First Things First…
I’m excited to kick off the final season. We’ve got another two-parter. Something about the description doesn’t sound very appealing, though. I don’t know exactly what techno-organic aliens are, but they look pretty weird.
2 Things I Like
2. All Hope Rides on Beast
Everyone else at the X-Mansion falls victim to the Phalanx. Only Beast escapes.
And lucky for him, he befriends Warlock, the one Phalanx alien who doesn’t want to conquer Earth.
So now it’s all on them—and the other allies they pick up on the way.
I like episodes like this—with any team or ensemble, really—where one character is forced to step up when everyone else is incapacitated. And Beast has been one of my favorites throughout the run of the show, though he’s rarely center stage like this.
I’m glad it’s his time to shine.
1. It’s Everywhere… and Everyone!
“But you’re using a viral model. This thing thinks! It knew to go for the President and it knew to ambush us at Milford. It knows just what and when to infect.”
Forge
Based solely on the appearance of these techno aliens, I didn’t think I’d like them as villains.
My misgivings about them are still there, but here’s something I wasn’t ready for…
They’re everywhere! And they can turn into anyone!
Now, while I can’t explain how all this works, and some of it is kinda silly, part of the effect turns this episode into a don’t-trust-anyone thriller.
It starts with Sabretooth—who they obviously never would’ve trusted anyway—but it continues when a group in hazmat suits arrive at the mansion and try to convince Beast they’re there to contain the situation. Luckily, he quickly realizes they’re the Phalanx in disguise.
Later, Beast contacts Forge for help but needs Warlock to make sure Forge is really Forge.
He is…
… but Beast also contacts President Kelly for help, only to discover he’s been infected by the Phalanx.
As Forge points out, even Beast’s projection of the Phalanx infecting 76% of the world’s population in just four days is too conservative, because it thinks and knows the power players to infect that will expedite the process.
Despite some of the sillier elements of this episode, the mystery surrounding who might be compromised makes it more exciting than I expected.
2 Things I’m Mixed On
2. Paralympic Training
These “slice of life” moments pop up every once in a while. They’re often cool because they show how the X-Men spend their down time, even if they’re also a little silly.
I won’t be too critical about seeing some of the team, and especially Professor X, working out in their gym. But when the Professor does a perfect springboard over the parallel bars and into his wheelchair, I have to point out its ridiculousness.
Then again, who knew he’s so jacked? If he’s had arms like this all along, maybe it’s not so far-fetched.
1. Enemy of My Enemy
Mister Sinister is one of the evilest adversaries the X-Men have faced off with. Consequently, he’s one of the least believable for them to team up with.
That’s what has me conflicted.
Putting Beast, Warlock, Forge, and Quicksilver on Sinister’s plane sounds insane and unbelievable. Even in the direst of circumstances, which these certainly are, I’m not sure he’d team with the good guys.
Then again, maybe he would. He’s the one who needed help in the first place. The Phalanx have infected his men and either destroyed or subsumed his lab.
It’s a weird dynamic, though, starting with Xavier unscrambling the distress call and seeing Sinister on the other end. Not only is Sinister frightened, he rather respectfully calls Xavier “Professor” and tries to warn him when he sees the Phalanx sneaking up behind Xavier on that end of the video chat.
Sinister is probably the last person I would’ve guessed is on the other end of that call with Xavier. Now, I’m very curious to see how he works with Beast and the other heroes in Part Two.
2 Things I Don’t Like
2. Have You Met Wolverine?
“I know of no way to explain Sabretooth’s presence to him that won’t start a war.”
Professor X
Forget the fact that Sabretooth has been compromised by the Phalanx and Jubilee, Beast, and Professor X don’t realize it. That’s beside the point.
How could they possibly think it’s a good idea, after capturing Sabretooth without even telling Wolverine they were going after him, to lock Sabretooth up and try to hide it from Wolverine?
It’s as if he hasn’t been their teammate for years now.
No matter how much he hates Sabretooth, not only has Wolverine been the most effective at fighting him, but hiding Sabretooth’s presence from him will piss him off way more than telling him that they have him, and even letting him be part of the guard detail.
Considering Xavier’s telepathic abilities, and his general knowledge of the brain, I wonder sometimes whether he understands human nature at all.
1. Techno Babble & Appearance
I still don’t love the look of the Phalanx. They look like they’re out of a different series or comic, not the X-Men.
And there’s a lot of nonsense related to how their abilities work.
When Beast asks if that creature is Warlock’s life mate, he says…
“No! Yes. In part… the Phalanx has her now, has done something to her… something horrible.”
It’s hard to understand exactly what’s happening when even the characters in question can’t adequately explain it.
Plus, Beast says things like…
“There must be some sort of neurochemical signal linking the units…”
And…
“The rate of the assimilation is directly proportional to the substance’s electrical conductivity.”
Maybe I should appreciate that they actually try to explain what’s going on with the Phalanx. I just can’t make any sense of it.
Tim Matassa
