Lois & Clark Forums Forums General Discussion Lois & Clark Pilot Discussion Thread

I started to rewatch the series, and I thought I’d share some of my thoughts on the episodes as I go along. Last night I watched the Pilot.

I’ve always thought “Lois and Clark” had a really good Pilot. Looking back on it, I don’t think the series gets the proper credit it should have for being a pretty fresh take on the Superman story while still remaining very true to the Superman story at the same time. Considering that both “Superman Returns” and “Smallville” were heavily influenced by the Christopher Reeve films, I think “Lois and Clark” deserves a lot of credit for doing its own thing.

Now, I can appreciate Christopher Reeve’s take on Clark Kent/Superman, but I always preferred the take on Clark being played as a three dimensional character and not just Superman’s bumbling disguise. I think that Dean Cain did a great job of providing us with a Clark Kent who was very much fleshed out as a character, and that’s what I like most about him.

Teri Hatcher gave us a great portrayal of Lois, as well. What I think interested me the most about her Lois Lane was that she was such a complicated character. Throughout the Pilot, I found her to be smart, tough, a little mean at times, cocky, funny, and vulnerable. To be able to play all of those different traits, especially the bad traits, and still come out as a likeable character is quite an accomplishment, and I feel like Teri Hatcher deserves a lot of credit for that.

John Shea’s Lex Luthor is one of my favorite villains of the show. The main reason for that is probably that he’s such a complex and interesting character. Publically, he’s charming and lovable, but privately, he’s ruthless. That’s a really interesting combination to me.

I think the show had a really wonderful supporting cast. My personal favorite is probably Cat Grant. I always liked her rivalry with Lois, and I missed her when she left the show.

One of the scenes that really stuck out to me in the Pilot was the scene where Clark flies over Metropolis. Clark Kent flying is not something you usually see in any Superman story, so I guess the fact that the scene was so unique is what I like about it.

The other scene I really enjoyed was the montage of different costumes Clark wore when Martha was designing his costume. It was a nice touch of humor.

Does anybody have any thoughts they want to add?

I agree. I like that they Deborah Joy LeVine took the Superman canon (comics) and did her own thing. I love that Clark Kent was the real Superman and the tights were his disguise. He seemed more real than the Reeves character who gave up everything he was before once he learned about his true heritage.

I also like that they made Perry White different and gave him his own catch phrases apart from what was known.

Michael Landes' Jimmy was a more rounded character than the ones I had previously, especially in the Chris Reeves film, where he was just happy-go-lucky. I think Justin Whalen' portrayal was more the stereotypical Jimmy.

I loved the Cat Grant character and was disappointed when she disappeared without a good-bye at the end of S1. She was totally underutilized in the series, which is why she's playing a larger role in my current story.

Martha and Jonathan were perfect. Wise, unique, and very real and not the stereotypical country / farm folk.

I don't know if Lex ever tried to romance Lois in the comic canon, but that was a new take on the Triangle built for two. He really threw a wrench into Clark trying to romance Lois, especially in the pilot, when Clark flies off the handle just because Lois is going to interview Lex.

I really liked the Lucy character too. She really helped humanize Lois and make her more well-rounded and grounded in reality. I was disappointed that she faded into the woodwork before episode 4.

I do have to disagree with you on this point:
Smallville's pilot was unique in the fact that it had the meteor shower which brought Kal-El to Smallville basically destroyed the town, killing and injuring a lot of people. Sure, there was that whole picking up the truck homage, which I could have lived without. I liked how Kal-El's arrival influenced everyone's life around him, including Lana's and Lex's, even before they met. I also liked the friendship that grew up between Lex and Clark. It made Lex's transformation to evil, even more sinister.

I like your idea of a running commentary on the episodes.

The montage is one of my favourite scenes of the entire series. The other is one you hadn't mentioned.

I became hooked on the show when Clark said, "You like to be on top. Got it." And the irony is that I don't usually enjoy double entendres. But this one was so well done that I couldn't help but like it. The setup for it was brilliant.

