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This episode actually touched on something that I’d thought about in some other episodes. From time to time, Lois and Clark did have a habit of getting too close when Clark was in his Superman costume. It was only a matter of time before somebody realized there was a romantic relationship between Lois and Superman. Or, even worse, somebody could have deduced that Clark was Superman based on his closeness to Lois.

One of the things that I liked about this episode is that they showed the more evil side to journalism. Since Lois and Clark are the heroes of the show, it’s easy to forget that not all journalism is based on the ethics that they followed throughout the series. Sadly, tabloids frequently treat public figures in the same way that Lois and Superman were treated here.

This episode also touched on just how important it was for Superman to maintain his image. People needed to see Superman as infallible in order for him to do some of the things he did. We saw the consequences of people losing some respect for Superman in this episode.

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In theory this was a good episode, although I am not sure with Superman going in and stopping the missiles it quite made sense that Clark decided so quickly to reveal his secret.

I guess they wanted to get the whole thing over and done with in this episode, so that sort of made sense.

It really did not make any sense at all to me why only Clark went to cover Superman getting the International Peace Prize. It really did not make sense to me.

I am not sure Randy Goode's motives made sense either. His anger at not getting the Peace Prize seemed a bit extreme.

My biggest gripe about the episode though is, why does Clark stay in the Super suit after he arrives at the Chauteau Roberge. I can understand him flying into the hotel instead changing and coming in the normal way. That is I guess workable. However keeping on the Super suit really did not make sense.

Samantha would still be convinced it was Superman even if he changed out of the Super suit. If she exposes her film, then she would still go an fake the photos, and she would have put Superman in the suit, but at least Lois and Clark would know it was a fake.

Superman really lucked out that they asked him "are you having an illicit affair with Lois Lane". Still, I am a bit surprised he was able to deflect the question about where Clark was.

I also have to wonder what would have happened if Samantha had not faked the photos. However I do have to agree that Lois is right, admitting that she is Superman's wife will not absolve Superman, it will just focus the blame on other issues.


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Why the "and videotapes" in the title, when it is photos, not videotapes that cause the exposure?

From the title one would think that Samantha would have video-taped Lois and Superman together.

I also have to wonder if it was realistic for Lois and Clark to totally not know anything about the story before going into work. I guess it was more funny that way. Still, considering that from "Swear to God, this time we are not kidding" we learned that Clark collects tabloid stories about him and or Lois, so how did he miss that one?


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Why the "and videotapes" in the title, when it is photos, not videotapes that cause the exposure?
It's a reference to the 1989 movie, Sex, Lies, and Videotape .

Just like "Fly Hard" was a reference to the Bruce Willis film Die Hard .

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Originally posted by John Lambert:
Why the "and videotapes" in the title, when it is photos, not videotapes that cause the exposure?

From the title one would think that Samantha would have video-taped Lois and Superman together.
Um... because the investigation started with a videotape Samantha took of Lois and Superman (touching his arm) after his return to Metropolis. (And because of the movie the title was based on).

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I also have to wonder if it was realistic for Lois and Clark to totally not know anything about the story before going into work. I guess it was more funny that way. Still, considering that from "Swear to God, this time we are not kidding" we learned that Clark collects tabloid stories about him and or Lois, so how did he miss that one?
Apparently, Lois was quite the distraction. wink


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I confess, I pretty much only ever watch about one minute of this episode (when they're rolling around on the bed). This morning, I forced myself to sit through the whole thing and found it just as silly and trite as I initially thought it was. Are we really supposed to believe that two countries base their entire foreign policies on whether or not Superman is moral? I can suspend a lot of belief, especially for science fiction, but I can't buy that. Neither can I believe that Clark is willing to sacrifice the future safety and security of his parents and Lois on the altar of Superman.

