Everything changes: "Max Out"
Sep. 17th, 2008 03:34 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
akinoameIn a dismal, rundown town, an old man stops in a diner to escape the rain--the long-missing Grandpa Max. He orders coffee and chats with the waitress on duty, quickly getting in a fight when she presents him with the special of the day: alien facehugger. Realizing quickly that she's a DNAlien, he defeats her and the facehugger.
And back in Bellwood, Ben is trying to convince Kevin to help him look for his MIA cousin, Ken, who called from a town called Santa Mira on his way from college, then disappeared. At first, Kevin's not eager to help, but it changes when Gwen confesses that Ken is her brother.
Santa Mira turns out to be a complete dive: cold, rainy, and apparently abandoned. Locating the garage where Ken's car is, the Alien Force makes some suspicious discoveries: a disabling device on the engine, and tons of weird slime that the Omnitrix doesn't like. The mechanics are even worse: a couple of DNAliens who attack and are brought down by the team. Tracing Ken's belongings leads to a diner, where there are even more interesting discoveries: A torn piece of fabric from Grandpa Max's favorite shirt, more slime (to which the Omnitrix keeps beeping and alerts Ben, "Unknown DNA sample acquired"), and a cuffed and terrified DNAlien that Max already interrogated. Realizing that Ken's disappearance was to lure Grandpa out, Gwen goes a little Jack Bauer on the DNAlien, getting Ken's location: the old hatchery.
Remaining one step ahead of them, Grandpa Max breaks into the hatchery, locating Ken and discovering the horrible secret of the DNAliens: They're human. Specifically, they're humans who have had one of the Xenocyte facehuggers latched onto them, mutating them and brainwashing them. And worse, Ken's just been submitted to the process--half-transformed, but half is all he needs to attack. When the Alien Force fight their way in, they also face him, and Gwen keeps the boys away from her brother, restraining him while they try to figure out a way to help him. As Ben gets close, the Omnitrix starts flashing again, prompting, "Severe genetic damage detected. Genetic code splicing error. Should we attempt to repair?" And when Ben agrees, he finds himself inside the Omnitrix, fighting off the Xenocyte attached to Ken. He wins, and opening his eyes, he sees the mutation reversing on Ken, the DNAlien form falling off him like a shed skin. Remembering everything he did, Ken insists on helping his cousins save Grandpa Max and finish the mission.
Going further into the base, they find Grandpa Max tied up. After they free him, the Tennyson family has a tender reunion--Ben and Gwen rushing to hug him, and Ken trying to apologize, only to be cut short by his grandfather hugging him. Max tells the kids how proud he is of them, including Kevin. But the battle isn't over yet. The DNAliens are on the move, planning to ship out their Xenocyte eggs. While the kids run off to stop the trucks, Max continues to search the base, promising Ben that he'll do "What I have to," to which Ben gives him a worried look.
A battle breaks out at the trucks as all four of the kids go on a rampage. Once they finish blowing everything up, they rush back to help Grandpa Max, who's battling a Highbreed right in front of the Xenocyte egg machine. Just when it looks like Max has lost, he reveals he's got an ace in the hole: a Null Void projector. While it can't capture everything there, removing the focusing lens turns it into a WMD. He then tells Ben to finish the mission and has Gwen put up a force field around the kids, telling her to be a good girl, before he detonates the projector and causes a massive explosion of about a half-mile radius. Shocked at the sacrifice of their grandfather and mentor, the Tennysons aren't quite sure what to do until Ben reminds them that the planet is still in danger and they need to finish Max's mission:
"I'm saying it's up to someone to protect this planet. And like it or not, I think it's up to us."
And the sun rises on two DNAliens recovering the Xenocytes, waiting to strike again...
This episode was simply epic. On his messageboard, story editor Dwayne McDuffie offered this tagline to promote the episode: "Everything changes: 5/17." And it's true. Everything changes from here on out. The Alien Force is alone now, without a mentor to guide them even from afar. The DNAliens are no longer an unknown enemy, but could very easily be a friend, a neighbor, or a relative. And now, no one, not even family, is safe.
Max makes his first appearance in the flesh in this episode, and the five years since the original Ben 10 have only served to make him more badass than before. We actually see him take out a DNAlien right in the prologue of the episode, and then we see that same DNAlien later, terrified and spilling its guts to the Alien Force. And in a scene straight out of Star Wars, he sacrifices himself to slow down the Big Bad's plans, leaving it up to the next generation of heroes to save the world.
We also get the chance to meet a brand new character in the Tennyson family, Gwen's previously unmentioned older brother, Ken. He's respected as "cool" by both his sister and his cousin, even if Kevin's not exactly impressed. His absence is justified as being away at college, and he is the normal one of the grandkids, completely oblivious to the aliens the family faces all the time. And it's this that makes him a perfect target: Why kidnap Ben or Gwen, who have powers and friends to break them out, when you can take the one who knows nothing and would need Grandpa Max to rescue him? Ken is also guilt-ridden by his actions under the influence of the Xenocyte, insisting on helping the Alien Force, fighting even when he's the only one without any powers. He disappears again after this episode--as is the fate of most "siblings in college"--but "Max Out" did offer some promise for him, even if he won't be part of the growing Alien Force.
