X-Men
It feels like it took so long to get here and it's already over. We conclude "The Phoenix Saga" with these last three episodes. It isn't perfect but it's definitely the best adaptation of the Phoenix so far. I know what you're thinking... low bar. And you'd be right. But that doesn't make this any less good, flaws and all. Let's wrap 'er up.
"The Phoenix Saga" - Part 3: "Cry of the Banshee"
Wolverine: "With a mouth like yours, we should have just tried to sneak in here with a marching band."
Banshee: "if you think that's bad, you should hear me sing."
After breaking into Xavier's room, a scuffle breaks out and Juggernaut is able to make off with Lilandra with the help of his partner, Black Tom Cassidy. Xavier is tossed out a window by his stepbrother but is saved from a rocky demise by Moira's new love, Sean Cassidy aka Banshee. Moira is initially leery of the Professor's claims of an alien princess abduction but after some sniffing around by Wolverine, it's determined Xavier is telling the truth. The team heads to Cassidy Keep to confront Juggy and Black Tom and save Lilandra.
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| Let's talk about this jaw... |
The episode picks up right where the last left off with Juggernaut going after Lilandra and his step-brother. It's a hard fought battle and after Lilandra gets Juggernaut's helmet off, it looks like they are going to win, but Black Tom shows up with his shillelagh and starts blasting. And no, that is not a euphemism. You might think Juggernaut is a joke if you're only familiar with him from that "I'm the Juggernaut, bitch" video or "Deadpool 2," but he's a cold one. I mean, he throws a paraplegic out a window. Luckily, Moira's new man can not only walk but fly! Take that, Xavier. Banshee scoops up Xavier before he can get impaled and takes him back to his room.
I mentioned in it in my review of the last episode, but its so funny to me that literal blasts of light are shooting out of the window of Xavier's room, feet from Sean and Moira and they don't realize it until the last possibly moment. I love it. I love Moira being leery of Charles' story because of the whole Dark Xavier thing, but do you think he threw himself out that window? Dark Xavier wasn't corporeal remember? Luckily no one doubts Logan's sniffer so when he identifies ole Juggy's scent and two others, one alien, she quickly comes around.
The more believable scenario happens back at the hospital where the X-Men aside from Scott and Logan are weary of Xavier's story since he, you know, just tried to kill them with his subconscious. But known BFF's, Cyclops and Wolverine are together on this one? Is it the Twilight Zone?
Erik the Red is who hired Black Tom and Juggernaut and the convene at Cassidy Keep. Turns out, Black Tom and Banshee are cousins. I'm really curious how Erik the Red ended up with 10 million dollars but that's really neither here nor there. When Banshee and the X-Men show up, we learn that if you're related to someone you can't use your mutant powers on each other because they cancel each other out. Very interesting. I'm sure this will come in handy sometime in the future particularly based on what we find out in the next episode.
We are introduced to another classic X-Men character, the praetor of the Shi'ar Imperial Guard, Gladiator. Gladiator is basically a purple mohawked X-Men superman and he's making short work of the mutants. Luckily, Jean and Phoenix chooses that time to merge and she transports herself, Cyke and Storm to the battle and tosses Gladiator through space like a little bitch. It'll be a short lived respite though because D'Ken has arrived.
Grade: B+
"The Phoenix Saga" Part 4: "Starjammers"
Cyclops: "Listen up, people. Jean has something to say."
Phoenix: "In our hands, lies the fate of a billion star systems. Of lives beyond measure."
Gambit: "Just what I wanted to hear."
Phoenix: "It is time to go. Farewell."
After dispatching Gladiator, Phoenix reveals that she is the guardian of the M'Kraan Crystal. She transports the X-Men (minus Xavier, Jubilee & Storm) and Lilandra to Lilandra's ship. They are summarily attacked and boarded by the Starjammers, a band of intergalactic pirates. The group steal the M'Kraan Crystal and Cyclops. They initially believe that the group wants to give D'Ken the crystal but its all a ploy to get close to the Emperor and use Cyclops' optic blasts to assassinate him. A revenge plot by the Starjammers leader, Corsair, to get revenge on D'Ken for killing his wife. Unbeknownst to Cyclops and Corsair, they are father and son, a fact gleaned by Phoenix when she reads Corsair's mind.
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| Scott doing what he does best: mansplaining. |
"Starjammers" really highlights one of the things I love the most about the X-Men. They could be in the middle of a galaxy threatening emergency, but family drama or soap operatics will always take a front seat when they inevitably rear their ugly heads.
That is the case here when the Starjammers attack and then board Lilandra's ship. The Starjammers are another group of classic X-characters we are introduced here. They are led by Terran Corsair and consist of his female humanoid cat lover, Hepzibah, giant lizard man, Ch'od and Shakespearean sounding cyborg, Raza. It's a pretty great fight between the X-Men and the pirates. It seems pretty evenly matched with the X-Men even getting the upper hand. But its hard to defeat an enemy that has a stun ray they can attune to any species.
