First Things First…
This is the first of a two-parter, and since it has to do with time travel, I assume Bishop is back!
5 Things I Like
5. Forge Forgot
“There are many possible futures, and we never know to which our actions will lead.”
Forge
Time travel stories are always tricky. Contradictions are inherent when changing something in the past alters the future. Even here, I’m not sure things make perfect sense; I’m not sure they ever do in time travel.
That said, I think they’re pretty damn close when Bishop returns to his time and finds that Forge doesn’t remember why he sent Bishop back in the first place. When Bishop stopped Senator Kelly from being assassinated in “Days of Future Past,” it altered the future so that Forge never knew Kelly needed saving, so he has no memory of it.
Even better is the explanation of why Bishop does remember, even when Forge doesn’t—“If what you say is true, my memories would have changed to adjust to the new timeline. Unlike you, I have not been outside time.”
4. Beast to the Rescue
“Only scientific inquiry can overcome the hysteria that’s gripping the country.”
Beast
Beast hasn’t had a ton to do this season. I guess he technically didn’t last season, either, since he was locked up the whole time. But at least that gave him his own storyline. But since he’s often been in the background this season, I was glad to see him get some action here.
Beast sneaks into the hospital and swipes the file of the store clerk who was infected. As the team’s resident scientist, he’s the only one who can analyze this poor schmuck’s blood sample and confirm that the virus is genetically engineered. The mutants aren’t to blame.
He also gets to eloquently testify before Congress—at least for a moment. And later, he commits what, to Mr. Creed, is probably the most unforgivable sin—he saves his life.
3. Apocalypse Makes Friends
“Watch me and tremble, for I bring the purity of oblivion to your world.”
Apocalypse
The Friends of Humanity are the perfect accomplices for Apocalypse. Despite his extraordinary power, Apocalypse might still struggle overcoming ALL mutants, particularly the X-Men, so he can benefit from the help of a hate group like FoH.
And once he’s done with them, they’d put up no resistance to Apocalypse whatsoever.
Of course, things backfire, and it’s no surprise that it’s a short-lived partnership. But it’s fun while it lasted. And I always like seeing Apocalypse—especially when he’s uncorking gems like “You only delay the inevitable. I, who am immortal, can never be defeated. Exterminate the vermin!”
2. Following up on Bishop’s “Failure”
“Then something else must have happened afterwards, something that has made the future still turn out like this. The plague still rages.”
Forge
We saw last season, at the end of “Days of Future Past,” that despite stopping the assassination of Senator Kelly, Bishop failed to change his future. He still returned to a wasteland.
Now we know why.
He did change things, it just doesn’t look like it. Because Kelly survived and has become a staunch mutants’ rights advocate as president, Apocalypse creates the virus and works with the FoH to cause the plague that they blame on mutants.
This is a great payoff to a fantastic surprise ending to one of last season’s best arcs.
1. Cable’s Conundrum
“There is nothing you can do. As soon as the time stream has realigned, you and your world will cease to exist.”
Cable’s Computer
Cable is in an impossible situation—in order to save his future, he has to ruin another.
The mechanics are more complicated than I care to rehash, but here’s the tl:dr—he has to allow the plague to run rampant, which means working with Apocalypse, and against Bishop and the X-Men, or else his future is doomed to end.
Cable is a badass, and it seems like he’s always got his back against the wall. But this time, it’s putting him at odds with the heroes. I can’t wait to see how this plays out.
2 Things I’m Mixed On
2. Bishop’s Follies
“Bishop? What’s that time-jockey doing back?”
Wolverine
Every time Bishop is around, I say that he’s always been my favorite X-Man. Still is.
But even when he does something objectively heroic, like saving Beast from getting infected with the virus, bad shit happens. He doesn’t get credit, and it still causes a huge scene in front of Congress that makes the mutants look bad.
And that’s after he proves he’s not the right person to calm an angry mob. As Cyclops pointedly puts it to him, “You really did it this time, Bishop. You turned this situation into a riot.”
Sadly, that’s not even the last time Cyclops dresses him down in this episode. None of his best intentions work out as planned.
It was kinda the same when he was around in Season 1. I guess I just don’t remember Bishop like this. I thought he’d show up and immediately start wrecking everyone in his way.
1. Cable a Time Traveler?
I was pretty sure I remembered Cable being a time traveler in the comics when I was a kid. But in Season 1, I don’t think anything is said about time traveling with him. He’s just a one-man wrecking crew committed to freeing Genosha.
It’s a little jarring, then, seeing him in 3999, talking about time traveling, when he’s been in at least a few episodes, and that hasn’t been part of his character.
I’m always on board to get Cable in the series more, so I don’t have a problem with it. Just feels strange, based on what we know of him from his past appearances.
Tim Matassa
