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Crosswicking new trope.
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* TheFirstSuperheroes: The show's original premise was to depict Clark Kent's early life in rural Smallville as he is still growing into his powers, but is not the legendary superhero he will become. The premise is kept for the first four seasons - and he is the sole major hero to appear on screen, until other heroes begin to appear by season 5.
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Spelling/grammar fix(es)
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--->'''[[http://comicsalliance.com/recap-smallville-episode-10-11-icarus/ David Uzumeri]]:''' My favorite part of the episode comes with [[Comicbook/{{Deathstroke}} Slade]] and Comicbook/{{Hawkman}}, actually, when Slade is like 'Look, when I named this project Icarus, I never expected an actual dude with flaming wings falling from the sky. [[RuleOfCool This is totally awesome. I love life.]]'
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--->'''[[http://comicsalliance.com/recap-smallville-episode-10-11-icarus/ David Uzumeri]]:''' My favorite part of the episode comes with [[Comicbook/{{Deathstroke}} [[ComicBook/{{Deathstroke}} Slade]] and Comicbook/{{Hawkman}}, ComicBook/{{Hawkman}}, actually, when Slade is like 'Look, when I named this project Icarus, I never expected an actual dude with flaming wings falling from the sky. [[RuleOfCool This is totally awesome. I love life.]]'
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* DeusExMachina: Comicbook/LoisLane's "military connections" sure solve a lot of problems.
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* DeusExMachina: Comicbook/LoisLane's ComicBook/LoisLane's "military connections" sure solve a lot of problems.
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** The episode "Warrior", turned the in-universe fictional Warrior Angel into a [[Comicbook/{{Shazam}} Captain Marvel]] Expy.
** This version of Comicbook/BoosterGold has quite a significant [[Film/MysteryMen Captain Amazing]] [[CorporateSponsoredSuperhero vibe]].
** There are some sharp similarities between Comicbook/GreenArrow's characterization and relationship with Clark, and that of Franchise/{{Batman}}. Throw in the fact that ''Film/TheDarkKnightTrilogy'' meant the writers couldn't use Bruce, and that makes a lot of sense all of a sudden. Appropriate, given that initially Comicbook/GreenArrow was very much [[PoorMansSubstitute the poor man's Batman]] in the comics, with his earliest stories featuring Speedy as a blatant {{Expy}} of ComicBook/{{Robin}}, as well as an Arrow-Mobile and even an "Arrow Cave."
* ExpositionOfImmortality: "Dr. Curtis Knox" is never implicitly referred to as Comicbook/VandalSavage, but that's pretty much who he is. A Civil-War era photo of a bearded Knox which Lex shows Clark confirms he's immortal, or at least older than he looks. He also tells Chloe that he was once Jack the Ripper himself. According to ''Smallville: The Official Season 7 Companion'', Dr. Knox was indeed created as the creative team couldn't get the rights to Vandal Savage.
** This version of Comicbook/BoosterGold has quite a significant [[Film/MysteryMen Captain Amazing]] [[CorporateSponsoredSuperhero vibe]].
** There are some sharp similarities between Comicbook/GreenArrow's characterization and relationship with Clark, and that of Franchise/{{Batman}}. Throw in the fact that ''Film/TheDarkKnightTrilogy'' meant the writers couldn't use Bruce, and that makes a lot of sense all of a sudden. Appropriate, given that initially Comicbook/GreenArrow was very much [[PoorMansSubstitute the poor man's Batman]] in the comics, with his earliest stories featuring Speedy as a blatant {{Expy}} of ComicBook/{{Robin}}, as well as an Arrow-Mobile and even an "Arrow Cave."
* ExpositionOfImmortality: "Dr. Curtis Knox" is never implicitly referred to as Comicbook/VandalSavage, but that's pretty much who he is. A Civil-War era photo of a bearded Knox which Lex shows Clark confirms he's immortal, or at least older than he looks. He also tells Chloe that he was once Jack the Ripper himself. According to ''Smallville: The Official Season 7 Companion'', Dr. Knox was indeed created as the creative team couldn't get the rights to Vandal Savage.
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** The episode "Warrior", turned the in-universe fictional Warrior Angel into a [[Comicbook/{{Shazam}} [[ComicBook/{{Shazam}} Captain Marvel]] Expy.
** This version ofComicbook/BoosterGold ComicBook/BoosterGold has quite a significant [[Film/MysteryMen Captain Amazing]] [[CorporateSponsoredSuperhero vibe]].
** There are some sharp similarities betweenComicbook/GreenArrow's ComicBook/GreenArrow's characterization and relationship with Clark, and that of Franchise/{{Batman}}. Throw in the fact that ''Film/TheDarkKnightTrilogy'' meant the writers couldn't use Bruce, and that makes a lot of sense all of a sudden. Appropriate, given that initially Comicbook/GreenArrow ComicBook/GreenArrow was very much [[PoorMansSubstitute the poor man's Batman]] in the comics, with his earliest stories featuring Speedy as a blatant {{Expy}} of ComicBook/{{Robin}}, as well as an Arrow-Mobile and even an "Arrow Cave."
* ExpositionOfImmortality: "Dr. Curtis Knox" is never implicitly referred to asComicbook/VandalSavage, ComicBook/VandalSavage, but that's pretty much who he is. A Civil-War era photo of a bearded Knox which Lex shows Clark confirms he's immortal, or at least older than he looks. He also tells Chloe that he was once Jack the Ripper himself. According to ''Smallville: The Official Season 7 Companion'', Dr. Knox was indeed created as the creative team couldn't get the rights to Vandal Savage.
** This version of
** There are some sharp similarities between
* ExpositionOfImmortality: "Dr. Curtis Knox" is never implicitly referred to as
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* FantasticRacism: Kara Zor-El dropped a few rungs on the likeability ladder when she called Comicbook/MartianManhunter "Red-Eyes." As seen [[http://www.supermanhomepage.com/tv/tv.php?topic=reviews/smallville7-ep04 here]].
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* FantasticRacism: Kara Zor-El dropped a few rungs on the likeability ladder when she called Comicbook/MartianManhunter ComicBook/MartianManhunter "Red-Eyes." As seen [[http://www.supermanhomepage.com/tv/tv.php?topic=reviews/smallville7-ep04 here]].
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** On a separate note, in the prologue of the "[[Recap/SmallvilleS01E01Pilot Pilot]]" episode, we see a newspaper headline mentioning that the head of Queen Industries is missing presumed dead. This foreshadows [[Comicbook/GreenArrow Oliver's]] eventual appearance on the show.
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** On a separate note, in the prologue of the "[[Recap/SmallvilleS01E01Pilot Pilot]]" episode, we see a newspaper headline mentioning that the head of Queen Industries is missing presumed dead. This foreshadows [[Comicbook/GreenArrow [[ComicBook/GreenArrow Oliver's]] eventual appearance on the show.
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* GaussianGirl: The first appearance of Kara -alias Comicbook/{{Supergirl}}- shows her blurred and in a flowing white dress. Underwater. When she saves Lex Luthor and flies away, he is convinced she is an angel who is there to make him repent his sins.
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* GaussianGirl: The first appearance of Kara -alias Comicbook/{{Supergirl}}- ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}- shows her blurred and in a flowing white dress. Underwater. When she saves Lex Luthor and flies away, he is convinced she is an angel who is there to make him repent his sins.
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* GovernmentConspiracy: Checkmate is one; the Comicbook/SuicideSquad is the remnants of one. The government went above board with the [[SuperRegistrationAct Vigilante Registration Act]] and General Slade Wilson spearheading it, although the public is still in the dark about the government constructing concentration camps for the superheroes.
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* GovernmentConspiracy: Checkmate is one; the Comicbook/SuicideSquad ComicBook/SuicideSquad is the remnants of one. The government went above board with the [[SuperRegistrationAct Vigilante Registration Act]] and General Slade Wilson spearheading it, although the public is still in the dark about the government constructing concentration camps for the superheroes.
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* ForWantOfANail:
** "[[Recap/SmallvilleS05E12Reckoning Reckoning]]": If Clark reversed time to save Lana...
** "[[Recap/SmallvilleS08E15Infamous Infamous]]": If Clark had Lois report his secret to the world...
** "[[Recap/SmallvilleS09E09Pandora Pandora]]": If the Kandorians gained their powers...
** "[[Recap/SmallvilleS10E10Luthor Luthor]]": If Kal-El was found and raised by Lionel Luthor instead of the Kents...
** "[[Recap/SmallvilleS05E12Reckoning Reckoning]]": If Clark reversed time to save Lana...
** "[[Recap/SmallvilleS08E15Infamous Infamous]]": If Clark had Lois report his secret to the world...
** "[[Recap/SmallvilleS09E09Pandora Pandora]]": If the Kandorians gained their powers...
** "[[Recap/SmallvilleS10E10Luthor Luthor]]": If Kal-El was found and raised by Lionel Luthor instead of the Kents...
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** After they killed off Jimmy, they revealed that his real name was Henry James Olsen (with Jimmy as a nickname). This gave them an excuse to then establish a [[LegacyCharacter second]] Jimmy Olsen; the younger brother of the original.
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** After they killed off Jimmy, they revealed that his real name was Henry James Olsen (with Jimmy as a nickname). This gave them an excuse to then establish a [[LegacyCharacter second]] Jimmy Olsen; Olsen, the younger brother of the original.original.
* DecoyBackstory: One recurrer is Superman's pal ComicBook/JimmyOlsen (full name Henry James Olsen). Toward the end of the show, Jimmy is unexpectedly killed off. Then, the show introduces his younger brother and replacement at the Daily Planet, the "real" Jimmy (full name James Bartholomew Olsen).
* DecoyBackstory: One recurrer is Superman's pal ComicBook/JimmyOlsen (full name Henry James Olsen). Toward the end of the show, Jimmy is unexpectedly killed off. Then, the show introduces his younger brother and replacement at the Daily Planet, the "real" Jimmy (full name James Bartholomew Olsen).
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* FirstInjuryReaction: Multiple times, even. Oftentimes, the first indication that a villain is an actual threat to [[MadeOfIron Clark]] is when they hurt him enough to draw blood. Clark will almost always touch the wound and look at his blood with shock.
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* DisneyDeath: "[[Recap/SmallvilleS05E03Hidden Hidden]]", "[[Recap/SmallvilleS05E17Void Void]]."
* DisneyVillainDeath: Given rather unceremoniously to Lionel in the ColdOpen of "[[Recap/SmallvilleS07E16Descent Descent]]".
* DisneyVillainDeath: Given rather unceremoniously to Lionel in the ColdOpen of "[[Recap/SmallvilleS07E16Descent Descent]]".
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* DisappointingHeritageReveal: Lionel Luthor fabricated a story about being descended from Scottish nobility, and propped up this lie by claiming that the Luthor mansion was their ancestral home which he moved from Scotland to Smallville. Lex was surprised to find out that his grandfather was actually a petty criminal that was arrested for armed robbery in Smallville. Downplayed, since Lex never thought much of his family, and as such this reveal about his grandfather isn't much more disappointing than what he already knew about his father.
-->'''Lex''': You always said your father was a hard-working entrepreneur descended from Scottish nobility.\\
'''Lionel''': Well, not all entrepreneurs have the luxury of being both successful and honest.
%%* DisneyDeath: "[[Recap/SmallvilleS05E03Hidden Hidden]]", "[[Recap/SmallvilleS05E17Void Void]]."
* %%* DisneyVillainDeath: Given rather unceremoniously to Lionel in the ColdOpen of "[[Recap/SmallvilleS07E16Descent Descent]]".%%What is?
-->'''Lex''': You always said your father was a hard-working entrepreneur descended from Scottish nobility.\\
'''Lionel''': Well, not all entrepreneurs have the luxury of being both successful and honest.
%%* DisneyDeath: "[[Recap/SmallvilleS05E03Hidden Hidden]]", "[[Recap/SmallvilleS05E17Void Void]]."
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* DeconReconSwitch: ''Smallville'' does this to the Jor-El AI from ''Film/SupermanTheMovie''. Jor-El and his attempts to force Clark down a specific path are portrayed less as him helping his son become a hero, but instead a detached and seemingly all powerful AbusiveParent attempting to control his son. As a result, Clark often feels a mixture of fear and hatred towards his biological father, to the point that Brainiac is able to convince Clark that Jor-El was a warlord who destroyed Krypton since it matches what Clark has seen of his father. The reconstruction comes in when episodes focus on the original Jor-El, which show him to be a far more conflicted individual who like Clark once struggled against the destiny his father had picked for him and actually cared deeply about the ethics of his experiments during a war. It was these "flaws" that he saw in himself which led him to make his AI copy more cold and logical, believing that it would be better because of it. Even with that, later seasons do show that the AI does genuinely love Clark and is at times willing to accept Clark's choices, which helps Clark become more accepting of him by Season 10 especially after learning what the original Jor-El was like.
