Superman & Lois

[JD DeLuzio]

Who else watched the pilot?

I liked its tributes to the history of the character, particularly in the opening, and I thought it balanced the real-world and TV-soap elements with the superheroics reasonably well. The show's creators understand the characters and their histories in a way that a certain other recent depiction of Superman does not. It's unclear how much of the Arrowverse has been reimagined both post- and since- the DCTVU Crisis. The plot involving the sons' lack of awareness of Clark's true identity would have made more sense if they were younger, and the sons themselves would have made more sense if the actors playing 14-year-olds were younger (though at least the actors are still technically teens).

We're going to watch, at least for awhile.

I don't quite get why Clark/Superman has to have a permanent 5 o'clock+ shadow. I kept hearing the Smallville theme in my head as, "Somebody shave me...."

[JD DeLuzio]

Jeff of Earth-J said:

"...a Marilyn Monroe reminiscence..."

I've seen that (in photographs). It's like the difference between Ginger and Mary Ann. 

There's an episode of The Honeymooners where Gleason appears both as Ralph Kramden and TV star Jackie Gleason. While the live nature of the show meant that they could not appear simultaneously (though we have Gleason talking in the next room in one scene, and Kramden reacting), their appearances in the same episode are bewildering.  They feel like two different people.

Of all the live-action Supermen, I think Christopher Reeve comes the closest to acting two very different roles, so that I believed that Kent's rather silly disguise could work.

We have to accept a number of stretches, beyond the fantastic powers that are a part of the Superman character and universe. Clark Kent could hide a double-life and constant disappearances, possibly, in a big city. It would be almost impossible to do so in Smallville. For that matter, a Pultizer-prize-winning journalist wouldn't quit the Planet and join the small-town one-woman paper. She would leverage her world-famous reputation, the newsworthiness of her quitting in the first place, and find a platform where she could really expose Edge and make some money while doing so. Her move makes series sense, but I don't know that it makes internal series reality sense.

[Jeff of Earth-J]

Maybe Lois feels that The Smallville Gazette is the best place to directly influence the people she's trying to help.

[Richard Willis]

This reminds me of the Star Trek TOS episode "Mudd's Women." When the women thought they had taken Mudd;s drug their confidence made their beauty shine through.

Jeff of Earth-J said:

"...a Marilyn Monroe reminiscence..."

I've seen that (in photographs). It's like the difference between Ginger and Mary Ann. 

[ClarkKent_DC]

JD DeLuzio said:

We have to accept a number of stretches, beyond the fantastic powers that are a part of the Superman character and universe. Clark Kent could hide a double-life and constant disappearances, possibly, in a big city. It would be almost impossible to do so in Smallville. For that matter, a Pultizer-prize-winning journalist wouldn't quit the Planet and join the small-town one-woman paper. She would leverage her world-famous reputation, the newsworthiness of her quitting in the first place, and find a platform where she could really expose Edge and make some money while doing so. Her move makes series sense, but I don't know that it makes internal series reality sense.

What he said. Especially since nobody has to go into the office any more. Some newspaper companies have even eliminated newsrooms altogether because, y'know, COVID. Lois Lane could still work her magic for the Daily Planet from Smallville.

On the other hand, these days, even winning a Pullet Surprise is no guarantee of job security. (See here. And here. And here. And here.)

Jeff of Earth-J said:

Maybe Lois feels that The Smallville Gazette is the best place to directly influence the people she's trying to help.

Maybe. And maybe she can work with a freer hand, and isn't required to write clickbait.

[Richard Willis]

Companies that rent their office space are likely to (and may already be) migrating to smaller, cheaper offices if a lot of their staff can continue to work from home..

[ClarkKent_DC]

I hadn't watched the latest Superman & Lois episode before I posted. Now I have.

So, Lois Lane could still work her magic for the Daily Planet from Smallville IF the Daily Planet was a place where she wanted to work. Clearly, she does not, any longer.

Also, if we needed further proof Morgan Edge is a bad, bad man, other than his English accent, his corporate raider ways, and his doubletalk at the Smallville town council meeting: He rewrote a Lois Lane article! 

This is not a minor thing. The owners of quality publications don't do that. Second-rate places like the Daily Bugle, sure, but the owners of quality publications are hands-off. 

