Erika's Guide to Smallville - Part 1 Seasons 1-4
Welcome to Erika's Guide to the best episodes of Smallville. This list is for those folks who love Superman/Clois, hate unnecessary teen angst crap or unnecessary freaks of the week. Here are my picks for episodes to watch if you're interested in watching Smallville but don't have 100+ hours of your life to kill watching all 8 seasons. I've picked the best of the best from each season. Granted you can watch those that I don't have listed - these are just my picks for each season - up first seasons 1-4:
** - Clark Develops Powers Episodes
** - Superman anvil episodes
** - DC Comics/Justice League Episodes
Season 1 - the first season brings us Kryptonite freaks of the week - many episodes all involve Clark and Chloe and Pete investigating people w/ freaky powers who are infected by Kryptonite. I’ve selected some of the best episodes.
1x01 Pilot - the only way to get into the series is to watch how it all began.
1x03 Hothead - Although most of the episode is a freak of the week type - we have the introduction of Lionel Luthor on the show and it’s hands down one of the greatest burns on Lex from the entire show.
**1x04 X-Ray - Clark develops X-Ray vision.
1x08 Jitters - Shows us the first time that Lex is up to something squirrelly w/ studying meteor rocks.
**1x09 - Rogue - Clark in Metropolis, good Clark/Lex stuff. There's a Superman anvil in it.
1x12 Leech - Clark loses his powers when a meteor freak (played by X-Men’s Shawn Ashmore) leeches his powers. Clark gets to briefly be happy yet the results are disasterous.
1x14 - Zero - Heavy Lex episode, Chloe butt-in-sky trying to figure out Clark’s past.
1x15 - Nicodemus everyone (but Clark) gets infected by a weird flower and start acting w/ no inhibitions. Clana fans love this ep, Lana goes all bad girl (aka she dresses like a Bratz doll) - I mostly recommend it because Jonathan Kent gets infected and is a riot in the episode.
1x18 Drone - Bee girl - the only reason that you need to possibly watch this ep is that she reappears in Season 7 again in Cure.
1x21 Tempest - season finale tornedos hit Smallville at prom time.
Season 2 - this season brings us a new layer of mythology on the show and Clark digs deeper into his past.
2x01 - Vortex - tornedo’s fallout.
**2x02 - Heat - Clark develops heat vision and discovers that it’s linked to his teenage hormones. Hilarious episode.
2x03 - Oh oh - Pete finds Clark’s spaceship that escaped from the Kent farm during the tornedos.
2x04 - Red - Clark gets infected by Red Kryptonite and loses all inhibitions. Red K eps are some of fan favorite eps.
2x07 - Lineage - strange woman comes into town claiming to be Clark’s biological mother - find out strange things w/ Lionel.
2x10 Skinwalker - the introduction of the Kawatchi caves storyline. Mythology that goes through season 5 of the show.
2x11 Visage - the return of Tina Greer from X-Ray (my favorite Lana stalking meteor freak.)
2x14 Rush - teenage mayhem - Clark gets infected by Red K again - Chloe benefits.
2x16 Fever - this ep is a big teen angst thing - it sets up Chloe being the pining pathetic lovesick fool that she is for much of the series. Clark is sick. This gets brought up again in season 8 which is why it should be watched.
** 2x17 Rosetta - Christopher Reeve guest stars in what has to be one of the show’s best episodes of all time.
2x22 Calling-2x23 Exodus - both set up for the season finale. Jor-El makes demands on his son - all hell breaks loose when Clark blows up his ship and has a serious case of the guilties.
Season 3 - season 3 had a lot of good stuff in it
** 3x01 - 3x02 Exile-Phoenix - hands down one of the best 2-part openings ever for the series. Clark is lost, he’s moved to Metropolis and is high on Red K. He gets involved w/ bad guys…oh yeah and he’s wanted by the law. We get a Clark symbol on his chest in a phone booth scene - not exactly what you’re expecting though.
** 3x05 Perry - Clark meets Perry White, his future boss at the Daily Planet. This happens at the most inopportune moment, sun flares are causing Clark’s powers to go bezerk and puts him right in White’s radar.
** 3x06 Relic - we learn that Jor-El visited earth in the 50’s and was also sucked in by Pink Kryptonite aka Lana’s aunt Louise. The end of the episode makes it all worth while.
3x08 Shattered/3x09 Asylum - Morgan Edge returns - Lex sees Clark’s powers in action and is institutionalized.
** ** 3x10 Whisper - Clark develops Super Hearing. Lana shows what a punk she is and can’t deal with Clark when he’s blind. Clark wears Glasses.
3x11 DELETE - Delete serves no other purpose for watching other than everyone wants to kill Chloe and there’s a great Lana/Chloe girlfight. I love Delete - it’s a great, funny episode.
3x14 Obsession - our introduction to Alicia Baker. Yeah just watch, I love Alicia.
3x16 Crisis - alright so this episode was written by Bryan and Kelly who are now the showrunners of the series. They wrote all of the best Clois episodes over the years AND 9/10 they wrote Lana out to be a pathetic little twerp. This episode is the one that solidified my undying hatred of her character. Watch it and you’ll see why.
