Season 1 best season of the series?

[Ritza]

Who else thinks this season was the best, even to date and even better than seasons 2-8?

[SGuthrie27]

Wow, I can't believe I'm the only one to vote on this poll so far. Nope, I don't think that Season 1 was the best. It did have some outstanding episodes, like "Pilot," "Stray," "Leech," and "Tempest," and it set up the foundations for the characters and future great storylines, but in my opinion, Smallville got stronger over the course of the following three seasons, dropped off a little, and has started to climb back to greatness again. It may have Season 1 to thank for that, in part, but it's still not the BEST of all seasons (in my humble opinion).

--SGuthrie ><>' :)--

[RaniaLovesClois]

The best season of the series is Season 8!!!!:D (except Lana's appereance of course:mad:). I mean this season is just incredible!!!!:eek:

[Night_Hawk90]

season 1 is a very underrated , it had some very outstanding episodes, like xray, pilot, rogue, jitters, hourglass, and tempest. I would say seasons 1-3 beat are the very best of the entire series by far, way better than s8 as well

[ram711]

I used to think that season one was a terrible season. Why? Because the majority of the episodes featured a "freak of the week" storyline, which I really don't like. However, I recently rewatched the season and I found it highly enjoyable. Although there was a lot of freak of the week episodes, the storyline was progressed in each episode, unlike that of season four, which also had a lot of freak of the week stories but the plot never progressed.

These were my grades for each of the episodes:

1. Pilot B+
2. Metamorphosis B-
3. Hothead B-
4. X-Ray B-
5. Cool B-
6. Hourglass B
7. Craving C
8. Jitters B
9. Rogue B
10. Shimmer C
11. Hug B-
12. Leech B
13. Kinetic C
14. Zero B
15. Nicodemus B-
16. Stray B
17. Reaper C
18. Drone C+
19. Crush B-
20. Obscura B
21. Tempest B+

Overall, this was a pretty good season. According to my grades, seasons 2 and 3 rate better, but season 4 is rated a lot worse.

[Imzadia]

Wow, I can't believe I'm the only one to vote on this poll so far. Nope, I don't think that Season 1 was the best. It did have some outstanding episodes, like "Pilot," "Stray," "Leech," and "Tempest," and it set up the foundations for the characters and future great storylines, but in my opinion, Smallville got stronger over the course of the following three seasons, dropped off a little, and has started to climb back to greatness again. It may have Season 1 to thank for that, in part, but it's still not the BEST of all seasons (in my humble opinion).

--SGuthrie ><>' :)--

Ditto! ...more or less. :D I'd just want to add that I Loved The Pilot, which without seeing it, I wouldn't be a fan of Smallville today. However, Season 1 is my Least Favorite season by far of all 8. I hated the FotW theme, so I only saw about 3 episodes during the 1st season. Several seasons later, I happened to watch an episode, "Commencement", and I was a 'fan' again. Except I was going to have to wait until the next season to begin my newfound adoration of the series. Of course, what I had to do was play 'catch-up' with the DVDs. :\

:rolleyes: Now, ...I feel like 'RaniaLovesClois' feels about Smallville when she said:
The best season of the series is Season 8!!!! (except Lana's appereance of course). I mean this season is just incredible!!!!

Absolutely, DITTO!! :p

[Supermania]

It used to be my favourite season in the eerie and depressing days of Season Seven, but since Season Eight has come along, it has been degraded to my second-best. Still a bloody good season though. I liked the sweet childhood aroma surrounding it and the innocence of all the characters. The Freak of the Week episodes weren't half as bad as people made them out to be and this was when the Clana relationship was at it's finest and simplest - it wasn't getting in the way of any of the major plotlines.

[Hopefulsuicide]

It's the only season that has nothing wrong with it, you know what I mean?

There is nothing annoying in it, there are no badly written storylines, no messed up lines, no reasons to be severely annoyed. It's just sweet and intelligent storytelling with subtle hints of the future thrown around. And because of that it is the most enjoyable season to watch.