And ultimately, the secrets of the DNAliens are revealed, and they truly become a frightening enemy. And you know that sooner or later, the Alien Force is going to need to fight them differently than they have been (possibly later, considering the rest of the season thusfar has yet to return to that storyline). These are not evil aliens anymore. They're people who have been tortured, mutated, and brainwashed. The towns they've attacked, they likely haven't obliterated--they've assimilated, explaining why a small town like Santa Mira has a population of entirely DNAliens while the unnamed city of "Ben 10 Returns" (presumably a city, due to its large hospital) was to be destroyed; it's simply easier to overrun the smaller populations. And seeing their numbers, you start to wonder just how many people were taken? And more importantly, who is it under the Xenocyte?
No new aliens are showcased this episode, but we do see some brand-new functions of the Omnitrix. First is that it has the ability to speak, prompting much like a computer as it gives Ben error messages and asks what to do next. However, it asks "Should we attempt to repair?" which offers it a bit of humanity--it recognizes that it and Ben must work together. Its second new function--a more crucial one--is the ability to repair genetic damage, and in particular, the genetic damage inflicted by the Xenocytes. It's unknown just yet if there is a limit, as Ken was only partially mutated, but it's clear that this will play a major part in the end of the arc.
And finally, the DNAliens learn a lesson that many of Ben's other enemies have learned time and time again: Do not fuck with the Tennyson family. Indeed, this bears repeating: Do not mess with them if you want to live. In the original series, Ben has been known to get quite violent when his family is hurt, doing such things as threatening the survival of the entire universe (Secret of the Omnitrix) or beating an old enemy half to death with nothing more than his largest alien form and his fists ("Ken 10"). Here, we see it's a universal trait among Tennysons: Ken gets vicious against the Xenocytes and even starts yelling at the Highbreed to let Grandpa Max go, Gwen starts shooting lightning and blowing stuff up liberally in addition to imitating Jack Bauer during interrogations, and of course, Grandpa Max came out from undercover and completely destroyed their facilities, setting the Highbreed way back in their plans.
Seriously. Do not piss these people off.
"Max Out" was written by Jim Krieg. Ken Tennyson was voiced by Will Friedle, and the Highbreed by Richard McGonagle. The Omnitrix was uncredited, but presumably was voiced by Dee Bradley Baker.
And back in Bellwood, Ben is trying to convince Kevin to help him look for his MIA cousin, Ken, who called from a town called Santa Mira on his way from college, then disappeared. At first, Kevin's not eager to help, but it changes when Gwen confesses that Ken is her brother.
Santa Mira turns out to be a complete dive: cold, rainy, and apparently abandoned. Locating the garage where Ken's car is, the Alien Force makes some suspicious discoveries: a disabling device on the engine, and tons of weird slime that the Omnitrix doesn't like. The mechanics are even worse: a couple of DNAliens who attack and are brought down by the team. Tracing Ken's belongings leads to a diner, where there are even more interesting discoveries: A torn piece of fabric from Grandpa Max's favorite shirt, more slime (to which the Omnitrix keeps beeping and alerts Ben, "Unknown DNA sample acquired"), and a cuffed and terrified DNAlien that Max already interrogated. Realizing that Ken's disappearance was to lure Grandpa out, Gwen goes a little Jack Bauer on the DNAlien, getting Ken's location: the old hatchery.
Remaining one step ahead of them, Grandpa Max breaks into the hatchery, locating Ken and discovering the horrible secret of the DNAliens: They're human. Specifically, they're humans who have had one of the Xenocyte facehuggers latched onto them, mutating them and brainwashing them. And worse, Ken's just been submitted to the process--half-transformed, but half is all he needs to attack. When the Alien Force fight their way in, they also face him, and Gwen keeps the boys away from her brother, restraining him while they try to figure out a way to help him. As Ben gets close, the Omnitrix starts flashing again, prompting, "Severe genetic damage detected. Genetic code splicing error. Should we attempt to repair?" And when Ben agrees, he finds himself inside the Omnitrix, fighting off the Xenocyte attached to Ken. He wins, and opening his eyes, he sees the mutation reversing on Ken, the DNAlien form falling off him like a shed skin. Remembering everything he did, Ken insists on helping his cousins save Grandpa Max and finish the mission.
Going further into the base, they find Grandpa Max tied up. After they free him, the Tennyson family has a tender reunion--Ben and Gwen rushing to hug him, and Ken trying to apologize, only to be cut short by his grandfather hugging him. Max tells the kids how proud he is of them, including Kevin. But the battle isn't over yet. The DNAliens are on the move, planning to ship out their Xenocyte eggs. While the kids run off to stop the trucks, Max continues to search the base, promising Ben that he'll do "What I have to," to which Ben gives him a worried look.