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*** It should be pointed out that a significant one is any type of romantic relationship with someone not Lois Lane.
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** Chloe and Oliver's romance looks like it might end up as this in the last season, especially as Oliver had previously had some ShipTease with his comics-accurate LoveInterest Black Canary. Instead, the series ends with Chloe reading a bed-time story to a child who's [[AmbiguousSituation]] implied to be her and Oliver's son.
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** The mothers of most main characters are [[MissingMom dead before the series begins]].
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** The mothers of most main characters are [[MissingMom dead before the series begins]]. Partially [[JustifiedTrope justified]] in the first season, as the effects of the meteor storm on Smallville are still being felt.
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** Lois Lane's mother died when she was six, and her army general father is not very nice. She also has a [[ManipulativeBitch manipulative]], backstabbing sister.
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** Lois Lane's mother died when she was six, and her army general father is not very nice. She also has a [[ManipulativeBitch manipulative]], backstabbing [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder backstabbing]] sister.
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*** Downplayed in season 10. While she still has ulterior motives, her ShipTease with Clark and Oliver all but disappears as they settle into long-term relationships. She also becomes more pre-occupied with [[TangledFamilyTree her own character arc]] as well, meaning that she is much less [[ManipulativeBastard manipulative]]. The team comes to view her as a friend and ally.
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Smallville/TropesAToC | '''Tropes D to G''' | Smallville/TropesHToM | Smallville/TropesNToS | Smallville/TToZ
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Smallville/TropesAToC | '''Tropes D to G''' | Smallville/TropesHToM | Smallville/TropesNToS | Smallville/TToZSmallville/TropesTToZ
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'''Tropes D to G''' | Smallville/TropesAToC | Smallville/TropesHToM | Smallville/TropesNToS | Smallville/TToZ
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Smallville/TropesAToC | '''Tropes D to G''' | Smallville/TropesAToC | Smallville/TropesHToM | Smallville/TropesNToS | Smallville/TToZ
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'''Tropes D to G''' | Smallville/TropesAToC | Smallville/TropesHToM | Smallville/TropesNToS | Smallville/TToZ
----
!!!''Series/{{Smallville}}'' provides examples of the following tropes:
[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder:D]]
* DamselInDistress: Lana is often in this position, especially in the early seasons, often being captured by several villains and needing to be rescued by Clark JustInTime. PlayedWith in regards to the rest of the cast, every character gets put into this position a couple of times but they often assist on even manage to rescue themselves.
* DarkActionGirl: Several of the female MonsterOfTheWeek apply, of the main castm Tess Mercer is the most notable example. She's trained in hand-to-hand and has several fight scenes. She also notably does not use WaifFu like most other female characters. Most other girls on the show dance around their opponents and use a lot of kicks. Tess prefers to just punch you in the face.
* DarkerAndEdgier:
** Compared to the light-hearted Season 2, Season 3 ''definitely'' counts. Only in certain spots though. There are still a lot of episodes in Season Three that focus on one episode storylines that drove the first two seasons with the same mix of humour and actual peril. However, it is also the first season to focus more on big-picture elements, and it deals with the main characters going though a lot more turmoil. Clark starts off the season dealing with his dark side and living a very rough and rebellious lifestyle in Metropolis, Lex has a psychotic break (well, partly) and ends up institutionalized at Belle Reve, Chloe's life is turned into a living nightmare at times, and Pete starts to occasionally feel the bad effects of keeping Clark's secret under wraps.
** The second half of Season 8, compared to the first half. Season 9 features it as well, largely as a result of the S8 finale's fallout. In general, from Season 5 onwards, the show was darker than the earlier seasons.
* DeadlyDisc: "[[Recap/SmallvilleS09E01Savior Savior]]", during the fight between the Kandorian woman and Clark.
* DeadpanSnarker: Lois, Chloe, Oliver, Lex, Lionel, Tess, and on a good day, Clark.
* DealWithTheDevil:
** Jonathan makes one with [[AdaptationalVillainy Jor-El]] to bring Clark (who's under Red Kryptonite influence) home in "[[Recap/SmallvilleS03E01Exile Exile]]".
** In "[[Recap/SmallvilleS05E12Reckoning Reckoning]]" , Clark makes another one to save Lana's life. [[FailureIsTheOnlyOption Jonathan dies instead.]]
** In "[[Recap/SmallvilleS05E22Vessel Vessel]]", Lionel says Lex has done it, and the devil (Zod) will always come to collect.
** In "[[Recap/SmallvilleS07E17Sleeper Sleeper]]", Jimmy makes one with Lex to protect Chloe from government agents. He knows there would be a price. Lex comes to collect in "[[Recap/SmallvilleS07E20Arctic Arctic]]", MagnificentBastard-style.
* DeathByOriginStory: There was a comic book about Lex's childhood hero, the Avenging Angel, whose love interest became a victim of this trope. When the producers of a movie based on the comic decided to use the SparedByTheAdaptation trope on her, it motivated the [[MonsterOfTheWeek villain of the week]] to kill her actress while recording the scene where the character should die. When said villain learned of Clark's powers and how he uses them for good, the villain decided to kill ''Clark's'' love interest out of the belief a hero needs this element and a living girlfriend would be a weakness.
* DeathIsCheap: Practically everyone. Special mentions to Chloe Sullivan, who managed to die for no less than '''eleven''' times.
* DecompositeCharacter:
** The show had two different, completely unrelated versions of Dr. Hamilton from the comics.
** After they killed off Jimmy, they revealed that his real name was Henry James Olsen (with Jimmy as a nickname). This gave them an excuse to then establish a [[LegacyCharacter second]] Jimmy Olsen; the younger brother of the original.
* DenserAndWackier:
** Season Four's Lois episodes. In fact, that entire year is almost a retelling of ''Superman's Girlfriend Lois Lane'' -- right down to [[BizarroEpisode Lois becoming a witch.]]
** Season 10, much like ''Lois & Clark'', seemed to be channeling Adam West's ''{{Series/Batman|1966}}'' in spots.
--->'''[[http://comicsalliance.com/recap-smallville-episode-10-11-icarus/ David Uzumeri]]:''' My favorite part of the episode comes with [[Comicbook/{{Deathstroke}} Slade]] and Comicbook/{{Hawkman}}, actually, when Slade is like 'Look, when I named this project Icarus, I never expected an actual dude with flaming wings falling from the sky. [[RuleOfCool This is totally awesome. I love life.]]'
* DesignatedGirlFight:
** ActionGirl Lois ends up fighting a lot of female villains after her introduction, such as Tess, Athena, Roulette, Maxima, Alia, Linda Lake and Victoria Sinclair.
** DarkActionGirl Tess also ends up fighting several girls, such as Lois, Lana, Chloe, Mad Harriet.
* DestructoNookie:
** A DeletedScene in "[[Recap/SmallvilleS02E02Heat Heat]]", shows Desiree and Lex in a PostCoitalCollapse at the wine cellar in the mansion, with bottles broken all around them.
** In "[[Recap/SmallvilleS07E07Wrath Wrath]]", Lana temporarily gains superpowers identical to Clark's. This means they can [[ManOfSteelWomanOfKleenex finally have sex without him destroying her]]. Earthquakes ensue. Results in a funny moment as the entire town--including Chloe--feel the quakes, and Chloe later arrives at the Kent Farm and discovers (to her supreme awkwardness) the source of the quakes when she finds an obviously SexDressed Lana in the kitchen, only wearing [[SexyShirtSwitch Clark's shirt]].
** {{Downplayed|Trope}} in "[[Recap/SmallvilleS08E04Instinct Instinct]]". When Clark and Maxima are [[ElevatorGoingDown making out in the Daily Planet elevator]] they start hitting the walls so hard it causes the whole building to shake. But they're interrupted by Lois before they go any further than making out.
** "[[Recap/SmallvilleS08E14Requiem Requiem]]": In the first act, Clark and Lana's again have super-powered sex, but this time they only break the bed.
* DeusExMachina: Comicbook/LoisLane's "military connections" sure solve a lot of problems.
* DiabolicalMastermind: Lionel, Lex, Morgan Edge, Earth-2 Lionel, and Alexander all show aspects of this.
* DifferentlyPoweredIndividual: Called "meteor freaks", because most of them get their powers from the [[GreenRocks meteor rocks]] that came with Clark from Krypton. Chloe coined this phrase; ironically, she later discovers that she herself is a "meteor freak" and rails against use of the term, much to Jimmy's bewilderment (he wasn't in on this secret yet).
* DisneyDeath: "[[Recap/SmallvilleS05E03Hidden Hidden]]", "[[Recap/SmallvilleS05E17Void Void]]."
* DisneyVillainDeath: Given rather unceremoniously to Lionel in the ColdOpen of "[[Recap/SmallvilleS07E16Descent Descent]]".
* DistractedByTheSexy: A very common occurrence whenever something makes a girl NotHerself, but there are also other times.
** In "[[Recap/SmallvilleS02E02Heat Heat]]", Clark keeps glancing back at [[HotTeacher Desirée]] during class and she actually gestures for him to pay attention.
** "[[Recap/SmallvilleS02E11Visage Visage]]"
*** Lana gets distracted upon seeing Clark in a SexySoakedShirt for a few minutes.
*** [[PsychoLesbian Tina Greer]] while [[ShapeShifting disguised as Chloe]], is visibly shaken when she sees Lana in only a ModestyTowel fresh out of the shower, which weirds out Lana.
** In "[[Recap/SmallvilleS06E15Freak Freak]]", Clark is briefly distracted when he is trying to XRayVision Chloe.
** "[[Recap/SmallvilleS09E13Warrior Warrior]]":
*** Chloe gets a bit distracted when she finds Alec [[ShirtlessScene shirtless]].
*** Clark and a whole queue of guys get distracted by Lois, who just changed into a Franchise/WonderWoman outfit.
* TheDogWasTheMastermind: In "[[Recap/SmallvilleS09E05Roulette Roulette]]" Oliver is put through a series of life and death games. Who could be responsible? Chloe Sullivan, of course.
* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything
** Clark and other Kryptonians emit their heat vision [[SomethingElseAlsoRises when they are aroused]]. He first discovered this in "[[Recap/SmallvilleS02E02Heat Heat]]" when [[EatingTheEyeCandy checking out]] the new HotTeacher and accidentally activates it. It's pretty much played as a case of JizzedInMyPants.
** Red Kryptonite is [[GRatedDrug often used as a stand in for drug use]]; when Clark comes into contact with it, he looses his inhibitions, and as he's fully aware of what's responsible for such, he will refuse to let go of the Red Kryptonite, almost like a drug user refusing to give up drugs. After being unintentionally exposed to it a few times, when Clark was dealing with feeling depressed after causing his mother to lose her unborn baby, he began using it to deal with the pain of guilt. Also, he starts mistreating his friends. There's more drug-related comparisons, but they'd take forever to write out.
** During Season 8, Davis Bloom would blackout and turn into Doomsday at random, but found a way to stop it by killing people, leading him to becoming a SerialKiller to avoid turning into the monster. For those who don't know the psychology behind compulsive serial killers, when a serial killer doesn't kill for a certain amount of time, they feel psychologically compelled to kill, sort of like they're being taken over by a metaphorical monster. In Davis' case, he was being taken over by a ''physical'' monster.
* DomesticAbuser: Lionel was physically abusive to both Lex and his wife Lillian.
* DoomedByCanon: If you weren't in the comics and your name isn't Chloe Sullivan, you're probably going to die before all's said and done.
** Lex in the first couple of seasons makes sincere efforts not to be the CorruptCorporateExecutive his father is, or if he must be one of those, to at least work towards noble goals and help his friend Clark. It reached the point where they had to forcibly change his obsession from I want to be special which he had let go of, to control freak. Everything quickly spiraled down hill from there.
*** It should be pointed out that a significant one is any type of romantic relationship with someone not Lois Lane.
* DownerEnding: There are a LOT of them...
** "[[Recap/SmallvilleS02E08Ryan Ryan]]": The specialist Clark used his powers to get fails to save Ryan, and he still dies. The final scene shows Clark leaving Ryan's hospital room, looking back on the now empty bed, and he stands in the corridor, the hospital staff walking around Clark, oblivious to his grief.
