cria56's Reviews

Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman: Ghosts (1996)

Season 4, Episode 9

9/10

17 September 2023

I'm not a fan of scary stories and really don't like ghost stories. Call me a wimp but I get scared easily and don't like to be scared! So I didn't expect to like this episode but was surprised. It's not your typical ghost story.

When a real estate developer wants to buy all the brownstones on the block he decides to scare the owners into selling by convincing them the houses are haunted. But when he accidentally summons a real ghost in Lois and Clark's house he ends up with more than he bargained for.

There is also a sub-plot, Lois is determined to learn how to cook, embarrassed now as a wife that she can't even put together a simple meal for Clark that is edible. And while Clark doesn't really care if Lois can cook or not she is determined not to give up until she learns.

There is just something likable about Katie, the ghost, that even though you should be scared of her and she does some scary things she is just too sweet to be scary. Or maybe it's because anyone who is a fan of the show knows that Lois and Clark are going to get to the bottom of what really happened and so even a ghost doesn't stand a chance against them. Either way this just doesn't come across as a typical ghost story but manages to be humorous and enjoyable. And the interaction between Drew Carey and Kathy Kinney is great, sometimes I can't stand Drew Carey but he was well cast for this role.

Is this one of the best episodes of Lois and Clark? No, not even close. But it's enjoyable in its own right, it's fun seeing the ways that Lois and Clark are still adjusting to married life and it fits well at this spot of season 4.

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Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman: Dead Lois Walking (1996)

Season 4, Episode 7

9/10

Everything You've Come to Love

11 September 2023

This second half of a two part episode opens with Lois convicted of first degree murder and sent to death row. Clark is determined to get to the truth of what really happened and who is framing Lois but he can't do it without her. Lois gives in and allows Clark/Superman to break her out of jail.

But can they really figure out who is behind the plot to frame Lois while also hiding from the police? And what is up with the weather, all the heavy rain storms they are getting? And what if framing Lois is only a small part of a bigger plan to endanger everyone in Metropolis? Can Lois and Clark catch the mad scientist before he carries out his evil plan?

Mixed in with the story is everything we love about this show. Plenty of electricity between Lois and Clark when they are reunited after being apart while Lois was in jail. And although they are now married the independent Lois still manages to get herself in mortal danger and require rescue by Superman. And will Lois finally get her long awaited relaxing evening at home with her new husband?

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Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman: The People v. Lois Lane (1996)

Season 4, Episode 6

9/10

Great episode

11 September 2023

The first of a two part episode begins with Lois and Clark moving into their new home. An informant calls Lois and offers her the inside story on a murder. Clark is reluctant to let Lois go meet the informant alone but Lois insists on still having her independence even though they are married now. But things go terribly wrong, the informant ends up dead and Lois is arrested on suspicion of murder.

What follows is a journey to get to the truth of what happened and who is behind it. It also takes an incredible amount of self control for Clark to let Lois sit in jail when he wants so badly to break her out. And being forced apart while they are still newlyweds is hard for both Lois and Clark.

Lois goes on trial for murder and it seems the evidence is overwhelmingly against her. Can Superman testifying on Lois's behalf help save her? Who is behind all the evidence against Lois? And will a corrupt DA successfully convict her of first degree murder?

Overall a great episode, some nice twists and turns and plenty of Lois and Clark magic and chemistry.

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Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (1993–1997)

10/10

Minority Opinions

24 August 2023

I remember watching Lois and Clark back in its original run with the exception of season 4. I don't remember the reason why anymore but I was no longer home to watch during season 4 and had no way to record it. But I vividly remember my anger when season 3 ended without Lois and Clark getting married. I was also completely grossed out by "Lois" eating a frog, that scene stayed with me for years after!

This show was on my "want to watch again" list for a very long time so I was excited to finally find it on HBO streaming. The show is every bit as good as I remembered it, even better getting to see all the episodes I missed including season 4. I expect it will remain on my list of favorite shows ever. But I am still broken-hearted that the planned season 5 was cancelled.

