5x04 No Mutant Is an Island

[8.1/10] This episode is the most I’ve ever liked Cyclops. Much of the Phoenix Saga felt rushed and overstuffed to me, so taking a whole episode to delve into the fallout of Jean’s apparent death helps give it retrospective power. At the same time, even in the rush of characte-rbuilding and backstory episodes in season 2, we didn’t get much of a spotlight on Cyclops since he was focused on fighting Mr. Sinister. So this episode, with its flashbacks to his rough childhood as a mutant in an orphanage, kills two birds with one stone.

“No Mutant Is an Island” is ultimately a character story. It has a dramatic and explosive plot, as suits the tone of the show. But at base, this is about Cyclops growing cynical and emotional overtaxed after seeing his noble crusade end in the death of the woman he loves. Losing a fundamental piece of your life like that would easily make you question the choices you made that led to this point. If all the good and decent things you did couldn’t prevent you from losing someone you care about so deeply, what good is the fight> As Scott tells Xavier, he’s tired of caring, tired of fighting the good fight and still facing prejudice. The idealistic future Professor X and the X-Men are fighting for seems ever more remote in the shadow of the death of one of their own.

And so he has to be reminded by both what he’s disillusioned by and what he’s fighting for. When it comes to the former, it’s strangers on the train playing “good guys vs. mutants”, it’s remembrances of how adoptive parents returned him to the orphanage after finding out who he is, it’s remembering the love he lost in battle. And when it comes to the latter, it’s seeing an orphan like him who needs a protector, seeing another mutant who would rule humans rather than coexist, and meeting another human who knows what he is, accepts him, and may even love him.

That's a hell of a story. There’s a strong emotional journey here of Cyclops remembering all the pain that brought him here, but also having his faith in himself and his mission restored. There’s genuine emotional depth and nuance to his frustrations with how Professor X’s project seems to continually run aground on the harsh truths of society, mixed with his own bitter feelings about his childhood struggles. But that, and support from Sarah, his one time friend from the orphanage who now runs it and looks after “special cases” like him, make his turn back to the side of the angels feel earned.

Not for nothing, it’s also cool for fans of the Netflix Defenders series to see Kilgrave in action. I didn’t know the character went back this far! He’s pretty generic, and his M.O. isn’t that different from Magneto’s, but I like his role as an example for Cyclops to see where his new “no coexistence, no mutual understanding” could lead. The “use the children to take over” M.O. from the baddie has a special resonance for Cyclops, and the psychic powers vs. laser blasts deal makes for some unique conflicts. (Though I’ll admit, Cyclops’ eye beams stopping fires rather than starting them is an odd thing.)

On the whole, this is one of the great episodes of X-Men, one which uses the emotional fallout from Jean’s death to deepen Cyclops as a character, while also showing us his pathos-filled backstory and renewing his belief in fighting the noble fight in a resonant way.