I guess for me what is special is that Lois Lane gets to be heroic and Superman gets to be human.
Carol, I love the way you put that. It really encapsulates magic of the show, of *this* version of a very old story. That's the crossover characterization that puts them so firmly on the same level, true equals, who together can be more than either of them could be, separately.
re: Clark crying -- didn't really ever happen, and the way I heard it was that Dean Cain refused to cry on camera.
However, I'd point out the scene in DTOSC where Clark (dressed as Superman, I think) watches a video the Lakes made, to make it look like Lois was killed. He didn't cry, but he did punch out the TV. We know how much self-control has been emphasised for Clark all his life, so it took something big for him to lose it like that.
And then of course there's the whole scene in the "zoo" where Superman agrees to be captured in order to save Lois's life. Because he needs her, and he's convinced that he couldn't go on without her. I guess some people see that as a challenge, to write through the process of how he would have to cope if the worst happened, since grief doesn't actually kill you, most of the time.
There are also a few Mary Sue fics in which the author bumps off Lois so that Clark can fall in love with their character, but this fandom is pretty much all 'shippers, so Mary Sues tend to be cousins or something, and not get between Clark and Lois.
PJ
