XMENTALTIY: X-Men Evolution S01E10 - Shadowed Past
SUMMARY: Rogue has vague nightmares sourced from when she absorbed Mystique. Xavier uses his powers to try and sort things out, and it's revealed that Mystique is Kurt's mother, and Magneto did experiments on him as a child. Xavier confronts Mystique at school, then sends Wolverine to investigate the lab, while keeping Kurt in the dark about all this. Mystique orders Pietro to sneak in a message to Kurt, but Pietro notifies his father of this and is ordered to ambush their arranged meeting with the rest of the Brotherhood boys. Mystique flees, leaving Kurt without any solid answers, because Xavier still refuses to tell him anything.
Xavier is such a fucking asshole in this one, though. He knows right away that Mystique is Kurt's mother, and that Magneto was doing experiments on him, but chooses not to tell Kurt anything. And then chooses not to tell him anything AGAIN after Wolverine investigates the laboratory. Does Kurt not have the right to know his own past? What a jerk! He also drags Wolverine, Scott and Jean into this as well, and I guess they all agree to also keep these secrets? WTF! Why does no one respect what Kurt wants, which is the truth?!
I love that apparently Pietro is fast enough to get past all of the Institute's defences, but never again uses this knowledge to get in and out. Like, if that's the case, could he not get in, take Cerebro data, and get out? Mystique, you are using him for your own personal drama, but not strategically?
Pietro's little smile when Magneto praises him is adorable and sad at the same time, because you get that he probably hasn't heard that much in life.
Magneto apparently still chilling in this old Dracula-like castle all this time is so funny. I wonder where he goes after the place gets blown up by Wolverine.
I also find it funny that Mystique has kept the same cloak she had all those years ago just to show up and be dramatic at her arranged meeting with Kurt.
Overall, I ADORE this episode, it's my favourite of the season. It's so full of juicy family drama, and I love the bonding between Kurt and Rogue. I also love that we get to see Kurt in a more serious light, rather than purely comic relief.
XMENTALITY: X-Men Evolution S01E02 - The X-Impulse
SUMMARY: Jean Grey and Xavier are investigating Kitty Pryde, a newly discovered mutant. Kitty is just getting used to her powers, and is swayed by the other mutant at her school, Lance Alvers, into breaking into the principal's office. Kitty has a change of heart and decides to join the X-Men as Shadowcat, while Lance is recruited into the Brotherhood as Avalanche. Meanwhile, Wolverine and Sabretooth duke it out, and Scott and Kurt follow after them because they're nosy.
I gotta ask, would it have been so terrible to give Kitty her Magen David necklace she wears in the comics? In this show she just wears a generic necklace of little beads. She is canonically still Jewish as in the Christmas special she's shown instead celebrating Hanukkah, so...
It drives me nuts that Xavier is fully aware of both Kitty and Lance, but only gives a shit about Kitty. Jean literally asks "how are we handling the other kid cerebro spied out, the one in the foster home?" and Xavier's response is "yes, Lance Alvers. Let me worry about that." AND THEN DOES NOTHING! Literally the only reason Lance ends up in the Brotherhood is because Mystique was the first one to even remotely care about him... and in her case, she's just wanting to use him. Yet again I find myself more sympathetic towards the Brotherhood kids than the X-Men in some regard. Yes, Lance is a "troubled kid", but "troubled kids" need help, not dismissal!
Avalanche in this show might as well be an original character. I'm not complaining though—I think Lance is an interesting part of the show and really humanizes the Brotherhood. I just also think it's funny that his entire vibe is just... Rictor but white.
I love Wolverine's little magical girl transformation sequence of him decking out in his costume to go fight Sabretooth in a parking lot. But what I don't at all understand about his fight, is this prophecy Sabretooth talks about? "One shall fall by the other's hand. Our destiny, we can't change it." What the fuck? What is he on about? Am I forgetting something crucial, because I swear to god I remember nothing about this!
Honestly, this episode I feel is a better starter than the actual first episode. It's one of my favourites of season 1, that's for sure.
SUMMARY: Scott, AKA Cyclops, is curious about another student at Bayville High who goes by Toad, who it turns out is a fellow mutant. Meanwhile, Kurt gets acclimated to his new life in America, and is overjoyed to join the X-Men as Nightcrawler. When Toad is encouraged to check out the Xavier Institute by Mystique (who is disguised as Bayville’s Principal,) he and Kurt get in a spat, and Toad eventually leaves, frightened by the Danger Room.
