Who Thinks Smallville Season 1 & 2 Episodes Are Better Than Later Episodes?

[mattoc83]

Personally i think that smallville seasons 1 & 2 have better storylines and better episodes than later seasons. please comment.

[ginnyfan]

I was really struck by the character development in Seasons 1 and 2. There were lots of relationships. The plots built through several episodes the way they did in Season 7. The characters just seem to have conversations more often. Clark did more of his own thinking and more investigating. I'm tempted to agree right now...but I want to wait until I watch the whole series again to decide.

[4815162342LOST]

yh easily

[Night_Hawk90]

smallville peaked in season 2, it's golden years were season 1-2 with a little drop in quality by season 3. season 4-8 the quality and storylines went downhill with clark's character development taking a major hit. I am definitely one of a few who is not that impressed with season 9.

[The_Last_Son]

I love all of Smallville. But I do Agree that seasons 1 and 2 are the best by far.

[4815162342LOST]

Nighthawk
I completely agree, not impressed so far

[SupermanRox]

I think the first two seasons were fantastic!

[NadiaBreca]

Personally i think that smallville seasons 1 & 2 have better storylines and better episodes than later seasons. please comment.

...................Just no,i'm a shipper,i know,but just for these,i think s8 and 9 are way better than s1 and 2,IMO.

[sithius]

I don't understand how anyone can not be impressed with S9 so far? The quality is better than S4-8, especially 5-8. It can't really be compared on the same level, imo.

[Night_Hawk90]

I don't understand how anyone can not be impressed with S9 so far? The quality is better than S4-8, especially 5-8. It can't really be compared on the same level, imo.

the quality is better than s4-s8 which is not saying much as those seasons generally sucked season 5 started out great than went into the crapper like most seasons have since season 4 so im not ready to give s9 the benefit of the doubt. plus this season still does not feel like a superman story as it way to f'n dark, and that whole storyline of clark kent is dead was absolutely pointless as it was dropped in 1 episode. season 1 and 2 will always top them all.

[4815162342LOST]

8 and 9 better than 1 and 2.
Give me a break.

[Nimkong]

I liked season 1 alot but i dont really like season 2. While some seasons are better then season 2,Season 1 is one of the best.

[Smokethatkryptonite]

I don't understand how anyone can not be impressed with S9 so far? .

uh emo suit, chemistry-less Clois, Zod's terrible acting, Martha hiring a bad guy to mind rape someone, Tom Welling dropping the ball on his acting etc. Season 9 may be improvement over 6-8 and season 5's second half but it still has a lot of problems and is ridiculously overrated. Just because it's a step up from the last 3 and half seasons doesn't mean it's really good.

[wellinglover66]

Season 9 was awesome...could've done without the Blonde Blunder Exposition Queen though, but all in all, it was better than seasons 1 and 2.

[LuthorKent90]

Season 1 not so much. Season 2 and 3 were the best of the series prior to the amazing season 9.

Although season 1 was still enjoyable and a great set up for season 2; learning more about Clark's origins. There was way too much freak of the week for me to call it a great season.

Season 3 was the strongest season of the series with it's consistency week after week and amount of memorable episodes. Maybe I'm just biased because I absolutely loved the Lex centric episodes. It had some of the best acted/written scenes of the series.

[Smallville Rules]

I think season 6, 7 & 9 have been best by far but come to think about it 1 & 2 had alot about building clark

[Antiyonder]

Can't really say that they are the best seasons, but they have some decent moments:

1. Season 1 didn't contain an excessive amount of Clark and Lana drama. I mean I see her wanting to know the truth to be understandable, but the repeating of "be honest with me" comes off as nagging.

2. Aside from Clark, it seems like every guy who dates Lana flips and becomes evil. Whitney holds the distinction of being the only other guy to date Lana while maintaining his decency.

[SVFAN89]

I do agree that they're better. The first 4 seasons are my favorite. The early years were so much simpler and story lines weren't as complicated, and certain characters were written better. Don't get me wrong I love the recent seasons too, but there's just something really special about the early seasons.

