First Things First…
I’m hoping for a big rebound after the Morlocks episode. That was the first dud of the season. Hopefully it’ll be the last. At least it looks like Sabretooth is back. That should help.
2 Things I Like
2. Salty Cyclops
“You know that temper of his. If he doesn’t get his way, he’s gone. We can never depend on him. With hotheads like Wolverine, maybe we never will. Any guy who’d run out on his friends…”
Cyclops
Cyclops and Jean went to Wolverine’s room at the end of last episode to thank him for helping save them from the Morlocks, only to find him gone. We pick up right there, and Cyclops is pissed. Of course, he’s too oblivious to realize what Jean sees—that Wolverine left because of their relationship.
But Cyclops’ anger persists, and he later takes it out on Gambit. When Gambit brings up Genosha and says it’s supposedly a safe haven for mutants, Cyclops yells at him for spreading unfounded rumors. He even accuses Gambit of just wanting time off to spend on the beach, and says he’s as bad as Wolverine.
Not only is Cyclops a bit of a dick, he’s not even as good a leader as I thought. But considering he’s so straightlaced all the time, I like seeing him emotional and thrown off his game.
1. Wolverine’s Search for Peace
“No man seeks peace so hard as one who does not have it in his heart.”
Pooyetah
Wolverine is happy to be back home in Canada, away from the X-Men. And even if Jean’s relationship with Scott was his motivation to leave, he doesn’t seem like a lovesick puppy here.
After Sabretooth nearly kills him, Wolverine’s life is saved by Pooyetah, the elder of an Inuit fishing village. I like the quick friendship and mutual respect they develop. It’s largely thanks to him that Wolverine finds some measure of peace, maybe for the first time ever.
In fact, during the camp’s celebration after Wolverine helps bring in their best catch in ages, Pooyetah tells him he’s the reason the people are happy. Wolverine replies…
“They’ve made me happy, too. I don’t know how to handle it. It feels so strange. I feel… at peace.”
Sadly, it doesn’t last. After Sabretooth burns down the fishing camp and captures all the people, Wolverine exclaims, “There’s no peace for me, even here!”
But living off the grid, and off the land (or sea, as it were) is a good look for Wolverine.
2 Things I’m Mixed On
2. Mutant Paradise
I like the idea of a safe haven for mutants. Even better, I like the idea of a resort pretending to be a safe haven for mutants, but really being a front for nefarious anti-mutant forces.
The trap is laid for Storm, Gambit, and Jubilee, and at least one Sentinel shows up as part of the cavalry, so I have to assume this is a Gyrich conspiracy.
That said, Genosha is introduced out of nowhere, and this storyline moves so fast. It would’ve been cool if they talked about Genosha in the background for a few episodes, weighed the pros and cons of visiting, debated whether they were walking into a trap, and then pulled the trigger on a visit.
Also, it seems like a good decision by Cyclops to let Jubilee be part of the mission so she can get some field experience. But it’s also another opportunity for her to act like an annoying teenager. She’s more concerned about what to wear than the mission. She often comes off as such a cliché of what teens were back then—or what people thought they were—that her parts have aged worse than most.
1. Sabretooth’s Search for Revenge
Sabretooth has been one of the best parts of this season. I’m glad he’s been the most prominent villain. But this is the first time where his presence doesn’t bring anything fresh.
Being that he’s tracked Wolverine all the way to Canada, it’s cool that Wolverine finally gets to fight him without Professor X and his teammates interfering. But we don’t learn anything new about their past.
Even with Sabretooth threatening these new people Wolverine has grown to care about, it’s still just about their feud. So even though it’s fun, but it feels like more of the same.
1 Thing I Don’t Like
1. Kiyoek’s Jealousy
“I was the one they cheered before Wolverine. Now he’s their hero. A stranger.”
Kiyoek
The way Kiyoek acts in response to Wolverine being welcomed by their tribe, and how he’s been embarrassed by Wolverine’s prowess, you’d think this rivalry had been brewing for months.
But it’s been, like, a day or two.
When Kiyoek encounters Sabretooth and is about to be killed, he yells to Sabretooth…
“No! The stranger is not my friend! I was leader of the young men, but now they follow only Wolverine. The women laugh at me. Wolverine has made me a fool to my own people.”
Seriously? The young men only follow Wolverine after one fishing trip?
And come on—you got laughed at once.
I also don’t like that the white guy shows up and immediately is better at everything than the native. He turns Kiyoek into a villain whose envy drives him to make a deal with Sabretooth that gets their village destroyed.
At least Wolverine recognizes his own role in bringing this upon the village. He ultimately saves everyone from being blown up, but it’s not a full-on “white savior” situation.
This storyline is otherwise compelling, but it’s so compressed that Kiyoek’s actions are ridiculously premature.
That’s why it’s even more appropriate when Pooyetah tells him, “Your jealousy has made you stupid.”
Tim Matassa