I, too, enjoyed seeing *Clark* flying. Of course the powers don't arise from the suit, and there is no reason that Clark couldn't fly in civvies, but it is still a bit jolting (in a positive way) to see him do so. I'm not sure why; maybe we've become so accustomed to seeing comic book heroes in tights and capes flying that we've become inured to how shocking seeing a man fly would really be. Somehow, the simple change to everyday clothes makes the surreality of it apparent anew.

Joy,
Lynn

edit: I have a very different opinion of Cat. I strongly disliked her character and was glad to see her go. She didn't fit into the show. To me she felt like a character thrown into the show solely to appeal to hormonal teenage boys. (And yes, I do know that her character is based on one that is in the comic books. That doesn't change my feelings toward her.)

I do agree with you strongly, however, in that I like Clark being the real persona and Superman the disguise. It makes a lot more sense to me that a being like Clark would invent a Superman persona than that a being like Superman would invent a Clark persona. The old radio show indicated that Superman established the Clark persona so that he could be in a newsroom to be able to hear of crises as they happened. But Superman could have attained the same end simply by hovering near a news establishment and using his super-senses to get the news. He then wouldn't have had to deal with the hassles of coming up with convenient excuses to leave the newsroom to go to a rescue. That rationale just doesn't fly with me, if you'll excuse the expression.

Oooh, fun!

It's been ages since I've seen the Pilot in its entirety, but I can share my first impressions because they've never left me. From the first I was hooked by the fact that Clark Kent was the real person and Superman was the disguise. It makes sense to me. Even in the comics, he was raised as Clark. To suddenly abandon that at adulthood seems strange. It was a revelation to me to have Clark not only still be Clark, but to also not have him be a complete bumbling pushover. I knew I loved the show the moment he said "You like to be on top. Got it." I loved that he was going to call Lois on her crap. And I loved, loved, loved the character of Lois.

Like you said, she was a great mix of vulnerable and tough and sometimes downright mean, and yet you found yourself rooting for her.

I loved that their first meeting wasn't some "meet cute" or big production. I loved that she practically ignored him while he was clearly smitten.

The writing that first season and into the second season was fabulous. There was banter and an understated sexual chemistry that the show lost when Deborah Joy Levine left. I loved the costuming with its nods to the 30's and 40's. Some of the plots were terrible, but the characters saved it for me.

Ah, good times. I read/write fanfic now to recapture the fun of those first couple of seasons.

Oh, I so totally disagree with you, Lynn. Sure, there was that 'teenage boy appeal' aspect to Cat's character, but she was there to show that Clark Kent wasn't some guy that would jump in the sack when some pretty woman hit on him. Cat helped show what a sweetie Clark was and how truly in love with Lois he was. Plus, she was a great foil for Lois. It also didn't hurt that Cat made Lois jealous, even though she didn't like that 'hick from Smallville'.

Interesting. Which story is that? I'd like to read it.

I agree. Lex's romance with Lois made him even more dangerous, and it was an interesting element of the series.

This is true. Overall, I think "Smallville" did a lot of original things and wasn't just a copy of the movies. I do think that it took more from the movies than "Lois and Clark" did, though.

That was another good scene. I forgot about that one.

I agree. The first season is probably my favorite season of the show.

That would be Wrong Place, Wrong Time, Wrong Clark (AKA "Wrong Clark"), basically, I'm restarting the show popping Alt-Clark into canon Clark's role.

I agree. "Smallville" is a totally different take on the characters than "LnC". SV starts out in darkness, with people dying in the meteor shower, and it remains rather "dark" throughout. To me, it's a much more serious show than LnC, which is a romantic comedy par excellence. The entire "tone" or "air" of the two shows are different.

I like them both, each in their own way. I have to agree with Sue S. that the first two seasons of LnC are the best and the banter is the best!
"Smallville" tried to recapture this in its later seasons with Erica Durance as Lois, but in my opinion, she could not measure up to the standard that Teri Hatcher set.

I don't think she was quite as good as Teri Hatcher, either, but I will say that I like Erica Durance quite a bit and she came pretty close to Teri Hatcher for me.

I'm thinking about changing the title of this thread to "Lois and Clark Episode Discussion" and just posting my thoughts on each of the episodes in this thread as I go along so that I don't flood the forum with a bunch of different episode discussion threads. Does anybody think that would be a good idea?