** "[[Recap/SmallvilleS02E23Exodus Exodus]]": Clark destroys his ship and the shock wave from the explosion kills Martha's unborn baby. [[WhatTheHellHero Jonathan rails at Clark for this]], and Clark leaves his parents in their grief. Chloe, jealous of Clark and Lana's growing romance, agrees to spy on Clark for Lionel. Lex wakes up midair in his private jet to find his bride gone, the pilot gone, the control consoles smashed, and his jet crashing into the ocean. Overcome with grief and guilt, Clark deliberately puts on a Red Kryptonite ring, reverting to his {{Jerkass}} Kal persona to avoid feeling any more pain. As Kal, he leaves Smallville, Lana, and his adoptive parents, seemingly for good.
** "[[Recap/SmallvilleS03E08Shattered Shattered]]": Lex is committed to a mental asylum despite Clark's best efforts to help him, and Lana's in the hospital.
** "[[Recap/SmallvilleS03E18Truth Truth]]": Chloe, after being inflicted with a truth gas made from meteor rocks, goes to retrieve her voicemail which has Lionel's confession over how he killed his parents. However, it is not Lionel's confession, but a recording of Lionel saying that he has erased the voicemail, leaving Chloe heartbroken.
** "[[Recap/SmallvilleS03E19Memoria Memoria]]": Lex recalling the truth of what happened to his brother Julian and confronting Lionel with it after an episode of flashbacks showing how their relationship began to break down from bad to terrible and increasingly destructive.
** "[[Recap/SmallvilleS03E22Covenant Covenant"]]: Kara, the Kryptonian girl Clark met, is really Lindsay Harrison, a pawn of Jor-El. Jor-El takes Clark away, Jonathan goes into a coma, Lex is poisoned, and Chloe's safehouse blows up.
** "[[Recap/SmallvilleS04E12Pariah Pariah]]": Alicia Baker, who had done a HeelFaceTurn, is murdered.
** "[[Recap/SmallvilleS04E17Onyx Onyx]]": Lex's good and evil selves are merged, but not before Evil!Lex goads his father Lionel into giving up his conversion to good. The smirk on Lex's face at the end as Lionel announces the end of the charity he founded suggests that Lex's halves merged with his evil side dominant which suggests Lex's FaceHeelTurn began here.
** "[[Recap/SmallvilleS04E20Ageless Ageless]]": Evan, the rapidly aging boy Clark and Lana grew to love, ages to the point of being an old man and dies. Lex's final line, just a few episodes after "[[Recap/SmallvilleS04E17Onyx Onyx]]" indicates he's now well and truly become evil.
** "[[Recap/SmallvilleS05E12Reckoning Reckoning]]": Jonathan dies.
** "[[Recap/SmallvilleS05E22Vessel Vessel]]": Lex is [[GrandTheftMe possessed by General Zod]], Clark is trapped in the PhantomZone, Lionel and Chloe are being attacked by a mob, and Martha and Lois' plane crashes.
** "[[Recap/SmallvilleS07E10Persona Persona]]": Lana is forced to admit she's been far happier in the past month with Bizarro than she's ever been with Clark...just before she kills Bizarro. Even as he knows he's dying, Bizarro tells Lana he loves her. Brainiac drains the mind of (and most likely murders) his kindly creator Dax-Ur, giving himself the information he needs to become more powerful. Lex has Grant Gabriel, the clone of his dead brother Julian, murdered before Lionel's eyes just as Lionel and Grant were starting to bond.
** "[[Recap/SmallvilleS07E20Arctic Arctic]]": Lex finally discovers Clark's secret and uses the Kryptonian Orb to bring down the Fortress of Solitude.
** "[[Recap/SmallvilleS08E10Bride Bride]]": Doomsday literally crashes Jimmy and Chloe's wedding, killing at least one person, brutally beating Jimmy into a coma, and abducting Chloe. Lois is left grief-stricken and confused, wondering why these horrible things keep happening to all of them, and left crushed when Clark, her date for the wedding who is at this point over Lana enough that this evening could be considered their first REAL date, ends up rushing right back to Lana when she shows up. Chloe is possessed by Brainiac (again). And the whole thing's being monitored by Lex Luthor.
** "[[Recap/SmallvilleS08E14Requiem Requiem]]": Lana leaves Smallville forever due to being irradiated with kryptonite and being near Clark could kill him.
** "[[Recap/SmallvilleS08E22Doomsday Doomsday]]": Jimmy dies, Davis dies, Clark [[HeroicBSOD declares himself dead]], and Zod returns as a younger, previously cloned version of the original. Not to mention Lois is accidentally transported one year into the future after a violent tussle with Tess and ''nobody'' knows what happened to her.
** "[[Recap/SmallvilleS09E22Salvation Salvation]]": Clark is able to send Zod and all the Kandorians away, saving Earth. However, Clark has a dagger made of [[PowerNullifier blue kryptonite]] stabbed into him and is falling to his death off the building. He gets better, though.
* DressedLikeADominatrix:
** In "[[Recap/SmallvilleS08E04Instinct Instinct]]", Maxima's original outfit is a HellBentForLeather and {{Stripperiffic}} outfit that gives her an dominatrix vibe. She soon changes into a dress to stand out less.
** In "[[Recap/SmallvilleS08E19Stiletto Stiletto]]", Lois briefly assumes the identity of the eponymous superheroine "Stiletto", dressing up in a black SpyCatsuit with CombatStilettos that makes her look like a dominatrix.
* DrivenToSuicide:
** In "[[Recap/SmallvilleS01E17Reaper Reaper]]", Tyler, a meteor freak with a TouchOfDeath, uses his power on himself after realizing his attempts at {{Mercy Kill}}s have been doing more harm than good.
** In "[[Recap/SmallvilleS03E06Relic Relic]]", Mayor Tate tries to shoot himself to avoid going to prison for his exposed crimes, but Clark quickly snatches the gun.
** At the end of "[[Recap/SmallvilleS03E16Crisis Crisis]]", Lionel sticks a gun in his mouth after he is diagnosed with a terminal illness but he reconsiders.
** Lex collapses the Fortress of Solitude down over him and a depowered Clark in an attempt to do this.
** After learning about his fate as Doomsday, Davis drowns himself in a Kryptonite shower, [[NiceJobBreakingItHero but this just ends up making him immune to Kryptonite.]]
** Oliver tries to blow himself up with a DeathTrap someone was already trying to murder him with. He [[UnexplainedRecovery gets better]].
* DrivenToVillainy:
** PlayedWith with Sean Kelvin in "[[Recap/SmallvilleS01E05Cool Cool]]". He was mutated by a combination of Kryptonite and hypothermia and [[AnIcePerson gained the power to drain heat from others]]. But his powers would kill in if he didn't keep draining people's body heat. A case could be made that he wasn't truly villainous, and was forced to kill people in order to survive, however the guy was made such a self-centered, vindictive psychopathic JerkAss that [[HandWave the point became moot]].
** "[[Recap/SmallvilleS01E07Craving Craving]]" had a girl who was afflicted with [[WeightLossHorror sudden weight loss]] due to Kryptonite and had to regularly ''[[IAmAHumanitarian eat human flesh]]'' to keep from starving to death (regular food didn't work). She never actually killed anyone, just sucked their marrow and left them near death from the damage to their bodies. This was clearly a case of HorrorHunger, and in at least one instance, she urged a potential victim to run away.
** For real tragedy, see Davis Bloome in Season 8. A NiceGuy paramedic, Davis suffers from constant blackouts and discovers that he has alien SerialKiller and PersonOfMassDestruction Doomsday trapped inside him, and that the only way to keep the monster from taking over and slaughtering dozens of people is to kill individual victims. He thus becomes a PayEvilUntoEvil-type AntiHero, murdering those he considers to be deserving of it in order to keep his inner monster trapped. This eventually drives him completely insane, and results in his descent into true villainy.
* DroppedABridgeOnHim: Creator/MargotKidder had a falling out with the producers over the writers' idea to have her character announce the death of Christopher Reeve's character. [[DisproportionateRetribution Her character was killed off.]]
* DysfunctionJunction:
** The mothers of most main characters are [[MissingMom dead before the series begins]].
** Clark and his cousin Kara are the [[LastOfHisKind Last Of Their Kind]] after [[EarthShatteringKaboom Krypton exploded]].
** Chloe Sullivan's mother ended up in a mental institution and both mother and daughter have psychosis-inducing meteor infection.
** Lex Luthor probably has it worst. His mother murdered his younger brother. She soon died afterwards. And he is [[ArchnemesisDad definitely not on friendly terms]] with his father. Both he and his father are {{Self Made Orphan}}s.
** Lana Lang's parents were killed by a meteor.
** Lois Lane's mother died when she was six, and her army general father is not very nice. She also has a [[ManipulativeBitch manipulative]], backstabbing sister.
** Jimmy Olsen's father is a huge drunk and he never met his mother.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:E]]
* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: Several early episodes make it sound like the Luthors have been the royal family of Metropolis for generations. Later seasons would establish that Lionel Luthor was the son of Scottish immigrants and that he was born into poverty and went from RagsToRiches.
* EasyAmnesia: Occurs more often on this show than most people have hot dinners.
** The real test is when Clark does become Superman and how that will square with a substantial number of people knowing he is Clark Kent. Nearly no one knows what "The Blur" looks like, but everyone will know Superman's face.
** Used to a ridiculous grade in "[[Recap/SmallvilleS10E21E22Finale Finale]]", when Tess simply smudges a neurotoxin in Lex's face making him forget everything, not just Clark-related stuff; every single thing that ever happened in his life is completely and instantly erased. So much for a FreudianExcuse now.
* EcoTerrorist: Aquaman first appears as an eco-terrorist trying to stop a sonic weapon created by Lex Luthor from going into production.
* EldritchAbomination: This is Darkseid's natural form.
* ElectionDayEpisode: The class president election is the main focus in "[[Recap/SmallvilleS01E18Drone Drone]]", and several episodes in season five revolving around the senatorial election, coming to a conclusion in "[[Recap/SmallvilleS05E12Reckoning Reckoning]]".
* ElectrifiedBathtub: At the beginning of "[[Recap/SmallvilleS02E04Red Red]]", a rogue federal agent murders new girl Jessie's ex-boyfriend this way.
* EmpathicHealer:
** Chloe. She lost the ability later, due to a bizarre encounter with Brainiac.
** And Freak of the Week Cyrus Krupp in Season 2.
* EnemyMine: "[[Recap/SmallvilleS06E19Nemesis Nemesis]]"
* EngineeredHeroics: "[[Recap/SmallvilleS01E20Obscura Obscura]]" featured a policeman who kidnapped Chloe in an attempt to get credit for finding her. When that failed due to him and Lana having a telepathic connection, he decided he'd rather get the credit for solving the latter's murder...
* EngineeredPublicConfession: In the Season 9 finale. Zod, did you forget that your followers have SuperHearing?
* EnhanceButton: Chloe pull this one in "[[Recap/SmallvilleS05E17Void Void]]". And the pic came from one of her "sources" so its quality is pretty questionable.
* EverybodyHatesHades: In episode 10X05, Lois got possessed by Isis and tried to bring Osiris back into the world -- which, despite him being the just ruler of the dead, was treated as a very bad thing. Though it wasn't treated as a bad thing because Osiris himself was bad, but because calling him up would bring the Underworld into the real world.
* EverybodyLives: A semi-regular trope of the show, actually, thanks in part to Clark's ThouShaltNotKill policy. While a majority of episodes feature deaths, there's a substantial minority of episodes (on average, about 7 per season) where no one dies and Everybody Lives.
* EvilIsHammy: Yes. Dear god, yes. Lionel, Lex, and Zor-El all run with this trope. It's Callum Blue's performance however, as the [[ChewingTheScenery scenery chewing]] Major Zod that really proves it.
* EvilOrphanageLady: Granny Goodness uses her cover as an orphanage manager to brainwash and train girls for a future assault on Earth by Darkseid.
* EvilTwin: Bizarro and Ultraman to Clark, Earth-2 Lionel to the real one.
* {{Expy}}:
** Chloe Sullivan originally started as an Expy for Lois Lane (the actual Lois was introduced later), [[CompositeCharacter as well as the Silver Age version of Lana Lang]]. As she began to grow apart from Lois, her journalism career was downplayed and her computer skills evolved to their current levels -- making her an expy for ComicBook/{{Oracle}}.
** Tess Mercer, in her first two appearances, was referred to as both "an obscure regional VP" (unfit for her job of taking over for Lex Luthor) and a "pitbull in Prada." The first was said to her while they were up in the Arctic. The second, after she had firmly assumed control of her bald boss's former position. That's right, it's Sarah Palin. Of course, she's intended as a fusion of Mercy Graves and Miss Teschmacher (tending ''much'' more toward Mercy.)
** The episode "Warrior", turned the in-universe fictional Warrior Angel into a [[Comicbook/{{Shazam}} Captain Marvel]] Expy.
** This version of Comicbook/BoosterGold has quite a significant [[Film/MysteryMen Captain Amazing]] [[CorporateSponsoredSuperhero vibe]].
