TALKBACK - Ben 10: Omniverse - "Mystery, Incorporeal" - [2/22]

[Srebak]

I was worried that Ben would embarrass Gwen to no end in this episode, and while some parts did seem embarrassing, i admit, it wasn't as bad as i originally feared. My mind is still having a field day though.

 

[Tokustar]

You're right. We've already lost Benlie. The last thing we all want to see is the end of Gwevin. I'd be incredibly upset if it came to that.

man i hope it doesn't, i prefer Kevin being good.

 

[Dudley]

This episode had me laughing the whole way through. Though it did go a little too over the top with the hallway door scene, this was a real fun episode. I love how all the girls started glomping Rook.
Man, I don't care what anyone says. Omniverse is the best version of Ben 10 yet.
Oh, hey Ghostfreak's back. I wonder if those locks are keeping him from going evil. Will that even be explained? Was he always able to possess people?
Ya know, seeing how powerful Ghostfreak is, once again I have to say that I'm glad that the Omnitrix doesn't give Ben the aliens he wants all the time. He could use Ghostfreak, Waybig, Toepick, and of course Alien X to solve any problem.

 

[PapaGreg]

= Alien X to solve any problem.

I dont think Ben would turn into Alien X just for fun

 

[DBTrilogy100]

The 2nd episode of Omniverse's 5th Arc/Galactic Monsters acts as homage to the Scooby-Doo Franchise and continues Omniverse's tradition of bringing back familiar faces from the past shows.

*We begin this episode in the middle of the night at a college called "Friedkin University", where a harlequin-esque character is stealing plutonium. Gwen (in her Anodite/Lucky Girl form) appears to stop the harlequin (whose name is revealed to be "Punchinello"). After a quick and one-sided fight, Gwen puts a stop to Punchinello (all while attracting the attention of a crowd of college students).

*Punchinello is then unmasked and revealed to be the college's drama teacher, known as "Professor Aniceto". Unfortunately, the students celebrate to early by crowding Gwen, given Aniceto a chance to escape with the plutonium...luckily, he runs right into the Proto-TRUK! Ben and Rook then step out to greet Lucky Girl and are prepared for a visit!

*After Ben & Rook notice the eyes of painting moving, Gwen takes them to a food truck to meet up with Kevin who is treating them to a sandwich. Ben reveals that Friedkin University is holding an open house this weekend, so he decided to check it out and see if he may be interested in coming here. Gwen also insists that Ben call her "Gwendolyn", a nice nod to the Original Series episode, Ben 10000, where Adult Gwen mentioned she started going by her full name in college. I definitely like how Omniverse makes these sort of continuity nods!

*Lucky Girl being a secret identity does seem odd since the villains know her identity as well as Ben's. The only reason I can think of is that the secret identity is more for Gwen's classmates, as she doesn't want the publicity that Ben has, which I can buy into, as Gwen and Kevin did seem to go unnoticed by the public eye, unlike Ben, during the duration of Ultimate Alien. But I acknowledge that's just my guess, this is certainly something to ask Derrick Wyatt about. Nonetheless, Rook's excitement towards secret identities was pretty funny.

*Upon reaching the food truck, the trio meets up with Kevin and Zed and prepares to eat these sandwiches, which Kevin continues to praise. They soon notice a redheaded young man with glasses try to stand up for himself when some jocks cut in front of him. The jocks responding to the young man's respond in an intellectual manner (and Ben hanging a lampshade on it) was hilarious and a nice subversion of the "jocks are dumb" mentality.

*Gwen and Kevin go to defend the young man, but the jocks back off when they notice Ben and join the other students in being star struck. The young man thanks Gwen for her help all the same and reveals his name to be "Dante". As Ben talks with the crowd, Gwen and Dante head off to class, but Zed growls in their direction for some reason...

*Suddenly, one of Chramcaster's golems jumps down and attacks! Ben transforms into Jury Rigg (which the students comment looks like the college mascot) and turns the broken food truck into a missile launcher to help Rook and Kevin fight the creature! Eventually, the golem manages to get close to Jury Rigg...which causes the Omnitrix to emit a large discharge that flings the golem back and changes Ben back to his human form! Ben notices the Omnitrix is only allowing Ghostfreak as a selection and proceeds to join Rook, Kevin and Zed in chasing after the golem.

