Meaning of Death, The
Mutant X Episode Synopses
The Meaning of Death: Episode #106.
Tag: Adam and his team face their biggest challenge yet when a deadly virus spreads through the city, causing infected mutants to lose control over their powers. [ Transcript]
Cast & Crew: Written by Brad Falchuk; Directed by Graeme Campbell
Christopher Davis.... Rick Bellamy
Sherry Hilliard.... Alice Robins
Kevin Jubinville.... Todd Wiley
Anthony Lemke.... Charles Marlowe
Gina Sorell.... Jerri Wiley
Official Synopsis: Brennan (Victor Webster) arrives at a new mutant safehouse, where he meets fellow new mutant, Rick Bellamy (Christopher Davis). Rick introduces Brennan to a married couple, Todd (Kevin Jubinville), whose mutancy is superspeed, and Jerri (Gina Sorel), whose special ability is X-ray vision. Suddenly, Rick doubles over in pain, his body twitching uncontrollably. A whirlwind materializes between his hands and violently explodes, knocking everyone to the ground. In an attempt to stop his convulsions, Brennan hits Rick with a bolt of electricity, rendering him unconscious. At Sanctuary, Adam (John Shea) quarantines Rick inside a force field and examines him. Baffled, Adam can only confirm that Rick no longer has any control over his mutant powers. Meanwhile at Genomex, Mason Eckhart's (Tom McCammus) associate Marlowe (Anthony Lemke) informs Eckhart that many new mutants are getting sick, and their uncontrolled powers are causing devastating damage around the city. Eckhart orders Marlowe to hunt down and detain any new mutants exhibiting symptoms. From Rick's test results, Adam concludes that he has Cladosporium, a virus stemming from an airborne spore that causes uncontrollable mutation, and eventually death, in new mutants who are exposed. Back at the safehouse, Brennan informs Todd and Jerri that they have been quarantined as a precaution, and should refrain from using their mutant powers. Shalimar (Victoria Pratt), dressed in a protective hazmat suit, accompanies Adam to new mutant Alice Robins' (Sherry Hilliard) apartment after hearing that she's been infected. Alice, who has the ability to generate thermal energy, is literally burning up. Marlowe and an agent arrive on the scene just as Alice is about to combust. Everyone except Marlowe evacuates the apartment. Moments later, he miraculously emerges from the burning building unscathed. Outside, Adam approaches Eckhart and proposes they make a truce while he searches for a cure for the Cladosporium. Knowing that the GSA can no longer exist if all the new mutants die out, Eckhart agrees, even offering to help Adam with his research. Once Eckhart and Marlowe are gone, Adam fills Shalimar in on his past with Marlowe. He tells her they were once co-workers at Genomex. Marlowe had developed a cellular invulnerability mutation, which explains why he walked out of the fire without a scratch. Later, Adam meets Marlowe at a military base that Eckhart has converted into a hospital for infected new mutants. Shalimar arrives, noticing Marlowe at the bedside of one of the sick. When the same new mutant that Marlowe was talking to goes into cardiac arrest, Adam tries to ban him from the hospital, but Marlowe refuses to leave. Back at Sanctuary, Rick also goes into cardiac arrest, his body emitting a whirlwind that sends Emma (Lauren Lee Smith) flying across the room. Rick dies just as Jesse (Forbes March) rushes in to rescue Emma, who's unconscious on the floor. When Emma comes to, she realizes that both she and Jesse have now been exposed to Cladosporium. As Adam works furiously to find a cure for the virus, Shalimar informs him that Marlowe is still there, harassing patients. When Adam approaches Marlowe, he storms off noticeably angry. With Emma and Jesse both beginning to lose control of their mutant powers simultaneously, a panicked Adam sends Shalimar to get them and bring them back to the hospital for observation. Enraged that Eckhart has joined forces with his enemy, Adam, Marlowe returns to the hospital and confronts Adam about their past, blaming him for his mutation. Marlowe pulls a gun, but Adam is able to kick it away and a fight ensues. Adam knocks Marlowe's tooth out, and another one grows in immediately. He recognizes that Marlowe's mutant powers might be the cure he's been searching for. Adam takes Marlowe to his lab where he searches for the strand of DNA that causes his cell regeneration. He finds the strand and successfully develops an antidote. Marlowe realizes however, that during the procedure his mutant powers have dissipated. At the hospital, Eckhart and his agents ambush Marlowe and Shalimar. Marlowe is shot and dies peacefully in Shalimar's arms while Adam administers the antidote through a satellite transmission. The infected new mutants' health is instantaneously restored.
