s life. Interesting to see him actually seem sincere about something.

#100 Reunion, 6.5

Clark and Oliver work together for the first time and we see a teen Lex struggle.

#99 Abandoned, 10.8

Finding out Tess is a Luthor was actually a bit of a mind-blown-moment. Although the evil granny was more hilarious than dark/scary.

#98 Beacon, 10.13

Alternate reality Lionel takes over Luthorcorp, claiming to have faked his own death years before. Thing is, that sort of absurdity wouldn’t have been outside the box for the weird plots Smallville churned out in later seasons had that been the truth. Lex being indestructible was kind of cool.

#97 Rogue, 1.9

Seeing Clark get smart with a dirty cop is pretty fun and leaves a good impression that Smallville was getting on the right track.

#96 Spirit, 4.18

Chloe seeing Clark use his abilities and finally getting confirmation on what she suspected all along was really cool, and the fact she still kept it a secret made me appreciate her character even more since she knows Clark doesn’t want to tell her. Don’t worry, he’ll have to in a few episodes!

#95 X-Ray, 1.4

FotW Tina Greer shows up for the first time, and she is one of the more fun FotWs that we get in S1, but she still seems very one dimensional.

#94 Run, 4.5

The first introduction of a fellow super hero in the Flash is a fun episode where we finally meet a contemporary for Clark, even if he isn’t portrayed as anything other than a brat

#93 Duplicity, 2.3

Pete finds out! A feel-good episode where you know Clark isn’t in this alone.

#92 Bound, 4.9

The “waking up next to a dead one night stand” situation that Lex finds himself in is a bit of a cliché, but this episode is still pretty good

#91 Freak, 6.15

A blind kid has a K power that helps him find others with K powers. This is when we finally learn that Chloe, for sure, has a K power

#90 Finale, 10.21/22

Everything comes together. Clark gets rid of Darkside and becomes Superman. It was hard to swallow an entire planet “coming to Earth,” though. Seems like it would destroy both of them? I was invested in the show at this point, but I always felt the finale was a bit of a letdown. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but I always thought there should have been something more. Maybe if Lex had still truly been around, not a few clones thrown in two seasons after he supposedly died.

#89 Escape, 9.15

A sort-of FotW episode that brings us back to a simpler time in the series. I really appreciated this episode because the FotW dynamic had been lost to long story arcs and random plot twists, which I know is something that all shows fall victim to, but most of us missed the occasional FotW.

#88 Kandor, 9.7

Jor-El IN THE FLESH. Pretty cool, actually. Although I always expected something a little different with that voice.

#87 Injustice, 8.21

Tess does everything she can to either convince or force Clark to kill Davis, but he keeps resisting and tries to find another answer. And apparently Oliver killing Lex, despite being evil, makes Clark upset.

#86 Turbulence, 8.16

#85 Infamous, 8.15

#84 Bride, 8.10

Davis turns into Doomsday, crashes the Jimmy/Chloe wedding, and seriously injures Jimmy. Lana returns (dangit) for the wedding and Chloe is taken away by Davis.

#83 Kara, 7.2

Kara is fully introduced here, and it is nice to know Clark has an ally that is actually family, even if she can fly and he can’t.

#82 Nocturne, 2.5

S2 had some of the more solid FotW episodes, and this was the first one where Pete could ride shotgun, which made us all wish Clark and Pete teamed up before.

#81 Committed, 8.5

We discover that not only has Chloe finally gotten over her feelings for Clark, but Lois now has feelings of her own for him.

#80 Arctic, 7.20

Kara is actually Fine in disguise and the real Kara is stuck in the Phantom Zone. Lex finds out Clark’s secret, heads to the Fortress and tries to destroy it, which is easily the best part of the episode. Chloe is arrested by the government. It seems like there are multiple shows going on at the same time and just highlights how S7 might be the worst season of Smallville. But Lana did break up with Clark and leave the show, so there’s always a silver lining!

#79 Hydro, 6.10

Strange how FotW episodes tend to appear together, this one had the scariest of all because Tori Spelling is horrifying to look at. It was an interesting idea and, of course, she gets away in the end.