** There are some sharp similarities between Comicbook/GreenArrow's characterization and relationship with Clark, and that of Franchise/{{Batman}}. Throw in the fact that ''Film/TheDarkKnightTrilogy'' meant the writers couldn't use Bruce, and that makes a lot of sense all of a sudden. Appropriate, given that initially Comicbook/GreenArrow was very much [[PoorMansSubstitute the poor man's Batman]] in the comics, with his earliest stories featuring Speedy as a blatant {{Expy}} of ComicBook/{{Robin}}, as well as an Arrow-Mobile and even an "Arrow Cave."
* ExpositionOfImmortality: "Dr. Curtis Knox" is never implicitly referred to as Comicbook/VandalSavage, but that's pretty much who he is. A Civil-War era photo of a bearded Knox which Lex shows Clark confirms he's immortal, or at least older than he looks. He also tells Chloe that he was once Jack the Ripper himself. According to ''Smallville: The Official Season 7 Companion'', Dr. Knox was indeed created as the creative team couldn't get the rights to Vandal Savage.
* EveryoneCanSeeIt: Lana saw immediately that Lois and Clark were attracted to one another from the start of their friendship, even though Lois and Clark deny it (Clark insists that he and Lois are merely VitriolicBestBuds and Lana notes "the best ones always start that way"). One episode later, Chloe notices a spark of attraction between them during the dunk tank event at Smallville High, Jimmy repeatedly notices their UnresolvedSexualTension, Oliver makes his share of observations, and Jonathan and Martha both have their own bemused suspicions that Clark and Lois's VitriolicBestBuds routine is [[BelligerentSexualTension masking something else]]. By Season 8, the UnresolvedSexualTension gets to the point where neither Lois nor Clark can deny it much longer.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:F]]
* FailureIsTheOnlyOption: For Lex; for Clark/Lana's relationship; for Clark's desire for a normal life; for Chloe's unrequited love for Clark; for a great many things.
* FakeShemp: Michael Rosenbaum left the show after Season 7, so Lex's brief appearances in Season 8 were actually played by a body double named Kevin Miller.
* FakingTheDead:
** Tina Greer pull this off and escape Belle Reeve insane asylum, by murdering a woman and burning her corpse and make it look like it was Tina's and then using her VoluntaryShapeShifting powers to look like someone else and escape.
** In "[[Recap/SmallvilleS03E08Shattered Shattered]]", Lionel fakes the death of one of Lex's security guard as part of a plot to [[{{Gaslighting}} make it look like Lex is losing his mind]].
** In season 3's witness protection fakes Chloe's death by blowing up her house and burying her coffin, although we only find this out in season 4's "[[Recap/SmallvilleS04E02Gone Gone]]".
** "[[Recap/SmallvilleS06E05Reunion Reunion]]" shows that in the past, Lionel faked the death of Duncan (a ChildhoodFriend of Lex) while in actuality, he kept Duncan alive using a Kryptonite formula which gave Duncan powers.
** Lana Lang fakes her death in season 6 by substituting the body of one of her clones in place of herself.
** In "[[Recap/SmallvilleS09E05Roulette Roulette]]", as part of her DeadlyGame, Roulette fakes her own death and has Oliver take the blame for "murdering her", which sets the cops after him.
* FanDisservice:
** Metallo. He's a WalkingShirtlessScene... with [[BodyHorror hideous tubing]] protruding from his ribs.
** The fangirl from "[[Recap/SmallvilleS05E10Fanatic Fanatic]]" sneaks into Lex's place [[GoingCommando in just a trench coat]], head shaved like Music/BritneySpears to resemble Lex. Yep. She's ''batshit crazy''.
** In "[[Recap/SmallvilleS08E06Prey Prey]]", Davis Bloome gets a ShowerScene... to wash off all the blood from [[SerialKillerKiller his latest kill]].
** In "[[Recap/SmallvilleS09E15Conspiracy Conspiracy]]", Vala and her Kandorian friends are kidnapped by a MadDoctor who [[UndressingTheUnconscious strips them down]] to their underwear while leaving then StrappedToAnOperatingTable. Any titillation one might have gotten from [ala [[LingerieScene in her underwear]] is gone as she's ForcedToWatch Dr. Chisholm experiment and dismembers her friends.
* {{Fanservice}}: The show features plenty of equal-opportunity fanservice, with plenty of {{Head Turning Beaut|y}}ies and {{Hunk}}s on the cast and they're often under MaleGaze or FemaleGaze. The plot also puts the characters into a lot of {{fanservice}} situations or states of undress, including several {{Shower Scene}}s, {{Shirtless Scene}}s and many FanserviceCostumes. But while there's plenty of skin showing, the show doesn't feature any explicit nudity. Tropes like CensorShadow, SceneryCensor, ShouldersUpNudity or ToplessnessFromTheBack are used to cover up a character anytime they're naked.
* FantasticRacism: Kara Zor-El dropped a few rungs on the likeability ladder when she called Comicbook/MartianManhunter "Red-Eyes." As seen [[http://www.supermanhomepage.com/tv/tv.php?topic=reviews/smallville7-ep04 here]].
* FauxActionGirl: PlayedWith. While many of the main female characters like Lana and Tess are repeatedly shown to be {{Action Girl}}s, their fights are generally reserved for the DesignatedGirlFight or only on men when it is convenient to the plot. Otherwise, all of their skill instantly disappears. In "[[Recap/SmallvilleS08E13Power Power]]", Tess is suddenly attacked, and instead of using her martial arts, she resorts to the typical girl-in-distress montage. She grabs a statue and plugs the guy, potentially killing him despite ([[InformedAttribute if she knows aikido]]) knowing a way to incapacitate him with pressure points and uncomfortable postures once the gun is gone. Then she gang initiation kicks him until her face is covered in blood, and the show takes pains to romanticize her rubbing it from her lips in slow motion.
* FemalesAreMoreInnocent: The show has a problem with this from time to time. However it was taken to absurd levels in "[[Recap/SmallvilleS04E09Bound Bound]]", where Lex, a man who every woman he was ever in a relationship with had betrayed, being portrayed as less sympathetic than a crazy suicidal stalker and a woman who cheated on her fiancé for a one night stand. It reaches the point that the main characters were so disgusted by Lex’s actions that they were more willing to trust ''Lionel'' over Lex.
* FemmeFatale:
** In "[[Recap/SmallvilleS06E20Noir Noir]]", all the characters are in a FilmNoir and Lana takes the role of the Femme Fatale, having an affair with Clark Kent, an undercover cop, killing her husband, Lex, and framing Jimmy for the murder.
** Tess Mercer from Season 8 onwards. She's mostly a WellIntentionedExtremist, but she still has a lot of ulterior motives.
* FetalPositionRebirth:
** The final shot of Season 3, "[[Recap/SmallvilleS03E22Covenant Covenant]]", has a naked Clark in a fetal position during the process where he's being "reborn" as Kal-El. Fittingly in "[[Recap/SmallvilleS04E01Crusade Crusade]]", he's back on Earth while NakedOnRevival.
** Davis in "[[Recap/SmallvilleS08E02Plastique Plastique]]", after his transformation back into a human.
* TheFinalTemptation: In "[[Recap/SmallvilleS06E12Labyrinth Labyrinth]]" a phantom takes over Clark's mind and tries to bend him to its will. It used an illusion of Lana to persuade him to stay in the dream state and believe it was real, while the phantom maintained control over Clark's body. When Clark tries to resist, Lana questions why he is so eager to return to a reality in which they are apart and he is an alien who has caused so much pain.
* FinaleSeason: The words "The Final Season" appear above the title in the commercials for season 10. In fact, the PreviouslyOn segment at the beginning of the season premiere ends with Tom Welling's voice saying "And now, the final season of Smallville".
* FirstGirlWins: Averted; despite Lana being hyped as the designated love interest, she and Clark ultimately separate.
* FirstGrayHair: Spoofed in "[[Recap/SmallvilleS04E08Spell Spell]]". The Wicked Witch, Isobel, has taken over Lana's body and needs the hair of a virgin for a potion she's brewing. When Lois has her back turned, Isobel plucks one of Lois' hairs out, but frowns upon realizing that Lois isn't a virgin. Lois, who is unaware that Lana is being possessed by Isobel, angrily asks Isobel why she would pluck one of her hairs out. Isobel lies and says "It was gray", to which Lois insists "I don't have any gray hair". Isobel shrugs and looks innocent. Lois gets a nervous expression on her face and says "I'll... be in the bathroom using your mirror," and hurries off.
* {{Flanderization}}: Chloe went from someone who was okay with computers to being able to [[ReversePolarity trace a bug's point of origin]], discover [[OmniscientDatabase anything about anyone]], and she even had a shot at decoding a Kryptonian virus on her PC... when all the power on Earth had been shut off. Basically she filled in any {{plot hole}}s where the writers couldn't think of a way to get Clark to the place he needed to be. Brainiac downloads its intellect into her, pretty much super-Flanderizing her computer skills; it turns out he was responsible for her intelligence going out of control and she was losing more and more of herself as time went on.
* ForWantOfANail:
** "[[Recap/SmallvilleS05E12Reckoning Reckoning]]": If Clark reversed time to save Lana...
** "[[Recap/SmallvilleS08E15Infamous Infamous]]": If Clark had Lois report his secret to the world...
** "[[Recap/SmallvilleS09E09Pandora Pandora]]": If the Kandorians gained their powers...
** "[[Recap/SmallvilleS10E10Luthor Luthor]]": If Kal-El was found and raised by Lionel Luthor instead of the Kents...
* ForcedPrizeFight: The Live or Die Fight Club in "[[Recap/SmallvilleS06E17Combat Combat]]" posts these fights on the Internet.
* ForegoneConclusion: The show has drama, suspense, and {{Shipping}} even though we already know that Clark becomes Franchise/{{Superman}}, ends up with Lois Lane and his friendship with Lex Luthor will dissolve as they become {{ArchEnem|y}}ies later in life.
* TheForeignSubtitle: In Brazil, the series is known as ''Smallville - As Aventuras do Superboy''. That title means "Smallville - The Adventures of Superboy".
* {{Foreshadowing}}: Ironic references to the Franchise/{{Superman}} mythos. ''So God damned many''.
** On a separate note, in the prologue of the "[[Recap/SmallvilleS01E01Pilot Pilot]]" episode, we see a newspaper headline mentioning that the head of Queen Industries is missing presumed dead. This foreshadows [[Comicbook/GreenArrow Oliver's]] eventual appearance on the show.
** When Lex proposes to his girlfriend, the song playing in the background becomes recognizable as an acoustic cover of Blue Öyster Cult's "Don't Fear The Reaper"... needless to say, things don't end well.
** One of the biggest long term {{foreshadowing}}, apart from Clark's destiny, comes from the season 1 episode "[[Recap/SmallvilleS01E06Hourglass Hourglass]]" when [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYRr67advsY Cassandra sees Lex's future]]: He is in the White House, with white clothes and a black glove on his right hand. This foreshadows stuff that we only find out in the finale, almost ten years later: the glove is to cover his imperfect [[CloningGambit cloned hand]], in 2018 he is elected U.S. President and he wears the same white clothes in the presidential inauguration.
** After finding Infant!Clark in the "[[Recap/SmallvilleS01E01Pilot Pilot]]", Martha says that she and Jonathan didn't find Clark, he found them. She's speaking poetically, but Season 3's "[[Recap/SmallvilleS03E06Relic Relic]]" would reveal that Jor-El did indeed send his son to the Kents on purpose, having known Jonathan's father.
* ForgottenFallenFriend: ''Smallville'' has always been very bad about this.
** In the early seasons, the "[[MonsterOfTheWeek Freak of the Week]]" would often be a [[RememberTheNewGuy a longtime friend the main cast would've known]] for ''years'' prior to [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity Kryptonite radiation turning them evil.]] More often than not, [[KarmicDeath they'd die.]] The main cast would spend absolutely no time mourning their loss or [[FaceHeelTurn what they had become]] even in the episode where they died.
** In later seasons this would extend to {{recurring character}}s and several cases of ''series regulars'' Whitney Fordman, Jason Teague and Davis Bloome who'd be KilledOffForReal, might be mourned in the episode they died, and then either never mentioned again or mentioned in only the briefest most casual way for plot purposes.
** In "[[Recap/SmallvilleS02E10Skinwalker Skinwalker]]", Clark had a [[GirlOfTheWeek passionately romantic attachment]] with Kyla Willowbrook a MagicalNativeAmerican [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent shapeshifter]] with a meaningful bracelet and prophecy saying she was his soul mate, and in the end of the episode she tragically dies. Next episode it was like it never happened, except she had been the device for the 'caves' setting to be introduced, and ''those'' stuck around. What was her name, anyway? [[ComicallyMissingThePoint Kyla Willowbrook]].