** 3x17 Legacy - the return of Christopher Reeve as Dr. Swann.
**3x18 Memoria - this was without a doubt one of the best episodes ever written for the series. The final scenes are utterly heart wrenching. God I love Memoria.
3x20 Talisman - more Kawatchi caves mythology stuff.
** 3x22 Covenant - a strange girl call Kara arrives on the Kent Farm and informs Clark that she’s also Kryptonian and tells him that it’s time to fulfill his destiny. Clark offers his life for his fathers to Jor-El. Season ender.
Season 4 -marks the arrival of Lois into town and is one of my favorite seasons. Clark and Lana barely talk to each other all season - Lois’s episodes are fun and lighthearted and there are a LOT of awesome humor episodes, even when Lois isn’t around.
** **4x01 Crusade/4x02 Gone - the arrival of Lois Lane and eternal light shines on the series. Clark is no longer Clark but Kal-El. My favorite of all time 2 parter season openers. Margot Kidder makes a guest appearance.
4x03 Façade - Lois is forced to attend school when her college admission is pulled. Freak fest ensues. One of the greatest burns on Chloe ever on the series.
4x04 Devoted - Chloe gets infected by a love potion - Clark and Lois are greatly disturbed.
** 4x05 Run - We meet Bart Allen aka Impulse!
4x06 Transference - Lionel and Clark swap bodies in what has to be one of the most hilarious episodes ever.
4x07-08 - Jinx/Spell - these 2 episodes, I enjoy Jinx - Clark plays football and is happy Chloe gets involved w/ a mysterious bookie. Spell - it’s heavily Lana infected but Lois returns for it, she, Chloe, and Lana all get turned into witches for general mayhem.
4x10 Scare - this ep is actually alright, I watch it to see Lana’s greatest nightmare.
4x11 Unsafe/ 4x12 Pariah - the return of Alicia Baker and RedK Clark. These are just flat out awesome episodes.
4x13 Recruit - Clark gets recruited at Met U for football, Lois investigates that something is fishy with the quarterback.
** 4x14 Krypto - Clark’s Super-pup! Sorta. Fabulous Clois mayhem.
**4x16 Lucy - Lois’s sister Lucy Lane arrives in town and trouble follows.
4x17 Onyx - Lex gets infected by Black K.
4x18 Spirit - it’s prom time and there’s a haunting afoot in Smallville.
4x19 Blank - Clark loses his memories…unfortunately when they return he’s back to being Blahna infatuated again.
** 4x22 Commencement - Graduation day brings the arrival of another meteor shower that hits Smallville. Clark takes off w/ the stones and gets zapped to the big north west…you can only bet what that means.
** - Clark Develops Powers Episodes
** - Superman anvil episodes
** - DC Comics/Justice League Episodes
Season 1 - the first season brings us Kryptonite freaks of the week - many episodes all involve Clark and Chloe and Pete investigating people w/ freaky powers who are infected by Kryptonite. I’ve selected some of the best episodes.
1x01 Pilot - the only way to get into the series is to watch how it all began.
1x03 Hothead - Although most of the episode is a freak of the week type - we have the introduction of Lionel Luthor on the show and it’s hands down one of the greatest burns on Lex from the entire show.
**1x04 X-Ray - Clark develops X-Ray vision.
1x08 Jitters - Shows us the first time that Lex is up to something squirrelly w/ studying meteor rocks.
**1x09 - Rogue - Clark in Metropolis, good Clark/Lex stuff. There's a Superman anvil in it.
1x12 Leech - Clark loses his powers when a meteor freak (played by X-Men’s Shawn Ashmore) leeches his powers. Clark gets to briefly be happy yet the results are disasterous.
1x14 - Zero - Heavy Lex episode, Chloe butt-in-sky trying to figure out Clark’s past.
1x15 - Nicodemus everyone (but Clark) gets infected by a weird flower and start acting w/ no inhibitions. Clana fans love this ep, Lana goes all bad girl (aka she dresses like a Bratz doll) - I mostly recommend it because Jonathan Kent gets infected and is a riot in the episode.
1x18 Drone - Bee girl - the only reason that you need to possibly watch this ep is that she reappears in Season 7 again in Cure.
1x21 Tempest - season finale tornedos hit Smallville at prom time.
Season 2 - this season brings us a new layer of mythology on the show and Clark digs deeper into his past.
2x01 - Vortex - tornedo’s fallout.
**2x02 - Heat - Clark develops heat vision and discovers that it’s linked to his teenage hormones. Hilarious episode.
2x03 - Oh oh - Pete finds Clark’s spaceship that escaped from the Kent farm during the tornedos.
2x04 - Red - Clark gets infected by Red Kryptonite and loses all inhibitions. Red K eps are some of fan favorite eps.
2x07 - Lineage - strange woman comes into town claiming to be Clark’s biological mother - find out strange things w/ Lionel.
