In which a bunch of nerdy, funny friends discuss their undying love for and the unintentional humor of 1992-97's X-Men: The Animated Series.
No place to hide! No place to run (no place to run)! The mutant age (The mutant age)! has now begun! X-Men (X-Men)! This is the day (This is the day) X-Men (X-Men)! Coming your way! That's right...it's the 1989 X-Men animated pilot Pryde of the X-Men with cohosts Keith Justice Hayward, Sarah Mucek, and Matt Schrader.
In which the team-up between the X-Men and our friendly neighborhood Spider-man reaches its dramatic conclusion! This episode has everything: A closeted mutant! A monstrous kaiju! Wolverine making jokes! And Spider-man learning an important lesson...about FRIENDSHIP. It's Spider-man: The Animated Series, Neogenic Nightmare: Chapter 5 - Mutants' Revenge! With cohosts Matt Schrader, Keith Justice Hayward, and Sarah Mucek.
The 90's X-Men guest-star on the Spider-man Animated Series! Rogue and Jubes are hot for Spidey. Wolverine is NOT. And Beast gets into hot water with an old colleague in Neogenic Nightmare: Chapter 4 - The Mutant Agenda! With cohosts Matt Schrader, Keith Justice Hayward, and Sarah Mucek.
In which Storm unleashes AND apologizes, Wolverine says “shrubbery,” and Garrok gets the award for Big Modesty. Finally! It's Savage Land, Savage Heart (Part 2) with cohosts Sarah Mucek and Drew Kunas.
How could we possibly have missed The Juggernaut Returns!? An unforgettable episode featuring indelible dweeb Eugene Torbut-Weiderspan, the redemption of Cain Marko, and the Power Rangers crossover no one saw coming! "MORE MUSIC! MORE DANCING!!!" With cohosts Sarah Mucek and Michael Short.
JUMBO EPISODE! In which there can be only ONE question: "How much do YOU love Charles Xavier?" The seeds for X-Men '97 were planted here, in the SERIES FINALE of X-Men: The Animated Series, Graduation Day! With cohosts Sarah Mucek, Michael Short, and Matt Schrader.
In which Old London Town yields up something...SINISTER! (Ugh...we know.) And we pose such questions as: Where did old-timey James Xavier get those MOVES? Did Dr. Nathaniel Essex just demote HIMSELF? And most importantly, would a Victorian J. Jonah Jameson want daguerreotypes of Spider-man??? All this and so much more in Season 5, Episode 9, Descent - with cohosts Sarah Mucek, Michael Short, and Matt Schrader.
In which the X-Men head to that old Kentucky home of Samuel Guthrie AKA Cannonball! And we consider such questions as: Why doesn't Professor X do anything the easy way? How many guys IS Federal Agent Kirkland anyway?? And Rogue is...Ms. LeBeau? WE SEE YOU, GIRL. All this and so much more in Season 5, Episode 8, Hidden Agendas with cohosts Drew Kunas and Sarah Mucek.
In which we have very few questions because WOLVERINE meets CAPTAIN AMERICA and they fight RED SKULL and a pile of Nazis in WWII! It's Old Soldiers, with cohosts Aaron Gold, Drew Kunas, and Sarah Mucek.
In which there is no other question but: "WHY." An episode this notorious needs no introduction. It's Jubilee's Fairytale Theater! With cohosts Sarah Mucek and Michael Short.
We're back in X-Men: The Animated Series to answer such questions as: Was Caliban the original before/after influencer? How many sciences does Beast know?? And what DO you call the room where a guy goes to talk to his Big Energy Boss? All this and Cortez just continuing to be the absolute worst. It's Season 5, Episode 5, The Fifth Horseman with cohosts Sarah Mucek and Michael Short.
The episode where Rogue chucks Cap's shield into a mountain! And we consider such questions as: Does Mr. Sinister do ALL the science? How did Bastion get that sick WFH setup? Is Morph slurping Diet Pringo his finest work yet? All this and so much more in Episode 7, Bright Eyes, with Drew Kunas, Sarah Mucek, and Matt Schrader.
A season finale filled with firsts! First time hearing Forge's real name! First time Cyclops is a good dad! And best of all, first time Rogue HULK CLAPS!!! All this, plus Charles helps Magneto swim through his memories and remember HIMSELF. The end to an incredible first season is here as we discuss Tolerance is Extinction (Part 3) with cohosts Marcus Bishop-Wright, Aaron Gold, and Sarah Mucek.
