Episode Ten - Shadowed Past

Aired: March 31, 2001

Stars: Nightcrawler, Rogue, Mystique

Appears: Xavier, Wolverine, Quicksilver, Magneto, Jean Grey, Cyclops, Shadowcat, Spyke, Avalanche, Toad, Blob

Cameos: None

Guests: Lockheed (sort of)

First Appearance(s) of: Lockheed (sort of)

Written by: Bob Forward

Summary

A woman is yelling at someone, calling them a monster and asking what they've done to a baby. She runs from a castle carrying the baby, but wolves start to chase her. Magneto comes after her as well. She ends up on a rope bridge as the wolves catch up to her. She tries to keep the baby away from them, but she ends up dropping him into the river below. Rogue wakes up screaming.

Everyone rushes into the girls' bedroom to find out what's going on, and as Rogue is telling them about the nightmare she realizes that the baby in her dream was really Nightcrawler. The prof asks Jean, Rogue and Nightcrawler to come down to the library where he reads Rogue's mind. The prof is able to see the woman's face and realizes it's Mystique. He also watches as a couple scoop Kurt out of the water and Mystique watches them from a distance and then turns and walks away.

Xavier tells them that Rogue is really experiencing the repressed memories of someone that she's touched, someone that has knowledge of Kurt's past. Kurt believes that they're his memories and he wants the Prof to read his mind and see if he can find out more about his real parents. Xavier tells them not tonight that he'll try to find out more tomorrow, but he doesn't tell any of them that it was Mystique in Rogue's dreams.

The next day he goes to see Raven at the high school. He asks her what they were doing in the castle and about Kurt. She thinks he's bluffing, but some of the memories come back to her. Xavier asks if it was worth the loss of her son and she yells at him to get out. As he leaves he radios Wolverine with the location of the castle and Logan takes off in the Blackbird.

After school Rogue and Kurt talk about finding their real parents and Kurt gets upset. He 'ports away as Jean and Scott walk up. The three leave together and Mystique, who was disquised as another student and overheard Kurt, walks around a corner and morphs into her self. She looks really upset.

She sends Quicksilver in to the mansion with a note for Kurt to meet her in the new mall construction area. When Quicksilver asks her what it's about she tells him it's none of his business. He speeds into the mansion and shoves the note under Kurt's door. Xavier senses Quicksilver in the mansion. Kurt finds the note under his door and 'ports away. Outside Quicksilver calls Magneto and tells him about the note. In his castle Mags watches the blackbird land on his security system.

Wolverine makes his way into the castle and finds that it has been used as a DNA lab, but everything there has been trashed. He finds a bomb, and is just able to make it out of the castle before the whole place comes down. Xavier send Jean and Scott into Kurt's room to find out about Quicksilver's visit. Jean finds the note.

At the construction site Kurt finds Mystique, but she's wearing a cape with a hood over her head. He asks her who she is and she pulls back the hood and calls him son. Kurt freaks out, but before more can be said the Brotherhood show up. Mystique tries to get rid of them, but Quicksilver says they have "higher orders now". They knock out Kurt, but the other X-Men show up and a fight ensues. Rogue steals Avalanche's power and tries to stop Mystique from running off. Mystique tells her it's too late for answers and when Rogue causes a quake she turns into a raven and flies away.

Back at the mansion Xavier tells Logan, Scott and Jean everything he knows about Mystique and Kurt and about Magneto doing genetic research. He says they may never know for sure if Mystique is really Kurt's mother, or what was done to Kurt in the lab. They decide not to tell Kurt what they've learned.

In his room, Kurt talks to Rogue about Mystique and finding out the truth about his past and his real parents. He's sure that the Prof is not telling him everything and Rogue tells him it's probably for a good reason. Rogue tells him that they can keep looking together and that they will find the answers someday. She leaves to get ready for school. Kurt watches the sun rise and looks very upset.

They cut to Mystique looking from her window with the same look on her face. She watches as a girl climbs out of a car and thanks her mom for the ride to school. She looks even more depressed and bows her head.

Summary written by Denaill for her site -

Quotes

Mystique: (Covered by hood) Hello Kurt.
Kurt: You! You're the one in Rogue's dream. Who are you? Why don't you show yourself?
Mystique: (removing hood) You already know me, son.
Kurt: No! No, it's impossible. What happened to me? Why didn't you....
Blob drops in.
Mystique: Get out!
Rest of Brotherhood show up.
Quicksilver: Well, far as you go fur-boy. This conversation's over.
Mystique: Get out of here, all of you!
Quicksilver: No can do Boss-Lady. We've got higher orders.

Rogue: Going somewhere? Me and Kurt have a few questions we need you to answer.
Mystique: I'm afraid it's too late for answers. Far too late.

Kurt: I still can't believe it. Mystique is my mother?
Rogue: Listen Kurt, who really knows? I mean, that's one seriously disturbed lady. Maybe she's just messin' with ya.
Kurt: I guess, but there is a certain resemblance...
Rogue: Listen Kurt, I really do know what you're going through. We'll both keep looking and we'll find our answers together someday.

Quick Review

Okay episode, this one seemed to drag a little. I really liked the plot of this one, but they seemed to really drag out each event as it occured, then another generic X-Men vs Brotherhood face off at the end. I think if they had focused more and spent more time on the Mystique and Nightcrawler meeting that it would have gone over a lot better.

Quite a few things bugged me about this episode. First anyone else tired of hearing Avalanche say "rock" in all of his sentences? Also after Turn of the Rogue and how Xavier agreed not to withhold info from the X-Men it seems really weak that he's going to turn around and withhold crucial info from Nightcrawler about his own past, but he'll pull Scott and Jean aside and tell them? Another big one. Mystique makes a point to meet Nightcrawler to tell him the truth about his past, but then 5 minutes later all of a sudden it's "too late for answers. Far too late." and she takes off. What happened in 5 minutes or so and what's going to stop the X-Men from catching up with her at school anyway?

Couple of things I did like. I loved the stuffed Lockheed Kitty snuggles as she climbs into bed. I like that Mystique is really upset about losing Kurt, I just wonder how she's going to handle seeing him at school and having to fight the X-Men now. Last I liked that Rogue and Nightcrawler have been pulled together by the experience.

Beyond Evolution Copyright © 2004 Denaill.