First Things First…
This episode originally aired as Episode 3.19.
Making the title of this episode a riff on Sex, Lies, and Videotape is certainly a choice for a kids show…
That said, it looks like we’ll get more of Wolverine’s past. I’m wondering if this is what Professor X brought up to Wolverine in the last episode. We saw a flashback of Wolverine in his Weapon X days, working with Sabretooth. Did that scene originally come from here?
3 Things I Like
3. There for Logan
“The nightmares and delusions are getting worse! We’ve got to do something for him!”
Jean Grey
Wolverine is in a bad way in this episode, especially in the beginning. He’s laid up in bed, suffering from nightmares and delusions, as if he’s having a mental break. Terrible memories are flooding his mind. Professor X tries to help him telepathically, and Beast, Jean, and even Cyclops are there for support.
They don’t do much. They can’t really do anything for him. But considering Wolverine’s trust issues, and especially his issues with Cyclops, it’s nice to see them there for him.
2. Beast Tags Along
“I cannot let you face this alone.”
Beast
This episode is mostly about Wolverine and his past, but Beast is the lucky one who tags along and gets to partake in the festivities. And he adds a really fun element!
I shouldn’t be surprised—Beast is one of my favorite characters.
He helps pull Wolverine out of multiple delusions. He helps get doors open thanks to his ability to work computers. He finds the videotapes that explain things (sort of). And he saves all four of the old teammates—even Sabretooth—by loading them onto a truck when they all get incapacitated.
Good thing he was there.
1. Wolverine Vs Sabretooth—Then and Now
“What’s wrong, punk? Can’t take care of your woman?”
Sabretooth
Welp, it looks like this episode should have come before the previous one. The flashback of Wolverine and Sabretooth working together in Wolverine’s Weapon X days is exactly the same one that comes up when the Professor is trying to help Wolverine figure out his feelings of purposelessness at the beginning of “Lotus and the Steel.”
But I won’t hold that against it here—it’s an awesome scene. And considering how vital Sabretooth is to Wolverine’s backstory, I love seeing where the animosity originated.
It’s also cool that the team—Wolverine, Sabretooth, Silver Fox, and Maverick—were battling Omega Red on that fateful day. Makes Omega Red look like more of a badass, that Sabretooth chose to run from the fight, and pulled Wolverine with him.
2 Things I’m Mixed On
2. Killing Machine
“I am Talos. You are to be reprogrammed. If you resist, I will terminate you.”
Talos
Talos is formidable, with thick armor and a ton of weapons. But he’s way too easy to take out.
Maverick scans him and says his power source is pretty deep, and to take him out, they need to put a grenade right next to it.
Sounds like it will be a challenge. But apparently, “pretty deep” just means there’s a panel on his back that Wolverine easily knocks off, so Maverick can plant the grenade.
Oh, but then there’s another Talos. Not actually the most creative decision.
1. Maverick and Silver Fox
I don’t know anything about Maverick. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of him.
Silver Fox I know a little, mainly as a love interest for Wolverine.
Of course, there’s more to her than that. And there must be more to Maverick, too. It’s cool seeing them here, but they’re not fleshed out. I wish we could get a little more of them, but it’s the age-old problem of trying to fit a lot into a 22-minute episode.
1 Thing I Don’t Like
1. Fake Memory Convolution
“There’s your answer, Fox. It’s all a load of garbage! Our memories are some chrome dome’s science project.”
Sabretooth
The whole plot feels too convoluted.
It seems all four team members’ memories are false. They were created on movie sets inside the Weapon X lab.
This includes Wolverine’s love affair with Silver Fox. Except we see at the end that he really did carve their names into a tree, so some of the memories must be real.
And the multiple videos of the doctor just add to the confusion. The talk of programming, and reprogramming, along with what’s real and what’s not, hurt my enjoyment of this.
At the end, Wolverine tells Beast…
“I came here to find answers. And now I know less than I did before.”
Me too, Wolverine.
Tim Matassa
I didn’t mind brainwashing and fake memories plot. Was sad Wolv. & Fox didn’t see their names carved. “Talos” was an interesting nane for robot, considering MCU would later have same-named character
P. S. Glad to see I wasn’t the only one confused by episode order 😅
Yeah, this episode coming after “Lotus and the Steel” is a bummer, clearly that shouldn’t be the case. I agree about Wolverine and Silver Fox, too. I’m curious what their story really was, since that end shows there must’ve been something real to their relationship.