Thursday, June 13, 2013

Superman Week: Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman: "Strange Visitor" (September 26, 1993)


In Strange Visitor," the second episode of Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (1993 - 1997), officials of the U.S. Government raid the Daily Planet offices in search of information regarding Superman, and force Lois (Teri Hatcher) and Clark (Dean Cain) to undergo lie detector tests.

After finessing the test, Clark goes into hiding at Kat's (Tracy Scoggins) place to avoid the military officer behind the interrogation, Jason Trask (Terence Knox).  

But soon, Lois and Clark are back in action, and learn that the investigation into Superman is being led by the secretive Bureau 39, a classified division of the military obsessed with UFOs.  

While searching Trask's office, Clark learns that there was indeed a flying saucer crash in Smallville in 1966, and that his parents found a baby aboard that spaceship...


"Strange Visitor" is all about Clark's search for self, for his real identity.  

Before the events of this segment, his adoptive parents, the Kents, have never shared their full story with him.  In "Strange Visitor" he learns he came to Earth aboard a pint-sized spaceship, and that he is really and truly alien to Earth.   The search brings him into conflict with Jason Trask and Bureau 39 (which I wondered, while watching this time, was the inspiration for Deep Space Nine's Section 31).  He also gets to see his spaceship (with the "S" emblazoned on the hull) and a strange globe that may have significance.


Clark's identity also comes into question involving his romantic intentions during "Strange Visitor." 

Although there is nothing romantic "officially" between Clark and Lois, he nonetheless feels guilty and ashamed when an office rival, Kat, suggests that he slept with her and their (imaginary) coupling becomes fodder for office gossip.  Lois pretends not to be jealous, but it's obvious that she is.  

Like many episodes of Moonlighting suggest,  the idea in any developing romantic relationship (at least on television) is to toss obstacles in the way of the primary couple, and that's Kat's purpose in this episode.  She embarrasses Clark, and provokes Lois.  

These scenes between Clark, Kat and Lois are all playful, and that is the word that really best describes this iteration of the Superman mythos.  As viewers, we have more invested in the relationships than in the action scenes.

In "Strange Visitor" Clark must also fool a polygraph test, and he does so by using his super breath to impact the lie detector's "needle."  It's a little silly in concept and execution, and a bit hard to take seriously, but the cast plays moments like this straight, and the result is certainly a sense of fun, if not suspense.

This episode also features a classic Superman situation.  Clark and Lois are thrown out of a jet plane in flight, and Clark must turn into Superman and rescue Lois before she plunges to her doom.  

After landing her safely (and flirting with her), Superman then intercepts a guided missile, and destroys the plane with it.  Lois is worried, however, because Clark is nowhere to be found.  Superman assures her -- and she takes his word for it -- that he also rescued Clark.



The joke inherent in this oft-repeated action scene involves Lois and her character.  She is the most discerning and intelligent reporter on the planet.  

And yet she is so blinded by love (or is it lust?) for Superman that she can't see what is right in front of her nose: Superman is Clark, and Superman is constantly covering for that fact.  I've always appreciated this aspect of the Superman legend, and find it endlessly fascinating. Lois believes she's a hard-nosed, objective observer of the human condition, but she's just as susceptible to her emotions as anyone. Thus, in some way, this trope in Superman is really about the way we, as humans, delude ourselves, and misjudge those around us. 

2 comments:

  1. John insightful review of Lois & Clark. From the simple element of the title being a smart play on the explorers Lewis & Clark we knew the series was going to be fun. I like that you stated the change in the Superman standards. In the post-Nixon late '70s Carter era Superman would not lie, however, in the '90s Clinton era lies are acceptable...just trust me. It does reflect the times, sadly.

    SGB

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  2. After watching the pilot, I was interested enough to continue looking into the series. Unfortunately, this one kinda broke it for me.

    While the pilot had plenty of silly aspects, I just could not get over the "take a polygraph at all but gunpoint" Really, what kind of results did you expect? Cat Grant's attempts at being sexy were exceptionally laughable this time, especially with those outfits.

    The idea of Clark looking for his past and his heritage was a great idea, but unfortunately it ran into a repeated line from the Kents that I have always hated. "If people found out what you could do, they would take you away and cut you up." You'd think if Clark had heard that all the time growing up that he would be constantly living in fear and never use his powers at all. Clark Kent may be the "true personality" in this series, but Ma and Pa Kent raised their boy to become Superman.

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