Quotes:
Brennan: I gotta say, it’s great to finally meet you, Rick. Getting all those new mutants into the underground has made you quite the legend.
Rick: Well, I’ve been lucky.
Brennan: What? Getting that shapeshifter past a GSA blockade in Akron, I think that took a little more than luck.
Brennan: Super speed. That's gotta come in handy.
Todd Wiley: It does.
Jerri Wiley: He's a show-off.
Todd: My wife, Jerri.
Brennan: Oh, hi.
Jerri: Of course, you've got plenty to show off yourself there, big guy.
Todd: She's got X-Ray vision.
Brennan: Oh. Hey!
Mason: Ichthyology has never been a particular interest of mine.
Jerri Wiley: We've been exposed to something? We could get sick?
Todd Wiley: So we're only going to be delayed for a little while, right?
Jerri: I think I've got it. It starts in the throat, right?
Todd: C'mon, Jerri. You never get sick. So what are we talking about here? An hour, two?
Brennan: I can't answer that. But until we do figure out what we're dealing with, [Todd speeds around] Adam wants us to STOP using our new mutant abilities. [Todd nods at hyperspeed] Todd, please.
Jerri: It's in my throat. No doubt about it.
Brennan: It's going to be a long day.
Shalimar: So I'm the only one who gets to make a hazmat fashion statement?
Adam: That's right. But you just wait. It'll be the rage of the spring collection.
Shalimar: Back off or he's dead.
Charles Marlowe: Like I give a damn.
Adam: Looks like working for Eckhart has brought out your sensitive side.
Charles: See, now, that's not fair. I was bitter long before I took this job.
Adam: This infection that just killed this woman could wipe out every new mutant in a week. Now I might be able to beat it. But I don't stand a chance if I have to fight you at the same time.
Mason: What are you suggesting?
Adam: A truce. To accomplish a common goal.
Shalimar: What?!
Mason: You honestly think I'd shed a tear if your freakish monstrosities were wiped out?
Adam: If the new mutants disappear, so does the GSA, Mason. Overnight, you're obsolete.
Mason: Obsolescence in the wake of total victory is a mixed blessing, but a blessing nonetheless.
Adam: Yes, but what about you? You'll lose your bete noir, your reason for living.
Mason: I'm deeply touched by your concern for my well-being, Adam.
Adam: For a man whose life is completely defined by that which he hates the most, this could be your undoing.
Mason: Give me a moment.
Shalimar: He really hates you, you know.
Adam: Eckhart has always hated me.
Shalimar: I'm talking about Marlowe.
Charles: I think it’s a huge mistake to entrust Adam with GSA technology and secrets.
Mason: While gaining access to his genius and expertise.
Charles: Bottom line is, our priorities and his remain fundamentally opposed.
Mason: Well, under normal circumstances, you’d be absolutely correct. But right now, we find ourselves in the rare position of having our agendas intersect. At least until he discovers a remedy. [to Adam] Tell me what you need.
Emma: You made a deal with the devil!
Adam: I can’t deny that, Emma.
Jesse: Look, what’ve they got that we don’t have here?
Adam: Highly trained scientists, medical staff that works around the clock and unlimited funds. Rick stays here, there’s no reason to risk moving him.