It's not the most exciting, It's not the most challenging, but it is the most consistent. It is the only season that has no episode I would avoid watching (yes, even Craving I enjoy :p)

[badraven]

Well I really like/liked season one. I think it did a great job laying the foundation for a great series. That said I think that season one is, by far, the weakest season of the series. I rank at least 8 episodes in the season as C's and even one F. That's nearly half of the 21 episodes in season one. I think the show has grown leaps and bounds but I think that is the case with most long running shows.

[ZeoVGM]

I'd have to go with 5 > 6 > 3 > 2 > 7 > 1 > 4

I'm not ranking 8 as it hasn't finished yet, but if I ranked it as of now, the lowest it would be is after 5. It could end up being my favorite by the end.

I thought season 5 had a lot of great stories, cliffhangers, the amazing 100th episode, and those first few episodes were just so great. Season 6, I loved the creepiness of the Lex/Lana relationship and it too had a pretty good ongoing story. The Lionel stuff from those two seasons sealed the deal for me though.

3 was the peak of the "first chapter" of Smallville (seasons 1-4), with good ongoing plots and a couple damn good cliffhangers (Clark finding his dad in the barn shocked the hell out of me). We'll just ignore Pete's car racing episode. Season 2 followed behind very closely. They're almost even in my mind.

7 is a strange creature. The first half, I didn't think was very strong. It was good, but I don't think they handled Kara well. She felt thrown into the show without a purpose. IN general, the show didn't seem to have a real purpose. The second half, however, was great. The Veritas storyline was great and it really tied together the first seven seasons of the show nicely, ending the "second chapter" of Smallville (seasons 5-7). Not to mention, it had one of the best episodes of the entire series in "Descent". But then we had one more problem: the writer's strike. It caused us to lose two episodes, which very obviously caused some issues. The finale seemed rushed and anti-climatic.

Oh, and Pete's return episode was so shockingly terribly, I was embarrassed watching it. He deserved more than that.

Season 1 was good, but there were too many lame freak-of-the-weeks. Angel's first season did the freak-of-the-weak thing a lot better. But it did have some great episodes and was a very good launching pad for the series.

And finally, season 4 was just a mess. Rewatching it recently, it wasn't as bad as I originally remembered and does have a couple of the best episodes in the series ("Transference", "Commencement"), but it was still very poor overall.

The year-long arc relating Lana to a witch and somehow tying her into Clark was so boring and not at all needed, I don't know where to begin. Jensen Ackles, who is super talented, was hugely misused. The football plots were not interesting. Lionel's plot was not handled well and really just confused a lot of people. (Though I look at it as, he had really changed for the better, started to revert back to evil at the end, then was given the knowledge of Clark's secret in the finale and was from then on a good guy.)

Also, the whole "Kal-El is a different person" thing from the premiere was a very bad idea and I'm glad they pretty much acted as if it had never happened after that episode. I choose to look at it as "Jor-El controlling Clark" rather than Clark being turned into Kal-El. It makes more sense.

And FINALLY, hey guys, when you do a finale where you show Chloe's body engulfed by flames in a house that is blowing up, you can't pretend that didn't happen. There was ABSOLUTELY NO WAY that she could have been put into a safe bunker, like we saw in the flashback. That isn't what we saw in the finale of season 3!

-twitch-

Wow, I went on way too long.

[badraven]

Yeah- a little OT but my ranking of the seasons would be:

Season 7- Not perfect but what season ever is. I think this was the season that SV finally became a serialized show and I think it did it very well. I really liked the Veritas and the Bizarro/Brainiac storylines. I thought everyone did a great job in bringing the story to life. Some really great episodes and as someone who isn't a fan of Lana...they really slam her in this season IMO. Petty I know.

Season 6- Again just great stuff.

Season 5- Really loved the Arrow arc. Great Clark/Chole interaction.

Season 3- A great Clark season and I thought the Lex/Lionel storyarc was one of the best of the series. I just thought it was OK watching it "live" that season. It wasn't until I watched it on DVD that I really got it.

