It also offers more cameo's than you can throw a Blackbird jet at. Mercury, Senyaka, Fever Pitch, Dust, Pixie, Squidboy, Dazzler, Melloncamp (the big green thing), Scanner, and of course Scarlet Witch and Pyro. And Mystique, who takes on the forms of various past and present members of the X-Men, including Angel and Colossus.
More importantly, the episode continues along subplots, which W&TXM is managing rather nicely. If you notice, the episodes that have seemed the worst were the ones that seemed the most episodic. Granted, to be fair, ALL shows need episodes like that before they can be tied together into an arc. 2k3 TMNT's first season, during the first 10 or so episodes had a few adventures that seemed pretty random but at points had subplots, which then came together into a woven storyline later on. W&TXM is doing much the same here. After all, even the random Gambit adventure had a point later on. Nightcrawler's adventures also come into context here. Considering travel by boat across an ocean takes weeks, a break in Kurt's story made sense.
After saving the ship full of Genoshan-bound mutants from Spiral and her Reavers, Nightcrawler safely helps guide the boat to the shores of Genosha. As Squidboy and Pixie see the island in the fog, the boat is abruptly carried to shore by Magneto, who personally welcomes the newcomers. He is most interested in an X-Man like Kurt's arrival and unrolls a five star welcome, allowing him full access to the island and a personal escort in his daughter, Scarlet Witch.
Meanwhile at the X-Mansion, Iceman and Shadowcat are getting through another Danger Room drill, barely, when they are greeted by Angel, who inquires about the Professor. However, "Angel" is not all he seems to be, and Wolverine is aware of it. Savagely attacking the winged mutant, it isn't until Cyclops blasts Logan into a wall that he bothers to tell people that Angel is a shapeshifter, which he knows by scent.
The major caveat about this scene is that it was OBVIOUS that virtually the entire X-Men team honestly believed that Logan was unstable and was attacking Angel unprovoked. After all, the two usually have a cool, professional relationship with each other and are hardly friends. The shapeshifter, who is of course Mystique, could have easily turned the entire team against Wolverine with little effort. Cyclops was practically ITCHING to fight Wolverine (he outright says, "C'mon, give me another reason!" after threatening another blast). Instead, Mystique outright confirms that Wolverine can detect her via his enhanced scent, and clues the entire team into her infiltration. Which is, honestly, rather stupid for a spy character. Mystique should have at least played at being Angel for a little longer and made Logan work to make his allies believe him. Instead, what could have been a really thrilling sequence is only predictable. Good instead of great. A metaphor for some of the other issues this series has gone though with their main cast. The creative team of W&TXM, to use a baseball analogy, are the type who are happy with bunts or walks, or a single base hit, and never, ever try for a home run, or run hard to force a double or triple. They only do the bare minimum to succeed, rather than exceed.
The Nightcrawler segments are more nuanced, subtle, and exciting; the second episode in a row in which the show is better when it completely ignores their central cast. That is the surest sign that whatever pre-production character bible the writers have for the core X-Men is flawed, stifling, and predictable; a "box" that may have worked to keep the show together during growing pains, but has now become a narrative cage of predictable interactions. It needs to be changed, much as a child will eventually outgrow a crib. It is no accident that when given a chance to write other characters besides Wolverine and the central X-Men on his squad, the writers have usually fared better. This is something that can be overlooked and forgiven before episode 13, but cannot still be true by episode 26.
Tom Kane returns to reprise his role as Magneto, and I must say he is excellent voicing the master of magnetism. While Christopher Judge (best known as Teal'c on STARGATE SG-1) was great in the part in EVOLUTION, Kane is obviously trying to imitate a little bit of McKellen from the films, but puts his own spin on the role, too. Judge often made Magneto sound a bit OBVIOUSLY unheroic, while powerful. Kane's Magneto is better able to balance it out because, after all, Magneto never sees himself as a villain. He sees himself as the only mutant hero who is willing to do what must be done for the greatest good of his kind. Considering Tom Kane got a lot of Marvel animation roles in the 90's, it is good that the Marvel cartoon vet is getting some more play again.
Scarlet Witch makes her first animation debut since X-MEN EVOLUTION ended in 2003 and this is easily the best version of her yet put to the small screen. They got her costume right (which AVENGERS: UNITED THEY STAND never could), she looks lovely and the voice actress plays her like a normal person, not some over-the-top Gypsy. She introduces Kurt to the island of Genosha, showing how mutants there are free to walk about normally, display their powers and pursue their pursuits. You get a sense the entire episode that Nightcrawler wants to be skeptical of his old enemy, but at the same time genuinely wants to believe that Genosha is as good as he had heard. After attending a concert of Dazzler's (and no "Ultimate punker" look here; nope, she has her John Romita Sr. design), the pair seem to be a couple. EXILES fans will note some comic allusions to this, as a member of the team was a daughter in an alternate universe where they hooked up.
Nightcrawler helps in a fight Melloncamp and Mercury are having against Fever Pitch in a decently paced fight sequence; it won't win any awards, but is easily better than stuff from, say, "Wolverine vs. The Hulk" or "Hindsight Part 3". Between the punches, the acrobatics, and the teleports, this team at least gets a good idea of how Nightcrawler should be fighting and always makes him exciting. Just when Kurt starts to buy into the hype, he runs across Dust (last seen when Wolverine & Beast freed her from the MRD base, as was Pyro), who warns him that not all is as it should be. Magneto, it turns out, is imprisoning those who don't "get with his program" and probably brainwashes or deprograms them. Appalled, Nightcrawler stages a daring escape from the island and a desperate teleporting gambit to return to the X-Men.
