Line #12 LoisAndClark/TropesSeasonFour


1	[[Series/LoisAndClark Main Page]] \| LoisAndClark/{{Tropes Season One}} \| LoisAndClark/{{Tropes Season Two}} \| LoisAndClark/{{Tropes Season Three}} \| '''Season Four'''
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5	* AliensInCardiff: Lord Nor's invasion of.... Smallville, KS.
6	* AlmostKiss: Lois and [[spoiler: Other!Clark]] in ''"Lois and Clarks"''.
7	* AlternateUniverse: In "Lois and Clarks", after Clark is stranded in a time window by Tempus, H. G. Wells brings the Clark from the parallel universe (whom he and Lois met in Season Three's "Tempus, Anyone?") to the main universe so that he can be fill in for Superman in the absence of the normal version of Clark. This proves difficult for everyone, at least initially. Lois finds it very hard being around him as "it's like having Clark but not." For his part, the alternate Clark, who has a pretty lonely life, is attracted to Lois and the two of them have a "weird chemistry" that he doesn't really understand. Considering that Jonathan and Martha's counterparts in the parallel universe were killed in a car accident when their son was ten, meeting the very much alive normal versions of them is a particularly strange and painful experience for the alternate Clark.
8	* AngelUnaware: Ultimately the only way Clark can successfully get Lois to the altar. Doubles as a FandomNod, as the character in question is very apologetic and makes veiled references to a frustrated audience.
9	* AristocratsAreEvil:
10	** Lord Nor. He's got a [[BeardOfEvil beard]] and everything.
11	** Baron Tempos, one of Tempus' past lives, in "Soul Mates". He has a beard too.
12	* AttackReflector: Superman destroys Vixen by deflecting her own fireball back at her.
13	* BackseatChangingRoom: A rare ''front seat'' example of the trope: After Clark breaks Lois out of prison as Superman, we have a shot of Lois in the front passenger seat of Clark's car changing out of her prison uniform and into regular clothes.
14	* BigBad: None other than [[spoiler: Lex Luthor Jr]].
15	* BigNo: H. G. Wells, when Tempus jacks his time machine (again).
16	* BlackmailIsSuchAnUglyWord: Lord Nor in "Lord of The Flys", when accused of holding Smallville's townspeople hostage:
17	-->'''Lord Nor:''' Oh, "prisoners" is such a pejorative term.\
18	'''Leeza Gibbons:''' What would ''you'' call them?\
19	'''Lord Nor:''' Students. I wish to ''educate'' them to accept me as their unconditional ruler.
20	* BookcasePassage: Used often, most notably in Season 4, when Lois & Clark move into a new house together. The revolving bookcase conceals a storage space for Superman's costumes.
21	* BurningRubber: In "Lethal Weapon", Clark's total lack of control over his super-speed is illustrated by a fiery trail created by his boots as he skids to stop.
22	* ButWhatAboutTheAstronauts: Superman learns that he is not the last surviving Kryptonian and at least a thousand others were traveling through space on a colonization mission when the planet exploded.
23	* TheCaligula: Lord Nor.
24	* CantHaveSexEver: During Lois and Clark's honeymoon, H.G. Wells crashes the party to warn that if they have sex, they will die. And no, not because of ''Film/{{Mallrats}}'''s [[ManOfSteelWomanOfKleenex Superman ejaculation theory]][[note]]itself based on the 1971 Creator/LarryNiven [[http://www.rawbw.com/~svw/superman.html essay]][[/note]], but because Tempus has placed some curse on them.
25	-->'''Lois:''' Foreplay is great, but [[ArcFatigue this is ridiculous!]]
26	* CaptainObvious: In "Shadow of a Doubt", a killer has strangled a scientist in his office, despite there being no sign of break-in. Dr. Klein lends his expertise:
27	-->"Self-induced strangulation is very rare."
28	* CardCarryingVillain: Lord Nor's insignia happens to be an inverse Superman logo.