** Alicia Baker was another TemporaryLoveInterest of Clark. In a two-parter she and Clark fall deeply in love, she is 'the one' but thanks partly to Clark not believing she was innocent of attacking his friends, [[ILetGwenStacyDie she is killed by the actual baddie]]. [[MoodWhiplash The very next episode opens with Clark excited about getting a football scholarship]].
** Grant Gabriel. Lionel does mourn him. For one episode. He is a clone of his biological son. Which is one more episode than Lois ever mourned for him, [[RomanticFalseLead even though she knew him longer.]]
** Gina. Granted the only one who'd care would be Lex, and it's ''[[ItsAllAboutMe Lex]]'' were talking about here. Still, you'd think he'd spend at least a moment wondering who the Hell murdered his most loyal and devoted assistant.
** Downplayed with Lionel Luthor, who's mentioned quite a bit after his death. However most of his mentions are of the devil [[MagnificentBastard bastard]] he was at the start of the series and not as the ally he became in the show's second half.
** Also averted, somewhat with Jimmy Olsen. His death sends Clark into a dark spiral, and Chloe isn't much better off, if at all, and Clark refusing to go back to save him, citing the example of what happened when he averted Lana's death and lost his father instead, is a key point of tension between the two of them for much of the first third of the Ninth Season.
* FourTemperamentEnsemble: The four-member ''Franchise/{{Justice League|OfAmerica}}'' team up in the episode "[[Recap/SmallvilleS06E11Justice Justice]]": Oliver aka Green Arrow (choleric), Victor aka Cyborg (melancholic), Clark (phlegmatic), and Bart aka Impulse (sanguine).
* FreakyFridayFlip:
** Clark and Lionel swap bodies in "[[Recap/SmallvilleS04E06Transference Transference]]" thanks to the Crystal of Water.
** PlayedWith in "[[Recap/SmallvilleS08E17Hex Hex]]". ComicBook/{{Zatanna}} uses her magic to put Chloe in Lois body when Chloe becomes envious and wishes she was had Lois life. In the morning Chloe finds herself in Lois's body and she and the audience think they switched bodies, but when Chloe calls Lois, she discovers Lois is still in her own body, Zatanna just made Chloe look identical to Lois.
* FriendlessBackground: Lex Luthor as a child.
* FreudianExcuse: Lex's [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narcissistic_personality_disorder hyper-manipulative, borderline-sociopathic, power-obsessed dad]] really did a number on him. Then again, in the finale absolutely all his memory is erased, up to and including all his childhood memories, rendering this pretty much pointless. Well, presumably, his personality is still intact, so he is still the bitter, angry, cynical bastard we've all come to know, even if he doesn't remember ''why''.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:G]]
* GRatedDrug: "[[Recap/SmallvilleS02E14Rush Rush]]" unintentionally (victims get stung by an alien parasite), but "[[Recap/SmallvilleS02E20Witness Witness]]" is one of several cases of meteor rocks being used as such. "[[Recap/SmallvilleS05E17Void Void]]" comes with the overdue LampshadeHanging.
* GambitRoulette: Quite early in the series, in Season 1, there was a Roulette involving Lex Luthor, his father, and an old lover named Victoria. Victoria came to the Luthor mansion and led Lex to believe that she was playing on Lex's dislike for his father so that her own father could buy out [=LuthorCorp=]. Lex convinced her that they should play their fathers against each other and bring them both down. Lex cultivated a romantic relationship with Victoria and when they went into business talks with Victoria's father, he said that he was poised to buy out [=LuthorCorp=] thanks to Victoria's intelligence she gathered from Lex's computer. However, Lex had already made sure that Victoria's father's endeavors would be useless and unfruitful. Lex and his father bought out Victoria's father's corporation, but in a surprising twist, it was revealed that Victoria was a lover of Lex's father and working for him the whole time.
%%* {{Gaslighting}}: Happens to Lex after he was lost on an island and during "[[Recap/SmallvilleS03E08Shattered Shattered]]".
* GaussianGirl: The first appearance of Kara -alias Comicbook/{{Supergirl}}- shows her blurred and in a flowing white dress. Underwater. When she saves Lex Luthor and flies away, he is convinced she is an angel who is there to make him repent his sins.
%%** The sequences within the Fortress of Solitude in all get a bit Gaussian...
* AGlassOfChianti: The Luthors, constantly. Major Zod too.
* GlowingEyesOfDoom:
** Clark gets these on occasion when he's on red Kryptonite.
** Martian Manhunter, although he's one of the good guys, so it's not really "of doom".
* GoryDiscretionShot: This occurs more and more as the series [[AudienceShift gets more mature]], and non-discretion shots start appearing in later seasons.
** "[[Recap/SmallvilleS02E11Visage Visage]]": When Tina!Whitney is (almost) exposed by a Marine lieutenant who shows up to inform Mrs. Foreman that the real Whitney died in combat, Tina!Whitney [[BatterUp bludgeons the guy to dead with a baseball bat]]. His death is never explicitly shown; we only see Tina!Whitney covered in blood and Mrs. Foreman screaming.
** "[[Recap/SmallvilleS05E03Hidden Hidden]]": Chloe and Gabriel struggle for a gun, and it fires, out of view, and blood splatters on the window. For a few horrible moments it seems that Chloe was shot (won't be too much of a difference because she couldn't stop the missile anyway and [[BroughtDownToNormal Clark]] was also shot by Gabriel just before) but then Gabriel went limp.
** "[[Recap/SmallvilleS06E08Static Static]]": A few during the rampage of [[ImAHumanitarian Alder]]. Unfortunately subverted by some scenes. Kindly keep your BrainBleach handy.
** "[[Recap/SmallvilleS06E14Trespass Trespass]]": The blood under the door version. Subverted later.
** "[[Recap/SmallvilleS08E05Committed Committed]]": At the crucial moment, Clark sets off a steam pipe that clouds the whole chamber and prevents Lois from seeing how he owns Macy. Unfortunately, neither do we.
** "[[Recap/SmallvilleS08E13Power Power]]": When Regan prepares to shoot Tess, she disarms and fells him and then kicks him to death his blood splatters on her face.
** In "[[Recap/SmallvilleS08E16Turbulence Turbulence]]", when Doomsday apparently kills Chloe in front of Jimmy, her blood is splattered all over a window.
* GovernmentConspiracy: Checkmate is one; the Comicbook/SuicideSquad is the remnants of one. The government went above board with the [[SuperRegistrationAct Vigilante Registration Act]] and General Slade Wilson spearheading it, although the public is still in the dark about the government constructing concentration camps for the superheroes.
* GrandFinale: The last episode, "[[Recap/SmallvilleS10E21E22Finale Finale]]" is ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin.
%%* GrandTheftMe
%%* GreaterScopeVillain: [[SealedEvilInACan General Zod]] to Brainiac in Season 5.
* GreenRocks: {{Trope Namer|s}}. The kryptonite fragments left all over Smallville have had dozens of different effects, ''not including'' individual powers bestowed, depending on what else is present in the immediate area when an individual is exposed. Which is how the human "freak of the week" in the first two seasons got their powers, usually them having to be at the point of death when exposed.
* GroundhogDayLoop: "[[Recap/SmallvilleS05E12Reckoning Reckoning]]": Subverted in that the loop only repeats once and the only thing Clark's able to change is which person he loves dies that day. Originally it was Lana. In the loop, it's Jonathan.
[[/folder]]
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!!!''Series/{{Smallville}}'' provides examples of the following tropes:
[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder:D]]
* DamselInDistress: Lana is often in this position, especially in the early seasons, often being captured by several villains and needing to be rescued by Clark JustInTime. PlayedWith in regards to the rest of the cast, every character gets put into this position a couple of times but they often assist on even manage to rescue themselves.
* DarkActionGirl: Several of the female MonsterOfTheWeek apply, of the main castm Tess Mercer is the most notable example. She's trained in hand-to-hand and has several fight scenes. She also notably does not use WaifFu like most other female characters. Most other girls on the show dance around their opponents and use a lot of kicks. Tess prefers to just punch you in the face.
* DarkerAndEdgier:
** Compared to the light-hearted Season 2, Season 3 ''definitely'' counts. Only in certain spots though. There are still a lot of episodes in Season Three that focus on one episode storylines that drove the first two seasons with the same mix of humour and actual peril. However, it is also the first season to focus more on big-picture elements, and it deals with the main characters going though a lot more turmoil. Clark starts off the season dealing with his dark side and living a very rough and rebellious lifestyle in Metropolis, Lex has a psychotic break (well, partly) and ends up institutionalized at Belle Reve, Chloe's life is turned into a living nightmare at times, and Pete starts to occasionally feel the bad effects of keeping Clark's secret under wraps.
** The second half of Season 8, compared to the first half. Season 9 features it as well, largely as a result of the S8 finale's fallout. In general, from Season 5 onwards, the show was darker than the earlier seasons.
* DeadlyDisc: "[[Recap/SmallvilleS09E01Savior Savior]]", during the fight between the Kandorian woman and Clark.
* DeadpanSnarker: Lois, Chloe, Oliver, Lex, Lionel, Tess, and on a good day, Clark.
* DealWithTheDevil:
** Jonathan makes one with [[AdaptationalVillainy Jor-El]] to bring Clark (who's under Red Kryptonite influence) home in "[[Recap/SmallvilleS03E01Exile Exile]]".
** In "[[Recap/SmallvilleS05E12Reckoning Reckoning]]" , Clark makes another one to save Lana's life. [[FailureIsTheOnlyOption Jonathan dies instead.]]
** In "[[Recap/SmallvilleS05E22Vessel Vessel]]", Lionel says Lex has done it, and the devil (Zod) will always come to collect.
** In "[[Recap/SmallvilleS07E17Sleeper Sleeper]]", Jimmy makes one with Lex to protect Chloe from government agents. He knows there would be a price. Lex comes to collect in "[[Recap/SmallvilleS07E20Arctic Arctic]]", MagnificentBastard-style.
* DeathByOriginStory: There was a comic book about Lex's childhood hero, the Avenging Angel, whose love interest became a victim of this trope. When the producers of a movie based on the comic decided to use the SparedByTheAdaptation trope on her, it motivated the [[MonsterOfTheWeek villain of the week]] to kill her actress while recording the scene where the character should die. When said villain learned of Clark's powers and how he uses them for good, the villain decided to kill ''Clark's'' love interest out of the belief a hero needs this element and a living girlfriend would be a weakness.
* DeathIsCheap: Practically everyone. Special mentions to Chloe Sullivan, who managed to die for no less than '''eleven''' times.
* DecompositeCharacter:
** The show had two different, completely unrelated versions of Dr. Hamilton from the comics.
** After they killed off Jimmy, they revealed that his real name was Henry James Olsen (with Jimmy as a nickname). This gave them an excuse to then establish a [[LegacyCharacter second]] Jimmy Olsen; the younger brother of the original.
* DenserAndWackier:
** Season Four's Lois episodes. In fact, that entire year is almost a retelling of ''Superman's Girlfriend Lois Lane'' -- right down to [[BizarroEpisode Lois becoming a witch.]]
** Season 10, much like ''Lois & Clark'', seemed to be channeling Adam West's ''{{Series/Batman|1966}}'' in spots.
--->'''[[http://comicsalliance.com/recap-smallville-episode-10-11-icarus/ David Uzumeri]]:''' My favorite part of the episode comes with [[Comicbook/{{Deathstroke}} Slade]] and Comicbook/{{Hawkman}}, actually, when Slade is like 'Look, when I named this project Icarus, I never expected an actual dude with flaming wings falling from the sky. [[RuleOfCool This is totally awesome. I love life.]]'
* DesignatedGirlFight:
** ActionGirl Lois ends up fighting a lot of female villains after her introduction, such as Tess, Athena, Roulette, Maxima, Alia, Linda Lake and Victoria Sinclair.
** DarkActionGirl Tess also ends up fighting several girls, such as Lois, Lana, Chloe, Mad Harriet.
* DestructoNookie:
** A DeletedScene in "[[Recap/SmallvilleS02E02Heat Heat]]", shows Desiree and Lex in a PostCoitalCollapse at the wine cellar in the mansion, with bottles broken all around them.
** In "[[Recap/SmallvilleS07E07Wrath Wrath]]", Lana temporarily gains superpowers identical to Clark's. This means they can [[ManOfSteelWomanOfKleenex finally have sex without him destroying her]]. Earthquakes ensue. Results in a funny moment as the entire town--including Chloe--feel the quakes, and Chloe later arrives at the Kent Farm and discovers (to her supreme awkwardness) the source of the quakes when she finds an obviously SexDressed Lana in the kitchen, only wearing [[SexyShirtSwitch Clark's shirt]].
