Dandesun

Holy crap, she was wildly impressive.

What an incredible finish!! LOVED IT!!

The original show was not daily. It was part of Fox Saturday morning cartoons and the number of episodes was just different then. The show runner said he tried to get more episodes but was denied by corporate. By the way the first two season of the original series were only 13 episodes. Seasons 3-4 were longer and the last season about about 13 again. Season 2 looks like it's going to be Apocalypse heavy what with a significant amount of X-Men in the past with En Sabah Nur (yeah, that's Apocalypse, if you don't know the name but do know the original series the blue markings were a tip off) and Jean and Scott in the future with Clan Askanii and teen Nathan. Original series did have the whole Apocalypse stuff with Cable going on so that walks hand in hand with their continuation of the original. And, of course, there's the big guy himself at modern day Genosha foreshadowing Gambit's return like crazy. I love that they leaned so hard into Jean and Ororo's relationship. The action was terrific. I particularly loved how dynamic they made Rogue's fight scenes. I found the beats they took with Rogue very interesting as she is generally the absolute stalwart for Xavier's Dream in the comics once she was accepted into the ranks. I know what role she played here in this adaptation and I found the beats believable so I think season 2 should be very interesting for her as well. Forge putting together a new team in lieu of the majority of the X-men's MIA status should be very interesting too. And Bishop's presence has got to be the means of bringing those in the timestream back, it just makes sense. Jubilee and Sunspot are in the present and Forge has got notable mutants like Iceman, Kitty Pryde and Emma Frost on his list of likely players. Who else? Psylocke? Havok? Polaris? He does have connections so that should be fun. I was not expecting a hell of a lot out of this series but I thought they knocked it out of the park. This was a really really good show.

I don't appreciate you stealing my noseless Wolverine joke that I made on the newsgroups back in the 90s. 😉 I kid. Sort of. I did make that joke but talk about low hanging fruit. I can't claim copywrite or anything. But man I hope they don't go the noseless route. Make him feral for a bit if you absolutely must but for the love of God let him keep his nose! It's not like his cartilage was adamantium!

The thing I wonder about with Jean and the various Phoenix references is if they're going to go full bore with something that has been danced around for decades only to be really solidified now. That 'now and forever' Jean is Phoenix. It got real convoluted in the comics and even though the animated series did the best version of the Phoenix storyline it also dropped some major points. Other people have been Phoenix. They've gotten rid of it, they've brought it back but, ultimately, Jean has been written to be the primary host/that level of strength at her full powers. She doesn't have to go dark anymore, she went through that already, but to accept that part of her might be the thing for her moving forward. Maybe I don't understand the complaints about pulling too much from the comics. They've always done this. The characters are from the comics. The villains are from the comics. Mutants fighting for a world that hates and fears them are from the comics. The Sentinels, the Friends of Humanity, Genosha, the Blackbird, the Shi'ar, the Xavier School, the Savage Land, Master Mold, Henry Peter Gyrich, Bolivar Trask, the Morlocks... all of these are from the comics. And none of these stories are direct translations from the comics. The fact that there has been 30 MORE years of storytelling since this show was on just gives them more to pull from. The story that's being told isn't comic specific. Mutants are fighting for acceptance and even though they've been fighting to protect humanity they continue to be targeted. That was the whole jist of Magneto's speech in episode 2. They work to create a homeland so they have their own nation and it gets destroyed. People die, people are hurt, now they're all struggling with the idea of 'why did we ever try to play nice when this is what you want for all of us?' It's the cycle of hatred. It's the constant need for a scapegoat or to Other an entire group of people Just Because. That is what the X-Men have been about since the 70s and it continues here. I know what these references are but I have seen and heard from many people who don't who still think the show is killing it without knowing the references. All that being said... if you don't like it, that's fine too. It's not a requirement.

