First Things First…
I’m excited to get to one of the most famous X-Men storylines. I never read this, but I saw the movie. I didn’t think it was that great, and I also don’t remember that much about it. I remember the basic gist of time travel to stop something from causing a terrible future, but that’s about it.
What I’m most excited about, though, is that I know this is where they introduce my favorite X-Man, both from this series and from when I read the comics as a kid…
5 Things I Like
5. Assassin Easter Egg
When Bishop arrives in the 90’s, one of the things that begins to jog his memory about why he’s there is hearing a couple of kids talking about playing their new video game, “Assassin.” And on the cover of that video game…
The Punisher.
4. Not My Girlfriend
I’m actually starting to like what a ridiculous square Cyclops is.
When the team is sitting around with Bishop, and he can’t remember who the assassin will be, they all agree that logically, it could be any one of them…
Except Cyclops, who immediately says, “It couldn’t be Jean.”
Sure buddy… it could be anyone except your girlfriend… just because.
How is this guy in charge of anything?
3. Gambit’s Demons
“Everyone has his or her own demons to battle. It would appear our friend Gambit may have encountered some in prison before.”
Beast
Beast acknowledges Gambit’s demons to Rogue when Gambit can’t seem to take one more second visiting in Beast’s prison cell.
(Aside—I love every time we check in with Beast, even when it’s just for a few moments.)
Then, at the end of the episode, when Gambit and Rogue return to the mansion and discover the team sitting around with Bishop, Bishop’s memory seems to return in full, and he accuses Gambit of being the assassin.
Truthfully, I don’t remember how this plays out, or who the assassin is. But I’m into the idea that it could be Gambit, because he’s had some dark moments all season and has been jaded about the way he’s treated, even by his teammates.
Even if Gambit is innocent, being falsely accused could piss him off more and set him down a darker path. I’m intrigued about what happens next with him.
2. X-Men Graveyard
The dystopian future Bishop comes from is grim. But no image is as striking as the X-Men’s graveyard within the termination center.
They show the graves of Cyclops, Storm, and Rogue first, and old Wolverine looks dismayed. But when they zoom in on Jubilee’s grave—which shows her death came 10-20 years before the others—that’s when he gets mad.
This quick scene is a really effective way of highlighting the team’s failure to stop this terrible future.
1. Bishop and Old Man Logan
“Wake up, rookie. The Sentinels want to kill all mutants.”
Wolverine
Bishop makes quite a first impression. He shows up and immediately catches three “rebels,” including Wolverine.
I was surprised, though, that this is how he enters the story. He’s not an ally at first. He’s a tracker rounding up other mutants and bringing them to a mutant termination center in the dystopian future of 2055.
That changes quickly, though, when the Sentinels say Bishop has fulfilled his quota—and will now also be terminated alongside the mutants he just captured.
There’s a lot of great back-and-forth between Wolverine and Bishop, especially at this point. Like when Wolverine asks him, “So, what do you think of their new retirement policy, rookie?”
And after Bishop joins the escape attempt and saves Wolverine from a Sentinel that’s squeezing the life out of him, Wolverine yells at Bishop, “Move, rookie! This ain’t no dress rehearsal.”
As much fun as they are together here, their newfound friendship comes to a head after Wolverine brings Bishop to the rebels’ base. When Bishop hears about the plan to travel back in time and stop the assassination, he says he should be the one to go. Because as he tells Wolverine…
“You couldn’t handle me, old man. You’ll never handle an X-Man.”
I’ll get to more thoughts on how that decision plays out in a sec. But I still love this pairing.
0 Things I’m Mixed On
2 Things I Don’t Like
2. Letting the New Guy Save the World
Forge is at the rebels’ base when Wolverine and Bishop arrive. He seems to be the brains behind the operation. But he doesn’t even know who Bishop is…
Yet when Bishop says he should be the one to complete the mission, Forge simply agrees that Bishop’s youth is an asset. And he says the transceiver he gives to Bishop has all the information he needs.
I got the impression this was a mission they’d been planning for a while. It’s insane to hand it over to someone new, who five minutes ago was working with the Sentinels.
I mean, I love Bishop. He’s always been my favorite X-Man. But based on his “history” with these guys, I wouldn’t trust him to make a beer run yet, let alone send him to the past to stop an assassination and save the world.
1. Bishop’s Amnesia
He remembers he went through a time portal, because the first thing he thinks when he arrives in the 90’s is that the portal didn’t work. But he doesn’t remember why he’s there…
Didn’t Forge give him a transceiver with all the information he’ll need?
Why is the information so vague? Why does it show him the mansion and tell him to take out the assassin, but NOT tell him who the assassin is?
I get keeping it a mystery for viewers, but it makes no sense that the most critical piece of info would be left out—especially when they’re sending a guy who just learned about their plan.
Tim Matassa
