X-Men
Honestly, after re-watching "X-Men"s adaptation of "The Dark Phoenix Saga" and how masterfully they do it, I have this to say to any future live action adaptations. If you can't do it like this, then don't do it at all. Let's jump into these last two episodes.
"The Dark Phoenix" - Part 3: "The Dark Phoenix"
Gambi: "Gambit can't help but notice you saved him chere and not Wolverine, must be my way with women."
Rogue: "Don't flatter yourself swamp boy."
[Rogue drops Gambit in a pond]
Wolverine: "Little piece of advice, Cajun. Never make that woman mad atcha."
Jean's humanity has corrupted the Phoenix Force and now the Dark Phoenix has been unleashed. The X-Men attempt to stop their former teammate but she easily takes them down. Jean seems to be still fighting for control but it feels like the Phoenix is winning. The Shi'ar enters the fray when the Dark Phoenix feeds off of a star and destroys the uninhabited star system that it revolves around. Can the X-Men save their friend before the Shi'ar does what they feel they must?
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| Y'all are fucked. |
I am always so excited watching this episode. I've read "The Dark Phoenix Saga" more times than I can count. I have so much of it committed to memory and seeing Dark Phoenix here, it's like she jumped off the comics page and onto my tv screen. It's exactly how I imagined her every time I read it and I just can't stress enough how much "X-Men: The Animated Series" gets this right.
This episode picks up immediately where the last one left off. Cyclops pleads with his love. Jean briefly re-appears but the Dark Phoenix isn't willing to give up this body so easily. She throws the X-Men off the roof of the building and they just barely survive. Wolverine maneuvers himself into a duck pond and we learn that Logan hates ducks. Why does he hate ducks? What did ducks do to get on the bad side of Wolverine? Who knows? Rogue saves Gambit but when he tries to be all flirty Rogue isn't having it and ends up dumping him with Wolverine in the pond. It's a nice moment of levity and I enjoy that the show doesn't forget these moments even when tension and stakes are high. And it never downplays how serious things are.
The Dark Phoenix handily takes down the X-Men. There are even more moments that are pulled directly from the comics. My favorite is when Dark Phoenix transmutes the tree that Rogue rips out by the roots to gold. This happened in the comics except it was Colossus in the comics. Cyclops is determined to reach Jean through the love they share but Dark Phoenix isn't interested in love. She rebuffs him and takes off, opening a stargate and effortlessly moves between galaxies.
It's here where the adaptation veers away from it's comic counterparts. In both, the Dark Phoenix enters the D'Bari star system. In the comics, when the Dark Phoenix plunges herself into the heart of the D'Bari star, it causes the star to go supernova and wipes out the entire star system and its inhabitants. Dark Phoenix is basically responsible for the genocide of these people. Which is why, for years there was a Marvel mandate that Jean Grey could only be brought back if a writer could find a way to make her not responsible for that genocide (which they eventually did). I can understand the animated series not wanting to go this way but also wanting to pay homage to this and really demonstrate the destructive power of the Phoenix Force if left unchecked. So, they still have Dark Phoenix destroy the system but this time D'Bari is uninhabited and this is witnessed by a team of Shi'ar scientists who just happen to be mapping dead star systems. After a close call with Dark Phoenix, they report back to Lilandra.
Back on Earth, the X-Men realize that they are still alive because Jean was somehow influencing the Phoenix in not going completely HAM on them. Xavier is being kind of wishy washy on what to do with Jean, which feels a little weird. Cyclops feels Jean return through their psychic rapport, which gives Beast an idea. Beast creates a device that will hopefully scramble the Dark Phoenix's brainwaves enough to allow Jean to regain control.
The Dark Phoenix returns to Jean's childhood home. Here's the one quibble I have with this episode. In the comics, it makes sense for Jean to visit her old home because she is internally struggling with the Dark Phoenix and this is a place where she feels safe. This isn't really conveyed in the episode so it just feels kind of random and out of the blue that Dark Phoenix would come here, seemingly as Dark Phoenix, when she's rejected these inane human notions like love up until now.
The X-Men ambush Dark Phoenix and it feels like things are going to go the same way as their first battle. They get the headband on Dark Phoenix but she easily overcomes it and melts it. But, it does enough for Xavier to get into Jean's mind. This battle is extremely reminiscent to how it goes in the comics and also how the battle went against D'Ken in the heart of the M'Kraan Crystal. I kind of wish this had gone on a little longer just because astral plane battles are so cool and you can literally do anything you want. Jean helps Xavier overpower Phoenix and they seemingly contain the force inside Jean's mind. But when the Shi'ar arrive demanding the Phoenix, it might be too late.
Grade: A-
"The Dark Phoenix - Part 4: "The Fate of the Phoenix"
Rogue: "I know what you're asking yourself."
