I confess, I pretty much only ever watch about one minute of this episode (when they're rolling around on the bed). This morning, I forced myself to sit through the whole thing and found it just as silly and trite as I initially thought it was. Are we really supposed to believe that two countries base
their entire foreign policies on whether or not Superman is moral? I can suspend a lot of belief, especially for science fiction, but I can't buy that. Neither can I believe that Clark is willing to sacrifice the future safety and security of his parents and Lois on the altar of Superman.
This episode is a prime example of why the later seasons bother me so much. The plot is flimsy and the characterizations are suspect. The whole Podansk vs Latislan subplot was rife with insipidness. I think my eyes may still be stuck in the back of my head, I rolled them so often. :rolleyes: So, fine, the plot sucks. There are plenty of episodes with ludicrous plots that I still love because the characterizations and the UST (unresolved sexual tension) are worth the price of admission ("The Phoenix" and "TOGOM" come to mind). But in SL&V,
all the characterizations are awful (sadly, that includes our heroes). The main villain is a walking cartoon. There are so many better, more subtle ways, to make Goode the bad guy. It's lazy writing to exposit that he's evil by depicting him as smut peddler who shoves underlings down an elevator shaft because he's annoyed with them. Honestly, tell me in what world would Larry Flynt or Hugh Hefner be considered for a Nobel Peace Prize?
But, oh, how I do enjoy watching them roll around the bed. It's the only part I watch -- and now I'll happily go back to only watching just that again (and again).