Tolerance is Extinction, Part 2 races toward the season climax with such questions as: Hey, why ARE the sentinels still on? What percentage of Fatal Attractions is this? And is that...THE MUTANTCYCLE??!! Plus: Sinister doing backflips in his flappy tendril cape! All this and so much more, with cohosts Sarah Mucek, Matt Schrader, and Michael Short.
Join us for Part 1 of mind-blowing 3-parter Tolerance is Extinction to answer such questions as: Does it get more badass than Nightcrawler and Wolverine's "nine reasons"? Does it get crazier than a PORSCHE inside the BLACKBIRD?? And does it get more [REDACTED] than MAGNETO IN A SPEEDO??? All this and more with cohosts Marcus Bishop-Wright, Sarah Mucek, and Ben Taylor.
In which JUBILEE of all people is the one who sees that the guy is just not worth it. And we ask such questions as: How many puberties has Arkon gone through (our money is on 1.5)? Does Storm's bird friends make her an official Disney princess? And how many characters with legs is quite simply too many? All this and Storm is THISCLOSE to getting hitched! It's Season 5, Episode 4, Storm Front (Part 2), with cohosts Marcus Bishop-Wright, Drew Kunas, and Sarah Mucek.
In which Deathbird has no rivals for the Bad B!@$% Award! Storm faces her fears, grows out her hair, and bests the Adversary! And Professor Charles Francis Xavier RETURNS! Plus: The Carlos Pacheco rendering of Shaara and K'ythri! All this and so much more in LifeDeath Part 2. With cohosts Rob Berliner, Natalie Lopez, and Sarah Mucek.
THE EPISODE THAT NEEDS NO INTRODUCTION. With cohosts Aaron Gold and Sarah Mucek
2 Episodes in One! Motendo: In which Jubillee comes of age playing ALL the X-Men video games! The most corpulent Mojo returns! And so does...Abscissa??!! Then, Lifedeath Part 1: In which Storm and Forge share a candlelit, homemade dinner! But not all is as it seems. Plus: What the eff is with this demon owl??!! All this and so much more in X-Men '97 Season 1, Episode 4. With cohosts Marcus Bishop-Wright, Natalie Lopez, and Sarah Mucek.
NEW EPISODE! In which one Jean has earrings and a ponytail and one does not! Mr. Sinister does baby monitor horror! And what are Rogue and Magneto doing in the Danger Room ALL NIGHT??? It's X-Men '97 Season 1, Episode 3, Fire Made Flesh. With cohosts Sarah Mucek, Michael Short, and Matt Schrader.
In which Magneto places himself on trial in order to earn humanity's trust. Plus: Rogue rolls deep in cat similes! An omega-level mutant goes into labor and Wolverine's at the wheel! And we think it's all over when: DING DONG! Who is it??!! All this and so much more in an arguably perfect episode of X-Men '97: Mutant Liberation Begins! With cohosts Marcus Bishop-Wright, Aaron Gold, and Sarah Mucek.
In which, 27 years later, THE X-MEN RETURN! And we love every moment. With cohosts Marcus Bishop-Wright, Drew Kunas, and Sarah Mucek.
In which Storm lives out some bodice-ripping fantasies with Arkon of Polemachus, who kinda-sorta abducts her to save his very-90's-FX planet! Cyclops brings his best yells to the party! Jubilee has a legitimately helpful idea! And Beast promises an unsuspecting bystander, "You will be compensated." Plus: How many X-Men does it take to make a Batman?? It's Season 5, Episode 4, Storm Front (Part 1) with cohosts Marcus Bishop-Wright, Drew Kunas, and Sarah Mucek.
In which Beast and Warlock enlist the help of some unexpected friends to defeat the Phalanx, and we pose such questions as: Does Banshee just hang out in his Banshee outfit? Was Warlock coded in Python? How did Magneto get SO TOTALLY JACKED? And most upsetting: How did Beast know where to look at the camera?!! All this and more in Season 5, Episode 2, The Phalanx Covenant (Part 2) with cohosts Drew Kunas, Sarah Mucek, and Matt Schrader.
