| Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman | |
| Season 2, Episode 10 | |
 | |
| Air date | January 1, 1995 |
| Written by | James Crocker Paul Jackson Tony Blake |
| Directed by | James Bagdonas |
| Episode Guide | |
| ← previous Season's Greedings |
next → Chi of Steel |
Lois's sister Lucy has a new boyfriend, but he's not only a criminal, he's a criminal who was shot in an attempted robbery and had his brain transplanted into a kryptonite-powered cyborg body.
Plot[]
Lois's sister Lucy is back from California with her new boyfriend, Johnny Corben. Lois disapproves of Johnny, who is doltish and has no job. Eavesdropping on Lucy and Johnny, she learns that he is mooching money off of Lucy. Lois researches Johnny and finds two counts of grand theft auto and several misdemeanors on his record, but Clark advises her that Lucy might not appreciate being told Johnny is bad news.
Brother scientists Emmet and Rollie Vale are working on creating a robot to make them the biggest criminal force in Metropolis. Their first working prototype tears open a safe filled with diamonds with its bare hands and stands up to five shots fired by a police officer, but then collapses due to the police radio interfering with its remote control. Emmet decides the solution is to use a human brain, and they put out word on the street that they're looking for a donor.
The rent is increased on Jimmy Olsen's apartment to beyond what he can afford, so he starts looking for a new place. Lois suggests he ask Perry White for a raise instead, but Jimmy points out that the last Daily Planet employee who asked for a raise was fired within a week. He instead tries to draw Perry's attention to the quality of his work, but Perry refuses to take the hint. At last Jimmy resorts to asking directly for a raise, and is given one.
Johnny is shot attempting an armed robbery and his partner, Angel, turns the dying Johnny over to the Vale brothers. They transplant his head onto a robot body powered by Green Kryptonite. With his new power, Johnny becomes a heedless megalomaniac, breaking into an ATM machine in front of a witness.
Lois breaks her findings about Johnny to Lucy by inviting her over for breakfast and "accidentally" leaving his rap sheet in a pile of papers on the dining table. Furious at Lois's investigating Johnny, Lucy storms out and starts ducking Lois.
Since the jewelry store robber was powered by uranium rods, Lois and Clark look into a recent theft of uranium rods from (the since closed) LexLabs, and the trail leads to Emmet Vale. Emmet's ex-wife says he dreamed of making cyborgs, but thinks that to make it reality he would need his brother Rollie's financial savvy.
Seeing the ATM security camera photo, Lois and Clark recognize Johnny. Johnny demands Angel give him half of the $10,000 he was paid to donate Johnny's brain, but Angel shoots Johnny instead. Superman arrives and fights to apprehend Johnny, but weakened by the kryptonite in Johnny's chest, he is defeated. Jimmy arrives in time to get a photo of the beaten Superman, but Lois stops him, not wanting the public to see Superman this way. Perry rebukes her when he finds out, reminding her that it is their job to report the truth without shading it.
Johnny visits Lucy. She is horrified at his new robot body, so he walks out on her. Lois and Clark find a P.O. box for Rollie through the scientific magazine he submits articles to. Clark scans it with X-Ray Vision to find an address for Infinity Laboratories. The Vale brothers point out that if Superman apprehends them, there will be no one to repair Johnny, so Johnny kidnaps Clark to use as bait for Superman. Clark allows the abduction rather than give up his secret identity.
Lucy turns to Lois after her breakup with Johnny, and the two are reconciled. Lois, Lucy, and Jimmy head to Infinity Laboratories to save Clark. Lucy lures Johnny outside by pretending she wants to get back together with him, allowing Lois and Jimmy to sneak in and free Clark. Jimmy runs off to call the police while Lois goes to get Lucy, giving Clark a chance to discretely change to Superman. He arrives in time to stop Johnny from killing Lucy in anger at her deception. Having learned from their previous fight, Superman maintains a long-range battle by flying and repelling Johnny with Super Breath, thereby preventing the kryptonite from affecting him. He finishes Johnny by melting his legs with Heat Vision.
Rollie opens up Johnny's chest, ostensibly to help, but Johnny gets suspicious and grabs Rollie's left arm, breaking it. With his right arm Rollie pulls out the kryptonite and runs off, leaving Johnny deactivated. Emmet grabs Lucy to use as a hostage to ensure his escape, but Superman lassos him with a roll of coil. Fighting not to repeat her earlier mistake, Lois allows Jimmy to take photos of a distraught Lucy with the broken Johnny.
Superman visits Lois to apologize for flying off abruptly after his defeat by Johnny. She admits she was worried about him and puts her hands on his shoulders, but he gently rebuffs her advance and hints that in light of her brave rescue of Clark, he believes she and Clark are meant to be a couple. After he leaves, she calls Clark, but as he has not yet returned she only gets his answering machine.
Cast[]
Main cast[]
- Dean Cain as Clark Kent/Superman
- Teri Hatcher as Lois Lane
- Lane Smith as Perry White
- Justin Whalin as Jimmy Olsen
- K Callan as Martha Kent
- Eddie Jones as Jonathan Kent
Guest starring[]
- Scott Valentine as Johnny Corben/Metallo
- John Rubinstein as Emmet Vale
- Roxana Zal as Lucy Lane
- Louis Mustillo as Detective
- Dee Dee Rescher as Mrs. Vale
- Mary Pat Gleason as Postal Inspector
- And Christian Clemenson as Rollie Vale
Co-starring[]
- Marla Frees as Diane
- Frederick Dawson as Officer #2
- Kehli O'Byrne as ATM Customer
- Doug Toby as Angle
- Brian B. Richardson as Postal Worker
- Wallace Crowder as Officer #1
Production details[]
- Metallo in the comics is slightly different than he is here; though his civilian name and motif are the same, he's never had a relationship with Lucy Lane. In addition, the name "Metallo" is only used in the episode twice: in the headline of the article reporting his first battle with Superman, and spoken by Perry during a staff meeting. Otherwise he is referred to only by his civilian name.
- Corben is obliquely referred to during a phone conversation in the previous episode, "Season's Greedings".
- Roxana Zal takes over the part of Lucy Lane from Elizabeth Barondes.
- Lois says the password for LexLabs is an alphanumeric code and Clark's fingers are seen pushing both alphabet keys and number keys, but all the attempts shown on the screen are purely numeric.
- In the final scene, with Lois and Superman at Lois's apartment, a recording of "I've Got a Crush on You" (the song Lois sang in the episode "I've Got a Crush on You") can be faintly heard.
Quotes[]
Lois: "I don't know what she sees in him. He has no job, no education, no prospects."
Clark: "Maybe it's just animal magnetism."
Lois: "That's fine - in a zoo!"
Lois: "Remember, it's the squeaky wheel that gets grease."
Jimmy: "Or they get a new wheel."
Emmet: "It's called kryptonite, and it never runs out."
Johnny: "Huh... Just like the bunny, huh?"
Emmet: [smiling condescendingly] "Yes, that's it. Just like the bunny."
Lucy: "This was all a charade, wasn't it? I mean, why don't you just fold this rap sheet into an airplane and throw it at my head?!"
Lois: "I've never been good at those planes."