X-Men '97 Episode 9 - Tolerance is Extinction Part 2 *spoilers*

[toddcam]

Lots of stuff happened. Ugly costumes.

Edit: Damnit. I meant to change the # to 9. Can I delete the thread?

[whitecrown]

Maybe a mod can change the name of the thread title.

As for my thoughts, I'll just copy and paste my post from the main '97 thread.

I think this has been my favorite episode all season. It gave pretty much the entire team equal screentime and some great moments.

Love the callback to the Blue and Gold Teams. Interesting that Beast was on the Gold Team and Nightcrawler in his place on the Blue Team.

Fatal Attraction was always one of my favorite X-Men storylines and I love how accurate this adaptation is. I'm wondering if it may not have been better to move Remy's funeral to this episode instead. That way Storm and Xavier could have been there and Magneto could crash his funeral like he did Illyana's. Rogue joining Magneto's side was expected (especially since she wasn't with the team in the earlier clip released today) but that didn't make it any less hard to watch. Using her as the Colossus proxy makes perfect sense (and I'm guessing this is the main reason why Remy hasn't been revived yet, because this storyline wouldn't work otherwise) and the Brotherhood outfit is a perfect fit for her new role. Can I just say though that I really miss Remy and am dying for him to come back. The X-Men are a family but this family has a hole right now. It was heartbreaking to see Rogue's hopes go up when she woke from her coma to think that Remy might still be alive.

Sunspot defecting makes sense as well since he was always hinted to go dark in Claremont's New Mutants. I can understand Jubilee's reaction now and why she feels so betrayed. Interesting also that Sunspot can now discharge energy blasts (but I think someone said in earlier episodes, he briefly demonstrated that as well).

Loved the Jean/Storm moments. Beau is giving us everything we wanted plus more. "Mind your weather" and "weather your mind" was just superb wordplay. Storm's characterization here reminds me as to why I think she's the ultimate leader for the X-Men. She's the one giving the speeches and remains optimistic at all times, knowing the key is always having faith in each other. She needs to be leading by S2. Even against the Prime Sentinels, she wouldn't brook the use of the neutralizer and I love how Forge and Beast both instantly dropped that idea.

Jean and Morph combining their powers was great to see. Loved seeing Jean vs Sinister and am wondering if Beau will actually reveal when Jean/Maddie was switched as Sinister claims. Lots of Phoenix references between the scrambler device and Rogue's sassy remark about Jean dying being nothing new. So glad she's in her Marvel Girl costume so that we don't have to see that awful ponytail again. Her moments with Cyclops were so wholesome, but I am wondering what's going to happen to Wolverine on Asteroid M if Jean isn't there to keep his body together telekinetically and use her telepathy to shut down his pain receptors. I guess Xavier can do the latter.

Interesting that this is following the movies with the idea that Magneto's helmet blocks telepathy. In the 90s and before that, Magneto was just naturally resistant to telepathy so the helmet thing has always been a movie invention. I can't remember now if Xavier ever tried to read Magneto's mind in the original show.

[nightw1ng]

Episode 9 is full of notable moments:
- Rogue and Roberto join Magneto!
- The X-Men don their old costumes!
- Blue and Gold teams!
- Jean and Storm have a sisters moment!
- Forge and Storm take on the sentinels!
- Morph turns into the Hulk!
- Jean vs Mr. Sinister!
- Jean vs Cable!
- Prof X mind blasts Magneto but is stopped by Cyclops!
- Wolverine stabs Magneto!
- Magneto rips the adamantium from Wolverine!

I think half of what happened most people predicted since we knew this was going to adapt some of the Fatal Attractions storyline, but it's still fun to see.

The series has been full throttle since the beginning. In some ways, I wish they'd slow down to let the moments digest, but I've been more than happy with what we've gotten. It always leaves you needing to see the next episode. Next week can't come soon enough.

[toddcam]

I guess the explanation for the old costumes is that their supply of regular costumes were all destroyed or something at the mansion. Though it begs the question where did Cable's new outfit come from?

[whitecrown]

I guess the explanation for the old costumes is that their supply of regular costumes were all destroyed or something at the mansion. Though it begs the question where did Cable's new outfit come from?

It's probably a spare costume they had around since it's in the standard blue/gold colors. Maybe an unused one for Cyclops (even though he's not the same size as Cable).

[whitecrown]

Too many characters were left in a moment of danger. Wolverine's adamantium being ripped out (which I'm worried about the least since we know what happens to him afterwards), Jean seemingly being overcome by Cable (in a moment that seems very reminiscent of her TDPS suicide with the Kree weapon), Storm collapsing into the ocean, Forge's blackbird crashing, and Beast taken captive by Bastion's tendrils.