Are you worried about flooding your inbox? ), it wouldn't get lost within the discussion on what a waste of space 'Smart Kids' was? Although, I do see (and have made already ) a lot of crossovers references between Episodes threads. You could always post this as a question on the Polls. We haven't had a new poll for a while.

EDIT: You could post a new thread each week to coincide with what's been watched over at the IRC (as they watched Toy Story this week, The Pilot would be back up on rotation in two weeks, right?)

I agree with Virginia. Individual threads for each episode would be neater, I think. It would also mean that each thread could be added to in a much more coherent manner in the future, should a new member want to chime in about a particular episode.

I wouldn't see it as flooding the forum - more stimulating it.

I've been enjoying the discussion this far and look forward to more.

LabRat

OK, then I'll continue to make individual threads.

I believe it was a tactical mistake on Clark's part to have Superman confront Luthor originally at the end of the Pilot. By doing so he allowed Luthor to see his cards. First, Luthor denies that he had anything to do with Antoniette Baine's death, but as soon as he sees that Superman isn't going to hurt him or take him to the authorities with these unsubstanciated claims, he shows his true colors by saying one of my favorite of his lines: "Let the games begin."

This scene reminds me of a preview of what's to come in the "Never-Ending Battle" and the confrontation scene there.

So, Lois obviously went into space. She doesn't leave the transport when Superman does (to fly it to space). Plus, enough time has passed to have newspapers around the world to print the "Flying Man" story (and Flash across our screen), before Superman flies Lois into the DP Newsroom and dub him "Superman". Cat teases her about the "Mile High Club" with Superman (although I believe that was in "NeverEnding Battle") on the Space Station. So, how long do you think Lois was in space? How did she come back? It must have been enough time for her to shower (and wash that gel out of her hair) and change. I have my theories.

I'm thinking that if she came back on the regularly scheduled transport, she would have been detained and questioned by EPRAD for hours about what happened (regarding the bomb and Superman) during the launch. Somehow, I think she averted this mess. In Another Lois I suggested that canon Lois was returned to Earth in a spacesuit she borrowed from the Prometheus Space Station and in the arms of Superman. What do you think?

Virginia, I like your reasoning. It makes a lot of sense.

Here's another fic that explains why Lois changed her clothes between leaving EPRAD and coming to the Daily Planet: CC Aiken's excellent "In A Better Place" . As it says in the description, "A villain with a plan puts a love story on fast-forward and a world on the brink of extinction. Plus, there are donuts."

How can you go wrong with donuts?

A fic I just had to recommend:

Like A Red Rock To A Superman by Pam Jernigan, Wendy Richards, and Sara Kraft.

The events happen right after Clark deals with the Prometheus in the Pilot episode... but things take a little bit of a left turn after that!

Hi Iolanthe,

Thank you for adding pointers to fics based on the episodes. Several of the ones you recommended I have already read and enjoyed; the others are about to go onto my Kindle. :-)

Joy,
Lynn

Lynn: There are so many great fanfics here and on the L&C Fanfic Archive. They deserve to be read, and re-read.

The Pilot establishes the strengths of the series. Since we go 75% or more of the pilot, over an hour in fact, without ever seeing Superman it defeantly establishes Clark as the real identity.

On the other hand, in the very first seen we see Clark we see him do something Super. Part of me wonders if it would not have been better to have the stopping the bus scene after he gets turned down for a job by Perry. I guess CK=SM is so well known, that it would not help.

Also, in the pilot at least they live up to putting Lois first in the show name. Although that is largely just a play on Lewis and Clark, we see Lois first and about as much as Clark overall in the Pilot.

I want to add that the fact that Martha and Jonathan are such a big part of the show is another reason why I love “Lois and Clark” so much, and since this is the first episode where they were introduced, I think this is the best place to share my thoughts. In past adaptations of the character, I’ve noticed that Clark never seems to visit his parents after he leaves Smallville, which just doesn’t seem realistic. Of course, Jonathan was always killed off before “Lois and Clark,” but Martha was usually still around. To be fair, you can argue that Clark probably visited his mother off-screen in the older adaptations of the characters, but I prefer the way that “Lois and Clark” made them such a bigger part of the show.