Growing Pains (X-Men: Evolution episode)
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| “Growing Pains” | |
|---|---|
| X-Men: Evolution episode | |
 Cyclops and Avalanche square off, with Shadowcat caught in the middle. |
|
| Episode no. | Season 2 Episode 14 |
| Written by | Cydne Clark & Steve Granat |
| Directed by | Frank Paur |
| Production no. | 14 |
| Original airdate | September 29, 2001 |
| Episode chronology | |
| ← Previous | Next → |
| "The Cauldron (Part 2)" | "Bada-Bing Bada-Boom!" |
| List of X-Men: Evolution episodes | |
Growing Pains is episode 14 of the animated series X-Men: Evolution. It originally aired on September 29, 2001.
[edit] Plot
Scott, Evan, Kitty, and Kurt are watching Bayville High's soccer semi-finals. Jean Grey scores the winning goal and Scott rushes to congratulate her; Duncan gets there first, and Jean says she's going home with him. Scott is visibly disappointed.
On the drive home the young X-Men witness the police chasing a speeding car. It skids over an overpass and teeters over the edge, about to slam into a crowded school bus below. Scott hesitates to act because of the news cameras, but then snaps into action and blasts the car out of harm's way. Kurt ports the driver out and shoves him towards the police, and Kitty phases them out of sight.
Meanwhile, we see that the Institute is a home for many new recruits, including Iceman, Cannonball, Magma, Multiple, Sunspot, Berzerker, Boom Boom, Jubilee, and Wolfsbane. Wolverine observes their enthusiasm with their powers, and remarks that they'll need a tank to deal with them all. Ororo draws Xavier's attention to the news, where Scott's red beam was caught on tape.
When confronted about it Scott expresses his displeasure about hiding his powers, since the whole purpose of being an X-Man is to help people. Xavier tells him that the public simply isn't ready to know about the existence of mutants, and Scott later shares his doubts with his brother Alex, who's still living in Hawaii.
The next school day sees the introduction of Edward Kelly, Principal Darkholme's replacement. At the assembly Rogue meets a new British exchange student, Risty Wilde, and the two hit it off. The Brotherhood hangs off to the side while Lance watches Kitty intently. Pietro teases him about it, and he storms off to go talk to her. He tries to make her laugh by shaking things up; predictably things get out of hand and Jean uses her powers to keep the new principal from being squashed by a falling scoreboard.
Later, Lance is trying to apologize to Kitty, but she doesn't want to listen. Scott intervenes and Lance shoves him, egging him on, but Kitty reminds her leader that people are watching and they can't use their powers in the open. After the two leave, Lance decides that, in keeping with Kelley's inspirational speech, the Brotherhood should go public with their unique talents.
That night all the X-Men are gathered to watch Jean play in the finals, but they get a rude surprise when Avalanche steals a microphone and announces his presence; worse yet, he names the Brotherhood and the X-Men specifically as mutants, and gives a demonstration of what they can do. Blob tosses the brand new flaming Hawk mascot on top of the school, Quicksilver sucks Kelly into a twister, and Avalanche breaks up the playing field. "Busted big time," the X-Men fight back.
Xavier mentally calls for Storm. Jean stops Quicksilver with her TK and gently lowers Kelly, but he runs away from her. Rogue zaps Blob and is crushed under bleachers, though Shadowcat phases her to safety. Nightcrawler stops Toad from swiping purses. Cyclops and Avalanche have the mano-a-mano fight they've been waiting for, until the rock-tumbler sees the hawk statue is about to fall from the roof right on top of Kitty. He abandons the fight to push her out of the way, but is crushed instead. Shadowcat phases and pulls him out, holding him in her arms.
Storm arrives, bringing with her a torrential downpour. The spectators hover around, astonished by what they've seen. Cyclops puts a comforting arm around Jean. "The secret is out," says Storm, though Professor Xavier believes otherwise. He then telepathically erases all memory of the fight from those who have seen it, but just as he reaches Kelly he blacks out from the strain.
Xavier wakes up in the infirmary, and Ororo says he did it; people believe fireworks caused all the damage, and a mysterious magnetic signal stopped the game's broadcast. Unfortunately, that must mean Magneto is still alive. Scott remarks that the Professor was right, and he understands that some things need to remain a secret.
One thing still bothers Professor X, however. He was inside Kelly's mind when he lost unconsciousness, and he doesn't know if he finished the job.
[edit] Trivia
- Due to the events of September 11th, three scenes were cut from this episode due to their intensity. They included Jean Grey telekinetically destroying Kelly's cell phone, Rogue getting crushed by bleachers, and the entire Lance/Kitty rescue scene. These scenes aired overseas, and were included in the "Mutants Rising" DVD.