29	* CassetteCraze: A tape recording of [[spoiler:Lex Luthor]] exposing Superman's secret identity.
30	* ChairReveal: How Leslie Luckabee is unmasked as [[spoiler: Lex Luthor Jr]]. Or ''is'' he?
31	* CoolBike: In "Faster Than a Speeding Vixen", Dr. Klein is revealed to ride a Harley Davidson to work.
32	* ContinuityNod: A nice bit of continuity appears in "Dead Lois Walking", when Lois is convicted of murder. The subtitle of her tabloid headline reads, "[-NUNK SMILES FROM THE GRAVE!-]" (See "{{Paparazzi}}", below.)
33	* CreepyCathedral: The belltower where Jefferson Cole plans to release a toxin rain onto Metropolis.
34	* DecoyLeader: Leslie Luckabee is presented as [[spoiler:Lex Luthor's illegitimate son]], with the deformed "MrSmith" as his valet. Actually, it's the other way around.
35	* DepravedKidsShowHost: Mr. Gadget used to be one, until he was sentenced to prison. His name is a spoof on the real-life Mr. Wizard.
36	* DeflectorShields: Lord Nor erects a giant force dome over Smallville.
37	* DestructionEqualsOffSwitch: In "Lois and Clarks", Tempus plans to destroy the world by launching a nuclear missile attack and tells the alternate universe Superman it cannot be stopped without the deactivation codes. [=Alt!Superman=] simply smashes the device that controls the missiles and it does work.
38	* DisintegrationChamber: In the episode "Battleground Earth" Clark/Kal-El is sentenced to have his "body be disintegrated and your molecules scattered over countless distant galaxies". He is then put into an open cage-like structure. In a somewhat unusual version of the trope, the disintegration is explicitly shown to be slow (and apparently rather painful), and the process is also (fortunately) reversible, at least up to a fairly advanced stage of the procedure.
39	* DoorstopBaby Somehow left in their living room while they were in the house without Clark seeing or hearing anything, despite his super-senses.
40	** A common belief is that the baby was left by Zara and Ching, which would explain how they snuck past Clark's powers. They tended to be amazingly good at that...
41	* DoubleWeapon: Drei, the double ended Kryptonian dueling maces.
42	%%* DontYouDarePityMe: [[spoiler:Lex Luthor]] Jr. to Lois.
43	* DoppelgangerReplacementLoveInterest: After Superman is trapped in Tempus' time warp, H.G. Wells enlists his AlternateUniverse counterpart for help. Things get a little awkward between him and Lois, particularly since the Lois Lane of alt-Superman's world has been missing for years and is presumed dead.
44	* EnergyBall: Vixen fires them out of her wrists.
45	* PreciousPuppies / [[RightHandCat Right Hand Dog]]: Little Tony carries around a little pooch.
46	* EvilCostumeSwitch: In "I've Got You Under My Skin", in which Clark suffers GrandTheftMe, his hijacker dresses him in leather pants and a black lycra shirt. Quoth Lois: "Change out of that stupid outfit, honey."
47	* EvilDetectingDog: The teaser to "The Night Before Mxymas" shows a dog barking angrily at Mr. Mxyzptlk, who retaliates by turning it into a toy.
48	* EvilDuo: This show became very fond of having villains show up in pairs - usually a criminal genius or MadScientist and their less intelligent hanger-on - even in cases where both parties were on more equal footing, there was always a "leader/assistant" dynamic. Often, the assistant would either [[MinionWithAnFInEvil be much less evil than their boss]] or [[SurroundedByIdiots much less competent,]] though on some occasions the minion would end up being EvillerThanThou.
49	* ExpectingSomeoneTaller: Penny makes this observation of Jimmy in "AKA Superman". Then again, she's under the impression that he ''is'' Superman.
50	* ExpendableClone: Tempus' BodyDouble, planted by Andrus so nobody would notice him missing from the asylum. Later, Tempus tricks Superman into capturing the fake Tempus.
51	* FiveRoundsRapid: Col. Ambrose Cash orders his tanks to open fire on Lord Nor's DeflectorShield. It's about as effective as throwing rocks.