#78 Cyborg, 5.15

#77 Progeny, 6.18

Wonder Woman (kinda) guest stars as Chloe’s mom and we find out Lana’s pregnancy was fake all along. Chloe with a shotgun is pretty neat, too.

#76 Legion, 8.11

Time travelers from the future help save Clark from an enemy seeking to kill him and then give him a ring he can use to call them if he needs help. We promise the ring will never be abused! Wait, no, we do not promise that.

#75 Sacred, 4.15

The whole “chasing around the world for the stones” plotline never really took off, IMO. It was always just a fetch quest and no one likes fetch quests. That said, this episode was probably the best of S4’s fetch quest episodes. It felt foreign and fun, even if it wasn’t shot in China.

#74 Subterranean, 6.9

A farmer can move through the ground and traps illegals to keep them working. If it had been in an earlier season, it might have felt like just your average FotW, but S6 was pretty weak and it was a refreshing return to the older days.

#73 Patriot, 10.19

#72 Precipice, 2.19

Clark gets into a little trouble protecting Lana, but the best part of this episode is the first appearance by the new Sheriff. Adams is a character I always wanted to see more of because she seemed to be having so much fun bothering Clark all the time.

#71 Tomb, 5.14

#70 Wither, 6.3

Oliver is still kind of a jerk as we aren’t sure if he is good or bad at this point. But nothing is more obvious than when he shows up to a costume party dressed as Robin Hood. Are you even trying to hide your identity?

#69 Whisper, 3.10

Clark gets injured and ends up discovering a new ability. A solid ability episode and much better than the awkward S2 Heat.

#68 Insurgence, 2.12

#67 Nicodemus, 6.15

A flower unlocks people’s inhibitions in a fun episode that brought a little bit of controversy when a body double was used in the pool scene for Lana. John Schneider also shoots Clark, which showed us all he was bulletproof!

#66 Trespass, 6.14

Lana is being stalked by a member of Lex’s security team and does a lot of snooping on Clark. At this point, we all know it is only a matter of time until she finds out.

#65 Jinx, 4.7

A FotW episode here, with a bit of a twist since he isn’t from Smallville; he is Russian and has a mythology about him. This episode has a nice feel to it after other episodes surrounding it have broken with the FotW format of S1/S2, which helped form the show in the beginning.

#64 Fragile, 5.18

Lana and Lex kiss! Very foreboding episode of future drama to come. It’s at this point that, while Clark and Lex haven’t exactly been chummy for a while, we know for sure that they never will be again.

#63 Icarus, 10.11

The ending to this episodes is one of the best in S10, leaving us wondering who could have possibly known about all the heroes while they were still operating underground.

#62 Hug, 1.11

A sleazy businessman can make anyone bend to his will with just a handshake. We are first directly introduced to Chloe’s infatuation with Clark, as well as Clark’s ability to bring out the best in people, two important things for the show.

#61 Dichotic, 2.9

JTT makes a rare acting appearance and plays both main ladies with his split personality.

#60 Beast, 8.20

Chloe saves Davis from Clark, who is about to send him to the Phantom Zone, and then the two takeoff together. Chloe was a character that stayed mainly the same throughout the series, usually only used as a source of information or as the resident computer geek, but her character starts to take on a different role once S8 comes along.

#59 Mortal, 5.2

Clark is left without his powers and he finally goes after Lana in the way we always wanted him to. But will it last?? If you’ve watched the show from the beginning…you probably already know the answer.

#58 Eternal, 8.18

It’s tough to tell sometimes whether Tess is evil or if she is going to be good in the end. Here, she tries to tell Clark to embrace his destiny and save the world from Davis/Doomsday.

#57 Metallo, 9.2

A very solid FotW episode that made us wish there were more like it in the later seasons, especially an generally weak season like S9.

#56 Abyss, 8.9

#55 Obscura, 1.20

#54 Roulette, 9.5

Chloe orchestrates the most complex of tricks to artificially destroy Oliver so he can realize he really is a hero and needs to embrace his destiny. Excellent Oliver episode.

