TV REVIEW: X-Men (4.11) – Proteus – Part I

First Things First…

This episode originally aired as Episode 4.4.

We’re going straight into another two-part arc. I really liked “One Man’s Worth.” Now, I hope this can continue the momentum.

As for the story, the description only mentions Moira MacTaggert, so it’s likely set on Muir Island. But the name Proteus doesn’t sound familiar.

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1 Thing I Like

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1. Morph Is Back in Treatment

Welp, you can probably tell I didn’t like an episode if the only thing that makes it into this category is only on screen for a split second.

I was right in guessing this episode takes place almost entirely on Muir Island. As it begins, Morph is briefly shown in Moira’s lab, on a bed, with a bunch of wires hooked up to his head.

After he left the team again following his brief reemergence in “Courage,” saying he came back too soon and still wasn’t ready, it looks like we have an answer as to where he went—back to Muir Island for more therapy with Moira.

It’s just a tiny detail, but I love the continuity.

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1 Thing I’m Mixed On

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1. Wolverine Is Extra Salty

“Or, we take him out. I know the kid’s mixed up, but it’s time for some tough love.”

Wolverine

Wolverine comes off hyper-aggressive here, beyond the way he normally acts.

Now, I love Wolverine. Two of his most admirable qualities are his fearlessness and sense of humor. And they’re both in full effect here.

But the hyper-aggressiveness feels out of place, considering the threat they’re facing is a teenager. And more specifically, a teenager who’s never left the safety of Moira’s lab before.

I’d understand dialing up his attitude if one of his archenemies, like Sabretooth or Omega Red, was involved. Or if they were fighting someone who they’ve dispatched before but who keeps coming back, like Mojo or Sauron.

But Kevin? Come on.

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2 Things I Don’t Like

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2. Breaking Charles’ Heart

“Charles, I will always care for you, but I’ve fallen in love with someone else. By the time you receive this, we will be married. I’m so very sorry.”

Moira MacTaggert

At least she returned the engagement ring. But this is a tough look for Moira.

We finally get more of the story behind Professor X being in love with Moira. I didn’t know they were ever engaged.

But Charles was in the service and got deployed, while Moira simply fell in love with someone else. She ended the engagement with Charles and married the other guy. Charles hadn’t done anything wrong.

Now, Moira was allowed to make whatever choices she wanted to about her own life. It’s hard to fault her for following her heart, even if it hurt someone else.

But it’s harder for me to feel sympathetic toward her now. And in this story, where her son, who she’s devoted her life to helping, is out in the open for the first time, putting himself and everyone around him in harm’s way, I should feel sympathetic toward her.

1. All Things Proteus

“There’s a million things to see, to feel. There’s more than you taught me. Why did you keep me from all these feelings?”

Proteus

I didn’t like anything about Proteus.

For starters, I don’t like his look.

I can’t tell if Proteus is more Clayface or 10,000-Volt Ghost from Scooby-Doo.

I also don’t like his powers. The way he can change the physical reality around him simply by looking at something and imagining it differently looks silly. He alters characters’ body composition, as well as buildings and even city landscapes. None of it looks good to me.

I don’t like how he possesses other people. We just met this kid, so it’s hard to care about what happens to him to begin with. But then he possesses other characters I don’t know, whose bodies he won’t be keeping, and I don’t care about them either.

This kid has suffered through an unimaginable plight. His therapy causes enormous physical pain, and his emotional growth has been stunted because he’s never been outside the lab before. He has no idea what’s out there in the real world—the good and the bad. He hasn’t truly lived the human experience. I should have a lot of sympathy for him. But it just doesn’t register with me.