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69 of 71 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The romance heats up in a great Season Three, March 10, 2006
Warning: Spoilers ahead!
Season Three was in many ways a dramatic departure from the previous two season for THE ADVENTURES OF LOIS AND CLARK. The romantic will they/won't they of the first two seasons gave way to: will they be able to? Season Two had ended with Lois about to reply to Clark's proposal of marriage, her words being interrupted by the "to be continued" message. Season Three picked up the last few minutes of Season Two, only this time we get her answer in the form of a question: "Who's asking? Is it Clark or Superman?" removing his glasses to show that she knows his secret. Thus, Season Three begins with a radically premise from the first two seasons. Instead of dancing around how they feel, each acknowledges their love for one another, Lois knows Clark's secret, and they both try to answer the question of whether Superman can marry. Some fans preferred the tease of the first two seasons to the full-blown engagement of Season Three, but I personally always love when a show tries to move forward and do something different.
Season Three also saw some improvement in the primary weakness of the first two seasons: the strength of the villains. While LOIS AND CLARK was always delightful for the wonderful chemistry between Teri Hatcher and Dean Cain in the lead roles (whether the many rumors of their off-screen antagonism was true or not), the show sometimes lagged from rather lame villains and single-episode storylines that seemed to have been produced with little effort. If one contrasted what was happening on a contemporary show, THE X-FILES, which was producing single episodes of near-cinematic quality, the problem is highlighted. Shooting almost exclusively on the Warner Brothers lot hurts as well (fans of THE GILMORE GIRLS will recognize much of Stars Hollow in Metropolis). Still, in Season Three there was a sharp increase in the quality of the individual episodes. The villains were truly menacing and there were genuine moments of tension. Also, Lois's knowledge of Clark's secret identity added many delightful new wrinkles to the show, and she quickly proved herself to be far more adept at covering for Clark's sudden departures than Clark had ever been in the past.
Season Three is also remarkable for some significant changes in the way the show approaches story arcs and narrative. THE X-FILES, following in the wake of TWIN PEAKS, had begun to popularize story arcs that extended beyond a single episode. Though the technique had been developed by HILL STREET BLUES in the eighties, in the nineties it was extended to Sci-fi and fantasy genres as well, and expanded so that on shows like THE X-FILES arcs could extend for several years. LOIS AND CLARK had only one real story arc, the potential for romance between Lois and Clark, while all the other arcs were with minor exceptions contained within single episodes. In Season Three the engagement took over as the main arc, with Clark and Lois struggling to resolve the main issues connected with his being Superman. But in addition to this, towards the end of the season they began stretching the narrative over one episode to another. Only occasionally in the first two seasons had they done this, but beginning with the episode where villains are able to clone humans using enzymes found in frogs until the end of the season, we see nothing but episodes that flow from one into another. This represented a major change in narrative strategy on the show. Traditionally networks do not like shows that do this. The assumption is that you might lose potential viewers who are distraught at being behind the curve on what is happening on the show. Such shows try to catch these viewers up with the "Previously on . . . " at the beginning, but networks generally prefer shows that depend entirely on stand alone episodes. Even if a viewer misses a few episodes, they can easily jump back into the middle of things. So, it was a very important change on LOIS AND CLARK when they jumped on the ongoing story arc bandwagon in the final third of the season.
I really enjoyed Season Three, not least because they took a highly unusual step, one followed by few other shows with romantic tension between the main characters. The received wisdom is that you can't have a successful show where a natural romantic couple actually gets together. For instance, the ratings collapse for MOONLIGHTING after Maddie and David got together is taken as a warning to all other shows. So, Maggie and Joel mainly are not together on NORTHERN EXPOSURE, and as soon as Buffy and Angel get together they are torn apart, and JD and Elliott on SCRUBS get together only to fall apart immediately. Clark and Lois are prevented from marrying, but with a couple of minor qualifications, they are essentially a committed couple for the entire season. Again, their ratings began to fade after they became a steady couple, so perhaps this could be viewed as reinforcement of the MOONLIGHTING lesson. But personally, I love seeing a couple stay together on TV. Maybe I'm not wired like others, but I enjoy seeing a couple be together as much as I like seeing them get together. I think that LOIS AND CLARK's ratings decline can actually be blamed on other factors, such as some unfortunate decisions about where to take story arcs. I do think that by getting Clark and Lois together, the show did create a problem for itself. Once you have resolved the central dilemma of the show, which was whether Lois and Clark will get together, you have to find a new source of dramatic tension. I don't think the show did a good show of doing this, and that is the main reason that the show began to slip a bit in Season Four.
