X-Men: TAS "Graduation Day" Talkback (Spoilers)

[James Harvey]

Discuss the classic final episode of X-Men: The Animated Series!


http://marvel.toonzone.net/marvelboard/xmenlogo.jpg
Episode #76: Graduation Day
Original Airdate - September 20th, 1997

It's the final episode! At a Mutant/Human Relations Summit, Henry Peter Gyrich attacks and severely injures Professor Xavier with an energy disruptor. Meanwhile Magneto makes final preparations to take over the world with his mutant army, but on the eve of the invasion Cyclops, Wolverine, and Jean Grey infiltrate Genosha to tell Magneto that Xavier is dying. Magneto halts his plants out of respect to his long-time friend and joins the X-Men as they say farewell to their beloved mentor.

Comments?

[Stu]

It's nice that a series actually gets an ending. While it took me a while to get used to the character designs (I didn't even know that the guy who attacked Xavier was Trask) I still enjoyed it. Its not the way I expected them to end it but it was a well written stroyline and it was nice seeing Magneto saving Xavier.

[J.C.]

This has always been a favorite of mine, despite the animation style not being what I'd hope. Really like how Cyclops, Wolverine, and Jean confront Magneto about what he's doing and I just loved Xaviers "deathbed" speech towards the end where he gives a very touching goodbye to his X-Men. It's easily one of my top five favorite episodes of all time from the series.

[Storm]

One of my fave X-men:TAS episodes. "Graduation Day" was a great ending for the X-men and it wasn't bad seeing good ol' Morph neither. Perfect ending for a perfect series.

[Silent Bob]

While the series wasn't perfect, this was the perfect finale! I didn't mind the new style that the finale six episodes used. It was a great finale with some great moments, without a doubt. I wish every series got this good of a finale, becuase besides tying up loose ends (sort of), it opened up whole new possibilities that would make for a great 'sequel' series.

[Cyclops]

In honor of what could be X-Men: Evolution's final episode, I thought I'd bump up the talkback for the final episode of the X:TAS series. Let's discuss!

[MJC]

I liked the episode (the animation doesn't bother me...it's isn't that bad), but I thought it could've been more epic considering it was the final episode. Not the greatest way to end the series, but it wasn't bad, and at least the series got an ending.

[Digu Volz]

I thought the episode was rushed, not that it's really their fault. Overall it was a fitting ending.

[JohnStewart-GL]

I havent seen this ep in for ever so im going by memory here. I thought the new animation style was pretty cool. The plot was pretty good and definately worthy of a series ender. I liked how Mags ended up helping out.

[Stu]

As a little note, this episode was originnally supposed to feature cameos of other Marvel characters to see Xavier on his deathbed.

Still, a very good episode

[RAINMAN]

Sorry but I have to disagree. This was the worst ending to a good series. Everything was rush, it was full of plotholes, things were never explain. If you gonna give a series a ending, give a good one.

[Manhunter]

Xavier's deathbed speech in its entirety:


Prof. X: It seems I have quite an audience. Thank you all. I'm grateful to have the chance to say...goodbye. Morph, it's nice to see you home, and facing your fears. You have proven yourself truly an X-Man. Gambit, how often must the scoundrel prove himself a hero before he believes it himself? Jubilee, you are the future. When I look at your face, I see hope. Storm, my beautiful Storm. Mighty as a hurricane, gentle as a summer rain. You honor me with your friendship. Wolverine, loner, you have found a family. Wild savage, you have found dignity. Cynic, you have found faith. Rogue, unable to touch, yet look around you. You will find that you have touched us all. Jean, first in my heart. Your courage has shown you things no other human has ever seen, yet remain the same innocent child I met so very long ago. (grunts)

Beast: Is there anything I can do for you, Charles?

Prof. X: The friends thou hast, and adoptions tried, grapple them to thy soul with hopes of steel. Scott, were I your father, I would tell you that no truer son could ever be. I am proud, proud of you all, my...X-Men.

[Cyclops]

I didn't mind the animation in this episode. I actually found it a nice contrast to the previous style of earlier episodes in the series. It was more "cartoony" (for lack of better word) but it worked. Although, my big complaint was how radically different Gyrich looked in the episode. I didn't even know it was him until they stated who he was - he looked so different than his old design.