#53 Cure, 7.4

Dean Cain guest stars as a doctor who can cure K powers and Chloe jumps at the chance, but it turns out he is Jack the Ripper, who is an immortal killer trying to make his lover immortal as well via a Frankenstein method. Premise turns out better than it sounds, I promise.

#52 Nemesis, 6.19

Clark and Lex are trapped in a cave together and have to work together to get out. It’s a nice throwback to earlier days when they were friends, although this is anything but friendly and really just highlights how far they’ve fallen and how they’re destined to be enemies.

#51 Commencement, 4.22

#50 Talisman, 3.20

#49 Crusade, 4.1

Clark returns, alive, and in Kal-el form, which means he can fly. We meet Lois and Jason for the first time, and Lana is possessed by a witch. I never really cared for Lois’ character in Smallville. She was too abrasive and condescending.

#48 Fortune, 10.15

Zatanna sends some special champagne to the gang and it makes them party hard, then forget about it, which is hilarious to see them piece it all back together the following morning.

#47 Ryan, 2.8

Clark’s stray comes back and the somber tone is notable from start to finish. Bring your tissues. Also, there is a special apperance by the X-Files’ Cigarette Smoking Man.

#46 Requiem, 8.4

The Toyman debuts as a villain and he is pretty fun. He seems legitimately insane and I wish he had debuted earlier in the series so we could have him on more episodes. Also, Lana leaves for good. *cheers*

#45 Fracture, 7.12

Lex tracks down Kara in Detroit but gets shot and Clark enters his mind via a Luthorcorp experiment where he discovers child Lex is still alive deep inside Lex’s mind and he tries desperately to save his old friend. It’s an episode that’ll hit you right in the feels if you’re a fan of the old Clark/Lex friendship of the earlier seasons, and one of the few gems from S7.

#44 Doomsday, 8.22

#43 Perry, 3.5

Perry White, Clark’s future boss at the Daily Planet for anyone not familiar with the canon, shows up in this episode and tries to out Clark to the world after accidentally seeing him use his abilities. Fun fact, our guest star Perry White was also a recurring guest star on the X-Files and he carries over the same disgusting swagger he had there.

#42 Stray, 1.16

Clark takes in a stray in the form of a mind-reading boy who knows Clark is special because he is the only person whose mind he can’t read. We see a nurturing side of Clark that we don’t often see.

#41 Hex, 8.17

Zatanna, a sexy magician, puts a spell on Chloe that forces her to switch bodies with Lois, and later a spell on Clark, that makes him forget his abilities. I wish Zatanna was around more often because her episodes are fun amidst a series often filled with dark story arcs.

#40 Truth, 3.18

Chloe becomes a FotW and does everything she can to figure out Clark’s secret. This was Chloe at the height of her investigative journalist phase and her frustration in Clark’s immunity to her truth power was hilarious.

#39 Vessel/Zod, 5.22/6.1

Surprise! Turns out that Lex is Zod! Clark gets stuck in the Phantom Zone and must get help from Raya to get home.

#38 Upgrade, 9.17

A highlight from S9. Zod restores his troops’ powers, Chloe has to stab Clark to save him, Clark finds out that Chloe and Oliver have been stockpiling K weapons. A very strong episode in a relatively disappointing season.

#37 Plastique, 8.2

A FotW episode that also introduces Davis Bloom, who will be our eventual Doomsday monster.

#36 Memoria, 3.19

We dive into Lex’s childhood and gain a better understanding of why he is the way he is.

#35 Oracle, 5.21

Clark has a vision of his father telling him to kill Lionel. Lionel reveals that he knows Clark’s secret and that he is, in fact, Jor-El’s oracle and has been scribbling Kryptonian script in his free time. Kind of a teaser of the sorts of seemingly random stuff that is to come in future seasons.

#34 Hidden, 5.3

Clark gets his powers back, at a cost. Oh and he rides a nuke.

#33 Accelerate, 2.21

Lana’s childhood friend, who is supposed to be dead, comes back and wants to play with her. This is one of the first episodes you might describe as truly creepy, as we find out a Luthor is behind the whole experiment

#32 Absolute Justice, 9.11

The only episode in the entire archive of Smallville to have a two word title. This is considered by many to be the greatest episode of the entire series. It was fun, interesting, and definitely important to the lore and history of the series, characters, and franchise but, I’m just not a comic fan so it just doesn’t resonate the same way with me. It didn’t make me feel anything. Nonetheless, a very solid episode and a highlight of the often disappointing later seasons.