[ClarkKent_DC]

Richard Willis said:

Companies that rent their office space are likely to (and may already be) migrating to smaller, cheaper offices if a lot of their staff can continue to work from home..

Many moons ago, I was an ink-stained wretch at a semi-major metropolitan newspaper in Florida. During the past year, they started having everyone work from home, because, y'know, COVID.

Last month, they bulldozed the building to the ground. Today, it's a three-block-square vacant lot.

[JD DeLuzio]

ClarkKent_DC said:

I hadn't watched the latest Superman & Lois episode before I posted. Now I have.

So, Lois Lane could still work her magic for the Daily Planet from Smallville IF the Daily Planet was a place where she wanted to work. Clearly, she does not, any longer.

I wasn't suggesting she wouldn't quit the Planet. I'm suggesting she wouldn't quit and work for the Gazette. Exposing Morgan Edge means exposing him more than just in Smallville, and she could do that better working for... Well, she would have a few better options. However, this is only one small point.

[ClarkKent_DC]

ClarkKent_DC said:

So, Lois Lane could still work her magic for the Daily Planet from Smallville IF the Daily Planet was a place where she wanted to work. Clearly, she does not, any longer.

JD DeLuzio said:

I wasn't suggesting she wouldn't quit the Planet. I'm suggesting she wouldn't quit and work for the Gazette. Exposing Morgan Edge means exposing him more than just in Smallville, and she could do that better working for... Well, she would have a few better options. However, this is only one small point.

The way I figure, even if someplace else provided more resources and better pay, Lois Lane would rather have the total freedom to operate at the Smallville Gazette as she wants.

[Dave Palmer]

Back in 1988 my wife and I were attending the 50 year celebration of Superman in Cleveland.  We were moving from one session to another and found ourselves in the hallway where they were wrapping up a session where Kirk Alyn was posing for photos with fans.  They were taking care of the last few people in line.  We stopped to watch.  Mr. Alyn looked like a tired 77 year old man, and I don’t mean that in any pejorative sense.  He had every right to be tired.

After the last photo he said something to the effect “that wasn’t a good photo, let’s do another.”   So everyone got back in position and as if a switch had been thrown, he was instantly 50 years younger.  He was Superman.  As soon as the photo was taken he was back to being a tired 77 year old man.  

It was amazing.   First off, that he could do it.  The transformation was instantaneous.   And two, I have great respect for what Mr. Alyn did; he wanted his fan(s) to have a good memory and keepsake.  I’m glad we had stopped and taken a few moments to have witnessed that.

Rob Staeger (Grodd Mod) said:

Clark taking off his glasses and changing his hair reminds me of this bit of a Marilyn Monroe reminiscence that I read on Twitter a few days ago.

[ClarkKent_DC]

Jeff of Earth-J said:

"...a Marilyn Monroe reminiscence..."

I've seen that (in photographs). It's like the difference between Ginger and Mary Ann. 

JD DeLuzio said:

There's an episode of The Honeymooners where Gleason appears both as Ralph Kramden and TV star Jackie Gleason. While the live nature of the show meant that they could not appear simultaneously (though we have Gleason talking in the next room in one scene, and Kramden reacting), their appearances in the same episode are bewildering.  They feel like two different people.

Of all the live-action Supermen, I think Christopher Reeve comes the closest to acting two very different roles, so that I believed that Kent's rather silly disguise could work.

Elliot S! Maggin delves into this a bit in the Superman movie tie-in novel* Miracle Monday (available to read online or for purchase at the Superman Through the Ages! fansite), noting that WGBS TV anchor Clark Kent had to be a good actor in order for people not to notice he was the same man in the news reports on Superman.

To my way of thinking, he really needs to put on the act around the people who know both Clark and Superman, and there's not all that many of them.

* As noted on Superman Through the Ages!: "This book was marketed by Warner Books as a Superman the Movie tie-in novel, having Christopher Reeve on the cover and containing photographs from the movie, but is actually an independent story more related to the comic-book continuity."

[Richard Willis]

ClarkKent_DC said:

The way I figure, even if someplace else provided more resources and better pay, Lois Lane would rather have the total freedom to operate at the Smallville Gazette as she wants.

Today, a well-known reporter's work would be noticed and widely distributed regardless of how small her newspaper was. She could do both local-interest stories and national stories.