This episode is a prime example of why the later seasons bother me so much. The plot is flimsy and the characterizations are suspect. The whole Podansk vs Latislan subplot was rife with insipidness. I think my eyes may still be stuck in the back of my head, I rolled them so often. :rolleyes: So, fine, the plot sucks. There are plenty of episodes with ludicrous plots that I still love because the characterizations and the UST (unresolved sexual tension) are worth the price of admission ("The Phoenix" and "TOGOM" come to mind). But in SL&V, all the characterizations are awful (sadly, that includes our heroes). The main villain is a walking cartoon. There are so many better, more subtle ways, to make Goode the bad guy. It's lazy writing to exposit that he's evil by depicting him as smut peddler who shoves underlings down an elevator shaft because he's annoyed with them. Honestly, tell me in what world would Larry Flynt or Hugh Hefner be considered for a Nobel Peace Prize? grumble

But, oh, how I do enjoy watching them roll around the bed. It's the only part I watch -- and now I'll happily go back to only watching just that again (and again). laugh


Lois: You know, I have a funny feeling that you didn't tell me your biggest secret.

Clark: Well, just to put your little mind at ease, Lois, you're right.
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Originally posted by Sue S.:
Are we really supposed to believe that two countries base their entire foreign policies on whether or not Superman is moral?
It was my understanding that they didn't want peace, and that Superman was forcing them to negotiate for the good of their people, so when Superman was discredited they used this as an excuse to go back to fighting. True, it is a bit cartoonish (buffoonish?) and silly, but I have to admit, sometimes global politics feels that way to us little folks.

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The main villain is a walking cartoon. There are so many better, more subtle ways, to make Goode the bad guy. It's lazy writing to exposit that he's evil by depicting him as smut peddler who shoves underlings down an elevator shaft because he's annoyed with them. Honestly, tell me in what world would Larry Flynt or Hugh Hefner be considered for a Nobel Peace Prize?
Well, Goode is clearly insane with a Lex Luthor idolization complex, but I believe Spencer Spencer is supposed to be closer to Larry Flynt or Hugh Hefner. Goode is supposed to be based on someone more like what's his name who owns Fox News, IMO, who is rumored to rule with an iron fist. Although, I wouldn't have cast someone like Jack Wagner to represent him.

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Samantha is only slightly less of a buffoon (or maybe I cut her slack because I liked the actress).
Is Samantha still alive at the end of this episode? If so, why doesn't she keep trying to expose Superman / Clark. I'm sure if she got a photo of Clark without his glasses and compared it to a Superman photo... Does she ever come back in FanFic and do that? Or something like that?

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But, even more than the idiotic plot and over-the-top villains, it's Lois and Clark that irritate me the most. Like I said earlier, I just can't believe that Clark is willing to unilaterally decide that he's going to spill his secret (especially since he's doing it to forward a plot that I find implausible). I shook my head when he spouted all that nonsense about how he hates to lie, especially as Superman. The Clark of the first two seasons understood perfectly that Superman is a disguise, which by definition, is a lie. He never had issues using double meanings and skirting around the truth. It was part of the fun of the show, really, watching him twist and lie his way out of predicaments. This episode is a perfect example of how the characters became lobotomized versions of their former selves.
Okay, have to agree completely with you here. This was a good example of Clark, the lunkhead, and that he was able to convince his folks and Lois to go along with him for the good of Superman. :rolleyes: Ouch! I see what you mean.

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And Lois? Geez, if you can move your hands to shush Clark and/or play charades, you can friggin' rip the tape off your mouth. I miss KickButt!Lois.
Yeah, I've always wondered about that too. I was like, why isn't he talking to her? clap Well done!

I guess this episode is a good example of we've got to film, so give us the script you have and we'll run with it, plot holes or not. Only kids watch this show because it's about Superman, so it doesn't matter. (yes, I know ironic given the subject matter of this episode, but that's the only excuse I can come up with to explain it).


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I don't really have a problem with this episode, as this show was on when I was in junior high/early high school and watching my DVDs, I can still view the episodes through my teenage self.

