The plot in this episode is a fairly standard "X-Men discover new mutant who is feared because of his power, but in time the mutant is discovered to be not evil but misunderstood." What makes this episode outstanding, not only in this series but in almost all of episodic television, is the treatment of religion.
Most TV shows that tackle religion fall into two distinct camps: 1. Overt hostility to faith, with the view that those who have religious convictions are either deluded fools or hypocrites; and 2. Inept evangelizing, insisting that all tenets of a given faith must be treated as unbending laws, and that those tenets must be accepted without question.
This episode takes a different approach, showing that religious faith can be a source of personal strength and moral value, and that this viewpoint can provide a pathway through which one's life purpose may be found. The episode doesn't criticize and it doesn't preach; it doesn't offer a facile answer, and it allows the characters, in the end, to keep their unchanged world-views (for the most part).
What this story does do so well is simply show the actions born of religious faith, alongside those of personal honor, and how they strive for a common goal--in this case, an end to hostilities. And because the show is so direct and non-judgmental, it is all the more profoundly moving for simply stating its case and allowing the viewer, like Wolverine, to see the choices available and the paths one's life might take.
Most TV shows that tackle religion fall into two distinct camps: 1. Overt hostility to faith, with the view that those who have religious convictions are either deluded fools or hypocrites; and 2. Inept evangelizing, insisting that all tenets of a given faith must be treated as unbending laws, and that those tenets must be accepted without question.
This episode takes a different approach, showing that religious faith can be a source of personal strength and moral value, and that this viewpoint can provide a pathway through which one's life purpose may be found. The episode doesn't criticize and it doesn't preach; it doesn't offer a facile answer, and it allows the characters, in the end, to keep their unchanged world-views (for the most part).
What this story does do so well is simply show the actions born of religious faith, alongside those of personal honor, and how they strive for a common goal--in this case, an end to hostilities. And because the show is so direct and non-judgmental, it is all the more profoundly moving for simply stating its case and allowing the viewer, like Wolverine, to see the choices available and the paths one's life might take.