Season 2 Episode 12

X-Men: Evolution Season 2 Episode 12

SubTitle: 
Retreat
Original Air Date: 
Sat 16th February 2002
Credits: 

Rick Ungar, Avi Arad, Stan Lee (executive producers), Boyd Kirkland
(producer), Michael Merton (writer), Frank Paur (director)

Brief Description: 

Beast is feeling trapped in the Institute, unable to leave the mansion
because someone might see him. Kitty comes up with an idea to have Hank
guide a field trip to the Redwoods, helping him get away. Xavier brings the
idea to Hank, and Hank agrees, taking Kitty, Evan, Bobby, Roberto and Rahne
with him. However, as it turns out, they're not the only ones there as they
hoped to be – a group of obsessed Bigfoot hunters are also there, and
finally they found their "Bigfoot" – Beast. They kidnap him, but bad weather
traps them and Beast in a flood. The students save them and then scare them
away. The disaster over, the mutants return home.

Full Synopsis: 

Nighttime in Bayville, Hank McCoy, the Beast, is running through the streets
in rage. A police car is trying to catch the mutant, but he manages to
escape with his powers through Bayville High. He eventually gets trapped in
a dead-end alley, but manages to escape the cops there too.

The following morning in the Xavier Institute, Hank apologizes to Professor
Charles Xavier – he doesn't know what got into him. Xavier says that it had
to happen eventually – the last time it happened, Hank attended a drive-in
movie hidden in the bed of a pick-up truck. Beast says sadly that he was a
fool to think he could ever leave these walls, but Professor X tells him not
to be hard on himself – his need to be out in the world is natural. Hank
says he doesn't belong there anymore, and Charles reminds him that he can
build him an image-inducer, like Kurt's. Beast answers that all the same,
it's still hiding – besides, with his rage, he can't be trusted out there.

Out in the hall, the students are talking. Kitty tells Bobby that she was up
half the night working on a stinking Earth Science report about Redwoods.
She then overhears Beast and Xavier's conversation. Hank says he never asked
to be a mutant – why him? Xavier says that in order to find that answer,
each of them is faced with a unique journey of discovery. Beast doesn't know
what journey he can go to when he can't be seen by the public, and that
gives Kitty an idea – she enters the room and asks Xavier if he asked Hank
yet. Xavier doesn't understand, and asks Kitty telepathically what she's up
to. She answers that maybe Hank can take some of them to the Redwood Forest,
just to get away, and Xavier gets the idea and asks Hank if he'd like to
lead a field trip to the California Redwoods. Hank refuses, but Xavier tells
him it really is a marvelous idea – he could choose which students he feels
would benefit from it – he could teach them a lot in a natural environment
like the Redwoods: untouched by man, miles away from another human being.
Hank realizes that it'll give him a chance to get away, and agrees.

Later in the kitchen, Hank tells the students about the field trip – it's a
nature study sojourn for those students who are falling behind in their
Earth Science studies – Roberto DaCosta, Rahne Sinclair, Bobby Drake and
Evan Daniels. None of them is happy about having to go on this trip,
especially Evan, but they have no choice. Kitty Pryde is also joining them,
since it was her idea.

In the Redwoods, the mutants have already left their helicopter and covered
it, but Roberto keeps covering it more. Rahne and Evan tell him it's fine
the way it is and that he's missing all the "fun", but Roberto only catches
up with them a few minutes later. Rahne tells him it was plenty camouflaged,
but he insists that a few more branches couldn't hurt. She says he has
over-achiever issues. Evan complains that their bags are weighting a ton,
but Roberto is quite enjoying the walk in the sun – it juices him. Evan says
he's going through pavement withdrawal and tells Hank that this is cruel and
unusual, and Hank tells him to send him an e-mail and the complaint will be
taken under advisement.

After the students set a camp, they start exploring the woods. Evan gets
sick from some poison ivy along the way, and Kitty has to take care of him
and rub lotion on him. Later, the kids are having a lot of fun in the water
by a waterfall, playing and fooling around. After they get out of the water
they lie in the sun. Hank jumps in to the water and splashes Roberto and
Rahne, who were gazing at each other. Suddenly, Hank gets sad and walks
away.

Kitty follows Hank and asks him if there's anything wrong. He says that
everything's fine – in this place, he's enjoying the animal he's become, but
he doesn't want to – it's not who he is. She says that maybe it's who he was
meant to be, but he just changes the subject and says they should head back
to camp. He asks her to round up the others, and she agrees.

Hank walks around in the stream, and helps a fish get to deeper water. He
hears some noise and looks around, but sees nothing and figures it was just
his imagination. Unbeknownst to him, though, a man was taping him with a
video camera from behind the bushes.

In a hunters' camp not far, a few men are discussing signs they have found
of the existence of Bigfoot – a hair sample that matches no known species, a
huge footprint and a blurred photo of Beast in a cave. They ask for the
opinion of Dr. Petronet, and he tells them that it is all very interesting,
but it's hardly proof. The man with the video camera, Antoine, arrives and
says he has a proof, showing everyone his video tape of "Bigfoot". One of
the men is surprised that Bigfoot is wearing trunks, and Antoine says that
maybe he stole them from some campsite. Antoine keeps going, saying that
Bigfoot obviously lives on fish, but lacks the manual dexterity to hold onto
them. The men decide to go and hunt Bigfoot.