I have never been a fan of Superman or really any Superheros, I haven't seen any other movies or TV shows about any Superheros. While it's impossible to be an American and not know the basics of the most popular Superhero stories I can't compare this show to the other stories of Superman and Lois or say how well it stays true to the characters. And now in 2023 even the 90s seems dated but other than some of Lois's outfits the rest of this show has aged well.

It seems I'm in the minority of reviewers that season 1 was my least favorite. I can't stand the character of Cat although Tracey did a great job portraying her. And I like Justin's Jimmy Olsen more than Michael's, Justin seemed more young and energetic. Season 4 is my favorite and I love seeing Lois and Clark married, in my opinion there was still plenty of relationship growth that happened after they were married. And I just love how well Lois and Clark worked together once Lois knew he was Superman, I think he waited too long to tell her.

But I think the biggest draw of the show is the chemistry between Dean and Teri, there are not many that can match the electricity between them. Once they began dating, or rather once Lois finally knew Clark was Superman, it was believable that they were completely in love with each other, the kind of love that most people dream of finding. The bond between them is so believable it's hard to believe that Teri was married to another man during most of the show.

There are not many shows that I can watch over and over and never get tired of but this is one of them. I think it was underrated in its time and since. If you love a great, timeless romance this is a must watch show! I don't think it will ever be matched in the Superman universe.

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Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman: Sex, Lies and Videotape (1997)

Season 4, Episode 13

10/10

Best episode of Season 4!

13 August 2023

Yes I would say this episode is even better than the wedding! It brings up a challenging problem that Lois and Clark haven't fully worked through, there are actually 3 people in their marriage, Lois, Clark and Superman. So what happens when Superman and Lois are "caught" spending the weekend together at an exclusive resort? The public believes Lois is cheating on her husband! How can Superman regain his reputation of integrity without revealing his other identity?

It's a challenging dynamic for Lois and Clark. When they are together there is such electricity it's hard for them to control it when Clark is Superman. As Clark points out no suit can disguise how they feel about each other. Throw in a jealous rival looking for dirt to bring Superman down and it was a certainty that they would get caught. And it doesn't seem there is any way to get out of the mess while protecting who Superman is.

There are some major plot holes in this episode but that doesn't take away from the interesting way Lois and Clark try to handle the situation. And the scandal brings out some interesting points to ponder, how would the public's feelings change about Superman if they found out the truth? What would Lois and Clark's life look like if everyone knew Clark was Superman? What makes this episode so interesting is pondering all the "what ifs" that are asked and imagining how their life could change.

And for the fans that love the chemistry between Lois and Clark there are juicy moments as the title suggests. And we also get a classic scene of Lois in danger needing Superman to rescue her leading to a very humorous game of charades. This episode has everything in it that fans love about the Lois and Clark story. And it truly is a unique storyline in the flow of the whole series. It will also keep the viewer guessing until the very end exactly how this scandal will be resolved.

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Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman: Brutal Youth (1996)

Season 4, Episode 5

10/10

Wonderful Episode!

12 August 2023

The episode opens with a moment all the fans had been waiting for...Lois and Clark finally consummated their relationship. And apparently it was as wonderful and memorable as they had both hoped for. But as they return to work it is obvious by their making out in the elevator that they still can't get enough of each other. Their chemistry and sparks are as strong as ever.

Lois and Clark may now be married but that doesn't mean they don't still have things to learn about each other. While investigating the suspicious death of Jimmy's friend Lois accidentally finds out from Dr Klein that her new husband, Superman, had a molecular structure that slows the aging process. She is shocked to learn that she is not going to grow old with her husband because he isn't going to age normally. This sets off her insecurity both about how this will affect their relationship and why Clark never told her?

Meanwhile Jimmy tries to investigate his friend's death and accidentally falls prey to the same villain his friend did. Can Lois and Superman save him before he dies the same death as his friend? And what does a bank robbery have to do with it all?

And yet there is room for another sub-plot, where are Lois and Clark going to live now that they are married? With all of Lois's stuff moved into Clark's apartment they are quite crowded. Is Lois ready to put down roots with Clark? Or will her new insecurities cause her to pull away from her new husband?