However, this:
Samantha is only slightly less of a buffoon (or maybe I cut her slack because I liked the actress).

is ironically the one thing I DO have a problem with - can't take her seriously because to me she will always be Downtown Julie Brown!, the MTV v-jay. I still see her and think, why is that girl from MTV on Lois and Clark? goofy

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Is Samantha still alive at the end of this episode? If so, why doesn't she keep trying to expose Superman / Clark. I'm sure if she got a photo of Clark without his glasses and compared it to a Superman photo... Does she ever come back in FanFic and do that? Or something like that?
Great question! And ML Thompson answers it in her fanfic Vindication . Samantha keeps on shadowing Lois and Clark to get proof of the Lois/Superman affair. Fortunately for our heroes, Samantha's credibility is shot. But the interesting part of the fic is how Samantha is changed, just by associating with L&C (and some other people.)

Wendy Richards has Jimmy being not totally clueless for once, and he figures out that CK=SM in Sex, Lies, and Photographs .

Female Hawk has a *great* take on this episode in The Press Conference . What if Samantha hadn't dropped her camera? Well, FH reminds us that alt-Clark dropped by the very next week - hmm, maybe it wouldn't be so impossible for Clark and Superman to be present at the same time? Don't miss this hilarious little vignette.

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Originally posted by IolantheAlias:
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Is Samantha still alive at the end of this episode? If so, why doesn't she keep trying to expose Superman / Clark. I'm sure if she got a photo of Clark without his glasses and compared it to a Superman photo... Does she ever come back in FanFic and do that? Or something like that?
Great question! And ML Thompson answers it in her fanfic Vindication . Samantha keeps on shadowing Lois and Clark to get proof of the Lois/Superman affair. Fortunately for our heroes, Samantha's credibility is shot. But the interesting part of the fic is how Samantha is changed, just by associating with L&C (and some other people.)

Wendy Richards has Jimmy being not totally clueless for once, and he figures out that CK=SM in Sex, Lies, and Photographs .

Female Hawk has a *great* take on this episode in The Press Conference . What if Samantha hadn't dropped her camera? Well, FH reminds us that alt-Clark dropped by the very next week - hmm, maybe it wouldn't be so impossible for Clark and Superman to be present at the same time? Don't miss this hilarious little vignette.
I'd seen the first two stories in your list but I'd never seen the last one. It's absolutely hilarious and perfect! Having Alt-Clark help them out to clarify things. I love it!

I'm actually kind of suprised there aren't more of this ep. I actually thought it was rather enjoyable.


CLARK: No. I'm just worried I'm a jinx.
JONATHAN: A jinx?
CLARK: Yeah. Let's face it, ever since she's known me, Lois's been kidnapped, frozen, pushed off buildings, almost stabbed, poisoned, buried alive and who knows what else, and it's all because of me.
-"Contact" (You're not her jinx, you're her blessing.)
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I love Corrina's writing in "The Press Conference". I was laughing out loud when I read it. For example:

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"You ... you *dressed* up as Superman?"

Clark shuffled uncomfortably in his seat. "I thought it would be a fun thing to do," he admitted.

"So you're telling us that you *dressed* up in the Superman suit and looked so much like him, you fooled the entire world?"

"I didn't *just* dress up," Clark said indignantly. "I gelled my hair and took off my glasses too."
laugh laugh laugh laugh laugh laugh

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Originally posted by Christina:
I'd seen the first two stories in your list but I'd never seen the last one. It's absolutely hilarious and perfect! Having Alt-Clark help them out to clarify things. I love it!
clap I just read it too. laugh I forgot that proving that CK isn't SM won't get rid of the problem that Lois still is pictured making out with SM on a bed.