Beast tells the students that their first assignment is to locate five
different mineral samples on their own – it shouldn't take them more than an
hour, so they'll meet back there in four hours – if they need him, he'll be
in the teachers lounge. Evan asks where the teachers lounge is, and Hank
answers he hasn't decided yet, before leaving. Rahne teases Roberto, saying
that a go-getter like him will probably bring back ten mineral samples, and
he says that maybe even twelve – the first five is like a cake – everything
after that is like icing, and he likes icing. She keeps teasing, saying she
thought he'd put on a little weight. Confused, Roberto hurries to lift his
shirt and feel to see if she's right.

Not too far away, the hunters are looking for Bigfoot with special whistles.
One of them tells Antoine that Bigfoot is a brown yeti, but Antoine
disagrees, saying that that's a Sasquatch. Nearby, Beast is swinging on tree
branches. He hears the hunters talking about Bigfoot and hurries to hide
behind a rock. In rage, he growls at the hunters and throws the rock at
them, and they run away. He doesn't notice that Dr. Petronet is watching him
from the bushes, eager to study him. A hunter shows up and shoots darts at
Beast, and Beast replies by chasing him in rage. Hank doesn't know that it's
a trap, though, as Petronet activates a cage in the forest and it closes on
him. Hank tries breaking the bars, but he gets electrocuted and faints.

In the hunters' camp, Petronet explains to the hunters that the cage's bars
emit magnetic energy to repel the specimen, much like two magnets with
opposing polarities, but they don't understand. One of the men comments that
it looks like they caught "the real McCoy", and Hank, hearing his name,
moans. Petronet says that it was almost like Bigfoot understood that, but
the others don't believe it. Petronet says that this is a wonder of nature
and they should respect it, but the men have other plans for Bigfoot –
turning him into a coat, for instance.

The students are looking for their teacher in the forest, but can't find
him. Kitty suggests that Rahne uses her powers to track Mr. McCoy's scent,
and Rahne agrees, although she never tried it before. Bobby says that they
better hurry – it's about to rain – and Rahne morphs to her wolf form,
sniffs around and starts running.

In the hunters' camp, Petronet tries to communicate with Beast in slow
syllables. He's amazed to hear Beast talking to him, saying he has to admit
this cage is brilliant – some kind of convex polarity reversal, he's
guessing? Stunned and confused, Petronet says that he's right, and then asks
Hank how he knows of such things. Hank says that he has a degree, and
Petronet realizes that it's not Bigfoot. Hank says he'll even quote
Shakespeare if Petronet lets him out of the cage, but before Petronet can do
it, two of the hunters shows up and ask him what he's doing. Petronet
prepares to explain, but Beast signals him not to say anything. Petronet
covers, saying that Bigfoot can respond to sounds, and the hunters tell him
to pack the cage – they're leaving. When Hank and Petronet are alone again,
Hank says that by now there are others looking for him. Amazed, Petronet
asks if there are more like him, and Beast explains that they're not exactly
like him – they're all special in a different way, but they have to hide
themselves from the world. Petronet tells him not to worry – they'll find a
way to release him.

Rain is pouring, like Iceman predicted. Wolfsbane leads the others through
the forest, and tells them Beast is just over the ridge. They start going to
the ridge, as the rain get stronger.

The hunters and Petronet are transporting Beast in a jeep. Petronet says
that under these storm conditions they need to stay on higher ground, but
the driver says he knows how to handle this kind of terrain. Just then, a
mudslide causes them to get off the road, down the mountain and into a
river, and they wash away.

The cage breaks and floats away, passing by the students. Iceman hurries to
create a dam to keeps the water away, and makes a bridge down to the water.
Sunspot climbs down the bridge and powers up with the help of the sun that
came out just in time. He breaks the cage's door and drags Beast to surface,
where Wolfsbane and Spyke help pull Beast up. Shadowcat asks Beast if he's
okay, and he says he is, but there are more people trapped upstream.

Upstream, the mutants arrive. Beast knocks down a tree to the water, and
Iceman and Shadowcat board it and help the hunters and Petronet out. Two
hunters run after Beast, still eager to capture him, and Beast runs away.
The hunters try shooting Beast, but Wolfsbane takes one gun in her wolf
form, and Iceman freezes the other gun in his ice form. Spyke, Shadowcat and
Sunspot arrive too and display their powers, and the terrified hunters run
away in fear. Petronet tells Hank they're a fascinating group and he'd like
to know more about them, and Hank says someday he will.

The two hunters tell the others about all the inhuman kids they saw, but
nobody believes them. They ask Petronet to tell the others the truth, but he
lies and says he doesn't know what they're talking about.

The mutants take off in their helicopter back towards Bayville. Bobby tells
Hank that without him that flash flood could've been a real disaster. Hank
replies that as a wise young girl once told him, we are who we're meant to
be – so, he guesses the students aren't the only ones who learned something
on this class trip.

Featured Characters: 

Beast, Professor X, Shadowcat, Spyke (all X-Men)
Berzerker, Cannonball, Iceman, Jubilee, Magma, Sunspot, Wolfsbane (all New
Mutants)

Hunters, Dr. Petronet
Policemen

Notes: 

While previous episodes featuring the New Mutants seemed to focus more on
Iceman, Cannonball, Jubilee, Berzerker and Multiple, this episode first
gives Sunspot and Wolfsbane a bigger part. Magma will be more deeply
introduced during the following episode, "A Walk on the Wild Side", thus
fully showing all New Mutants.

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