Cyclops: "If I were in Lilandra's place, would I act any differently? I'd like to think, I would."
[Jean enters, wearing her green Marvel Girl dress complete with gold mask]
Jean Grey: "No matter what the cost?"
Cyclops: "You're wearing your old X-Men uniform."
EanGrey: "It is how you first knew me. It felt right."
Rogue: "My daddy always said: 'Two's company and three's an eavesdropper.' "
When the Shi'ar arrive, Xavier challenges Lilandra to Arinn'nn Haelar, a Shi'ar trial by combat that cannot be refused. Lilandra transports the X-Men to her ship and confers with the leaders of the Kree and the Skrulls. It is determined the challenge can take place as long as the X-Men aren't allowed to succeed. The X-Men struggle with whether they should go to bat for their friends but ultimately decide they must. Can the team defeat the Imperial Guard and save Jean or is it too late for that?
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| Do I like this uniform? |
I can't believe that this is the last episode of "The Dark Phoenix Saga." I definitely feel like this could have been five episodes like the original. If I have one issue with these episodes, is that things do feel a bit rushed and one more episode could have given some plots a little bit of space to breathe. Like there could have been two episodes with Dark Phoenix really going crazy. But like, overall, these four episodes are some of the best that the show has produced.
I love when "X-Men: The Animated Series" touches on the broader Marvel Universe, even if it is just brief flashes like in the previous episode when we saw Doctor Strange, Thor and the Watcher react to the arrival of Dark Phoenix. We get more of that here when Lilandra meets with the Supreme Intelligence of the Kree Empire and the Empress of the Skrull Empire before agreeing to the terms of Xavier's challenge for the life of Jean. It's great to have the show acknowledge that they are part of a larger universe both literally and figuratively. And, in the '90's there were a bunch of Marvel animated shows that were connected. Take that MCU.
I like how this episode gives the characters a little space to breathe and reflect before jumping right into the big battle. It's nice to see the X-Men kind of grapple with this decision after Lilandra shows them what the Dark Phoenix did to the D'Bari system. This just makes this whole thing feel more... realistic... for lack of a better term. It's a given that they are going to support their friend, but it would feel not genuine if they did so without recognizing the repercussions if they do save her and Dark Phoenix re-asserts herself.
We get to see Xavier be kind of a douchebag. He has a mental conference with Lilandra and then tries to emotionally manipulate her. She is, understandably, upset and kicks him out of her mind. I really like that throughout this episode we really get to see Lilandra stand her ground and she never comes off as icy or a bitch. You're rooting for the X-Men, but you can always see where Lilandra is coming from.
I had completely forgotten that they had Jean dress up in her old green Marvel Girl dress in this episode. She does in the comics but I wasn't sure if they'd have her do it here, since we've never seen her in it before. This is definitely fan service, but I'm here for it. I sometimes am not a huge fan of the sappy moments between Scott and Jean, but I really appreciate this final conversation with the two of them before they go to the final battle.
Just like in the comics, the final battle takes place on the blue area of the moon, a place that has a breathable atmosphere. The battle between the Imperial Guard and the X-Men is pretty epic. At first things seem evenly matched, but it becomes apparent pretty quickly that the X-Men are out of their league. The highlights for me are probably the fight between Wolverine and the cybernetic Warstar that transitions to a fight between Logan and Manta. And Rogue and Gladiator facing off. The two super strong heroes trade powerful blow after powerful blow until a building literally crumbles down on top of them. When the rubble shifts, you're hoping it's Rogue, but then disappointed when you see that Gladiator is victorius.
The episode shifts a bit from the comics once Dark Phoenix reasserts control of Jean. In the comic version, Jean realizes that she can't keep the Phoenix Force at bay forever and that she is putting her friends in danger, so she sacrifices herself, basically killing herself in front of Scott. I totally get them not wanting to go that way in a children's cartoon. It's maybe a little too intense. So instead, Jean takes control of the Shi'ar weapons systems and has them fire on her. The show doesn't ever mention death or dying though it is pretty clear that Jean dies. The Phoenix Force just says that her flame has been extinguished. But there is a way for the flame to be re-lit. The Phoenix Force take a bit of "flame" from each X-Man and brings Jean back. And then the Phoenix just takes off to be the guardian of the universe again. This is a bit of a pat ending, for the Phoenix, but I'll allow it.
The X-Men return to Earth with Scott watching over Jean. But things seem to be a bit rocky for Xavier and Lilandra. She's closed off a bit of her mind to Xavier. We'll see where things go from here.
Grade: A
Next up, Cyclops finally learns the truth about his relationship to Corsair and Rogue has a run-in with her first love, Cody.
Man, I'm bummed this is over. There is still good stuff to come, but I just love these episodes so much. What do you all think of the "Dark Phoenix Saga" overall. Let me know in the comments.
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