Lois & Clark Forums Forums General Discussion Lois & Clark How did *you* interpret that episode?

Gerry's thread about Lex has brought up an interesting debate about whether or not Lex was sprayed with the 100% or diluted pheromone solution. I had always thought that he'd been sprayed with the diluted solution, but it seems others are certain that it was the 100% stuff.

I found myself having a similar discussion with Paul about Tempus Anyone . I was *positive* that Lois had been in the alternate Metropolis for two days and that only 10 seconds had passed in our Metropolis. Paul maintains that HG Wells, since he just happens to have the time machine at his disposal, took Lois back in time after coming back from the alternate world so that she wouldn't have been gone so long. This makes sense to me now, but that's not what I'd believed.

This brings me to the point of this thread (yeah, I know, it's about time <g>):

What other situations or episodes do we view differently? I know it'll be hard to get started seeing as we all don't know what we see differently, but I'll try to come back with some ideas. In the meantime, feel free to discuss PML and TA.

Sara

I think this one has been discussed before, but I know that several of us have different interpretations of the scene in House of Luthor when Superman comes to Lois's apartment. She is wearing a negligee and hurries to put on a robe. Superman tells her that unless the robe is lead-lined, she might as well not bother.

My interpretation of that scene is that Superman was just being practical. I didn't read any ulterior motives (i.e. a need to humiliate her) in his comment, simply that her modesty was unnecessary. He knew what was coming and just wanted to get on with the discussion.

I know others think that Superman was being deliberately cruel. And honestly, I have no idea what exactly the writers had intended. I did always think it strange that Lois would wait for Superman in a negligee instead of her normal clothes, so any sarcasm in Superman's comment was deserved.

Lynn

I interpreted the scene Lynn mentioned exactly that way, and I was very surprised to find so many fanfics where the author read cruelty in that comment. I suppose I understand what the authors mean - but I always though nothing of it.

As for the pheromone scene, though, I don't think too many options exist. I remember Miranda making it clear that she's going to spray Lex with the 100% solution so that he falls for her. Forever, that is. That backfired, and he fell for Lois. Hard. I always thought that's why he was so obsessed with her - even after he died and was brougth back to life. No man would go to such lengths to kidnap her, even after she got amnesia, just for power or for the sake of it. Pretty sure that's the way it happened - although with Lex, I might be wrong.

The Tempus Anyone bit, I always thought like you. The possibility of the time machine never occured to me. Now that I think about it, it makes much more sense, because when altClark came to Metropolis in the 4th season, he hadn't aged unproportionally to Clark, so it appears that time passage was paralell as well. Also, if HG Wells pulls him out of his universe for a few days and returns him there without messing with time, he'd miss years.

There's a scene in SoulMates, the one in the wild west, which I don't know how to interpret. Tempus has a camera there because of his 'big ego' - however, if they weren't invented yet, how would he know to make one? And what would the rest of the town think of that? Did that incarnation time travel too, then? Because I always though the two incarnations we saw of Tempus in that episode were not time travelers, and stayed put.

Julie

The camera was invented at the time that episode takes places. The first camera was made in 1827. During the civil war which would be before this episode takes place many pictures were taken on the battle field. They didn't have film as we do now the negative was a piece of glass so taking pictures was a delicate business. If the glass got a crack you had to throw it out. So the box camera you see in that episode is appropriate.

As far as other scenes I've interpreted differently from other FoLCs... I was chatting with someone a WHILE ago (Julie was that you?) about the "Almost First Date"... and the whole Ralph's Pagoda situation. Not to sound disgusting or anything, but I always assumed that during the 'time lapse,' Lois was either throwing up or suffering diarrhea (hence her, "I'm so embarrassed!"), however I think it was Julie who I was chatting with simply thought she has a stomachache.
Anyone, thoughts on that...? --Wanda

I have to go with you on throwing up or diarrhea. Although I tend to go with throwing up. I think if Lois had to keep running to the bathroom with diarrhea she would be too embarassed to ever face Clark again. Also she just strikes me as the type that would throw up easily.

