10. Identity Crisis
This is a pretty great episode that doesn't really have any flaws that I can think of, however what it does do is not exactly challenging stuff. It's really just good old-fashioned fun with the first appearance of Bizarro. Some things that really stick out about this episode is Tim Daly's performance as Bizarro and how they connected Luthor to the creation of Bizarro.
9. Stolen Memories
This is another episode where almost everything clicked, as it did a great job of introducing Braniac and giving him and Superman a personal connection that didn't really exist in the comics, making is so that Braniac played a large part in the destruction of Krypton was brilliant and made him that much more of an arch-nemesis (athough Luthor and Darkseid are probably higher up on the totem poll). Having Braniac easily shut down Lexcorp's systems showed him to be more dangerous than any other villain Superman had encountered so far. The cherry on top was because Braniac was a robot they were able to show him being destroyed in an awesome way (a punch through the chest).
8. Apokolips. . .Now!
This was a great episode not just because of the great performances, great fight scenes, but because it really established Darkseid as the ultimate enemy of Superman (sorry Lex). Darkseid speaking with Superman on the mountain obviously symbolized the devil speaking to Jesus on the mountain and really drove home the point of Darkseid being the ultimate evil in the DCAU. As if the entire episode leading up the big finish wasn't enough, Darkseid killing Dan Turpin was one of the most shocking moments of any of the DCAU episodes, and truly cemented Darkseid as Superman's greatest villain.
7. Ghost in the Machine
This episode has it all; great storytelling, great action sequences, great character insight, great pacing, Braniac, and quite probably the best animation of any episode in the entire series. The scene where Luthor leaves Mercy to die, and you see the heartbreak on her face, is one of the most painful moments to watch (in a good way) in the entire series.
6. New Kids in Town
An episode that is simply a lot of fun, chock full of 80's references and the first episode where we get a good idea of what Smallville is like and what Clark's life was like as a teen, and a better understanding of his relationship with Lana. Not to mention it has Braniac and the first ever appearance of The Legion of Superheroes in any television show. I just really love the pacing of this episode and the way that Smallville looks and feels, it has a real Back to the Future vibe (which I'm sure was intended).
5. World's Finest
This episode was awesome not only because of the appearance of Batman in Metropolis, and his subsequent seduction of Lois Lane in a matter of minutes, but also because of how Batman and The Joker contrasted with Lex Luthor and Superman. At the beginning of the first episode until almost the end, every resident of Metropolis (most notably Superman and Luthor) constantly underestimate The Joker and Batman, thinking of them as just a couple of loons who can't hold their own in the city of Metropolis. Instead Batman and The Joker constantly outclass Luthor and Superman as Joker ends up as the main threat and Luthor as the victim, and Superman realizing he needs Batman as much as Batman needs him in order to save the day.
4. Mxyzpixilated
The funniest episode of STAS by far, and one of the funniest in the entire storied history of the DCAU. Mr. Mxyzptlk was handled perfectly and everything was handled expertly in this episode. Gilbert Gottfried isn't the first person that would come to my mind if you asked me who should be the voice of Mxy, but he did an amazing job.
3. Brave New Metropolis
I've always loved stories where one character gets thrown into an alternate reality, and this episode was handled exceptionally. It had great pacing, it showed how much Lois meant to Superman, and also gave some solid insight into just how evil Lex Luthor really is, as every main character has been changed in some way by the death of Lois except him. In fact the first thing Luthor does when he realizes Lois is alive is ordering Mercy to kill her. I came away from this episode feeling like I had just watched an entire movie, and this was not because it dragged, but rather I lost all sense of time while watching because I was totally sucked in. That's basically the highest praise I can give a 22 minute episode of television.
2. Legacy
The action-packed two-parter that concludes STAS is terrific because almost the whole series had been building to these two episodes. Everything happened in this episode, the seeming betrayal of humanity by Superman, Hamilton and Superman's friendship being forever ruined, Luthor and General Hardcastle teeming up in an attempt to kill Superman, Lois and Superman finally kissing, and most importantly the fight between Superman and Darkseid (boarded by Bruce Timm), which is the best fight sequence in the entire show. If there's a perfect way for a show to go out, this is it. The fact that it ended on a depressing note was something you just could not have seen coming from a show like STAS, which was pretty optimistic the whole way through.
1. The Late Mr. Kent
From Tim Daly's great narration, the excellent score, showing that Clark did indeed have some investigative abilities and he could do more than just follow Lois Lane around, this episode has a lot of things going for it. Another thing I really liked about this episode was it sort of drove home the point that in STAS it's Superman that is the mask and Clark Kent is the real identity and how he thinks of himself. However, what really made this my favorite episode is I'm a huge fan of film-noir and this episode was by far the most noir-like of any of the STAS episodes.
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