So they went with Bastion and Operation Zero Tolerance... very interesting. Again, the melding of stories really works for me here. And Lord... Bastion with the 'Flying Purple People Eater' song playing. Wrapping something horrible and vile in this veneer of wholesome novelty just makes it creepier. It's like the beginning of Bioshock: Infinite. What is Bastion going to do with Magneto. And will we have a Steve and Bucky moment when Charles comes back and he and Erik see each other again? Speaking of... hey Steve! They did Emma's diamond form reveal! That was a part of the E is for Extinction story where Genosha got razed so I was actually happy to see that. Rogue unleashing her fury... that woman is a power house and it was actually fun to see. Nightcrawler being the one to oversee Remy's funeral and then reach out to Rogue over her grief and feelings (loved the Dia de los Muertos going on during that) and also Jean and the rest of the X-men were there. X-men is all about found family after all particularly when dealing with parents who are all 'oh I'm so happy you finally told us but don't tell anyone else because shareholders!' Oh 'Berto... Jean and Scott had a good conversation about the complications of their relationship and I love Jean's hair down. ALSO loved Jean getting to be a powerhouse too in the fight with Prime Sentinel Bolivar Trask. And Rogue dropping Trask? Well that goes along with this overall sentiment of the X-men just being done with begging for a place at the table. It's something they go through cyclically in the comics, the last go round being Krakoa, so I'm actually enjoying seeing it here. And it's said the last three episodes are going to be pretty hard core. Can't wait.

Storm's non powered era lasted years but I understand how adaptations work so I wasn't expecting it to be particularly drawn out. I really wasn't expecting it after losing Gambit and Magneto. Do I believe those deaths will stick? Not really but status quo is that they're dead so Storm is needed again. I do like that they had Forge involved and was surprised that they brought the Adversary into it. For me? The Fall of the Mutants storyline was a really interesting one and it was the catalyst for bringing Storm's powers back and it led to one of my favorite periods which was the Outback period before Inferno. That's just me. And even in the books it wasn't an instantaneous thing... it was fast but it played out a little bit like here where she had access and it took her a hot minute to actively reach out and grab them again. I have had issues with XTAS doing comic storylines before in the initial installment of the show simply because they were using a current team with previous storylines but it never felt complete. I think at this point I've adapted myself and I think they're doing better taking pieces from different storylines and working them into their own established canon. Charles in Space, for example. The elements from a very specific storyline were there but altered enough to work for what they're doing. Charles' return to the X-books after some 70 issues after Lilandra came to get him to save his life was some more crazy space-faring stuff that involved Skrulls, a new re-aged and fully powered Storm (Claremont put Storm through the wringer, y'all) and another confrontation/cross-over on Genosha. Shit was INSANE! And then the X-Men got shunted off to space quite suddenly and crazy ass stuff was happening there! So while I'm glad we're not getting the Skrull storyline I was enjoying the nods to it all what with Charles' war costume and stuff. Although him going 'Okay, class is in session' was so quintessentially Charles I was laughing out loud. Oh... is that you Death-bit? Or just another nod? Storm's looks over the years have generally been cool as fuck (actually one of the ones I like least is the white 90's one that Jim Lee did that we all know from this series) but man that classic Byrne costume is classic for a reason. And they animated it beautifully. Sinister is responsible for the Genosha attack? Yeah, that works. Again, elements of comic stories combined into a new canon for XTAS97. I'm down with it. One thing I hope for? Scott to not stand for any shade Charles throws upon his return.

The Native American is James Proudstar aka Warpath and the (kind of bullshit) reason he's in the villain line up is that he started out as an antagonist because the "All New All Different" X-Men involved his older brother John aka Thunderbird who ended up dying on an early mission. James blamed Charles and actually did some serious damage to the X-Men's reputation in his quest for revenge as part of Emma Frost's Hellions. He did eventually see the light regarding Emma and left the Hellions and ended up with the New Mutants and then joined X-Force in the 90s with Cable and a bunch of former New Mutants. I do find it interesting that they replaced Jimmy with Emma... who also eventually became an X-man. Emma, at least, was a flat out villain for a good long time. Warpath was an antagonist because his reasons for hating Charles were valid and also he was a kid who was mourning his brother's death. AND he caught onto Emma and the Hellions stuff pretty quickly and told them all to fuck right the hell off. I don't think anyone knows who the bald guy was supposed to be.

Gen X here. Saw Bambi in the theaters when I was quite wee. Believe me, NO ONE missed out on what happened. The panic? The echoing gunshot? Bambi searching for her in the snow and becoming more and more scared when she didn't answer? And finally... "Your mother can't be with you any longer." It's traumatizing for a reason. We all got it.

