.kisstheoctopus.

Rosenbaum is supposedly sick of hearing his performance compared to Gene Hackman’s Luthor in the movies, and that’s understandable, considering they’re not exactly playing the same character. Hackman’s Luthor was a swindler clown, in entertaining contrast to the genuinely scary fascist thugs who came tumbling out of the Phantom Zone. John Shea’s Luthor on Lois & Clark was the best thing about that show, but it was, at its core, the same character, given a sleek, glossy upgrade for the era of the CEO as celebrity white-collar criminal. And Kevin Spacey’s Luthor in Superman Returns was just a mean bastard. Rosenbaum is the only actor who’s given flesh to this take on Lex: the rueful, heartbroken genius who, after realizing that he can’t be either Clark’s friend or his equal, settles on a life in which he’s defined as his nemesis. Rosenbaum’s Lex remains one of the great TV series performances of the past ten years, and proof once again that talent will blossom in the least expected places.

—Phil Nugent, en la reseña del final de Smallville en The A.V. Club.