Beware of spoilers for the show in the article. Please do not continue reading if you haven't seen the 9th episode yet and you are not okay with being spoiled.
Introduction :
The show delivered another excellent installment this week filled to the brim with action , great emotional scenes and easter eggs. The X-Men team characters all went back to wearing their classic super suits (including Sunspot who dons his classic New Mutants team suit and Forge who wears his X-Factor suit). The only exception to this is Jubilee who dons her modern suit which debuted last week. Storm's appearance in the show’s opening sequence has also been edited to show her in her black suit. I’m wondering if we are going to get everyone in their new costumes in the opening credits for the final episode or in season 2.
Professor Xavier and Cyclops :
Professor X wakes up and we see how things have changed for the team. Xavier's mechanical wheelchair has also been destroyed and the X-Mansion along with it. Scott's fear is that Professor X didn't trust him which is why he didn't leave the X-Men to him but the Professor explains that he wanted to give Jean and Scott a break to have a normal life with Nathan and away from the responsibility that leading the X-men entails. Scott feels slighted by the Professor’s actions because he is the second in command of the X-Men and more so because Magneto did exactly what he initially thought he would do. Magneto did try to act on Xaviers ideology though, life got in the way.
Scott tells Xavier that even if they left they still would have dealt with Sinister ( since Madelyne was already switched with Jean) , Nathan would have been sent to the future anyway, Bastion would have still caused Genosha to happen and Gambit would have died. Fate would have ensured that they ended up in the same exact place.
Magneto’s Plan :
When Eric used his magnetic pulse he weakened the Earth's electromagnetic field to the extent that the earth has 12 hours left until it completely depletes the field, which will mean the earth can't shield itself from the sun and everyone on Earth will be killed by radiation effectively killing both mutants and humans. It's pretty extreme for Magneto to basically decide to just let everyone die , that's what makes it an evil plan. I'd like someone who isn't as passive as Professor X but also isn't as extremist as Magneto. Magneto went back to basics as an extremist. I found it interesting that Magneto didn't search for his kids Polaris , Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver to save their lives. Is Magnus willing to let his children die too ? We know for a fact they exist in this show's timeline. Polaris has been shown in the opening theme and Morph has shapeshifted into Quicksilver in the show. I also think Magneto and Rogue are having mental breakdowns due to the trauma they experienced, no one would be okay after witnessing that much trauma.
Jean and Storm :
Another aspect of this show I enjoy is Jean and Storm's friendship. I'm glad the show is focusing on their sisterhood. Their pep talk before they went into battle was great. Jean and Storm are best friends in the comics and it's something you really feel on this show with their sisterhood. X-Men 2 United cut a scene with Storm and Jean ( portrayed by Halle Berry and Famke Janssen) discussing Scott on the X-Jet and I still feel a little annoyed that they did. It would have made Storm and Jean's friendship more clearer , the two characters didn't interact from my memory at all in the X-Men: The Last Stand movie, which is even worse. I'm glad we are getting justice for the team's resident best friends. I disliked that they didn't make Storm a teenager in X-Men Evolution tv series for that reason , since we never got to see the characters as friends due to their age difference on that show. Evolution did have a great Jean though.
Professor X’s history with Bastion :
Charles revealed that when Bastion was a kid he went to recruit him and his mother declined the invitation to the school. So Bastion almost became part of the first X-Men team with Cyclops , Beast, Jean Grey , Angel and Iceman. The power dampening neck braces don’t work on Bastion’s powers. I liked Storm’s reaction when Beast mentioned the possibility of using the brace on Bastion to take away his power.
Decide, My X-Men :
Rogue woke up and Nightcrawler caught her up on everything that has happened since Trask knocked her out. Nightcrawler also confirmed that Trask is alive , so Rogue hasn't actually killed anyone yet. I loved the small detail of Rogue wearing Gambit’s jacket in her scene with the Professor.
