Lois & Clark Forums Forums Fan Fiction Fanfic Related I've got a problem with Wild, Wild Tempus...

I asked this on the other board, but I think more people were interested in what was going on here.

I appreciate Paul's responce, but I was looking for a little more feedback.


In ATAI(And the Answer is for those that are not that quick ), Clark is about to tell Lois that he is Superman and Mazik calls.

Is there anything that anyone can think of that would make it worse if Clark had succeeded?

Can anyone think of a good reason for having the delay?

Maybe something that deals with developments in the episodes between Tempus Fugetive and ATAI?

I have all the shows on tape, but for the life of me I can't rub together enought time to watch the short arc.

James

The only downside to Clark telling Lois he was Superman after Mazik called (or right before) would be the distraction. Obviously this would be huge news and it would be hard for both Lois and Clark for him to have to run off just then and deal with Mazik.

OTOH, I think it would be great to see them attacking the problem together -- and it would bring home for Lois how imporant this secret is and why Clark feels so strongly about keeping it -- while still being able to work out their own feelings.

That's all I can think of, at least!

Kathy

My opinion of Lois went way up when she supported Clark and helped him as soon as she heard that his parents were kidnapped.

I think this proof of her love, not to mention willingness to sacrifice herself for him, should have been all the proof Clark needed that it was Clark she loved.

If he revealed himself before, he might have wondered more if she reacted because she found out he was Superman? IMHO

I agree, completely, with Trenna, our musical wizard.

In that ep Lois showed Clark that she loved him - Clark Kent - unconditionally and completely and was even willing to risk her life for him. She even told Superman to tell Clark she loved him if anything went wrong and she'd die from being frozen like a Christmas turkey by him. What more proof does a man need??

That's why I'm still angry with Clark for proposing to Lois before telling her that he is Superman. And then got miffed because she wasn't too happy with it! :rolleyes:

Sorry! One of my pet peeves!

I've always been of the opinion that Lois and Clark said their first "I love you's" after "Whine Whine Whine", which is why Clark was ready to tell Lois he was Superman at the beginning of "And The Answer Is". Yes, it was off screen which was a total cheat, but I just can't accept the fact that Lois would tell Superman that she loved Clark before she told Clark. First off, I find it really sad, and second, I think Superman would have registered more shock and emotion had he just heard that Lois loved him for the first time. (As would Lois have shown more emotion when Clark says it to her before the proposal if it was the first time she was hearing it from him. Instead, she just looks at him tenderly, without even saying it back, pleased but not bowled over.) So I think Clark knew she loved him, but being willing to sacrifice herself for his parents showed him how deep and unconditional that love really was. (Which is why I don't like the fact that he was willing to freeze her in the first place, but that's another discussion. <g>)

As for Clark proposing before telling Lois his secret, that's definitely a puzzle. The theory that makes the most sense to me is that his original intent was to tell her about Superman and then propose, but he just got caught up in the emotion and the romance of the evening and what had happened to them, and jumped the gun with his proposal. He wanted so much to communicate the depth of his love to her at that moment -- as she had done for him by her sacrifice -- and the strongest expression of that love for him was to propose.

For Lois, we know the revelation -- the demonstration of trust -- would have been a stronger declaration of love. But for Clark, marriage is the ultimate expression of his feelings. To him, Superman is almost incidental. No, he didn't analyze it ahead of time, thinking about what Lois would prefer, but he was only thinking with his heart instead of his head.

After all, that's what makes Lois and Clark such wonderful partners. They are so much alike, yet their many differences -- the way they see the world and communicate what they see to the other one -- is what makes them complement each other so well.

Kathy

well, the thing is that lois has a lot of trouble admitting that she loves someone- to herself, to someone else, to the object of that love.

saying it out loud makes it all the more real, and saying it to the one she loves is a huge deal.. it puts her in a dangerous and vulnerable situation.

so, i can actually understand her being willing to say it to someone else (i.e. superman) first, even if it is sad.

more, saying it to superman was a part of letting go of her crush on him, putting that dream aside and taking a step towards the reality of a relationship with clark.

if you think of it that way, what she did was set aside her other options, make a clear choice, get everything in order, etc before going to clark.

in a way, it's forcing herself to gather the courage to get into a real, serious relationship with clark (which she'd have to do not only because her past relationships were, in her eyes, "federal disasters," but because clark is her best friend, which means she's investing a lot more and risking a lot more).

so, i can see her telling superman first.

as for the revelation, my understanding was that it was a result of a sort of power play between the writers, who really wanted them to be engaged, and the powers that be (ABC and DC), who were afraid that a marriage would ruin things.

doesn't help james much, as he said, but i can't think of a better reason.

i do like kathy's explanations, though.

maybe he was overwhelmed by the moment, maybe he chickened out, maybe he wanted to be sure she'd accept clark, maybe the marriage really was more to him than the revelation.

anyway, james... do you want reasons it might be worse, or ways that you could make it be worse?

imo, the revelation should be first, but there are probably ways to make it a bad thing. she could react poorly, or he could read more into her reaction than she meant and do something stupid, or someone could overhear the revelation, or someone could find out that lois knows superman's identity and try to get the info out of her by evil means, or they could just have a huge fight over it, or... well, there are options.

Paul

Thank you all for your input.

Some of what was mentioned will used. I've also come up with a better reason for why Tempus must be apprehended after he has written the diary.

And it's not the reason any of you will think of first...

Again, thanks.

I should be reposting WWT in the near future.

James

Kathy, I love your reasoning for why Clark proposed before spilling the beans about Superman. I get stuck in the mind-set of "the writers wanted to do this and so they had to do that earlier to make it work" and often don't even wonder why Lois or Clark would do such-and-such.

/me tries to remember if Kathy has re-written ATAI... I think it would be great if Clark realized this -- or if Martha or someone on the outside figures it out and explains it to them. How would they each react?

Okay, Kathy, you've got your assignment for now! Get cracking!

Bethy