Emma: But Eckhart is gonna try-
Adam: I can handle Eckhart, all right?
Brennan: Hey c'mon, you're not using your X-Ray vision are you?
Jerri Wiley: Don't be silly.
Brennan: Oh.
Jerri: Looks good from this angle too.
Brennan: Please!
Brennan: Hey, Speedy! Was I talking to myself, or did you NOT hear me say no using our abilities?! Are you fast AND deaf?
Adam: Just the thought of working with him again...
Charles: Ah, stop kidding yourself, Adam. You two are joined at the hip.
Adam: That's an ugly thought.
Charles: You need Eckhart as much as Eckhart needs you.
Adam: All human behavior, and animal behavior for that matter, is previcated on one simple notion: survival, right?
Shalimar: Yeah.
Adam: So what happens when survival isn't an issue, when that motivation is taken away?
Shalimar: I guess there's no telling how someone would react.
Adam: Exactly. Unpredictability. It makes Marlowe more dangerous than Eckhart.
Adam: What are you, the angel of death?
Charles: No, I’m just asking those on the edge a few questions.
Adam: All right, there’s a lot of people on the edge right now. We’re trying to save their lives.
Charles: Yeah, well you don’t seem to be doing a very good job, do you?
Adam: Yeah, well you’re not helping.
Charles: I’m not here to help!
Adam: All right, there’s no place for voyeurism. I want you to keep your distance.
Charles: Well, we can’t all have what we want.
Brennan: It doesn't take a genius to know that a married man does not keep a picture of his girlfriend in his wallet.
Charles: Let me tell you about this precious gift you gave me, doctor. Standing in the wreckage of a car wreck you caused, seeing your wife and child breathing their last terrified breaths, and you are just going to walk away. Knowing that you are never going to see them again. Not in heaven, not in hell.
Mason: I have to say, Mr. Marlowe, that I find your attitude rather singular. You certainly wouldn’t be walking around today if it wasn’t for Adam’s efforts.
Charles: And I’m supposed to thank him for that?
Mason: Most other new mutants seem to.
Charles: Yeah, well. Most other new mutants aren’t blessed with my particular powers.
Mason: Powers, I must say, I wouldn’t mind possessing myself, were I one of you.
Charles: Well, you should have had Adam twist up your DNA when you were still on good terms with him.
Mason: That’s not what Genomex was about back then.
Charles: Well, that was then. This is now. I can’t believe you’re putting your trust in him! You haven’t had anything to do with Adam in years.
Mason: I've had everything to do with Adam. I know the man. With something so dear to him at stake, if there's a cure to be found, he'll find it.
Charles: One of the creators desperately struggles to try and save his precious creations.
Adam: That's right. In a way, I think of you as my children.
Charles: And a man shouldn't outlive his children, should he?
Adam: I'm sorry for your loss, I am. I can't imagine the pain you've been through.
Charles: I appreciate your expressions of sympathy, doctor. But if it wasn't for you and your genetic tampering, I'd be where I should be. Next to my wife and child.
Adam: You also would have never seen your 12th birthday, or even had a wife or a child, okay? The work that I did at Genomex saved not only your life, but the life of every other new mutant!
Charles: Yeah. You can take a look--take a look at the legacy!
Adam: Yeah, but you know, there are a lot of other people who should have died who are out there leading productive lives; who are using their abilities to help people.
Charles: I don't need you to judge me.
Adam: I'm not judging you. I'm telling you that there is a different way. There is a way to give you a little peace in your life.
Charles: That is not going to happen. Not for me. And that is thanks to your experimenting.
Adam: Okay, look. It was a new frontier, it was genetics! We were the pioneers!
Charles: Oh, so I am a guinea pig now?
Adam: I saved your life! Your parents brought you to me.
Charles: And you had no idea what was held in store for me.
Adam: No. Not at the time.
Brennan: Ain't this a pickle? See now, here you both are, trying to use the new mutant underground to ditch each other and run off with your new red-hot lovers, whose idea, by the way, of a romantic getaway is a stasis pod. Congratulations. You've been had by the GSA.
