Wednesday, June 12, 2024

X-Men '97 - Episodes 6-10 Reviews

The second half of this season certainly upped the ante with the introduction of another major villain, a return of powers and a three part finale.

Episode 6: Lifedeath - Part 2


Remember how the fourth episode was basically two episodes stories smashed into one? Well, there's a continuation of that. Yet again, the Storm story proved to be the best of the bunch as she tooknn Adversary once again and managed to not only defeat Adversary but also regained her powers in a scene that lifted from Man Of Steel. The second story revealed that Professor X was living off world with Lilandra Neramani, only for the latter's sister to disapprove of their impending nuptials. Structurally, it's much better than the previous part with a bit of a follow up on the attack on Genosha. 7/10

Episode 7: Bright Eyes


Now this was a hell of a prelude to the finale. We had Gambit's funeral and Rogue going to extreme measures in her quest for answers by hunting down both Gyrich and Trask. Let's just say that Rogue really let her dark side out while Cable also returned to warn the X-Men about Mister Sinister's next plan. There's also a subplot involving Sunspot coming out as a Mutant to his mother along with the reveal of another Sentinel programme. The biggest reveal though wasn't Magneto being alive but more that he was being held prisoner by Bastion (Theo James) during the very last scene in this one. 8/10

Episode 8: Tolerance Is Extinction - Part 1


Ending this season with a three part finale was certainly a wise choice on Beau DeMayo's part. This first segment alone certainly kicked things off chaotically with Cyclops, Jean and Cable travelling back in time to uncover Bastion's backstory just as the latter used Sentinels to blow up the school and attack mutants. Magneto getting free however created even more problems as he resorted to his own methods to stop the Sentinels. With Wolverine voicing the obvious concerns of war, Xavier also returned to Earth. 8/10

Episode 9: Tolerance Is Extinction - Part 2 


The middle segment and things certainly intensified here. Throwing in some fan pleasing cameos from other Marvel characters to one side, the highlight in this part was the battle of wits between Xavier and Magneto with the latter making it clear he had tired of Xavier's nonsense. This episode also had the groups splitting into Magneto's team with Rogue and Sunspot and then everyone else. We also had Beast and Forge working together to create a disadvantage for Bastion and the Sentinels. 8/10

Episode 10: Tolerance Is Extinction - Part 3


The final part and what a way to end this season. A reunited X-Men team, new costumes, differences put aside and the defeats of both Mr Sinister and Bastion along with a restored to power Earth. It was a hell of a time during this three part finale but there were so many satisfying moments that played throughout this event, including a surprise resolution to the series finale of Spider-Man: The Animated Series. However the cliffhanger involved our main characters being scattered in different time periods and the predicted return of a certain character that was killed earlier this season. Let's just say the second season can't come soon enough. 9/10

Season 2 of X-Men '97 will premiere on Disney+, likely in early 2025.

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