I loved the first run of Marauders. When they went to space and Cassandra Nova was there... I struggled and then just flat out lost interest. I loved X-Factor and wish that one had continued.

Scott beginning to lean into his revolutionary period is something I'm here for. And as much as I don't like triangles I think the Scott centered one actually makes sense and is emotionally complicated and that is coming across. It's not as simple as 'well so and so is a hypocrite' to me. What I'm seeing is a group of people dealing with a lot of insane shit and that's totally okay for me. Could it get tired? Yes but I have a real fondness for Scott and Jean separately and together and while I never connected much with Maddy in the books I think she did get screwed and her coming back in Krakoa and Jean making peace with her was really really good stuff. And yes, I think Maddy/Alex works and I root for those two kids. Except that's not the case here in X97 so I'm interested in what comes next, I really am. In regards to Magneto and Rogue. Show-runner has gone on record to say that Rogue was in her early 20s when all of this initially went down with Magneto. I've never been a fan of this pairing simply because of the power imbalance and, gods, when they went whole hog with it in AoA I feel it was even grosser but... whatever. It's in the past and I don't give it a hell of a lot of thought anymore. Rogue ultimately making her choice and then realizing what she really wanted only to have it be too late is pure romantic tragedy. I've loved Rogue/Gambit since the 90s y'all, I wrote fanfic back in the day. I'm still friends with that crew! But man, the episode was so good that I can't even be mad at any part of it. I know in comics no one dies for long (there are precious few exceptions to that rule... like Uncle Ben or the Waynes... once upon a time I would have said Bucky but man Brubaker wrote the hell out of that one and I ain't sorry at all) and hell, they killed off Morph in the original series and brought him back. I've seen Magneto use his powers to keep his own heart beating when most of his chest was ripped out. I've seen him fall from orbit in Asteroid M and survive. I've seen Gambit going into the light while Rogue chased him and physically pulled him back. I've seen Gambit become the Horseman of Death for Apocalypse. I don't expect either of these deaths to take but that doesn't take anything away from how good they went out in this episode. X-Men are hard to kill. X-Men have trouble staying dead. Both of these things are true. And I can't wait.

Oh there were some rough patches and stuff I skipped but I went all in during the Krakoa Era. It was exciting in a way the X-Men hadn't been in ages. I will admit to being very frustrated with the Fall of X... I feel like it has draaaaaagged on so much but there are things in the Krakoa Era that I have just loved. Doug in the Inferno mini. The resurrection of Destiny and finally playing out the fact that Kurt is the son of Mystique and Destiny as Claremont intended back in the day. Maybe not all of Claremont's ideas should be kept sacred (*cough* Jean/Logan *cough*) but that one was a great idea and the seeds planted where Mystique had no problem killing Rogue but couldn't pull the trigger on Kurt when she worked on attacking the X-Men in whatever Danger Room-esque set up she had going on was good stuff. Lorna coming back into the spotlight. Apocalypse took a real interesting turn. The entirety of X-Men Red. Jean bitch slapping Nightmare and coming back to acknowledge that 'now and forever' she is Phoenix. What they did with Moira was amazing at the beginning. I'm not as thrilled with the now but, whatever, I'm interested in seeing what comes next far more than I have been in other eras. Gail Simone writing Uncanny where we have Gambit and Rogue taking the lead and starting down in New Orleans? YES! Kurt will be there too? YES YES!!

