I just can't accept the fact that Lois would tell Superman that she loved Clark before she told Clark. First off, I find it really sad, and second, I think Superman would have registered more shock and emotion had he just heard that Lois loved him for the first time.
well, the thing is that lois has a lot of trouble admitting that she loves someone- to herself, to someone else, to the object of that love.
saying it out loud makes it all the more real, and saying it to the one she loves is a huge deal.. it puts her in a dangerous and vulnerable situation.
so, i can actually understand her being willing to say it to someone else (i.e. superman) first, even if it is sad.
more, saying it to superman was a part of letting go of her crush on him, putting that dream aside and taking a step towards the reality of a relationship with clark.
if you think of it that way, what she did was set aside her other options, make a clear choice, get everything in order, etc before going to clark.
in a way, it's forcing herself to gather the courage to get into a real, serious relationship with clark (which she'd have to do not only because her past relationships were, in her eyes, "federal disasters," but because clark is her best friend, which means she's investing a lot more and risking a lot more).
so, i can see her telling superman first.
as for the revelation, my understanding was that it was a result of a sort of power play between the writers, who really wanted them to be engaged, and the powers that be (ABC and DC), who were afraid that a marriage would ruin things.
doesn't help james much, as he said, but i can't think of a better reason.
i do like kathy's explanations, though.
maybe he was overwhelmed by the moment, maybe he chickened out, maybe he wanted to be sure she'd accept clark, maybe the marriage really was more to him than the revelation.
anyway, james... do you want reasons it might be worse, or ways that you could make it be worse?
imo, the revelation
should be first, but there are probably ways to make it a bad thing. she could react poorly, or he could read more into her reaction than she meant and do something stupid, or someone could overhear the revelation, or someone could find out that lois knows superman's identity and try to get the info out of her by evil means, or they could just have a huge fight over it, or... well, there are options.
Paul
