XTAS Reviews
Jan. 26th, 2010 09:10 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
stormkeeper_lovedorisTwo long-ish reviews...
Episode: The Unstoppable Juggernaut
Brief summary: Returning from Genosha, the X-men find the mansion destroyed and the Professor gone. They later have to take on the Professor’s half-brother, the Juggernaut.
- Gambit has disappeared! The opening scene of this episode takes place right after the closing scene of the prior episode, a scene in which Gambit was in the Blackbird along with everyone else. The X-men reach the mansion, see that it’s in ruins and search for the Professor – but Gambit is nowhere to be found for the entire rest of the episode. I guess the creators felt he had enough screen-time in the past two episodes.
- I don’t get why the Professor was so cryptic and vague in the message he left for the X-men. I mean, how hard would it have been to say, “I went to Scotland to meet with an old friend regarding a potentially important development. I can’t tell you the details now but here’s where you can reach me.”? He must’ve been inspired by Gambit’s sneakiness in the prior episode. On the other hand, the mysteriousness surrounding his departure does foreshadow the story arc in season two, where the Professor is gone for a long time.
- I love the teamwork theme of this episode. Cyclops and Wolverine disagree (what else is new?) over next steps, and Wolverine takes off. Rogue, Jubilee, and Storm discuss it, and Storm firmly says what Cyclops had said earlier – that the Professor wants them to work as a team. In fact, I think we see this theme of teamwork again and again throughout XTAS, and the group makes incredible progress on this. The difference between how they work as a team in the last season as compared to the first several episodes – it’s almost like night and day. I’ve always viewed this episode as one of the big turning points.
- “Me and Wolverine can take on anything!” Jubilee enthusiastically says. I think this marks the first indication we get that these two have bonded. We haven’t seen, though, the steps leading up to this bonding, which I really would’ve liked to have seen. I guess the bonding happened when the cameras were off.
- It’s nice to see the first appearance of Colossus in this episode. Man, though, he’s totally coming across as big, kindhearted, and dumb as all get out. If not dumb, then at least very naïve. I wonder if he’s like this in the comics.
- Is it worth griping about the inexplicable clothing changes in this episode? When they arrive at the destroyed mansion, Jubilee has her casual clothing on. She, Storm, and Rogue were supposed to make haste in their search for Wolverine, but next time we see them, Jubilee has changed into her uniform! And when Wolverine interacts with Colossus, the Canuck has his uniform on. What appears to be a few moments later, he’s near the car with Storm and Rogue, and is back in his civilian clothes! There must be a mutant power that allows you to change from one crappy outfit to another instantly.
- Rogue sure has her flirt tendencies, doesn’t she? She’s making cutesy comments about Colossus’s good looks, and in an earlier episode (“Deadly Reunions”) she flirted with Cyclops. I find that interesting. If I’m not mistaken though, her flirting kind of peters off after this...which might be explained by the fact that she and Gambit start getting way closer next episode.
- Storm’s eyeroll at Rogue’s “down home charm” comment at the jail is lovely too. Two episodes ago she was bemused at Gambit’s antics at the hotel check-in. You know, Storm can be pretty stiff sometimes; maybe her teammates think it’s fun to provoke her this way.
- That jail was awfully easy to break into, wasn’t it?
- At last we get to see Hank again! The series has been moving at break-neck speed, but
still I think the creators could’ve done a better job at least mentioning Hank in the past several episodes. I’m so glad to see him again that I won’t speculate at how extremely unlikely it is that Colossus would be imprisoned in a cell next to Hank’s! (Creators, I mean, come on).
- It is nice to hear from Hank that Jean sent him some delicious cookies. She’s such a mother-type!
- And Hank is amazingly patient and principled. He could have “joined the jail break” as Rogue suggested, but he wants to have his day in court.
- Props to Cyclops for both coming up with the plan that defeated the Juggernaut – and, in doing so, subtly but clearly driving home the point about teamwork! Even Wolverine admits that it worked well in the end.
