Well, I probably shouldn't have started this thread, not because I haven't enjoyed the discussion, but because when the same favorites kept cropping up on people's lists, I went ahead and watched
those rather than watching the season in order as I usually do. So there are some episodes I haven't watched at all yet. And I will, eventually. I really feel strongly that fan fiction writers should know canon backwards and forwards, even if it's just so that they can write
against it in an informed way. Watching these eps has felt a little bit like homework to me.
But I've seen a fair few now, and my assessment of Season Four hasn't really changed. It was weak, in my opinion, but there are, as others have pointed out, some fun moments here and there. A few quick thoughts, because that's all I have time for:
- I've always been fascinated by "Sex, Lies, and Videotape" and was really looking forward to it for some reason. It didn't disappoint. I like seeing Clark teetering on that precipice, thinking that he's going to have to either tell the world his secret or violate his own principles. I like seeing him and Lois discussing that, seeing them both acknowledge that their lives are intertwined now, and that whatever he does will affect both of them. I like seeing them disagree without Lois going off the deep end when it looked like she wasn't going to get her way. She still did everything she could to get her way, but she was prepared to deal with the consequences if she failed. CC Aiken did it all
better, in "When the World Finds Out," but I thought the L&C writers handled this episode nicely.
- "AKA Superman" is another episode that addressed something that needed to be addressed with married Lois and Clark - how two reporters were going to manage to squeeze a superhero into their marriage. I liked seeing Clark come to the realization that he was going to have to make some concessions now that he was married. It's something all married people have to do, even if they're not superheroes. I did wonder, though, what Lois was planning to do when Superman, rather than Clark, showed up to speak at the "Ladies' Overseas Aid" thing that she was using to cover for Clark's surprise party.
- I would have liked "Lethal Weapon" better had they chosen something besides red kryptonite, which is obviously the most versitile rock
ever since it does something completely different every time Superman is exposed to it, and yet somehow it's always
exactly what the bad guys expected it to do. Go figure. But I did like seeing Clark's struggle to control his powers and his horror at the thought that he might hurt someone, especially when that someone might be Lois.
There's probably more to say, but my time here is up, so /ramble
Caroline
