“Whose Woods These Are” is episode four of season two of Mutant X.
Brennan and Shalimar are in a clearing in the woods somewhere, along with armed hunters and some sort of temporary base. There apparently have been several killings as well as sightings of a mysterious creature; Bigfoot frenzy is in progress. Brennan doesn’t know why they’re out there; it’s not like it’s New Mutant activity. Shalimar doesn’t know where Adam gets his inside information.
A young man and a woman are travelling through the woods; the woman is filming everything. He doesn’t seem to think it’s anything unusual, but has promised to show her where the bodies were found. She keeps spouting more improbable theories. Neither seem terribly worried and start making out. However, something is watching them. It attacks, the camera gets knocked away as the man is beaten and then the woman is dragged off. The camera catches some of this. Brennan and Shalimar are elsewhere and haven’t found anything. Shalimar senses something, though.
Emma, Jesse and Adam are watching the video of the attack – the camera has been discovered – at the Sanctuary. Jesse asks if it’s real and Emma says it’s got to be. Adam agrees. Brennan and Shalimar are still out there and Shalimar says whatever killed the couple is a New Mutant. Brennan isn’t sure. Shalimar asks Jesse to freeze the image and zoom in on the attacker. Its eyes are glowing. Jesse isn’t convinced and Brennan thinks it’s a bear. Adam agrees more with Shalimar. He wants them to stay out there. Brennan doesn’t like nature. Adam tells them if anything happens, let them know so they can send backup.
As Brennan and Shalimar exit their trailer, a hunter is talking about killing the creature. Shalimar says it’s just protecting its territory. She and Brennan claim to be animal rights activists. Another man introduces himself as Grady Colt, a cryptozoologist. He wants to get a look before the yokels get gun crazy. Back at the Sanctuary, Jesse has discovered another attack, deleted from the police database.
Shalimar is enjoying the woods; Brennan not so much. She’s found some human hair and senses something. Brennan follows to find Shalimar with a bear. Brennan wants to zap it but Shalimar stops him. After the bear leaves, Shalimar says it’s not their killer. She asked him.
Emma wonder why the police would be covering up the attack, but Adam believes it’s been done by someone outside the police. Jesse has found very little on the person; it’s like they didn’t exist prior to the attack. He has a name – Nathaniel Block – and something showing him admitted to Chelton Veterans Hospital.
Shalimar says they are close and she’s never sensed anything like it before. She says its close and she and Brennan split up. Shalimar senses where the creature is, then a hairy beast man in a jumpsuit attacks her. He’s stronger than she is and slices her open. Grady is photographing this, as Brennan arrives and tries to zap the creature, which does little good. The creature runs off and Brennan asks what it was. Definitely not a bear or a wolf. Shalimar says it’s one of them.
Shalimar wants to take it back to the Sanctuary. Brennan would be happy to kill it. Shalimar says it’s confused and in pain; a feral, like her. Brennan replies she’s nothing like it. She might be, in the future; they’re still mutating and no-one knows what they will turn into. Brennan then notices that Shalimar has been clawed. Shalimar senses something and Brennan goes to check it out, finding Grady, who claims he only just got there and didn’t see anything. Lying, but why? The hunter from earlier has found Shalimar and is telling her she shouldn’t be out there. In the woods, there’s predator and prey, and he makes a habit of being the predator. Shalimar is not impressed with him. Nor he, her.
Back at their trailer, Shalimar doesn’t seem so great and has a temperature. She insists to Brennan that she’s fine. Brennan is going to look for Grady, as he thinks Grady photographed them using their powers.
Emma and Jesse have got inside the hospital. Nathaniel is under heavy security and, when he’s found, he’s a hairy beastman wearing a jumpsuit. The jumpsuit is identical to the one worn by the beastman in the woods. Nathaniel is not as beast-like, but there looks to be a definite, and likely not natural, connection.
Shalimar feels a connection to the beastman in the woods, though whether he feels the same is open to question. It also looks like someone has managed to create the New Mutant equivalent of a werewolf.