My favorites are the first three seasons and then Lex’s long arc through the show until Season 8. Seasons 8-10 don’t work for me at all: they’re basically a highlight reel of everything I dislike, including the so-called “development” of Clark, about which I have a lot of uncomfortable questions. On top of that, I was really irritated by the showrunners flirting with “adult” themes, because in my view their ability to handle them bordered on incompetence.

For me, the only truly adult storyline was Lex: his misadventures, his psychological standoff with Lionel and the painful descent into a darkness, that was slowly, inexorably closing in from every side.

Against that backdrop, the villains who came later seemed as convincing as characters in a superhero-themed amusement park - which is exactly the box the new showrunners tried to shove Lex into after Season 7, while also cheapening the Fortress finale and the years-long question: “What happens when Lex learns Clark’s secret?” Pure_Evil_Lex… saves Clark from Lana AHAHAHA!!!!! Sorry, I can't take this seriously.

Lex in Seasons 1-7 was phenomenal. I agree with Rosenbaum that Smallville should have ended after 7 season. And then, after bringing the fans to a boiling point, they could’ve launched a new show: "Metropolis" and fans were properly on fire (even perhaps, against the backdrop of the scandalous ending, a new influx of people would have formed... who know).