** {{Downplayed|Trope}} in "[[Recap/SmallvilleS08E04Instinct Instinct]]". When Clark and Maxima are [[ElevatorGoingDown making out in the Daily Planet elevator]] they start hitting the walls so hard it causes the whole building to shake. But they're interrupted by Lois before they go any further than making out.
** "[[Recap/SmallvilleS08E14Requiem Requiem]]": In the first act, Clark and Lana's again have super-powered sex, but this time they only break the bed.
* DeusExMachina: Comicbook/LoisLane's "military connections" sure solve a lot of problems.
* DiabolicalMastermind: Lionel, Lex, Morgan Edge, Earth-2 Lionel, and Alexander all show aspects of this.
* DifferentlyPoweredIndividual: Called "meteor freaks", because most of them get their powers from the [[GreenRocks meteor rocks]] that came with Clark from Krypton. Chloe coined this phrase; ironically, she later discovers that she herself is a "meteor freak" and rails against use of the term, much to Jimmy's bewilderment (he wasn't in on this secret yet).
* DisneyDeath: "[[Recap/SmallvilleS05E03Hidden Hidden]]", "[[Recap/SmallvilleS05E17Void Void]]."
* DisneyVillainDeath: Given rather unceremoniously to Lionel in the ColdOpen of "[[Recap/SmallvilleS07E16Descent Descent]]".
* DistractedByTheSexy: A very common occurrence whenever something makes a girl NotHerself, but there are also other times.
** In "[[Recap/SmallvilleS02E02Heat Heat]]", Clark keeps glancing back at [[HotTeacher Desirée]] during class and she actually gestures for him to pay attention.
** "[[Recap/SmallvilleS02E11Visage Visage]]"
*** Lana gets distracted upon seeing Clark in a SexySoakedShirt for a few minutes.
*** [[PsychoLesbian Tina Greer]] while [[ShapeShifting disguised as Chloe]], is visibly shaken when she sees Lana in only a ModestyTowel fresh out of the shower, which weirds out Lana.
** In "[[Recap/SmallvilleS06E15Freak Freak]]", Clark is briefly distracted when he is trying to XRayVision Chloe.
** "[[Recap/SmallvilleS09E13Warrior Warrior]]":
*** Chloe gets a bit distracted when she finds Alec [[ShirtlessScene shirtless]].
*** Clark and a whole queue of guys get distracted by Lois, who just changed into a Franchise/WonderWoman outfit.
* TheDogWasTheMastermind: In "[[Recap/SmallvilleS09E05Roulette Roulette]]" Oliver is put through a series of life and death games. Who could be responsible? Chloe Sullivan, of course.
* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything
** Clark and other Kryptonians emit their heat vision [[SomethingElseAlsoRises when they are aroused]]. He first discovered this in "[[Recap/SmallvilleS02E02Heat Heat]]" when [[EatingTheEyeCandy checking out]] the new HotTeacher and accidentally activates it. It's pretty much played as a case of JizzedInMyPants.
** Red Kryptonite is [[GRatedDrug often used as a stand in for drug use]]; when Clark comes into contact with it, he looses his inhibitions, and as he's fully aware of what's responsible for such, he will refuse to let go of the Red Kryptonite, almost like a drug user refusing to give up drugs. After being unintentionally exposed to it a few times, when Clark was dealing with feeling depressed after causing his mother to lose her unborn baby, he began using it to deal with the pain of guilt. Also, he starts mistreating his friends. There's more drug-related comparisons, but they'd take forever to write out.
** During Season 8, Davis Bloom would blackout and turn into Doomsday at random, but found a way to stop it by killing people, leading him to becoming a SerialKiller to avoid turning into the monster. For those who don't know the psychology behind compulsive serial killers, when a serial killer doesn't kill for a certain amount of time, they feel psychologically compelled to kill, sort of like they're being taken over by a metaphorical monster. In Davis' case, he was being taken over by a ''physical'' monster.
* DomesticAbuser: Lionel was physically abusive to both Lex and his wife Lillian.
* DoomedByCanon: If you weren't in the comics and your name isn't Chloe Sullivan, you're probably going to die before all's said and done.
** Lex in the first couple of seasons makes sincere efforts not to be the CorruptCorporateExecutive his father is, or if he must be one of those, to at least work towards noble goals and help his friend Clark. It reached the point where they had to forcibly change his obsession from I want to be special which he had let go of, to control freak. Everything quickly spiraled down hill from there.
*** It should be pointed out that a significant one is any type of romantic relationship with someone not Lois Lane.
* DownerEnding: There are a LOT of them...
** "[[Recap/SmallvilleS02E08Ryan Ryan]]": The specialist Clark used his powers to get fails to save Ryan, and he still dies. The final scene shows Clark leaving Ryan's hospital room, looking back on the now empty bed, and he stands in the corridor, the hospital staff walking around Clark, oblivious to his grief.
** "[[Recap/SmallvilleS02E23Exodus Exodus]]": Clark destroys his ship and the shock wave from the explosion kills Martha's unborn baby. [[WhatTheHellHero Jonathan rails at Clark for this]], and Clark leaves his parents in their grief. Chloe, jealous of Clark and Lana's growing romance, agrees to spy on Clark for Lionel. Lex wakes up midair in his private jet to find his bride gone, the pilot gone, the control consoles smashed, and his jet crashing into the ocean. Overcome with grief and guilt, Clark deliberately puts on a Red Kryptonite ring, reverting to his {{Jerkass}} Kal persona to avoid feeling any more pain. As Kal, he leaves Smallville, Lana, and his adoptive parents, seemingly for good.
** "[[Recap/SmallvilleS03E08Shattered Shattered]]": Lex is committed to a mental asylum despite Clark's best efforts to help him, and Lana's in the hospital.
** "[[Recap/SmallvilleS03E18Truth Truth]]": Chloe, after being inflicted with a truth gas made from meteor rocks, goes to retrieve her voicemail which has Lionel's confession over how he killed his parents. However, it is not Lionel's confession, but a recording of Lionel saying that he has erased the voicemail, leaving Chloe heartbroken.
** "[[Recap/SmallvilleS03E19Memoria Memoria]]": Lex recalling the truth of what happened to his brother Julian and confronting Lionel with it after an episode of flashbacks showing how their relationship began to break down from bad to terrible and increasingly destructive.
** "[[Recap/SmallvilleS03E22Covenant Covenant"]]: Kara, the Kryptonian girl Clark met, is really Lindsay Harrison, a pawn of Jor-El. Jor-El takes Clark away, Jonathan goes into a coma, Lex is poisoned, and Chloe's safehouse blows up.
** "[[Recap/SmallvilleS04E12Pariah Pariah]]": Alicia Baker, who had done a HeelFaceTurn, is murdered.
** "[[Recap/SmallvilleS04E17Onyx Onyx]]": Lex's good and evil selves are merged, but not before Evil!Lex goads his father Lionel into giving up his conversion to good. The smirk on Lex's face at the end as Lionel announces the end of the charity he founded suggests that Lex's halves merged with his evil side dominant which suggests Lex's FaceHeelTurn began here.
** "[[Recap/SmallvilleS04E20Ageless Ageless]]": Evan, the rapidly aging boy Clark and Lana grew to love, ages to the point of being an old man and dies. Lex's final line, just a few episodes after "[[Recap/SmallvilleS04E17Onyx Onyx]]" indicates he's now well and truly become evil.
** "[[Recap/SmallvilleS05E12Reckoning Reckoning]]": Jonathan dies.
** "[[Recap/SmallvilleS05E22Vessel Vessel]]": Lex is [[GrandTheftMe possessed by General Zod]], Clark is trapped in the PhantomZone, Lionel and Chloe are being attacked by a mob, and Martha and Lois' plane crashes.
** "[[Recap/SmallvilleS07E10Persona Persona]]": Lana is forced to admit she's been far happier in the past month with Bizarro than she's ever been with Clark...just before she kills Bizarro. Even as he knows he's dying, Bizarro tells Lana he loves her. Brainiac drains the mind of (and most likely murders) his kindly creator Dax-Ur, giving himself the information he needs to become more powerful. Lex has Grant Gabriel, the clone of his dead brother Julian, murdered before Lionel's eyes just as Lionel and Grant were starting to bond.
** "[[Recap/SmallvilleS07E20Arctic Arctic]]": Lex finally discovers Clark's secret and uses the Kryptonian Orb to bring down the Fortress of Solitude.
** "[[Recap/SmallvilleS08E10Bride Bride]]": Doomsday literally crashes Jimmy and Chloe's wedding, killing at least one person, brutally beating Jimmy into a coma, and abducting Chloe. Lois is left grief-stricken and confused, wondering why these horrible things keep happening to all of them, and left crushed when Clark, her date for the wedding who is at this point over Lana enough that this evening could be considered their first REAL date, ends up rushing right back to Lana when she shows up. Chloe is possessed by Brainiac (again). And the whole thing's being monitored by Lex Luthor.
** "[[Recap/SmallvilleS08E14Requiem Requiem]]": Lana leaves Smallville forever due to being irradiated with kryptonite and being near Clark could kill him.
** "[[Recap/SmallvilleS08E22Doomsday Doomsday]]": Jimmy dies, Davis dies, Clark [[HeroicBSOD declares himself dead]], and Zod returns as a younger, previously cloned version of the original. Not to mention Lois is accidentally transported one year into the future after a violent tussle with Tess and ''nobody'' knows what happened to her.
** "[[Recap/SmallvilleS09E22Salvation Salvation]]": Clark is able to send Zod and all the Kandorians away, saving Earth. However, Clark has a dagger made of [[PowerNullifier blue kryptonite]] stabbed into him and is falling to his death off the building. He gets better, though.
* DressedLikeADominatrix:
** In "[[Recap/SmallvilleS08E04Instinct Instinct]]", Maxima's original outfit is a HellBentForLeather and {{Stripperiffic}} outfit that gives her an dominatrix vibe. She soon changes into a dress to stand out less.
** In "[[Recap/SmallvilleS08E19Stiletto Stiletto]]", Lois briefly assumes the identity of the eponymous superheroine "Stiletto", dressing up in a black SpyCatsuit with CombatStilettos that makes her look like a dominatrix.
* DrivenToSuicide:
** In "[[Recap/SmallvilleS01E17Reaper Reaper]]", Tyler, a meteor freak with a TouchOfDeath, uses his power on himself after realizing his attempts at {{Mercy Kill}}s have been doing more harm than good.
** In "[[Recap/SmallvilleS03E06Relic Relic]]", Mayor Tate tries to shoot himself to avoid going to prison for his exposed crimes, but Clark quickly snatches the gun.
** At the end of "[[Recap/SmallvilleS03E16Crisis Crisis]]", Lionel sticks a gun in his mouth after he is diagnosed with a terminal illness but he reconsiders.
** Lex collapses the Fortress of Solitude down over him and a depowered Clark in an attempt to do this.
** After learning about his fate as Doomsday, Davis drowns himself in a Kryptonite shower, [[NiceJobBreakingItHero but this just ends up making him immune to Kryptonite.]]
** Oliver tries to blow himself up with a DeathTrap someone was already trying to murder him with. He [[UnexplainedRecovery gets better]].
* DrivenToVillainy:
** PlayedWith with Sean Kelvin in "[[Recap/SmallvilleS01E05Cool Cool]]". He was mutated by a combination of Kryptonite and hypothermia and [[AnIcePerson gained the power to drain heat from others]]. But his powers would kill in if he didn't keep draining people's body heat. A case could be made that he wasn't truly villainous, and was forced to kill people in order to survive, however the guy was made such a self-centered, vindictive psychopathic JerkAss that [[HandWave the point became moot]].
** "[[Recap/SmallvilleS01E07Craving Craving]]" had a girl who was afflicted with [[WeightLossHorror sudden weight loss]] due to Kryptonite and had to regularly ''[[IAmAHumanitarian eat human flesh]]'' to keep from starving to death (regular food didn't work). She never actually killed anyone, just sucked their marrow and left them near death from the damage to their bodies. This was clearly a case of HorrorHunger, and in at least one instance, she urged a potential victim to run away.
** For real tragedy, see Davis Bloome in Season 8. A NiceGuy paramedic, Davis suffers from constant blackouts and discovers that he has alien SerialKiller and PersonOfMassDestruction Doomsday trapped inside him, and that the only way to keep the monster from taking over and slaughtering dozens of people is to kill individual victims. He thus becomes a PayEvilUntoEvil-type AntiHero, murdering those he considers to be deserving of it in order to keep his inner monster trapped. This eventually drives him completely insane, and results in his descent into true villainy.
