X-Men '97 Just Had It's Neon Genesis Evangelion Moment
The once joyous series has taken a big leap into drama in the revival
A few weeks ago I shared my review of X-Men ‘97 from RogerEbert.com where I said, “While this cast of mutants has faced deadly time travelers, rampant racism, and imminent extinction before, everything in “X-Men ‘97” has more weight to it.”
I wasn’t prepared for just how dark this show was prepared to go.
We’ve seen over the last four episodes how the X-Men ‘97 can toss aside clones and children with little remorse. Even Storm can lose her powers, so maybe I should’ve been prepared for this week’s episode. But I certainly wasn’t.
Spoilers for Episode 5, ‘Remember it,’ to follow
X-Men ‘97 just had its Neon Genesis Evangelion moment. What do I mean? The seminal 1995 anime series was famous for not only deconstructing the mech genre but also for how brutal the show could be to its characters. Most famously, the turning point in Neon Genesis Evangelion meant the death of a teenage pilot. Episode 5 of X-Men ‘97 sees the death of countless mutants, including two main characters.
While the show continues to explore the fallout between Cyclops / Madelyne Pryor / Jean Grey, the main story thread of this episode saw the Magneto / Rogue / Gambit love triangle conclude. Following the United Nations’ pledge to accept the mutant-inhabited island of Genosha into the United Nations, they are looking for a new leader to bring them into this exciting new era. They immediately look towards Magneto to lead them. His one condition is that Rogue be at his side while he rules.
Given their history, Rogue initially views Magneto’s offer solely as a means to get back together. But this offer also would allow Rogue to do real good for all mutant-kind. It also means she’ll have to break the news to Gambit, whom she’s been romantically entwined with for some time.
I won’t get into too much more of the plot because if you aren’t already on board with either X-Men or this show, a lot of this will sound like learning a second language. But hear me out. Even if your only knowledge of the X-Men comes from the movies— this episode saw the deaths of Magneto and Gambit, among countless others.
Now death in comic book media has always been something audiences should take with a caveat. If Avengers: Endgame taught audiences anything, anybody can be brought back from the dead if it fits the story. Since the episode doesn’t show Magneto’s death, there’s reason to believe he survived his fate. Gambit, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to have luck on his side this time. It’s devastating to hear Rogue say she can’t feel Gambit anymore given her powers and history.
X-Men ‘97 is a much more mature version of the show Millenials grew up with. I thought that was a deterrent to the show when I originally reviewed it, but now I’m more confident it was the right decision. I didn’t plan to write about X-Men ‘97 more, but this episode brought it out of me.
People who watched this episode will understand why I’ve embedded the song below:
Podcast
There’s a brand new It’s the Pictures Podcast. This time my cohost Evan Crean and I talk about the Three Colours Cornetto trilogy in honor of Shaun of the Dead’s 20th Anniversary. Also included are reviews of The People’s Joker, Monkey Man, and The Abyss.
Links
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‘Ripley’ returns in black and white — and is so much better for it (NPR). The new Netflix series, Ripley, is a stunning B&W mini-series, but not everybody loves the look. But B&W is back in a big way and has been for a while now (Vox).
The first trailer for Joker: Folie a Deux came online last night after premiering at this week’s Cinema Con presentation from Warner Bros.
Only Park Chan-wook Could Pull Off a Sharp, Twisty Spy Thriller Like The Sympathizer (Inverse). Oldboy director Park Chan-wook debuts his new spy mini-series on HBO this weekend with Robert Downey Jr. playing four different roles.
The composers of X-Men ‘97 had to evolve the show’s sound to honor its roots (The Verge). A look into the music of X-Men ‘97, how essential that main theme was, and how to make it sound fresh without dismissing what has come before.
If you caught the new Bluey episode, you would’ve noticed there’s a big change coming for the Heeler family. Ahead of the 28-minute special ‘The Sign,’ it was revealed that the iconic house is up for sale! You can check out the listing on the Australian housing website Domain. No word on how much they are listing it for and whether it has central air— you’ll have to contact their agent Bucky Dunstan for the disclosures.
The Fallout TV series is more like a great sequel to the games than just an adaptation (Polygon). Following in the footsteps of The Last of Us, Amazon has a show based on the video game franchise Fallout premiering on their Amazon Prime Video service. Most reviews have been positive heading into the launch.