- Title: Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman – Neverending Battle
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With a new Superman ready to fly into theaters this summer every now and then I’ll continue to take a look back at the hero’s more memorable moments on both the big and small screen. Just how powerful is the Man of Steel? That’s the question asked in “Neverending Battle.” As Superman-mania grips The Daily Planet, and Lois (Teri Hatcher) does whatever she can to scoop the story, Lex Luthor (John Shea) designs a series of tests to discover the limits of Superman‘s (Dean Cain) powers. In a clever nod back to the 1940s radio show, Luthor’s theorizes and surmises about Superman being “faster than a speeding bullet,” “more powerful than a locomotive,” and “able to leap buildings in a single bound.”
The various tests Luthor puts Superman through include a pair of jumpers (Mary Crosby, Miguel A. Núñez Jr.), and a bomb threat which Clark uses to trace back to Luthor. Having had enough, Superman provides a couple of more examples including firing a gun point blank at Lex Luthor and chasing down the bullet. When Luthor tells him the tests will continue as long as Superman stays in Metropolis, perhaps killing many innocent people, the hero decides to hang up the cape and return to the life of a mild-mannered-reporter 24/7. Eventually Lois’ faith in Superman causes Clark to don the costume once again.
Although only out of action a few days, the episode’s premise shows just how devious this version of Lex Luthor can be in trying to rid his city of its new hero, no matter who gets in his way. Luthor’s reaction to Superman easily surviving his various tests are priceless. The episode also deals with the out-of-control merchandising of Metropolis’ new hero and Clark’s early struggles to balance his dual lives.
The episode has a couple of B-stories worth mentioning as well. Lois’ Superman fever goes into overdrive as she begins stealing stories from other Daily Planet reporters, including Clark. The reporter from Smallville takes Lois Lane down a peg by sending her on a wild goose chase to the Metropolis Sewage Reclamation Facility in search of Superman’s spaceship. This results in a very funny final scene as Clark has taken the front page with news of Superman’s return and a disheveled Lois stumbles into the Planet to finally admit her wrongdoing. Clark standing up to Lois also gives Jimmy (Michael Landes) the courage to stand-up to Perry White (Lane Smith) and demand to be taken seriously as a journalist.
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