| Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman | |
| Season 3, Episode 22 | |
 | |
| Air date | May 12, 1996 |
| Written by | Eugenie Ross-Leming Brad Buckner |
| Directed by | Philip Sgriccia |
| Episode Guide | |
| ← previous Through a Glass, Darkly |
next → Lord of the Flys |
"Big Girls Don't Fly" is the season 3 finale of Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, and is the second installment of a four-part story arc. After being approved in Zara and Ching's tests, Superman learns that they want him to leave the Earth (and Lois) and go back with them to rule New Krypton, or the planet will be ruled by the evil Lord Nor.
Summary[]
Zara and Ching want Clark to come back with them to New Krypton to become their leader. It also is revealed that Clark and Zara have been married at birth, which is a common ritual up on Krypton. Clark's rival on New Krypton, Lord Nor, sends an assassin to kill Clark, as Clark is struggling to decide whether he should go to New Krypton, or stay on Earth. Ultimately, the assassin is destroyed, and Clark decides to leave Earth behind. The episode, and season, ends with Clark bidding fairwell to the world, and flying off.
Plot[]
Zara and Ching telepathically summon Clark and explain that they are part of a group of roughly 1,000 Kryptonians who were sent to seek a new planet to colonize before Krypton blew up. They settled an inhospitable planet they call New Krypton. Zara is Kal-El's wife from birth, which is a normal practice in the highly pragmatic Kryptonian culture. Both are of noble families, and their union is necessary to avert civil war. If Kal-El does not go back, their marriage will be annulled, and Zara will be forced to marry the evil Lord Nor, who will then take control of the planet. Kal-El cannot bring Lois to New Krypton, since no human could survive the conditions there.
Resistant to the idea of giving up the man she loves "for a world I'll never see", Lois responds to these revelations with snark and skepticism. To prove their story, Zara and Ching demonstrate that when Kal-El and Zara simultaneously place their hands on the pod which brought him to Earth, it displays a holographic message from Jor-El urging Kal-El to consummate his marriage to Zara and bring peace to the ruling families.
Lord Nor sends Tez, a shapeshifting assassin from an unnamed planet of savage killers, to slay Kal-El before he leaves Earth. Tez attacks Jonathan and Martha Kent in their home, demanding Kal-El's location. Jonathan is too terrified to speak, but Tez heads to Metropolis and shapeshifts into Martha in order to get close to Clark. However, he is completely unprepared for Clark's invulnerability and strength, causing his attempts to kill Clark to fail miserably. (This is unexplained within the episode, but the episode "Lord of the Flys" reveals that Lord Nor did not know Kryptonians have superpowers while orbiting a yellow sun.)
Lois continues to resist the idea of Clark leaving, arguing that he already does enough by protecting the millions of people on Earth. Clark professes that he's decided to stay, but Lois and Zara both sense a lack of resolution in him. Though he irrevocably loves Lois and regards Earth as his home, he still recognizes a connection and obligation to the people of his birth planet. After further reflection and consulting with his adoptive parents, Clark and Lois decide together that he should help his people. Ching admits to Lois that he underestimated her strength of character, and attempts to console her by telling her he knows what she is sacrificing, implicitly admitting his love for Zara.
In further battles, Tez begins to mimic Superman's powers in a boosted form. Superman turns this ability against him; when Tez mimics his heat vision, he forms a curve with his hands that rebounds the boosted attack back at Tez. Since failing an assignment is considered unacceptable among his people, Tez commits suicide immediately upon his defeat.
At the Daily Planet, Superman announces his departure to the world and bids personal goodbyes to Perry, Jimmy, and his adoptive parents. Lois gives him a necklace with her wedding ring before he boards the spaceship with Zara and Ching. As his ship leaves, he telepathically tells Lois he loves her. Hearing his voice, she walks outside and looks up at the stars.
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
Recurring role[]
Guest starring[]
- François Giroday as Jor-El
- Roger Daltrey as Tez
- Rosie Lee Hooks as Mrs. Cutler
- Shanna Moakler as the pretty girl
Production notes[]
- This is the last episode with Jon Tenney as Ching. He is replaced in season four by Mark Kiely.