I don't think Dan was 'stooping' when he told Lois that Clark was no good ... it definitely wasn't a very mature thing to do, but honestly, from his perspective, that's exactly how things looked. I'm sure Dan saw himself as the good guy that Lois should logically choose, and Clark as the bad guy "user" that was only causing her heartache. And really, whose fault was that? All Clark's. I know I wanted to smack him upside the head more than once for his lunkheaded behavior in those episodes.
The only episode in which Lois really showed a true interest in Dan was "Ressurection", when she seemed very captivated and intrigued by him, but even then, she did save her image at the end by telling Dan that she and Clark were involved. "Target Jimmy Olsen" would have been a nightmare had they gone with their original plan (for Lois to tell Clark that she would always wonder "what if" if she didn't pursue things with Dan) but fortunately, they changed things around enough that it was clear that Lois really prefered Clark, but his pushing her away was making her settle for Dan. Still, I don't deny that I really ground my teeth when Dan would insult Clark ... he really knew how to push his buttons! I believe that Dan genuinely cared for Lois -- unlike Lex or Deter -- but he would have had a better chance if he'd stopped bashing Clark at every opportunity.
Oh, and incidentally, I never heard that TPTB considered having Clark marry Mayson, but I do understand that the original plan was to have him enter into a real romantic relationship with her, only to find out later that -- sort of like Lois with Lex -- Mayson was working for Intergang. We can all sigh in relief that they changed those plans!
Kathy