[vyperman7]

Season one is my favorite season. Great character development and dialogue. A lot of the best lines are in the first season. Season two is good, but not great. Season three was outstanding. Season four used to be a season I didn't care for, but with time and repeated DVD viewings, it has grown on me a lot. I think the show started going downhill in S5.

The thing that I don't like about the later seasons of Smallville is that the show has become so convoluted. There is so much stuff going on. The show was originally supposed to focus on Clark's life before he becomes Superman. Lois, Jimmy, the JLA, JSA, and all the future villains were not going to be introduced. The show was supposed to be about the journey of how and why Clark eventually becomes Superman. An added bonus was the inclusion of Lex on the show and the development towards his eventual evil self.

It cracks me up when people ask if others would watch if there was a Superman show with TW and ED. If you think about it, isn't that what the show has become? Granted, we don't have the suit or the name Superman yet, but Clark/Lois are together working at the DP, Clark has a costumed alter-ego he uses to protect Metropolis, and we have been introduced to many future characters from when Clark becomes Superman.

[lexluthor408]

Season one is my favorite season. Great character development and dialogue. A lot of the best lines are in the first season. Season two is good, but not great. Season three was outstanding. Season four used to be a season I didn't care for, but with time and repeated DVD viewings, it has grown on me a lot. I think the show started going downhill in S5.

The thing that I don't like about the later seasons of Smallville is that the show has become so convoluted. There is so much stuff going on. The show was originally supposed to focus on Clark's life before he becomes Superman. Lois, Jimmy, the JLA, JSA, and all the future villains were not going to be introduced. The show was supposed to be about the journey of how and why Clark eventually becomes Superman. An added bonus was the inclusion of Lex on the show and the development towards his eventual evil self.

It cracks me up when people ask if others would watch if there was a Superman show with TW and ED. If you think about it, isn't that what the show has become? Granted, we don't have the suit or the name Superman yet, but Clark/Lois are together working at the DP, Clark has a costumed alter-ego he uses to protect Metropolis, and we have been introduced to many future characters from when Clark becomes Superman.

lol at the last part. this is a full blown superman show basically. I think that is what went wrong along the way imo. For example people like me who weren't big supermans could enjoy the show because the comic book elements were limited and anyone could relate to the characters and the show. I feel that as the show went on a lot of the fan base was alienated due to the multiple story lines, dc characters, etc. yes i understand the show had to evolve, especially lasting 10 years and all but the story was unique in its early years and now it has become a depiction of a comic book. i still enjoy it but not as much as i used to.

[VilleFan]

The early seasons definitely have a special place in my heart, for sure. :)

But comparing "old-school" Smallville to the more recent Smallville seasons is not an accurate comparison IMO. It's almost like it's 2 different shows. The early high school seasons were AWESOME, no doubt, with tons of character development. And then the later years were more comic-booky.

Early Smallville didn't pay as much attention to all the pizazz in the comics, but later Smallville draws practically EVERYTHING from DC books. (not that that's a problem... :) )

[Supsfan]

I personally think S1 + 4 caught the tone of what a Superman story should be(basically keep things simple and somewhat fun). While I enjoyed S2 I don't think the episodes were as good as S1 on a whole

[BigT]

I honestly think season 1 is the most overrated season of Smallville. Not that it was a bad season but IMO it gets too much praise just because it's the first season. Yes, it was the Pilot but other than that along with a few good episodes there's really nothing about S1 that stands out. You basically had the same episodes over again with the FotW's, there really was no main plot, and not a whole lot of character development. The show hadn't quite matured yet and I do think S1 is actually kinda crappy because of this.

Now season 2 on the other hand is where the show started to hit it's stride but IMO it was more darker than S3 which S3 is often referred as the darker season. Mainly because of how S2 ended I guess is what made it dark for me along with Red.

Season 3 was a great season as well and Season 4 was mainly a fun season with a plot that was all over the place. The first half of season 5 was good but after Reckoning is where the show started to go downhill.

S6-S7 were pure crap with the exception of a few episodes.

The first half of S8 was pretty good until that AOS came along and S8 became a trainwreck after that.

Season 9 is where the show started going back on track and IMO was a great season and so far S10 is shaping up to be great as well.

So no, I don't agree with S1 being one of the best but definately S2.