[Stu]

I didn't mind the animation in this episode. I actually found it a nice contrast to the previous style of earlier episodes in the series. It was more "cartoony" (for lack of better word) but it worked. Although, my big complaint was how radically different Gyrich looked in the episode. I didn't even know it was him until they stated who he was - he looked so different than his old design.

I have to agree. It took a while to register who it was, I remember thinking who the hell is Gyrich? It was off putting. We all know he is the man who co-created the Sentinals.

This episode was great, I alwaays wondered how they would go about making any episodes after this. A great finale to a great series.

[RAINMAN]

But grich is supposed to hiding from the public becasue he is resonabile for the sentals going crazy kidnapping kelly and trying to turn him into a robot. And remeber when sunfrie saw cyclops,jean and wolvie. He said he remeber them being trap on the island whit the sentals useing them as slave? Wrong x-men. Gambit,strom and jub where the ones that were trap whit him. Whoever wrote that last ep didn`t care about what happend in the past ep`s.

[Spider-Man]

But grich is supposed to hiding from the public becasue he is resonabile for the sentals going crazy kidnapping kelly and trying to turn him into a robot.

There are some gaps in the episode, yes, but perhaps there are explainations for them. I wish I knew what they were, though. I don't remember every single episode of the series, but I know there was another episode that featured Trask and Gyrich and it dealt with the aftermath of their participation in the whole Sentinel affair. I think it was the one with the return of Morph.

Still, I didn't let that get in the way of what was truly a great episode, and a beautiful send off to the series, as far as I am concerned. A good finale to the series. The redesigns were always a bit shakey but they seem to work just fine here. While the ending with the last minute Sh'iar save always bugged me a little bit this remains one of the best episodes. Professor Xavier on his deathbed with his X-Men all around him. I really liked Magneto's role in the episode, too. Fitting for his character and a nice nod to his happier days as a teacher at the Institute in the older comics.

[Nick K.]

I tried taping it but my VCR messed up. :sad:

[Tobias]

Too bad they couldn't have made a two parter out of this and had more heroes show up, like Spider-Man, Iceman, etc.

I liked Jubilee's redesign, she looked much better in those last few episodes.

[Juu-kuchi]

Could anybody give me pictures of the redesigned X-Men at this part of the series?

[Stu]

Sure, here's a few of them

http://marvel.toonzone.net/images/x-men/wolverine.jpg

http://marvel.toonzone.net/images/x-men/gyrich.jpg

http://marvel.toonzone.net/images/x-men/jean.jpg

http://marvel.toonzone.net/images/x-men/jubilee.jpg

http://marvel.toonzone.net/images/x-men/rogue.jpg

http://marvel.toonzone.net/images/x-men/morph.jpg

[Juu-kuchi]

O_O

[Spider-Man]

O_O I assume that's some sort of shocked look. I thought the redesigns for the most part looked great. Jubilee and Jean Grey were big improvements. Like many people the redesign of Gyrich was pretty poorly done and it made him completely unrecognizable. He played a big role in the show before this and completely changing his look like didn't work. Still, redesigns or not, this episode is still one of the true highlights for the series.

[creativerealms]

The best of the redesigned final six thats for sure. Would have been better as a two parter though. Still at least X-men got a real ending unlike Spider-man.

[Memphis Bleek]

A series finale that leaves more questions than answers. Xavier survives, but what about the mutant uprising? The animation was okay. Graduation Day didn't meet my expectations. The entire series was building toward the mutant versus human war, but this subplot is put on the backburner. It's isn't the worst episode but not the best either.

[AdamYJ]

An okay episode. We saw a fair amount of Sunfire in this episode for some reason. My main problem with this episode was the part of Xavier's speech where he talks to Jubilee. "Jubilee, you are the future. When I look at your face, I see hope." That's the best they could do? I mean, sure, it's exactly what would have been expected regarding the "kid member". They could have substituted in Kitty Pryde for Jubilee and the speech wouldn't have even needed to have been changed. Then again, "kid member" was practically all Jubes was in this series, so I guess there's no real point in complaining. It's just a little thing anyway.

[Pyro]

Well, this was the first time I've seen this episode, and I'm glad I finally got to see it. I have to say, with this show having ended years ago, I'm shocked at how it still surprised me. I did not expect to see Xavier about to die, much less him leaving the X-Men at the end. The X-Men's emotions were very well done. A very unexpected, and very good finale episode.