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I'm actually kind of suprised there aren't more of this ep. I actually thought it was rather enjoyable.
There are several other stories based on the tabloid press going after Lois and Clark because of Superman. Blind (Super)Man\'s Bluff by MLT being one, and my Green-Eyed Monster and it's sequel Nightfall Honeymoon are another example of the tabloids driving Lois and Clark insane. But my stories deal more with Nunk than Samantha. None of the three stories deal with this episode specifically, just dealing with tabloids in general.


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On the Nfic side all I know of for this ep is "Warm 'Em up!" by Brooke.


CLARK: No. I'm just worried I'm a jinx.
JONATHAN: A jinx?
CLARK: Yeah. Let's face it, ever since she's known me, Lois's been kidnapped, frozen, pushed off buildings, almost stabbed, poisoned, buried alive and who knows what else, and it's all because of me.
-"Contact" (You're not her jinx, you're her blessing.)
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On the Nfic side all I know of for this ep is "Warm 'Em up!" by Brooke.
Christina, thanks for this! Here is the link to that steamy little vignette.

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I forgot that proving that CK isn't SM won't get rid of the problem that Lois still is pictured making out with SM on a bed.
All right, now I'm going to refute this but I'll be spoiling the fic.

S

P

O

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L

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P

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C

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But in Corrina's fic, Clark tells the press that he was dressing up in Superman's suit to romance Lois. After all, because of "Top Copy", everyone knows that Clark does Superman's laundry. So of course Clark would have access to the Suit. By the end of the press conference, everyone knows that Clark dressed up as Superman to get a little zing in his and Lois's sex life, and that, although Clark looks like Superman, they are two different people. Because both Clark and Superman appeared at the press conference.

One of the funnest things to do when reading "The Press Conference" is to try to catch Clark or alt-Clark in a lie. You can't do it. They're telling the truth throughout. It's just not every single bit of the truth. laugh

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I was just re-watching this and I realized the biggest problem. Why does Lois not yell for Superman right when Goode's agents first try to kidnap her? Her plan at that point was even to go talk to Superman. She should yell for him immediately then.


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I was looking at some screencaps about the episode and one caught my attention. The Dirt Digger headline is "Does Supes Fly Lois" sure but the sub-title's what really struck me. It says "Is Super spelled 'orgy'?" suggesting that there's some swinging going on (and potentially threesome). Me-thinks Alt-Clark wouldn't be able to help too much in that case (or at least, they'd still have the tabloids going after them in a major way.)


CLARK: No. I'm just worried I'm a jinx.
JONATHAN: A jinx?
CLARK: Yeah. Let's face it, ever since she's known me, Lois's been kidnapped, frozen, pushed off buildings, almost stabbed, poisoned, buried alive and who knows what else, and it's all because of me.
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I know I know I'm commenting on an old thread, but I was bored at work and nothing left to do for the week, so I thought I'd browse the forum. Ran across this thread and had to comment.

This episode honestly made me cringe so much. I remember watching the episode scratching my head like, "WHAT?" This makes no sense.

I even rewrote it in a fanfic several years back because I thought it needed correcting. What the Hey You Can't Have Everything

Originally Posted by VirginiaR
Quote
Originally posted by Sue S.:
Are we really supposed to believe that two countries base their entire foreign policies on whether or not Superman is moral?
It was my understanding that they didn't want peace, and that Superman was forcing them to negotiate for the good of their people, so when Superman was discredited they used this as an excuse to go back to fighting. True, it is a bit cartoonish (buffoonish?) and silly, but I have to admit, sometimes global politics feels that way to us little folks.

I agree...sorta. They were looking for an excuse NOT to work toward peace and the Superman scandal was the perfect excuse.

