derp420 posted...
The original series never did a split episode. So many others at the time did though, so it's justifiable.
I think he meant more that they did episodes with separate storylines. You're right though, I don't remember them ever doing a completely split story like this. They often bounced back and forth between separate stories in the same episode, which often lead to 2-parters. The first episode about Genosha is like this.
edit: I was under the impression that the new kid was supposed to be Sunfire, but then he shows up in the background.