[Supsfan]

I honestly think season 1 is the most overrated season of Smallville. Not that it was a bad season but IMO it gets too much praise just because it's the first season. Yes, it was the Pilot but other than that along with a few good episodes there's really nothing about S1 that stands out.

For me anytime the show tries in inject some forced drama is when the show falls flat. S1 is really the only season that didn't have that forced drama for the sake of having drama feel. Sure S1 might not have many episodes on my top 25 list but it also doesn't have any episodes on my worst 25. I would say if I was ranking every episode ever made about 15/16 of 21 episode from S1 would make my top 100.

The main problem with me for S2 is it started off good but I hated the whole Jor-El plotline of the second half. S3 was just to dark and depressing for Clark. S5 took dark and depressing to a whole new level(both first and second half). S6 was like a bad soap opera. S7 was all over the place. S8 started off great but became a trainwreck in the second half and while I have no major complaints of S9 it didn't have the subtle charm of S1.

I am a firm believer on Smallville that simpler many times is better and S1 was as simple as the show could get.

[swellde]

I would agree but it's tough to say since the show has gone on for so many seasons. Of course while things were fresh and new I thought the show was better.

I will say that since I own all of the seasons on DVD/BVD, everyone I have lent the first or second season to that weren't fans of the show originally have not been able to stop until they have watched every episode.

[xrayvision]

For me, seasons 1-3 were the best seasons of Smallville and are all MUCH better than any of the seasons after them.

[HopeforTomorrow]

I am a firm believer on Smallville that simpler many times is better and S1 was as simple as the show could get.

Agreed.



I will say that since I own all of the seasons on DVD/BVD, everyone I have lent the first or second season to that weren't fans of the show originally have not been able to stop until they have watched every episode.

This happened to me years ago as well. I bought Seasons 1-5, and then eventually Seasons 6 & 7. Once I finished watching them, I would lend them out to my friends, and they went through Seasons 1-4 very quickly. By Season 5, things slowed down just a little. Season 6 took much longer for them to get through. I remember lending out Season 7 to one of my friends, and after about 2-3 months, I asked him if he ever made it through. He went something like "Oh.....yeah, you can have it back now." I don't believe that he even made it through half of that season, and by then, I knew that any interest in the show had greatly fizzled away. It's a damn shame what it became along the way.


For me, seasons 1-3 were the best seasons of Smallville and are all MUCH better than any of the seasons after them.

I agree 150%, and I just want to add an additional MUCH for good measure.

[tbird4u]

Season 9 has been the best season of smallville so far IMO.

[HopeforTomorrow]

Season 9 has been the best season of smallville so far IMO.

Going by the assumption that you're a big fan of the Lois/Clark relationship, that makes sense. There's nothing wrong with that. I'm not a shipper or anything, but I personally think that the Lois/Clark relationship was at its best/peak during the first 8 episodes of Season 8 and - no thanks to the Lana arc, among other things - hasn't been near that same level since. I'd also say that individually, they were written better at that time as well - before all hell broke loose. JMO



For me, this is where my season rankings stand:

1. Season 1
2. Season 2
3. Season 3

There are elements of each of the first 3 seasons that I like a lot, so they are all equal to me and I couldn't say that one is better than the other.

4. Season 4

Season 4 had some great individual episodes and I liked that it was fun and adventurous. Could've done without Lana being a witch (possibly the first major contrived thing to happen), and looking back now, I'd rather that Chloe had never learned about Clark. It's a shame that Pete was benched and pissed on before being written off of the series.

5. Season 5

I'd say that this is the most depressing season overall, and Reckoning could be considered the death of what was once a very promising and unique show. The series had such a great and very likeable cast, and in the end, so much potential and talent was wasted. The death of Jonathan Kent was unnecessary and this show quickly lost its heart and it just fell apart afterwards. This is where Clark also lost his ability to think with his own brain to the great benefit of Chloe as well as the development of his one-track mind when it came to Lana, and it would stay that way for the greater part of 3 seasons - I guess that after achieving episode #100, the producers just stopped caring and the characters (save Chloe, aka their creation) didn't matter to them anymore. Still, as depressing as it was, it definitely beats out my bottom 4 seasons.

