The Rival

**The Rival** is the seventeenth episode of the first season.

In this episode some of Lois' past is mentioned for the first time.

## Plot

Suddenly *The Metropolis Star* is scooping *The Daily Planet* and Star reporter Linda King is scooping her old rival in love and work, Lois Lane. While Lois has an emotional breakdown, Clark investigates how the *Star* always gets the story first.

## Plot Summary

Clark plays a game of basketball with Bo Jackson, while not wearing his glasses. Bo is a far better player than Clark and constantly reminds a frustrated Clark of his abilities. Finally, Clark catches one of Bo's throws by flying into the air, and netting the ball himself.

Perry reveals that sales figures for the *Daily Planet* are plummeting since Preston Carpenter bought the *Metropolis Star*. The *Star* is scooping the *Planet* on all of the major stories happening in the city. Jimmy reveals that there's a hotel fire taking place in the city. Lois and Clark are just about to rush out to the story, but Clark runs back into the *Planet* newsroom, saying that he forgot something and secretly changes into Superman.

Superman saves a woman on the top floor who firemen were unable to reach. Linda King interviews him as he lands, scooping Lois on the story.

While Lois angrily relays to Clark how deceitful Linda is, Clark just laughs and suggests that she might be jealous. Linda comes to the *Daily Planet* and asks Clark if he could arrange for her to meet Superman. Clark declines, but Linda invites him to a dinner held by Preston Carpenter anyway.

That evening at the dinner, Lois and Clark meet Preston Carpenter, who talks down about the *Planet*. The next day, there is a photo of Clark dancing with Linda King in the society pages. Linda brings Clark on a lunch date and asks him about his relationship with Lois, to which Clark responds that it's 'undefined'. Linda reveals that her success has largely been a stroke of luck, as she has simply been in the right place at the right time when all of the big stories have broken. As if on cue, an elevator cable breaks in the same building as the restaurant in which Linda and Clark are eating. Superman saves the day once again, and Linda gets the story.

Stark, one of Carpenter's men, shows Carpenter the headline of the *Star*, showing Superman saving the falling elevator. Carpenter says that soon he will control 80% of what news people are reading in the country and that he will destroy the *Daily Planet*.

Perry is angry about poor sales of the *Daily* Planet and warns that redundancies will be next, followed by the paper going under. Using his microscopic vision, Clark spots Stark in one of the photos from the recent accidents. He shows Lois a piece of the cable from the elevator, and points out that it has clearly been cut and that it didn't snap, perhaps indicating sabotage. While Lois gets overly excited at the prospect that she is going to scoop Linda, Clark suggests that they go out to lunch and think it all over.

While eating, Lois and Clark get a free copy of the *Metropolis Star*, where Clark notices that Carpenter's editorial about the elevator crash was in the same edition as Linda's initial story, and that this is very strange.

Carpenter and Linda are eating in the same restaurant. The mogul explains to Linda his obsession with Charles Foster Kane, the character from *Citizen Kane* and how he promoted agendas in his papers, getting people to think the way he did. He proposes a romantic involvement with Linda, but she rejects his attempts.

Linda and Lois meet in the ladies' room, where they take pot-shots at one another. Linda rushes out to Clark to ask him to walk her to the nearest train station. Clark offers to show her the way, much to Lois' chagrin. On the way, Linda asks Clark to come over to her place, but Clark rejects the offer. When he gets back to the restaurant, Lois has left. Clark goes to Lois' apartment to apologize, and scolds her for leaving the restaurant. Lois explains how she and Linda were friends in high school, before Linda betrayed her and stole her story, to impress the editor, with whom both women were infatuated. When Clark suggests that Linda might be doing the same thing now, Lois snaps at him and Clark leaves, telling Lois that she's very difficult to work with and that maybe he will look for work at the *Star* with Linda, instead.

Clark goes to work for the *Metropolis Star*, with Linda King. When a horrified Lois discovers that Clark has left the *Planet* to work for the *Star*, Perry is non-plussed, understanding Clark's worries about his future and his difficulties working with Lois. As Lois leaves Perry's office, Perry hints that everything will be alright. Lois is not convinced.
Linda reveals to Clark that Carpenter has been hitting on her. While at a press conference about priceless Orani jewels being given to the United States as a peace offering, Lois and Linda fight in front of everyone. Clark spots armed men about to rob the jewels. He uses his super breath to knock a plant in front of the door so that the men can't enter the room.

Lois comes to Clark's apartment to confront him, expecting Linda to be there. Instead, she finds Perry and discovers that Clark is working undercover for the *Planet* to try and figure out how the *Star* is getting their stories so conveniently. Clark reveals that the accidents definitely aren't accidents, but that he doesn't suspect Linda has any direct knowledge or involvement in the conspiracy. Lois and Clark work together again and manage to convince Linda that Carpenter is behind the so-called accidents. Linda agrees to take advantage of Carpenter's infatuation with her to get him out of his office while Lois and Clark search his computer.

Lois and Clark successfully break into Carpenter's office. When one of the security guards walks in to retrieve something he'd left there, Lois hides under a table and Clark hovers below the ceiling, out of sight. When Lois asks where he hid, Clark points to a plant. Lois and Clark correctly guess that Carpenter's password is 'Rosebud', a nod to *Citizen Kane*. They find an editorial written by Carpenter suggesting that Secretary Wallace was killed by an Orani freedom fighter. From this, they discover that Carpenter must be plotting to kill Wallace and start a war, just so that he can control the media.

Lois and Clark get in touch with Linda, her and Lois spy on Carpenter as he sets up the hit. Unfortunately, when Carpenter calls Linda on her phone, it rings, revealing her location. Carpenter ties up Linda and Lois in a freezer, and one of his men shoots the gas tank. While Lois and Linda await death, they make amends. Superman manages to save them in time, just before he rushes out to save Secretary Wallace, catching all of the bullets and tossing them into a nearby garbage can. He then stops Carpenter's car from driving away.

Linda gets to write part of the byline for the story and then departs for the West Coast, explaining to Lois and Clark that she's selling the movie rights to the fall of Preston Carpenter and that she will have a small role in the film: playing Lois.

## Guest Cast

### Guest starring

* Dean Stockwell as Preston Carpenter
* Nancy Everhard as Linda King
* Michael Sabatino as J. Harvey Stark
* Kevin Cooney as Secretary Wallace
* Bo Jackson as Himself

**Episodes:** Pilot • Strange Visitor (From Another Planet) • Neverending Battle • I'm Looking Through You • Requiem for a Superhero • I've Got a Crush on You • Smart Kids • The Green, Green Glow of Home • The Man of Steel Bars • Pheromone, My Lovely • Honeymoon in Metropolis • All Shook Up • Witness • Illusions of Grandeur • The Ides of Metropolis • Foundling • **The Rival** • Vatman • Fly Hard • Barbarians at the Planet • The House of Luthor