A battle breaks out at the trucks as all four of the kids go on a rampage. Once they finish blowing everything up, they rush back to help Grandpa Max, who's battling a Highbreed right in front of the Xenocyte egg machine. Just when it looks like Max has lost, he reveals he's got an ace in the hole: a Null Void projector. While it can't capture everything there, removing the focusing lens turns it into a WMD. He then tells Ben to finish the mission and has Gwen put up a force field around the kids, telling her to be a good girl, before he detonates the projector and causes a massive explosion of about a half-mile radius. Shocked at the sacrifice of their grandfather and mentor, the Tennysons aren't quite sure what to do until Ben reminds them that the planet is still in danger and they need to finish Max's mission:
"I'm saying it's up to someone to protect this planet. And like it or not, I think it's up to us."
And the sun rises on two DNAliens recovering the Xenocytes, waiting to strike again...
This episode was simply epic. On his messageboard, story editor Dwayne McDuffie offered this tagline to promote the episode: "Everything changes: 5/17." And it's true. Everything changes from here on out. The Alien Force is alone now, without a mentor to guide them even from afar. The DNAliens are no longer an unknown enemy, but could very easily be a friend, a neighbor, or a relative. And now, no one, not even family, is safe.
Max makes his first appearance in the flesh in this episode, and the five years since the original Ben 10 have only served to make him more badass than before. We actually see him take out a DNAlien right in the prologue of the episode, and then we see that same DNAlien later, terrified and spilling its guts to the Alien Force. And in a scene straight out of Star Wars, he sacrifices himself to slow down the Big Bad's plans, leaving it up to the next generation of heroes to save the world.
We also get the chance to meet a brand new character in the Tennyson family, Gwen's previously unmentioned older brother, Ken. He's respected as "cool" by both his sister and his cousin, even if Kevin's not exactly impressed. His absence is justified as being away at college, and he is the normal one of the grandkids, completely oblivious to the aliens the family faces all the time. And it's this that makes him a perfect target: Why kidnap Ben or Gwen, who have powers and friends to break them out, when you can take the one who knows nothing and would need Grandpa Max to rescue him? Ken is also guilt-ridden by his actions under the influence of the Xenocyte, insisting on helping the Alien Force, fighting even when he's the only one without any powers. He disappears again after this episode--as is the fate of most "siblings in college"--but "Max Out" did offer some promise for him, even if he won't be part of the growing Alien Force.
And ultimately, the secrets of the DNAliens are revealed, and they truly become a frightening enemy. And you know that sooner or later, the Alien Force is going to need to fight them differently than they have been (possibly later, considering the rest of the season thusfar has yet to return to that storyline). These are not evil aliens anymore. They're people who have been tortured, mutated, and brainwashed. The towns they've attacked, they likely haven't obliterated--they've assimilated, explaining why a small town like Santa Mira has a population of entirely DNAliens while the unnamed city of "Ben 10 Returns" (presumably a city, due to its large hospital) was to be destroyed; it's simply easier to overrun the smaller populations. And seeing their numbers, you start to wonder just how many people were taken? And more importantly, who is it under the Xenocyte?
No new aliens are showcased this episode, but we do see some brand-new functions of the Omnitrix. First is that it has the ability to speak, prompting much like a computer as it gives Ben error messages and asks what to do next. However, it asks "Should we attempt to repair?" which offers it a bit of humanity--it recognizes that it and Ben must work together. Its second new function--a more crucial one--is the ability to repair genetic damage, and in particular, the genetic damage inflicted by the Xenocytes. It's unknown just yet if there is a limit, as Ken was only partially mutated, but it's clear that this will play a major part in the end of the arc.
And finally, the DNAliens learn a lesson that many of Ben's other enemies have learned time and time again: Do not fuck with the Tennyson family. Indeed, this bears repeating: Do not mess with them if you want to live. In the original series, Ben has been known to get quite violent when his family is hurt, doing such things as threatening the survival of the entire universe (Secret of the Omnitrix) or beating an old enemy half to death with nothing more than his largest alien form and his fists ("Ken 10"). Here, we see it's a universal trait among Tennysons: Ken gets vicious against the Xenocytes and even starts yelling at the Highbreed to let Grandpa Max go, Gwen starts shooting lightning and blowing stuff up liberally in addition to imitating Jack Bauer during interrogations, and of course, Grandpa Max came out from undercover and completely destroyed their facilities, setting the Highbreed way back in their plans.
Seriously. Do not piss these people off.
"Max Out" was written by Jim Krieg. Ken Tennyson was voiced by Will Friedle, and the Highbreed by Richard McGonagle. The Omnitrix was uncredited, but presumably was voiced by Dee Bradley Baker.