- I also liked Scott’s tenderness towards Jean at the battle’s end. He’s so smitten.
- Love the last scene too – Wolverine speculating on how much “this dump” (i.e. – the mansion, the team) means to him, Jubilee saying she finally has a home, and the two of them vowing to find the Professor.
- Rating -- I have mixed feelings about this episode. I thought the scenes at the bank, the construction site, and the jail felt juvenile, like they were clearly written for an audience younger than Jubilee herself. But then the creators put in so much good stuff, like the teamwork theme, the contact with Beast, the priceless interactions with team members that I mention above (Storm rolling her eyes at Rogue’s flirting, the Jubilee and Wolverine interaction, even the brief Scott/Jean interaction, etc ) that I have to like this one. I’ll land on four stars.
Episode: The Cure
Brief summary: A scientist on Muir Island can reportedly “cure” mutation.
- This episode marks the first appearances of Warren, Moira, Apocalypse, and Mystique as well as Pyro and Avalanche too. I love Moira and her lilting accent.
- It is sad how the episode opens with Warren pushing away his potential love interest because he doesn’t want her to know that he’s a mutant. His story and dilemma will parallel Rogue’s a bit, in this episode and in a few others.
- Speaking of Warren’s love interest, she’s obviously voiced by Catherine Disher, who plays Jean. And I’m not sure I’m sold on the German accent Catherine is attempting.
- The conversation between Moira and Charles is very interesting. She uses the term “cure”, and Charles has to point out to her that basically being a mutant isn’t an illness or a bad thing that needs to be cured. Part of me is surprised that they haven’t had this conversation before, given how long they’ve known each other. On the other hand, it does show that friends and allies sometimes have blind spots or areas of ignorance.
- Wow, the X-men rebuild the mansion fast! If they are ever hurting for money, they can form a construction company. I did kind of enjoy seeing them all work together on this. Except...
- Wolverine woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning! What’s with his unprovoked antagonizing of Gambit during the reconstruction? I like how Gambit gets him back, by charging a brick while he’s not looking. When Cyclops steps into the fray and then Rogue, I kind of started to worry. The team is under a lot of stress and sometimes people pick avoidable fights when they are stressed. When Jubilee rushes in and says, “Hey everyone, guess who wants to talk to us?!” I jokingly smirk, “A family therapist?”
- That scene during the reconstruction is the first clear sign we get that there’s something between Rogue and Gambit. They haven’t interacted a ton so far during the series (though we’re only on episode eight). We see that they went swimming together in “Captive Hearts” but that was about it before this. I also think it’s very interesting that it’s Wolverine who points out that there’s something between them!
- Rogue’s decision to pursue the cure in this episode is understandable. The scene where we see her glum expression as she observes Jean and Scott holding hands was very poignant, as were many of Rogue’s moments in this episode. They seriously make up for what I wrote about last episode having some scenes that came across as juvenile. I especially like the scene with Rogue sitting on a Muir Island cliff, flashing back and contemplating her options. Well done!
- “No deserters in this crowd,” Wolverine says when the prospect of a cure is being discussed. For a guy who can be a loner, he sure has a pack instinct here.
- Whoa! I love that scene of Jean and Scott cuddled together in one of the half-repaired buildings. They are wrapped around each other (how did this get through the censors?), getting some alone time. I once debated with a friend who said that I portrayed these two in my fanfic as far more passionate than she sees them. I’d use this scene, and others, as evidence for how I portray them.
- Jean is so caring. She senses Rogue’s pain and she really feels for her.
- I think the series’ first official Romy scene would be their interaction in the car, when she’s trying to head for Muir Island. Gambit doesn’t want her to go. After Rogue throws him out of the car, he literally vaults over a wall to get back in. Paradoxically, he doesn’t want her to get “cured” even though he can’t touch her as long as she stays the way she is. Is he so smitten with her that he hasn’t thought this all the way through? (Gambit? No, surely a sensual guy like him has to have thought this through). Does he believe that he will be immune to her powers? Does he just want a challenge? Or does he truly love her so much that he doesn’t care about not being able to touch her? I vote that later episodes (such as “Reunion”) will eloquently answer this question.
