My Crazy Youth: The X-Men Episode With Charles Darwin!

 The original X-Men Cartoon is a classic.

That said, the final Season was weird for numerous reasons (that are widely available online).
All you need to know here is that a different team of Animators worked on it and whatever leftover Stories there were got used.

That's how we got the penultimate Episode of the Series called 'Descent'

With just one Episode to go before the Series Finale (which is still not great), they decided to do an entire Episode about Mr. Sinister's backstory.

Sure- why not?!?

Jack the Ripper is on the loose in 19th Century England.

On the case is James Xavier (Charles' ancestor) who says that he knows who the killer is.

Nathaniel Essex!

He tells a long flashback tale (inside of a flashback tale) about how he was friends with Essex years ago (he has no muttonchops in these Scenes) and tried to help cure his ailing wife.

Both of them met Charles Darwin as he was promoting The Origin of Species.
Essex looks up to him and wants to show off his work.

Said work turns out to be unlocking the latent powers in Mutants, which is viewed as a parlor trick.

He disappears into his work, beginning to experiment on himself (getting his white skin and powers) and his wife.

Xavier finally investigates his Asylum and finds it to be hellish.

Essex loses his Wife's affection when she sees his condition (like glowing red eyes) and he escapes.

In the Present (of the initial Flashback), we learn that he created Jack as a Mutant and he makes a getaway to America, leaving the signed book from Darwin behind.

In the actual Present, Charles Xavier wakes up (did he just see that?) and puts the book away, possibly hearing his ancestor's words about someone hunting down Sinister.

Sinister appeared in the 2-Part Opener and not again.

A weird attempt to fill in the blanks at a late hour, but I can at least appreciate the flex here.

Saban and Company had made many, many X-Men Episodes at this point.  I don't fault them for wanting to try something new.

The main problems are the same ones that affect this entire Season- Production Values.
The Characters look alright, but feel like the 2nd pass (of at least 3) at the final product.

The timing and placement of this is odd too.  Why do his Origin Story now of all times?
Slip it into Season 3, maybe?

Having an entire Flashback Episode with NO X-Men in it was also strange.  Is there a way to tell this with a better Framing Device than 'Xavier sleeps with the Book next to him?'
There had to be.

Lastly, having a literal appearance by Charles Darwin here is very, VERY on the nose.  Referencing him- sure.  Having him Guest-Star- that's too much.

There's so much weird that I can't even get into the 'Mr. Sinister created Jack the Ripper' Plot!  It's still not as weird as Manimal becoming a Time Traveler to stop him though!

Part of me wonders if this will ever be mentioned in X-Men '97 at some point.  I doubt it!