Lois & Clark Season One Review

So I finished watching Season One of Lois and Clark the other night. I must say, this is a great show that seems to be forgotten and it doesn’t seem to get the credit it deserves. This show is what introduced me to Superman as a child. Sure, it’s campy. It has cringe-worthy parts, but it’s okay. This show is somewhat similar to the 60s Batman TV show. Granted, Batman was a lot campier, and that’s what it aimed for. L & C has a certain charm about it that just makes me smile and enjoy.
Let’s start from the beginning. The Pilot is fantastic. Each character is introduced in their own unique way. We meet Clark literally as he steps off the bus that took him to Metropolis. Lois is coming in from an undercover job. Now, the cheesiest part of the ep is when he’s trying on different costumes. But, it makes up with a great finish. The Pilot clocks in at around 90 minutes with no commercials. What a powerful start.
Lex Luthor is portrayed fantastically by the great John Shea. He’s not a campy, text book super villain. He’s behind the scenes. Most of the villains Superman faces throughout the first season are controlled by Luthor. He’s a menace that pulls all the strings.
Episode 3 is great. Luthor sets up a series of tests to test Superman’s abilities. Clark even quits after Luthor threatens to kill more people if he remains. Under the words of Lois, Clark dons the cape once more to save the city and a rivalry is born with a great scene in the end involving Superman and Lex.
Trask was a great villain. I really wish they would have kept him around. He only makes two appearances, but they make for great episodes. He’s such a determined person; he’ll do anything, including torcher, to get Superman.
Of course, people complain because of the romance aspect, which does add cheese, but it does add something to the show. The relationships between all the characters are great. Everyone at the Planet is one big family. Lane Smith is great as Perry White, he is the campiest character next to Cat, who is useless, but he plays the chief great. Smith really shines in Ep 21, the season finale. He shows what the character is all about. He just doesn’t shout at people, sit behind his desk and treat Jimmy like a servant. He shows his true passion for news reporting and his great detective work in finding the truth.
Dean Cain catches a lot of flack as Superman, which is understandable. I don’t really like the way he looks, but he plays the role great. His Clark is spot on, nerdy at times, but cocky and suave. He’s funny, yet serious. He plays the “Boy Scout” and voice of reason really well. I like him as Clark (the main character, not Superman) a lot more than Superman. This is okay, because Superman is more in the background and normally doesn’t show up for more than ten minutes and episode. Cain and Hatcher play off each other greatly. They have chemistry that takes a few episodes to get used to, but they are great leads.
The season finale was epic. It’s nail-biting two parter with twists, turns, and Kryptonite.
I know the series started to decline after season one, but it doesn’t matter to me, season one is all I’m reviewing in this, and it is great. I will begin Season Two hopefully within the next few days.
If you want to check out a few episodes, I would highly recommend: Pilot, 2, 3, 8, 11, 12, 13, 16, 19, 20, & 21.