Wolverine: The Lost Trail 6, first impressions [spoilers] #richardarmitage

[Continued from here. Disclaimer: I’ve never seen any Wolverine films or read any comics. I have not relistened to last year’s Wolverine: The Long Night, so my series and genre knowledge are limited to a vague memory of that. Also, I am making no comparisons to Hugh Jackman; I’ve only seen in him in Kate and Leopold and Oklahoma.]

Finally caught up!

TL;DR: Going into this, I felt a little bit like we needed a bit more plot acceleration; that is, the journey toward wherever they were going, either to Greenhaven or into Logan’s past, was starting to be too drawn out. (I get that a lot of this seems to be about introducing other series regular characters.) So the title of this episode sounded ominous. I still feel that way a bit — we’re 60 percent through and not much plot has happened — but there are a few truly heartwrenching moments in this episode, especially when Logan is talking about Maureen.

Blood on the Bayou

The episodes opens with Marcus squirming and struggling. Bonnie announces that they’re at the Cold Blooded’s fishing and hunting camp, and Marcus is the bait. She threatens to shave him with her knife, and also to stretch out his veins and arteries. Then she says she’s only kidding, but she’s going to cut off the gag she’s put on him. She bombards him with questions about what he’s doing with Logan, then ridicules him for wanting to find his mother. She describes the camp to him, and shows him their thousand-pound pet alligator, Jedidiah, to whom she is planning to feed Wolverine; then Marcus is going to lead them to Greenhaven.

Cue title music.

After the lead, we hear the end of the previous material again over a radio — it’s Pierce’s perspective. She struggles to get her voice under control so that her authentication to Weapon-X can be verified. Once it’s accomplished, she and her computer boss discuss the problem — Bonnie is out of control and has separated Marcus from Logan. According to her boss, this means they can no longer remotely monitor Logan. It also compromises Weapon-X’s secondary targets. Pierce wants the Cold Blooded incapacitated. She notes that the Cold Blooded want to kill Logan and everyone else. The boss notes that the odds are astronomically against the Cold Blooded successfully killing Logan, and also reminds Pierce not to forget her place. Pierce is worried about the future of the Sentinel Program, as well as Marcus. The boss reminds her not to let her emotions get out of control — that is why Marshall was terminated. Empathy is supposed to serve logic which is supposed to serve the authority of Weapon-X or some such gobbledygook. Pierce wants the Cold Blooded sidelined, but not killed — too risky and could harm Marcus, whom she needs to lead her to Greenhaven, and to attract Logan.

Pierce notes that Logan has changed. She wants Marcus alive to attract Logan and take them to Greenhaven. “I have the serum and it will work,” she notes, but her plan’s been foiled by Bonnie. The boss tells Pierce that they will take care of the Cold Blooded and that she should return to Weapon-X, then cuts her off when she protests.

Next scene: Logan and Remy (Gambit) are paddling and fighting over their unbalanced paddling. Logan is following Marcus’ scent while it’s still there. Gambit gets his attention with the queen of hearts. For some reason the card explodes (maybe this is a series thing I’m unfamiliar with). He asks why Logan is following Marcus. A discussion involves in which Logan asks Gambit why he’s still around and Gambit references the death of his parents. Lots of verbal sparring — Logan is mad that Gambit stole Marcus’ mother’s necklace and Gambit wants an apology from Logan for something that he no longer remembers. Logan mentions Miss Eyestone and states that she helped him put together the past a little; Gambit mentions that Maureen had said Logan had been heavily mindwiped.

Logan asks Gambit to tell him something about Maureen and it’s clear just how many holes there are in his memory. “One good thing,” he insists, “about Maureen.”

Gambit recalls coming over with a bottle of rum. We hear Maureen singing in Gambit’s memory. “And the chance to make it right / Is a reason to survive / And what I have found / it is mine / the strength to let go / and to live in the light / what I have found / it is mine / it is the sound that will quiet my mind.” Gambit saw Logan in the window, hugging Maureen, who smiled down at Logan and pulled her fingers through her hair. Logan told her to play it again. “And that was that. Is that a good thing?” Gambit asks. And Logan says it was.

Logan asks if Maureen ever talked about a guy named Jason Wyngarde. Gambit doesn’t think so — and then Logan picks up a scent. He finds the hat he gave Marcus, and urges Gambit to paddle onward.

Cut back to Miss Bonnie and the Cold Blooded, who are taking their positions in preparation for Logan’s arrival. Bonnie wants Marcus to stick with her; Marcus warns her that Logan is a killer. The plan is to use Marcus as bait, then tranquilize Logan and then lure him toward the alligator. Bonnie goes on with her horrible conspiracy fantasies about Greenhaven, Weapon-X and how they’ll use the mutants. She talks to Pierce — and informs Marcus that he’s got a tracker on him and Pierce has heard everything they’ve said. She’s going to torture and kill Logan before Marcus leads her to Greenhaven.

Ominous noises in the background — it’s a robot force from Weapon-X, as promised earlier. Lots of gunfire. Bonnie challenges Pierce to come out and face her, herself, but there’s just more gunfire, and then silence.

Paddling noises — Logan and Gambit arrive on a metal dock at the camp. They see the remains of the slaughter. It was old model Sentinels. Logan refuses to go till they find Marcus, although they find tranquilizers and one gets Gambit. Logan picks up the scent of menthol cigarettes and calls out Bonnie’s name. She replies. Logan sheaths his claws so Bonnie won’t harm Marcus, who’s making noises behind duct tape over his mouth. Bonnie’s expostulating — she hates mutants because one of them took her family’s legacy. She took her gang out to that land and burned it all down. She yells while she slowly chokes on blood in her lungs. Marcus runs away from her, somehow pushing her down, and she’s eaten by the alligator (I think — or at least the show wants us to think that).

Logan and Marcus escape with a tranquilized Gambit. Marcus thanks Logan for coming, as Gambit starts to mutter deliriously. Logan wants to explain himself about the shooting in New Orleans and Marcus doesn’t want to hear it. Logan says he can’t learn from his mistakes if he can’t remember them — and he wants to change that now. Marcus talks a bit about his mother and how even though he complained to her, he just wants her back. Logan can identify. Noises in the background. Logan tells him not to look at the water, “no matter what happens, it ain’t real,” and that they have to paddle. They get out of the boat and abandon Gambit. Voices in the background. “You found us,” we hear. It’s Greenhaven. Logan tells them to get away, and unsheathes his claws. Marcus is taken away.

End of episode.

~ by Servetus on April 23, 2019.