This episode is really strange in that it tries to make Toad sympathetic and also dislikeable at the same time. I think a perfect example is how it opens: he goes from stealing money at the football game (something we're supposed to dislike him for), to getting beat up for being a 'freak' (something we're supposed to feel sorry about, and be happy when Scott comes to his rescue). He also has his own theme song!
Other than toad though, I think it does a great job at introducing the cast already assembled. My personal favourite is how Logan walks into a place just called "market", buys a bottle of water, slams it then says "recycle that, will yah?" and walks away all mysterious-like.
I also think this episode is a great set-up for Kurt's inner turmoil over his appearance, and later expanded on obsession with hiding behind his image inducer.
Something I gotta ask though, did Toad make his own costume? If so, what did he make that big shell thing around his body out of, papier mâché?
I love Nightcrawler so much in pretty much any version, but X-Men Evolution Kurt holds an extra special place in my heart, and I can't wait for his character-centric episodes.
And oh my god I forgot how fucking dramatic Magneto is in this show… I love his spookiness.
But to be honest, I think this episode is rather weak in terms of being a first episode to establish a series. X-Men Evolution is definitely my favourite animated adaptation overall, but it takes a while to really get going. Most of season 1 is spent setting up the characters after all, but once all the players are in place, things are able to move forward at a more engaging matter and place.
XMENTALITY: X-Men Evolution S01E05 - Speed And Spyke
SUMMARY: Evan Daniels, Storm's nephew, is developing his mutant powers but trying to hide it because he's reluctant to go to the Xavier Institute. He has a strong rivalry with another student at his school in New York City, Pietro Maximoff, who is also a mutant. Pietro sets Evan up for a crime he didn't commit, and is forced to join the institute in exchange for getting out of jail. Meanwhile, Magneto wants to recruit Pietro, so Mystique arranges a basketball game against the two schools, bringing Pietro to Bayville. He and Evan fight with Scott and Jean providing backup, and after winning, Evan is able to prove his innocence and lands Pietro in jail instead. Magneto then breaks him out and adds him to the Brotherhood's list.
Oh boys, I'll tell you right now I was so waiting for this one. It's my second favourite of season 1. And no offence to Spyke, but it's mostly because I absolutely adore Evolution's Quicksilver. He's such a little bitch! And his voice actor is so fucking good, I really truly buy him as a young, bratty Pietro who literally can't slow down.
The thing about Evan in this episode is everyone acts like he's being so unreasonable, when really he's just behaving like a average teenager. Of course he doesn't want to leave his friends and family! Then he's basically BLACKMAILED into joining the institute because it's the only way the Professor will agree to use his powers and get him out of jail... EVEN THOUGH HE AND JEAN CAN READ HIS MIND AND KNOW HE WAS WRONGLY IMPRISONED!
Pietro says he made his own costume, which I gotta ask just the same as I asked with Toad - where did he get the material for those shoulder pads? Personally I think they look pretty dumb, but other than that he has a great character design. Love the lil earring.
Magneto saying "Pietro Maximoff... he is of particular interest to me" is a funny way of saying "yeah he's my son I just dumped off in New York but now that he's useful I need him back." I know this show mostly focuses on what an asshole Mags was to Wanda, but I stand strongly by the fact that he's hardly been a good father to Pietro either.
Last thing I want to say is if this show wasn’t made in an era where gays weren’t allowed to overtly exist in kid-friendly cartoons yet, then Evan and Pietro could’ve ended up as rivals to lovers. And that’s my big brained take.
SUMMARY: Scott and Kurt get into a fight over Scott being too up-tight and Kurt goofing off too much. Kurt bamfs away and ends up uncovering an old private science lab on school grounds. Rogue follows him and in fighting over a piece of machinery, accidentally transports him to the "Middleverse" where Kurt meets Forge, a student from the 70's who has been trapped all this time. Forge creates a machine that allows Kurt to temporarily teleport back to the corporeal world for just a second, and it's long enough for the X-Men to figure out how to save him. But not before a fight with the Brotherhood.
It's time for our first Kurt-centric episode! This one also has so many moments that make me chuckle.