*The boys and Zed's search eventually lead them to one of the classrooms. Because of the golem, Ben and Kevin suspect Charmcaster to be the culprit, though I suspect her to be a red herring. Rook doesn't know about Charmcaster, explaining that the Plumber files on magic have been mysteriously disappearing, no doubt foreshadowing something...

*As the boys and Zed attempt to look behind the curtain of the classroom, students start to walk in, among the students being Gwen and Dante! The two explain that this is the class of "Professor Xagliv", an art professor. When the boys look behind the curtain, they see the ghoulish looking Xagliv, who is voiced by Steve Blum.

*After Ben and Kevin cause one disruption too many, Xagliv demands Gwen leave with the rest of the heroes. But before they leave, Gwen notices that the artifact Xagliv has brought out is a familiar one...

*As the heroes leave, Gwen brings up that the artifact is one of the Charms of Bezel, which both she and Ben thought were all destroyed during the Original Series. Dante catches up with them to express excitement about the Charm of Bezel, all while none of them realize someone is watching them...

*The heroes suspect Xagliv may be a villain and have something to do with the golem, all while Gwen tries to keep Dante in the dark about what's actually going on. Suddenly, clocked individuals riding on several golems jump down and attack! Ben transforms into Eye Guy and Gwen (secretly) transforms into Lucky Girl too aid their friends in this battle! I liked how two of the cloaked figures look like Raven and Jinx from Teen Titans, they certainly would fit in this kind of fight!

*Once the cloaked figures escape after the golems get destroyed, the students crowd Ben to praise him and ask him to join one of the campus teams. Dante, however, goes up to Lucky Girl and asks for her help in finding Gwen...

*Back in the classroom, Xagliv is examining the Bezel Charm, when the heroes storm in and accuse Xagliv of being Vilgax in disguise (noting how the name is Vilgax spelled backwards)! However, they only manage to find out Xagliv is wearing a wig! I certainly wouldn't be surprised if others get confused about Xagliv's gender. Rook mistaking "red herring" for "smoked fish" was pretty amusing, I'll admit.

*Suddenly, Dante laughs evilly and takes the charm for himself! His use of dark energy and the term "Lovely Gwen" reveals his true identity...Michael Morningstar/Darkstar, making his first "official" (non-cameo) Omniverse appearance! I had suspected Darkstar to be the villain as he acts as both an arch-enemy and evil counterpart to Gwen and Kevin, making him a perfect fit for an episode featuring those two. Apparently, Dante's sweater was also a nod to Wesley Crusher (a character played by Darkstar's voice artist, Will Wheaton); I admit I didn't catch that as I haven't seen much of Star Trek: The Next Generation, so that was a clever method of foreshadowing on Dante's true identity for Star Trek fans! After draining Gwen's energy, Darkstar escapes with her held by his new telekinesis abilities!

*Ben, Rook, Kevin and Zed proceed to give chase to Darkstar, leading to a "Scooby Dooby Door" chase sequence, which I found to be pretty funny thanks in part to the music. Eventually, Darkstar manages to enter a chamber and magically lock the door to keep the boys and Zed from getting in! The cloaked figures from earlier take Gwen to the center of the room and Darkstar removes the ID mask to return to his true form.

*Darkstar reveals that his plan this time is a result of the events from his previous appearance, Ultimate Alien's Couples Retreat, where he once again craves the mana of Ledger Domain and Charmcaster isn't letting him have any of it. He further explains that sacrificing Gwen will grant him the mana he craves and proceeds to begin the ritual!

*The boys and Zed finally manage to break in, but then have to fight Darkstar's followers to get to Gwen! The Omnitrix is once again only allowing Ghostfreak as a selection, causing Ben to decide to just stay in his human form as he doesn't wish to risk letting the persona of Ghostfreak's donor, Zs'Skayr, out and about! Unfortunately, they loose too much time in the fight, causing Gwen to get sucked into the magical portal and Darkstar to regain his Michael Morningstar appearance!

*Mike is now out causing chaos on campus by draining the life force of the students and Xagliv! I have to admit, Mike's Omniverse design makes him look kind of like a blond Gaston, that actually fits rather well! Left with no other options, Ben relents and transforms into Ghostfreak! Ghostfreak's redesign here is thinner, has a more pointed head and is now covered in shackles; slightly different to the previous designs but still recognizable. Steve Blum has also reprised the role of Ghostfreak, though he sounds less creepy here compared to the Original Series. Hmm...

