Hitting the "Zone"

Of course, the series wasn't always consistently great- a few episodes were silly or far-fetched, but the first season of Lois & Clark did have more than it's fair share of great episodes and (crucially) great moments. For those who rue the lack of an entertaining new Superman film to watch, the series' 90 minute pilot (arguably one of the best television pilots ever made) and also the end-of-season two-partner cannot be recommended strongly enough. Indeed, they are truly inspired. The pilot was written by Deborah Joy Levine (and was directed by veteran television director Robert Butler) and the end of season two-parter was co-written by Levine and her brother Dan, also a frequent contributor to the series. Many talented writers and producers helped to craft the first season of Lois and Clark, but it is Levine who must be credited with taking the risk, steering the series (unlike feature-films, television producers re-write and polish all scripts before they are filmed) and fighting to keep Lois & Clark a character-based show. More importantly, it was Levine's take that showed just how much dramatic potential was left in the character of Superman/ Clark/ Kal-El. Many of the stories and dilemmas presented in the series would have made for great movies: Superman pursued by a ruthless government agent determined to discover his real identity; Superman deliberately tested by Luthor through a series of staged accidents; Clark Kent's apartment burgled - his Kryptonian artefacts stolen; Superman ordered by a court to desist from using his Superpowers, etc.

Levine's grasp of dialogue was also exceptional, harking back to Tom Mankiewicz's stint on Superman with Richard Donner. One great example of this is found in the aforementioned end of season two-parter: Lois is considering marrying Lex; as a result, Clark finally tells Lois that he loves her - she rejects his advances and asks Clark to tell Superman that she would like to see him (in case he sees him around). Later, Superman appears in Lois's apartment, the air filled with tension. Lois declares her love for Superman, perhaps subconsciously hoping to find a reason not to marry Lex. He remains wary "There are things about me that you don't know; that you may never know." A teary-eyed Lois retorts: "What does it matter? I know you. I don't mean you the celebrity or you the Superhero. If you had no powers at all - if you were just an ordinary man leading an ordinary life, I would love you just the same. Can't you believe that?" Of course, that ordinary man is Clark - one of the eternal dramatic paradoxes that form the core of Superman's popularity. Later in the episode, Superman sees Lex placing an engagement ring on Lois's finger. In a nod to the Reeve films, our devastated superhero flies to the North Pole and screams "No!!!" at the top of his voice. For one moment, Lois is interrupted from her kiss with Lex - did she hear something, someone's heart being torn in two? What could be worse for Superman than seeing Lois falling for his arch-enemy? This is certainly one of the greatest and most powerful dramatic moments in the history of Superman.

In addition to drama, Levine also had a great grasp of wit. In a Levine-penned episode in which Lois is hiding an alleged murderer in her apartment, Perry White calls Lois and Clark into his office:

PERRY
Now, you're sure there's nothing you want to get of your chest...chests?

LOIS
Well, we'd like to tell you chief, but we can't. It's better this way.

CLARK
You're better off not knowing, chief.

PERRY
It's a little late for that...I know!

LOIS
You know?

CLARK
What exactly do you know?

PERRY
You know, about him, where he is.

CLARK
Aah, so you do know?

LOIS
How do you know?

PERRY
It's better you don't know. I don't know officially.
But then if a man in my position didn't know unofficially...
I wouldn't be a man in my position.

LOIS
So now that you know, unofficially, are you going to tell anybody that you ...you know, know?

PERRY
No. I just wanted you to know.

CLARK
Well thank you sir, I feel so much better knowing that you know.

LOIS
Me too!

PERRY
There is something that you should know, though.
The minute you step outside that door, I no longer know.
And I don't want to know...anything else worth knowing in the future.

Levine's repetitive and rhyming wordplay is genial, and Lane Smith's Perry delivers the dialogue with such deadpan, that the scene is elevated to an even higher level.

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