Lois & Clark Forums Forums General Discussion Lois & Clark Season 1 Rewatch - Episode 9: Man of Steel Bars

- Favourite moment/quote of the episode?
- Fanfic, media or artwork recommendations based on this episode?
- Any plot bunnies you'd like to set free?

*Banner by CarrieRene

A quick question regarding breaks over the holiday season. (I'm horribly behind. The oldest's wedding is next weekend and until that's over, I won't be getting caught up!)

I had initially thought of posting an episode for December 18th and then the next on January 8th. Does that work for everyone? Does anyone want a longer break?

My goal is to have as many banners done as possible. I am not doing anything, so if you want me to start the topic I can. If not we can take a break. Here are my notes from the episode.


A few things I remember about this episode. Sonny Bono first appeared as the Mayor. Now if I recall, it is the only time he appears and he even says the classic line “I got you babe”. The show only lasted 4 seasons and how many mayors were there?

Ninety-Five degrees is not that hot for November really depending on where you live. Yes, it can happen especially with global warming as bad as it is. Of course, this did occur in the 90’s so we didn’t know as much about global warming.

How many think that Superman wouldn’t save someone even if he had a DO NOT Rescue order against him? And I can see Clark does a lot with his superpowers that we didn’t always notice. He seemed to have slowed down though once he and Lois are together.

He is crazy to think this is true. Yes, he traveled a lot, but he should have realized it wasn’t him. He grew up in Smallville and nothing odd ever happened there. I’m sure he did a lot of those little saves when he was growing up.

Another thing, the conversation Lois and Clark have in the empty newsroom is amazing. I love how she basically begs him to stay. I would have liked to see more fics based on this or the aftermath of this kiss. The kiss was amazing and the looks on her face was heartbreaking.

Here's my 2c:

Favorite scene:
Clark editing Lois’s copy:
Clark: that’s not how you spell aquifer:
LOIS: easy Kent, you can be replaced.
Followed by some eye contact, grinning, office flirting.

Plot bunnies:
Sexism complaints by the mayor’s way he’s addressing women.

Fics
When the Sky Falls by Bob Bartholomew
After Nightfall: The Return of Superman by Bob Bartholomew (sequel)
Nightfall Honeymoon by Virginia R.
Green-eyed Monster by Virginia R. (prequel to Nightfall Honeymoon)
There must be more...

Quotes:
LOIS: I’ve never been a summer person. Especially in winter.
LOIS: Superman is in the shower? Did you see him? Does the outfit actually come off?
LOIS: I only know how to make four things, and this is the only one without chocolate.
LOIS: But we’re partners! I was starting to like having one.
LOIS: First Superman and now Clark. I don’t know who I’ll miss more.
PERRY (to Superman): You got a place to stay tonight? Lois & Cat: he can stay with me!
PERRY: Kent was a heck of a reporter. But so are you.
PERRY (Minute 18): Story about how Elvis was a law abiding citizen and President Nixon wanted to make him an honorary FBI agent.
CAT (to Lois): I know what will cheer you up. Double, double chocolate fudge.

Details:
Some good shots of the Metropolis crest. It seems to be inspired by the movie poster for the film Metropolis from 1920s.

Mayor Berkowitz (to Lois during the press conference): I got you, babe, but there is no need to worry.
The mayor is played by Sonny Bono. He’s pro-environment, so that tracks with the underlying story, and it also means the “Babe” is an inside joke, not actual rampant sexism from the 90s. Still, taken just inside the story, that’s quite a picture LnC is painting.

The city officials have hand fan with “Smoking can be hazardous to your health” printed on them.

Minute 6: Temperature Chart. Starts from Pilot and charts each episode. Includes only the big episodic Superman rescues. How did Lex heat up Metropolis during the first couple of episodes? The chart also shows that Neverending Battle is before Strange Visitor which is the airing order but not the logical order. Given that the chart was probably done by the production designers and is not meant to actually convey something to the viewers (early 90s TV sets, no frame-by-frame pause button), I would say it’s just random jokes, not canon. In particular as it states in the episode that it’s a complete chart, taken over successive days, not over the course of several months.

The sun-funnel explanation stated or repeated by Clark shows a disturbing lack of basic understanding of physics on Clark’s part. On the other hand, it tracks with how the invisibility suits are supposed to work. And Superman’s x-ray vision. Maybe this universe does indeed have visual rays like Euclid has proposed.

It’s the first appearance of Nigel St. John.

Why is Lex taking a cold bath in his office instead of turning on the AC?

Is Clark intentionally sabotaging the fingerprinting?

Minute 19: Lois giggles like a schoolgirl while standing next to Superman

Lois can make pasta salad. It’s one of the four things she can cook and the only thing not chocolate-based.

Superman makes Lois believe that Clark is running off to catch the story and leaving her behind. That’s actually quite the self-sabotage.

Minute 28: Superman holds Lois’s cheek with his right hand. (gesture from ATAI)
Minute 35: Clark holds Lois’s cheek with his right hand (gesture rom ATAI)

Lex has the private phone number / direct line for the mayor

Lex explains how one of the safety features of the power plant is that it cannot be shut down (i.e. the rods cannot be retracted to stop the nuclear reaction). This seems a bit…hazardous to me.

The inside of the nuclear reactor looks pretty fake/unrealistic when compared with Chernobyl or other reactor photos available.

Michael

Some useless information about solar cycle 22 which started in 1986 and ended in 1996. A massive Earth directed X class flare occurred in 1989 (X15) and damaged satellites, also knocking out the electricity grid in Quebec. This flare remains one of the largest to hit earth directly. One of the largest flares on record include a truly monstrous X45+ flare that knocked out the satellite measuring it, in 2003. Though not Earth-directed, it did cause issues with onboard GPS for northern hemisphere airplanes, and satellites. An M1 class flare (much smaller than an X class flare) knocked out an entire Starlink array (40 satellites) shortly after launch in February 2022, and they fell into the atmosphere and burned up.

When this episode aired it was during the solar minimum before starting solar cycle 23 at a time when we were still learning more about the sun, solar flares, and the damage they could do to Earth, its inhabitants, and the technology we all rely on. Perhaps I'm reading too much into it (I'm a northern lights nerd... solar flares are fascinating to me!), but there's a good chance that the writers remember the events of 1989, as would the characters in Metropolis perhaps making them sensitive to the implications of solar activity mucking up their weather.

The judge says '...flying, the visual thing...' I always stumble over naming Superman's gifts when writing but don't think I've used 'visual thing' yet!

Lois has another shirt on with the strange cut on her chest and a button holding a flimsy 'collar' at the neck when Clark kisses her goodbye. I don't remember these styles at all in the '90's (though at this time I was still in the UK), and for some reason, I really don't like them!

Lex makes note that the radioactivity in the nuclear plant didn't affect Superman. I'm wondering if he tests the Kryptonite that he obtains and discovers there's some radioactivity there as well?

Are there any fics that expand upon Cat's line 'you and I should talk?'