*Ghostfreak manages to save Xagliv from Mike's attack and notices that Zs'Skayr hasn't taken control yet (though it should be noted that Zs'Skayr also didn't take control in the Ultimate Alien episode, The Ultimate Sacrifice). In any case, Ghostfreak doesn't feel reluctant anymore and proceeds to posses Morningstar in a humiliating and rather hilarious moment.

*Back in the chamber, Rook, Kevin and Zed attempt to try to pull Gwen out of the portal before she completely goes in but it is no easy task! Ghostfreak (still possessing Morningstar) arrives to free Gwen from the portal, thus turning Mike back to his Dark Star appearance! Rook bluntly telling Darkstar he looks ugly was pretty funny, I'll admit.

*Later on, Lucky Girl hands over Darkstar to the police instructing them to keep the magic mark on his forehead. The female cop takes Darkstar away, while Lucky Girl tells the male cop that Ben is at the dean's office, in response to his question. We also see Gwen has decided to keep the Bezel Charm for herself, which points in the direction to her heading for the future we saw in the Original Series Ben 10000 episode. I f they really are heading in that direction, however, that could spell trouble for Kevin...

*In the cop car, Darkstar attempts to use his dark energy to escape but is stopped by a magic forcefield. The female cop removes her sunglasses and hat...revealing herself to be none other than Charmcaster, making her first Omniverse appearance! I have heard that Charmcaster was set to appear in this arc, but I wasn't expecting her arrival until later on. In any case, this makes her appearance here a very pleasant surprise! So far, we only get to see Charmcaster's face in her redesign, but it looks much closer to her Original Series design which is good news in my book! The markings under her eyes kind of remind me of a fox, which would fit with her trickster personality. Here's hoping her default outfit here will resemble her classic appearance. It was also awesome to see Charmcaster give Darkstar what he deserves.

*We then cut back to the ritual chamber, where the symbols on the ground start to glow and a familiar arm emerges...the arm of Zs'Skayr! This seems to suggest that Ghostfreak can be used freely as long as Zs'Skayr is out of the Omnitrix (a slight ret-con from the Original Series, where Ghostfreak was removed from the Omnitrix when Zs'Skayr broke free). This actually explains quite well why Steve Blum's Ghostfreak voice sounds less creepy here compared to the Original Series. Hopefully Omniverse will be the show that finally says Zs-Skayr's name on-screen, I've been wondering how to pronounce it for the longest time. Seeing as how Zs'Skayr was the main villain of the Original Series' 3rd Season and that this arc's theme is a horror theme, I wouldn't be surprised in the slightest if Zs'Skayr became the main villain of this arc (or one of the main villains, if we get co-main villains in this arc).

*The episode concludes with Ben telling the others that the dean gave him an honorary degree, meaning he no longer has need to attend the college and is now "Dr. Tennyson"! This doesn't sit well with the other heroes due to Ben's past egotism, but I'd say Ben's been handling better as of late in comparison to before.

Another great episode! I greatly enjoyed both the Scooby-Doo and Teen Titans references present throughout the episode. Seeing Darkstar return was nice as he was a character from the "UAF Era" that I rather liked and it looks like he recovered from the "villain decay" he suffered in Ultimate Alien (even if he still isn't quite back to his A-Game). Seeing Ghostfreak again (and hearing Steve Blum reprise the role) was also great, as was the tease involving Zs'Skayr's return. Charmcaster's earlier than expected return was also a nice and welcomed surprise, I do look forward to when we get to see a "full appearance" from her. All in all, Galactic Monsters continues to impress me and I look forward to next week's episode, which rumor ha sit will involve a return appearance from the "text book main villain" of the franchise!

 

[Master Lucario]

Hopefully Omniverse will be the show that finally says Zs-Skayr's name on-screen, I've been wondering how to pronounce it for the longest time.

According to Derrick, it's pronounced "Zuh Scare".

 

[DBTrilogy100]

According to Derrick, it's pronounced "Zuh Scare".