Season 4- I know...not the popular choice but I really think this season gets a bad rap. First- the season opener and finale are two of the best episodes of the series IMO. Second- you had the great Elements/Stones arc that lead to the creation of the Fortress. Third- you had Chole finding out about Clark's true nature and how that has set up and led to some of the best stuff on SV. Fourth- you had the introduction of ED as Lois Lane. Nuf' said as they say in the Marvel comics universe. And fifth...yes I like the Witch storyarc. I'm not sure why so many people didn't like this. Magic has been part of Superman's mythos of decades and in the comics Lana was always doing something werid. In the comic books she was the Insect Queen at one point. The Witch storyarc introduced magic into the SV take on the Superman mythos and that was important.

Season 2- A very fine season that showed a lot of growth out of S1. And BTW- the longest season of the series clocking in at 23 episodes.

and last but not least...

Season 1- which I have already posted about on this thread.

[tulowitski]

yes season 1 is definetely the best but 2-8 are really good too

[lois346]

My favorite was Season two but I havnen't seen all of Season eight yet, so we'll see.

[irongatealpha]

I personally felt the integral core characterization of the ensemble of the cast was its strongest. We knew the place holders and where everyone stood and what they represented. Like all beginnings the foundation and groundwork were all there, and showed great promise. Only had one way to go but up right?

Right?? Err...I think. I guess?


Clark now looking back ironically, conducted himself and felt that much closer into becoming the hero he was "destined" to become than he has shown in the shows later years. Twenty points for that reason alone. He was also less whiny and emo. WTH happened to that guy?

[vyperman7]

S1 is my second favorite season after S3.

The only thing lacking in S1, is that it had no overall storyline. It had minor storylines, but nothing to serve as an overall arc. The season was comprised mainly of stand alone episodes. I completely agree that S1 shines is in its characterization. Clark was more like Superman in S1, then he was in the later years. Lana was written as a secondary character behind Clark and Lex, and shown as the girl next door and Clark's love interest. That is who Lana Lang was supposed to be. You also saw moments with Lex that previewed his future, even though he was trying to be a good guy. You also had both the Kents being played to perfection. Not to mention the fact that the dialogue is outstanding. A lot of the best lines are in S1.

[F..l]

S1 was good, but season 4 was better I think :)

[JB1986]

While Season 1 really is not my personal favorite, I feel that it is kindof underrated. It set up the core characters very well, and for the most part was very well done. It had few flat-out "clunkers," and even the worst episodes of the season had at least something to them that made them bearable. Yes, even episodes like "Craving" (completely saved by a great performance by Amy Adams, whom I consider to be a fabulous actress) and "Shimmer" (Tom shirtless in the locker room. Yeah, Tom's gorgeous and I can't help but say so! :p:D:lol:) Plus, it has great episodes like "Pilot," "X-Ray," "Jitters," "Rogue," "Hourglass," "Leech," "Nicodemus," "Zero," "Reaper," "Crush," "Obscura," and the awesome finale "Tempest." the only thing that knocks it down is the lack of an overall season arc, which is why I prefer the later seasons. Personal preference, I suppose. I'm rewatching the entire series again, and it was a blast to rewatch season 1. It brough back alot of nostalgia! :)

[Eric II]

S1 is my second favorite season after S3.

The only thing lacking in S1, is that it had no overall storyline. It had minor storylines, but nothing to serve as an overall arc. The season was comprised mainly of stand alone episodes. I completely agree that S1 shines is in its characterization. Clark was more like Superman in S1, then he was in the later years. Lana was written as a secondary character behind Clark and Lex, and shown as the girl next door and Clark's love interest. That is who Lana Lang was supposed to be. You also saw moments with Lex that previewed his future, even though he was trying to be a good guy. You also had both the Kents being played to perfection. Not to mention the fact that the dialogue is outstanding. A lot of the best lines are in S1.

It's funny you should mention the lack of an overall storyline as a negative. I can understand that, but I also think that no overall arc meant it truly was all about the relationships. And in effect, that became the storyline: Clark finally starting on his path to becoming Superman and the people that contributed to it. It's just one more thing that makes the first season so unique.

I agree entirely with the rest of your post. You could really see the future Superman in Clark, Lana was the girl next door, Lex was still good with only flashes of darkness. More so than any other season, the fact you knew where these characters would eventually end up made everything so compelling.