I agree with Memphis Bleek that the mutant uprising plot was pretty much left open, but I guess the point of the episode was saying goodbye to Xavier. While they touched on the effect of his absence (the lack of a leader), it seems they were saying that the X-Men will have to carry on his dream in the future.

I'm glad that Magneto was planning to strike against the humans and that he later gave it up to help Charles. I thought it was good how they showed that their friendship was more important than their rivalry. However...Magneto did seem a little gay.

I don't really think the redesigns are better than the original ones. They look a lot more cartoony, and characters like Rogue, Wolverine, and Storm suffer from that.

[Spider-Man]

I agree with Memphis Bleek that the mutant uprising plot was pretty much left open, but I guess the point of the episode was saying goodbye to Xavier. While they touched on the effect of his absence (the lack of a leader), it seems they were saying that the X-Men will have to carry on his dream in the future.
I think leaving the uprising open was intentional. We're left to wonder how Magneto will follow through with his plans and what the X-Men willdo as well. Will Magneto rally his troops under Xavier's dream or take the easy way out and try to overthrow the Homosapian population. I think this shows that everything can't be wrapped up easily and there's still a long road ahead of them.

[addismad]

who is the man in the last pic of the redesigns, plus could someone get the other for me to see as im curious to what they looked like, or direct me to a page that has them

[Xurk]

The last guy in the redesign pics is 'Morph' [a character based on the Changeling from the comics]. His redesign wasn't anything radical, but I could understand people not recognizing him, as he was not part of the recurring cast after the series opener, he only appeared occasionally - mostly evil.

I just spent 15 minutes searching for a site with screencaps of X-Men TAS, but I found nothing worthwhile and none which held caps of the last episodes.. I guess normally I can rely on the Toonzone sites for Marvel Animation caps, but there isn't one for X-Men TAS yet [as far as I know] :p

[Movie-Brat]

The new design on Rogue in X-Men: The animated series looks cute.

[James Harvey]

I guess normally I can rely on the Toonzone sites for Marvel Animation caps, but there isn't one for X-Men TAS yet [as far as I know].I don't think Stu is going to mind me posting this, but we are currently working on a website for X-Men: The Animated Series. We don't have a projected completion date, but we are looking at what we can do for the site and how to make it as perfect as possible. And you can believe we'll be spotlighting the character design changes, among many other important topics concerning the series.

[DRG4]

I just spent 15 minutes searching for a site with screencaps of X-Men TAS, but I found nothing worthwhile and none which held caps of the last episodes.. I guess normally I can rely on the Toonzone sites for Marvel Animation caps, but there isn't one for X-Men TAS yet [as far as I know] :pI'm suprised that you didn't stumble on my X-Men cartoon site, mainly since it's the only real X-Men cartoon site out there as of now. People here don't seem to like it very much, but I'm still proud of all the features it has, so here's the link:

http://members.aol.com/drg4/x.html

I've got screenshots from all the episodes, including the final ones. I've also got a bunch of behind the scenes articles, including one on the redesigned final episodes (which features some of the official redesigned model sheet images). And I don't know if you'll be interested in this, but if you check the site later in the day on Saturday, I'll (finally) have a video file up of the anime credits that have been in demand for a while.

DRG4

[Detective Jim]

Hi.

So, this is probably the most unprofessional thing I've done in my career (and that's saying something), but, oh, what the heck?

And, to top it off, I'm responding so late that, in all likelihood, no one will ever read this, but I'm an old man so it took me forever to figure out how to register for the site. Anyway...

I'm Jim Krieg and, thousands of years ago, I wrote Graduation Day. A few weeks ago I was surfing the net and, by chance (seriously), I came across your discussion forum. Let me just say this...

THANK YOU!!

I'd just had a hard day, full of notes from executives, and I come home and stumble across these posts that say my episode is someone's favorite episode of X-Men TAS! Unbelievable! A writer waits his or her whole life to hear that! Seriously, I printed it up to hang on my wall.

FYI, I agree with many of the posters criticism of the episode. For various reasons, it fell short of my initial "vision" (if that term can be applied to Fox Kids Saturday AM). But the fact that any of it remained intact enough to have an impact on any faction of the audience just floors me and fills me with awe and gratitude.