Ah, so Derrick Wyatt did end up answering that question after all. Thanks for the information Master Lucario, I greatly appreciate it!

 

[Korra_Fan]

So far, we only get to see Charmcaster's face in her redesign, but it looks much closer to her Original Series design which is good news in my book! The markings under her eyes kind of remind me of a fox, which would fit with her trickster personality. Here's hoping her default outfit here will resemble her classic appearance. It was also awesome to see Charmcaster give Darkstar what he deserves.

Pay close attention to the Galactic Monsters promos and you'll see that Charmcaster does indeed wear her old outfit again, though with a few touches from her Alien Force one added on. Also, the fox resemblance was deliberate. It was a basis for her original design too, Omniverse just emphasized it with those eye markings. Charmcaster, as you say, is a trickster. She's neutral to the core, on her own side whether it be for good or for bad.

Seeing as how Zs'Skayr was the main villain of the Original Series' 3rd Season and that this arc's theme is a horror theme, I wouldn't be surprised in the slightest if Zs'Skayr became the main villain of this arc (or one of the main villains, if we get co-main villains in this arc).

Spoiler alert: he is a co-main villain, the other one being an all-new villain.

Darkstar return was nice as he was a character from the "UAF Era" that I rather liked and it looks like he recovered from the "villain decay" he suffered in Ultimate Alien (even if he still isn't quite back to his A-Game).

Agreed. He wasn't as pathetic as he was in UA, but still didn't quite have the menace he did in AF, especially when he got his pretty looks back and just became laughable at how he camped it up with his booming voice.

 

[SaneMan]

OK, this episode was fun as hell

Loved the reasonable jocks

Many references too
Both to classic Scooby-Doo, Mystery Incorporated (including the tendency to reference Lovecraft and Poe), and Teen Titans (Darkstar's minions looking like Jinx and Raven)
It really makes me wonder whether the show has the same artists as Mystery Incorporated and Teen Titans

Nice to see the return of Ghostfreak (both of them), as well as Darkstar and Charmcaster

And nice to see Gwen is pursuing her own heroic career

Finally, in Ban's place I wouldn't be too cocky
I'm not sure if a honorary degree alone can get you far

T

Okay, why are Kevin and Gwen even a couple? They have no chemistry anything in common or even a general tolerance of each other oh well at least they're not cramming it down our throats.

That one was a problem ever since Alien Force

The fact that Omniverse no longer shoves the pairing into our faces is one of the show's many pluses

 

[zoombie]

Spoiler alert: he is a co-main villain, the other one being an all-new villain.

Agreed. He wasn't as pathetic as he was in UA, but still didn't quite have the menace he did in AF, especially when he got his pretty looks back and just became laughable at how he camped it up with his booming voice.

Actully this season they are two arcs. One with Zs Sykar and this new villain, and other arc a couple of old foes, one who will appear next week, hint his name was mentioned in this episode.

Speaking of team ups, Ben and his imiganary team ups just don't match up. First of all Albedo and Billy Billions, Billions is a comic relief villain, Albedo is a tear 1 or 2 villain, that is just doesn't mess. Vilgax and Charmcaster, are you kidding me, first of all Charmcaster is not evil anymore, second even when she was evil, she was not on Vilgax's level of evil, she was tear 2 villain, Vilgax is a tear 1 villain. That is an insult to both of them. Maybe these are all nods to the fans and there fantasy team ups.

I think the person that donated the charm of Bazil, I think it might have been Hex. He is the one villain with the charms of Bazil, so maybe Hex was Darkstar silent partner in this scheme.

 

[Gatordragon]

This episode was pretty good. People here are saying that this episode was hilarious, but I'm not feeling the funny. I guess I'm not as enthusiastic about this show as I used to be.

 

[Tokustar]

*We then cut back to the ritual chamber, where the symbols on the ground start to glow and a familiar arm emerges...the arm of Zs'Skayr! This seems to suggest that Ghostfreak can be used freely as long as Zs'Skayr is out of the Omnitrix (a slight ret-con from the Original Series, where Ghostfreak was removed from the Omnitrix when Zs'Skayr broke free). This actually explains quite well why Steve Blum's Ghostfreak voice sounds less creepy here compared to the Original Series. Hopefully Omniverse will be the show that finally says Zs-Skayr's name on-screen, I've been wondering how to pronounce it for the longest time. Seeing as how Zs'Skayr was the main villain of the Original Series' 3rd Season and that this arc's theme is a horror theme, I wouldn't be surprised in the slightest if Zs'Skayr became the main villain of this arc (or one of the main villains, if we get co-main villains in this arc).

