The Mutant Ages

Latest Episodes:

"no Mercy," The Gifted Mar 18, 2025

Show notes

In "no Mercy," the Hellfire Club is ready to perform their bank heist, but it wouldn't be a heist episode if something didn't go wrong. Maddy and Ryan feel like Lorna could have opened this safe herself, but it's Rebecca's job, and Rebecca doesn't just want to steal money from Creed Financial. She wants to steal... human lives. Meanwhile, Reed Strucker is still suffering from mutant denialism, and Jace Turner makes the tough decision to go on TV with a not-quite-William Stryker type character and become the face of the Purifiers. Next episode: "the dreaM," The Gifted E-mail us your feedback at themutantages@gmail.com or follow us on social media at TheMutantAges, MIDImyers and RyanPagella. If you like what you hear, please consider supporting us via patreon.com/themutantages. Thanks!

"iMprint," The Gifted Mar 04, 2025

Show notes

The Gifted season two keeps on hitting home runs with "iMprint," an episode focused on the Cuckoos and their backstory. Unlike so many other X-Men adaptations, this one closely aligns with the characters' portrayal in the original comics by clarifying the girls are clones and introducing the other two of the five main Cuckoos. Their heartbreaking backstory of growing up in a lab and being tortured by their human captors clearly influences the way they act today, and it's what ends up driving a wedge (and eventually a renewed alliance) between Esme and Lorna in this episode. We've also learned what the Inner Circle has planned: stealing from Graydon Creed (or at least someone with his last name), who is an anti-mutant financial magnate in this universe. Meanwhile, the Strucker family is still falling apart, and Caitlin still can't let go of her denial about it, plus Jace Turner falls even further into the black hole of far-right radicalization with the Purifiers. Next episode: "no Mercy," The Gifted E-mail us your feedback at themutantages@gmail.com or follow us on social media at TheMutantAges, MIDImyers and RyanPagella. If you like what you hear, please consider supporting us via patreon.com/themutantages. Thanks!

"afterMath," The Gifted Feb 18, 2025

Show notes

The Gifted season two continues its strong pace with "afterMath," which Maddy and Ryan end up rating 4/5 instead of a perfect score but still did enjoy quite a bit. Blink helps the newly escaped mutants who were wrongly imprisoned in a mental asylum find a new home with the Morlocks, and Marcos makes friends (kind of) with one of the escapees named Glow, who isn't from the comics and has a weirdly optimistic attitude. Meanwhile, Andy is getting to know Rebecca, the one mental asylum escapee that the Inner Circle decided to take in, and she seems fun... but also maybe not fun so much as scary. Next week's episode: "iMprint," The Gifted E-mail us your feedback at themutantages@gmail.com or follow us on social media at TheMutantAges, MIDImyers and RyanPagella. If you like what you hear, please consider supporting us via patreon.com/themutantages. Thanks!

"outMatched," The Gifted Feb 04, 2025

Show notes

Maddy and Ryan get to watch yet another fantastic episode of The Gifted with "outMatched," in which our former Mutant Underground characters are indeed outmatched when it comes to the machinations of the Hellfire Club. Lorna, Andy, and their new friends are breaking into a mental institution that only houses mutants and has been drugging them and torturing them, and their former friends are just trying to keep up with whatever that plan even is. Reed Strucker has decided to down anti-anxiety medication at a steady clip to keep his mutant powers at bay, which obviously doesn't work. Caitlin Strucker goes full torture mode on a mutant drug addict in order to get the information she wants about Andy. And it's all for nothing in the end, because when Lauren finally comes face to face with Andy, he's anything but willing to come back home. Next episode: "afterMath," The Gifted E-mail us your feedback at themutantages@gmail.com or follow us on social media at TheMutantAges, MIDImyers and RyanPagella. If you like what you hear, please consider supporting us via patreon.com/themutantages. Thanks!

"coMplications," The Gifted Jan 21, 2025

Show notes

The Gifted season 2 keeps on delivering banger episode after banger episode. In "coMplications," Reed Strucker's powers manifest in front of his daughter Lauren, who can't believe he's still keeping secrets from the rest of the family. Jace Turner is still obsessed with hunting down mutants and he's destroying every other aspect of his life in favor of continuing to chase that high. Polaris' baby is sick and only Marcos can save her, which means the Hellfire Club has to go get him and let him meet his child for the first time... and, if they have anything to say about it, the last time. But Marcos has no intention of abandoning his child the way his own father abandoned him. Meanwhile, Blink and John are exploring the Morlock tunnels, and Blink realizes she might have more affinity with the Morlocks than the remaining Underground members. Next episode: "outMatched," The Gifted E-mail us your feedback at themutantages@gmail.com or follow us on social media at TheMutantAges, MIDImyers and RyanPagella. If you like what you hear, please consider supporting us via patreon.com/themutantages. Thanks!