I can't get over the fact that the school let Forge build his own private science lab on their grounds, including traps that self-destruct the entire thing. Bayville in the 70's must've been wild lmao.
Rogue accidentally transporting Nightcrawler to the Middleverse is so funny just because her response is basically to shrug and say "oh well I guess he's gone", then throws the thing in the trash.
Fred isn't exactly the smartest kid around, huh. Saying "We weren't doing nothing" to Principal Darkholme while literally dangling Scott by the scruff of his neck is also very funny to me. He's lucky it's of course actually Mystique in disguise.
I wish I knew why the writers decided to give Forge a prosthetic arm instead of a prosthetic leg like in the comics? I guess just because they wanted to make it so he could turn it into different tools, which would be hard to use if it was on his foot instead of his hand of course.
I have to laugh over the fact that it's taken 6 episodes for the X-kids to learn that the Brotherhood is working for Mystique. Like, let's be real, they probably could've pieced that together by now. Or hey, here's a thought, why didn't Xavier tell them? Same way he hasn't told them their principal is actually Mystique? LMAO Xavier is the worst no matter what version.
Lance, my dear Lance... why do you have a salad bowl on your head? I otherwise like his costume in this show, but oh my god, that salad bowl is something else.
Finally, I find it hysterical that once the machine is broken, the Brotherhood boys just... leave. They're just like "well okay bye see yah next time" and they just... leave. The X-Men basically wave them goodbye and they just... leave. The fight just ends and they just leave. IDK I just. I just really find that amusing that it's like they were on a timer this episode and weren't allowed to stay out past their bedtime or something.
SUMMARY: Both the X-Men and Mystique are interested in recruiting Rogue, who is newly discovering her memory and ability absorption powers, and very, very confused. Mystique ends up succeeding in winning over Rogue by pretending to be the X-Men and scaring the shit out of her. Meanwhile, Kurt is trying very hard to make Kitty less afraid of him and his demonic blue appearance.
So this needs to be said: I adore Rogue's look in this show. She's such a goth queen and for this version of her it really works.
Something I always missed until now: The photo behind Destiny when she's talking to Mystique on the phone is of her and another woman (obviously Mystique in disguise.) Love that the artists snuck that in!
Kurt trying too hard to make Kitty like him is adorable.
So, Mystique's plan. What exactly is the long-term goal here? Because shifting into different X-Men and scaring the shit out of Rogue is kind of only a temporary thing, since she's bound to meet the real ones eventually and figure out they're not actually crazy killers. All it does is just confuse the hell out of her, as if she needs more of that in her time of crisis lmao. Worst mother of the year award goes to...
Rogue playing with Nightcrawler's powers is adorable.
I forgot how much I adore Wolverine's nicknames for the kids in this show. Kitty "Half Pint" Pryde and Kurt "Little Squirrel" Wagner for this episode are very fitting.
In typical Xavier fashion, he of course ends the episode like "well I guess we're just gonna leave this troubled kid to her own devices." Buddy, you gave up so fast!
All in all this is one of the more solid first episodes in my opinion, because it's got some nice bottled character development re: Kitty coming around to accept Kurt, and it's the first time we see the X-Men actually fail at something, which raises the stakes considerably for all future matters, since we know they are now capable of doing so.
XMENTALITY: X-Men Evolution S01E12+13 - The Cauldron
(These two last episodes of season 1 are the same story in two parts, so I'm covering them together.)
SUMMARY: Toad attacks Jean out of the blue, then when Jean bests him, is kidnapped in a metal ball. Meanwhile in Hawaii, Alex Summers's powers manifests, alerting Cerebro. However, Magneto finds him first and invites him to his new base, Asteroid M. Left behind when Xavier and Wolverine take Scott to go fetch his bro, the rest of the X-kids decide to go to the beach, where they are attacked by the Brotherhood, while Mystique takes on Storm, Sabretooth takes on Wolverine, and Magneto kidnaps Xavier. The winners of the battles are taken to Asteroid M as well: Avalanche, Quicksilver, Blob, Rogue, and Storm. Alex convinces Scott to join Magneto on his own, shocking Xavier before Magneto puts him into a sleep pod thing. The losers of the battles (Nightcrawler, Shadowcat, Spyke, Toad, Mystique, and Wolverine) all head to Asteroid M to save the others, or in Mystique's case, to get revenge because she doesn't like being rejected. On the asteroid, Magneto explains that he's built a machine to advance mutant abilities, but doesn't reveal it also brainwashes you until after Scott and Alex go through it. The losers show up to Asteroid M and a grand battle ensues. The X-Men and Brotherhood all flee. Jean is able to snap Scott out of his brainwashing just in time for them to escape too, and they use their powers to blow up the asteroid. With the destruction of the mutant enhancement machine, everyone reverses back to normal.
