X-Men: TAS "Weapon X, Lies, And Videotape" Talkback (Spoilers)

[Stu]

Discuss this classic X-Men: The Animated Series episode!


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Episode #45: "Weapon X, Lies, and Video Tape"
Original Airdate - 11th June 1995

A cryptic postcard unleashes a flood of maddening and painful memories in Wolverine that threaten to drive him insane. To keep his mind from being torn apart, Wolverine and Beast travel to the one location that may hold the answers to his hidden past: the ruins of the top-secret Weapon X lab.

Comments?

[Spider-Man]

Now this is one of those great X-Men episodes that could've been much better if the animation was top notch. It doesn't distract me too much from the episode but his remains one of my favorites. We're really getting into Wolverine's past and I like how they incorporated so much from the comic without it going overboard. It probably would be impossible to go into the entire background for Wolverine but that cartoon gave us enough hints to satisfy the fans. My only real complaint it the voice actress for the Silver Fox just didn't work for me and some of her dialogue execution was pretty terrible.

[RAINMAN]

This was a good one. But I would like to know how sabertooth servile after falling off the cliff?:sweat:

[StormDragon318]

Yeah, I agree - Silver Fox's voice was a bit annoying at times, and I wish that Maverick had been given more dialogue. Other than that, this was a great episode.

[Stu]

Did anyone else notice the scene where Wolverine and Sabertooth are talking and the lip sync is on the wrong person? Very, very odd. :)

Other than that, and as mentioned, Silver Fox's voice, this was a solid episode. It's not as good as Repo Man, but too few things are. Arguably one of the shows finest episodes!

[Spider-Man]

Did anyone else notice the scene where Wolverine and Sabertooth are talking and the lip sync is on the wrong person? Very, very odd. Other than that, and as mentioned, Silver Fox's voice, this was a solid episode. It's not as good as Repo Man, but too few things are. Arguably one of the shows finest episodes! I caught that lip sync mistake when watching the episode on DVD awhile back. I can't believe I didn't notice it before or maybe I just wrote it off because so many episode have small little technical errors like this. Maybe a handful are free of any glitches. Put it doesn't ruin it forme or anything.

I also found that some of this episode was based off Wolverine (Ongoing Vol. 1) #50 and was surprised at how close they kept most of the stuff here. The idea of the sets, etc. They made it as uncomplicated as possible becuase there is no way they could go in much further with the convoluted Weapon X background.

[Memphis Bleek]

I like this episode less everytime I see it. The animation errors distract from the story. The producers do a good job in condensing the Weapon X storyline. I thought the episode could have done a better job of exploring Silver Fox and Maverick. The episode seem more about Wolverine and Sabertooth with Fox and Maverick as supporting characters.

At least, Wolverine's animated origin is as confusing as his comic counterpart.

[jameslogan]

that was one of my favorite back when i was a little kid and wolverine is still my favorite character that epidose was good because it shows you the weapon x progam wolverine have to go through and how they try to control his man to become the ulitmate living killer weapon my favorite of the epidose when wolverine and silver fox try to recover old memories of each othe rhwne they was together and when at teh end you saw the tree with there names on it. one of the best scences when they fought that robot and defeat them with their minds then the old with just useing adamantium claws it was cool.

[Spider-Man]

when wolverine and silver fox try to recover old memories of each other when they was together and when at the end you saw the tree with there names on it. That was probably one of my favorite scenes too. I can remember as a kid almnost shouting at the TV telling the characters to turn around and look at the tree!

I wouldn't say his origin is as confusing as the comic counterparts. It actually seems pretty cut and dry here. He was abducted, brainwashed, and trained under the Weapon X program. There are times when we can only guess what is going on in the comics but it seems pretty clear here compared to the books.

[Stu]

I wouldn't say his origin is as confusing as the comic counterparts. It actually seems pretty cut and dry here. He was abducted, brainwashed, and trained under the Weapon X program. There are times when we can only guess what is going on in the comics but it seems pretty clear here compared to the books.
I'm actually pretty glad this happened, as a lot of the comic version of the character's history is simply too confusing to follow for me, as a 19 year old.

Imagine if you're watching this as a 6 year old and Pheonix died 3 times, Cyclops and Apocolypse merged together and Proffessor Xavier's ability to walk coming on and off more times than a lightswitch. Very confusing!

But yes, the origin is still a streamlined version, but holds as much mystery as the original comic. There's the odd screw up (Old Soldiers comes to mind) but still, I think they went into it as much as they need too.

[Spider-Man]

But yes, the origin is still a streamlined version, but holds as much mystery as the original comic. There's the odd screw up (Old Soldiers comes to mind) but still, I think they went into it as much as they need too. I stil don't think "Old Soldiers" is a screw up. His memory is inconsistent but he can remember blocks of things. He has memories of Japan and Yuriko so it makes sense he'd have some war ones too. And this episode does a good job at establishing that some of his memories just aren't true.

[dmxx116]

Wolverine along with the fromer Weapon Xers are having bad and painful memories go back to the place that turn them into Weapons:
http://i.annihil.us/u/prod/marvel/i/content/st/12907header_banner7219374.jpg

http://marvel.com/videos/1385.x-men_~op~1992~ep~_-_season_4%2c_episode_61

[Anwar]

There were things about this episode that really made me go WTF? once I paid attention:

1) The recordings make it clear that the Weapon X stuff happened in the early 70s, did they explain just how Silver Fox and Maverick look exactly the same 20 years later?

2) If Wolverine's escape happened 20 years ago, then how come the Hudsons from "Repo Man" both look the same 20 years ago as they did in the present?

3) Logan remembers loving Yuriko in Japan BEFORE he was experimented on. But this episode makes it clear he worked for Weapon X BEFORE they gave him the skeleton. So why did they let him go to Japan in the first place, and then have to recapture him? Was the capture just a fake memory, and if so, why was he in Japan in the first place? Why would Weapon X let him go there?

4) Since his life with Yuriko was clearly true due to "Out of the Past", why does Yuriko look the same after 20 years? Because she's a cyborg now?

5) "Out of the Past" implied that the Professor who ran Weapon X was Yuriko's dad, Professor Oyama (which didn't make sense since Yurko was 100% Japanese and the Professor is not). This episode had the Professor refer to Oyama as a separate man, so was he just some other Weapon X scientist who Yuriko believes was killed during Logan's escape?

6) Logan has two sets of memories where Maverick and Fox die due to Sabertooth (one from being abandoned on a mission, the other deliberate murder) yet the footage showed they never died and it was all a lie. Why would Weapon X keep all 4 alive but give two of them memories of half the team dying?

7) If Sabretooth was held at the Weapon X lab all those years before escaping, how was he able to have a relationship with Mystique and raise/abuse Graydon Creed? Did he just run back to Edmonton after he escaped?