You knew Lex would eventually be Clark's enemy, and you knew Clark wouldn't end up with Lana, but Season 1 had you hoping the end you knew was coming would somehow turn out different. It was all very finely crafted, making for a very special season.

[Night_Hawk90]

season 1 just lags alittle behind season 2 but its definitely one of the best written seasons of the entire series. Clark is written beautifully as is lex,lionel, lana and clark's parents. I enjoyed the freaks of the week i cant say anything bad about this season this is clark kent at his best imho.

[Supermania]

season 1 just lags alittle behind season 2 but its definitely one of the best written seasons of the entire series. Clark is written beautifully as is lex,lionel, lana and clark's parents. I enjoyed the freaks of the week i cant say anything bad about this season this is clark kent at his best imho.

I must agree that the characters were written 'beautifully'. I'm currently rewatching season One on DVD and watching Clark take the meteor freak population of Smallville into his own hands is great to see. I like it when Clark encounters a meteor freak, 'cause he stands up straight and talks as confident as you'd expect from Superman. Season One was also where Lana was at her best, I feel.

[A_Chloe.S._Fan]

I thought that for awhile, but I actually like season 8 and possibly season 6 more.

[vyperman7]

S1 is my second favorite season after S3. It is definitely the most underrated season of the show. I think the only thing it lacks is an overall arc. There are a few reoccurring themes and characters. But no real overall arc. However, the characterization and dialogue are amazing in S1. Clark was more like Superman in this season than any other which is sad considering he is supposed to mature as the show goes on..LOL

[Supsfan]

It is definitely the most underrated season of the show. I think the only thing it lacks is an overall arc.

To be honest the lack of an overall season arc is one of the seasons strong points. In general I find season long arcs on this show suck, i much more prefer one and out episodes that move the personal relationships forward

Just do do reviews on Season story arcs

S2 - Clark's Heritage, started of great but once Jor-El was revealed to be a malevolent AI jackass near the end of the season it quickly deteriorated to crap

S3 - Lex vs Lionel, probably the best season long storyarc, but Clark basically was a bistandard

S4 - Stones, yet another season long storyarc that Clark was on the outside looking in, good finish but the actual arc during the season was ok(mainly ruined by the involvement of Lana)

S5 - Jorel saves Clark but will Kill somebody in his place. Did I mention how much I hate Jor-El on the show up till S5. I hated reckoning, so not so fond memories of this.

Late S5/S6 - Lexana - by far the worst storyline ever on the show, Promise is my least favorite episode of all time(I decided recently Power wasn't as bad)

S7 Clark/Lana play house and Veritas, both not my cup of tea. I thought Kara started off good enough but it went nowhere fast. In general S7 seemed to be all over the place so it hard actually picking out what was the main storyline

S8 Davis/Chloe - This felt like a complete waste of screentime, once again Clark was shoved to the background. A big reason Why i didn't care for the second half

[vyperman7]

S3 - Lex vs Lionel, probably the best season long storyarc, but Clark basically was a bistandard

"Bistandard"

LMFAO!!!!!!!!! :rotfl:

That was great man. I agree with you about S5/S6 as well. Season five had such a big advertising campaign. In the ads before the season started, you saw Clark/Lex coming to blows, moments in the FOS, etc.. However, the season ended up being more about Clana than anything else, and then the Clexana triangle made it even worse. I think one of my most least favorite seasons is S7. Just a waste. I know some people like the whole Kara/Supergirl thing but I am not one of them.

The three major changes I would have made to the series in the early years would be - Clark staying in glasses after Whisper (this would have solved all the problems as we know it in regards to his dual identity down the road and Lois seeing him without them), Clark/Lana getting back together by the third episode of S3, and then having her discover the truth at the end of the season ending the romance between them. This is what makes her want to go to Paris. Then she spends all of S4 being distant and trying to come to terms with it, while Clark meets Lois and slowly starts to become closer with her little by little. Then by S5, Lana has accepted the truth, become Clark's friend, and the rest of the show could have spent on Clark and Lex and the two of them eventually reaching their destinies. For some reason the writers forgot Lana was supposed to be Clark's high school girlfriend.

