Lois & Clark Forums Forums General Discussion Lois & Clark L&C Watchthrough & Review

It's worth a lot! Thank you!

You're welcome.

Unfortunately, that plan didn't work out. I didn't get to watch it tonight, sorry for anyone looking forward to the reviews.

4.22 The Family Hour.

This was a good episode, but a disappointing finale. The actors playing Lois’ parents did a very good job here, and it was nice to see them get along instead of giving everyone Sam & Ellen Poisoning. The villain was basically a weird Brainiac Wannabe. Who has over 90% of their brain working and then can’t come up with a better scheme than robbing banks? Very strange.

As always, I enjoyed the acting of Dean, Teri, Justin and the actors playing the Kents. It was odd that Perry was absent from this one, though I assume he was spending some much built up vacation time with Alice. This episode was well directed, and well written, though I would have thought the writers would throw in a scene showing Martha and Jonathon’s reaction to the sad news of Lois & Clark being unable to conceive, something to which they could relate. I guess the baby showing up at the end is kind of a full circle thing for them, as it reflects back to Clark arriving from the stars. Speaking of the baby, that was an odd ending.

I can only assume the original plan was to make a Season 5, and that something went wrong somewhere. But right now, I’m just here to judge this episode, not the series as a whole. That comes later. This episode gets a score of:

8/10.

Season 4 Review.

Best story: Sex, Lies & Videotape.

Worst story: Ghosts.

I think this season was a real mixed bag. It had some good and some bad episodes. When it was bad, it was awful. I almost stopped watching the show during this season because of those episodes, but I’m glad I didn’t because when it was good, it was still wonderful.

It didn’t quite have the magic of the first three seasons, but it was still fun and enjoyable as an overall experience, and it had something the first 3 seasons didn’t have: episodes I had never, ever seen, which I found enjoyable, even if one of them was Ghosts. Seriously, I hate that episode.

Anyway, this season gets a lot of hate, and is probably why the general public don’t remember the show fondly, like the Christopher Reeve movies or Smallville, but I don’t think it deserves it, or at least not as much as it does get. All in all, it’s very flawed but still enjoyable.

Score for the season: 6/10.

Lois & Clark: Overall Review & General Thoughts.

Best Story: The Phoenix.

Worst Story: Ghosts.

Best Season: 2.

Worst Season: 4.

This show is fantastic. Absolutely brilliant. It starts off with a great first season that when you think about it, is kind of a proto-Buffy type thing what with the balancing of superhero life and normal life and the Big Bad of the season (Lex Luthor). It then goes on to an even better second season with a brilliant new enemy (Intergang) which works brilliantly, and then moves into a third season with lots of great episodes, before The Arc Of Crappiness descends upon us, which puts a downer on the end of season 3. After that is the merely not great fourth season finishes things on a slightly sour note due to the quality being a lot worse than before (damn Ghosts).

The great thing about the show in my mind is how it combines action, romance, and adventure. It has something for most people. It does have good and bad episodes in all seasons, but overall it is a great show, both in terms of the characters of the Superman mythos, and also television in general. The main cast are nearly always on top form, the writing and direction are good the majority of the time, so no complaints there.

Whilst I don’t think the quality of the fourth season was as bad as it is made out to be, I did think the show needed some new creative blood by the end, or definitely some sort of help. It is very sad that it ended when it did, because it was just getting to the interesting part: Superman after the point where he’s been stuck for decades (thanks for that DC, by the way). We always see him at about 30 odd years old, nothing ever changes. Now this show was about to move things forward, and that’s when it gets cancelled? What idiot made that decision? Season 5 could have been great, and ended the show on a high note, or it could have been shit. Who knows? Anyway, this show deserves to hold its head up high, it really was great, despite some terrible villains, though there are some exceptions. Lex and Tempus spring to mind. They were great.

No other filmed version of Superman has ever handled the relationship of Lois & Clark quite so well. It even has the best fandom I’ve ever known, and I’m proud to a part of it, it feels like a strange kind of family, always welcoming, and are always friendly. Hell, even the fanfic is almost universally awesome!! The only problems I have with the show are episodes like Ghosts and that IT ENDED ON A DAMN CLIFFHANGER!!!