Overall just a wonderful episode and proof that even though Lois and Clark are married now there is still plenty of room for growth in their relationship and the sparks aren't going to die down any time soon.

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Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman: Home Is Where the Hurt Is (1995)

Season 3, Episode 11

10/10

The best of Season 3

6 August 2023

This episode really gives depth to Lois's family background and how she ended up the way she did, always wanting to control everything. Clark gets a chance to meet both of her parents (although he briefly met her dad in season 1) and see firsthand the pain Lois suffered when her parents went through their divorce when she was 12. Lois's insecurities and fears of abandonment come out and Clark is able to reassure her multiple times that he is never going anywhere. And there are also opportunities for their parents to get to know each other, Ellen and Martha have some funny interactions!

The Mindy storyline feels recycled from the first episode of season 2, her playing dumb so a guy will do what she wants. And then her storyline comes to a rather abrupt end and she is never heard from again the rest of the series and neither is Intergang. What happened to the increase in crime? There really was no resolution.

But the biggest "problem" with this episode is how unbelievable it is that Lois's parents never figure out that Clark is Superman. While there is an unrealistic theme throughout the whole series that it's only a pair of glasses that hides Superman's secret identity this goes even beyond that. When Superman is sick and Lois is not only cries over him but even sleeps next to him while her dad is there it is just completely unrealistic that her parents didn't think that was odd. She was engaged to Clark but so distraught over Superman any sane person would have questioned her. And Clark's parents there hovering and caring for Superman too it just seems too unrealistic that neither of Lois's parents put the pieces together.

But overall there is so much to love about this episode, especially the role reversal that it's now Lois's turn to save Clark/Superman. And to see the relationship and intimacy grow between Lois and Clark just sums up everything there is to love about the whole series.

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I Dream of Jeannie (1965–1970)

9/10

Wishing for more...

14 May 2020

Warning: Spoilers

This is one of my favorite classic TV shows. Although it is always compared to Bewitched (of which I'm also a big fan) and many think of I Dream of Jeannie as a not-as-well-done knock off, I think that both have their strengths and weaknesses. The strengths of Jeannie is a small great core cast that is consistent throughout the whole show, the great acting by each cast member, the chemistry between Tony and Jeannie and not as much repetition of story lines (compared to Bewitched). There is also a consistent feel throughout the whole series that doesn't change over the years (one of the things about Bewitched that I dislike the most).

Most people say that Tony and Jeannie getting married in the fifth season is what killed the series but I think it was the only way to forward the story line. They had been playing the "will they, won't they" game for years which I think got old. For me is was a relief to finally see them get married! I think leaving them unmarried just wouldn't have seemed as fulfilling in the end. A genie existing at all was already a fanciful idea, the show didn't become more unrealistic just because they got married, it was never realistic to begin with!

It was obvious that Tony was deeply in love with Jeannie, was he supposed to stay single the rest of his life and let everything continue as it was? Was it possible he would ever be successful at getting her to leave? Was he going to find and fall in love with someone else while Jeannie was such a constant loving presence in his life? How much longer was NASA and other friends/family (besides Rodger who knew about Jeannie) going to accept him as a bachelor? Their getting married was really the only possible way for their story to continue. I think it was the best decision and I'm sad audiences at the time didn't agree although they were getting tired of fantasy shows around this time anyway. I think that was as much to do with the show being cancelled as their marriage was. Even if they hadn't gotten married, I think there was a good chance the series would have ended when it did. So in my opinion, their getting married was still the best decision.

I think it's a shame that the series ended when it did. I enjoyed seeing Jeannie trying to adjust to being a "normal" person that everyone knew as Tony's wife. Her popping in and out and using magic when Tony didn't want it was still funny and interesting. I think there was a lot of potential for new and unique story lines after their marriage (without loosing the heart of the show) and I'm sad the series ended instead. Yes they made a couple (awful) reunion movies but I think the series easily could have had a couple of more good years instead. Sadly the audience never gave them the chance.

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