Then later on, I would have kept Johnathan alive, and had Clark go to college all four years getting more and more into journalism. Then when he goes to work at the DP, he has a degree and an actual interest in journalism instead of just showing up to the DP one day with an application and settling.

[Supsfan]

"Bistandard"

LMFAO!!!!!!!!! :rotfl:

I would like to take credit for purposely making the type to make a different word(that sort of fits some people feelings of the season) but that's the problem when I type out phonetically without proof reading my posts.

The three major changes I would have made to the series in the early years would be - Clark staying in glasses after Whisper (this would have solved all the problems as we know it in regards to his dual identity down the road and Lois seeing him without them), Clark/Lana getting back together by the third episode of S3, and then having her discover the truth at the end of the season ending the romance between them.

Personally I would have built up to Clark Telling Lana his secret in S2E23/S3E1. It would have avoided the whole Calling-Exile run that I wasn't particularly a fan of(ie malevolent AI Jor-El). From there you could explore that relationship to only have them break up at the end of S4(for good). After That Clark goes to college.

S1 followed the KISS(Keep it Simple Stupid) Formula which to me was much easier to handle then any other season

[supercatmom]

I have always thought that S1 was under rated.
S1 is my favorite season followed closely by S2.
They were what hooked me on watching SV.

There was an innocence and sweetness about the characters back then. I loved all of them including Lana. FOTW didn't bother me that much b/c there had to be some kind of powered villian for Clark to fight. It was a new idea not just dragging in villians from the DC universe.

Now asked me my favorite season of SV/Metropolis and I would say S9 so far is awesome and if it keeps up the pace will blow me out of the water.

Clark is now on the verge of becoming Superman and the Clois is moving along perfectly.
It's where you always imagine SV to be heading towards.

----- Added 5 Minutes later -----

"Bistandard"

LMFAO!!!!!!!!! :rotfl:

That was great man. I agree with you about S5/S6 as well. Season five had such a big advertising campaign. In the ads before the season started, you saw Clark/Lex coming to blows, moments in the FOS, etc.. However, the season ended up being more about Clana than anything else, and then the Clexana triangle made it even worse. I think one of my most least favorite seasons is S7. Just a waste. I know some people like the whole Kara/Supergirl thing but I am not one of them.

The three major changes I would have made to the series in the early years would be - Clark staying in glasses after Whisper (this would have solved all the problems as we know it in regards to his dual identity down the road and Lois seeing him without them), Clark/Lana getting back together by the third episode of S3, and then having her discover the truth at the end of the season ending the romance between them. This is what makes her want to go to Paris. Then she spends all of S4 being distant and trying to come to terms with it, while Clark meets Lois and slowly starts to become closer with her little by little. Then by S5, Lana has accepted the truth, become Clark's friend, and the rest of the show could have spent on Clark and Lex and the two of them eventually reaching their destinies. For some reason the writers forgot Lana was supposed to be Clark's high school girlfriend.

Then later on, I would have kept Johnathan alive, and had Clark go to college all four years getting more and more into journalism. Then when he goes to work at the DP, he has a degree and an actual interest in journalism instead of just showing up to the DP one day with an application and settling.

OMG ITA If only you could have been a writer on the show.

[Night_Hawk90]

i dont think there is a season more underappreciated than season 1 of smallville, unlike most people the fotw dont bother me as i feel this season produced the greatest character development, and the writing especially the dialogue was not as bad as it became later on in the series.

All the characters all likeable unlike now, I think they miscasted john glover who should have been lex luthor as his character lionel defintely fit the character much better than rosenbaum's. I sort of wish smallville would do episodes that dont deal with aliens or beings with superpowers like with what they did in rogue. All in all its my favourite clark is at his best in this season i actually felt he was closer to being superman in this season than any other, its shame they crapped all over that in later seasons.

[Supsfan]

unlike most people the fotw dont bother

As supercatmom pointed out the FOTW provided the show a black and white villian each episode. In order to make your hero look good it's better to contrast him to somebody that is clearly bad.