Magneto raised his old Asteroid M base which sank to the ocean in the original series back to space and comes to the X-Mansion to make an offer to the Xmen to join his side.
Rogue losing Remy has really done a number on her psychologically. I wasn't surprised she chose to join Magneto's team, declaring that enough is enough. She feels that the X-Men can no longer do the same things expecting different results. Roberto, heartbroken that his mother chose to believe the human-sentinel hybrids over him chooses to leave with Magneto too. Rogue's classic costume change serves as excellent foreshadowing of her decision here since it was the suit she wore when she was still a villain in the comics. The show has been building up to this team switch decision being made by both characters throughout the season. In as much as Cyclops doesn't always agree with the Professor he is loyal to Xavier and doesn't leave , they keep their conflict away from their current mission.
The Teams :
Cyclops divided the X-Men team into two teams. The Blue team and the Gold team from the comics. The Blue team goes after Magneto on Asteroid M , the team is made up of Professor Xavier , Cyclops , Nightcrawler , Wolverine and Jubilee. The Gold team goes after Bastion at his base, the team is made up of Storm, Jean ,Forge, Morph, Cable and Beast.
The Gold Team’s Attack :
The climax of the episode was filled with some epic confrontations. Storm and Forge distracted the giant sentinels in the air whilst the rest of the Gold team searched for Bastion on land. Storm’s power use musical score is very cinematic and you really feel her power as a character. After holding off the Sentinels for some time, Storm is distracted when Forge’s ship is shot down and she shot down from the sky by a sentinel. It was probably a bad idea to pair them together because of their romantic connection.
Meanwhile on land Jean, Cable, Beast and Morph continue their search for Bastion. Bastion’s Sentinels attack them and Morph, our resident cameo machine shape shifts into the Hulk. Jean uses her powers on Morph to protect him as he smashes the sentinels. The gang is eventually separated in the battle as Mr Sinister attacks Jean and they finally have their confrontation.
Morph shapeshifts into Mr Sinister and tries to trick Bastion but Bastion knows Sinister would never come back for him and neutralizes Morph and Beast. Mr Sinister fights Jean and she declares that she doesn't care about knowing when she and Madelyne were switched. As Jean is about to win the fight , Mr. Sinister deploys his trump card by controlling Cable’s mind just like he did with Madelyne’s ,forcing Cable to attack Jean. Cable being genetically Jean's child possesses equally powerful telekinetic powers and unleashes his powers on her. Jean, fearing that she will die again telepathically communicates with Cyclops and tells him goodbye. Cyclops' connection with Jean cuts before we find out what happens to her. I hope they don’t kill Jean again because like Rogue said “been there done that”. Jean needs a breather.
The Blue Team's Attack :
In space, the Blue team fights Magneto on Asteroid M as Professor Xavier attempts to reason with his old friend. Magnus tells Charles to shut up as the fight escalates. Magneto and his team are acting out of the pain they are feeling but neither side is really purely evil. Roberto doesn't hurt Jubilee during their fight and Rogue doesn’t harm Wolverine either when she fights him. The Professor shockingly uses his powers offensively against Magneto when his helmet is taken off during the fight, the old Xavier probably wouldn't have done that but that serves to show that all the events our characters have gone through have changed them, some more drastically than others. Magneto uses his powers to hurt Charles with his helmet which prompts Wolverine to straight up stab Magneto. The episode ended on a more shocking cliffhanger as Magneto removes the adamantium embedded onto Wolverine's bones ( a call back to the Fatal Attractions comic book) .The final shot of the episode is a literal recreation of the iconic comic book panel of Magento draining the adamantium out of Wolverine , the show’s writers are clearly big comic book fans.
Rating :
Story: 10/10
Visuals: 10/10
Sound: 10/10
Performances: 10/10
Overall: 10/10
Join me weekly for more reviews of the first season of X-Men 97.
"What did you think of the show’s 9th episode this week ?"
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