#31 Unsafe, 4.11

Alicia is back, but is she as healthy as she claims to be? Many recurring characters don’t do as well in their sequel appearances, but this one ends up being a lot of fun once she slips Clark some red K.

#30 Pariah, 4.12

Alicia tries to out Clark’s abilities to Chloe, and we’re finally starting to come around on Clark’s new lady, only to have her suffer the same fate everyone else does who gets close to Clark.

#29 Legacy, 3.17

#28 Forsaken, 3.21

#27 Exile/Phoenix 3.1/3.2

S3 kicks off with a great show by Tom Welling, who absolutely loves playing Clark on red K, and it is difficult to see him struggle with the choices he made once he returns from Metropolis. Lex begins to show his descent into madness here as we learn he imagined “Lewis” while on the island. S3 Lex is possibly the kindest Lex we see throughout all of Smallville.

#26 Calling/Exodus, 2.22/2.23

A two-parter finale to S2, Clark decides to destroy his ship with Lionel’s Kryptonite key after Jor-El tells him he must embrace his destiny and rule the humans. Unfortunately, it turns out pretty badly and he ends up running away to Metropolis all hyped up on red K. Although, Lana and Clark do finally kiss, even if he does screw it up again. And we always knew Helen was going to turn evil because Luthors are toxic to everyone except Clark.

#25 Blank, 4.19

Clark gets amnesia thanks to a random guy with a K power, and it’s up to Chloe to help hide his secret, even though she doesn’t quite understand what it is, exactly.

#24 Crisis, 3.16

A time-shift episode thriller that keeps you constantly wondering when the “future events” from the cold open will eventually happen. Also, Adam goes bonkers.

#23 Hourglass, 1.6

Our first foreboding episode as well as the first episode where someone outside of the Kents finds out about Clark’s powers. One of S1’s gems. Star Trek TNG fans might notice Admiral Hansen as our guest starring old man strangler.

#22 Skinwalker, 2.10

I might be biased here but this was the first Smallville episode I ever saw, whether by choice or accident. Kyla’s character is short-lived and with a purpose, to further Clark’s character, and while they often play up the importance of a one-off character like Kyla too much, the episode was important because it was the first time we really saw and appreciated Clark’s loneliness as the hero. Oh, and the caves debut here too.

#21 Tempest/Vortex, 1.21/2.1

Tornadoes, Clark flies (?), Chloe and Clark together, Luthor arguments. A great finale to S1 and a fantastic conclusion in S2’s opening. This episode set the bar pretty high for Smallville’s finales, but the series would do well to live up to them.

#20 Salvation/Lazurus, 9.21/10.1

Tess and Clark appear to be dead, Lois finds out about Clark for sure, but doesn’t reveal it to him that she knows. A good start to the final season.

#19 Odyssey, 8.1

This is a sort of re-birth for the series in a number of ways. Lex has disappeared and has been replaced by a devoted follower who seems just as evil, if not more so. Clark loses his powers and regains them at the loss of someone else’s, something that is a kick in the pants for him to finally embrace his destiny. He also leaves the farm and the show really starts to take place a lot more in Metropolis, which is obviously a big change for the series.

#18 Phantom, 6.22

I know finales always have a lot going on, but this episode has SO much going on that you probably missed at least something the first time through. It was nice to see a few main characters die (potentially) because I hated some of them, and getting to see Chloe use her K power was pretty awesome.

#17 Justice, 6.11

Ok, I’m the first to admit that I don’t care at all about superhero lore or anything like that. I’m a fan of Smallville because I liked Smallville. But this is the first collaboration between all the “main” superheroes we’ve met so far on the show, and it was brilliant. It felt a little campy at times, but that’s just kind of par for the course of Smallville.

#16 Obsession, 3.14

Alicia was a seriously under-rated character. She really had true feelings for Clark (albeit obsessive), had an ability that allowed them to relate to each other, but was just swept under the rug as fast as she was introduced. That aside, the episode is great and one of my favorites, not only because of Alicia, but because we see the dark truths about Adam.