Originally Posted by VirginiaR
Quote
The main villain is a walking cartoon. There are so many better, more subtle ways, to make Goode the bad guy. It's lazy writing to exposit that he's evil by depicting him as smut peddler who shoves underlings down an elevator shaft because he's annoyed with them. Honestly, tell me in what world would Larry Flynt or Hugh Hefner be considered for a Nobel Peace Prize?
Well, Goode is clearly insane with a Lex Luthor idolization complex, but I believe Spencer Spencer is supposed to be closer to Larry Flynt or Hugh Hefner. Goode is supposed to be based on someone more like what's his name who owns Fox News, IMO, who is rumored to rule with an iron fist. Although, I wouldn't have cast someone like Jack Wagner to represent him.

I think he had potential to be a good villian. We just needed more of a back story. Bill Church was a good villian and Lex Luthor too. Heck Lex Luthor got the key to the city every year and was man of the year every year before Superman came to the town. I agree losing to Superman was a STUPID reason for him to go after him. There needed to be a REAL reason.

My suggestion? Intergang. Mindy has a brother. :P

Originally Posted by VirginiaR
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Samantha is only slightly less of a buffoon (or maybe I cut her slack because I liked the actress).
Is Samantha still alive at the end of this episode? If so, why doesn't she keep trying to expose Superman / Clark. I'm sure if she got a photo of Clark without his glasses and compared it to a Superman photo... Does she ever come back in FanFic and do that? Or something like that?

In the episode, she only had pictures of Lois and Superman before falling off the balcony. (How did she not get hurt?)

I still thought it was STUPID, IDIOTIC, and so OUT of CHARACTER for Clark NOT to change out of his suit? I mean, come on. For someone that spent all his life trying to fit in and FOUR YEARS trying to drive home, the whole 'Clark is who I am; Superman is what I can do' message it just doesn't fit. Even when he comes home he immediately changes out of the suit. - End Rant.

Originally Posted by VirginiaR
Quote
But, even more than the idiotic plot and over-the-top villains, it's Lois and Clark that irritate me the most. Like I said earlier, I just can't believe that Clark is willing to unilaterally decide that he's going to spill his secret (especially since he's doing it to forward a plot that I find implausible). I shook my head when he spouted all that nonsense about how he hates to lie, especially as Superman. The Clark of the first two seasons understood perfectly that Superman is a disguise, which by definition, is a lie. He never had issues using double meanings and skirting around the truth. It was part of the fun of the show, really, watching him twist and lie his way out of predicaments. This episode is a perfect example of how the characters became lobotomized versions of their former selves.
Okay, have to agree completely with you here. This was a good example of Clark, the lunkhead, and that he was able to convince his folks and Lois to go along with him for the good of Superman. :rolleyes: Ouch! I see what you mean.

This was probably the MOST infuriating part of the episode. Really? Lex Luthor, Tempus, Dianna Stride, Mazik and.....Oh, I don't know, the entire crowd of paparazzi camped out his home didn't teach him that this was a bad idea. Seriously, stupid. UN-Clark like. Out of character. Why would he fly his parents there anyway? Hello? Paparazzi are outside your house. Are you trying to make things worse. That whole speel about lying and standing for the truth....No, just no.

Originally Posted by VirginiaR
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And Lois? Geez, if you can move your hands to shush Clark and/or play charades, you can friggin' rip the tape off your mouth. I miss KickButt!Lois.
Yeah, I've always wondered about that too. I was like, why isn't he talking to her? clap Well done!

They just wanted to play charades. The writers probably stuck challenges in each episode and decided charades needed to be a part of the episode. (Kinda like our Fanfic challenges....only ours actually come out making sense :P)

Originally Posted by VirginiaR
I guess this episode is a good example of we've got to film, so give us the script you have and we'll run with it, plot holes or not. Only kids watch this show because it's about Superman, so it doesn't matter. (yes, I know ironic given the subject matter of this episode, but that's the only excuse I can come up with to explain it).

It was a good idea but they skewed too far and lost focus when they were developing the storyline. I prefer our fanfic versions anyday over the actual episode.

Except for the fireplace scene. I love the fireplace scene. Over and over and over and over and over again.... :P

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