For that reason alone, Season 1 is essential viewing. It’s the birth of a hero, one meteor freak at a time.
Today, the Lana-obsession feels dated. The “will they/won’t they” drags. Kreuk does her best with material that often asks her to be a prize rather than a person. However, when the show lets her be angry—particularly regarding the secret of her parents’ death—she shines. Still, for every good Lana scene, there are three shots of Clark sighing in a loft. What elevates Season 1 above standard teen drama is its willingness to get dark. John Glover’s Lionel Luthor is a monstrous patriarch who chews scenery and destroys his son’s soul piece by piece. Annette O’Toole and John Schneider as Martha and Jonathan Kent provide the moral spine; they are the best parents in superhero fiction, offering tough love and unconditional acceptance. smallville season 1
The season finale, Tempest , is a masterclass in escalation. A tornado, a betrayal, a secret revealed, and Lex walking away from his father’s corruption only to walk into the darkness of his own making. It ends not with a flight, but with a father’s desperate prayer: “I need you to trust me, son.” It’s raw, emotional, and utterly human. Does Smallville Season 1 hold up? Not entirely. The CGI is laughable (the tornado looks like a screen saver). The slow-motion football scenes are cheesy. The early 2000s soundtrack—filled with Creed, Eve 6, and Remy Zero’s iconic “Save Me”—is a time capsule. For that reason alone, Season 1 is essential viewing