52	* FoodSlap: In preparation for her ShotgunWedding to Leslie Luckabee, Lois is forced to share dinner with him... which ends with Lois hurling a plate of food at his head.
53	* GoodIsDumb: Andrus, a time-traveling "Peacekeeper" who frees Tempus from an asylum (where he was rendered harmless) so he can face trial in the future. Unfortunately, since [[PerfectPacifistPeople no one in the future has any perception of violence]], Andrus is about the least-competent warden ever.
54	* GotTheWholeWorldInMyHand: President-elect Tempus' flag depicts a giant fist punching through a globe.
55	* GratuitousForeignLanguage: Penny Barnes ordered in Chinese at a restaurant.
56	* TheGrotesque: Mr. Smith.
57	* GroundhogDayLoop: Myxy puts a different spin on it - he, Supes [[spoiler: and, eventually Lois]] are the only ones fully aware of the loop, but everyone is ''subconsciously'' aware of it, causing them to become increasingly fatalistic. After enough loops, World War 3 is on the horizon.
58	* HappilyMarried
59	* HauntedHeadquarters: Lois & Clark's new apartment has a ghost in it.
60	* {{Headdesk}}: Mr. Smith bangs his head against a video monitor when Leslie Luckabee starts going [[WagTheDirector off-script]] during an interview.
61	* HeelFaceTurn: Jerry White undergoes one in "Lethal Weapon", when Perry discovers that he hasn't gone straight after all.
62	* HiddenInPlainSight: In "Voice From the Past", Superman is busy looking for Lex Luthor Jr.'s hideout. It turns out to be in an abandoned subway station ''directly underneath'' the Daily Planet.
63	* HollywoodHeartAttack: Jonathan Kent suffers one during one of Mxyzptlk's time loops.
64	* INeedAFreakingDrink: In "Dead Lois Walking", an overworked Dr. Klein drinks hooch from a laboratory beaker.
65	* IdentityImpersonator: In Season 4, Tempus attempts to unmask Superman in front of the world, but is thwarted when a second Clark Kent is seen walking hand-in-hand with Lois. (It helps that one of the Clarks is from an AlternateUniverse).
66	* ImmortalityImmorality: Connor Schenk, an elderly convict, enlists the help of a scientist to steal Jimmy's [[LiquidAssets life force]] via a machine, thereby transforming himself into a young man while Jimmy rapidly ages.
67	* InTheBack: Leslie Luckabee, after undergoing a HeelFaceTurn and attempting to free Lois from [[spoiler:Lex Luthor]] Jr.'s torture device. Junior reckons he's too much of a coward, and Leslie backs off, only to be shot and tumble [[NeverFoundTheBody into a sewer ditch]]. Hmm, wonder if that's [[SarcasmMode the last we'll see of him]].
68	* ItWorksBetterWithBullets: Bad guy Ethan Press holds his brother Eric hostage and forces him to help kill Superman. At one point Eric fights back and grabs the disintegrator gun they stole from the Pentagon, then points it in Ethan's face. Ethan tells Eric he's not "man enough" to do it. Eric pulls the trigger and, as in the description, nothing happens. Ethan gloats, "I disarmed it!" and shows Eric the part he removed.
69	* JustLikeRobinHood: Clark's medieval ancestor, "The Fox".
70	* KangarooCourt: Lord Nor puts Kal-El on trial for his phony marriage to Zara, using footage of Clark and Lois snogging as evidence.
71	* KillAndReplace: Deathstroke and his wife target a reclusive billionaire by killing off the small handful of people who know what he looks like, with the intention of assuming his identity.
72	* KillThePoor: The homeless are shown to be immune to President Tempus' telephone-linked subliminal messaging, by virtue that none of them own a phone. In response, Tempus passes legislation making it illegal ''not'' to use the phone, then lines the hobos up before a [[ShotAtDawn firing squad]].
73	* KnightTemplar: Vixen. "To eradicate evil."
