Episode #23 - Walk On The Wild Side
Original Airdate March 2nd, 2002

After stopping a carjacker, the girls take it upon themselves to clean up the streets on thier own, as a vigilante group known as The Sirens.

Credits
Story By: Greg Johnson
Written By: Cydne Clark, Steve Granat
Directed By: Frank Paur
Music Composed By: William Anderson
Guest Starring: Colin Murdock as Chop-shop Boss and Louise Vallance as Police Woman.

Review: An episode designed to the female demographic that doesn’t completely forget that boys are still watching, that all in all, is actually really fun. I didn’t once feel gay watching it!

The episode may be a textbook example of enjoyable fluff, but it’s not without some genuine laughs, most of which come from Cyclops. The scene in which he’s not sure why he’s apologising for saving their lives was almost priceless. Perfectly delivered from all the cast, with some great staging to boot. Cyclops smiling, his shoulders slumped and his head held high, whilst Jean and Amara, fists clenched storm off. The other being “Kurt, I’m standing right here.” And let’s not forget him ahem, watching Jean walk away and literally falling out his chair. Funny stuff! Say what you will about everything else in the show, but it has arguably the greatest version of Cyclops ever. A team leader with a lot of charm to him, rather than the dull, straight laced Boy Scout often found in various other incarnations.

Anyway, the main plot. The girls decide to put on their leathers and kick the crap of evildoers throughout Bayville. Whilst the girly-ness of it all was laid on a little thick at time, mainly due to the outrageously over the top Boom Boom and the fact a lot of the characters were incredibly inconsistent throughout the 22 minutes the episode lasted. Magma, for instance, is usually a pretty shy girls, and Jean is pretty level headed most of the time. Since the episode wasn’t intended to be anything too serious, no real harm has been done. It’s not all completely throwaway, however. There’s a great twist at the end, with Mystique once again making her presence felt. Mystique was used so well in this series, they really did turn her around here, and make her one of the best villains in the show. A commendable effort, to be sure.

One thing I’ve never been sure about is the music video that took place in the middle of this episode. The red line just below the widescreen bars made it look exactly like you’d see on any music channel other than MTV, and it emphasised more on the ahem, hotties dancing rather than the actual music, which again means it would fit right in amongst the current music channels, but after viewing it my reaction was a simple “…”. Even now, having been prepared for it, and seen it several times, it still leaves me reaction-less. It’s odd… I’m sure everyone reacts a different way to it, but I just don’t really know how to describe it. I think “…” will have to do.

A fun fluffy episode, which the ladies in the teenage girl that exist in some of us will no doubt love.