[7.2/10] Not bad by any stretch, Pretty simple in its ideas, but solid enough in the execution. Thirty episodes in, we’ve reached the stage of X-Men where you can have continuity, picking up details like Archangel’s transformation and exploring them further. It helps make the show feel bigger and more connected, which I like.
The story is pretty simple. True to the title, Archangel is obsessed with Apocalypse. The demigod has become his white whale, and he’s willing to go to any lengths to stop him. Rogue understands his pain having done her mend meld with him, and Gambit is worried about the women he loves going on Archangel’s reckless missions to try to stop Apocalypse. As usual, the show goes over the top with it, with Archangel basically screaming every line of dialogue and seeming like a deranged madman rather than anything approaching a human being. But the point about his self-destructive crusade for vengeance lands in the way it needs to.
My big question, though, is simple -- what is the point of Apocalypse? He’s invincible. This episode pretty much establishes that. And he seems to have nigh-unlimited power at his disposal to do as he pleases. He’s decimated cities before and rocked civilizations. So...why isn’t he doing that now? He wanted to turn mutants into his slaves to help exterminate life on the Earth before, which, sure, fine, standard supervillain stuff. But if he’s so unstoppable, why isn’t he just roaming the countryside leaving destruction in his wake? Maybe this is asking too much of a superhero show for kids. But I think it’s reasonable to ask that bad guys have motivations and at least some hurdles as to why they can’t accomplish their goals immediately.
I like the other half of the episode better though. I don’t know why, but something about Beast falling in love with the computer aboard Apocalypse’s ship is strangely compelling. He’s so isolated and unique, so finding another sentient being in a distinct but similar position makes a strange sort of sense. His interactions teaching the computer to feel and that it has the capacity to choose has some of that classic sci-fi charm to it.
The combination of the two works well. Even though they can’t kill him, Hank and the computer discover a way to trap Apocalypse, neutralizing him and stopping his harms. But that's not good enough for Archangel, who wants his personal revenge even if it’s counter to the broader goal of stopping others from having to suffer under APocalypse’s crimes. The point is big and loud, but it’s dramatized clearly.
The ensuing fight is easy to zone out of. More Apocalypse smashing and taunting the usual assault. But the team having to escape while the computer uses up the last of its energy trapping and ejecting Apocalypse, a moment of self-sacrifice and rebellion, is poignant.
Overall, this is fairly simple stuff, with a confusing antagonist at the center, but the blend of the two storylines perks it up,
(As a personal aside, this is one of the episodes I remember clearly from childhood, so nice to have made it this far!)
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2023-05-12T20:56:56Z
[7.2/10] Not bad by any stretch, Pretty simple in its ideas, but solid enough in the execution. Thirty episodes in, we’ve reached the stage of X-Men where you can have continuity, picking up details like Archangel’s transformation and exploring them further. It helps make the show feel bigger and more connected, which I like.
The story is pretty simple. True to the title, Archangel is obsessed with Apocalypse. The demigod has become his white whale, and he’s willing to go to any lengths to stop him. Rogue understands his pain having done her mend meld with him, and Gambit is worried about the women he loves going on Archangel’s reckless missions to try to stop Apocalypse. As usual, the show goes over the top with it, with Archangel basically screaming every line of dialogue and seeming like a deranged madman rather than anything approaching a human being. But the point about his self-destructive crusade for vengeance lands in the way it needs to.
My big question, though, is simple -- what is the point of Apocalypse? He’s invincible. This episode pretty much establishes that. And he seems to have nigh-unlimited power at his disposal to do as he pleases. He’s decimated cities before and rocked civilizations. So...why isn’t he doing that now? He wanted to turn mutants into his slaves to help exterminate life on the Earth before, which, sure, fine, standard supervillain stuff. But if he’s so unstoppable, why isn’t he just roaming the countryside leaving destruction in his wake? Maybe this is asking too much of a superhero show for kids. But I think it’s reasonable to ask that bad guys have motivations and at least some hurdles as to why they can’t accomplish their goals immediately.
I like the other half of the episode better though. I don’t know why, but something about Beast falling in love with the computer aboard Apocalypse’s ship is strangely compelling. He’s so isolated and unique, so finding another sentient being in a distinct but similar position makes a strange sort of sense. His interactions teaching the computer to feel and that it has the capacity to choose has some of that classic sci-fi charm to it.
The combination of the two works well. Even though they can’t kill him, Hank and the computer discover a way to trap Apocalypse, neutralizing him and stopping his harms. But that's not good enough for Archangel, who wants his personal revenge even if it’s counter to the broader goal of stopping others from having to suffer under APocalypse’s crimes. The point is big and loud, but it’s dramatized clearly.
The ensuing fight is easy to zone out of. More Apocalypse smashing and taunting the usual assault. But the team having to escape while the computer uses up the last of its energy trapping and ejecting Apocalypse, a moment of self-sacrifice and rebellion, is poignant.
Overall, this is fairly simple stuff, with a confusing antagonist at the center, but the blend of the two storylines perks it up,
(As a personal aside, this is one of the episodes I remember clearly from childhood, so nice to have made it this far!)