by Book Girl
Smallville changed for the better when Lois Lane showed up in the fourth season. She was this tough talking tomboy who was trying to find out who was responsible for the "death" of her cousin Chloe Sullivan (still not fan of them being related).
Once Clark was no longer "Kal-El" and was returned to normal, we got to see the making of the legendary Daily Planet duo as they looked for clues to the whereabouts of Lois' cousin. Right off the bat you could see she challenged him and brought out his competitive spirit. I found it interesting that despite only knowing Lois for a short amount of time, Clark could be himself around her unlike with Chloe and Lana. Even though there was no romance in the beginning, you could see Lois had made an impression on him. She was different from all the other girls in Smallville. I love the banter and snarkiness between the two of them. Once the mystery was solved and Chloe was found safe and alive, Lois embarked on her next adventure, high school. Due to a misunderstanding about her high school credits her father, General Sam Lane re-enrolled her into Smallville high where she would join Clark, well at least until it was all sorted.
Despite the rough edges that were shown during the fourth season you could still see the future investigative reporter in the making. Even though she was reluctant to join the Smallville high school Torch newspaper in the episode Façade, she excelled at reporting and wrote an immensely popular article titled "SKIN DEEP Behind the Mask of the High School Façade". Interesting since she didn't see herself in the news business at all. Her brief stint as a reporter introduced that little spark towards a career in Journalism.
Clark's name might not have appeared on the byline of Lois' stories but he assisted her with not only in the episode "Façade" but also in the episode "Devoted". He went undercover to help her by distracting one of the love crazy cheerleaders so Lois could get her hands on the formula those crazy girls used to drug the football team with kryptonite laced sports drinks. And "Devoted" also marks Clark's return to the school paper having left to play football.
Throughout the remainder of seasons 5 through 7, we got to see both Lois and Clark still trying to figure out who they were and what they wanted to do with their lives. Although, Lois was working at The Talon and Clark was in college (not studying journalism) during the fifth season, that journalism bug was still there. In the episode "Exposed" Lois went undercover to assist Chloe with a story concerning the murder of a stripper, missing women and the possible connection to a politician. Meanwhile, Clark was also investigating the same lead to prove his father's old friend the Kansas Senator wasn't involved with the murder. I find it interesting that both Lois and Clark did all the work but Chloe was the only one with an article printed in The Daily Planet.
Still not sure about her career plans, Lois ended up being Mr. Kent's campaign manager during his run for Senator against Lex Luthor in the episode "Fanatic". Initially she only wanted to help Mr. Kent because Lex insulted her by calling her "a muffin-peddling college dropout" after she suggested he drop out of the political race in the episode "Solitude". Working with Mr. Kent gave her a front row seat into the world of politics and crime and corruption.
I don't think Lois dabbling in politics is off course towards her becoming a journalist because I felt like it gave her a chance to see the fight for truth and justice through working to get Mr. Kent elected. She gained even more experience when she worked for Mrs. Kent after Martha took over as Senator following her husband's death.
Now, while Lois was getting all this experience Clark was mainly focused on the heroics (and brooding over Lana dating Lex) but you could still see where he was heading career wise but just at a much slower pace than Lois. By the sixth season, Lois had finally started working as a reporter albeit at a tabloid paper but she was finally in journalism. Her first big break came when she wrote the article "Unmasking the Green Arrow Bandit" which started her on the path to working at The Daily Planet in the 7th season.
It wasn't until the eight season when Lois was at her one year mark when Clark started working at the Daily Planet. Saying he was a fish out of water was an understatement, poor guy he actually showed up to his first day of work in a plaid shirt and jeans. But with a little help from Lois and a little advice from her "Rules of Reporting", Clark was ready to go.
What I love about seasons 8 through 10, you got to see them both mature and grow into the characters we all know and love. There were still a few bumps along the way but you were starting to see Clark transforming into the Man of Steel (and the introduction of the glasses), Lois turning into the world's greatest reporter (with an amazing wardrobe) and the start of a budding romance between them.
I enjoyed their romantic relationship gradually developing instead of being rushed. They went from friends and colleagues to a meaningful relationship. The romance didn't stop them from being ace reporters either.
These last few seasons brought about some key points for both of them such as Clark discovering and fighting alongside the heroes of the Justice Society of America ("Absolute Justice") and Lois getting a chance to work with the legendary Perry White ("Hostage") gathering information on government conspiracies. I believe these two points showed how their lives were going to play out, Clark embracing being a hero and Lois becoming one of the best reporters around.
Smallville got a lot of flack from some Superman "fans" as not really being about the "real" story of The Man of Steel. But I think the story is there but it was given a fresh take to show how it was not just a discovery for Clark but for Lois as well. They went from being like so many young people trying to figure out their lives to finding their own way to the lives that they wanted. I would consider that being true to the Superman story.
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