First Things First…
The show has been so great through three episodes that they’ve earned the benefit of the doubt…
Just in time, too, because it looks like we’re about to see <gulp> Mojo.
Mojo is the character I HATE most from the original series. By a mile. He’s so grating. His episodes are arguably the absolute worst of the series.
But who knows… maybe they’ve even fixed Mojo?
4 Things I Like
4. Mojo Is… Kinda Fun???
“Mojo here, your primetime psycho interdimensional alien TV producer who feeds off ratings.”
Mojo
Coming into this episode, my only hope was that Mojo wouldn’t ruin things.
Well, this is how you know we’re watching an excellent series… they made me not hate Mojo!
He’ll never be my favorite villain, but this version is a thousand times better than the one from the original series. He’s scarier, especially in the beginning, when he looks emaciated. And he’s just less grating. The old Mojo made me want to turn off the show and watch something—anything—else. But I had fun with this one.
3. 16-Bit Adventures
Jubilee and Roberto move through Mojo’s video game quickly, but it’s still fun going through her greatest hits. I like seeing them battle the Sentinels… brave the Savage Land… and fight Magneto on Asteroid M… all while pixelated and looking like video games.
Maybe it’s a pure nostalgia play, but this makes me feel rewarded for having watched the original series.
Also, this doesn’t feel like a season where we’ll see the Savage Land for real, so I’m glad they worked it in here. Sauron lives on!
2. Getting to Know Forge
I liked Forge whenever he was around in the original series. Whether he was with X-Factor in the present or Bishop in the future, he seemed cool. But I realize now that I didn’t know much about him.
Case in point—I didn’t know what his powers were until he explains them here. I knew he was an inventor, but I didn’t realize his mutant power is being able to access the parts of the brain dormant in most people, allowing him to build or invent virtually anything he can dream up. It wouldn’t be my power of choice if I became a mutant, but it’s still badass.
Forge’s confession also tells me more of his history. He helped create the technology that went into the power dampening collars, which means he’s indirectly responsible for Storm losing her powers, because the X-Cutioner’s gun is built off of that tech.
Of course, it doesn’t go over well with Storm when Forge confesses this to her. She doesn’t want to hear his excuses about the low point he was at in his life at the time because of his war injuries.
To me, though, knowing that Forge is trying to redeem himself makes this storyline even more impactful.
1. Storm Struggles
“I miss soaring. The wind in my hair, so powerful it’s hard to breathe, but so fresh as to be worth it.”
Storm
When I saw what the “Lifedeath” portion of this episode is, I worried that Storm really was going to get her powers back right away. I already felt last episode was too soon for her to meet Forge and to regain hope. I wanted to see her struggle for a bit before she inevitably gets her powers back.
Well, I got my wish here. It’s just that her struggles are coming as Forge is trying to help her, rather than on her own.
The most poignant moment is when Storm tries to use her powers and command the wind after Forge thinks he fixed her, but it still doesn’t work. It’s gutting, watching her fall to her knees in tears and hearing her plead with the wind, saying…
“Please, winds, hear me. Please. This isn’t happening, Forge. It can’t be real.”
I have to wonder if Storm is fixed already but experiencing a psychological block right now. Either way, her despair is heartbreaking.
3 Things I’m Mixed On
3. Hot Topic Stalker
Jubilee continues to grow on me as she’s getting older. But she’s never been one of my favorites, so having two of her instead of just one isn’t my preference. I don’t know who I was hoping for when I realized they were going to unmask whoever was helping her and Roberto through the video game, but it definitely wasn’t another Jubilee.
That said, it’s a cool idea that this digital version of Jubilee has been through Motendo so many times and survived that she knows the game inside and out.
2. The Adversary
The Adversary, if that is her real name, looks scary as fuck.
It’s a giant birdlike creature that’s possibly a demon. It says it feasts on misery, which makes Storm the perfect host to feed on.
But I was confused when Storm leaves Forge, only to be dumped right back into his house. And this creature completely comes out of nowhere. Hopefully it turns out to be a worthy villain and there’s an explanation for why it’s there. Storm isn’t the only miserable person in the world, after all.
1. Roberto Continues to… Be There
“I remember seeing this place on the news with minha mae. Magneto’s old base from his megalomaniacal phase. I acted like I hated mutants. Minha mae tried saying there were good ones, but I could tell she was spooked. So I said, ‘They’re all freaks, and normal people would win.’”
Roberto Da Costa
I still feel the same way about Roberto that I’ve felt from the beginning. There’s a compelling reason for him to be there. He’s young, he hasn’t “come out” to his parents as a mutant, and there’s a certain of amount of self-loathing about who he is.
But he still hasn’t done anything for me to feel for him beyond those broad strokes. Even here, he works with Jubilee, but she has to save his life inside Motendo.
Admittedly, there are fireworks when they kiss after they escape Motendo. Hopefully, the drama of this new relationship will spice things up.
2 Things I Don’t Like
2. Where Does Motendo Come From?
Did they just forget to address this detail? How does the Motendo even get into Jubilee’s bedroom? Are we meant to assume Mojo traveled interdimensionally to put it there? Or maybe he had Spiral do it for him? I mean, even though it sucks her and Roberto into a digital world, or simulation, or whatever, it’s still a physical object. And it didn’t get into Jubilee’s room by itself.
Plus, Jubilee doesn’t notice the cartridge that’s in the system has her teammates on the label?
1. Slow Your Roll, Forge
“I could live forever. And still, my endless imagination would never conceive of a thing as perfect as you.”
Forge
As much as I enjoyed most of their interactions, and I love their chemistry, Forge saying “I love you” to Storm happens way too fast. The only way this makes sense is if they’ve been working together at Forge’s home, trying to come up with a way to restore Storm’s powers, for weeks, if not months. But in this mini-episode, it feels like it’s only been days.
Tim Matassa