It's the Season 5 opener and who's there to kick it off but SELF-FRIEND WARLOCK!!! Query: Who's the bigger thirst trap - Rogue or Gambit? What is on Beast's "Jazz" record? Is Dr. Henry McCoy the World's Poorest Detective? Plus: Warlock's got Forge's back - er, LEG! All this and a strange, intergalactic techno-organic Disney romance in Season 5, Episode 1, The Phalanx Covenant (Part 1) with cohosts Charissa Bertels, Marcus Bishop-Wright, and Sarah Mucek.
Season 4 roars to a close and no one does more roaring than the mutant behind it all: Apocalypse! 1. He threatens to do away with everything: Dinosaurs! Times Square! All of existence! 2. He double-crosses EVERYBODY but still takes a few minutes to do the exposition! 3. He does the biggest, best "Nooooooo!" this side of "Jean - Noooo!" Plus...Bender is really WHO??? Ohhh...okay. It's Season 4, Episode 21 (they don't make 'em like they used to), Beyond Good and Evil, Part 4 with cohosts Charissa Bertels, Marcus Bishop-Wright, and Sarah Mucek.
Cable and the X-Men take the fight to Apocalypse's pyramid in Ancient Egypt! Plus: Did the X-Men start the Late Bronze Age collapse? Is Death really a horseman if he doesn't have a horse? Did Cable just tell Professor X he's boring to his face??!! All this and cohost Drew demands to know: Is any given character more or less effective than a broken elevator? All this and more in Season 4, Episode 20, Beyond Good and Evil, Part 3 with cohosts Drew Kunas, Sarah Mucek, and Sonia Nam.
Our favorite 90's X-Men couples shows up just in time for Valentine's Day: Archangel and Psylocke! Plus: What are those tubes on Deathbird's costume about? Is a young Tim Curry the best or the VERY best possible Mr. Sinister? And are Cable/Tyler the beefiest father-son duo in 3999?? Not to mention: Shard and Bishop! Sabretooth and Mystique! And ENTER MAGNETO!!! This 4-partner continues to have absolutely everything. It can only be Season 4, Episode 19, Beyond Good and Evil (Part 2) with cohosts Drew Kunas, Sarah Mucek, and Sonia Nam.
In the words of Stefon, "This place has everything": Nasty Boys + Vertigo! Scott and Jean getting married (again)! Cable channeling Raiders of the Lost Ark! Apocalypse telling Sinister what to do! And Bishop, getting pissed at a Jim Carrey rip-off at the Axis of Time! It's Season 4, Episode 18, the first part of what was supposed to be the series finale until it wasn't: Beyond Good and Evil Part 1! With cohosts Marcus Bishop-Wright, Sarah Mucek, and Michael Short.
The Christmas special we guess someone, somewhere must have asked for! In which Storm serves up cool winter lewks! The team encounters the Morlocks at Rockefeller Center and Annalee serves up a guilt trip! And Gambit, serving Christmas dinner, informs us, "Dis need a little Gambit magic!" All this and who's the girl who's the webby little girl who hasn't heard of miracles?! It's Season 4, Episode 17, Have Yourself a Morlock Little Christmas. With cohosts Marcus Bishop-Wright, Sarah Mucek, and Michael Short.
Wolverine: His past - revealed! Silver Fox: Bada$$ Boss B@#$*! Maverick: German As Expected! Sabretooth: Deserving of sympathy??! All this and Dr. Henry McCoy, MD, PhD, Designated Driver! It's Season 4, Episode 16, Weapon X, Lies, and Videotape - the episode that made us ask "Who is this title FOR?" With cohosts Drew Kunas, Sarah Mucek, and Sonia Nam.
WOLVERINE GOES TO JAPAN! And we have SO many questions, including: is Professor X the world's worst employer/therapist? How many candles should you put on Wolverine's birthday cake? Are the X-Men paid in X-Bucks? And will Logan FINALLY enjoy some requited love?! Plus: Enter the Silver Samurai! It's Season 4, Episode 15, Lotus and Steel with cohosts Drew Kunas, Sarah Mucek, and Sonia Nam!
