This tale begins just before “Whine, Whine, Whine” would have taken place late in season 2 and completely blows that episode out of the water. It wouldn’t be inappropriate to consider this a follow-up to my “Green, Green Haunting of Home,” but the linkage is pretty loose and this story doesn’t build on the previous one in any definite way.
Rachel Harris was, to my mind, seriously underused on Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. She obviously felt strongly about Clark, was jealous of Lois, and one may speculate about whether or not she would have shot Jason Trask before he fired his hideout weapon at Clark had Trask threatened to kill anyone else. For her part, Lois was intense, opinionated, often difficult to deal with, and given to extreme reactions. And I also think Rachel would have made a better rival for Clark’s affections than Mayson Drake did – and I write that while remembering actress Farrah Forke, the actress who played Mayson, quite fondly. So I think this alt-world scenario is both reasonable and logical – if you tilt your head to one side and squint a little.
Have written all that, I understand why Rachel didn’t reappear on the show. There simply wasn’t room for an out-of-state sheriff to drop into the lives of our favorite couple on a regular basis. Nor was it reasonable or believable (within the superhero context of the show) to move Rachel to Metropolis (to join the police department or the DA’s office as an investigator, for example). And they couldn’t take L&C west to Kansas every couple of weeks, at least not for an extended visit. So Jolene Lutz (the actress who played Rachel) joined the ranks of one-shot guest stars on this romantic drama. It’s actually a pretty impressive list, so she’s in good company.
Quick note of possible interest: Jolene Lutz appeared on Desperate Housewives in episode 19 of season 3 (2007), and is credited as Yuppie Woman. I wonder if Jolene and Teri compared notes of any kind off-camera? No?
Quick note of definite interest: No one dies in this tale. But that’s the only promise I will make. If you want to know if the toys go back in the toybox all polished up shiny and new – or if they get there at all – you’ll have to read and find out. True love will win out in the end, but we won’t know who is on true love’s side until we arrive at that end.
I want to explore a what-if scenario in this tale: What if Lois and Clark broke off their relationship quite abruptly and unexpectedly? What if Rachel and Clark had the opportunity to reconnect? What if she realized that her affection for him had not waned over the years but instead had grown? What if Clark, partly because of the way things ended with Lois and partly because of Rachel’s innate goodness, were receptive to her offer of affection and companionship?
What if Rachel already knew about his powers and appreciated them for the boon they are, both to Clark and to the rest of the world?
Let’s find out together, shall we? Without spoilers.