Again does Lex love Lois. NO, NO. The episode does not say Lex was sprayed with a 100% solution. Miranda says she has been using a 1% solution but a 100% solution would cause a permenent (sp) break down of all inhibitions. The analysis by Star Labs does not say it makes you fall in love. It was that it is a pheremone that breaks down that part of your brain that exercises restraint. That you have to already be ATTRACTED to a person - not in love attracted as in lust after them. Did Lex lust after Lois sure she was something to be conquered.

When Miranda sprays Lex she first sprays herself. I don't think she would be so crazy as to spray herself with a 100% solution. Maybe Lex by himself yes but that is not what happens in the show. She sprays herself, the air and then Lex. Then she asks him if he feels anything for her and he says no. Now get out I have a dinner date, and she questions him if it is with Lois. That is when she sends the note to Lois to get her to the airport to kill her.

As further proof that Lex did not love Lois at all in the episode Fall of the House Of Luthor it starts out with him flying around dressed as Superman looking down at Clark, Perry, Jimmy and Jack and the hard times that has be fallen them, Lois getting fitted for her wedding dress and Superman's grave. Then you see that Lex is wearing virtual goggles so you realize this is his fantasy. So obviously defeating Superman and his friends was a dream come true.

The next proof that Lex didn't love Lois comes when he goes to gloat to Superman when he is locked in the cage. He quotes the play Henry V to him. "She is beautiful therefore to be wooed, she is woman therefore to be WON." Not loved but won like she is not a person but a prize in a game. Then he goes on to say, and I have to say not in a way that conveys the feelings he is supposedly expressing "I love Lois, I really do, but she's just a little bit to independent don't you think. Well I'll take care of that." The way he says it does not express love but okay I've got her now I've won she's mine not yours and I'll break her. That is what I got out of his declaration.

Then when the police show up what does he do. He doesn't try to escape right away. He doesn't try to take Lois with him. He wastes valuable time going to the basement to take an axe to Superman. When he finds him gone he is angry and then he tries to escape.

In all the subsequent times he shows up it doesn't seem to me as if he is expressing love it is more of his megalomaniac ego that just won't except that Lois could not want him. He is crazy and just won't except that someone could not want him - LEX LUTHOR. No one turns him down. He does the walking away. There is no way he can let Lois walk away. He is just like all those men that go after their ex-wives and kill them. They just can't let you walk away. Lex is cut from the same cloth. And it is the way he has led his life. He got his way in business by either ruining your business, blackmailing you or having you killed. Lex is incapable of love look at how he treated his 2 sons in the show.

I never thought about the 100% solution bit, though I guess it does explain alot.

As for Tempus Anyone, the time lapse reminded me of the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. No matter how much time passed in Narnia, even if it was years, the children always returned barely a second after they left. And when a year passed in our time, thousands of years had passed on Narnia. (See The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and Prince Caspian )

Regarding the Alt. universe. I didn't think it was a matter of time behaving differently in the different universes nor a matter of time travel. That is, I didn't consider that Lois had travelled back in time in order to arrive at the same time she'd left.

I just thought that Lois had been taken out of time (and then popped back in). I have no idea if that makes any sense, but that is how I envisioned it.

Other things that I have interpreted differently than others are:

1. The "unless it's lined in lead" comment, which I didn't perceive as rude or mean (at least not in intent).

2. I did not think that Lois had deliberately waited for Superman in her neglegee. I thought she had asked Clark to get in touch with Superman, but had no idea if, or when, he would actually show up.

3. The entire episode of Chi of Steel. I found it very amusing and pro-women's lib, and others found it to be exceedingly sexist. In particular, Clark's refusal to say anything when his dad made the comment about men working. I got the impression that Clark actually agreed with Lois (and his mom), but I think quite a few folcs out there would disagree with me on this.

4. Clark pretending to be dead. Although my heart went out to Lois, I blamed the circumstances more than blaming Clark. When I saw the show, Clark's response seemed reasonable enough, and I felt sorry for him.

- Vicki (who always thought that Lex had been sprayed with the 100% solution).