But the show’s secret weapon was Michael Rosenbaum as Lex Luthor. In any other iteration, Lex is a megalomaniacal businessman. In Smallville Season 1, he is a lonely, wealthy outcast who sees a kindred spirit in the farm boy who saved his life. Their friendship—built on lies, secrets, and genuine affection—is the tragic engine that drives the entire season. Watching Lex and Clark play chess in the mansion’s living room is more compelling than most superhero fight scenes.
The plot engine of Season 1 is deliberately absurd—and wonderfully ’00s. When Clark’s spaceship crashed, it rained kryptonite-infused meteorites onto the town. For the next 21 episodes, every single week, a high school student or townsperson gets exposed to the rocks and develops a specific superpower. You get a human bug zapper. You get a girl who controls fog. You get a living magnet. smallville season 1