- But Rogue runs from Gambit. She’s sad, angry, and frustrated at the situation her powers have her in. She doesn’t know what to do with the strong feelings that Gambit evokes in her. Wolverine isn’t the only X-man who sometimes runs from their problems.
- I have a question for other Romy fans. This episode might suggest to some that he cares for her more than she cares for him. After all, he does a lot of pursuing of her and she does a lot of rebuffing of him. One could even argue that that is the story of their relationship throughout XTAS. Do you think it’s true that he cares about her more, or do you think Rogue just suppresses her feelings for Gambit?
- Why does Pyro think that setting fire to a bar will impress Rogue? (Especially since both of them are inside of that same bar when he starts the fire?) Why does he attack Cable? The guy needs to read “How to Win Friends and Influence People”.
- Rogue tells the person who she thinks is Adler that he can “name your price” if he can cure her. I wonder where she gets her money from. The one episode where we see her family background makes it pretty clear to me that she’s not exactly going to inherit money from her family. Xavier must be paying his people a mint!
- It sure takes Jean and Scott a while to get to Muir Island, doesn’t it? Rogue very nearly underwent “the cure”.
- It’s interesting that here Mystique works for Apocalypse instead of for Magneto like she does in movie-verse. I like Magneto as a villain leader better.
- Rogue experiences one final twist of the knife in her gut when Scott – holding Jean -- tells Rogue how much her rescue of Jean means to him. And yet from this point on, Rogue has changed her mind. She no longer wants to pursue a cure. I’m not sure I totally see the steps leading up to her change of heart – it feels a little sudden given that moments ago she was laying on “Adler’s” table ready to undergo the treatment. But on the other hand, the whole episode has shown her doing a lot of reflecting. Clearly she’s thought about this a lot. Maybe the very fact that she saved Jean reminded her that her powers have their positive aspects to them. In fact, maybe Rogue is so intensely caring of her team that she will keep her powers since they can benefit people she cares about, even if it means she can never touch another person.
- Rating: Four and a half stars. Great exploration of one of my favorite characters, and of this whole concept of what needs to be cured.
Episode: The Unstoppable Juggernaut
Brief summary: Returning from Genosha, the X-men find the mansion destroyed and the Professor gone. They later have to take on the Professor’s half-brother, the Juggernaut.
- Gambit has disappeared! The opening scene of this episode takes place right after the closing scene of the prior episode, a scene in which Gambit was in the Blackbird along with everyone else. The X-men reach the mansion, see that it’s in ruins and search for the Professor – but Gambit is nowhere to be found for the entire rest of the episode. I guess the creators felt he had enough screen-time in the past two episodes.
- I don’t get why the Professor was so cryptic and vague in the message he left for the X-men. I mean, how hard would it have been to say, “I went to Scotland to meet with an old friend regarding a potentially important development. I can’t tell you the details now but here’s where you can reach me.”? He must’ve been inspired by Gambit’s sneakiness in the prior episode. On the other hand, the mysteriousness surrounding his departure does foreshadow the story arc in season two, where the Professor is gone for a long time.
- I love the teamwork theme of this episode. Cyclops and Wolverine disagree (what else is new?) over next steps, and Wolverine takes off. Rogue, Jubilee, and Storm discuss it, and Storm firmly says what Cyclops had said earlier – that the Professor wants them to work as a team. In fact, I think we see this theme of teamwork again and again throughout XTAS, and the group makes incredible progress on this. The difference between how they work as a team in the last season as compared to the first several episodes – it’s almost like night and day. I’ve always viewed this episode as one of the big turning points.
- “Me and Wolverine can take on anything!” Jubilee enthusiastically says. I think this marks the first indication we get that these two have bonded. We haven’t seen, though, the steps leading up to this bonding, which I really would’ve liked to have seen. I guess the bonding happened when the cameras were off.