Phoenix learns that Corsair is actually the father of Scott, Christopher Summers. She doesn't say anything at the time, because in the midst of battle is probably not a great time? Plus, if she told him then, the drama would be over and we'd be deprived. The main drama of this episode comes from Cyclops and Corsair meeting and not knowing who they are to each other. Them not knowing who they are to each other lends this kind of tense, sad undercurrent to all their interactions. Would Corsair be so gung ho to have Cyclops use his mutant power to kill if he knew Cyke was his oldest boy? Would Cyclops have entertained the idea more, maybe even gone through with it had he known that D'Ken was responsible for his mother's death? There are so many times when as an audience you're like, come on! Like when Corsair and Cyclops are heading to the meet with D'Ken, and Corsair said he would recognize his oldest son because he had his mother's eyes. My heart!
There are a lot of fun little moments in this episode. I loved Gambit tossing cards into Lilandra's bug-eyed space helmet. Or when the X-Men are trying to escape from D'Ken and the Imperial Guard and Beast is holding up the door. Logan tries to "help" and the condescending, shady way that Beast thanks him warms my heart. There are some fun cameos in this episode when Phoenix and the X-Men leave Earth. We see Captain Britain, Doctor Strange and Emma Frost and the Hellfire Club's Inner Circle (foreshadowing). The episode ends with D'Ken unleashing the power of the crystal and it beginning to suck everything into it.
I love this episode and "The Phoenix Saga" as a whole, clearly, but there are a few things that really stick in my craw. First off, its the omission of Storm. Storm is left behind multiple times for no reason. I don't think I'd ever be cool with it, but they could at least give some sort of reasoning. Then there is the way the writers handle the Phoenix. I get that the Phoenix is super powerful and they want this to last, but I feel like there is a better way to handle it than just having Jean collapse every time she uses her Phoenix powers. Its so frustrating that this should be a showcase for Jean, but they still sort of make her a fainting joke and I don't really understand the reasoning. This is not how she is in the comics. So why portray her this way? Particularly when she's, for all intents and purposes, the main character of the arc. It just feels like super lazy writing.
Grade: A-
"The Phoenix Saga" - Part 5: "Child of Light"
Phoenix: "Goodbye, my friends. I love you all. Goodbye, Scott! Someone help me find a way. Your wisdom. Your compassion. Your gentleness. Your innocence. Your courage. Your love."
Once D'Ken has unleashed the power of the M'Kraan Crystal, no one is safe. Phoenix spirits everyone back to the Starjammers ship, but they soon are sucked into the Crystal. Even the Earth is being impacted by the Crystal's powers. Inside the Crystal, D'Ken seems all powerful, Phoenix is nowhere to be found and all seems lost. At this moment, Phoenix rejoins the fray with a solution. But its a solution that may mean not all the X-Men will return to Earth.
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| Gross. |
This episode has two distinct halves: one that is very action driven and one that is very story driven.
The first half is where the action is. Once the X-Men, Starjammers and Imperial Guard are inside the M'Kraan Crystal, they go hard trying to stop D'Ken. Though at this point, D'Ken is basically unstoppable. He's a giant. He's made out of rock. There are multiple versions of him. Just like the Sentinels, with D'Ken, the X-Men can go a bit harder than they normally would because they aren't concerned with killing D'Ken, because they've basically realized that killing him is impossible.
We flash to Earth where the M'Kraan Crystal is causing all kinds of environmental and meteorological disturbances. It gives Storm some time to shine, which is pretty awesome, even if it is very, very brief. We also get some little cameos from other Marvel characters. We only see his webshooting wrist but Spider-Man is there. War Machine is helping out. We get brief shots of Alpha Flight and Sunfire doing what they do.
When Phoenix shows up, things take a turn for the more serious and heartbreaking. Phoenix has spent hte time that she's been missing investigating the crystal. She believes she can join with the matrix of the crystal and that will stop D'Ken. But there's no guarantee that he won't take control again. So, the Phoenix will take the Crystal into the heart of the sun and remain there. Jean Grey will not survive this process. This leads to some tearful scenes as Jean says good-bye to her teammates and family and the man that she loves.
If you're not familiar with the story of the Phoenix from the comics, this seems like the end for Jean Grey. For a kids cartoon in the early '90's this was a big deal. It seemed like this was going to be the end for Jean and what a way to go out. Despite my complaints about how the writers have handled Jean in the series up to this point and in "The Phoenix Saga" in particular, I have to say Jean/Phoenix in this last episode really resonates with me. She's strong. She's unflinching. She knows what has to be done and she's fully ready to it. She's committed to it immediately. The way that she draws on her teammates strengths to help her is very Jean and it could be this that really made me a fan for life. Had this been the end of Jean (spoiler alert?) it would have been a great way for her to go out.
The episode ends on a maudlin but hopeful note. Corsair and Cyclops have a father/son moment, unbeknownst to them. Xavier and Lilandra bid farewell to each other, but the spark between them remains. Xavier tells Scott about the myth of the Phoenix and Scott looks out at the horizon, praying for a re-birth.
Episode Grade: A-
Full Phoenix Saga Grade: A
Next up, Scott re-visits his childhood and Archangel looks for revenge against Apocalypse.
I always enjoy re-watching this. I'd love to hear your fond memories about "The Phoenix Saga." Drop them in the comments.
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