I definitely liked them better after Lois knew. They were able to work as a better team afterwards because Lois knew exactly what her partner could do and why. The part where she had amnesia didn't count, of course, because she was out of her mind. I guess the writers had to come up with any silly device they could to keep Lois and Clark apart a little longer but that arc was singularly frustrating. (I stopped watching until it was over.)
Of course, after Lois and Clark were married the plots deteriorated somewhat, and not, to my mind, because they were married. I think it's because Hollywood in general can't conceive of marriage being anything but boring -- which, of course is foolish. It just proved that Hollywood writers have limited imaginations and a lot of preconceived ideas. I think Stop the Presses was one of their worst creations, because Mad Dog Lane turned into Ms. Pedantic, Unimaginative Editor who couldn't see beyond the job. And in the end, she didn't learn a thing, as was obvious in the last scene. The plots started to get better toward the very end (with the notable exception of Toy Story and The Family Hour) but I think the writers were beginning to hit their stride again. If they could have gotten past the ridiculous Rapidly Aging Baby idea, and maybe tackled some of the loose threads that they left dangling from previous seasons, I think the fifth season could have been great. Unfortunately, now we'll never know.
Nan