- It’s nice to see the first appearance of Colossus in this episode. Man, though, he’s totally coming across as big, kindhearted, and dumb as all get out. If not dumb, then at least very naïve. I wonder if he’s like this in the comics.
- Is it worth griping about the inexplicable clothing changes in this episode? When they arrive at the destroyed mansion, Jubilee has her casual clothing on. She, Storm, and Rogue were supposed to make haste in their search for Wolverine, but next time we see them, Jubilee has changed into her uniform! And when Wolverine interacts with Colossus, the Canuck has his uniform on. What appears to be a few moments later, he’s near the car with Storm and Rogue, and is back in his civilian clothes! There must be a mutant power that allows you to change from one crappy outfit to another instantly.
- Rogue sure has her flirt tendencies, doesn’t she? She’s making cutesy comments about Colossus’s good looks, and in an earlier episode (“Deadly Reunions”) she flirted with Cyclops. I find that interesting. If I’m not mistaken though, her flirting kind of peters off after this...which might be explained by the fact that she and Gambit start getting way closer next episode.
- Storm’s eyeroll at Rogue’s “down home charm” comment at the jail is lovely too. Two episodes ago she was bemused at Gambit’s antics at the hotel check-in. You know, Storm can be pretty stiff sometimes; maybe her teammates think it’s fun to provoke her this way.
- That jail was awfully easy to break into, wasn’t it?
- At last we get to see Hank again! The series has been moving at break-neck speed, but
still I think the creators could’ve done a better job at least mentioning Hank in the past several episodes. I’m so glad to see him again that I won’t speculate at how extremely unlikely it is that Colossus would be imprisoned in a cell next to Hank’s! (Creators, I mean, come on).
- It is nice to hear from Hank that Jean sent him some delicious cookies. She’s such a mother-type!
- And Hank is amazingly patient and principled. He could have “joined the jail break” as Rogue suggested, but he wants to have his day in court.
- Props to Cyclops for both coming up with the plan that defeated the Juggernaut – and, in doing so, subtly but clearly driving home the point about teamwork! Even Wolverine admits that it worked well in the end.
- I also liked Scott’s tenderness towards Jean at the battle’s end. He’s so smitten.
- Love the last scene too – Wolverine speculating on how much “this dump” (i.e. – the mansion, the team) means to him, Jubilee saying she finally has a home, and the two of them vowing to find the Professor.
- Rating -- I have mixed feelings about this episode. I thought the scenes at the bank, the construction site, and the jail felt juvenile, like they were clearly written for an audience younger than Jubilee herself. But then the creators put in so much good stuff, like the teamwork theme, the contact with Beast, the priceless interactions with team members that I mention above (Storm rolling her eyes at Rogue’s flirting, the Jubilee and Wolverine interaction, even the brief Scott/Jean interaction, etc ) that I have to like this one. I’ll land on four stars.
Episode: The Cure
Brief summary: A scientist on Muir Island can reportedly “cure” mutation.
- This episode marks the first appearances of Warren, Moira, Apocalypse, and Mystique as well as Pyro and Avalanche too. I love Moira and her lilting accent.
- It is sad how the episode opens with Warren pushing away his potential love interest because he doesn’t want her to know that he’s a mutant. His story and dilemma will parallel Rogue’s a bit, in this episode and in a few others.
- Speaking of Warren’s love interest, she’s obviously voiced by Catherine Disher, who plays Jean. And I’m not sure I’m sold on the German accent Catherine is attempting.
- The conversation between Moira and Charles is very interesting. She uses the term “cure”, and Charles has to point out to her that basically being a mutant isn’t an illness or a bad thing that needs to be cured. Part of me is surprised that they haven’t had this conversation before, given how long they’ve known each other. On the other hand, it does show that friends and allies sometimes have blind spots or areas of ignorance.
- Wow, the X-men rebuild the mansion fast! If they are ever hurting for money, they can form a construction company. I did kind of enjoy seeing them all work together on this. Except...