* DroppedABridgeOnHim: Creator/MargotKidder had a falling out with the producers over the writers' idea to have her character announce the death of Christopher Reeve's character. [[DisproportionateRetribution Her character was killed off.]]
* DysfunctionJunction:
** The mothers of most main characters are [[MissingMom dead before the series begins]].
** Clark and his cousin Kara are the [[LastOfHisKind Last Of Their Kind]] after [[EarthShatteringKaboom Krypton exploded]].
** Chloe Sullivan's mother ended up in a mental institution and both mother and daughter have psychosis-inducing meteor infection.
** Lex Luthor probably has it worst. His mother murdered his younger brother. She soon died afterwards. And he is [[ArchnemesisDad definitely not on friendly terms]] with his father. Both he and his father are {{Self Made Orphan}}s.
** Lana Lang's parents were killed by a meteor.
** Lois Lane's mother died when she was six, and her army general father is not very nice. She also has a [[ManipulativeBitch manipulative]], backstabbing sister.
** Jimmy Olsen's father is a huge drunk and he never met his mother.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:E]]
* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: Several early episodes make it sound like the Luthors have been the royal family of Metropolis for generations. Later seasons would establish that Lionel Luthor was the son of Scottish immigrants and that he was born into poverty and went from RagsToRiches.
* EasyAmnesia: Occurs more often on this show than most people have hot dinners.
** The real test is when Clark does become Superman and how that will square with a substantial number of people knowing he is Clark Kent. Nearly no one knows what "The Blur" looks like, but everyone will know Superman's face.
** Used to a ridiculous grade in "[[Recap/SmallvilleS10E21E22Finale Finale]]", when Tess simply smudges a neurotoxin in Lex's face making him forget everything, not just Clark-related stuff; every single thing that ever happened in his life is completely and instantly erased. So much for a FreudianExcuse now.
* EcoTerrorist: Aquaman first appears as an eco-terrorist trying to stop a sonic weapon created by Lex Luthor from going into production.
* EldritchAbomination: This is Darkseid's natural form.
* ElectionDayEpisode: The class president election is the main focus in "[[Recap/SmallvilleS01E18Drone Drone]]", and several episodes in season five revolving around the senatorial election, coming to a conclusion in "[[Recap/SmallvilleS05E12Reckoning Reckoning]]".
* ElectrifiedBathtub: At the beginning of "[[Recap/SmallvilleS02E04Red Red]]", a rogue federal agent murders new girl Jessie's ex-boyfriend this way.
* EmpathicHealer:
** Chloe. She lost the ability later, due to a bizarre encounter with Brainiac.
** And Freak of the Week Cyrus Krupp in Season 2.
* EnemyMine: "[[Recap/SmallvilleS06E19Nemesis Nemesis]]"
* EngineeredHeroics: "[[Recap/SmallvilleS01E20Obscura Obscura]]" featured a policeman who kidnapped Chloe in an attempt to get credit for finding her. When that failed due to him and Lana having a telepathic connection, he decided he'd rather get the credit for solving the latter's murder...
* EngineeredPublicConfession: In the Season 9 finale. Zod, did you forget that your followers have SuperHearing?
* EnhanceButton: Chloe pull this one in "[[Recap/SmallvilleS05E17Void Void]]". And the pic came from one of her "sources" so its quality is pretty questionable.
* EverybodyHatesHades: In episode 10X05, Lois got possessed by Isis and tried to bring Osiris back into the world -- which, despite him being the just ruler of the dead, was treated as a very bad thing. Though it wasn't treated as a bad thing because Osiris himself was bad, but because calling him up would bring the Underworld into the real world.
* EverybodyLives: A semi-regular trope of the show, actually, thanks in part to Clark's ThouShaltNotKill policy. While a majority of episodes feature deaths, there's a substantial minority of episodes (on average, about 7 per season) where no one dies and Everybody Lives.
* EvilIsHammy: Yes. Dear god, yes. Lionel, Lex, and Zor-El all run with this trope. It's Callum Blue's performance however, as the [[ChewingTheScenery scenery chewing]] Major Zod that really proves it.
* EvilOrphanageLady: Granny Goodness uses her cover as an orphanage manager to brainwash and train girls for a future assault on Earth by Darkseid.
* EvilTwin: Bizarro and Ultraman to Clark, Earth-2 Lionel to the real one.
* {{Expy}}:
** Chloe Sullivan originally started as an Expy for Lois Lane (the actual Lois was introduced later), [[CompositeCharacter as well as the Silver Age version of Lana Lang]]. As she began to grow apart from Lois, her journalism career was downplayed and her computer skills evolved to their current levels -- making her an expy for ComicBook/{{Oracle}}.
** Tess Mercer, in her first two appearances, was referred to as both "an obscure regional VP" (unfit for her job of taking over for Lex Luthor) and a "pitbull in Prada." The first was said to her while they were up in the Arctic. The second, after she had firmly assumed control of her bald boss's former position. That's right, it's Sarah Palin. Of course, she's intended as a fusion of Mercy Graves and Miss Teschmacher (tending ''much'' more toward Mercy.)
** The episode "Warrior", turned the in-universe fictional Warrior Angel into a [[Comicbook/{{Shazam}} Captain Marvel]] Expy.
** This version of Comicbook/BoosterGold has quite a significant [[Film/MysteryMen Captain Amazing]] [[CorporateSponsoredSuperhero vibe]].
** There are some sharp similarities between Comicbook/GreenArrow's characterization and relationship with Clark, and that of Franchise/{{Batman}}. Throw in the fact that ''Film/TheDarkKnightTrilogy'' meant the writers couldn't use Bruce, and that makes a lot of sense all of a sudden. Appropriate, given that initially Comicbook/GreenArrow was very much [[PoorMansSubstitute the poor man's Batman]] in the comics, with his earliest stories featuring Speedy as a blatant {{Expy}} of ComicBook/{{Robin}}, as well as an Arrow-Mobile and even an "Arrow Cave."
* ExpositionOfImmortality: "Dr. Curtis Knox" is never implicitly referred to as Comicbook/VandalSavage, but that's pretty much who he is. A Civil-War era photo of a bearded Knox which Lex shows Clark confirms he's immortal, or at least older than he looks. He also tells Chloe that he was once Jack the Ripper himself. According to ''Smallville: The Official Season 7 Companion'', Dr. Knox was indeed created as the creative team couldn't get the rights to Vandal Savage.
* EveryoneCanSeeIt: Lana saw immediately that Lois and Clark were attracted to one another from the start of their friendship, even though Lois and Clark deny it (Clark insists that he and Lois are merely VitriolicBestBuds and Lana notes "the best ones always start that way"). One episode later, Chloe notices a spark of attraction between them during the dunk tank event at Smallville High, Jimmy repeatedly notices their UnresolvedSexualTension, Oliver makes his share of observations, and Jonathan and Martha both have their own bemused suspicions that Clark and Lois's VitriolicBestBuds routine is [[BelligerentSexualTension masking something else]]. By Season 8, the UnresolvedSexualTension gets to the point where neither Lois nor Clark can deny it much longer.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:F]]
* FailureIsTheOnlyOption: For Lex; for Clark/Lana's relationship; for Clark's desire for a normal life; for Chloe's unrequited love for Clark; for a great many things.
* FakeShemp: Michael Rosenbaum left the show after Season 7, so Lex's brief appearances in Season 8 were actually played by a body double named Kevin Miller.
* FakingTheDead:
** Tina Greer pull this off and escape Belle Reeve insane asylum, by murdering a woman and burning her corpse and make it look like it was Tina's and then using her VoluntaryShapeShifting powers to look like someone else and escape.
** In "[[Recap/SmallvilleS03E08Shattered Shattered]]", Lionel fakes the death of one of Lex's security guard as part of a plot to [[{{Gaslighting}} make it look like Lex is losing his mind]].
** In season 3's witness protection fakes Chloe's death by blowing up her house and burying her coffin, although we only find this out in season 4's "[[Recap/SmallvilleS04E02Gone Gone]]".
** "[[Recap/SmallvilleS06E05Reunion Reunion]]" shows that in the past, Lionel faked the death of Duncan (a ChildhoodFriend of Lex) while in actuality, he kept Duncan alive using a Kryptonite formula which gave Duncan powers.
** Lana Lang fakes her death in season 6 by substituting the body of one of her clones in place of herself.
** In "[[Recap/SmallvilleS09E05Roulette Roulette]]", as part of her DeadlyGame, Roulette fakes her own death and has Oliver take the blame for "murdering her", which sets the cops after him.
* FanDisservice:
** Metallo. He's a WalkingShirtlessScene... with [[BodyHorror hideous tubing]] protruding from his ribs.
** The fangirl from "[[Recap/SmallvilleS05E10Fanatic Fanatic]]" sneaks into Lex's place [[GoingCommando in just a trench coat]], head shaved like Music/BritneySpears to resemble Lex. Yep. She's ''batshit crazy''.
** In "[[Recap/SmallvilleS08E06Prey Prey]]", Davis Bloome gets a ShowerScene... to wash off all the blood from [[SerialKillerKiller his latest kill]].
** In "[[Recap/SmallvilleS09E15Conspiracy Conspiracy]]", Vala and her Kandorian friends are kidnapped by a MadDoctor who [[UndressingTheUnconscious strips them down]] to their underwear while leaving then StrappedToAnOperatingTable. Any titillation one might have gotten from [ala [[LingerieScene in her underwear]] is gone as she's ForcedToWatch Dr. Chisholm experiment and dismembers her friends.
* {{Fanservice}}: The show features plenty of equal-opportunity fanservice, with plenty of {{Head Turning Beaut|y}}ies and {{Hunk}}s on the cast and they're often under MaleGaze or FemaleGaze. The plot also puts the characters into a lot of {{fanservice}} situations or states of undress, including several {{Shower Scene}}s, {{Shirtless Scene}}s and many FanserviceCostumes. But while there's plenty of skin showing, the show doesn't feature any explicit nudity. Tropes like CensorShadow, SceneryCensor, ShouldersUpNudity or ToplessnessFromTheBack are used to cover up a character anytime they're naked.
* FantasticRacism: Kara Zor-El dropped a few rungs on the likeability ladder when she called Comicbook/MartianManhunter "Red-Eyes." As seen [[http://www.supermanhomepage.com/tv/tv.php?topic=reviews/smallville7-ep04 here]].
* FauxActionGirl: PlayedWith. While many of the main female characters like Lana and Tess are repeatedly shown to be {{Action Girl}}s, their fights are generally reserved for the DesignatedGirlFight or only on men when it is convenient to the plot. Otherwise, all of their skill instantly disappears. In "[[Recap/SmallvilleS08E13Power Power]]", Tess is suddenly attacked, and instead of using her martial arts, she resorts to the typical girl-in-distress montage. She grabs a statue and plugs the guy, potentially killing him despite ([[InformedAttribute if she knows aikido]]) knowing a way to incapacitate him with pressure points and uncomfortable postures once the gun is gone. Then she gang initiation kicks him until her face is covered in blood, and the show takes pains to romanticize her rubbing it from her lips in slow motion.
* FemalesAreMoreInnocent: The show has a problem with this from time to time. However it was taken to absurd levels in "[[Recap/SmallvilleS04E09Bound Bound]]", where Lex, a man who every woman he was ever in a relationship with had betrayed, being portrayed as less sympathetic than a crazy suicidal stalker and a woman who cheated on her fiancé for a one night stand. It reaches the point that the main characters were so disgusted by Lex’s actions that they were more willing to trust ''Lionel'' over Lex.
* FemmeFatale:
** In "[[Recap/SmallvilleS06E20Noir Noir]]", all the characters are in a FilmNoir and Lana takes the role of the Femme Fatale, having an affair with Clark Kent, an undercover cop, killing her husband, Lex, and framing Jimmy for the murder.
** Tess Mercer from Season 8 onwards. She's mostly a WellIntentionedExtremist, but she still has a lot of ulterior motives.
* FetalPositionRebirth:
** The final shot of Season 3, "[[Recap/SmallvilleS03E22Covenant Covenant]]", has a naked Clark in a fetal position during the process where he's being "reborn" as Kal-El. Fittingly in "[[Recap/SmallvilleS04E01Crusade Crusade]]", he's back on Earth while NakedOnRevival.
** Davis in "[[Recap/SmallvilleS08E02Plastique Plastique]]", after his transformation back into a human.
* TheFinalTemptation: In "[[Recap/SmallvilleS06E12Labyrinth Labyrinth]]" a phantom takes over Clark's mind and tries to bend him to its will. It used an illusion of Lana to persuade him to stay in the dream state and believe it was real, while the phantom maintained control over Clark's body. When Clark tries to resist, Lana questions why he is so eager to return to a reality in which they are apart and he is an alien who has caused so much pain.