One other general comment. Season Three was the first season to really start showing the effects of the growing capabilities of CGI. It wasn't utilized extensively, but it made Clark or Superman's quick getaways far more believable. Although SMALLVILLE came around only three years after the end of LOIS AND CLARK, you can see there how good CGI got only a few years later. Nonetheless, it did really enhance the believability of the show in the final two seasons.
In summary, this was another really great season in one of the most innovative romantic comedies that we have seen in the past couple of decades. It is also a season in which the show began to branch out in new directions. Lois and Clark don't yet get to live happily ever after, but at least they were clear in their own minds what they wanted to do.
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84 of 89 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Season 3 DVD is coming soon!,, March 12, 2006
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman is my favorite show of all time. The show was on for four seasons from 1993-1997. What made this show so special was the great chemistry Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher had on screen along with a great supporting cast. I was a huge fan watching the first episode in the fall of 1993 (I was 16 years old) and never missed an episode. When the last episode aired in 1997 (I was 20 years old) I was sad because like so many other reviewers I grew up with this show and it was a huge part of my life. I remember every Sunday night I would look so forward to seeing Lois & Clark. Me and my best friend Maria would talk about the show the next day and say how we had so many similarities to these characters. I think it is great that after years of the fans asking Warner Brothers to release this great show that they have finally listened. The fans truly do deserve a DVD release of all four seasons of Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. This show means so much to so many people because it was a good show that lasted longer than anyone ever imagined it would. The third season is another great season of Lois and Clark with better special effects and a more grown up feel.
Below is a complete list of all 22 episodes of the Third Season of Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman which will be released on June 20, 2006.
1: "We Have A Lot To Talk About"
2: "Ordinary People"
3: "Contact"
4: "When Irish Eyes Are Killing"
5: "Just Say Noah"
6: "Don't Tug On Superman's Cape"
7: "Ultra Woman"
8: "Chip Off The Old Clark"
9: "Super Mann"
10: "Virtually Destroyed"
11: "Home Is Where The Hurt Is"
12: "Never on Sunday"
13: "The Dad Who Came In From The Cold"
14: "Tempus Anyone?"
15: "I Now Pronounce You..."
16: "Double Jeopardy"
17: "Seconds"18: "Forget Me Not"
18: "Forget Me Not" Grant
19: "Oedipus Wrecks"
20: "It's A Small World After All"
21: "Through A Glass, Darkly"
22: "Big Girls Don't Fly"
Below are a list of The DVD Bonus Features!
*Lois & Clark: A History of Romance
*The Man of Steel Trivia Challenge (hosted by Dean Cain)
*Look, Up in the sky! The Amazing Story of Superman (excerpts from the new documentary by Bryan Singer and Kevin Burns)
*Plus you get a FREE Movie Ticket (while supplies last) for the SUPERMAN RETURNS movie coming out this June!
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52 of 54 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
From Rivals To Romance To..., June 7, 2006
Everything hinges on Lois's answer to Clark's marriage proposal--and the question of whether she knows his dual identity in Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman - The Complete Third Season. Developed by Deborah Joy LeVine (Dawson's Creek) and a brilliant staff of writers, including [this season] stars Dean Cain ("Virtually Destroyed") and Teri Hatcher ("It's A Small World After All"), Lois & Clark takes the Man of Steel on his most exciting and challenging adventure of all - rivalry & romance (and later marriage) with Lois Lane!
At the time, many critics and fans thought the series was tampering with success by advancing the romance between the two title characters. Not me. And certainly not the show's producers who were extremely confident (and rightfully so) about the direction the third season took. Their plan, according to producer Robert Singer, was to take it forward [then] put up an obstacle.
