First Things First…
The Shadow King was one and done. Now it looks like we’re getting Omega Red, a villain whose name and appearance I recognize, but who I don’t know anything else about. Hopefully he’s more compelling.
5 Things I Like
5. Stepping up, but Still Learning
Jubilee is annoying pretty often, so I try to find reasons to give her credit when I actually enjoy her. And I liked her in this episode!
I commend her bravery in taking on the goons from the Friends of Humanity who harass the convenience store owner. And again when she goes with Colossus to his homeland to fight Omega Red. She volunteers even though she has no idea what she’s getting herself into.
But it’s not just her bravery. I appreciate the storytelling about how she’s still learning.
When she and Colossus take off in the jet, my first thought was, “Does she know how to fly that thing?” No sooner did I think it, and Colossus asks the same question. Jubilee says she’s put in 300 hours… in the simulator. So she kinda knows how to fly it, but she’s obviously inexperienced. A lesser show wouldn’t even have addressed something like that, and she would’ve been totally capable of flying simply because that’s what they need to get from Point A to Point B.
4. Bonding Among Dinosaurs
“I may not have my mutant powers, Charles, but I shall not die easily.”
Magneto
I’m glad we didn’t have to wait the entire episode again to resolve the “To Be Continued.” This time, Professor X and Magneto get the opening scene, but that’s it.
We don’t learn anything new about the Savage Land. It’s just fun spending time with these two when they’re not fighting against one another.
Magneto actually says he doesn’t understand why Charles would save him, considering how much easier Charles’ life would be if Magneto were to die. But Charles says…
“I do not yearn for an easy life, Magneto, only a just one. I would take little satisfaction in your death.”
I also like Magneto’s attitude as he finds a way to defeat a T-Rex. (Yep, for real.) He may not have his powers, but he certainly has his intellect and resourcefulness.
As anxious as I am to get answers about the Savage Land, it’s still early in the season. So even if we just get these types of scenes of them hanging out, chatting, and trying to survive for a few more episodes, I’ll be on board.
3. History with Wolverine
“I heard some fools thawed you out, so I’m here to put you back on ice!”
Wolverine
I love when Wolverine walks into the kitchen, reads Jubilee’s note, and just says Omega Red’s name in his signature growl, then some badass music hits and he’s off.
But Wolverine having history with Omega Red shouldn’t come as a surprise. Omega Red was one of the characters Morph briefly turned into last episode. We never learn exactly what that history is, but Wolverine says they tangled before. And since Omega Red has been on ice for 25 years before they thaw him out, it was clearly a long time ago.
2. Colossus Returns
Colossus arrives in the nick of time to help Jubilee out of the tight spot she’s gotten herself into with the FoH. Thankfully, he’s there looking for help because of the Omega Red situation. I was worried it was just a coincidence that he comes back right when shit is going down in Russia.
I liked Colossus in the Juggernaut episode last season, and I like him a lot here. He’s been very formidable both times we’ve seen him. He still isn’t joining the team—I don’t know if he ever does in this series—but he definitely wins Wolverine’s respect (not to mention Jubilee’s affection), and I hope we see more of him.
1. Omega Red and Soviet Geopolitics
“The leaders were weak. They restrained me once and lost the empire. Now they have brought me back, a living weapon they once had grown to fear. The empire shall live. They shall not.”
Omega Red
Since this episode debuted in late 1993, it was the perfect time to make a story out of Soviet nationalists wanting to rebuild their empire. So they bust out Omega Red to kill the leaders of the newly independent nations and bring them back into the Soviet fold.
He goes into at least one sovereign nation’s parliament and singlehandedly dissolves their government—or says that’s what he’s doing, anyway—so they can be reintegrated into the Soviet Union. He wants his empire back.
This isn’t the type of real-life world event I expected to see in this series. (And it’s an especially stark contrast occurring in an episode that also features the Savage Land.) But even when the team has to face off with a very comic book-y villain, I like that they’re still dealing with real-world issues.
0 Things I’m Mixed On
1 Thing I Don’t Like
1. Here Comes the Cavalry
Between the opening scene in the Savage Land, Jubilee’s run-in with the Friends of Humanity, Colossus returning, the introduction of a new villain (and a sidekick in Darkstar), and the Soviet Union restoration plan, there’s a lot going on in this episode.
We didn’t need to bring in more characters than are necessary. I really wanted this fight to just be Colossus, Wolverine, and Jubilee versus Omega Red. We don’t need Storm, Gambit, and Rogue to join the fight.
Gambit blows up a couple of tanks, but narratively he doesn’t serve much purpose. And Rogue is only there so Omega Red can say she’s the strongest of them, and then prove his own strength by defeating her.
Leaving out Storm would be trickier because she uses her powers to refreeze Red. But they could’ve found another way to beat him, or he could’ve escaped in the end.
Tim Matassa