* FinaleSeason: The words "The Final Season" appear above the title in the commercials for season 10. In fact, the PreviouslyOn segment at the beginning of the season premiere ends with Tom Welling's voice saying "And now, the final season of Smallville".
* FirstGirlWins: Averted; despite Lana being hyped as the designated love interest, she and Clark ultimately separate.
* FirstGrayHair: Spoofed in "[[Recap/SmallvilleS04E08Spell Spell]]". The Wicked Witch, Isobel, has taken over Lana's body and needs the hair of a virgin for a potion she's brewing. When Lois has her back turned, Isobel plucks one of Lois' hairs out, but frowns upon realizing that Lois isn't a virgin. Lois, who is unaware that Lana is being possessed by Isobel, angrily asks Isobel why she would pluck one of her hairs out. Isobel lies and says "It was gray", to which Lois insists "I don't have any gray hair". Isobel shrugs and looks innocent. Lois gets a nervous expression on her face and says "I'll... be in the bathroom using your mirror," and hurries off.
* {{Flanderization}}: Chloe went from someone who was okay with computers to being able to [[ReversePolarity trace a bug's point of origin]], discover [[OmniscientDatabase anything about anyone]], and she even had a shot at decoding a Kryptonian virus on her PC... when all the power on Earth had been shut off. Basically she filled in any {{plot hole}}s where the writers couldn't think of a way to get Clark to the place he needed to be. Brainiac downloads its intellect into her, pretty much super-Flanderizing her computer skills; it turns out he was responsible for her intelligence going out of control and she was losing more and more of herself as time went on.
* ForWantOfANail:
** "[[Recap/SmallvilleS05E12Reckoning Reckoning]]": If Clark reversed time to save Lana...
** "[[Recap/SmallvilleS08E15Infamous Infamous]]": If Clark had Lois report his secret to the world...
** "[[Recap/SmallvilleS09E09Pandora Pandora]]": If the Kandorians gained their powers...
** "[[Recap/SmallvilleS10E10Luthor Luthor]]": If Kal-El was found and raised by Lionel Luthor instead of the Kents...
* ForcedPrizeFight: The Live or Die Fight Club in "[[Recap/SmallvilleS06E17Combat Combat]]" posts these fights on the Internet.
* ForegoneConclusion: The show has drama, suspense, and {{Shipping}} even though we already know that Clark becomes Franchise/{{Superman}}, ends up with Lois Lane and his friendship with Lex Luthor will dissolve as they become {{ArchEnem|y}}ies later in life.
* TheForeignSubtitle: In Brazil, the series is known as ''Smallville - As Aventuras do Superboy''. That title means "Smallville - The Adventures of Superboy".
* {{Foreshadowing}}: Ironic references to the Franchise/{{Superman}} mythos. ''So God damned many''.
** On a separate note, in the prologue of the "[[Recap/SmallvilleS01E01Pilot Pilot]]" episode, we see a newspaper headline mentioning that the head of Queen Industries is missing presumed dead. This foreshadows [[Comicbook/GreenArrow Oliver's]] eventual appearance on the show.
** When Lex proposes to his girlfriend, the song playing in the background becomes recognizable as an acoustic cover of Blue Öyster Cult's "Don't Fear The Reaper"... needless to say, things don't end well.
** One of the biggest long term {{foreshadowing}}, apart from Clark's destiny, comes from the season 1 episode "[[Recap/SmallvilleS01E06Hourglass Hourglass]]" when [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYRr67advsY Cassandra sees Lex's future]]: He is in the White House, with white clothes and a black glove on his right hand. This foreshadows stuff that we only find out in the finale, almost ten years later: the glove is to cover his imperfect [[CloningGambit cloned hand]], in 2018 he is elected U.S. President and he wears the same white clothes in the presidential inauguration.
** After finding Infant!Clark in the "[[Recap/SmallvilleS01E01Pilot Pilot]]", Martha says that she and Jonathan didn't find Clark, he found them. She's speaking poetically, but Season 3's "[[Recap/SmallvilleS03E06Relic Relic]]" would reveal that Jor-El did indeed send his son to the Kents on purpose, having known Jonathan's father.
* ForgottenFallenFriend: ''Smallville'' has always been very bad about this.
** In the early seasons, the "[[MonsterOfTheWeek Freak of the Week]]" would often be a [[RememberTheNewGuy a longtime friend the main cast would've known]] for ''years'' prior to [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity Kryptonite radiation turning them evil.]] More often than not, [[KarmicDeath they'd die.]] The main cast would spend absolutely no time mourning their loss or [[FaceHeelTurn what they had become]] even in the episode where they died.
** In later seasons this would extend to {{recurring character}}s and several cases of ''series regulars'' Whitney Fordman, Jason Teague and Davis Bloome who'd be KilledOffForReal, might be mourned in the episode they died, and then either never mentioned again or mentioned in only the briefest most casual way for plot purposes.
** In "[[Recap/SmallvilleS02E10Skinwalker Skinwalker]]", Clark had a [[GirlOfTheWeek passionately romantic attachment]] with Kyla Willowbrook a MagicalNativeAmerican [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent shapeshifter]] with a meaningful bracelet and prophecy saying she was his soul mate, and in the end of the episode she tragically dies. Next episode it was like it never happened, except she had been the device for the 'caves' setting to be introduced, and ''those'' stuck around. What was her name, anyway? [[ComicallyMissingThePoint Kyla Willowbrook]].
** Alicia Baker was another TemporaryLoveInterest of Clark. In a two-parter she and Clark fall deeply in love, she is 'the one' but thanks partly to Clark not believing she was innocent of attacking his friends, [[ILetGwenStacyDie she is killed by the actual baddie]]. [[MoodWhiplash The very next episode opens with Clark excited about getting a football scholarship]].
** Grant Gabriel. Lionel does mourn him. For one episode. He is a clone of his biological son. Which is one more episode than Lois ever mourned for him, [[RomanticFalseLead even though she knew him longer.]]
** Gina. Granted the only one who'd care would be Lex, and it's ''[[ItsAllAboutMe Lex]]'' were talking about here. Still, you'd think he'd spend at least a moment wondering who the Hell murdered his most loyal and devoted assistant.
** Downplayed with Lionel Luthor, who's mentioned quite a bit after his death. However most of his mentions are of the devil [[MagnificentBastard bastard]] he was at the start of the series and not as the ally he became in the show's second half.
** Also averted, somewhat with Jimmy Olsen. His death sends Clark into a dark spiral, and Chloe isn't much better off, if at all, and Clark refusing to go back to save him, citing the example of what happened when he averted Lana's death and lost his father instead, is a key point of tension between the two of them for much of the first third of the Ninth Season.
* FourTemperamentEnsemble: The four-member ''Franchise/{{Justice League|OfAmerica}}'' team up in the episode "[[Recap/SmallvilleS06E11Justice Justice]]": Oliver aka Green Arrow (choleric), Victor aka Cyborg (melancholic), Clark (phlegmatic), and Bart aka Impulse (sanguine).
* FreakyFridayFlip:
** Clark and Lionel swap bodies in "[[Recap/SmallvilleS04E06Transference Transference]]" thanks to the Crystal of Water.
** PlayedWith in "[[Recap/SmallvilleS08E17Hex Hex]]". ComicBook/{{Zatanna}} uses her magic to put Chloe in Lois body when Chloe becomes envious and wishes she was had Lois life. In the morning Chloe finds herself in Lois's body and she and the audience think they switched bodies, but when Chloe calls Lois, she discovers Lois is still in her own body, Zatanna just made Chloe look identical to Lois.
* FriendlessBackground: Lex Luthor as a child.
* FreudianExcuse: Lex's [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narcissistic_personality_disorder hyper-manipulative, borderline-sociopathic, power-obsessed dad]] really did a number on him. Then again, in the finale absolutely all his memory is erased, up to and including all his childhood memories, rendering this pretty much pointless. Well, presumably, his personality is still intact, so he is still the bitter, angry, cynical bastard we've all come to know, even if he doesn't remember ''why''.
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[[folder:G]]
* GRatedDrug: "[[Recap/SmallvilleS02E14Rush Rush]]" unintentionally (victims get stung by an alien parasite), but "[[Recap/SmallvilleS02E20Witness Witness]]" is one of several cases of meteor rocks being used as such. "[[Recap/SmallvilleS05E17Void Void]]" comes with the overdue LampshadeHanging.
* GambitRoulette: Quite early in the series, in Season 1, there was a Roulette involving Lex Luthor, his father, and an old lover named Victoria. Victoria came to the Luthor mansion and led Lex to believe that she was playing on Lex's dislike for his father so that her own father could buy out [=LuthorCorp=]. Lex convinced her that they should play their fathers against each other and bring them both down. Lex cultivated a romantic relationship with Victoria and when they went into business talks with Victoria's father, he said that he was poised to buy out [=LuthorCorp=] thanks to Victoria's intelligence she gathered from Lex's computer. However, Lex had already made sure that Victoria's father's endeavors would be useless and unfruitful. Lex and his father bought out Victoria's father's corporation, but in a surprising twist, it was revealed that Victoria was a lover of Lex's father and working for him the whole time.
%%* {{Gaslighting}}: Happens to Lex after he was lost on an island and during "[[Recap/SmallvilleS03E08Shattered Shattered]]".
* GaussianGirl: The first appearance of Kara -alias Comicbook/{{Supergirl}}- shows her blurred and in a flowing white dress. Underwater. When she saves Lex Luthor and flies away, he is convinced she is an angel who is there to make him repent his sins.
%%** The sequences within the Fortress of Solitude in all get a bit Gaussian...
* AGlassOfChianti: The Luthors, constantly. Major Zod too.
* GlowingEyesOfDoom:
** Clark gets these on occasion when he's on red Kryptonite.
** Martian Manhunter, although he's one of the good guys, so it's not really "of doom".
* GoryDiscretionShot: This occurs more and more as the series [[AudienceShift gets more mature]], and non-discretion shots start appearing in later seasons.
** "[[Recap/SmallvilleS02E11Visage Visage]]": When Tina!Whitney is (almost) exposed by a Marine lieutenant who shows up to inform Mrs. Foreman that the real Whitney died in combat, Tina!Whitney [[BatterUp bludgeons the guy to dead with a baseball bat]]. His death is never explicitly shown; we only see Tina!Whitney covered in blood and Mrs. Foreman screaming.
** "[[Recap/SmallvilleS05E03Hidden Hidden]]": Chloe and Gabriel struggle for a gun, and it fires, out of view, and blood splatters on the window. For a few horrible moments it seems that Chloe was shot (won't be too much of a difference because she couldn't stop the missile anyway and [[BroughtDownToNormal Clark]] was also shot by Gabriel just before) but then Gabriel went limp.
** "[[Recap/SmallvilleS06E08Static Static]]": A few during the rampage of [[ImAHumanitarian Alder]]. Unfortunately subverted by some scenes. Kindly keep your BrainBleach handy.
** "[[Recap/SmallvilleS06E14Trespass Trespass]]": The blood under the door version. Subverted later.
** "[[Recap/SmallvilleS08E05Committed Committed]]": At the crucial moment, Clark sets off a steam pipe that clouds the whole chamber and prevents Lois from seeing how he owns Macy. Unfortunately, neither do we.
** "[[Recap/SmallvilleS08E13Power Power]]": When Regan prepares to shoot Tess, she disarms and fells him and then kicks him to death his blood splatters on her face.
** In "[[Recap/SmallvilleS08E16Turbulence Turbulence]]", when Doomsday apparently kills Chloe in front of Jimmy, her blood is splattered all over a window.
* GovernmentConspiracy: Checkmate is one; the Comicbook/SuicideSquad is the remnants of one. The government went above board with the [[SuperRegistrationAct Vigilante Registration Act]] and General Slade Wilson spearheading it, although the public is still in the dark about the government constructing concentration camps for the superheroes.
* GrandFinale: The last episode, "[[Recap/SmallvilleS10E21E22Finale Finale]]" is ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin.
%%* GrandTheftMe
%%* GreaterScopeVillain: [[SealedEvilInACan General Zod]] to Brainiac in Season 5.
* GreenRocks: {{Trope Namer|s}}. The kryptonite fragments left all over Smallville have had dozens of different effects, ''not including'' individual powers bestowed, depending on what else is present in the immediate area when an individual is exposed. Which is how the human "freak of the week" in the first two seasons got their powers, usually them having to be at the point of death when exposed.
* GroundhogDayLoop: "[[Recap/SmallvilleS05E12Reckoning Reckoning]]": Subverted in that the loop only repeats once and the only thing Clark's able to change is which person he loves dies that day. Originally it was Lana. In the loop, it's Jonathan.
[[/folder]]
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