| The Beast of Bayville | |
| Season Two, Episode 5 | |
 | |
| Air date | October 27, 2001 |
| Written by | William Forrest Cluverius |
| Directed by | Gary Graham |
| Episode Guide | |
| previous Fun and Games |
next Adrift |
- "It's like I've got an animal inside of me. A beast, and it's... it's tearing me to pieces."
- —Hank McCoy referring to his beast form
Premise[]
When the normally cool, calm and collected teacher, Hank McCoy, has no energy left to fight his bestial mutation, which finally forces him to become a violent and angry Beast as well as endangering the public. Evan seemingly becomes the only one who can save his teacher.
Summary[]
During class, Evan bends a few nails and sticks them into an eraser, he flips it over and makes sure it moves before eyeing a ruler that is angled up right, he aims it carefully as the makeshift car hits Kurt on the shoulder. Kurt then tells him to listen as Hank McCoy lectures about unstable molecules. Evan's non X-Men friends call to him from outside, and he asks for the bathroom pass. Hank instead sees him outside taking off on his skateboard from the window. He starts to finish up his lecture, but suddenly grabs his chest and groans in pain. He tells the class to read a chapter from their books as he leaves the room in pain.
In the bathroom he splashes water on his face as to try calm the pain which has only appeared to become worse. He recites Shakespeare to himself but the pain becomes too intense and Hank tears the sink from the wall in a panic. Sometime later, Principal Kelly blocks off the bathroom with tape as Risty questions him if he knows who was capable of doing something like that. After watching the commotion not too far away, Kurt stands with Kitty and tells her that Hank was the reason, Kitty does not believe him and insists Hank is a much better and cooler teacher than her Geometry teacher, Mrs Hawkins, she then says the test is on that Friday but that she is not ready for it, she says goodbye to Kurt and rushes into her class.
Outside, Evan continues to skate and hears talking, he looks down a path that leads to a tunnel and then jumps over the closed sign, he skates towards the Amphitheatre and hears Hank's voice, he asks his teacher if he is okay but gets ignored as Hank continues quoting Shakespeare yet seemingly still walks with perfect ease towards his student, Evan attempts to apologise for skipping class only to be lunged at by Hank causing the latter to put two giant dents into the wall, Evan easily dodges the attack and successfully gets through to him, Hank continues to breath heavily before fully coming to his senses and apologises, he holds his head and Evan goes to talk to him again when the latter's friends call out to him, Evan tells them to wait a moment and goes to ask his teacher if he will be fine and Hank claims he will be okay and says he will see him tomorrow. Still worried, Evan takes his skateboard and skates away.
After returning to the Institute, Evan notices a package on the port delivered in Kitty's name and he takes it inside with him. Inside the Danger Room, Kitty, Jean, Rogue, Scott and Kurt run through a drill, one that involves running across a winding and narrow stone path surrounded by other long, sharp rocks, Scott looks ahead as small, spherical metallic balls fly towards him and his team, Scott then fires a blast towards them as the team use their powers to fend them off but Rogue becomes overpowered and knocked down, Jean rushes ahead and Kurt teleports after her, he appears on the panel as Jean follows, Kurt then tells them that time is running out and helps Jean pull Kitty up, Scott however stays behind with Rogue who claims that she got hit and is not to be saved by Scott tells her nobody is to be left behind, he grabs his teammate and throws her over his shoulder, Rogue says the situation is embarassing as the other three tell Scott to hurry up, the latter makes it to the panel but the timer runs out just before he can get onto it, Storm arrives and the simulation ends as Storm gives the team positive feedback, she praises Scott for his rescue and then Kurt for not throwing the lever until all the was there. Scott then notes that they failed as Rogue echoes the claim by stating Evan was supposed to be there for her.