Mason: Get word to Adam. I want Marlowe here in an hour with the cure, or I start removing patients from life support. Starting with these two.
Charles: Why should I risk my neck for you?
Adam: Because I just made it possible for you to understand what risk means again.
Shalimar: And you! You’re not supposed to be out of bed yet. [Jesse phases]
Emma: He’s still got it.
Shalimar: Oh, no!
Jesse: Oh no, that one? Was just for fun.
Shalimar: Still upset about Marlowe?
Adam: Yeah. Part of me feels responsible for his pain.
Shalimar: You know, every new mutant alive today owes their life to you for what you did at Genomex.
Adam: We lost too many to this disease. Plus the ones like Marlowe who chose to serve Eckhart and the GSA. I just don't understand that.
Shalimar: Someone once told me you can't force right or wrong on anyone.
Adam: All you can do is lead by example and hope they lean toward the light.
Shalimar: Glad you remembered.
Trivia & Nitpicks: Trivia: Helping new mutants get into the underground is not the exclusive purview of Mutant X--or if it is, Mutant X is bigger than the main characters of the series. It's clear from this episode that Rick was instrumental into getting new mutants into the underground. Presumably, there are many other agents like him. Where'd they go after this season?
Mutant X has a rogues' gallery of GS agents and their informants.
This is the first and only time Adam complains that he doesn’t have enough money to get the job done properly. This episode also introduces Shalimar’s fear of fire and the fact that Jesse can only stay phased for 30 seconds before he dissipates.
Mason and Adam had a partnership 20 years ago.
The book Brennan's reading while stuck in the safehouse might be Howl, a collection of poems by Allen Ginsberg.
Nitpicks: In the scene when they're discussing how they're not sick, really, honest, Jesse and Emma are wearing the exact same outfits as they were when they were discussing hacking things in "Kilohertz".
Funny how Brennan had a book handy for when they were quarantined. Either that or the safe house has a library. And someone should tell him that's a bad way to shield something from X-ray vision. Also, he picks Todd's pocket, so apparently he wasn't always doing armed robbery and such.
Also, the safe house is different from the one we see in later episodes such as “Blood Ties,” “Dancing on the Razor,” and “A Breed Apart.” This one seems to be an abandoned subway station. Tomorrow People complex, anyone?
Shalimar asks if she’s the only one who gets the fashionable hazmat suit. Close enough. Certainly neither of the guys ever wear one, though Jesse's also stuck in Sanctuary with Rick.
Shal kicks Alice's door down. Door Kickage is definitely a first season theme: “The
Meaning of Death,” “In the Presence of Mine Enemies,” “Crime of the New Century,” “Dark Star Rising,” “Blood Ties,” and “A Breed Apart.” People kick doors in subsequent seasons as well, but the doors of the second and third seasons are made of sterner stuff...they just burst open instead of completely coming down.
Emma tries to pump Rick’s heart even though he’s still breathing. She won't learn how to perform CPR properly until "Power Play" in season two.
Christopher Charles Marlowe really is charmed. Not only does he touch Mason’s desk without being reprimanded, but he also plays with Mason’s sterilization unit without having washed his hands. Poor Ken Harrison gets glared at for just touching Mason’s chair.
While new mutants are dying all around Adam, one of the nurses calls for O-negative blood. Non-mutant blood for a mutant? Would that be compatible?
Since we learn in “Lazarus Syndrome” that GS agents have tracking devices implanted in them, it’s too bad Mason didn’t just record Charles’s location while he was in Sanctuary.
Mason calls off his guards when Charles holds him at gunpoint. Why doesn’t Mason recall his security units as soon as he realizes Charles is vulnerable?
Ep Tally. Topless Brennan: 0 Adam Kisses: 1 (Shalimar) Freak mentions: 0 Food intake: 1 (Brennan’s chips)
Return to The Mutant X Warehouse
The Meaning of Death: Episode #106.