- Wolverine woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning! What’s with his unprovoked antagonizing of Gambit during the reconstruction? I like how Gambit gets him back, by charging a brick while he’s not looking. When Cyclops steps into the fray and then Rogue, I kind of started to worry. The team is under a lot of stress and sometimes people pick avoidable fights when they are stressed. When Jubilee rushes in and says, “Hey everyone, guess who wants to talk to us?!” I jokingly smirk, “A family therapist?”
- That scene during the reconstruction is the first clear sign we get that there’s something between Rogue and Gambit. They haven’t interacted a ton so far during the series (though we’re only on episode eight). We see that they went swimming together in “Captive Hearts” but that was about it before this. I also think it’s very interesting that it’s Wolverine who points out that there’s something between them!
- Rogue’s decision to pursue the cure in this episode is understandable. The scene where we see her glum expression as she observes Jean and Scott holding hands was very poignant, as were many of Rogue’s moments in this episode. They seriously make up for what I wrote about last episode having some scenes that came across as juvenile. I especially like the scene with Rogue sitting on a Muir Island cliff, flashing back and contemplating her options. Well done!
- “No deserters in this crowd,” Wolverine says when the prospect of a cure is being discussed. For a guy who can be a loner, he sure has a pack instinct here.
- Whoa! I love that scene of Jean and Scott cuddled together in one of the half-repaired buildings. They are wrapped around each other (how did this get through the censors?), getting some alone time. I once debated with a friend who said that I portrayed these two in my fanfic as far more passionate than she sees them. I’d use this scene, and others, as evidence for how I portray them.
- Jean is so caring. She senses Rogue’s pain and she really feels for her.
- I think the series’ first official Romy scene would be their interaction in the car, when she’s trying to head for Muir Island. Gambit doesn’t want her to go. After Rogue throws him out of the car, he literally vaults over a wall to get back in. Paradoxically, he doesn’t want her to get “cured” even though he can’t touch her as long as she stays the way she is. Is he so smitten with her that he hasn’t thought this all the way through? (Gambit? No, surely a sensual guy like him has to have thought this through). Does he believe that he will be immune to her powers? Does he just want a challenge? Or does he truly love her so much that he doesn’t care about not being able to touch her? I vote that later episodes (such as “Reunion”) will eloquently answer this question.
- But Rogue runs from Gambit. She’s sad, angry, and frustrated at the situation her powers have her in. She doesn’t know what to do with the strong feelings that Gambit evokes in her. Wolverine isn’t the only X-man who sometimes runs from their problems.
- I have a question for other Romy fans. This episode might suggest to some that he cares for her more than she cares for him. After all, he does a lot of pursuing of her and she does a lot of rebuffing of him. One could even argue that that is the story of their relationship throughout XTAS. Do you think it’s true that he cares about her more, or do you think Rogue just suppresses her feelings for Gambit?
- Why does Pyro think that setting fire to a bar will impress Rogue? (Especially since both of them are inside of that same bar when he starts the fire?) Why does he attack Cable? The guy needs to read “How to Win Friends and Influence People”.
- Rogue tells the person who she thinks is Adler that he can “name your price” if he can cure her. I wonder where she gets her money from. The one episode where we see her family background makes it pretty clear to me that she’s not exactly going to inherit money from her family. Xavier must be paying his people a mint!
- It sure takes Jean and Scott a while to get to Muir Island, doesn’t it? Rogue very nearly underwent “the cure”.
- It’s interesting that here Mystique works for Apocalypse instead of for Magneto like she does in movie-verse. I like Magneto as a villain leader better.
- Rogue experiences one final twist of the knife in her gut when Scott – holding Jean -- tells Rogue how much her rescue of Jean means to him. And yet from this point on, Rogue has changed her mind. She no longer wants to pursue a cure. I’m not sure I totally see the steps leading up to her change of heart – it feels a little sudden given that moments ago she was laying on “Adler’s” table ready to undergo the treatment. But on the other hand, the whole episode has shown her doing a lot of reflecting. Clearly she’s thought about this a lot. Maybe the very fact that she saved Jean reminded her that her powers have their positive aspects to them. In fact, maybe Rogue is so intensely caring of her team that she will keep her powers since they can benefit people she cares about, even if it means she can never touch another person.