Evan, now in his uniform, skates into the room and notices his team looking at him all fed up, he questions if he is late for training. Still annoyed, the X-Kids chastise him for his lateness and leave the room with Kurt mentions that they will have to run the same drill the next day due to Evan's absence, the latter tries coming up with multiple excuses but none of them work as Storm explains to her nephew that his constant late returns are becoming a habit and that the team is struggling to rely on him. Upstairs, Kitty unpacks her package and pulls out the content, a blue pyramid shaped hat, she puts it on and walks over to Scott, who is still in uniform and trying to nap, she asks what he thinks and he claims it is unique as Kitty explains it can stimulate brain energy and that it will help her study for her geometry test she has coming up.
The next day at school, Evan walks through the corridors and bumps into Hank, he goes to say he will be in class as Hank tells Evan that he is the person he is looking for, Hank apologises for their previous encounter telling him that he often goes to the amphitheatre to clear his mind and to which Evan empathises with, Hank tells Evan that he too can be a great student if he puts his mind to it and directs his student's attention to a trophy cabinet, Evan notices a picture of a younger Hank playing sport, Hank confirms it is him and says that he did great for three years and that his fourth would have been better had he not messed around in his youth. He then offers to forget Evan's ordeals for skipping class if the latter is able to memorise a Shakespearean passage, Evan agrees to it and Hank tells him to come to class, the two enter the gymnasium as the students play hockey, Hank encourages them all to have fun as the girls work together as a team, Hank praises them but feels more pain once again as Evan watches on from the doors, Sandy yells for Hank to catch her as she is unable to stop herself but is frightened by Hank, Jean skates over to the three as Sandy states Hank appeared mad at her, Jean assures her that her appearance only surprised him and allows her to return to the rest of the team. Evan asks Hank if he is okay to which Hank claims he is fine but says he only feels a little jumpy as Jean looks over at the two in concern.
That night at the Institute, Kitty lends her hat to Evan so that he can remember the passage easier. The door rings to reveal Hank who came to the Institute to see Xavier for help with his mutation. After delving into Hank's mind, Xavier explains that he cannot help and that the only person that can truly help Hank is Hank himself. At school, Hank continues to work on extra serums to halt the process of him turning into the Beast but after trying to drink one, it no longer helps him and he finally turns. Upon hearing the screams, Principal Kelly, who was working late that night, goes to check on the commotion and discovers that Hank's classroom is now trashed. Hank, now as Beast, goes to attack the Principal and is able to trap him in a corner, Kelly then pulls and activates the fire alarm and the noise scares Hank away. After leaving the room, Kelly notices Hank's laboratory jacket on the ground and believes the Beast and Hank to be one in the same person.
Back at the Institute, the X-Men watch as their Principal explains how Hank became the Beast and how he is the one causing havoc around Bayville. Not wanting mutant-kind to be exposed, the team grab their suits and gear, they then head out before the police can get to Hank first. Fortunately, Kitty and Jean find him at the junkyard and Jean calls for help as Kitty attempts to chase after him. Hank's attempt at attacking her however proves futile as the former allows him to phase through her. Believing to have gained the upper-hand, Jean uses her telekinesis, she raises a car and throws it towards Hank and into a fence, she then tries to hold him there until back-up arrives, Logan slices his way through the fence and engages in a fight with Hank, the two fight only for Logan to be thrown back, Hank escapes the scene and Logan quickly follows after him.
Evan catches up with Jean and Kitty and explains he knows where Hank possibly ran off to, he leads Kitty and Jean towards the Amphitheatre. However, Rogue, Kurt and Storm manage to find Beast in an alley, the three chase him into a nearby warehouse as Scott runs into the building and blasts him through a wall using his optic beams. Eventually, Evan finds Hank exactly where he believed him to be, at the Amphitheatre, Evan attempts to reason with him but Hank ignores him once again and goes to attack. Logan arrives to help and once again engages in a fight with him. Logan's attempt at stopping Hank by trapping him under a column almost works but the latter easily escapes and goes to attack Logan. Jean then uses her telekinesis to hold the two apart and holds Hank against a wall just as Kurt teleports onto the scene with Xavier. Evan walks over and in an attempt to calm Hank down, goes to quote Shakespeare, Using his telepathy, Xavier speaks to Hank and assures him that he is stronger than the Beast form and he can regain control if he tries.
