Recap / X-Men S3 E4 "The Phoenix Saga, Part 2: The Dark Shroud"

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• Adapted Out:
  • As with the previous episode, Polaris and Havok are not involved, their role as Erik the Red's reluctant flunkies taken by the controlled astronauts.
  • Lilandra's touchdown occurs on Muir Island, instead of where Jean meets her parents, along with the small cameo role of Misty Knight (Jean's then-roommate), and there's no involvement with Firelord (along with corresponding Foreshadowing about Jean's Phoenix-related power boost and the potential consequences thereof).
• Adaptation Distillation: Mostly a version of X-Men #101 (Jean becomes Phoenix), with a bit of #102 (Juggernaut and Black Tom make trouble), #105 (Lilandra arrives on Earth) and #106 (Professor X's evil side) in the mix.
• Adaptational Nice Guy:
  • Logan's behavior in X-Men #101 was more Stalker with a Crush territory, buying flowers for a recovering Jean simply because he decided he "wanted" her and that automatically made her his (before throwing them out on seeing the other X-Men were there).
  • The Prof does get into a shouting match with Cyclops, brought on by the stress of everything that's happening and his inability to explain why, but it's nowhere near as melodramatically bad as it was in the comics.
• Afraid of Doctors: Beast finds Wolverine trashing an alley across the street from the hospital. Wolverine won't go inside because he's hated hospitals ever since the experiment that bonded adamantium to his skeleton.
• Always a Bigger Fish: As soon as Jean wakes up, the Professor's evil side is toast.
• Anger Born of Worry: Logan's concerned about Jean, but he hates hospitals, so he instead goes to a nearby alley to take his frustrations out on the garbage cans.
• Apocalypse How: If the M'Kraan Crystal is opened, it'd destroy the galaxy it's in, and the one next to it (which is the Milky Way). This is a step down from what it was with the comics version, where it'd destroy the entire universe.
• Captain Obvious: After the shuttle crashes into the river, water starts ripping through multiple spots in the capsule.
  Beast: The capsule appears to have lots its water-tight integrity.
• Comically Missing the Point: Beast tries to hail a taxi, but the driver is so surprised by his furry appearance that he immediately peels out. Beast questions why it's always such a hassle to get a taxi in this town.
• Compressed Hair: Despite Lilandra's space helmet being quite a bit larger than her head, her hair still pops up when she takes it off.
• Continuity Nod: Wolverine's hallucinations involve a pre-op Yuriko (Lady Deathstrike) and Deadpool.
• Early-Bird Cameo: At the end of the episode, Moira introduces Xavier to Sean Cassidy, and he gets a couple generic lines. His mutant power and costumed identity are fleshed out in the next part of the story.
• Evil Is Hammy: Whereas Xavier is normally quite reserved, his evil side practically screams every line and chews the scenery.
• Fainting: Jean suffers Exhaustion Faint, as a result of the strain of trying to both pilot the shuttle and use her powers to protect herself from the radiation. The Phoenix enters her, after she passes out.
• Forgot About His Powers: In a way. Wolverine is trounced by the psychic projections and almost run over by a train, but the experience reminds him that all of it wasn't really real since he couldn't smell them.
• Friendship Moment: Seeing Wolverine all frazzled about Jean's condition, Beast offers to treat him to a night on the town to take his mind off it.
• MacGuffin: Lilandra ended up on the run after stealing the M'Kraan crystal from D'Ken before he could use it to further his galactic conquest.
• Mind Rape: Lilandra's psychic message starts messing up Xavier even more, causing him to pass out and creating an evil phantom Xavier.
• Monster of the Week: A manifestation of all the repressed antagonism of Professor X, with psychic powers equal to the real Xavier and a nifty cape. The only reason he lasts for less than an episode is because the Phoenix Force is simply on another level.
• Normal Fish in a Tiny Pond: The manifestation of Xavier's dark side is just that and can't truly harm anyone, but having access to Xavier's telepathy means he can certainly make his prey think otherwise and run circles around the team. As Jean says, Scott is only being made to think he's been blasted by an energy beam, but it's still just as good as the real thing when a target can't counter with telepathic power. When up against a Phoenix-empowered Jean, however, this dark manifestation is effortlessly disposed of.
• Oh, Crap!: Wolverine in response to someone who looks like Xavier walking. Scott has the same reaction in the hospital.
• Only Sane Man: When Scott and Xavier start yelling at each other over who is responsible for Jean being in the hospital, Beast interjects to point out that their emotions are currently clouding their better judgment and that neither of them is to blame for this situation.
• Punctuated! For! Emphasis!:
  • "I! Am! Phoenix!"
  • Professor X declares to the vision of Lilandra: "You! Are! Driving me insane!"
• Shout-Out:
  • The Star Wars thing from last week is taken further when Lilandra reveals why she fled the Shi'ar empire, but substituting the Death Star plans for the M'Kraan crystal.
  • Beast's t-shirt has Howard the Duck on it.
• True Companions: According to Lilandra, the Shi'ar believe one is linked at birth to another and, no matter where either is, share such a deep bond that they are compelled to find each other. She says this connection is what drove her to come to Earth and seek out Xavier. In this particular case, it clearly overlaps with One True Love.
  Lilandra: It's a bond like love, only deeper. Do you also believe this?
  Xavier: I do now.
• We Meet Again: Bursting into Xavier's room, the Juggernaut greets his "dear brother" and gets to work.
• Wham Line: At the end of the episode, Juggernaut is sent after Xavier by someone who knows he's on Muir Island, along with what's happening to him and whose fault it really is.
  "And you must be Lilandra!"
• Written-In Absence: Rogue is still out of town, though we hear Scott's side of the conversation when telling her on the phone to get back ASAP.
• You Are in Command Now: Before leaving for Muir Island, Xavier says this to Cyclops.

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