Toad honestly thought he had a chance fighting Jean, LMFAO.
Amazing that this show makes me not hate Alex. This version of him is actually alright. It's also pretty rare to see a character with explicit chronic pain like he has in the show. "My joints are on fire. I've been to a bunch of doctors, but nobody could tell me what it was." I think that's probably relatable to a lot of people.
Scott's first reaction to finding out Alex is alive is, of course, blaming himself for not knowing. I feel like this is really in character for him.
Somehow Kitty knows that they're going to find Alex, even though Scott was only just told before they left? So I'm wondering, does that mean Xavier literally told everyone before telling Scott? WTF, would not put it past him.
Imagine how different things may have gone with Scott, had Xavier told the kids anything about Magneto beforehand. Yet again, the secret-keeping endangers everyone.
Mystique doesn't even flinch to Kurt calling her mother. That's one cold-hearted bitch, I love her.
You know who else is a cold-hearted bitch? When Wolverine asks Xavier "what about the boys" in reference to them abandoning Scott and Alex, his response is just "they'll do what they must" and rolls on by. I hate him.
Speaking of, I find it hysterical that Havok and Cyclops are transformed into these grown men, but they still have voices like they're teenagers. And I love the part where Magneto says "let's see the colour of your eyes" to Scott, and then he takes off his glasses and it's just black dots.
Magneto is so fucking dramatic, and I feel the need to say that with every sway of his cape, every clenched fist, every smirk. I adore him.
The ending gets me so bad. Scott apologies for "making bad choices" and Xavier corrects him, saying "more like misinformed choices." BITCH, YOU ARE AT LEAST 50% TO BLAME FOR THAT! FUCKING TELL YOUR STUDENTS THE TRUTH ABOUT WHAT THEY'RE AGAINST FOR A CHANGE! YOU SHOULD BE APOLOGIZING TO SCOTT!
Ugh, but this is one of my favourite Scott-centric plots in the entire show TBH, because it humanizes him so much. He's so intense about being the perfect model leader in Xavier's eyes, seeing him question Xavier for even a moment, seeing him switch sides for even a moment, is so good.
XMENTALITY: X-Men Evolution S01E07 - Turn Of The Rogue
SUMMARY: During a training session, Scott gets freaked out by Rogue being an enemy, and stops the simulation. Xavier berates him for this. At school, Scott and Rogue end up going on a camping field trip together, where they flip back and forth between bonding and ribbing each other. Meanwhile, Magneto pays Xavier a visit just to fuck with him, critisizing him for not being truthful. This spurs Xavier to consider telling the kids that their principal is actually Mystique, but decides against it. Too late, Mystique reveals herself to Scott at the camping trip, right before pushing him off a cliff. Rogue absorbs Mystique's powers and memories, learning of her trickery, and saves Scott. Then they are saved by the X-Teachers. Rogue joins the team.
Magneto insulting Xavier for not telling the truth in this show is like the pot calling the kettle black. Bitch, you two are in a contest of lies!
The teacher leading the field trip has to be the most negligent adult in this show, and that's saying something, because he literally just lets two of his students (three if you could Mystique posing as Paul) wander off and then go missing!
"You X-Men are nothing but puppets for Charles Xavier, and I am a sharp blade cutting your strings, just so I can watch you fall!" is such a raw line, holy shit Mystique!
They use the same screech sound for Mystique as an eagle like four times in a row. It reminded me of Birdemic or something.
Rogue asking Wolverine if she won't join them will they throw her out of the jet really speaks volumes as to how she's been treated by the adults in her life. Wolverine says it's not their style and she should either trust them or not by this point, but I think he's underestimating how hard that is, when Rogue's trust has been so abused. Still, she says she's on their side now.