6. Season 7

Seasons 7 & 9 are close for me. I think that Season 9 was better balanced and had a more satisfying finale, but I give the edge to Season 7, even though Clark's characterization was bad and so many things didn't make any sense - what else is new. The presence of MR and JG was still there, and the production quality gave the show a better look and feel - not that the writing did it any favors. I also thought that the musical score of Season 7 was very well done (among the best of the series), much better suited for the show, and is MUCH better than Season 8 onwards.

7. Season 9

There were some good things in Season 9, but I'm not at all a fan of DC character gimmicks, dropped storylines (Alia), as well as Clark's abuse of Tess, destroying a building in a heavily populated city without it at all being acknowledged by himself, and of course, the weight that Her Majesty Chloe and useless Oliver had on this and the previous season drags it down a lot for me.

8. Season 6

Season 6 began to go WAY past the line with the shipper/romantic relationship stuff that I personally can't stand, and it's been a staple of the series and is just as dominating a presence even to this day (no thanks to the network). Season 6 also had the introduction of Oliver/Green Arrow, who'd unfortunately, eventually somehow become a series regular - something that I think shouldn't have been allowed to happen, and the beginnings of the JLA, which I have absolutely no care for. The final blow to the family dynamic was dealt with Martha's greatly diminished role before she was written off of the series as well.

9. Season 8

As bad as the Clark/Lana/Lex soap opera/emasculation stuff in Season 6 was (which is the only reason that Season 6 is ranked lower than Season 9), it still very much pales in comparison to the Lana arc, Chloe/Davis storyline, Clark being written to have questionable morals/making controversial decisions, and of course the killing off and retconning of Jimmy of post-Bloodline Season 8. Can't forget that one Metropolis street, useless Oliver living on his private jet, and the dead black environment throughout much of that season.

[Supsfan]

For me, this is where my season rankings stand:

1. Season 1
2. Season 2
3. Season 3

There are elements of each of the first 3 seasons that I like a lot, so they are all equal to me and I couldn't say that one is better than the other.


It's fairly easy for me to rate them

S1 > S2 >>> S3

In general I liked S1 alot, S2 was almost as good as Season 1 but I think the show lost some of it's charm(especially later in the season). S3(although for argument sake I will go back to Calling) was the season the show started introducing elements into the writing I hated(basically Clark being miserable = drama)

I think in general the show should have came up with a 4 year plan and had set goals for all characters to achieve by the end of those 4 years. If the show lasted beyond that they could have revamped the show a bit for S5. I thought for the most part S1+2 seemed to be good in that direction but S3 was the season it just felt that the show was going to milk the story for all it was worth with the characters they had no matter how long the show goes. Clana should have been dating by S3, but instead they turned the relationship into an angst filled one because the second they start dating they only have a shelf life of about 1-2 years with that relationship and stories they could do.

I personally wish instead of the terrible Jor-El is a tyrannical jackhole storyline that finished up S2, the show decided that Clark will finally tell Lana his secret would be the cliffhanger for S2/3. If Clark and Lana were an item in S3+4 and then her character leaves at the end of that season(along with Chloe and Pete), I think the show would have avoided many of the problems in writing from S3 on.

[HopeforTomorrow]

It's fairly easy for me to rate them

S1 > S2 >>> S3

In general I liked S1 alot, S2 was almost as good as Season 1 but I think the show lost some of it's charm(especially later in the season). S3(although for argument sake I will go back to Calling) was the season the show started introducing elements into the writing I hated(basically Clark being miserable = drama)

That's completely understandable. It's difficult for me to say which of the 3 is best or better. No matter how I think about it, I can't. I don't even think that I could pick a favorite either. Like I said, there are many elements of each that I like alot, but like you said, the drama element came on towards the end of Season 2 and throughout Season 3. I know that you can't stand Exodus/Exile because of what it did to Clark, but I began watching the show from a non-comics/Superman standpoint, so I didn't think that it was a big deal and I thought that it was a problem that could've been corrected (though his criminal behavior should've been avoided) since he was still so young and a mistake that he could learn from. Things would unfortunately become much worse for Clark a couple of seasons later and beyond, no thanks to the writers.