Tag: Adam and his team face their biggest challenge yet when a deadly virus spreads through the city, causing infected mutants to lose control over their powers. [ Transcript]
Cast & Crew: Written by Brad Falchuk; Directed by Graeme Campbell
Christopher Davis.... Rick Bellamy
Sherry Hilliard.... Alice Robins
Kevin Jubinville.... Todd Wiley
Anthony Lemke.... Charles Marlowe
Gina Sorell.... Jerri Wiley
Official Synopsis: Brennan (Victor Webster) arrives at a new mutant safehouse, where he meets fellow new mutant, Rick Bellamy (Christopher Davis). Rick introduces Brennan to a married couple, Todd (Kevin Jubinville), whose mutancy is superspeed, and Jerri (Gina Sorel), whose special ability is X-ray vision. Suddenly, Rick doubles over in pain, his body twitching uncontrollably. A whirlwind materializes between his hands and violently explodes, knocking everyone to the ground. In an attempt to stop his convulsions, Brennan hits Rick with a bolt of electricity, rendering him unconscious. At Sanctuary, Adam (John Shea) quarantines Rick inside a force field and examines him. Baffled, Adam can only confirm that Rick no longer has any control over his mutant powers. Meanwhile at Genomex, Mason Eckhart's (Tom McCammus) associate Marlowe (Anthony Lemke) informs Eckhart that many new mutants are getting sick, and their uncontrolled powers are causing devastating damage around the city. Eckhart orders Marlowe to hunt down and detain any new mutants exhibiting symptoms. From Rick's test results, Adam concludes that he has Cladosporium, a virus stemming from an airborne spore that causes uncontrollable mutation, and eventually death, in new mutants who are exposed. Back at the safehouse, Brennan informs Todd and Jerri that they have been quarantined as a precaution, and should refrain from using their mutant powers. Shalimar (Victoria Pratt), dressed in a protective hazmat suit, accompanies Adam to new mutant Alice Robins' (Sherry Hilliard) apartment after hearing that she's been infected. Alice, who has the ability to generate thermal energy, is literally burning up. Marlowe and an agent arrive on the scene just as Alice is about to combust. Everyone except Marlowe evacuates the apartment. Moments later, he miraculously emerges from the burning building unscathed. Outside, Adam approaches Eckhart and proposes they make a truce while he searches for a cure for the Cladosporium. Knowing that the GSA can no longer exist if all the new mutants die out, Eckhart agrees, even offering to help Adam with his research. Once Eckhart and Marlowe are gone, Adam fills Shalimar in on his past with Marlowe. He tells her they were once co-workers at Genomex. Marlowe had developed a cellular invulnerability mutation, which explains why he walked out of the fire without a scratch. Later, Adam meets Marlowe at a military base that Eckhart has converted into a hospital for infected new mutants. Shalimar arrives, noticing Marlowe at the bedside of one of the sick. When the same new mutant that Marlowe was talking to goes into cardiac arrest, Adam tries to ban him from the hospital, but Marlowe refuses to leave. Back at Sanctuary, Rick also goes into cardiac arrest, his body emitting a whirlwind that sends Emma (Lauren Lee Smith) flying across the room. Rick dies just as Jesse (Forbes March) rushes in to rescue Emma, who's unconscious on the floor. When Emma comes to, she realizes that both she and Jesse have now been exposed to Cladosporium. As Adam works furiously to find a cure for the virus, Shalimar informs him that Marlowe is still there, harassing patients. When Adam approaches Marlowe, he storms off noticeably angry. With Emma and Jesse both beginning to lose control of their mutant powers simultaneously, a panicked Adam sends Shalimar to get them and bring them back to the hospital for observation. Enraged that Eckhart has joined forces with his enemy, Adam, Marlowe returns to the hospital and confronts Adam about their past, blaming him for his mutation. Marlowe pulls a gun, but Adam is able to kick it away and a fight ensues. Adam knocks Marlowe's tooth out, and another one grows in immediately. He recognizes that Marlowe's mutant powers might be the cure he's been searching for. Adam takes Marlowe to his lab where he searches for the strand of DNA that causes his cell regeneration. He finds the strand and successfully develops an antidote. Marlowe realizes however, that during the procedure his mutant powers have dissipated. At the hospital, Eckhart and his agents ambush Marlowe and Shalimar. Marlowe is shot and dies peacefully in Shalimar's arms while Adam administers the antidote through a satellite transmission. The infected new mutants' health is instantaneously restored.