Score for the complete show: 8/10. It loses a points for the bad episodes, such as Ghosts. Did I mention I don’t like that episode? Also, I’d just like to say one more time that Tempus Anyone? is awesome!!!

It’s been great fun watching this show, and sharing my thoughts with all of you. I’ve made some good friends here, and that’s great. I will definitely be staying on the forum, and staying in touch. As for this watchthrough and review, what can I say? I’m sad it’s over, and I hope you’ve all enjoyed it as much as I have.

I don’t really know how to end this to be honest, so I looked up quotes from the show and this one seemed the most appropriate for an ending. In the words of Lane Smith as Perry White: “Yeah, well, just remember there's no perfect sunsets. There's a little crack in every cloud, but that's what gives you your silver lining.”

It was fun to read along with you. Thanks for the experience of watching it again through fresh eyes.

You are more than welcome. Good luck with becoming President.

I've enjoyed your reviews although I haven't commented earlier. Thanks so much for sharing them. Your insights brought perspectives I hadn't considered before.

It was interesting to see how the show's focus moved from Lois and Clark to include more Superman in the following seasons.

I haven't watched Season 4 since its initial airing, and I'm honestly not sure I saw all the episodes. I have total amnesia regarding Ghosts, probably because I didn't care for episodes with similar themes (Druids and Voodoo spring to mind). And the producers and executive producers changed during the show. If I recall by Season 4 Deborah Joy Levine was no longer the producer or executive producer. I don't have the DVDs of Season 4 to check. I noticed that when it first aired, and saw a change in the feel of the show during that final season.

I'm sure someone can correct me if my interpretation/memory is wrong, but as I recall initially L&C was reportedly renewed for a 5th season, and then suddenly cancelled. I read somewhere where there were plans to resolve the cliffhanger about the baby, although I don't know who said it. L&C aired at 8 pm Sundays at least in the Eastern time zone. Until the final season when partway through it was moved to I think Saturday at 10 pm at least in my local area, after the episodes were already planned if not filmed for the earlier time slot (at least allegedly). Some of this supposedly had to do with the head of Disney (Disney owned ABC) who wanted to resurrect The Wonderful World of Disney in the early Sunday night time slot. He did and was its host. There was also competition from Touched By An Angel in the 8 pm Sunday time slot on CBS instead of Murder She Wrote (different demographics with Murder appealing primarily to a much older age group). As I recall L&C fell in the ratings during that last season, which happened to a lot of shows who were moved around like that, including Murder She Wrote interestingly enough.

You're welcome. Thank you for your interesting and very informative post.

Kind of ironic, given the show's title.

Finally able to do some catchup on the pc today.


dklabrat@gmail.com. Or you can private message me here on the boards if you need help with anything.


Thank you! For an old, 'hasbeen' author who hasn't written for so long, it's a real treat to hear that, every now and then.


LOL. Yes, it's been pointed out before. <G> I recall, when I decided halfway through Caped Fear that it was going wrong and I needed to start again, getting severely castigated for decimating rainforests by those waiting for the conclusion. (That was back when I used to print out a hard copy of what I'd written the previous evening so I could edit it during my lunchbreak at work. Oh, the deprivations of the author back in my youth. <g>) )

I can only suggest that it's because I cut my teeth on the tentative vignettes of my fanfic trade previously in many other fandoms, before finding this one. By the time I got here, I'd completed my 'apprenticeship' with the likes of Star Trek, Robin of Sherwood and The Young Riders and was ready for the big stuff.


You know, I thought about this question long and hard and I don't know that I can really say! I seem to spend a lot of time during end credits thinking, "Well, that was the best episode they've ever done!" only for them to surpass themselves and do even better with the next episode.

But, if pushed, I'll confess to really enjoying The Sign of the Three. Simply for it's being a long, sentimental love letter to John and Sherlock's friendship. And I did like A Scandal in Belgravia, for its introduction of Irene Adler.

As regards L&C's 5th season cuidadora has most of the details right. Deborah Joy Levine was sacked at the end of season one, along with other major cast. And Disney did green light the season, but then reneged on the deal as they wanted one of their own shows in the time slot and after they'd seen the poor ratings for S4.