"unMoored," The Gifted Jan 06, 2025

Show notes

Ryan and Maddy are still loving The Gifted, with season 2 delivering yet another great episode in "unMoored." This episode is brought to us by League of Legends, which Andy is playing every night he spends in the Hellfire Club mansion, apparently. But he's keeping his teenage angst secret when it comes to missing his family and especially his sister, and Reeva Payge isn't going to stand for that, since it's interfering with Andy using his powers. Esme Cuckoo and Lorna do their best to protect Andy in their own ways, but at the end of the day, Andy has to admit what's really going on or else Reeva's going to cut him loose (fatally). Meanwhile, the rest of the Strucker family is in a state of complete emotional turmoil and it's fascinating to watch them fall apart. This show is legitimately well-written now! Next episode: "coMplications," The Gifted E-mail us your feedback at themutantages@gmail.com or follow us on social media at TheMutantAges, MIDImyers and RyanPagella. If you like what you hear, please consider supporting us via patreon.com/themutantages. Thanks!

The Mutant Ages Christmas Special 2024 / Uncanny X-Men #165 Dec 19, 2024

Show notes

Ryan and Maddy invite Todd and Ry T back on the show for another reading of a Christmas-themed X-Men comic. This time it's Uncanny X-Men #165 (2009), a surprisingly plot-heavy comic that gets into Laura Kinney's backstory and introduction to the X-Men, plus a side story about Gambit getting back his eyesight (after losing his sight in a battle that wasn't even that interesting, according to Maddy who is writing this description and just looked up the old comic where it happens). After we finish reading the X-Men comic together, Ryan presents us all with a Mystery Comic that none of us could have predicted in advance. DONATE to our Trevor Project holiday fundraiser: https://give.thetrevorproject.org/team/625011 Next episode: "unMoored," The Gifted E-mail us your feedback at themutantages@gmail.com or follow us on social media at TheMutantAges, MIDImyers and RyanPagella (plus, FoxHarper and SCnightblade). If you like what you hear, please consider supporting us via patreon.com/themutantages. Thanks!

"eMergence," The Gifted Dec 04, 2024

Show notes

Ryan and Maddy watched the first episode of The Gifted's second season and immediately discover why people prefer season two. Everything is better, most importantly the writing; we already liked the actors, and now they finally have something great to work with. The Mutant Underground has become far more ragtag, working out of a secret room in a hospital and rescuing mutants from the SWAT-team like presence that Sentinel Services has become. Lauren has to teach her parents how to move on from the fact that Andy abandoned all of them. And meanwhile, Lorna and Andy have forged a friendship in the bowels of the Hellfire Club, where Lorna is afraid to deliver her baby but must do so nonetheless. It's a gripping episode with great moments for every character, and we kinda can't believe this is the same show. Next episode: The Mutant Ages 2024 Christmas Special!!!! E-mail us your feedback at themutantages@gmail.com or follow us on social media at TheMutantAges, MIDImyers and RyanPagella. If you like what you hear, please consider supporting us via patreon.com/themutantages. Thanks!

Deadpool (2016), Part 2 Nov 23, 2024

Show notes

Ryan, Maddy, and Todd watch the second half of Deadpool (2016) and realize they probably didn't need to divide this episode into two parts because there isn't that much to say about the second half of Deadpool (2016). Wade Wilson's arch nemesis Francis kidnaps his ex-girlfriend Vanessa for some reason. Deadpool, Colossus, and Negasonic Teenage Warhead team up to save Vanessa and destroy a helicarrier in the process. Why is there a helicarrier? We can't actually explain anything that happens at the end of this movie, and it's not funny enough to justify itself, either. Next episode: The Gifted season 2???? E-mail us your feedback at themutantages@gmail.com or follow us on social media at TheMutantAges, MIDImyers and RyanPagella. If you like what you hear, please consider supporting us via patreon.com/themutantages. Thanks!

Deadpool (2016), Part 1 Nov 19, 2024

Show notes

Maddy, Ryan, and Todd convene to analyze the first half of Deadpool (2016), which we probably didn't need to divide into two parts because it turns out this movie is really simple. Also, most of these jokes do not hold up! Bounty hunter Wade Wilson meets a hottie named Vanessa, finds out he has cancer, dumps her so she doesn't have to watch him die, then participates in an experimental treatment program that gives him superpowers but also makes his entire body look like shit and gains him a super-powered nemesis named Francis. More in Part 2, such as Blind Al, the best part of the movie! We didn't exactly have a great time watching this, but compared to some of the Fox films we've watched lately, it does at least have a coherent plot that's easily summarized. Next episode: Deadpool (2016), Part 2 E-mail us your feedback at themutantages@gmail.com or follow us on social media at TheMutantAges, MIDImyers and RyanPagella. If you like what you hear, please consider supporting us via patreon.com/themutantages. Thanks!

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