First Things First…
I think Juggernaut was just a solo episode. If Colossus already put the mansion back together, and Juggernaut still doesn’t remember who he is, we’re back to where we were in the ongoing story—just with stronger teamwork.
4 Things I Like
4. Charming New Bad Guy
I don’t remember Pyro being this much fun in the movies!
Although very dangerous and ill-intentioned, he’s a fun-loving Brit who hits on Rogue in a pub and has no qualms about trying to pull a fast one on Mystique, even as he plans to work for her.
He even calls Cable “old darling”—though that doesn’t go over very well.
3. An Apocalyptic Plan
“I know more of this world than you have even dreamed. That is why I must destroy it.”
Apocalypse
Apocalypse is another one of the most important X-Men villains, and another one of my favorites.
We learn almost nothing about him in his introduction here. We just see his killer design, and we find out he has a cruel plan. He—with Mystique’s help—is preying on the insecurities of those mutants who don’t want their powers by offering them hope of a “cure.”
But there is no cure.
The truth is, they’ve killed Dr. Adler, and Mystique is impersonating him. The machine they claim can reverse mutations will actually turn mutants into Apocalypse’s slaves.
It’s unclear how the machine works, but that’s not important. What is important is that they almost lure Rogue in, until she has a change of heart. And the episode ends with Warren Worthington III—another new character and important X-Man—about to undergo the “treatment.”
2. Cable’s One-Man Campaign of Violence
This is Cable’s second appearance, after “Slave Island,” and once again, he’s wreaking havoc all by himself.
He’s after Dr. Adler because Adler made the collars that were used on Genosha to suppress mutants’ powers and turn them into slaves for the Leader. Unfortunately, he doesn’t know Dr. Adler is already dead. So this pursuit puts him right in the thick of Apocalypse’s plan.
All this after the episode opens with Cable having a really fun fight with Warren at Warren’s chalet.
So far, I really like Cable’s role as this solo warrior, living by his code, no matter how much it puts him in harm’s way.
1. The Pain of Being a Mutant
“There’s no right or wrong in choosing to remain a mutant.”
Professor X
Even though the cure turns out to be bullshit, it opens a whole can of worms for the mutants. If given the chance, would they give up their powers and become “normal”?
The two characters sucked in by this opportunity are Rogue and our new friend Warren. In both cases, their powers prevent them from living the full human experience, but for slightly different reasons.
I don’t know exactly how much control Warren has over his wings. They don’t seem to be out all the time. But it’s clear that whenever they’re out, he can’t fit in with regular society.
Rogue can fit in much more easily. Other than the fact that she always wears gloves, there’s no outward indication of her powers that set her apart. But she can’t physically touch someone without severely harming them. As she says to the faux Dr. Adler…
“I don’t wanna live my whole life without knowing what it’s like to touch another human being.”
To highlight the point, we see a flashback to Rogue as a teenager with a boy, accidentally harming him when they kiss. In all likelihood, that’s the first and last kiss she ever experienced.
Sadly, Jean is the only one who realizes how much pain Rogue is in. Meanwhile, Cyclops, oblivious as ever, rubs salt in the wound with his heartfelt thank-you after Rogue saves Jean.
The differences between Rogue and Warren, along with their shared pain, is highlighted near the end of the episode when they almost fly into one another. Warren calls Rogue lucky for being able to fly without wings. Despite having such a cool power like flight, he obviously resents what he considers a physical deformity. All he sees is Rogue enjoying that power without any drawback. But he has no idea what she’s sacrificing because of her other power—and what she would give to be able to touch another person, while we see him take that very human ability for granted.
0 Things I’m Mixed On
2 Things I Don’t Like
2. Firing Blindly
During Warren’s fight with Cable at the beginning of the episode, his lady friend, Gisela, gets momentarily blinded. Then when she realizes someone is standing in the doorway, she just assumes it’s Cable, so she picks up a gun and fires blindly.
I guess she has a 50% chance of being right. But if I have a 50% chance of being wrong about who I’m about to shoot, I’m probably not pulling the trigger.
It’s so ill-advised—or maybe just plain stupid—that it comes off as a contrivance just to give Warren another reason to push her and everyone else away.
1. A Quick Change of Heart
“I am my powers, and the good they can do for my friends and for the whole world. I reckon maybe I can live with that after all. Thanks anyway, Doc.”
Rogue
Wolverine refers to Adler’s process as “stealing our powers.”
And when Storm says Xavier has taught them to value their powers for what they can do for others, Wolverine chimes in, “You tell ‘em, Storm. No deserters in this crowd.”
He’s sitting right next to Rogue but doesn’t notice how forlorn she looks—or doesn’t care. Either way, I really wanted a confrontation between Rogue and Wolverine at some point. I would’ve liked to see if he might develop even a little bit of empathy. After all, Rogue doesn’t hate herself because of her powers, or think they make her a freak. But they take so much from her. This would’ve made for a compelling conversation between them. And it’s something that shouldn’t have been resolved for Rogue within one episode.
Tim Matassa