The return we've all been waiting for: Kurt Wagner AKA NIGHTCRAWLER! Plus: Rogue and Nightcrawler: Sibs? Why doesn't Nightcrawler punch Graydon Creed a little bit more? And is this THE most satisfying ending for a villain in all of XMTAS??! All this and more in the second of the one-two punch of mutant family drama that is Bloodlines with cohosts Sarah Mucek and Michael Short.
The character debut we've all been waiting for: BOVA THE COW NANNY!!! Plus: Magneto seeks his wife! Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch seek their true parents! And the High Evolutionary seeks EVERYBODY'S DNA! Also, a final fight that we can only describe as "bonkers." It's Family Ties (Sha-la-la-la) with cohosts Sarah Mucek and Michael Short.
In which poor, omnipotent Kevin MacTaggert just wants a father's love! Plus: Natalie coins the term "incog-BEAST-o"! We go on a lengthy Star Trek tangent! And WOLVERINE RUNS AWAY??!! All this and, honestly, isn't Banshee just the best? It's Proteus, Part 2 with cohosts Natalie Lopez, Sarah Mucek, and Sonia Nam.
Crashing waves + bagpipes! XMTAS returns to the Muir Island Research Center, where Moira MacTaggert has been keeping a terrible secret! Plus: Rogue fights tiny versions of herself! Wolverine gets liquified! Xavier makes it about himself (again)! All this and who is the angsty, Scottish energy blob at the heart of the matter?!! It's Proteus, Part 1 with cohosts Natalie Lopez, Sarah Mucek, and Sonia Nam.
One Man's Worth comes to a heartbreaking conclusion and we explore such questions as: Why did Master Mold make sentinels with abs? Why did it take the better part of 2 episodes for them to say Bantam's name? And did Fitzroy REALLY need 8 seconds and 2 camera angles to drain Charles Xavier's energy? All this and more with cohosts Drew Kunas, Sarah Mucek, and Michael Short.
IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE: X-Men Style! In which Wolverine, Storm, Bishop, and Shard come together from different realities to save a young Charles Xavier from Fitzroy! Plus: Storm is Mrs. Wolverine! Sarah talks waaay too much about her love of Age of Apocalypse! An unexpected cameo from Marlon Brando! And Bantam is "the LeFou to Fitzroy's Gaston"?? It's One Man's Worth (Part 1)! With cohosts Drew Kunas, Sarah Mucek, and Michael Short.
Introducing everyone's favorite blue-furred swashbuckling mutant, NIGHTCRAWLER! And we explore: How many ways has Wolverine been Australian over the years? Did Nightcrawler grow up inside a production of Spring Awakening?? Is Paul Bunyan an American Kaiju?!! All this and Kurt Wagner tells the villages, "Do your wurst." It's Season 4, Episode 8, Nightcrawler, the most spiritual 20 minutes of Saturday morning television to ever hit the airwaves (remember airwaves??) with cohosts Aaron Gold, Drew Kunas, Sarah Mucek, and Matt Schrader. Note: This episode was recorded before the revelations re: Kurt's heritage in X-Men Blue: Origins - check it out!
It's a Cyclops 1-shot and we have so many questions! Like: Who the hell is this "Taylor Prescott"? What band was SOLAR a part of before turning to villainy? And the Oscar goes to...CHET?!! All this and references to Parseltongue and Shirley Jackson's The Lottery! It's Season 4, Episode 7, Secrets, Not Long Buried with cohosts Charissa Bertels, Marcus Bishop-Wright, and Sarah Mucek
In which Morph returns to face off with Master Mold's giant head (literally)! Plus: Cyclops is caught off-guard by a party! Storm slays in fierce civilian duds! And our hosts get to the bottom of the greatest mystery in XMTAS: Why ARE Morph and Wolverin BFFs??? All this and so much more in Season 4, Episode 6, Courage. With cohosts Sarah Mucek, Matt Schrader, and Michael Short.
In which we all remember the Marvel Swimsuit Specials of the 1990's! Plus: Professor X and the Shadow King fight as giant astral kaijus! Cyclops begs an unconscious Professor X not to leave him! We learn an important life lesson (Never Trust Space Face)! And...a LIGHTSABER BATTLE??!! All this and so much more in Season 4, Episode 5, Xavier Remembers, with cohosts Sarah Mucek, Matt Schrader, and Michael Short.
