X-Men: The Animated Series Review – “The Cure”

Previously on X-Men, we were introduced to the Juggernaut, who is now wandering around without a memory of who he was, thanks to Jean Grey; also, Colossus showed up for a hot minute, but has to go look for his sister; and Professor X has taken a mysterious journey that could alter the X-Men’s future.

Not-So-Short Summary: Cable shows up at Warren Worthington III’s house looking for the “mad scientist” Gottfreid Adler. Cable shoves him out a window and Warren bursts wings from his back–he’s Angel! Warren’s lady friend tells Cable that Adler is in Scotland.

In the meantime, the lady friend shoots Warren out the window and he takes off. Is this relevant? I don’t know.

Moira and Professor X after he gets flashes of Apocalypse and Mystique

Pan over to Muir Island where Charles is talking with Moira about “The Cure” (hey! That’s the title of the episode!) and whether it actually works. They are on their way to meet Dr. Adler. Dr. Adler denies them entrance–“No visitors!” he says through the intercom–and Charles does some of his mind tricks.

He winds up with flashes of Mystique and also Apocalypse and gets the wind knocked out of his mind, finding out nothing. But he and Moira have a discussion about using the term “curing” and “cure” and decides he needs to ask his X-Men for their opinions. So you know Cyclops is going to be a jerk about it.

Flash over to the Mansion where all of the X-Men are working on repairs… or basically rebuilding the whole thing. Wolverine is extremely friendly and happy around everyone, until Gambit ticks him off and then Cyclops gets in on the action. Rogue comes in and tells everyone to calm down before Jubilee says Professor X wants to talk to them, because the main hub of the mansion is already rebuilt (apparently).

Their reactions to the “cure” are similar to what X-Men: The Last Stand tried to portray (if you haven’t blocked it from your mind)–everyone standing against it while Rogue sits quietly and thinks about how nice it would be to be able to touch other people without hurting them. In the end, she takes off in her Rad Racer car, but not before Gambit can get in his flirting, Cajun-accented words and tick her off even more.

Rogue ticked off at Gambit, per normal

We get to see Avalanche and Pyro jarring at each other on Muir Island when Rogue arrives. Pyro puts the moves on Rogue, but to no avail; he gets thrown into a dartboard and through a wall while Avalanche gets thrown through a wall and into the nearby sea. At that convenient moment, Cable drives past in a boat. Everyone’s arriving at once!

Rogue finds where Dr. Adler is working, breaks in, and wants to know if she can get the cure. The Albert Einstein lookalike that is Dr. Adler tells her to come back in an hour, closes the door behind her, and we get our first look at my favorite villain ever, Apocalypse!

He tells Mystique (posing as Adler) that they will use the machine to make Rogue his slave because she has tremendous powers.

Down by the seaside, Pyro runs into Cable, who seems to believe Adler is hiding in the rocks somewhere, I don’t really understand it. I don’t quite know what the point is yet, but let’s keep going with the episode. Rogue is strapped down in Dr. Adler’s chamber when Pyro and Avalanche show up and kidnap him. Why? Uh… because they can.

Cable pursues them while Rogue breaks her way out of the rumble and then Moira and Professor X show up to see what all the commotion is about. They, however, are two steps behind everyone else. Pyro and Avalanche discover Dr. Adler is Mystique and she goes off on them for being complete morons.

Rogue shows up to apprehend them and save Dr. Adler. Mutant fighting ensues per normal and Cable gets to the doctor before Rogue can, gun at the ready.

Okay what the hell is going on? I feel like this episode is what everyone expected Days of Future Past to be: random mutants we know showing up at convenient moments. Moira and Charles are surveying the damage when Jean and Cyclops show up looking for Rogue.

Cable has Dr. Adler cornered. He goes on a rant about Genosha and the collars to keep the mutants in check, which were apparently created by Dr. Adler… even though two minutes ago Mystique was telling Pyro that she created Dr. Adler. Anyway, Mystique transforms into her blue self to tell Cable that Dr. Adler is already dead. Then, the Blackbird shows up, things ensue, Cable gets away, Rogue doesn’t want the cure anymore.

Angel shows up at Dr. Adler’s and offers himself for the cure. Mystique goes off to tell Apocalypse she has another mutant ready and willing for him. I think this will be good! I mean, it’s not like he’s going to end up as one of the Horsemen of Apocalypse, right? ……Wait, scratch that.

The ever-elusive Apocalypse’s first appearance in the cartoon series

“I know more of this world than you could even dream. That is why I must destroy it,” Apocalypse tells her before we fade to black.

Badass Moment of the Week: Pyro dries himself off after falling in the water by using his fire powers on himself. Well that’s oddly convenient!

Best One-Liner: “That old boy Juggernaut sure made a mess–about like that Yankee general, Sherman,” says Rogue as she puts the top of the foyer on the mansion. I don’t even know what her statement is supposed to mean.

Runner-Up One-Liner: “Let me put some nails in that for you, Jean. I always did like working with my hands,” says Wolverine looking all seductive or something. I don’t understand the dynamic between these two, I really don’t.

Moira’s Scottish accent is still wonderful. Maybe this is where my obsession with Scottish and Irish accents came from. I feel as though most of my issues can stem from this cartoon influencing my childhood. This cartoon and also The Simpsons.

There’s a fun, simplistic parallel in this episode. While Rogue is off by herself in a tree, thinking about the possibility of touching another human being, the show pans over to Scott and Jean cuddling away in their room with Jean worrying about Rogue. It’s not the greatest imagery, but it definitely hammers the point home.

Also fun cultural reference to The Twilight Zone: Rogue is sitting on the wing of a plane when a passenger notices her, tries to point it out to a flight attendant, she disappears, and the passenger is laughed at and called crazy. Or, if you’re like me, you’re thinking of the “Treehouse of Horror” episode of The Simpsons.

Was anyone else thinking a lot about the Mystery Science Theater 3000 episode, “Riding With Death,” during this whole episode? There’s a lot of heists, faking out, and “scientists” working on very important papers, though no super mellow characters a la Ben Murphy. Just me? That’s fine.

Come back next week when Apocalypse is still pulling off some kind of crazy hi-jinx and messing with the fate of mutants and humanity.