It's all treats for me this Halloween, no tricks!
Ken - Thank you! I'm glad you liked it.
Kismatt - I know last night was a rough one for you, so it means that much more to hear it made you feel a little better.
Virginia - I was being more tongue in cheek with that question about people defending Mayson.
In truth Mayson Drake is one of my favorite recurring characters. Maybe it's because I can relate to her attraction to Clark (and the fact that she's never going to get him). I don't share her antipathy for Superman, but I thought they made a good case for her feelings.
In many ways, 'The Eyes Have It' illustrates one of my biggest gripes about the series. Specifically, that characterization was often sacrificed simply to make a joke or force the plot along (especially in those last two seasons). Up to that point, Mayson and Clark had gone out to lunch together once (and danced together at Church's ball). Their one "date" ended with Mayson telling him that if he wanted an interview, he should schedule it with her office. So for her to suddenly show up and proposition him to go away to the mountains on a romantic retreat stretches my credulity. As does the comedy of errors that prevents Clark from giving her a straight "no" answer. First he's paying more attention to Lois' phone call than Mayson's invitation. Then, when he's about to turn her down, Perry interrupts. Then Mayson's beeper goes off. And, finally, he gets blinded. I suppose he could have called Mayson the next morning when he called his parents, but he had bigger problems on his mind. He never actually accepts the invitation ergo he never stood Mayson up. She made that assumption. And that's what irks me most, because Mayson is a stickler for rules. There's no way she'd assume a "yes" answer without an *actual* yes answer.
I don't mind them making Lois jealous. It's good for her to recognize that Clark (whether superpowered or not) is a keeper. Plus, Mayson and Lois made great foils for each other. What I mind is that they turned Mayson into a repugnant and desperate female. They were trying to be cute and clever, and it came at the expense of both Clark and Mayson's characterizations. Clark is too well mannered to stand someone up, and too much in love with Lois to even consider spending a weekend with Mayson. I think Mayson does intrigue him, but not in the way that Lois does. Mayson should have been allowed a lot more dignity.
So, IMHO, Clark's flaw isn't that he has a hard time standing up to strong females (because there are many more examples of him NOT having that problem: Lois, Toni Taylor, Diana Stride…). In this instance, it's the writer's fault, not Clark's. His flaw(s), as I see it, is/are that Clark has a hard time admitting when he's wrong or being petulant ("Unless it's lined with lead, it's a waste of time" and his reaction when she turned down his proposal) or discounting Lois' theories if they don't fit with his. Usually that's because he actually had special knowledge of the situation as Superman (just about every time Lex is involved or his insistence on investigating Martin Snell over Mayson), but he acts so superior about his POV that I can't fault Lois for getting frustrated with him. Sometimes he's simply a jerk horning in on a story because he thinks Lois can't function without him(I've Got A Crush On You). And sometimes it comes down to the fact that he thinks he's always right (breaking up with Lois for her own good).
And that should about do it for my tangent.
I love how you write Lois.
Katherine - Originally I had this written in the third person and it did veer off canon. And then I realized, that while that was fun, it wasn't what I meant to write. Thanks!
Mouserocks - I don’t think Mayson was a slut, either. But it does take a certain kind of gal to invite a guy you're barely dating to come spend an isolated weekend with you.
I'm glad you enjoyed the story - thanks!
Morgana - I think you're absolutely right about Mayson's two biggest sins (especially in the eyes of most female fans). It seems to me that Scardino gets more of a pass than Mayson. They were both pretty aggressive, but only one of them was smarmy.
I was annoyed with Lois, but at the same time understood her fears.
Yay! I'm glad that came across.
Laura - I'm