I think in general the show should have came up with a 4 year plan and had set goals for all characters to achieve by the end of those 4 years. If the show lasted beyond that they could have revamped the show a bit for S5. I thought for the most part S1+2 seemed to be good in that direction but S3 was the season it just felt that the show was going to milk the story for all it was worth with the characters they had no matter how long the show goes. Clana should have been dating by S3, but instead they turned the relationship into an angst filled one because the second they start dating they only have a shelf life of about 1-2 years with that relationship and stories they could do.That sounds good. Looking back now, I think that the general atmosphere of the first 2 seasons should've been expanded into 4 seasons before they moved it into darker storyline territory like Season 3. I definitely agree that the Lana/Clark relationship shouldn't have been filled with so much unnecessary angst, and that they would've been able to go out for a while before they separated for whatever reason - but that crafty A.I. Jor-El had to come along because the producers/writers love their drama and angst.



I personally wish instead of the terrible Jor-El is a tyrannical jackhole storyline that finished up S2, the show decided that Clark will finally tell Lana his secret would be the cliffhanger for S2/3. If Clark and Lana were an item in S3+4 and then her character leaves at the end of that season(along with Chloe and Pete), I think the show would have avoided many of the problems in writing from S3 on.Yeah, it seems that so many problems in the writing could all be primarily stemmed from the romantic relationship aspect, especially later seasons.

I can't stand how that A.I. Jor-El has been used on this show - especially its introduction. That one "character" has been the cause of so many problems with unnecessary drama, and it would've been better if it was revealed at some point that there was some kind of corruption or manipulation of its programming to explain its tyrannical nature. Unfortunately, that never happened.

[~*Lois & Clark Fan*~]

I think Seasons 1-3 are okay, but I would never watch them over and over like I do the later seasons.

[jsm]

The first 3 seasons are my favorite. Seasons 4 and 5 were good. Season 6 is my least favorite. Season 7 was average Season 8 was a complete change for the show. And season 9 had some good episodes mixed with some terrible episodes.

Yes, the first 2 seasons were much better than the current show.

[Connor_Kent]

The early seasons definitely have a special place in my heart, for sure. :)

But comparing "old-school" Smallville to the more recent Smallville seasons is not an accurate comparison IMO. It's almost like it's 2 different shows. The early high school seasons were AWESOME, no doubt, with tons of character development. And then the later years were more comic-booky.

Early Smallville didn't pay as much attention to all the pizazz in the comics, but later Smallville draws practically EVERYTHING from DC books. (not that that's a problem... :) )
I have to completely agree.

I think the earlier seasons were far more consistent. To me there weren't as many highs or lows. It was pretty steady. The plot also didn't have radical changes. If I had to rate the earlier season I'd rate it as
1. S3- It had the mix of classic SV while also coming up with some pretty emotional episodes and great story arcs that were somewhat lacking in earlier seasons.
2. S1- Had a great feel and I love it. Was the start of so much.
3. S2- Looking back at it. It kept the FOTW episode for nearly every episode as in S1 but also had the overly dramatic angst from the third season. Personally it was just a transition season for me.

This is how I'd rate the mid seasons. These had a different feel to it and switched off between SV and Metropolis. The threats were much larger but I felt that it did little to progress the characters especially towards the end.
1. S5- Nice somewhat new feel. Things stalled in the second half but there were still some interesting gems. Liked the Brainiac arc, the senator race, DC heroes, Chlo-lo, Chlark and Clark going to college.
2. S6- The Green Arrow arc was pretty interesting and I liked Lollie at the time. Really only good parts for me was Clark confronting the phantoms, GA, Lollie, Chloe being a meteor freak and Lois.
3. S7- It had a lot of good ideas and I see what they were trying to do but it was to all over the place and introduced some horrible ideas. Liked Kara and Clark learning about his heritage to bad the arc went flat in the last half. Lex going completely evil was great imo. Veritas was a neat idea that was poorly executed.

Now the ending seasons. Not rating S10 till it's over.
1. S9- consistent and overall pretty good. Some gems and some bad episodes.
2. S8- probably the most dissapointing season. Odysey-Bulletproof was my favorite run of episodes for SV ever(still is). I thought this was the best season ever and things were going so incredible until Power and things went to hell.