Anyway, thanks again for the kind words. You warmed an old writer's heart.

Keep on keepin' on

[DRG4]

Hey Jim. It's great to hear from you again after all these years. I still have those animated GIFs of both you (as Barney the cab driver) and your girlfriend (as a vampire) up on my Spider-Man cartoon website. Feels like ages since we first talked about the show. I think I even have the conversation saved from when we talked on the day that the "Return of Hydro-Man, Part 1" episode (that you wrote) aired. I tried to keep up with how your career was going over the years, and I don't know if you're still a writer for "Monk," but I'm definitely looking forward to the premiere tonight.

In terms of the X-Men finale, people still send me e-mail through my X-Men site about how much they liked it. One of the notes that I have up on my page for that episode (http://members.fortunecity.com/drg4/eX76.html) is that fact you told me about how the head of the FOX Kids Network cried after he watched the episode. Great stuff.

[Pyro]

I'm suprised that you didn't stumble on my X-Men cartoon site, mainly since it's the only real X-Men cartoon site out there as of now. People here don't seem to like it very much, but I'm still proud of all the features it hasWell, I'd just like to let you know, I love your Marvel series websites! You've got lots of cool content! :anime:

And Detective Jim, I'm glad you got to hear some of our reactions to your episode. I really liked it!

[Spider-Man]

I'm Jim Krieg and, thousands of years ago, I wrote Graduation Day. A few weeks ago I was surfing the net and, by chance (seriously), I came across your discussion forum. Let me just say this...THANK YOU!!
Thank you! This is easily at the top of my favorite X-Men episodes. It's up there with the likes of "Repo Man" and "Nightcrawler" as some of the best episodes this show had to offer! I am really surprised your posting here and I'm at a loss of words. I just wanted to let you know that this is an episode I've watched countless times and still do. You did an excellent job bringing the series to a close. And how could you not get misty-eyed during the scenes at Professor X's bedside? Thanks for posting here!

[Crow]

Thank you! This is easily at the top of my favorite X-Men episodes. It's up there with the likes of "Repo Man" and "Nightcrawler" as some of the best episodes this show had to offer! I am really surprised your posting here and I'm at a loss of words. I just wanted to let you know that this is an episode I've watched countless times and still do. You did an excellent job bringing the series to a close. And how could you not get misty-eyed during the scenes at Professor X's bedside? Thanks for posting here!
Aye, that final speech is a real tear-jerker, it made me cry!

[Stu]

Aye, that final speech is a real tear-jerker, it made me cry!
That's probably what I liked most about this episode. It's not an action filled slugfest, it's a smaller story about the characters, and a fond farewell to Xavier.

I don't think it's possible to end this show. The whole show is about humans vs mutants, short of starting the war or completly ending it, there's not really a lot else to do. I loved how, even though Magneto and Xavier have spent years feuding, they still mean a lot to each other. I think they're chemistry together is the best in the entire show.

[Spider-Man]

That's probably what I liked most about this episode. It's not an action filled slugfest, it's a smaller story about the characters, and a fond farewell to Xavier.
I think that scene is an excellent cap to the entire series. We see all the X-Men by his side even Morph for his last breathe. It seriously doesn't get better than this. While It would've been very controversial if he died him being spirited away by the Shi'ar is a fine conclusion for him. He's with his love Lilandra and knows hos work will continue on Earth with his X-Men. Just about a perfect ending.

[Arsenal]

I would be interested in knowing what Detective Jim meant when he said his "original vision" of the episode. Do you think he means the hero cameos that had to be excised for time purposes?

[Memphis Bleek]

Magneto could have sent his troops to start the war without him and still helped the Xavier. The character designs distracted me, but there were good moments.

[dmxx116]

This is it the final episode! Professor Xavier is attacked by Henry Peter Gyrich who severely injured Xavier with an energy disruptor. Meanwhile Magneto wages war against the humans with his mutant army,The X-Men infiltrate Genosha to tell Magneto that Xavier is dying. Magneto halts his plants out of respect to his long-time friend and joins the X-Men as they say farewell to their beloved mentor.

http://i.annihil.us/u/prod/marvel/i/content/st/14238header_banner6297069.jpg

http://marvel.com/videos/1560.x-men_~op~1992~ep~_-_season_5%2c_episode_76