Quotes:
Brennan: I gotta say, it’s great to finally meet you, Rick. Getting all those new mutants into the underground has made you quite the legend.
Rick: Well, I’ve been lucky.
Brennan: What? Getting that shapeshifter past a GSA blockade in Akron, I think that took a little more than luck.
Brennan: Super speed. That's gotta come in handy.
Todd Wiley: It does.
Jerri Wiley: He's a show-off.
Todd: My wife, Jerri.
Brennan: Oh, hi.
Jerri: Of course, you've got plenty to show off yourself there, big guy.
Todd: She's got X-Ray vision.
Brennan: Oh. Hey!
Mason: Ichthyology has never been a particular interest of mine.
Jerri Wiley: We've been exposed to something? We could get sick?
Todd Wiley: So we're only going to be delayed for a little while, right?
Jerri: I think I've got it. It starts in the throat, right?
Todd: C'mon, Jerri. You never get sick. So what are we talking about here? An hour, two?
Brennan: I can't answer that. But until we do figure out what we're dealing with, [Todd speeds around] Adam wants us to STOP using our new mutant abilities. [Todd nods at hyperspeed] Todd, please.
Jerri: It's in my throat. No doubt about it.
Brennan: It's going to be a long day.
Shalimar: So I'm the only one who gets to make a hazmat fashion statement?
Adam: That's right. But you just wait. It'll be the rage of the spring collection.
Shalimar: Back off or he's dead.
Charles Marlowe: Like I give a damn.
Adam: Looks like working for Eckhart has brought out your sensitive side.
Charles: See, now, that's not fair. I was bitter long before I took this job.
Adam: This infection that just killed this woman could wipe out every new mutant in a week. Now I might be able to beat it. But I don't stand a chance if I have to fight you at the same time.
Mason: What are you suggesting?
Adam: A truce. To accomplish a common goal.
Shalimar: What?!
Mason: You honestly think I'd shed a tear if your freakish monstrosities were wiped out?
Adam: If the new mutants disappear, so does the GSA, Mason. Overnight, you're obsolete.
Mason: Obsolescence in the wake of total victory is a mixed blessing, but a blessing nonetheless.
Adam: Yes, but what about you? You'll lose your bete noir, your reason for living.
Mason: I'm deeply touched by your concern for my well-being, Adam.
Adam: For a man whose life is completely defined by that which he hates the most, this could be your undoing.
Mason: Give me a moment.
Shalimar: He really hates you, you know.
Adam: Eckhart has always hated me.
Shalimar: I'm talking about Marlowe.
Charles: I think it’s a huge mistake to entrust Adam with GSA technology and secrets.
Mason: While gaining access to his genius and expertise.
Charles: Bottom line is, our priorities and his remain fundamentally opposed.
Mason: Well, under normal circumstances, you’d be absolutely correct. But right now, we find ourselves in the rare position of having our agendas intersect. At least until he discovers a remedy. [to Adam] Tell me what you need.
Emma: You made a deal with the devil!
Adam: I can’t deny that, Emma.
Jesse: Look, what’ve they got that we don’t have here?
Adam: Highly trained scientists, medical staff that works around the clock and unlimited funds. Rick stays here, there’s no reason to risk moving him.
Emma: But Eckhart is gonna try-
Adam: I can handle Eckhart, all right?
