TMC
12-10-2013, 06:17 PM
http://www.manic-expression.com/apps/blog/show/21776146-top-5-favorite-episodes-of-lois-clark-the-new-adventures-of-superman
#5. Twas the Night Before Mxymas
The truth is that the fourth season was not that great. They took all the fun out of the show when they rushed Lois and Clark’s relationship and got them married. However, this is one strong episode from that season. The plot has Mxyzptlk removing hope from the world by causing everyone to experience the same day, Christmas Eve, over and over. Each time through the loop everyone loses a little more hope, until they nearly destroy themselves.This is the A story, but what makes me really like this is the B story. Superman learns an important lesson in this episode which I like. The first time he stops a bank robber; he simply catches him and turns him over to the police. However, as he repeats the events he realizes this bank robber wasn’t just a bank robber. He was a down on his luck guy with a family, trying to givehis family a nice Christmas. Superman prevents the robbery and sets him up with a job and helps him out, learning not all criminals are the same (and yes AT4W fans, this is a lot like the lesson Batman learns in Batman: Noel but that came out years later).
#4. ”Illiusions of Grandeur”
Everyone knows that Superman is vulnerable to Kryptonite, but one of the more unexplored weaknesses is the fact that Superman is as susceptible to magic as any other person. This is explored in this episode from the 1st season. One of the great things about the series is that when a problem arises, Superman (or Clark) doesn’t just fold his arms and say “I am Superman, nothing can defeat me!” After Superman is hypnotized we not only see Clark worry about what has happened, but see his struggled to beat the suggestion. It’s thanks to his parents that he is able to do so, just before he unwittingly assists the villain of the episode. This is a pretty good episode and has a bunch of familiar faces in the supporting cast. It’s also a decent mystery, with the real culprit actually being a surprise at the end. The defeat is easy, but the real struggle isn’t between Superman and the villain but Superman and the powerful hypnotic suggestion he has to fight.
#3. "All Shook Up"
This is the one episode re-written from a classic “Adventures of Superman” episode called “Panic in the Sky”. An asteroid is discovered the size of a city coming toward Metropolis, and Superman is called in to stop it. Unfortunately, a collision with the rock sends him flying back to Earth. When he wakes he has no memory, and the rock is still on its way to the planet just reduced in size a bit. Yeah, amnesia stories are a cliché; in fact there would be two more inthis series before the end. But this is one is done well, as we see Clark struggle with his identity. The best part of the show however may be the supporting cast. Cat Grant gets a rare tender moment when she reveals how lonely her life is while Perry and Jimmy get something decent to do when they discover Superman made it back but is missing. It seems very often all they do is stand around and wonder what Lois and Clark are up to, but here they actually get in on the action (by the way, this is actually referenced in one episode when Jimmy suggests they get their own lives rather than standing around watching Lois andClark all day). Normally I prefer the episodes where Superman makes more than a cameo (and that happened a few times) but here it works because we care aboutthe characters and what they are going through.
#2. "That Old Gang of Mine"
This episode starts as a regular run of the mill episode. Wediscover that scientist has been cloning classic villains in an experiment to try to find a way to reverse whatever it is that makes people evil. He cloned classic gangsters like Bonnie & Clyde and Al Capone. So what elevates thisto one of my favorite episodes? It’s what happens at the end of act 2. We see Clark and Lois confronting Capone’s gang, and when one makes a pass at Lois, Clark moves to defend her. In response the goon fires his gun, and Clark has nochoice to pretend he had been killed. This works for two reasons. The first, we see Clark anguish because now the life he wanted has ended. He can’t relate to his friends as Superman the same way he does as Clark. The other reason is Lois, who is devastated by Clark’s death. I don’t think it’s a surprise to anyone that Teri Hatcher can be a fine actress, and here she does a great job. She is grief stricken, but not enough to follow a lead and track Capone down. Then when Clark returns alive, you totally but that moment and it’s one my favorites of the entire series. How does Clark come back from the dead? Sorry, not going to spoil it here.
#1. Tempus Fugitive
A time travel episode, do I have to go on? Actually the time travel isn’t the main reason I like this episode. But I am getting ahead of myself. The plot has H.G. Wells seeking Superman’s help because a man from the future is free in the present. The future the man, Tempest, comes from is a utopian world created by Superman and Lois Lane. In an attempt to change that, Tempest steal Wells time machine and uses it to go back and kill Superman as a baby. There is a detour to the old west, which is pretty cool, where the fun part of the episode happens. Tempest realizes that he has come to a point before Lois found out Clark’s identity, and proceeds to point out how stupid she was. That Clark is actually Superman. What follows is a great scene where Lois is understandably hurt, and Clark tries to explain why he deceived her. And that he is the real person, Superman just a disguise. They chase Tempest to Smallville on the same day the rocket carrying the infant Clark landed, and it’s a race to save the baby before Tempest can kill him while also having to deal with Clark fading away from the time line. It’s just a good episode. Of course there is a re-set button in the end, Lois doesn’t really learn Clark’s secret until the end of the season, but since they didn't do that very often we can forgive this one time The other reason that this show is so good is the villain, Tempest, is played by the great Lane Davies who has a ton of fun with the role, bringing a sort of sophistication to it and the jokes and menace from the character made him the best villain on the show, well, except for Luthor anyway. They brought Tempest back a few more times as a result, and it was always a pleasure much like the way Q came back to Star Trek - TNG.
So many episodes I could have mentioned. Maybe I should have made this a top 10? The one where Luthor comes back from the dead, There was an episode where Luthor cloned Superman, one where Superman is blinded by Dr. Light, and one where Superman is accused of causing a city wide heat wave are all great entries. The first season is truly worth a watch. Go no further than the pilot, which is a pretty decent origin story of how Clark got his identity and his first public appearance.