- Rating: Four and a half stars. Great exploration of one of my favorite characters, and of this whole concept of what needs to be cured.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2010-01-27 08:23 am (UTC)I also have a bunch of crazy Romy theories about them caring about each other or whatever but they make no sense so... No.
no subject
Date: 2010-01-27 01:20 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-01-27 06:34 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-01-27 06:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-01-27 08:22 pm (UTC)tl;dr: Aww, lesbians!
no subject
Date: 2010-01-27 05:24 pm (UTC)when I was wee watching this I felt uncomfortable with Rogue's flirting. "I remember thinking this is a kid's show!" and then "mmm I wonder where she's going with this."
I think it's like a compromise. She flirts like that because she knows she doesn't have to follow through with it. She is so sexy. Maybe she got it from having mystique as a foster mom.
I love the idea that Storms team mates try to get under her skin with the theatrics. ehehe And it's Rogue and Gambit.
Be back after I read the other review!
no subject
Date: 2010-01-27 06:39 pm (UTC)Good points on the flirting. She knows it can't go anywhere.
Thanks for reading the reviews. :)
no subject
Date: 2010-01-27 06:40 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-01-27 06:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-01-27 06:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-01-28 01:19 am (UTC)P.S.
Date: 2010-01-28 01:21 am (UTC)http://stormkpr.livejournal.com/280225.html#cutid1
part 2
Date: 2010-01-27 06:02 pm (UTC)Of course it was Logan who noticed their attraction first. With that sense of smell! And he’s been alive for some lifetimes. He should know his way around the bend
I think Moira thinks it’s okay to say cure now that there’s a change that there might be one. But clearly Xavier doesn’t see his powers as a curse.
‘No deserters in this crowd’. Nice head game Logan.
I don’t think Gambit feels more deeply for Rogue, she is just better at hiding it. She’s been loved and love back and it’s caused her pain in the past. I think she’s just protecting herself which is funny because physically she’s near indestructible. But then again Gambit has had way more experience than her and he’s such a playboy. How does she know for sure that he’s not playing her?
“Name your price …” maybe I’ve just got a pervy mind but the doctor could be lonely. :X Seriously I think she’s got money from her mother. Mystique. And shouldn’t Pyro know who she is? They were in the brotherhood together.
Well Scott and Jean were busy doing each other so … that takes time. :X
Mystique knows where the power is. I don’t think she believes in his cause, but she’s not stupid. She’d rather side with him on her own terms. You see she’s a bit protective of Rogue. She tires to send her away.
Re: part 2
Date: 2010-01-27 06:42 pm (UTC)My other theory on Logan is that he needs time alone, and when he's been around people for a while, he's going to get testy. Classic introvert maybe?
Good point on his sense of smell helping him notice the Romy.
‘No deserters in this crowd’. Nice head game Logan.
You really think he's trying to play head games with Rogue? Me, I think he's operating as a pack animal here. He needs his space but he also needs his team I guess. Well, he more or less said so last episode anyway.
I don’t think Gambit feels more deeply for Rogue, she is just better at hiding it. She’s been loved and love back and it’s caused her pain in the past. I think she’s just protecting herself which is funny because physically she’s near indestructible. But then again Gambit has had way more experience than her and he’s such a playboy. How does she know for sure that he’s not playing her?
Great points all around. She's so similar to Wolverine, physically indestructible but not emotionally.
Well Scott and Jean were busy doing each other so … that takes time. :X
LOL!
Re: part 2
Date: 2010-01-27 07:00 pm (UTC)She's so similar to Wolverine, physically indestructible but not emotionally.
Maybe that's why they get along so well. I love their relationship.
They are so enthralled in each other. They are like their own team. (scott/jean)
Re: part 2
Date: 2010-01-28 01:20 am (UTC)Soulmates, those two.
Re: part 2
Date: 2010-01-28 01:55 am (UTC)