Brennan: Hey c'mon, you're not using your X-Ray vision are you?
Jerri Wiley: Don't be silly.
Brennan: Oh.
Jerri: Looks good from this angle too.
Brennan: Please!
Brennan: Hey, Speedy! Was I talking to myself, or did you NOT hear me say no using our abilities?! Are you fast AND deaf?
Adam: Just the thought of working with him again...
Charles: Ah, stop kidding yourself, Adam. You two are joined at the hip.
Adam: That's an ugly thought.
Charles: You need Eckhart as much as Eckhart needs you.
Adam: All human behavior, and animal behavior for that matter, is previcated on one simple notion: survival, right?
Shalimar: Yeah.
Adam: So what happens when survival isn't an issue, when that motivation is taken away?
Shalimar: I guess there's no telling how someone would react.
Adam: Exactly. Unpredictability. It makes Marlowe more dangerous than Eckhart.
Adam: What are you, the angel of death?
Charles: No, I’m just asking those on the edge a few questions.
Adam: All right, there’s a lot of people on the edge right now. We’re trying to save their lives.
Charles: Yeah, well you don’t seem to be doing a very good job, do you?
Adam: Yeah, well you’re not helping.
Charles: I’m not here to help!
Adam: All right, there’s no place for voyeurism. I want you to keep your distance.
Charles: Well, we can’t all have what we want.
Brennan: It doesn't take a genius to know that a married man does not keep a picture of his girlfriend in his wallet.
Charles: Let me tell you about this precious gift you gave me, doctor. Standing in the wreckage of a car wreck you caused, seeing your wife and child breathing their last terrified breaths, and you are just going to walk away. Knowing that you are never going to see them again. Not in heaven, not in hell.
Mason: I have to say, Mr. Marlowe, that I find your attitude rather singular. You certainly wouldn’t be walking around today if it wasn’t for Adam’s efforts.
Charles: And I’m supposed to thank him for that?
Mason: Most other new mutants seem to.
Charles: Yeah, well. Most other new mutants aren’t blessed with my particular powers.
Mason: Powers, I must say, I wouldn’t mind possessing myself, were I one of you.
Charles: Well, you should have had Adam twist up your DNA when you were still on good terms with him.
Mason: That’s not what Genomex was about back then.
Charles: Well, that was then. This is now. I can’t believe you’re putting your trust in him! You haven’t had anything to do with Adam in years.
Mason: I've had everything to do with Adam. I know the man. With something so dear to him at stake, if there's a cure to be found, he'll find it.
Charles: One of the creators desperately struggles to try and save his precious creations.
Adam: That's right. In a way, I think of you as my children.
Charles: And a man shouldn't outlive his children, should he?
Adam: I'm sorry for your loss, I am. I can't imagine the pain you've been through.
Charles: I appreciate your expressions of sympathy, doctor. But if it wasn't for you and your genetic tampering, I'd be where I should be. Next to my wife and child.
Adam: You also would have never seen your 12th birthday, or even had a wife or a child, okay? The work that I did at Genomex saved not only your life, but the life of every other new mutant!
Charles: Yeah. You can take a look--take a look at the legacy!
Adam: Yeah, but you know, there are a lot of other people who should have died who are out there leading productive lives; who are using their abilities to help people.
Charles: I don't need you to judge me.
Adam: I'm not judging you. I'm telling you that there is a different way. There is a way to give you a little peace in your life.
Charles: That is not going to happen. Not for me. And that is thanks to your experimenting.
Adam: Okay, look. It was a new frontier, it was genetics! We were the pioneers!
Charles: Oh, so I am a guinea pig now?
Adam: I saved your life! Your parents brought you to me.
Charles: And you had no idea what was held in store for me.
Adam: No. Not at the time.
Brennan: Ain't this a pickle? See now, here you both are, trying to use the new mutant underground to ditch each other and run off with your new red-hot lovers, whose idea, by the way, of a romantic getaway is a stasis pod. Congratulations. You've been had by the GSA.
