Considering some tinsel in the newsroom hardly makes "The Rival" count, the three are "Season's Greedings," "Home is Where the Hurt is," and "Twas the Night Before Mxymas."
While I enjoy moments from all, my favorite is HIWTHI. I love the glimpses we get into Lois' family life versus Clark's, and the way their families start to coexist as they move toward marriage. This episode is a really good indication of why Lois is the way she is, especially with the way Sam and Ellen treat each other. You have to assume they've mellowed with age, too.
I also think the scenes where Superman is slowly succumbing to the virus are some of Teri and Dean's best work from the third season. I love the part where he apologizes to her for dying, and when she asks him to hold onto his belief that being with her is stronger than him alone. Her love, coupled with Sam's medicine, is what brings him back to life, and the way she flies into his arms after he rescues them from the microwave, is one of the sweetest moments of the season.
And oh yeah, this ep spawned one of my fave nfics I have written.
However, I do have to say, in SG, I love the last scene where they stand in front of her little tree, and for a split second, you wonder if they're going to kiss ...
And in TTNBM, I love that the way that Clark gets Lois to break out of the doom and gloom by making her believe in the good -- and in him. And I have to admit that Ralph's drunken, "I love you guys the most!" cracks me up every time.
