First Things First…
This episode originally aired as Episode 4.13.
I don’t know anything about this episode except for the Disney+ description, which says Wolverine quits the team and returns to Japan. Considering how much Nightcrawler has impacted him for the better and seems to have helped him rediscover his faith, this surprises me. I hope it’s tied to something concrete.
3 Things I Like
3. Soichi Steps Up
“Better to die defending ourselves than to live in fear! Since I was a child, I have watched our people work hard, only to have these criminals take what little we earned! Our children shall not suffer as we have!”
Soichi
When Soichi, the son of the village elder, first shows up, he acts disrespectfully toward his father. He says he was training to fight, and that’s why he blew off his responsibilities with the fishing fleet. I assumed he was one of the bad guys. I’m glad that turned out to be untrue.
Soichi may be annoying, but he has the balls to stand up to Silver Samurai and his gang of bandits. And he and Wolverine earn one another’s respect because they both fight to protect others.
2. Mutual Respect
“I came here to get away from fighting! I want to be like you! I just want to live in peace!”
Wolverine
Wolverine usually has great respect for his elders. We see it regularly with Professor X—even though they butt heads from time to time. We saw it with Pooyetah, the elder in the Canadian fishing village in “Cold Vengeance” back in Season 1. And we see it here with Master Oku.
Wolverine saves his life by rescuing him from the burning temple. But their relationship goes much deeper.
Part of it is that Master Oku also has great respect for Wolverine. He welcomes him back to their village with open arms and lets him immediately reintegrate himself into their way of life.
He also helps Wolverine rediscover his purpose. Master Oku tells him…
“Peace comes with purpose. My faith gives me mine.”
And when Wolverine replies by saying that ripping people apart isn’t a good purpose, Master Oku points out that protecting people is.
Ultimately, the tranquil, Zen lifestyle of Master Oku isn’t the path for Wolverine. But he can still find peace by remembering that working with the X-Men, protecting his teammates and the world at large, is his purpose.
1. Psychoanalyzing Wolverine
“When I used to go berserk, I was an animal. I had no direction, no purpose. You and the others gave me a reason to fight, or back off. It’s not there anymore.”
Wolverine
The opening scene goes through some of Wolverine’s past, and it’s interesting to hear him talk briefly about each item Professor X asks about.
He starts by asking if the reason he feels he’s lost his purpose is due to Proteus. It shows the scene of Proteus ripping him apart at the molecular level. But Wolverine says no, he’s worked through that.
It shows some recently resurfaced memories of his time as Weapon X. These don’t look familiar, and the next episode has Weapon X in the title. I’m still following the Disney+ order, which is supposed to be the order the episodes were written and intended to be aired in. But with all the confusion, I wonder if the Weapon X episode should’ve come before this one.
Interestingly, Xavier also asks Wolverine if this is about Jean. We see the memory of him attacking fake Cyclops in a tux in the Danger Room, which I loved. But he has such a great perspective on this, saying…
“No, she’s happy. I love her enough to want her to stay that way.”
Unfortunately, I don’t like where this ends up. But I love it as the two men go step by step through these memories, and Wolverine tries to understand himself.
1 Thing I’m Mixed On
1. Quitting Is a Bit Dramatic
It’s a little dumb of Wolverine to think quitting the X-Men is his only option.
I understand his decision to return to Japan to look for peace and purpose. Maybe he even believes he’ll live out his days there. But wouldn’t it make more sense to tell the Professor he’s taking a sabbatical, and it may become permanent, depending on how things go?
Of course, that wouldn’t be nearly as dramatic. And Wolverine loves drama.
2 Things I Don’t Like
2. Disconnected
“I wanted to waste a kid today! For cutting me off in traffic! I even came close to hurting Jubilee! And it didn’t bother me. I didn’t care, Professor. Even animals care about each other. I don’t know what’s missing inside. I got no idea how I lost it. But there’s one place I might be able to get it back. I’m going to Japan. I’m leaving the X-Men.”
Wolverine
As much as I liked that opening scene, ultimately I felt a disconnect with what Wolverine says he’s going through and what we’ve seen from him.
If the fight with Proteus, and the Weapon X memories, aren’t the cause of his feelings, then why would he ever not care what happens to Jubilee—especially if he was the one who hurt her? It just doesn’t jive with everything we know about him.
I get that the whole point is that he’s messed up in the head, so he’s acting out of character, but hasn’t he been in such a better place since meeting Nightcrawler? He even imagines hearing Nightcrawler implore him once again to see the world through different eyes.
It seemed he was able to do that, but now all he can say is…
“I wish I could, pal. But my eyes see me too well.”
They have the reasons right there that could explain why he’s going through this internal crisis and feeling purposeless. But if they won’t use them, then it’s an odd time to run a storyline like this, when it seemed very recently like he was feeling more fulfilled and content.
1. Shitty Samurai
I expected more from Silver Samurai. I knew him only by name and look, and I wanted him to be cool.
Instead, Wolverine whoops his ass.
But worse is how one-sided the fight is. Wolverine basically gets him up in the air with his claws, disarms him, and cuts off the straps on the front of his armor.
That’s it.
Wolverine then declares the fight over. He says Silver Samurai won’t bother any of the villages anymore. And Silver Samurai just walks away with his head down and shoulders slumped.
This is a lame fight with a lame finish—and, sadly, Silver Samurai turns out to be a lame villain.
Tim Matassa
IMHO Weapon X + Protheus had deep impact, even if he says that’s not the reason. And Samurai – at least we saw it fight, using his powers to defeat enemies, even if it was literal stab in the back