Mason: Get word to Adam. I want Marlowe here in an hour with the cure, or I start removing patients from life support. Starting with these two.
Charles: Why should I risk my neck for you?
Adam: Because I just made it possible for you to understand what risk means again.
Shalimar: And you! You’re not supposed to be out of bed yet. [Jesse phases]
Emma: He’s still got it.
Shalimar: Oh, no!
Jesse: Oh no, that one? Was just for fun.
Shalimar: Still upset about Marlowe?
Adam: Yeah. Part of me feels responsible for his pain.
Shalimar: You know, every new mutant alive today owes their life to you for what you did at Genomex.
Adam: We lost too many to this disease. Plus the ones like Marlowe who chose to serve Eckhart and the GSA. I just don't understand that.
Shalimar: Someone once told me you can't force right or wrong on anyone.
Adam: All you can do is lead by example and hope they lean toward the light.
Shalimar: Glad you remembered.
Trivia & Nitpicks: Trivia: Helping new mutants get into the underground is not the exclusive purview of Mutant X--or if it is, Mutant X is bigger than the main characters of the series. It's clear from this episode that Rick was instrumental into getting new mutants into the underground. Presumably, there are many other agents like him. Where'd they go after this season?
Mutant X has a rogues' gallery of GS agents and their informants.
This is the first and only time Adam complains that he doesn’t have enough money to get the job done properly. This episode also introduces Shalimar’s fear of fire and the fact that Jesse can only stay phased for 30 seconds before he dissipates.
Mason and Adam had a partnership 20 years ago.
The book Brennan's reading while stuck in the safehouse might be Howl, a collection of poems by Allen Ginsberg.
Nitpicks: In the scene when they're discussing how they're not sick, really, honest, Jesse and Emma are wearing the exact same outfits as they were when they were discussing hacking things in "Kilohertz".
Funny how Brennan had a book handy for when they were quarantined. Either that or the safe house has a library. And someone should tell him that's a bad way to shield something from X-ray vision. Also, he picks Todd's pocket, so apparently he wasn't always doing armed robbery and such.
Also, the safe house is different from the one we see in later episodes such as “Blood Ties,” “Dancing on the Razor,” and “A Breed Apart.” This one seems to be an abandoned subway station. Tomorrow People complex, anyone?
Shalimar asks if she’s the only one who gets the fashionable hazmat suit. Close enough. Certainly neither of the guys ever wear one, though Jesse's also stuck in Sanctuary with Rick.
Shal kicks Alice's door down. Door Kickage is definitely a first season theme: “The
Meaning of Death,” “In the Presence of Mine Enemies,” “Crime of the New Century,” “Dark Star Rising,” “Blood Ties,” and “A Breed Apart.” People kick doors in subsequent seasons as well, but the doors of the second and third seasons are made of sterner stuff...they just burst open instead of completely coming down.
Emma tries to pump Rick’s heart even though he’s still breathing. She won't learn how to perform CPR properly until "Power Play" in season two.
Christopher Charles Marlowe really is charmed. Not only does he touch Mason’s desk without being reprimanded, but he also plays with Mason’s sterilization unit without having washed his hands. Poor Ken Harrison gets glared at for just touching Mason’s chair.
While new mutants are dying all around Adam, one of the nurses calls for O-negative blood. Non-mutant blood for a mutant? Would that be compatible?
Since we learn in “Lazarus Syndrome” that GS agents have tracking devices implanted in them, it’s too bad Mason didn’t just record Charles’s location while he was in Sanctuary.
Mason calls off his guards when Charles holds him at gunpoint. Why doesn’t Mason recall his security units as soon as he realizes Charles is vulnerable?
Ep Tally. Topless Brennan: 0 Adam Kisses: 1 (Shalimar) Freak mentions: 0 Food intake: 1 (Brennan’s chips)
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