"Hated and Feared" Re-Watch: "The Fifth Horseman" & "Jubilee's Fairytale Theater"

 X-Men

After being neglected for like two and a half seasons, we are getting two episodes in a row that heaivly feature Jubilee. So... that is... something? Let's get to it.

"The Fifth Horseman"

Fabian Cortez: "Apocalypse cannot not exist."

Mutants are being hunted by other mutants called hounds. Fabian Cortez, Asteroid M survivor, is looking for a vessel to bring back Apocalypse who is still trapped after the events of "Beyond Good and Evil." When Beast and Jubilee stumble upon this, Jubilee may become the one who becomes the vessel.

Super Beast

As I mentioned in the opening blurb of this post, Jubilee has been pretty absent from the series recently. So, to get two episodes that really feature her in a row was kind of surprising. So was Jubilee's face in this episode. I hadn't really noticed the animation studio change prior to this, but it was really noticeable in this episode. Jubilee looks a lot older in this episode. She's technically still like 15 or 16, but she definitely looks like she's in her mid twenties. I wills say that one thing that I appreciate about this new design for Jubilee is that it makes her look Asian. Jubilee is full blooded Chinese and that doesn't always come through in her past incarnation. But it does here, which is nice. And I'm a fan of her new hair in this new look as well.

Fabian Cortez makes his return after his apparent demise on Asteroid M. Cortez is legitimately terrible, but I kind of love him. I love when he is portrayed as this whiny, bootlicking diva. He has this like pretty fantastic power, but instead of trying to use it for himself, he uses it for these mutants that he idolizes but also is resentful of. Cortez is just the type of character that you love to hate and you definitely need those. 

This episode introduces the Hounds to the universe of "X-Men: The Animated Series." In normal comics continuity, the Hounds were brainwashed mutant hunters. It was part of the back story of Rachel Summers. The version shown here is kind of a weird amalgamation of regular Hounds but also Apocalypse's horsemen. The only Hound that would be familiar to viewers of the show is Caliban. He's had his powers supercharged by Cortez. There was a time that Caliban was a horsemen of Apocalypse and that is the design the show used. I kind of wish there had been a little more illumination on what Cortez did to convince Caliban to agree to this because he doesn't seem into it even before he recognizes Jubilee.

I'm kind of surprised that Jubilee and Beast are paired together here. Apparently Jubilee has been traveling all over helping Beast with his archaeological digs. I don't want to be mean, but isn't Jubilee dumb? I get she's a student and all, but how would she be any help with Beast doing this? That being said, I do like Jubilee and Beast together as a combo. We haven't really seen them have a ton of interaction just the two of this and they seem to vibe and gel really well. I did like the super bestial Beast form that Cortez morphs Hank into, but doesn't he kind of look like troll Wolverine from the next episode?

All in all this was a fun episode. I enjoyed that it picked up some loose threads from the last season. Cortez of course is the one who becomes Apocalypse's vessel. I think we all saw that coming. I believe this is the last time that we see Apocalypse in this series, so maybe this is something they will pick up on in "X-Men '97" next year.

Grade: B

"Jubilee's Fairytale Theater"

Jubilee: "This is Logan, my right hand troll. He may look disgusting, but his heart is brave and true."

Jubilee takes some local school kids exploring the caverns under the school when the rest of the team gets called away. There is a cave in and Jubilee calls them home. To keep them calm and unaware, Jubilee tells them a fantastic story using some familiar faces.

This is my bridge, bub.

Can we talk for a minute about the new guy who is voicing Gambit this season? He's so bad. First off, he doesn't sound anything like Chris Potter, the original voice actor for Gambit. Sidebar, if you watched the original American "Queer as Folk," Potter was Michael's hot chiropractor boyfriend in the first season. And I had no idea he was the voice of Gambit until I did some Googling after I heard the atrocious voice acting that happens in this episode. Seriously, every time I heard Gambit talk in this episode it was like nails on a chalkboard. I am thankful that there is a completely new voice actor who is voicing Gambit in "X-Men '97."

Just like I was surprised that Jubilee would accompany Beast on an archaeological dig in the last episode, I am likewise surprised that Jubilee would be entrusted with the welfare of these schoolchildren. And this is sort of addressed in the episode. Jubilee is only doing this because the rest of the team including Xavier have to meet with the president. I do think it's weird that a school would just let a group of students go traipsing through caves without a teacher from the actual school along.

This episode is a take on "Uncanny X-Men" #153 when Kitty Pryde told Illyana Rasputin a story that cast the X-Men of the time in fantastical roles. Jubliee tells the kids a similar story to keep them calm that puts her teammates in the role of fantasy characters. Logan is a troll. Gambit is a thief. Magneto is a wizard. Scott and Jean are a prince and a princess.

All in all, I don't have a ton to say about this episode. It's not that it's really bad or really good, it is the very definition of mediocre. There's no real stakes here. It never feels like the kids are in any danger, even though they try to make it seem like they are. There are cut ins that show that the caverns might fill with water, but there's never any doubt that the team will make it back in time to save them. And they do.

The story Jubilee tells is fine. She is the hero, of course. It's cute. It's funny. There are some neat nods and little jokes, but overall it is completely inconsequential. It's kind of a waste of an episode.

Grade: C

Next up, we flashback to Logan's time working with Captain America and Xavier goes to see a family about a cannonball.

What did you all think of these episodes? Were you glad to see Apocalypse return? Are you a Cortez fan? Am I missing something about the fairytale episode? Let me know in the comments.