#15 Bizarro, 7.1

The conclusion to last season’s finale is a great start to S7 as Clark has to battle his Bizzaro self, we meet his cousin, an actual Kryptonian that possibly might not die (for once).

#14 Arrival, 5.1

Chloe and Clark finally have “The Talk.” We get Zod’s ship, “Kryptonians,” and the Fortress. If you’re into the Superman side of things, this is a landmark episode.

#13 Suspect, 2.13

A great conspiracy episode where we all know Jonathan can’t be guilty, but are presented with too much evidence that it MUST be true.

#12 Rosetta, 2.17

Christopher Reeve guest stars as a professor who knows all about Clark, and it is our first glimpse into the history and lore of Superman, not just Clark

#11 Reckoning, 5.12

This episode was the scariest one ever. Before it aired, all they said was that a main character would die. I feared it would be Chloe, who is one of my favorites on the show, and it ended up being Jonathan. I felt betrayed because Clark basically traded Lana’s life for his father’s, although when he gets a second bite at the apple, he ends up not telling her his secret. At this point in the series, I hated Lana and would have welcomed her exit, so it was very difficult for me to see this as a perfect episode. John Schneider is masterful though.

#10 Luthor, 10.10

Clark is sent to a parallel Earth where he is basically what Lex wanted to become.

#10 Kent, 10.17

The companion episode to Luthor, which is why I’ve ranked both as #10, this has the alternate reality Clark visit our universe. It’s just as good, as is Tom Welling.

#9 Asylum, 3.9

Lex gets put in Belle Reve, JTT returns with fellow FotWs, Lana meets a new boy; this episode is a prime example of everything S3 was doing right and why it was the best season in the series.

#8 Zero, 1.14

The first real background episode we have on Lex’s past! The Club Zero event will be revisited and mentioned scores of times in the series, and our guest star look-alike plays his role fantastically. Clark is wary about Lex for the first time and we witness Lex’s true regret for some of his past, which gives us all a little bit of hope that, maybe in the Smallville universe, Lex can be good.

#7 Labrynth, 6.12

Clark is attacked by a zoner and wakes up in what he thinks is a sanitarium with no powers, and everything he thinks he knows turns out to be something else. But is he crazy or not? Tom Welling plays it perfectly.

#6 Lexmas, 5.9

Lex has a vision of the perfect life, where he is married to Lana, best friends with Clark, accepted by the Kents, and free from his father’s influence. But, will he accept this dream and make it a reality, or will he be selfish and ignore it? I think we all know the answer.

#5 Pilot, 1.1

The pilot does a great job establishing characters and, really, the entire basis of the show. Most S1 episodes are Freak of the Week, one-off types, but this episode almost feels like the show has already been established and you’ve been watching for a few seasons already. We will return to the happenings of this episode so many times throughout the course of the series, and it never really feels like we’re scraping the bottom of the barrel, either.

#4 Shattered, 3.8

Lex’s descent into madness at its best. This is what makes S3 so great. Clark is by his side the whole time and, while I’m not historically a Superman fan, it was always very interesting to see Clark and Lex such good friends in the early seasons because we know they’re destined to be mortal enemies. Michael Rosenbaum gives one of his best performances in the entire series.

#3 Onyx, 4.17

Seeing Lex physically split into his good and evil halves is amazing and Michael Rosenbaum plays both expertly. We root so hard for the good Lex because we loved the S1-3 dynamic with Clark so dearly, but we know that it can’t last because of who is supposed to be Clark’s nemesis in the end.

#2 Transference, 4.6

The gem of S4, we really get to see Tom Welling’s acting on display here as he channels a sickeningly accurate Lionel. The fight scene in the prison is great camera work and a fun thing to watch, too.

#1 Covenant, 3.22

S3 ends just as strongly as it has been going on all season, proving to be the best season of the series. Everyone is dead, if we take things at face value (but, we’ve learned not to do that, haven’t we?). Oh and Lionel seems to be pulling all the strings even though he is behind bars. The best Smallville has to offer right here.