Smallville - Season 3 -

By the time Lex escapes, he is bitter, scarred, and paranoid. His marriage to Helen ends in disaster (she fakes her death and steals his fortune). In the finale, "Covenant," Lex finds the "Key" to Clark's ship. When Jor-El's message plays, Lex doesn't hear "Kal-El." He hears static. He realizes he will never have the answers. That frustration hardens his heart. You can pinpoint the exact moment Lex Luthor stops being a victim and starts becoming a villain—it happens in Season 3.

Helen Bryce discovers Clark’s secret in the ruins of the LuthorCorp plant. The tension in this episode is Hitchcockian. Helen holds Clark’s life in her hands, and her betrayal sets the stage for the entire season’s plot. Smallville - Season 3

This season belongs to Michael Rosenbaum’s Lex Luthor. The title of episode 11—*"Shattered"—*is the perfect descriptor for Lex’s psyche. At the start of Season 3, Lex is trying to be a good man. He has survived his father’s assassination attempts, he genuinely cares for Clark, and he is in love with Helen Bryce. By the time Lex escapes, he is bitter, scarred, and paranoid

Is worth watching? Absolutely. In fact, it is essential viewing for any superhero fan. This is the season where the show outgrew its "teen drama" label and became a tragic epic. When Jor-El's message plays, Lex doesn't hear "Kal-El