[Mormel]

Jean vs. Sinister was super nice! Don't think I've ever seen Sinister do stuff like slink into shadows and using his cape ribbons as tendrils in a fight (at least in TAS), but it's fitting since he's probably genetically modified himself.

I loved the 'mind you weather/weather your mind' exchange as well.

The whole doble siege upon Bastion's HQ and Magneto's asteroid was so high-octane, was on the edge of my seat the whole time. When Xavier put Magneto in that mental grip I thought 'Oh, so they're doing this without the adamantium-rip?' but then a minute later I was like 'Never mind, there it is'. Good stuff all around! It's hard to beat the Wham Episode factor of episode 5, but otherwise, this is probably my second favourite ep of the series so far. Hope the season finale lives up to it!

EDIT: I also liked how friendly Beast and Forge were with each other. They did work alongside each other during the 'Phalanx Covenant' 2-parter.

[toddcam]

I wonder about Magneto's plan. Is it to gather as many mutants as possible in just a few short hours before the planet dies? Does he expect food, water, and oxygen will just magically manifest on the asteroid? I get he was mainly just acting out of rage, but his plans don't seem that well thought out. Maybe he has machinations in machinations.

[whitecrown]

This, more than any other episode, is the one to prove why this storyline couldn't be adapted on network TV. We finally got to see Wolverine stab someone.

[NK1988]

Listen, there is nothing uglier than Jean's 90s costume. Marvel Girl is infinitely better.

I thought Roberto defecting made sense given his mom just turned him over to the Gestapo but then they don't really follow up on the drama of it at all. Everyone else is fighting for their lives or the world and he and Jubilee basically have a slapfight with superpowers. Where is the drama of two people in love being on opposite side of a war? Instead, it's more like "noooo,stop it!!"

Cyclops kinda just doomed the world for no explainable reason. Why did Jean's team have to succeed first? I don't recall this being explained anywhere. Regardless, he was clearly doing it all because he was emotionally compromised by Jean's plight.

[PeachFlavoredXanax]

Well damn, maybe season two will give Rogue some decent characterization. They really sacrificed it in season one for the plot.

[Android 17]

Besides Wolverine getting the ever loving adamantium ripped out of him, Rogue ripping on her team was HILARIOUS.

“You was gone GAL!” “Who’s gonna die next Professor, Jean?! Been there done that!”

I loved this episode. Jean was kicking Sinister’s ass before Cable got the jump on her.

[nightw1ng]

Cyclops kinda just doomed the world for no explainable reason. Why did Jean's team have to succeed first? I don't recall this being explained anywhere. Regardless, he was clearly doing it all because he was emotionally compromised by Jean's plight.

Given Jean's psychic cry to Scott, he knew the Gold team hadn't succeeded yet. The power outage gave them the best chance to neutralize Bastion's link to the Prime Sentinels, since Bastion only had regular Sentinels to work with. Turning the power back on too early would allow Bastion to have Prime Sentinels help him in the fight, and the Gold Team would most likely be overwhelmed.

[ChronoRogue]

Well damn, maybe season two will give Rogue some decent characterization. They really sacrificed it in season one for the plot.

I don't love her role too much here either, but I don't think it's super OOC.

Colossus basically did the same arc, along with losing a loved one, and she's substituting for that. Actually in her case it's worse, as Rogue just went through an extremely traumatic event, living through a genocide. That type of event warps people IRL to make horrible choices and turns them to extremism. Happens all the time all over the world sadly, it's an uncomfortable reminder of that.

Do I think that means Rogue would really let Magneto go through with committing mass genocide? No, but I'm not sure she's thinking straight to really discern or think through the full consequences of it either. She's essentially still in shell-shock mode.

EDIT; I do agree she should have gone after Bastion though. Not sure why she wasn't laser-focused on that.

[Mormel]

Besides Wolverine getting the ever loving adamantium ripped out of him, Rogue ripping on her team was HILARIOUS.

“You was gone GAL!” “Who’s gonna die next Professor, Jean?! Been there done that!”

I loved this episode. Jean was kicking Sinister’s ass before Cable got the jump on her.

I was confused about the comment she made on Morph 'They were on the team for barely 30 minutes before we threw them to the wolves' implies that Morph hadn't been a member for very long when 'Night of the Sentinels' happened? I was under the impression that they and Wolverine had had a long-standing friendship on the show similar to Kurt/Wolverine in the comics. Or it was just another meta nod to Morph being there on the team with barely any comic book history to them and being killed off in episode 2 after less than 30 minutes of total screen time.