[6.5/10] I love the concept of the Morlocks. The idea that there are mutants who don’t have the passing privileges that the mainline heroes do (give or take Beast), and so feel compelled to live in the shadows is a rich one. But “Captive Hearts” doesn’t do much with it.
The idea that Kalisto just wanted Cyclops to be her mate to produce an heir and help leads the Morlocks is stupid, generic villain stuff. The Morocks themselves are pretty dull in terms of their powers and most are devoid of personality. Leech trying to return the favor of Cyclops’ help by taking away his constant eye blasts for a little bit is a nice touch. But everyone else is generic muscle, generic goop monster, or a generic “power of suggestion” lady.
That last baddie, a woman who can use her psychic powers to make people think they’re her daughter, or covered in scorpions, or whatever might have a cool power if it was used for anything interesting. But she ends up being more of a plot device than a person.
The only big takeaway here is the love triangle between Wolverine,Jean, and Cyclops. Wolverine harboring forbidden affections for Jean, but still rescuing Cyclops because it’s the right thing to do, adds some depth to the character. The same goes for Cyclops, who remains a bit of a dull stiff, but who is made more sympathetic in the way he’s tormented by trying to live up to Professor X’s expectations for the X-Men.
When the psychic lady uses her powers of suggestion to make Wolverine try to kill Cyclops, his preexisting bitterness at Scott makes him an easy mark. But when she tries to do the same to get Logan to turn on Jean, he can't do it, a sign of the depth of his feelings. It’s about the only important thing to come out of this one. (Other than it being the source of the famous “Wolverine looks at photograph” meme!)
The other thread of note is Storm grappling with her claustrophobia. I like the idea of her pushing through it for the good of the team, but there’s no real emotional and psychical breakthrough here. She’s tortured by her phobia and then she...just isn't’. There’s no sign of her finding a way to overcome it, which feels odd.
Overall, this is a low light of the season, but at least introduces some interesting comments, like the Morlocks themselves or the feelings between Jean/Wolverine/Cyclops that can be fleshed out more down the line.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2023-04-08T17:15:16Z
[6.5/10] I love the concept of the Morlocks. The idea that there are mutants who don’t have the passing privileges that the mainline heroes do (give or take Beast), and so feel compelled to live in the shadows is a rich one. But “Captive Hearts” doesn’t do much with it.
The idea that Kalisto just wanted Cyclops to be her mate to produce an heir and help leads the Morlocks is stupid, generic villain stuff. The Morocks themselves are pretty dull in terms of their powers and most are devoid of personality. Leech trying to return the favor of Cyclops’ help by taking away his constant eye blasts for a little bit is a nice touch. But everyone else is generic muscle, generic goop monster, or a generic “power of suggestion” lady.
That last baddie, a woman who can use her psychic powers to make people think they’re her daughter, or covered in scorpions, or whatever might have a cool power if it was used for anything interesting. But she ends up being more of a plot device than a person.
The only big takeaway here is the love triangle between Wolverine,Jean, and Cyclops. Wolverine harboring forbidden affections for Jean, but still rescuing Cyclops because it’s the right thing to do, adds some depth to the character. The same goes for Cyclops, who remains a bit of a dull stiff, but who is made more sympathetic in the way he’s tormented by trying to live up to Professor X’s expectations for the X-Men.
When the psychic lady uses her powers of suggestion to make Wolverine try to kill Cyclops, his preexisting bitterness at Scott makes him an easy mark. But when she tries to do the same to get Logan to turn on Jean, he can't do it, a sign of the depth of his feelings. It’s about the only important thing to come out of this one. (Other than it being the source of the famous “Wolverine looks at photograph” meme!)
The other thread of note is Storm grappling with her claustrophobia. I like the idea of her pushing through it for the good of the team, but there’s no real emotional and psychical breakthrough here. She’s tortured by her phobia and then she...just isn't’. There’s no sign of her finding a way to overcome it, which feels odd.
Overall, this is a low light of the season, but at least introduces some interesting comments, like the Morlocks themselves or the feelings between Jean/Wolverine/Cyclops that can be fleshed out more down the line.