What an incredible episode. Really. I found Nightcrawler being the guide through Genosha for Rogue and Gambit to be very meta considering that he was the one being introduced to Genosha by Wanda in 'Wolverine & the X-Men.' Also, I still full on ship Kurt/Wanda because of that show. And I always LOVE seeing Kurt, he's one of my all time faves. The complicated mess that is Maddy/Scott/Jean... oh and Logan, I guess... is really rich and made far more complicated than I feel it was in the comics. As far as Scott knew, he WAS with Jean. And Maddy didn't die so his continued connection to her makes sense. Jean struggling with it also makes sense. In comics, Jean and Scott didn't just immediately reunite in X-Factor, it was messy and complicated because Jean had lost YEARS of her life as well as her telepathy and Scott was reeling from Jean being back and then Maddy and Nate being lost. Here is even more of a mess. Interesting that they went with the psychic affair that Scott had with Emma but switched it out with Maddy here. Although Emma looking on in Genosha was... interesting. The Scott/Jean showdown was really well written, I could see both sides of the argument. Logan. *ugh* I hate every incarnation of Logan/Jean. I really cannot stand it. But I could see the choices made here... Logan checking in, Jean struggling with her memories, and I even understand the choice to have Jean kiss Logan while she's struggling with her memories and the fact that Scott won't talk to her (and then find out he's psychically macking on Maddy and has been for the past month) especially since when he was trying to help in the Goblin Queen episode he gave her his feelings to focus on. But I am NOT rooting for Logan/Jean. That will never happen. Y'all saw the shadow of the Watcher in the skies, right? You know something is about to go down. I'm glad Rogue finally told Remy about her past with Magneto (although I was all 'Rogue, girl, you fucked your professor from college... that's what this looks like' in the flashbacks) and I'm also glad he pointed out that he followed her lead in not making it official between them and then saying Magneto would probably break her heart but until that they wouldn't be anything other than friends. (Pulling from a period in the comics where he let her go because he was tired of the push/pull and told her to go live her life but not to come back to him until she was ready to commit.) Then we have sexy mutant dancing between Rogue and Magneto (that dress she wore a callback to X-Men 4 and a date she went on with Remy. It got interrupted by Omega Red.) before Rogue admits that Gambit is right... some things go deeper than the skin, meaning, yeah she can touch Magneto but she's in love with Remy. Not that Remy saw, he noped out of there pretty quickly. Cable sighting! Maddy recognizing him as Nathan. Whatever he's trying to do doesn't work and then we get... ...a truly harrowing attack that includes elements of the last Hellfire Gala, the Mutant Massacre and E is for Extinction. That they were on the ground so you could see the fighting, the death, all of it was an amazing choice. It was all so visceral. Magneto's 'have no fear' in German as his last words... and Remy coming through with saving Rogue's life and then sacrificing himself to take out the tri-Sentinel. "Remember It" was always going to showcase Gambit, he used the words often enough in the original series but this was beautifully devastating. The way they showcased his fighting and then charging up the motorcycle to save Rogue and then charging up the tri-Sentinel to destroy it. Gambit is one of my favorites as well. I loved this episode for him, I truly did. Rogue weeping over him, 'I can't feel you' fade to black and the somber credits music. What an incredible episode.

Yeah, well, Claremont did write Kitty getting seduced by an evil version of Courtney Ross (Sat-Yr-9) on her 15th birthday in Excalibur. They didn't do anything overtly sexual but Claremont was very clear about what was happening and has used the term 'seduction' in reference to that story in the years since. So... yeah... look, like I said there are definite problematic elements in his writing and there are very definitely things that didn't age well AT ALL. As for Ellis, yes, I always assumed that Kitty was at least 18 when the stuff with Wisdom went down. I believe Ellis assumed the same. The age difference didn't bother me too much because considering Kitty's life she was wildly more mature and experienced than your every day 18 year old. I'll bring it back to the show, Jubilee is officially declared to be 18 which I appreciate but also consider all the things she's been through since she joined the X-men. On the upside, Roberto is clearly not over a decade older than her. They seem to be the same age so, yeah, kids... do what you're gonna do. Use protection!

I love that they highlighted several times that Jubilee was turning 18. Let me tell you, in comics she seemed to be 14 FOREVER, then they seemed to age her up then they de-aged her again. Yes, yes, sliding timescale but it was just weird af. Similar shit happened with Kitty. Hell, Claremont, who wasn't even writing her anymore had very specific opinions as to how old she was and wasn't shy about saying so. Look, I respect the hell out of Chris Claremont's work, problematic though a lot of it is, but there were some hills he chose to die on that I just can't even with. Kitty's age for one and deciding that Logan/Jean were the OTP after editorial decided to resurrect Jean and bring the OG5 back together. That is a bitter bitter road for me and the fact that we still have to deal with that toxic shit in this day and age is frustrating as fuck. Also... did anyone else get the impression from that fade to black kiss that 'Berto and Jubes might have banged it out? That's where my mind went. Messy, horny soap opera man.