Part 2 of Sanctuary, in which MAGNETO LIVES!! Plus: Somebody's been foolin' with the missiles! Rogue and Wolverine go Black Ops! And Fabian Cortez has 99 problems, but all of them are Fabian Cortez! All this and more with cohosts Sarah Mucek, Sonia Nam, and Michael Short.
In which Magneto busts into the U.N. to announce his Big Mutant Party in the Sky, aka Asteroid M! Plus: the President gives Professor X special dispensation to attend said party, the Prof's, er, EX, Amelia Voght makes her XMTAS debut, and Fabian Cortez is, honestly, just the absolute worst. All this and more in Sanctuary, Part 1! Featuring cohosts Sarah Mucek, Sonia Nam, and Michael Short.
In which: Omega Red gets to phone a friend and his friend is...Wolverine?! Plus: Storm and Wolvie at the mercy of their enemy inside a submarine! Our cohosts do poorly in a game of "which cities are biggest"! And Drew coins the military campaign slogan, "Colonel for General!" All this and so much more in Season 4, Episode 2, A Deal with the Devil! Featuring cohosts Drew Kunas, Sarah Mucek, and Matt Schrader.
In which Rogue's first love Cody emerges from his coma...completely jacked?! Plus: An unsuspecting Logan plays host to an insectoid alien race, Professor X gives Rogue s#$% for wanting to take PTO, and we meet the Acanti, giant space fish, the first curious sentients in the cosmos! All this and so much more in Season 3, Episode 19, Love in Vain with cohosts Sarah Mucek and Matt Schrader.
In which Cyclops discovers Corsair's true identity - and isn't happy about it (until he is!). Plus: Matt and Sarah discuss what they shouldn't be allowed to do onstage, how eyeliner really makes Shi'ar Colonel Raknar's eyes pop, and Storm "SHALL SEE YOU AT THE MONORAIL!!!" It's Season 3, Episode 18, Orphan's End with cohosts Sarah Mucek and Matt Shrader.
The conclusion of (probably) the greatest X-Men story of all time, THE DARK PHOENIX SAGA! In which: Our heroes face off with the Imperial Guard in the Blue Area of the moon! Jean leaves it all on the dance floor! And the Shi'ar cruiser "blasts 'er good"! All this and learn about the cohosts' collective tummy troubles and why Lilandra is the Boss Babe we all need right now. It's Season 3, Episode 17, The Fate of the Phoenix! With cohosts Natalie Lopez, Sarah Mucek, and Matt Schrader.
NEW EPISODE! The Dark Phoenix Saga continues! In which Jean has a stuffed Cyclops in her childhood bedroom, Beast has a monkey bar in the X-Mansion dining room, and the Shi'ar have an Earth-produced fire extinguisher on their cruiser! All this and the Dark Phoenix gets EXTRA DARK in the episode first-time viewer Natalie Lopez calls "SO MUCH." Also featuring cohosts Sarah Mucek and Matt Schrader.
THE DARK PHOENIX SAGA CONTINUES as we meet that most extra of exclusive cabals, The Hellfire (er, Circle) Club! Jean Grey, deep under Mastermind's spell, sports big-time Janeway Season 1 hair! Wolverine eats a turkey leg, takes a ride in a dumbwaiter, and does his best Dirty Harry! Sebastian Shaw gratuitously destroys his own shirt in the name of manly pecs! All this and the DARK PHOENIX REVEALED! With cohosts Drew Kunas, Sarah Mucek, and 'Saved by the Bellini' author John deBary, whose Dark Phoenix cocktail is the best accompaniment to this episode. PS - We later found out the Chateau Calamari vintage referred to then-head-of-Marvel Joe Calamari, so our Calamari jokes are off. Sorry.
Thus begins arguably the greatest X-Men story of all-time...THE DARK PHOENIX SAGA! Including such moments as: Wolverine using his claws to make a sandwich. Storm getting hoodwinked by the old, 'Can I have a glass of water?' ploy. Cyke and Gambit hittin' da club. A performance by Alison Blaire aka Dazzler. And...Jean gets MARRIED??? All this and our cohosts discuss whether Jason Wyngarde is actually hot or just supposed to be. Featuring cohosts Drew Kunas, Sarah Mucek, and John DeBary, author Saved by the Bellini (which features a Dark Phoenix cocktail recipe!).
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