74	* LawOfInverseFertility
75	* LeftHanging: The DoorstopBaby finale.
76	* LickedByTheDog: Woody Samms makes a HeroicSacrifice by [[BodySurf bodysurfing]] back into his own body, thereby reverting Clark to his old self. Now vulnerable again, Samms is [[spoiler:fatally shot by Little Tony, but survives when the mobster's puppy wanders over to his bullet-riddled body and licks the body-swapping crystal in his hand. ...Yep, Samms is now a quadruped]].
77	** But [[NoAnimalsWereHarmed the puppy is okay, right]]? ''[[ValuesDissonance Right?]]''
78	* LipstickMark: Penny Barnes plants one on Superman, thinking he's Jimmy Olsen in disguise. Cue a raised eyebrow from Lois.
79	* LivingDollCollector: Tim and Amber Lake from the episode "Don't Tug On Superman's Cape" collect rare things, and tried to acquire Superman. They also have a car they're "[[ShoutOut Just batty over]]"...
80	* LivingShadow / TragicVillain: Edward Hanson, ex-scientist and victim of a FreakLabAccident.
81	* LongList: In "Dead Lois Walking", Lois and Clark look into the number of people with a grudge against Lois to figure out who is framing her. Given that Lois is a determined reporter whose articles ruined or gotten a number of people imprisoned, the list quite long.
82	* LoveIsAWeakness: [[spoiler:Lex Luthor Jr.]] to Superman, as he holds Lois hostage.
83	* TheMaidenNameDebate: Perry gives Lois a new nameplate for her desk that says "Lois Kent." She is later seen sliding her previous plate and new one together to see how she likes "Lois Lane Kent". In the end she's still not sure.
84	%%* MandatoryMotherhood: Lois wrestles with this in Season 4.
85	* MayflyDecemberRomance: "Brutal Youth" focuses on Lois' discover that Clark does not age as fast as a normal human being -- if he aged at all. It is (possibly) resolved when Superman gives up some of his youth to rescue Jimmy from RapidAging, and also to de-age the villain of the week into a baby. Clark later suggests he has given up enough of his youth for it to no longer be an issue.
86	* MyBrainIsBig: Dr. Klaus "Fat Head" Mensa.
87	* MyOwnPrivateIDo: Plan first, elope later. ''Much'' later. Long story short, every criminal and his brother finds the notion of crashing the Kent-Lane wedding irrepressible. Finally, a guardian angel spirits the couple away to a hilltop wedding. Also in attendance are Jonathan, Martha, Jimmy, and Perry, who were also summoned.
88	* NewEraSpeech: Leslie Luckabee announcing the relaunch of our friendly neighborhood [[spoiler:[=LexCorp=]]].
89	* NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent: "Australian"-born Leslie Luckabee. He blames it on having "[[HandWave watched too many TV shows]]" as a kid.
90	* ObstructiveBureaucrat: Preseident-elect Tempus sics about a hundred of them on Superman, penalizing him for his lack of a flying license, not reading crooks their Miranda rights, and failure to pay taxes.
91	* OffTheWagon: Ellen Lane can really put away the eggnog.
92	* OnlyInAmerica: Tempus' excuse for why he's leading the Presidential election poll (under the pseudonym "[[MrSmith John Doe]]"), despite only entering the race ''yesterday''.
93	--> '''Lois:''' Well, even ''you'' must be surprised by your surge in popularity given that, well, no one knows ANYTHING about you.\
94	'''Tempus:''' Ain't America great?
95	* OverlordJr: Bill Church Jr., and later [[spoiler:Lex Luthor Jr.]]
96	* OverlyNervousFlopSweat: One episode had them talking to the accomplice of the episode's bad guy. Throughout it, he's very clearly nervous, and when Lois asks if he's sweating, he says yes, then tries to brush it off by saying he's wearing wool.
97	* PercussiveMaintenance: Need to stop nuclear missiles from launching? Punch the console.
