Episode 1 - "And Then There Were 10"

This first episode of the original series Ben 10 is a perfect start to a classic show, that still holds up better than many of the shows to come out after it.

As this is the first installment it seems fitting to mention the nostalgic original theme song, it's upbeat tune combined with the wavering tunes reminiscent of classic alien horror films set the tone perfectly for the action packed alien adventure yet to unfold.

As the later episodes tend to focus on Ben learning a specific hero with greater skill there will normally be a focus on an alien every week, however this debut episode reveals 4 and builds upon all but Diamondhead minimally, so they shall only be briefly covered here.

This original show also has the best art style in my opinion of any Ben 10 product, it's comparable to that of Avatar: Last Airbender in terms of quality and consistency, and looking far more timeless then the bare basic reboot or even the often lifeless Alien Force and Ultimate Alien runs of the show.

Anyways into the actual episode 1 specific review:

Plot:
The first part of the plot quickly establishes the core aspects of the three main characters, Ben Tennyson, his cousin Gwen and their Grandpa Max. I was amazed how quickly and effectively they managed to achieve this whilst building up the setting.

Ben's shown to be a hero when the opening school setting sees him stand up for a bullied nerd, however as the show is keen to make clear he is totally hopeless at it, having him totally beaten down and humiliated by the bullies. However he is also presented to be trouble making and childish, shown in the fact the teacher held him behind at the end of his final class for throwing paper planes, making him a less perfect and thus more human character.

Whilst this serves as a way to establish Ben's more comic tone and his good will it also sets one of the golden rules of  Ben 10; "When Ben is in human form, he must be far from that of a super hero". This is one of the founding principles upon which the show is based, and while Ben often relies on his wits and quick thinking in the field whilst human it is normally just to keep himself alive, making times when he actually manages to save the day while human much more fulfilling and satisfying.

This brief look into Ben's life prior to the adventure ends with Max and Gwen arriving to begin their road trip across the whole of America. The road trips acts as the perfect device to allow for strange contained single stories to be built up. America especially adds to this as a setting, considering the culture of strange alien sightings and myths to explore each episode.

Gwen and Max are also strongly established through the episode, their opening scene clearly showing the state of the family upon the outset of their journey. Ben's excitement to go on the trip with Max, only emphasized by the brief glimpse into Ben's boring school life, conveys the strong connection the pair have, and in turn his fear that Gwen would spoil/change their annual trip only furthering the proof of his and Max's strong bond. Gwen's and his rivalry is instant, in what feels like a normal family feud.


The show reveals a space battle that results in the Omnitrix's descent to Earth in brief cuts, however one of the things this show does that makes it stand out is have long running arcs and not handing everything on a plate to the viewer. The alien attacker known as Vilgax gets no explanation other than us knowing he wants "the Watch" (as Ben dubs it). We will have to wait and see to learn more about him, aside from the fact his body has been crippled and broken by the space battle, forcing him into a status tube.



Upon arrival at the campsite many character traits are established, such as Max's strange taste in food and Ben's disregard for warnings, as seen today where he wanders off into the uncharted woods alone. After a brief stroll a meteor from space attempts to assault Ben, and directly aims itself at him. After impact and a severe shock to Ben the all powerful Omnitrix is revealed, where it glomps and locks onto Ben's wrist.

This establishes golden rule two, "Ben cannot remove the Omnitrix by any means". This is important as from here on his having it will make him a target because everyone wants it, the irremovable nature acting as the only thing that stops the villain winning in many episodes.

Ben messes around with the watch, triggering his first alien, Heatblast, and a forest fire. Gwen and Max are shown to be the voices of reason and intelligence in their calm handling of the situation and quick acceptance of Ben's story. Grandpa Max seemed strangely unfazed as to the alien form. Meanwhile the change is used to show the true, more caring feelings between Gwen and Ben, with her recognizing him instantly by his mannerisms.

The watch times out after 10 minutes, another golden rule of the original show, Ben gets 1 alien, for 10 mins and then has to recharge. Due to the random nature of his alien selection the show is more about "How do I use this alien to solve this problem" as opposed to Ben being able to pick the right tool for the job all the time, often with comic effect. Further messing around with the watch causes him to become Wildmutt and this triggers Vilgax's Omnitrix hunting robots, whom he tries to destroy, before timing out mid fight. Gwen saves the weak human Ben, showing her dual role as an action character as well as the brains, as in any competition between human Ben and Gwen would almost always see Gwen victorious, with her advanced intellect and martial arts training.

A final huge robot comes to attack the park and Ben becomes Diamondhead to fight him, learning on the fly that he can redirect its laser attacks with his crystal structure, and using it to destroy the attacker. With some signs of Ben's acts of heroism now being viable the episode comes to a close, but not before Ben uses XLR8 to attack the bullies from earlier, bringing the whole first episode full circle showing his keen sense of justice despite his more troublesome side still being strong.

Alien of Focus:

As a debut episode we saw Ben have a number of fairly long turns with many alien forms, with recharge times not being too damaging so as to ease you into the series. Diamondhead was the one in the big final fight of the episode so he would probably count, but the most impactful debut was that of Heatblast as Ben's first transformation, showing the danger of misusing the Omnitrix.

Final Thoughts:

Really strong start to the series, many hints of what is yet to come, and plenty of things shown to grab your attention from the start. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this episode, as I normally dread the early episodes of shows I loved as a kid, but this did not fail to impress.

Rating:

Plot: 9/10 - Great idea for a series, an original take on the teen super hero idea.

Characterisation: 10/10 - Everyone is perfectly established and have hints of development by the end of the first episode.

Humour: 7/10 - Not the funniest episode but it didn't need to be, some great one liners though.

Action: 8/10 - Great first glimpse into the way Ben must adapt to different fighting styles with Wildmutt and Diamondhead.

Villain: 7/10 - Vilgax is hinted at very well to be a big threat later, perhaps it would have been more interesting for Ben to face some aliens rather than robots, but he needed to learn the basics somewhere.

41/50

Next Week: Episode 2 "Washington B.C."