BTW, Kaethel, without starting a long debate over this, I am curious as to why you didn't like AKA Superman. (Don't worry, I'm not going to come back and start listing all its merits, trying to convince to change your mind. It's just that most people list this as one of their favorites, so I was wondering what about it you didn't like.)
I should have explained it indeed - it's true that it's a FoLC favourite and so I'm definitely in the minority to put it at the bottom of my episodes list. So where do I start?
Well, first, I couldn't buy it that Penny, who seemed like an intelligent woman, mistook Jimmy for Superman. Not that Jimmy lacks the qualities that could make him a good superhero, but he's physically so different from Superman that it makes no sense for Penny to confuse them. Their hair colour, eyes, complexion, height, body build isn't similar in the least. So I found it was a bit of a convenient plot device to start with.
Second, there were the missed opportunities. When Lois finds lipstick on Superman's costume and has to *ask* him about it for him to tell her that a sex-crazed woman threw herself at him, I expected Lois's insecurities to resurface, but she shrugged it off. Same thing when Clark admired Penny's legs under the table at the restaurant. She whacks him on the head but it stops right there. No insecurities. And so everything I liked about her character seemed to have flown out the window, even more than in the rest of S4. So it made me feel frustrated. I know that at that point she trusted Clark, but since I found less interest in S4 because the conflict between the two main characters seemed to have vanished into thin air, and AKA Superman was the demonstration of that.
Not to mention I didn't like the scene at the restaurant. Lois is a professional reporter, used to subtlty, and yet she acted like a child. Jimmy barely raised an eyebrow and Penny didn't even ask what that was all about.
And finally there was Jimmy's behaviour. I know he's a secondary character, but he based his entire relationship with Penny on a lie; so there was something missing for me: I wanted to know why he didn't stop and think about what Penny saw in him, besides Superman. It would have been highly interesting to see a conversation between him and Clark about that, as Clark went through the same sort of thing with Lois after all. Also, Penny falling for Jimmy just because he saved her life even though he's not Superman striked me again as a convenient plot device. It seemed very much rushed to me; I expected more from Penny, and more from Jimmy. Even though they're young, they're still adults, but their behaviour looked more like that of teenagers to me.
I did enjoy very much the final scene, though. Was frustrated that they were interrupted, but it was fun anyway.
Anyway, I'm perfectly aware that I'm in the minority about this episode. And I do admit that there were nice moments here and there, but overall it drove me nuts as much as Family Hour and Toy Story and a few others.
Kaethel