98	-->'''Tempus:''' Too late! You need an abort code to-- ''(SMASH)'' ..Or--Or that, you could do that.
99	* PhantomZone: Not ''the'' Phantom Zone, but pretty close. In "Meet John Doe", Tempus imprisons Superman within a single nanosecond of time, which resembles a giant...[[WhenThingsSpinScienceHappens spinny]], [[TimeyWimeyBall glass cube-thing]].
100	* PowerIncontinence: Upon being exposed to red kryptonite in "Lethal Weapon", Clark loses control over his powers. Before long, he can't even sneeze without turning his whole house upside-down.
101	* PsychicDreamsForEveryone: In "Meet John Doe", Clark has a recurring nightmare of Lois being dragged away from him. At the episode's conclusion, Superman gets sucked into Tempus' time portal, revealing it was ''he'' who was being dragged away.
102	* PresidentEvil: Tempus, courtesy of MassHypnosis.
103	-->'''Tempus:''' [[PropheticName Dragon]], I'm told that you are the cruelest, most sadistic, most feared cutthroat in Metropolis. You [[SelfMadeOrphan killed your parents when you were 3]], and it's been downhill ever since.\
104	'''Dragon:''' That's more or less it.\
105	'''Tempus:''' How'd you like to be [[TheDragon Secretary of State]]?
106	* PunnyName: Myrtle Beech, aka "The Wedding Destroyer".
107	* PurpleIsPowerful: Nor's sigil.
108	* ARealManIsAKiller: Ching and Zara take this view toward Clark's pacifism.
109	* ReincarnationRomance: Clark and Lois are revealed to be this in "Soul Mates".
110	* RetGone: In "Meet John Doe", Andrus, a time traveller from the future Utopia created by Superman and his descendants, ceases to exist when Tempus traps Superman in the time window. He and Utopia itself are presumably restored after Tempus is defeated and Superman is rescued in "Lois and Clarks".
111	%%* ReversePolarity: Quoted by Dr. Klein's scientist girlfriend.
112	* RightThroughHisPants: Seeing as this is Superman we're talking about, this trope gets dialed up to eleven. A post-coital Clark and Lois are shown splayed out on their kitchen floor, fully-clothed and ready for work (Clark hasn't even undone his tie or ''removed his glasses''); And yet, both were evidently so overcome by passion that they forgot to use protection.
113	* RimShot: Accompanies each of Reverend Bob's horrific jokes.
114	* RingsOfActivation: When the assassin Tez is sent to Earth in "Big Girls Don't Fly" he arrives via a teleportation beam that consists of two rings.
115	* RoboticReveal: Vixen's suit is damaged during her final bout with Superman, revealing her mechanical innards.
116	* RunawayGroom: Responsible for creating The Wedding Destroy. Yep. [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin The Wedding Destroyer]]. If you haven't figured it out yet, she is basically a psycho who goes around destroying people's weddings.
117	* SaveBothWorlds: No sooner does Clark leave for New Krypton to prevent a civil war, than Lord Nor lands on Earth and takes it over.
118	* SexyShirtSwitch: Lois in "Meet John Doe".
119	* [[HeWhoMustNotBeHeard She Who Must Not Be Heard]]: Brenda, Jimmy's newest girlfriend in "'Twas the Night Before Mxymas". Though she never actually speaks, we are treated to sight gags of Brenda going from a Rhodes scholar to scantily-clad streetwalker (via Mxyzptlk's influence) over the course of the time loop.
120	* ShouldersOfDoom: Lord Nor.
121	* SleepingWithTheBoss: After they get married one episode saw Lois being promoted to the Daily Planet's editor. Clark jokingly says he's looking forward to sleeping with the boss.
122	* SoProudOfYou: Ethan Press, the villain in "Stop the Presses", considers Lex his personal idol.
123	--> "Amazing, isn't it? Out of ''all'' of the villians who've wanted you dead, I am going to be the one to pull it off; a spoiled dilettante with too much time on his hands. [chokes up] Lex would be so proud."
