First Things First…
This sounds like a Cyclops episode. And while I’m tempted to say that sounds lame, his episode right after “The Phoenix Saga,” which introduced the Purple Man, was really good. So I’m cautiously optimistic.
3 Things I Like
3. Banding Together
“They’re not afraid anymore, Solarr. You just lost your town.”
Cyclops
While I can’t help but wonder why the townspeople didn’t do this earlier, since they all seem to be mutants and they outnumber Solarr and his pals by a lot, it’s still nice to see how Scott—minus his powers for most of the episode—inspires them to finally band together and fight back.
2. Tusk
I wasn’t familiar with Tusk prior to this, but I dug him immediately.
At first, I assumed he’d be another villain. He almost looks like Bowser in human form.
So, unlike Scott, he’s not the type of mutant who can pass for human and live a normal life.
That’s why I found him so surprising. He’s a good guy having a hard time dealing with the oppression in town, just like everyone else. And he’s married with kids, so he doesn’t want to rock the boat.
That makes it even more impressive that he’s the first to rebel against Solarr. He takes the first shot, then frees Scott, igniting the rebellion. And after the good guys win, he destroys the statue of Solarr in the center of town.
1. The Mystery of Skull Mesa
“Nothing like a goldmine to make a man want to put down roots and become part of the community.”
Solarr
After Scott gets shot out of the sky and mysteriously loses his powers, he spends the first half of the episode wandering around, looking for Dr. Prescott, trying to get answers about what’s up with this town. Except for one guy, no one is friendly. Everyone avoids him. He keeps hearing that they don’t like strangers.
It’s not quite a ghost town, but it feels like one because everyone disappears and acts like shut-ins as Scott roams.
The vibe of something just feeling off is really enjoyable. And the payoff is good, too…
Turns out that not only is the town being controlled by Solarr, with help from Toad and Chet Lambert, but there’s a literal goldmine beneath the town that he’s forcing people to work.
He also has Dr. Prescott and other dissenters trapped in suspended animation, caught in Toad’s resin.
The reveal is like something out of a horror movie. It could be the Creeper’s lair with all the bodies trapped on the wall in Jeepers Creepers, or like a giant spider movie.
Also, Toad’s resin is absolutely disgusting.
1 Thing I’m Mixed On
1. Dr. Prescott
Dr. Prescott is an important figure from Scott’s childhood. He’s devoted his life to fighting for the ideal of mutants and humans living in harmony. Yet I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was waiting to find out it was bogus, and there was something more sinister under the surface.
Well, I was wrong. He is who we’re told he is. But I couldn’t really latch onto him because he’s brand new to the story and because I felt the framing was setting up some kind of misdirection.
1 Thing I Don’t Like
1. Scott Barges into Town and Acts Like an Asshole
“All right, Tanaka! I want some answers!”
Cyclops
What is this guy’s deal??
I get being pissed off about being shot down and losing your powers. But he tries to flag down a jeep. The driver, Dr. Tanaka, flies past him but then decides to stop and help. Meanwhile, Scott immediately yells at this stranger as he gets into his jeep uninvited, without saying thank you.
Tanaka brings him home, examines his head to make sure he’s alright after the crash, and gives him coffee. Again, Scott fails to say thank you. He just continues to take his anger out on Tanaka.
And that’s just the start…
He later grabs Tanaka’s collar in his fist as he demands answers about the town.
Then he calls out Tanaka multiple times for not doing anything to help the town—even as Tanaka continues to help him.
At one point he goes so far as to yell, “How can you call yourself a doctor?!” when Tanaka is too afraid to help him stand up to Solarr. Like, what exactly does being a doctor have to do with fighting terrorists?
Scott acts like an absolute asshole toward Tanaka. It’s comical how badly he treats the one dude who’s actually helping him.
Tim Matassa
