02.06
While it feel like it goes without saying, there will be SPOILERS ahead:
So this is it. The one new alien that Ben has yet to transform into has finally debuted. But was it played off well? Um… yes and no.
Having expecting some kind of super spectacular appearance of Ben’s new alien, I was a bit disappointed when we get him right off the bat, showing up less than ten minutes into the episode. Having had his daughter kidnapped by Sevenseven, an enraged alien Emperor plans to destroy the planet that the kidnapper was last sensed on – Earth. Naturally, it’s up to Ben and the others to defend their planet. The episode itself, while entertaining enough, seemed more action oriented and felt more like the original Ben 10 episodes. No incredibly witty banter or deep plot, just your basic all-out fight with some kind of life-lesson attached to it as well as your standard humor (courtesy of the emperor’s guards).
The ever so mysterious Alien X has always blazed through in the opening credits in what viewers were led to believe was him covered in shadows. Well, it looks like that is how he actually looks. Alright, fine enough. It still looks awesome, right? And without a doubt, so are his special abilities, able to “bend the space/time continuum,” aiming what can only be described as a “beam” at specific places and reversing whatever happened there. Think of it as time travel, but only aimed at a specific place (like that one Jimmy Neutron invention for those who still remember).
But, like all super-awesome powers, there had to be some kind of drawback. In Alien X’s case, we’re faced with having to debate one’s reason for using their powers in the first place before doing anything… at all. Kinda sounds like the writers were trying to call out our government with that note, but it’s not like it takes away from the actual episode, so I don’t mind. With the series kicking off with Ben trying to come to a happy medium between punching first and asking questions later and vice-versa, it looks like the kid is still at an odds. Like the story is with all major power-ups, Ben vows never to use Alien X again, but in a slight twist, it’s not because it is too powerful, but because he despises the idea of having to debate and justify his actions before having them passed.
It’s some kind of progress, I guess.
Originally posted on Monday, September 1, 2008.