#5. Twas the Night Before Mxymas
The truth is that the fourth season was not that great. They took all the fun out of the show when they rushed Lois and Clark’s relationship and got them married. However, this is one strong episode from that season. The plot has Mxyzptlk removing hope from the world by causing everyone to experience the same day, Christmas Eve, over and over. Each time through the loop everyone loses a little more hope, until they nearly destroy themselves.This is the A story, but what makes me really like this is the B story. Superman learns an important lesson in this episode which I like. The first time he stops a bank robber; he simply catches him and turns him over to the police. However, as he repeats the events he realizes this bank robber wasn’t just a bank robber. He was a down on his luck guy with a family, trying to givehis family a nice Christmas. Superman prevents the robbery and sets him up with a job and helps him out, learning not all criminals are the same (and yes AT4W fans, this is a lot like the lesson Batman learns in Batman: Noel but that came out years later).
#4. ”Illiusions of Grandeur”
Everyone knows that Superman is vulnerable to Kryptonite, but one of the more unexplored weaknesses is the fact that Superman is as susceptible to magic as any other person. This is explored in this episode from the 1st season. One of the great things about the series is that when a problem arises, Superman (or Clark) doesn’t just fold his arms and say “I am Superman, nothing can defeat me!” After Superman is hypnotized we not only see Clark worry about what has happened, but see his struggled to beat the suggestion. It’s thanks to his parents that he is able to do so, just before he unwittingly assists the villain of the episode. This is a pretty good episode and has a bunch of familiar faces in the supporting cast. It’s also a decent mystery, with the real culprit actually being a surprise at the end. The defeat is easy, but the real struggle isn’t between Superman and the villain but Superman and the powerful hypnotic suggestion he has to fight.
#3. "All Shook Up"
This is the one episode re-written from a classic “Adventures of Superman” episode called “Panic in the Sky”. An asteroid is discovered the size of a city coming toward Metropolis, and Superman is called in to stop it. Unfortunately, a collision with the rock sends him flying back to Earth. When he wakes he has no memory, and the rock is still on its way to the planet just reduced in size a bit. Yeah, amnesia stories are a cliché; in fact there would be two more inthis series before the end. But this is one is done well, as we see Clark struggle with his identity. The best part of the show however may be the supporting cast. Cat Grant gets a rare tender moment when she reveals how lonely her life is while Perry and Jimmy get something decent to do when they discover Superman made it back but is missing. It seems very often all they do is stand around and wonder what Lois and Clark are up to, but here they actually get in on the action (by the way, this is actually referenced in one episode when Jimmy suggests they get their own lives rather than standing around watching Lois andClark all day). Normally I prefer the episodes where Superman makes more than a cameo (and that happened a few times) but here it works because we care aboutthe characters and what they are going through.
#2. "That Old Gang of Mine"
This episode starts as a regular run of the mill episode. Wediscover that scientist has been cloning classic villains in an experiment to try to find a way to reverse whatever it is that makes people evil. He cloned classic gangsters like Bonnie & Clyde and Al Capone. So what elevates thisto one of my favorite episodes? It’s what happens at the end of act 2. We see Clark and Lois confronting Capone’s gang, and when one makes a pass at Lois, Clark moves to defend her. In response the goon fires his gun, and Clark has nochoice to pretend he had been killed. This works for two reasons. The first, we see Clark anguish because now the life he wanted has ended. He can’t relate to his friends as Superman the same way he does as Clark. The other reason is Lois, who is devastated by Clark’s death. I don’t think it’s a surprise to anyone that Teri Hatcher can be a fine actress, and here she does a great job. She is grief stricken, but not enough to follow a lead and track Capone down. Then when Clark returns alive, you totally but that moment and it’s one my favorites of the entire series. How does Clark come back from the dead? Sorry, not going to spoil it here.
#1. Tempus Fugitive
A time travel episode, do I have to go on? Actually the time travel isn’t the main reason I like this episode. But I am getting ahead of myself. The plot has H.G. Wells seeking Superman’s help because a man from the future is free in the present. The future the man, Tempest, comes from is a utopian world created by Superman and Lois Lane. In an attempt to change that, Tempest steal Wells time machine and uses it to go back and kill Superman as a baby. There is a detour to the old west, which is pretty cool, where the fun part of the episode happens. Tempest realizes that he has come to a point before Lois found out Clark’s identity, and proceeds to point out how stupid she was. That Clark is actually Superman. What follows is a great scene where Lois is understandably hurt, and Clark tries to explain why he deceived her. And that he is the real person, Superman just a disguise. They chase Tempest to Smallville on the same day the rocket carrying the infant Clark landed, and it’s a race to save the baby before Tempest can kill him while also having to deal with Clark fading away from the time line. It’s just a good episode. Of course there is a re-set button in the end, Lois doesn’t really learn Clark’s secret until the end of the season, but since they didn't do that very often we can forgive this one time The other reason that this show is so good is the villain, Tempest, is played by the great Lane Davies who has a ton of fun with the role, bringing a sort of sophistication to it and the jokes and menace from the character made him the best villain on the show, well, except for Luthor anyway. They brought Tempest back a few more times as a result, and it was always a pleasure much like the way Q came back to Star Trek - TNG.
So many episodes I could have mentioned. Maybe I should have made this a top 10? The one where Luthor comes back from the dead, There was an episode where Luthor cloned Superman, one where Superman is blinded by Dr. Light, and one where Superman is accused of causing a city wide heat wave are all great entries. The first season is truly worth a watch. Go no further than the pilot, which is a pretty decent origin story of how Clark got his identity and his first public appearance.