X-Men
It's a blast from this past in this post as the X-Men face enemies that we haven't seen in a while in these two episodes. The Juggernaut and Omega Red are back, back, back again. Let's get to it.
"The Juggernaut Returns"
Cyclops: [To Rogue] "He wants WHAT? Give me one good reason why we should help the Juggernaut!"
Beast: "He is also Professor Xavier's brother."
Wolverine: "I don't believe what I'm hearin'."
[Beast signs off]
Wolverine: "Help the Juggernaut?"
Cyclops: "We're gonna save the Juggernaut's sorry life. And don't bother telling me you don't like it."
Wolverine: "I don't like it."
After being tossed into the ocean by Gladiator, he's finally back on land and back going after his stepbrother, Charles Xavier. Juggernaut almost gets his wish, his brother dead, when he suddenly loses his power because a nerdy dope named gem has found the ruby gem of Cyttorak, which is what gives Juggernaut his powers. Without his powers, Xavier demands his X-Men save Juggernaut, despite their loud protests.
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| What's happening? |
I have seen these episodes a million times and there are still things that I have forgotten about or spaced out. I had completely forgotten that during "The Phoenix Saga," Gladiator had punched Juggernaut into the ocean. He's been walking on the ocean floor from Scotland until New York. Now he's emerging from the ocean and he's back on the rampage. He's got a singular focus and that focus is to murder his stepbrother, Charles Xavier. The Juggernaut's single mindedness can be a little annoying, but it can also be very entertaining. When he is on the bridge and is freaking out, he stops a cab and tears the roof off it so he can get in to drive it. But he barely fits into it. The visual of the Juggernaut trying to squeeze himself into that cab is hilarious. It looks like he's driving a go-kart down the highway.
I think sometimes the Juggernaut can seem really silly but one thing this episode does really well is show that he is a genuine threat. When he attacks the mansion, the only members of the team around are Beast and Xavier and they immediately know that they are outmatched. They throw everything they can think of at Cain Marko and he is unfazed. The end up in the Danger Room and Juggernaut is basically tearing the place down around himself, Beast and Xavier. It makes you nervous. And that is impressive. If you can be genuinely nervous for the well being of characters you know are going to survive, then you you've got something.
Tonally this episode is kind of all of the place. On one hand, you've got Eugene Turbot Weiderspan, a nerdy loser who somehow locates the temple of Cyttorak and the ruby that gives him Juggernaut's power. All the scenes with him are ridiculous. Once he gets the Juggernaut power, he thinks that women are going throw themselves at him, but dude, your personality is still the worst. How did he even find this temple? He reminds me of those like wannabe pick up artists. It's extremely cringe and it feels like it's solely for comic relief. Which is fine, but they could have figured out something better.
On the opposite side of the spectrum, there is the childhood trauma that Xavier and Marko experienced at the hands of Cain's father/Xavier's stepfather. That whole thing is kind of hazy. It's much more brutal in the comics and I get them toning things down for the show but it makes the motivations of everyone involved extremely murky. So, the stepdad is nice to Xavier because his mom is dying and he wants their money? The whole resolution is odd too. It's unclear why Xavier is so hell bent on helping Juggernaut aside from the fact that Xavier has to be virtuous. It's an odd ending all around.
Grade: B-
"A Deal With a Devil"
Colonel: "I want to thank you all for agreeing to join our salvage effort. We all know what's at stake."
Wolverine: "You don't have a clue, bub."
Colonel: "Speak when you're spoken to, mister."
Wolverine: "You come a step closer, pal, and I'm going to eat your hand."
American's dig Omega Red out of the ice and implant a liquid nitrogen capsule in his brain to ensure his cooperation. They want him to retrieve an unstable Russian nuclear submarine from the ocean floor near Hawaii. He requests help from Wolverine and Storm. When Omega Red's inevitable backstabbing, revenge plan is set in motion, can Storm and Wolverine stop him and prevent a nuclear disaster?
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| Dive! Dive! Dive! |
I'd be remiss if I didn't say point out that Storm's high ponytail is back in this episode and we can all breathe a sigh of relief. It's great.
This episode is basically "The Hunt for Omega Red October." The last episode that Omega Red was in season two, episode four. And I think that this episode kind of proves why that is. Omega Red is super one dimensional. They struggle with him in the comics. It is just recently in the Krakoa era that they have just sort of made Omega Red a compelling character.
Initially, I was happy that Storm was included in this. It feels like Storm is criminally underused in this series and I don't understand why that is. She's one of the most famous X-Men there is. She is the best leader the team has ever had. And yet, in this show, she's either left behind or her agency is taken from her or she's set dressing, like she is in this episode. It makes sense that Omega Red would want Storm there for his big revenge plan because she is the one who froze him, but she is a non entity for the most part. She's claustrophobic. She's standing around. It's all very meh.
Wolverine is kind of the worst in this episode. He's at his reactionary... best? Storm is his friend, but he has no concern for her at all. He's reminded of her claustrophobia and he's unmoved. When Storm tells him that if they attack Omega Red and their suits are damaged they could die, Wolverine is like well, fuck it and he goes after Omega Red with his claws. He's just a real asshat here and then at the end he's treated by the rest of the team like what he went through is so deep and traumatic. It just elicits a big old eye roll from me.
The entire episode is pretty anticlimactic. For a nuclear threat, it doesn't really feel that way. When the missiles are launched Beast and Rogue take out three of them no sweat and the Air Force handles the other two and we don't even see that happen on screen. When Omega Red somehow learns how to arm the missiles, Rogue just flies down and disables the sub and Wolverine and Storm just trust that he can't launch anymore nukes. So many baffling decisions here.
Grade: C-
Next up, Magneto is over the fighting and heads to Asteroid M to start over but Fabian Cortez has other ideas.
Not great episodes here, guys. But let me here what you think in the comments.
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