Season two offers a myriad of episodes that run the gamut of being good, average and downright terrible.
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Over the course of his 60 plus years of existence, Superman has undergone various changes in his mythology. Before John Byrne´s 1986 reinvention of the Man of Steel, Superman was virtually a god among heroes. His powers knew no bounds and considering that his alter ego was something of a goof ball, there wasn´t much else to do with the character and, ultimately, not much to relate to. However, with Byrne came a new era for the big, blue boy scout; one in which his powers had been weakened to make him a more viable hero. Even Lex Luthor was changed from a mad scientist with a genius intellect to an awesomely wealthy billionaire and politician that used more dubious methods of battling Superman.
One of the most significant changes to the Superman mythos was the new take on Clark Kent. His mild mannered reporter persona took on a more confident and extroverted personality. This imbued Clark with what many consider his true self with the ability to be free from the restrictions of hiding behind a secret identity. "Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman", premiered in September 1993 and put this new version of the hero on the forefront. The Clark Kent/Superman in the series is very much of the Byrne mold.
"Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman the Complete Second Season" hits the ground running but offers a mixed bag of entertainment, offering episodes that are sometimes great fun or down right cringe inducing. It picks up not long after the death of Lex Luthor (John Shea), who jumped from the top floor of a skyscraper during his wedding to Lois Lane before they could say their "I do´s." The season premiere, "Madame Ex", has psychologist Ariana Carlin (Emma Samms) take office in the Daily Planet, but little does the staff know that Ariana has something more diabolical up her sleeve. She is plotting to kill Superman and hopes to use a Lois Lane look-a-like to get the job done, thereby incriminating the real Lois Lane.
Most of the episodes play very much like this one. A mystery comes about that Lois, Clark or even Jimmy must investigate while Superman must deal with seemingly separate forces (that aren´t so separate from the main investigation) and ultimately save the day. There is a drawback to this formula, especially when introducing a new villain every week, the hero´s friends constantly in peril. It grows old, quick, especially with no overarching threat to Superman for most of the season.
The season´s biggest weakness is the lack of Lex Luthor. To envision a Superman without Lex Luthor is like having yin without yang, good without evil, light without dark. It´s downright ludicrous. As a result of Luthor´s departure the show needed to fill a gap and did so with a rotation of villains, none of whom could hold a candle to Luthor. But the show does try and introduces Intergang, as led by philanthropist Bill Church (Peter Boyle), in the episode "Church of Metropolis". Intergang proves a decent threat to the Last Son of Krypton but is terribly underused. They pop up in various episodes but could have made the show stronger had they been behind the various threats Superman faces from episode to episode.
Still, the focus of "Lois & Clark" is just that, Lois and Clark. The formula blended the campy touch of the Byrne comics, while blending it with a romantic "Moonlighting" sensibility. The show focused on the titular pair´s relationship, bringing in soap opera style storytelling that sees them fawn over each other for the entire season. Some of this is handled quite well and some of it is silly. While many actors have donned the blue and red tights, from George Reeves to Christopher Reeve to Tom Welling and (next) Brandon Routh, none have been as mild-mannered, acting wise, as Dean Cain. Cain does an ok job but his strength is that he really gave audiences a Superman they could swoon over. Couple him with Teri Hatcher as Lois and what you have is a scorching couple with pretty great chemistry that is quite apparent this season as their banter and energy together is done with great gusto and ease.
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