The third episode of Disney’s VisionQuest continues with its poignant emotional storyline while beginning to weave in some of the more fantastical elements best known in the Marvel Universe, all the while building an increasingly complex plotline.
Unlike the previous episodes, this episode does not begin with a character we know. Instead, it began within the apartment of an unknown man. The man is frantic, and scared, and there is evidently something chasing him. An unknown figure in a mask steps into frame, before cutting back to Vision and Thomas.
While Thomas drives, Vision deals with the wounds inflicted upon him by Paladin’s adamantium bullets. Though still conscious, his systems are rapidly failing, and in a last ditch effort of survival he cauterizes his wound with battery acid. He passes out momentarily, before coming to, a seeming “reboot” of his system, still weak, but alive. Thomas – finally having found his pseudo-robot-father – is eager to have his questions answered, but Vision (reminding him that they are actively being hunted) urges him to keep driving.
Meanwhile Paladin (also wounded from the encounter, but less severely) attempts to track Vision by following his coolant signatures. He receives a call from the man who hired him who is, again, disappointed, evidently losing faith in Paladin’s skillset.
When Vision and Thomas finally arrive at a motel, Thomas continues to pester Vision for answers to his questions, most notably – how is any of this possible? Not knowing what to say, and inept at conversing with teenagers, Vision runs a simulation in which he gives Thomas an assortment of different responses. After every one, the teenager storms out. Dejected, real Vision says that it may not be the best time to discuss these things, and Tommy walks out in real life anyway.
While getting a snack from the vending machine, Thomas’s hand accidentally phases through the glass, another example of his sporadic, uncontrolled mutant abilities. As Vision bandages the cut Thomas got from the glass, they have their first real conversation, with Vision disclosing that he is unsure what his purpose is and Thomas talking about the moment that got him sent to the psychiatric facility in the first place – sparking his fear of both his power and the pool.
The drone which Paladin had used to track Vision’s coolant signatures rests outside a window, though it is revealed it is not the same window of the motel Vision and Thomas inhabit. Upon entering, Paladin finds the man from the first scene – now dead – and the masked stranger who killed him (who we now know to be ButcherBird). They begin to fight, and ButcherBird extracts Paladin’s memories, bringing them to the forefront of his mind and reminding him of the assassination of his father. It is revealed that, although Paladin was raised by the former Paladin, he is not one by blood, a fact of great insecurity to him. Eventually, Paladin manages to take ButcherBird down with his drones and escapes.
At the motel, Vision’s systems begin to collapse again due to the damage to his system, and he admits to Thomas that the only way to be wholly repaired is to be reset completely. Not having a great enough powersource to do so, Vision decides that the only solution is the pool, in which Thomas can direct the force of his energy into Vision and the water can work as a conduit. Thomas is hesitant, as he can not yet control his powers, but Vision’s reassurance (as well as his insistence that Thomas is not delusional, and that his memories are real) convinces him.
Vision is successfully brought back, though, as he is, another AI infiltrates his system, leaving him and the others within his mind sphere in an essential state of unexplained possession.
Though it would be inaccurate to say that “Reboot” is as well written as the first two episodes, it is still wholly enjoyable. What it lacks in pacing (as it definitely drags on in what I can only describe as the third act), it makes up for in character development, with no character fully reliant on another for a sense of their personality. Essentially, each character is unique in isolation, and even a moment of dullness or lag does not dull that.
Rating: 8/10