2x10 Skinwalker - the introduction of the Kawatchi caves storyline. Mythology that goes through season 5 of the show.
2x11 Visage - the return of Tina Greer from X-Ray (my favorite Lana stalking meteor freak.)
2x14 Rush - teenage mayhem - Clark gets infected by Red K again - Chloe benefits.
2x16 Fever - this ep is a big teen angst thing - it sets up Chloe being the pining pathetic lovesick fool that she is for much of the series. Clark is sick. This gets brought up again in season 8 which is why it should be watched.
** 2x17 Rosetta - Christopher Reeve guest stars in what has to be one of the show’s best episodes of all time.
2x22 Calling-2x23 Exodus - both set up for the season finale. Jor-El makes demands on his son - all hell breaks loose when Clark blows up his ship and has a serious case of the guilties.
Season 3 - season 3 had a lot of good stuff in it
** 3x01 - 3x02 Exile-Phoenix - hands down one of the best 2-part openings ever for the series. Clark is lost, he’s moved to Metropolis and is high on Red K. He gets involved w/ bad guys…oh yeah and he’s wanted by the law. We get a Clark symbol on his chest in a phone booth scene - not exactly what you’re expecting though.
** 3x05 Perry - Clark meets Perry White, his future boss at the Daily Planet. This happens at the most inopportune moment, sun flares are causing Clark’s powers to go bezerk and puts him right in White’s radar.
** 3x06 Relic - we learn that Jor-El visited earth in the 50’s and was also sucked in by Pink Kryptonite aka Lana’s aunt Louise. The end of the episode makes it all worth while.
3x08 Shattered/3x09 Asylum - Morgan Edge returns - Lex sees Clark’s powers in action and is institutionalized.
** ** 3x10 Whisper - Clark develops Super Hearing. Lana shows what a punk she is and can’t deal with Clark when he’s blind. Clark wears Glasses.
3x11 DELETE - Delete serves no other purpose for watching other than everyone wants to kill Chloe and there’s a great Lana/Chloe girlfight. I love Delete - it’s a great, funny episode.
3x14 Obsession - our introduction to Alicia Baker. Yeah just watch, I love Alicia.
3x16 Crisis - alright so this episode was written by Bryan and Kelly who are now the showrunners of the series. They wrote all of the best Clois episodes over the years AND 9/10 they wrote Lana out to be a pathetic little twerp. This episode is the one that solidified my undying hatred of her character. Watch it and you’ll see why.
** 3x17 Legacy - the return of Christopher Reeve as Dr. Swann.
**3x18 Memoria - this was without a doubt one of the best episodes ever written for the series. The final scenes are utterly heart wrenching. God I love Memoria.
3x20 Talisman - more Kawatchi caves mythology stuff.
** 3x22 Covenant - a strange girl call Kara arrives on the Kent Farm and informs Clark that she’s also Kryptonian and tells him that it’s time to fulfill his destiny. Clark offers his life for his fathers to Jor-El. Season ender.
Season 4 -marks the arrival of Lois into town and is one of my favorite seasons. Clark and Lana barely talk to each other all season - Lois’s episodes are fun and lighthearted and there are a LOT of awesome humor episodes, even when Lois isn’t around.
** **4x01 Crusade/4x02 Gone - the arrival of Lois Lane and eternal light shines on the series. Clark is no longer Clark but Kal-El. My favorite of all time 2 parter season openers. Margot Kidder makes a guest appearance.
4x03 Façade - Lois is forced to attend school when her college admission is pulled. Freak fest ensues. One of the greatest burns on Chloe ever on the series.
4x04 Devoted - Chloe gets infected by a love potion - Clark and Lois are greatly disturbed.
** 4x05 Run - We meet Bart Allen aka Impulse!
4x06 Transference - Lionel and Clark swap bodies in what has to be one of the most hilarious episodes ever.
4x07-08 - Jinx/Spell - these 2 episodes, I enjoy Jinx - Clark plays football and is happy Chloe gets involved w/ a mysterious bookie. Spell - it’s heavily Lana infected but Lois returns for it, she, Chloe, and Lana all get turned into witches for general mayhem.
4x10 Scare - this ep is actually alright, I watch it to see Lana’s greatest nightmare.
4x11 Unsafe/ 4x12 Pariah - the return of Alicia Baker and RedK Clark. These are just flat out awesome episodes.
4x13 Recruit - Clark gets recruited at Met U for football, Lois investigates that something is fishy with the quarterback.
** 4x14 Krypto - Clark’s Super-pup! Sorta. Fabulous Clois mayhem.
**4x16 Lucy - Lois’s sister Lucy Lane arrives in town and trouble follows.
4x17 Onyx - Lex gets infected by Black K.
4x18 Spirit - it’s prom time and there’s a haunting afoot in Smallville.
4x19 Blank - Clark loses his memories…unfortunately when they return he’s back to being Blahna infatuated again.
** 4x22 Commencement - Graduation day brings the arrival of another meteor shower that hits Smallville. Clark takes off w/ the stones and gets zapped to the big north west…you can only bet what that means.