It's my understanding that he saw the transfer at the end as restoring the balance between Lois and Clark.
Carol, that's the way I remember hearing about Tim's thoughts as well.
But...that's not the way it came across in the episode. Clark keeps dodging Lois' question, and finally admits that he doesn't know how many years he gave up. Since the episode left it open-ended, it's not surprising that authors, as Jojo said, would explore the angle of his living an inordinately long lifespan. Even with Clark's aura protecting Lois and increasing her longevity, it's not an impossible thought that he will outlive her.
Like you and others have said in earlier posts, we can often learn new things even when rehashing old ground. I've appreciated reading the different theories that people have suggested as to why Lois deathfic is more common than Clark deathfic.
I still hold true to my belief that it is not the dire problem - and an ever-increasing one at that - that Ann seems to believe it is. But of course she is every bit as entitled to her belief as I am, just as every time that she starts or contributes to a thread stating these concerns, I or anyone else are entitled to express our concerns on the entire issue.
Have women historically been undervalued in society? Yes, I don't think anyone can deny it. Are things better now? Absolutely. Are they perfectly balanced? No, probably not. Improvements can continue to be made. But are L&C authors who choose to write a deathfic where Lois has died doing so because they believe - either consciously or subconsciously - that Lois is inferior to Clark simply because she is a woman? I'm not privy to their thoughts, but I truly doubt it, and I fear that Ann is insulting them by trying to attribute this as a possible motive.
Kathy