Although, some fans think that may have been a blessing in disguise, given what Tim Minear stated were his S5 plans. <g> The baby was to have grown at a rapid rate to become a rebellious teen and much hijinks would ensue as an exasperated Lois and Clark dealt with the fallout of his running around using his powers irresponsibly. I can't remember what other plans were - although I think one episode would have dealt with Lois and Clark first meeting as teenagers.

Alert viewers will note that Minear used the same plotline in Angel, when he went on to write for that show. It so irked me at the time that I stopped watching. Although, to be fair, when I did watch it many years later, it didn't seem as egregious then as it had previously. Sometimes, time mellows. <G>

I'll miss this thread. It's been a real pleasure to share your views, Suggs. Hopefully, you'll find new subjects to entertain us with, here on the boards in the future. <g>

Labby,
Private messaging? Sounds fun. But seriously, I'll email you soon to sort out the archive name change. I wouldn't say what I did about the quality of your work if I didn't mean it. Having said that, I have two questions. Have you written any original fiction? and what is The Young Riders?

I'd agree with you completely about Sherlock. Are you looking forward to the special on New Year's Day? I know I am.

Season 5 sounds like it would have been awful. I still think it would be nice to have a one-off TV movie to tie up the loose ends from the show and catch up with the characters. Yes, I know Lane Smith is no longer with us, but they could work around that. Also Tim did ruin Angel. Who takes a show about a tortured vampire with a soul doing good to atone for his past and says let's throw a microwaved son in here?

I will miss this thread too. I will probably find new subjects to entertain you with in future, though I don't have any ideas just yet. Hmm, what do people on this forum like? A-ha!! Superman things that come in sets of 4 and start with a great first part, move on to an even better second part, have a not as good third entry, and an awful fourth!! I'll review the Christopher Reeve movies!! But seriously, it's weird how that pattern fits Lois & Clark and those movies so well. Honestly, I'll come up with something, but I'll have to think about it.

All the best Labby,
Suggs.

Oh, yeah. I've dallied with most genres over the years. Thrillers, mysteries, romance, SF, SFantasy, poetry... It was animal stories from aged eight to thirteen. Then I discovered a book of Trek fanfic in my local bookstore and was amazed at the notion people out there were actually writing stories about my favourite characters. <g>

The Young Riders was my big love right before LNC. A highly romanticised Western series about a Pony Express station and its riders. I had a serious thing for The Kid. http://www.tv.com/shows/the-young-riders/


Absolutely! I don't tend to watch much TV over the festive season but that will definitely be one of the highlights.

LabRat

Ohhhh, The Young Riders! I loved this show! Well, to be more accurate, I loved the B-plot of this show. I taped every episode, then would rewatch the tapes skipping over any scene that did not feature the Kid and Lou. I can not tell you how many times I watched Requiem for a Hero...but only the Kid and Lou scenes. Go to Youtube and search for "The Young Riders Requiem for a Hero Part 1" and then "The Young Riders Requiem for a Hero Part 2". Someone cut together just their scenes...squeeeeeeeeeeeee! The same fan also posted "The Young Riders Kid and Lou - Pond Scene" - so hot! So playfully romantic!

It's really not a stretch to see why I fell in love with Lois and Clark too.

They were absolutely adorable together and, I agree - a huge part of why I loved the show snd wore out my old VHS tapes, too. I had the added issue of the third season never being shown in the UK, so my tapes were ropey 20th generation copies smuggled in from US fans. <g>

I also loved that the Riders were a family, a team, looking out for one another. In an early episode, when the bad guys were after Ike and he learned the other Riders were putting thenselves in danger to protect him we had this dialogue as he tried to dissuade them:

Ike: They came for me.
Buck: Then they came for us.

That was the precise moment I went from liking to adoring this one.

LabRat

Young Riders sounds cool. I'll have to check it out sometime. Do you know if they have it on Netflix?

Incidentally, I decided against writing that Lois Lane travels with The Doctor fanfic, as I don't think I could write either character well enough. Sorry to anyone who may be disappointed by that.

All the best everyone.