The X-Men have their own share of problems trying to root out Mystique, especially as only Wolverine can tell who she is for sure. While Yuri Lowenthal's Iceman isn't an especially deep character, I do like some of the enthusiastic bits he has in this episode, from his banter with Kitty (Danielle Judovits) to his accidentally assuming a hapless Forge is Mystique. Mystique, it would turn out, in this show has connections to Weapon X, and worked with Wolverine there (at least from what she alludes). This may be an attempt to streamline comic details such as her being Sabretooth's lover at times. And yes, she does transform into Colossus to try to overpower Wolverine, but gets tossed rather quickly (Logan even slashes her across the chest when she turns into Xavier, although there is no blood, but that is fine; BATMAN: TAS did that all the time).
Considering my rantings, what did I think of the Colossus cameo? Nothing. It was fine. I typed up an animation retrospective on the character for another website and it sort of made me less angry about the subject of his shafting because it reminded me how Kyle, Gordon, and Johnson on X-MEN EVOLUTION basically squandered him. They introduced him, would raise bare-bones subplots, homages, and allusions, and then did absolutely nothing worthwhile with him. He showed up in EVOLUTION some 7-8 times and in those combined appearances, he had fewer lines than he got in 1994's "RED DAWN". Colossus in Evolution was just a giant, metal tease, and they thought nothing of him besides the fact that he had a good design. Tabitha/Boom-Boom had more impact on the show than Colossus. So, with that refresher course in history, the lack of the metal man in W&TXM is really nothing surprising, and isn't worth a lot of focus. The same creative team behind Evolution is doing W&TXM, and they obviously don't feel Colossus is worth their time beyond some occasional fight sequences and a decent character design. All they can do with him is hint at things they have no intention to ever explore, so y'know what, may as well they not even bother.
To focus on the positive, this episode continues the fact that this is the best animated version of Nightcrawler, ever. He debuted in 1975 right alongside Storm and Colossus and was more than due a great depiction that doesn't go too far in goofiness (Evolution) or priesthood (the 90's show), but balances out his swashbuckler flair with his morality as this show does. Liam O'Brien, who voices him as well as Angel, has been doing a great job. If there is any character to tune in for besides Wolverine, Beast, or Emma Frost, it is Nightcrawler.
Mystique, who was sent to the Mansion to find out how Xavier was faring, is recalled by Magneto to intercept Nightcrawler as he staggers upon the Mansion, which I thought was clever. Magneto wanting to see how his friend was doing was accurate, but he also would have his own agenda and would not want the X-Men stopping him. Especially an X-Men led by the hair-trigger Wolverine.
To be fair, while Cyclops only gets two lines, I did feel that he wasn't stiff as a board here. He obviously sees Logan as a rival and was ready to blast him to oblivion for attacking Angel, who in the comics (and perhaps in this show) was one of the "founding" team alongside Jean and Beast. This is something we should see more of. Scott having conflict with Logan. Scott being the lose canon that Wolverine is "supposed" to be. True, Cyclops goes back to teammate mode as soon as Mystique stupidly reveals herself, but that's true to form. He runs into her after she has taken out Frost, as the show is naturally continuing to hint at the two becoming a couple. Hopefully, they do; I'm usually a purist with X-Men, but Jean is boring, and Frost may be many things, but she isn't boring. All Jean has is being Phoenix. All Frost may have is being a B**** with occasional moments of nobility, but the latter offers more depth and amusing moments than a big flaming (sometimes alien) bird.
Fred Tatasciore's Beast is still cool, and Storm gets to talk again, although her hair is still the worst part of her design. But better that than her atrocious 1990's cartoon dialogue. It would be funny if Mystique turned into Storm and tried to cover as her with her going on one of those horrible lines: "Artic Wiinnds, FFRREEEZZEEEE their hatred!" and then someone bops her. At the very least, Kyle, Johnson, and Gordon have made two shows that had Storm talk like a normal person, and not like Oprah crossed with Sailor Moon like in the 90's series.
The episode sets up an eventual showdown with Magneto, as well as Wolverine exploring Weapon X and any connection he has with Mystique (who sports a similar outfit to the one she used to have in her solo series a few years ago). While, yeah, it sucks that the show's writers literally believe that every single X-Men character is more interesting (and a better fighter) than Colossus, and they are in danger of writing their main cast to type, they are crafting a show that is greater than the sum of it's parts here. At least Angel, Iceman, and Nightcrawler have become key characters to an X-Men show. If anything, this show is getting better as it goes along, which is a healthy sign. I'm not about to kneel to it like TheVileOne, but it is showcasing a lot of potential here as well as working well with the serial format. It is more in line with the comics than Evolution was, which gives hardcore fans something to cling to besides the 90's show. It expects a bit of knowledge from the audience, but after three films I don't think that is too unreasonable (and it isn't as hard to penetrate as any random episode of DBZ or NARUTO).
t: The imprisonment thing I really didnt get and hope its cleared up in the future. Other than that, wonderful episode!
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