And as you'll discover in this super 3rd season set, there are obstacles aplenty including Intergang's Bill Church Sr. (Peter Boyle), his ditzy (or is she?) new bride Mindy (Jessica Collins) and his traitorous son Bill Church Jr. (Bruce Campbell) in "We Have A Lot To Talk About"; the return of time traveler Tempus in "Tempus Anyone?" and Lex Luthor in the back-to-back "Double Jeopardy" and "Seconds"; the nefarious Newtrich sisters (Shelley Long & Mary Gross), who unwittingly transform Lois into "Ultra Woman"; and in the back-to-back season finale "Through a Glass, Darkly" and "Big Girls Don't Fly" two visiting Kryptonians (Justine Bateman & Jon Tenney, Teri Hatcher's then-real-life husband) who extend Clark an opportunity to reclaim his alien heritage as ruler of New Krypton, which means saying goodbye to Earth, his parents and Lois.
Episodes include:
45. "We Have a Lot to Talk About": As Lois's answer to Clark's proposal lingers, Metropolis becomes strangely crime-free.
46. "Ordinary People": Lois and Clark escape work with a getaway to a tropical island, unaware that a madman awaits them.
47. "Contact": Lois claims to have been abducted by aliens, and Superman feels powerless to help when she later slips into dangerous trances.
48. "When Irish Eyes Are Killing": Lois believes jealously is prompting Clark's accusations against her visiting Irish friend.
49. "Just Say Noah": Lois and Clark go undercover at a fanatical TV therapist's marriage-counseling retreat.
50. "Don't Tug on Superman's Cape": A wealthy couple want help in capturing Superman for their museum of oddities.
51. "Ultra Woman": The Newtrich sisters plan to destroy Superman unwittingly turns Lois Lane into a superhero.
52. "Chip Off the Old Clark": Lois and Clark investigate a woman who claims she bore Superman's love child.
53. "Super Mann": Nazis preparing for a "new Reich" expose Superman to a nuclear bomb that renders him radioactive.
54. "Virtually Destroyed": An evil computer wizard leads Lois and Clark on a death-defying tour of his virtual-reality "fun park".
55. "Home Is Where the Hurt Is": Superman battles a crime wave and a deadly flu virus during the holidays.
56. "Never on Sunday": Clark begins having strange visions that seem linked to supernatural forces and a voodoo-practicing illusionist.
57. "The Dad Who Came in from the Cold": Jimmy gets an unexpected visit from his estranged father, an enigmatic secret agent.
58. "Tempus Anyone?": Tempus returns to snatch Lois away to a parallel universe, where she links up with H.G. Wells and a more cynical version of Clark.
59. "I Now Pronounce You...": As their wedding day approaches, Lois & Clark's probe into the theft of exotic amphibians leads to a freakish biologist.
60. "Double Jeopardy": Lois's topsy-turvy life begins to play out like a bad novel after Lex Luthor escapes from prison.
61. "Seconds": Superman declares war on the maniacal Lex Luthor over Lois, who with temporary amnesia, is being primed to kill the superhero.
62. "Forget Me Not": Hoping to regain her memory, Lois enters a sanitarium, where Clark is forebidden to visit her.
63. "Oedipus Wrecks": A floodgate of memories opens for Lois just as Dr. Deter is trying to purge all thoughts of Clark from her mind.
64. "It's a Small World After All": Lois discovers that a vengeful former classmate is armed with a secret shrinking formula.
65. "Through a Glass, Darkly": A mysterious terrorist and a new Planet researcher bring nothing but chaos to Lois & Clark.
66. "Big Girls Don't Fly": Just as the two visiting aliens bring Superman a new-found knowledge of his past and his destiny, Lois fears that Clark is drifting away from her for good.
Lois & Clark - The Complete Third Season is a 1010 min. 6-disc set, which features all 22 episodes in full frame (1.33:1) video, and English Stereo Surround audio, French and Spanish subtitles. The super extras include: Lois & Clark: A History of Romance featurette, The Man of Steel Trivia Challenge (hosted by Dean Cain), Look, Up in the Sky! The Amazing Story of Superman (excerpts from the new documentary produced by "Superman Returns" director Bryan Singer and documentary filmmaker Kevin Burns).
Highly Recommended!!
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