124	* SpitTake: In "Chip Off The Old Clark", Lois interviews Leanne at her home and Leanne gives her some water. Leanne says, "Please, I beg you, don't ask about our intimate relations. Suffice it to say... they don't call him Superman for nothing." Lois immediately spews out a mouthful of water.
125	* StoppedClock: At the end of the multi-part episode that involves Clark being lost in time, the exact time of his departure is needed to save him. Good thing said departure involved an explosion that damaged the BigBad's watch.
126	* StripPoker: TheTeaser to "Lethal Weapon" shows Clark and Lois playing this game at home.
127	* SubliminalSeduction: Tempus' "subliminator", which carries his hypnotic messages across phones lines and (later) every electric current.
128	* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Lord Nor is a fairly obvious stand-in for General Zod.
129	* SwordFight: Clark (as "The Fox") versus Baron Tempos.
130	* TemptingFate: Clark's repeated assurances to Lois that ''nothing'' will postpone their wedding.
131	-->"Besides, it's not like [[LampshadeHanging the Wedding Destroyer broke out of the asylum]] or something."
132	* ThatPoorPlant: Mr. Mxyzptlk causes a loop in time, forcing Clark to relive a day again and again during which everyone becomes more depressed and pessimistic. Each time it happens, the Christmas tree in the Daily Planet office dwindles until it's just a stalk with a bauble on it.
133	* TheTalk: Lampshaded when Superman comes to Dr. Klein for help in determining if he can father children with a human. Klein thinks at first Superman needs The Talk, and starts spinning a colorful metaphor involving flowers until Superman corrects him.
134	* ThereIsAnother: Clark finds a Kryptonian colony that had survived Krypton's explosion, though after the cross-season introduction they didn't expand on that.
135	%%* TimeTravelTenseTrouble: "Soul Mates", in particular.
136	%%* TotalitarianUtilitarian: Garret Grady.
137	* TrapDoor: Randy Goode expresses his displeasure with a mooks by dropping him down an empty elevator shaft. This has apparently become routine for him.
138	* TrialByCombat: Superman and Lord Nor's gladiator DuelToTheDeath.
139	%%* UnfinishedBusiness: The namesake of "Ghosts".
140	* UnknownRival: Lord Nor has long had his sights set on taking over New Krypton, a goal that required him to marry Zara as her family was the planetoid's ruling house. Unfortunately for Nor, Zara had already been betrothed to Clark by their families. Nor grew to hate Clark for standing in the way of his goal, even though Clark didn't even know he was betrothed to Zara until adulthood. Clark even points out that the traditions of Nor's own society is what is keeping him from ruling New Krypton.
141	* UnsatisfiableCustomer: Lois makes ridiculously picky food order at a roadside restaurant. Clark pleads with her to keep a low profile, since she ''is'' a fugitive.
142	%%* [[VigilanteMan Vigilante Girl]]: Vixen.
143	* VillainousDemotivator: Lord Nor is prone to vaporizing people with heat vision when he doesn't get his way.
144	* WalkOnWater: Vixen demonstrates the ability to ''[[SuperSpeed sprint across oceans]]''.
145	* WarForFunAndProfit: Randy Goode leaks a compromising photo of Superman to the press, sabotaging a vital peace talk which the Man of Steel is mediating.
146	* WeCanRebuildHim: Johnny Corben, aka "Metallo".
147	* WeComeInPeaceShootToKill: Lord Nor's posse of evil Kryptonians take over Earth handedly, but not before handing out friendly brochures.
148	* WeakenedByTheLight: Edward Hanson, aka the "Shadow".
149	* WellDoneSonGuy: Mr. Gadget acts this way toward his son.
150	%%* WeddingSmashers: Twice (third wedding's the charm, though).
151	* WeWillNotUsePhotoshopInTheFuture: A tabloid reporter snaps a picture of Superman kissing Lois, but it's a fake: Jimmy reveals the image was made using 3D models of Lois and Superman and digitally posing them in a lying-down position.

Context LoisAndClark / TropesSeasonFour