Ben got Ghostfreak back in Alien Force episode Ghost Town, the Zs'Skayr we saw getting out of Leger Domain was most likely Ghostfreak DNA donor.

 

[ShadowBeast]

I think Gwen uses a secret identity because she wouldn't get any work done with all of the students bugging her, just look what happened when she beat Punchinello he would've got away if Ben hadn't shown up since the other students were in her way.

 

[Alonso Torrejon]

I think Ghostfreak taking over Mike's body just made the "Mortify the Bad Guy" moments along with Jury Rigg fixing the machine to turn Will Harangue into an alien and Azmuth rigging Albedo's Ultimatrix to change into an 11-year-old Ben Tennyson.

 

[zoombie]

I think Ghostfreak taking over Mike's body just made the "Mortify the Bad Guy" moments along with Jury Rigg fixing the machine to turn Will Harangue into an alien and Azmuth rigging Albedo's Ultimatrix to change into an 11-year-old Ben Tennyson.

Big difference here is they were still in battle. I feel no sympathy for Michael, if anything he hasn't suffered enough. I hope my idea of ultimate punishment of him being engaged to Princess Looma happens one day.

So did Darkstar get back into Ledgerdomain between "Couples Retreat" and this episode, he was explaining to Gwen how he got kicked out of Ledgerdomain, Gwen was there when that happened, so what's the point. Unless he is referring to something that happened afterwards.

 

[DBTrilogy100]

Pay close attention to the Galactic Monsters promos and you'll see that Charmcaster does indeed wear her old outfit again, though with a few touches from her Alien Force one added on. Also, the fox resemblance was deliberate. It was a basis for her original design too, Omniverse just emphasized it with those eye markings. Charmcaster, as you say, is a trickster. She's neutral to the core, on her own side whether it be for good or for bad.

Ah, so there is a preview that features her new look after all. That does make sense to include aspects from both outfits, though I'm glad to hear it's dominantly from her classic look. Thanks for the tip, I'll be sure to keep my eyes peeled if I see that trailer again. That's quite cool that the fox similarity was present and intended for her back in the Original Series, thanks for enlightening me on that tidbit. She certainly did become neutral by the time of UA, it sounds like those rumors of her Omniverse appearances having her appear with a "pure villain" to highlight her neutrality are likely to be true. It will interesting to see the contrast this neutral Charmcaster will have with her earlier villainous self.

Spoiler alert: he is a co-main villain, the other one being an all-new villain.

Actully this season they are two arcs. One with Zs Sykar and this new villain, and other arc a couple of old foes, one who will appear next week, hint his name was mentioned in this episode.

So there's going to be two pairs of co-main villains for Galactic Monsters, eh? Good to hear Zs'Skayr will be a main villain again and I look forward to seeing this new villain that will share the position of main villain for his storyline. Likewise, it will be interesting to find out what villains will be sharing the main villain role in the other storyline planned for Galactic Monsters.

Ben got Ghostfreak back in Alien Force episode Ghost Town, the Zs'Skayr we saw getting out of Leger Domain was most likely Ghostfreak DNA donor.

Ben got Ghostfreak back even earlier than that in the Original Series episode, Be Afraid of the Dark (though it is possibly Zs'Skayr broke free again during the time skip). I should clarify that I was referencing how Ben's surprise at seeing Ghostfreak in the Omnitrix again at the end of Be Afraid of the Dark seemed to suggest that Ghostfreak was removed from the Omnitrix when Zs'Skayr broke free in Ghostfreaked Out, rather than Ben simply being reluctant to use Ghostfreak after what happened in Ghostfreaked Out. Ghost Town didn't seem to contradict this either, since Ghostfreak was acessed when Zs'Skayr made contact with the Omnitrix. You make a good point about how the Zs'Skayr at the end of this episode is likely the one who put Ghostfreak in the Omnitrix in the first place as the pop up trivia that revealed Zs'Skayr's backstory never mentioned what became of the "original copy".

