Ooh, interactive feedback! I love it!
Ann, thank you for your very kind words and your detailed feedback. Your objection to the "freeze Lois and fool the bad guys" scenario in "She's" is duly noted and extremely valid. You aren't the first one to object to such a drastic plan, and I'm sure you won't be the last. I didn't like it either. But since we're dealing with a TV show, we have to give the characters some leeway somewhere. Also, let's all remember it wasn't Superman who came up with such an idiotic plan, it was good old Lois Lane. She wasn't ambushed, she essentially threw herself on a grenade for people she loved. And people do put themselves in danger for people they love in real life.
And while there may be some FOLCs who object to the ending to "Ordinary People," where Spencer Spencer, the decapitating doctor, and the German nurse are frozen in liquid nitrogen and then shattered into a zillion pieces by automatic weapons fire directed against Clark but which ricochets into the ice, I've never read any. (Quite beside the point, why isn't that episode considered deathfic? Three people die, right in front of Superman!)
"Abrams" is a reference to the main battle tank of the US Army, named after an American general of the late 20th century. "Paladin" refers to a medieval warrior who wanders about the countryside doing random good deeds. The man in Minnesota is none other than our own beloved Tank Wilson, he of the famous (infamous?) Tank endings.
As for your comments regarding the different characters' reaction to tragedy, remember that pain affects people different ways. Two men might each lose a ten-year-old son to sudden accidental death, and it's highly likely that they will react in quite different ways. And children who experience grief always carry the scars for life. A large percentage of them learn to deal with it, but many never escape the aftereffects of the trauma.
Classicalla, perhaps you could write Take Two from Clark's perspective. I tried, I really did. Nothing usable came out. Besides, I think it gives the readers more room to react if the viewpoints are limited. The only three characters we actually hear from are Lois (once in each part), Dan, and KJ. Wells is there to provide transportation and wrap up the loose ends, but he really doesn't do very much (in a dramatic sense, anyway). You also griped about Lois digging down into Clark's brain to get the Kryptonite sliver. Bad judgement? Maybe, but she was dealing with an emergency situation, and she knew exactly where the sliver was. And maybe the brain trauma Clark suffered contributed to his behavior later.
Kristen, you get the no-prize! And I'm glad I didn't bore you with the tech talk. Since I have an amateur's interest in science, especially physics, I feel this intense need to explain things. My teen-age daughter has this habit now of asking why something is in my hearing and then telling me (almost in the same breath) that she really doesn't need to know. I usually go ahead and explain anyway.
Chris, I hope your head has stopped spinning. And thank you for your kind words also.
