In this thread, I see some have pointed out this episode has some plot holes. They're perfectly valid points, but all things considered, I wouldn't be as into Lois & Clark, or Superman in general, if "things making sense" was my first priority :P
L&C often embraces the cheesiness in Superman and most of the time, it actually works pretty dang well. For example, in this episode, Superman's parents' distant ancestors looking exactly like them is extremely goofy, but quite honestly I totally love it all the more for that fact!
Overall, it probably is one of my favorite episodes. Now that I think of it, I might as well post the review I wrote of the episode on IMDb here.
"In many ways, this isn't the most creative episode ever - using time travel to kill someone in the past isn't exactly a new idea, and they don't really do anything mega-different with it either. Despite this, it was definitely a really enjoyable episode overall. Of course it was cheesy and occasionally you have to not think too hard about certain things, but that's hardly unexpected for this show; heck, the cheesiness is a part of its charm! At first it really weirded me out that they just threw out there a few very basic facts about the future from which Tempus came from and never elaborated on it, especially considering the nature of the facts. Superman's descendants make a perfect but boring (well, at least to depraved people - as for others it's not clear) utopia? I dunno, I kinda want a little more explanation - that's awfully intriguing! But as the episode went on, this just sort of faded into the background since it became very clear it wasn't supposed to be an important part of the episode other than to provide the villain's motive.
This episode was definitely fun, but what was even better than the fun was the look we got at the characters. Of course, it was very interesting to see Lois with the knowledge of Clark Kent's secret and dealing with that. Specifically, it was nice to see her evolving from being upset and distrustful to being accepting. I guess you could say it was a little disappointing that most of her emotions were just "anger". I've always thought what would be most intriguing is seeing her try to reconcile her conflicting views of Clark and Superman. I mean, in this continuity her opinions of the two are *relatively* similar, particularly compared to other versions, but I know she doesn't them exactly the same. But overall, it was still definitely interesting and enjoyable to see the two interacting with this new perspective. It was a very special moment to see Lois kissing Superman knowing he was Clark!
Quick and minor footnote - at one point in the episode, after talking to Clark after learning his secret, Lois references Clark pretending to be weak. Obviously this is something that happens often in Superman media, but I actually haven't seen him doing this much in this show. In fact, I...really can't remember any instances of him doing this in any of the episodes before this one, though I admit I could be forgetting something. It also seems kinda weird considering Lois has gotten a good look at Clark's impressive musculature before.
But one of the best parts of this episode was the focus on Clark's family and how much it means to him, from getting to see his parents' ancestors (even though that was of course very silly as well) to seeing Clark meet his own parents before they, well, became his parents. I dunno, it just felt really sweet and gave me so many positive vibes. They certainly weren't blatant about this being a theme or anything, it was just a thing that existed and it gave me lots of good feels. I just love Clark's adoptive parents, their relationship with him, and how they made him who he is. Seeing how important Clark's parents are to him is just so precious to me.
So yeah, overall this episode gave me a lot to enjoy - fun, laughs, an interesting look at characters, and all sorts of positive vibes. Not the most creative episode, and goofy in places, but overall it felt so right. Definitely recommended."
