After a long hiatus from this series, I'm glad to revisit it again. This is full of the usual action, adventure, intensity, and heroism that I've come to expect from series such as this. There's a very good reason why this cartoon is fondly remembered well after its release: it has some great stories. In fact, I prefer this cartoon to the big-screen movies; then again, that's just me.
Content Concerns:
Sex: Kissing. 4/5
Nudity: Shirtless guy, made less sultry thanks to the animation style. 4/5
Language: Mild euphemisms such as "butt". 4/5
Violence: Fantasy violence throughout; no blood or gore, though. 3/5
Drugs: None. 5/5
Frightening/Intense Scenes: Proteus is a bit scary, especially when he possesses others' bodies. 3/5
Score: 4/5
Moira MacTaggert ain't shit :type_5:♂ she's just as bad as Mary Jane
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2023-06-22T04:40:43Z
[6.5/10] This another episode of X-Men where I like a ton of the ideas at play, but find the dramatization of them a little weak.
For instance, I like the idea that Professor X doesn’t care about Moira’s past or times when she’s hurt him. He loves her enough that he’d overlook all that, even as he’s haunted a bit by what they lost. Filling in theri backstory, particularly as it connects with the old partner of his we met in the Asteroid M episode, helps humanize Charles and show he’s vulnerable and even wounded in ways that stretch beyond his “noble leader guy” persona.
Likewise, I find the titular Proteus, aka Kevin, an interesting character. The idea that he’s been cooped up for his whole life, wants to experience the real world, and doesn’t understand human reactions or relationships is a fascinating one. His desire to have the type of familial relationships he sees out in the world, while not being able to grasp them, gives him a certain pathos.
Not for nothing, his reality warping powers are very likely the most visually inventive the show’s ever been. The simple swirl of buildings and bodies gives this an almost psychedelic quality. The way he turns some bullies into scarecrows reveals a childlike but still scary sense of retribution. And my goodness, his final confrontation with the XMen here is as stunning and bold visually as we’ve ever seen on the show, particularly his disintegrating attack on Wolverine, which veers into legitimate body horror territory. Proteus himself looks a little goofy as a big blobby ghost, but the visuals alone are worth the price of admission.
But again, everything here is very melodramatic and soap opera-esque. It’s pretty convenient that Moira not only has a never-before-mentioned ex-husband who’s suddenly relevant, but that he also just so happens to be a politician who’s running on a family values platform. Likewise, you can sort of understand why, but it’s a little ghastly that Moira’s been keeping her son locked up for seventeen years, and kind of bizarre that she never said anything. Both story elements feel like the show tacking on character details that don’t really fit with what we’ve seen from Moira in the past.
And again, everything is over the top in its delivery, with screeches and grand declarations and blunt emotional exposition. By the time you've reached season 4, you come to expect it from X-Men, but it still detracts from the interesting things at play.
Overall, this is some of the best animation the show’s pulled off to date, and the Charles/Moira and “cooped up kid learns to be human” stories are solid, but there’s a lot working against the full success of the episode.