That morning, the X-Men sit at the table and watch a news reporter talk about how Hank's whereabouts are now unknown and that police still continue their search, Hank tells Xavier and Evan he still feels the pain as Xavier tells him that the pain may still occur but assures him that the Institute is the safest place to be even in his Beast form though Hank claims that the worst thing he imagined happened and that him no longer being able to teach makes him upset. Evan suggests an image inducer but Hank refuses on the grounds that Hank McCoy is now a wanted man, Evan tries to convince him again by stating the Inducer can make him appear as anyone he wants but Hank once again refuses stating that he does not want to risk it due to his Beast form's previous attempts at gaining freedom.
As Scott gets up to throw away some crumpled up pieces of paper, he notices the pyramid hat and asks Kitty if she failed the test anyways, Kitty answers that she instead passed the test, she then says she checked in the mirror and asks why Scott why he, or anyone else, did not warn her she looked hideous in it, she then insists on studying rather than having a bad hair day as Xavier and Evan enter the room with an announcement, Xavier welcomes the Institute's newest member of faculty, Hank, Jean welcomes her new teacher and Hank politely thanks her, he then says he is no longer Mr. McCoy but now Beast.
Quotes[]
Evan: Not so, Teach. The Prof can outfit you with an Image Inducer like Kurt’s.
Hank: To look like whom? Hank McCoy? He’s a wanted fugitive.
Evan: But you can be anybody.
HankWith a beast inside trying to claw its way out, I just can’t risk it.
Xavier: What you need, Hank, are students who know your secrets — who have secrets of their own, and who need a man of your compassion to teach them.
Scott: (to Kitty, after finding the pyramid hat in the trash) Let me guess... bad grade on the quiz?
Kitty: No, I aced it.
Scott: Then what changed your mind?
Kitty: I looked in the mirror. Why didn’t you tell me I looked so hideous? I’d rather study than ruin a good hair day.
Jean: Welcome Mr. McCoy.
Hank: Thank you! But from here on in I'm not just Mr. McCoy. You can call me Beast.
Notes[]
- Introduction of Hank's's mutant form and final appearance of Hank as a human.
- Beast declines the use of an Image Inducer claiming that his human form is now wanted.
- Jean was the first character to lose control of her powers in the series. [1] Hank was the second, [2] then Wanda[3] with Evan Daniels being the fourth, [4] and finally Rogue was the fifth and final character. [5]
Trivia[]
- The address seen on Kitty's package was 1407 Graymalkin Lane, Bayville, NY 10032. 1407 Graymalkin Lane is the street address for Professor Charles Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters in the comics; ZIP code 1002 is just north of Manhattan.
- In the The Uncanny X-Men Comics, Hank McCoy looked like a normal human with really big hands and feet, but after he drank a "potion" he created himself to speed up mutants' mutations, he turns blue and furry.
- The Shakespeare plays that are quoted in this episode are Hamlet and MacBeth. McCoy quotes Hamlet in the bathroom, and MacBeth for the rest of the episode.
- The passage Evan is asked to memorize is not actually a single passage. The opening lines are from the end of MacBeth, and the rest of the passage is from a much earlier scene of the same play.
Errors[]
- When Scott arrives at the warehouse, the yellow part of his suit, appears more silver/grey, it then reverts to yellow when he uses his powers but then becomes silver once again.
- On Kitty's package when Evan finds it, her last name, Pryde, is incorrectly spelt as Pride. The same error occurs when Kitty herself finds it.
Cast[]
|
Main Cast |
Recurring Cast Guest Cast |
- ↑ Power Surge.
- ↑ The Beast of Bayville.
- ↑ The Hex Factor.
- ↑ X-Treme Measures.
- ↑ Self Possessed