X-Men Evolution. Season 1 - Episode 4, 'Mutant Crush' (2000) - TV Episode Review

[caption id="attachment_385" align="alignright" width="353"] Official Score = 2 Devils[/caption]

The truth is, is I can't imagine that Hollywood will ever really use any of the elements that were created in the cartoon, 'X-Men Evolution'...
That is a shame, because the truth is, is A: This series is an awful lot of fun, B: This also has an interesting concept for a potential eventual reboot movie series... But also C: There is an element that I kind of felt has been missing from other, 'X-Men' series, either on TV, or in the movies, and that is the character, 'Shadowcat'...

I know it might seem like an insignificant detail that I am putting to much attention on... But the truth is, is, 'Shadowcat' in the comics (at least at one point), played a fairly substantial role, and that is one of the larger reasons why I fell like, 'X-Men Evolution' is so awesome, including Season 1 - Episode 4: 'Mutant Crush' (2000)!

Written by: Katherine Lawrence (The Secret Of Mulan) & Directed by: Frank Paur (Spawn). Starring: Meghan Black (Elf), Vincent Gale (The Final Cut), Maggie Blue O'Hara (CardCopters), Scott McNeil (Conan: The Adventurer), Kirby Morrow (Class Of The Titans), Brad Swaile (Mobile Suit Gundam 00), Venus Terzo (It), David Kaye (Happy Gilmore) & Michael Dobson (Action Man).

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="380"] The X-Men team as they will come to be in season 1...[/caption]

You see, this first season seems to tell the story about the recruitment drive between mutant kind, between the side of good and working for Professor Charles Xavier (David Kaye) and his desire to get the world willing to work side by side with mutants... And Magneto (Christopher Judge), whose interest is to go to war and subjugate regular humans... Well this episode tells of the pitfalls of the new potential recruit, 'Fred 'Blob' Dukes' (Michael Dobson).

Now at first Dukes is in Texas as a sort of sideshow at one of the big monster truck shows there... During this time both, 'Wolverine' (Scott McNeil) & Jean Gray (Venus Terzo) are kind of watching the show and waiting for the right moment to strike... The problem is, is so is, 'Mystique' (Colleen Wheeler)... The problem is, is Mystique has gotten to him first, and has gotten him in to her School...

When he gets there though, the hot headed mass of muscles ends up freaking out at just about half of the School... That is until Jean Gray befriends him...

And now with this dangerous hothead interested, it will be up to the, 'X-Men' to stop this mass from taking his interests for Jean to dangerous new levels!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="459"] Can you say, 'new BFF'?[/caption]

What can I say, this episode is not out of the ordinary, but the truth is, is this episode is just plain fun... And if you check it out, you might find the same thing as well!

http://youtu.be/7Z7chBBJx1o

X-Men: Evolution: Season 1 - Episode 1: 'Strategy X' (Air Date: November 4th, 2000)

[caption id="attachment_322" align="alignright" width="258"] Official Score = 1 1/2 Devils[/caption]

Like most kids that were born in the last 50 years or so, one of the things that I liked to do, (and still do to some extent) is to read comics! As a matter of fact, reading comics, collecting probably is where my interests in the animated cartoons and the movies comes from!

With that in mind, one of my favorite teams from the Marvel Universe is the, 'X-Men'... The truth is, is they are an awesome collection of people from all walks of life that have come together to represent a very awesome cross section of the world community... Just slightly different!

With that in mind, one of my favorite cartoons when I was a kid was, 'X-Men: The Animated Series', this cartoon gave an amazing live action (not in person) but more of an action sided graphic representation of the comics themselves!

Unfortunately though, there has been a ton of great cartoons that have come out since then that were based on, 'The X-Men' that I hadn't taken the time to see... But that is until recently with, X-Men: Evolution (2000 - 2003)!

And you know what? I haven't seen to many episodes yet of this series, but so far the ones that I have seen, I have really enjoyed, unfortunately with the exception first episode entitled: Strategy X!

Written by: Avi Arand (Iron Man), Bob Forward (The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!) & Rick Ungar (Spider-Man). Directed by: Frank Paur (Batman: Mask Of the Phantasm). Starring: Vincent Gale (Firewall), Christopher Judge (Stargate SG 1), Scott McNeil (Cedar Cove), Kirby Morrow (Escape From Planet Earth), Brad Swaile (Black Lagoon), Venus Terzo (It). Kirsten Alter (Chaos), David Kaye (Up), Noel Fisher (Final Destination 2) & Colleen Wheeler (The Tall Man).

In the whole, this TV series tells of how Xavier's School For Gifted Youngsters goes from being a small center where people with mutant powers can go to and be accepted, and safe from the rest of the world to the big school that it will later become with a large X-Men team!

but this episodes tells of how the small center for mutant kind and the even smaller 'X-Men' team (at the beginning of this episode it only comprises, Professor Xavier, Cyclops, Jean Grey, Storm and Wolverine...)

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="320"] Cyclops (Kirby Morrow), Jean Grey (Venus Terzo), Spyke (Neil Denis), Shadowcat (Maggie Blue O'Hara)... An Early 'X-Men' team with Toad Tolansky (Noel Fisher).[/caption]

Anyway, during this time, the team is in school and all, but they are also awaiting their latest addition, 'Nightcrawler/Kurt Wagner' (Swaile) to arrive from Germany... Of course that is not the only other perspective member of Xavier's growing family!  You see during a High School football game Toad Tolensky (Noel Fisher) is caught by some football players stealing some wallets...

During this time Cyclops decides to help out and gets rid of the guys, but unfortunately they knock his shades off and he ends up taking out half the School... Later on though, Professor Xavier has Toad brought in when it is discovered that Toad has special frog like abilities...

When he comes in though, this is after Nightcrawler has settled in, and after being chased up and down the halls by Nightcrawler for a little bit, he decides to take off... In the end though we come to discover that besides Professor Xavier and his team looking for fresh faced kids with mutant abilities, but Magneto (Christopher Judge) and Mystique (Colleen Wheeler) who is dressed up to look like, 'The Principal' of the school, are also recruiting for their eventual Army!

In the end this episode does a good job at getting the ball rolling, but other then that, it is not very amusing...

http://youtu.be/7Z7chBBJx1o