 

[zoombie]

I think it is clear Zs Skayr used Darkstar as a distraction or devertion while he snuck around in Ledgerdomain. My question is was this all orgistrated by him, did put Darkstar up to this and planned this all out, or was just a coicidence and he just took advantage of the oppoortunity presented to him inadverdanly by Darkstar. I am thinking it is just a coisidence.

Though I still find it hard to believe Charmcaster would just leave the Apha Rune at Ledgerdomain while she dealt with Darkstar, I would think she would have that with her everywhere she goes.

By the way Ben, even when she was evil, Charmcaster was not the most evilest soccerer over two dimention. I think Hex was more evil and I know Darkstar was more evil than her. I think Ben is going to look like a buffon for saying that the next time they do come accross Charmcaster in a few episodes, he might be a little arrogant thinking he is right, because he was right about Phil, but you can't be right about everything.

Another thing, I always thought I think deep down Charmcaster was a lonely soul who deeply desired friends and companions, I think it would be a great idea if Darkstar's former cult members could become Charmcaster followers. They already know how to ride those rock monsters, maybe they can live in Ledgerdomain so Charmcaster doesn't have to be lonely anymore. She will probably treat them better than Darkstar did. She can actully have citizens in her kingdom that can actully talk. Maybe Margie and the pink haired girl can be to Charmcaster, what Apache, Sun Sun,Milla Rose were to Hallibel in Bleach, or what Sopra and Ranju were to Reina in Rave Master. That would be a way to end Charmcaster loneliness.

 

[Light Lucario]

man i hope it doesn't, i prefer Kevin being good.

I agree. They already did enough with Kevin turning evil again during the whole Ultimate Kevin episodes. I don't think that they need to do something like that again and I prefer him being good too.

That one was a problem ever since Alien Force

The fact that Omniverse no longer shoves the pairing into our faces is one of the show's many pluses

While I could see how the pairing was shoved into the spotlight a few times in the last couple of series, I actually like Gwen and Kevin's relationship. They wouldn't be one of my favorite animated couples or anything like that, but they do seem to genuinely care for each other after everything they've been through together and I kind of like that they're still together. They certainly have more chemistry than Ben and Julie did for me at least.

Anyway, I thought that this was a pretty good episode. I really liked the Scooby Doo reference. Kevin saying that they have a mystery on their hands just cracked me up. The doorway scene was a bit over the top, especially with Gwen being kidnapped at that point, but it was still pretty funny. Gwen having a secret identity seemed pretty weird. I could maybe see how she would want to prevent the other students from giving her all that attention so she could get through her classes, but considering that all of her enemies already know who she is, it just seemed kind of odd.

I kind of figured that Dante was the villain, but I didn't think that he was Dark Star. That was a bit of an unexpected twist. Ben using Ghostfreak to defeat him was a bit of a surprise too. I vaguely remember seeing some of the episodes from the original series where Ghostfreak got out of control, so I wonder if they'll go for something like that again here. Ben being forced to use only Ghostfreak could be setting up another storyline for later on in the season. Charmcaster appearing at the end to get some revenge was pretty cool too. Ben getting an honorary degree seemed way too ridiculous though. He hasn't even finished high school since he should still be sixteen, so an honorary college degree seemed a bit much.

Overall, it was a pretty good episode. The humor was great, there were a couple of decent twists and some setups for future episodes. I'd definitely say that Omniverse is at least more fun than Ultimate Alien and good chuck of Alien Force. I'm not sure if the writing has significantly improved, but the humor, characters usually being likable, or at least tolerable, and mixing up the status quo that the last two series had definitely helps to make the series fun. After how boring most of Ultimate Alien was, I'd gladly take a Ben 10 series that's actually fun to watch. I hope that the next new episode is fun to watch too.

 

[zoombie]

I think is is kind of unfair that Rock get the leftovers of Ben's fame, while Gwen and Kevin got nother in UA.

 

[Dudley]

I think is is kind of unfair that Rock get the leftovers of Ben's fame, while Gwen and Kevin got nother in UA.

The girl's were all over Rook because they've likely never seen an alien up close before.
It is a little weird that Kevin and Gwen aren't as famous as Ben, but Ben can change into amazing aliens varying in powers and size, and well, Gwen and Kevin don't.