[AntiRellik]

In my opinion the first 4 seasons of Smallville were great. Part of the quality of the show went down because of the budget cuts, they had a lot more freedom in the early seasons because they could do a lot of stuff without worrying about money and very few things looked cheesy.
I really disliked S8, some things went to hell, others looked cheesy and I just didn't like the general plot and feel of the season overall. I have to admit that I really enjoyed S9 though. Maybe some fans are right saying Smallville should have ended as planned, in Season 5.

[Supsfan]

In my opinion the first 4 seasons of Smallville were great.

S1+4 are my 2 favorite seasons. For my tastes I enjoy the show more when it has a lighter tone with less angst


I really disliked S8, some things went to hell, others looked cheesy and I just didn't like the general plot and feel of the season overall

I thought the first 12 episodes of S8 were great, the last 10 though might have been the worse stretch in the history of the show.


Maybe some fans are right saying Smallville should have ended as planned, in Season 5.

As I pointed out above 4 seasons would be perfect and if they wanted to go beyond that, revamp the show a bit getting rid of High School Characters and have Clark go to College(where you can plan another 4 seasons). A big problem with the show was instead of trying to tell a good Clark Kent story it became how do we fit in characters who really aren't needed so they are relevant to story(which many times was done at the expense of Clark). S5 definitely was the start of that bad trend although you could even see hints of it in S3+4.

If the show lasted past the college years then they could have started S9 where S8 started(Clark getting a job at the DP)


Part of the quality of the show went down because of the budget cuts

You also have to remember the longer the show lasts the more actors get paid. By getting a rid of a bunch of High School characters and started with a few fresh faces in S5 they could have saved some cash

[HopeforTomorrow]

2. S6- The Green Arrow arc was pretty interesting and I liked Lollie at the time. Really only good parts for me was Clark confronting the phantoms, GA, Lollie, Chloe being a meteor freak and Lois.

I'm not invested in the romantic relationships, and I don't care for Oliver's role on THIS show, but - though brief - I think that the Lois/Oliver relationship was done better in an unforced, believable, and natural way than the Lois/Clark relationship in Seasons 9/10, if anyone understands what I mean. The Lana arc has taken a lot of believability of the Lois/Clark relationship away for me, as well as them often being told by others that they are destined to be together.



As I pointed out above 4 seasons would be perfect and if they wanted to go beyond that, revamp the show a bit getting rid of High School Characters and have Clark go to College(where you can plan another 4 seasons). A big problem with the show was instead of trying to tell a good Clark Kent story it became how do we fit in characters who really aren't needed so they are relevant to story(which many times was done at the expense of Clark). S5 definitely was the start of that bad trend although you could even see hints of it in S3+4.

If the show lasted past the college years then they could have started S9 where S8 started(Clark getting a job at the DP)

I completely agree. This could've been possible if Clark Kent was their priority. Unfortunately, the producers (Al/Miles) ground most of the characters (save Chloe) to a nub along the way, and then had their budgetary privileges taken away because they were no longer giving as much effort into creating an entertaining show, but rather fulfilling their own personal agenda through romantic relationships and unnecessary triangles (I'm sure with added pressure from the network), which led to the neglect of Clark (and others) and storylines (aka just a supplement to the dominant shipper aspect) that were introduced.

[Costanza]

I don't think so. Seasons 1&2 were great, no doubt, but there were too many FOTW for me :\ I like better when there is a villain during the whole season (like Zod in S9), it makes the season's storyline more fluent imo.


The early seasons definitely have a special place in my heart, for sure. :)

But comparing "old-school" Smallville to the more recent Smallville seasons is not an accurate comparison IMO. It's almost like it's 2 different shows. The early high school seasons were AWESOME, no doubt, with tons of character development. And then the later years were more comic-booky.

Early Smallville didn't pay as much attention to all the pizazz in the comics, but later Smallville draws practically EVERYTHING from DC books. (not that that's a problem... :) )

ITA with that post :)

[ck123]

To be honest i didnt like seasons 1 to 3 i like it more from seasons 4 to 10 ^^

[deanropi]

Yes, much better