I thought the show was just about perfect, it's my favorite adaption of any comic book ever, more than anything in the MCU, any X-Men movies even good ones like X2 or Logan, more than any DC or Batman movie, I loved it. I can't wait for season 2, I'm way more hyped up for season 2 than I am for seeing mutants in the MCU.
This is where I'm at with the show too. It's not perfect of course, but damn it was just so fun and there really is so much heart and feeling in the show. I cared more about these characters than anything I saw in the MCU, though I admit that may be based on my built in nostalgia.
Also agree on the Wolverine stuff - I didn't mind seeing my favorite mutant take a back seat for a few reasons. One, like knightdamien mentioned - he's been fleshed out in every show/comic/movie imaginable. As much as I enjoy it, I know his story very well already. The other reason is that the characterization was so well done on the rest of the cast, I was too busy enjoying their stories to even think about what's going on with Logan.
I really do think he's going to get a bigger focus in season 2 though. Hopefully with some revisits to the weapon X stuff. Maybe even tie in Weapon H somehow?
I think we’re definitely gonna get to see Logan get a bit more spotlight in season 2…
And hey, that’s one of the few remaining Wolverine looks Hasbro still hasn’t done a figure of yet.
@normdapito Yup, Rogue & Carol's relationship was covered.
Season 2, Episode 9 "A Rogue's Tale".
But guys... ALL those cameos and a show that features Cable and they don't even -cameo- Shatterstar in the background of even one scene? Come on. This was my chance to maybe get another Shatterstar figure.
I mean... they even did a whole thing on Mojoworld and didn't sneak an easter egg of him in there either? Sad day for your boy
RIGHT?!
@normdapito I get what you're saying but I feel like that's... a lot of this show. There's a lot of 'we wanted to do the splash page' versus anything truly being earned. I mean.. that last episode...
And that's not the only two examples of the show just going with 'show a cool thing.' A big criticism I've had, and I think others have agreed with to varying extents, is how rushed the entire show felt. 10 episodes just RAMMING through story content. And it ends up with a LOT of important moments not really feeling as earned as they should.
@bills-all-day I suppose you have a point. Maybe not a full new wave, but I could see one or two new figures packed in with some reissues of wave 1 & 2 characters. Those quotation marks could be doing a lot of heavy lifting, or we could just be looking into it too deeply (not that that's ever happened before 🤣 ).
@normdapito I get what you're saying but I feel like that's... a lot of this show. There's a lot of 'we wanted to do the splash page' versus anything truly being earned. I mean.. that last episode...
SpoilerSpoilerJean just.. goes Phoenix. And then stops. It was literally just 'we want to do a big splash page of Phoenix here.' It wasn't earned, it functioned as a deus ex, and then it had zero actual consequences.And that's not the only two examples of the show just going with 'show a cool thing.' A big criticism I've had, and I think others have agreed with to varying extents, is how rushed the entire show felt. 10 episodes just RAMMING through story content. And it ends up with a LOT of important moments not really feeling as earned as they should.
The show is unapologetic about that. But based on how well received it has been, it seems like that's what the people actually want. So I remain in the minority of preferring something that's less flash, more substance. Or at least big moments that are earned. I like a build up. I don't need every major plot line to be rehashed in concentrated doses. That's not a show, that's a sizzle reel.
I genuinely liked the pacing. I get that they speed ran through pretty much everything, and I'm not sure if I had watched it week after week if my feelings would be different, but I watched it over the past three nights and I appreciated that it just crammed everything down our throats as fast as possible, as if it was a spoken word piece on the X-men narrated by John Moschitta Jr. There was something almost refreshingly kinetic about the fact that they didn't feel as if they need to spoonfeed anything to the audience. Subtext at 100 mph. Blink and you miss an entire storyline. Plot development faster that Nightcrawler's bamphs. It's like snuggling with Max Power. Just strap yourself in and feel the Gs. That reference is disturbingly old now. Like I need to lie down as I contemplate how old that reference is. Oh lord.
I'm pretty sure there's a quote somewhere on socials from DeMayo about how Wolverine was sidelined on purpose as a counter to all of the very Wolverine-centric stuff we've had over the years. And I was fine with it, though I thought it odd at times he seemed to be held back (like episode 2) when a fight was possible, but maybe he wanted to stay back with Jean in all of those instances? I felt his arc was earned though given he made it very clear before hand he saw only one way to take down Magneto, and he went for it. I do hope we get a Wolverine and Morph arc in season two, wherever they may be. Maybe they'll send the pair to Madripoor? I do think the strength of the show is how it gets to be a melting pot of X-Men plots and stories, like a greatest hits. We were seeing plotlines across decades integrated into season one's story. Those who want a straight re-telling of some of these stories might be disappointed, but I personally enjoy the approach as it does preserve some element of surprise.
10 episodes just RAMMING through story content. And it ends up with a LOT of important moments not really feeling as earned as they should.
So, I agree with this - the Inferno episode went at breakneck speed through ALOT - that one felt like maybe it could have used a two parter to let some of it breathe just a little. But also I think we live in an era now where deconstructed storytelling is the norm and we get lots of 10 episode shows that probably could have been 3 or 4 hours maximum but get s-t--r---e----t---c--h-e-d into 10 episodes because that's the standard. So being conditioned to expect that from shows, the pacing of X97 gives us whiplash.
@panthercult If Quicksilver had been more than just cameos maybe we wouldn't have gotten whiplash.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQ_Y7SMKeiY#t=1m20s
X-Men 97 is great so far. I hope the live action version can live up to it somehow.
10 episodes just RAMMING through story content. And it ends up with a LOT of important moments not really feeling as earned as they should.
So, I agree with this - the Inferno episode went at breakneck speed through ALOT - that one felt like maybe it could have used a two parter to let some of it breathe just a little. But also I think we live in an era now where deconstructed storytelling is the norm and we get lots of 10 episode shows that probably could have been 3 or 4 hours maximum but get s-t--r---e----t---c--h-e-d into 10 episodes because that's the standard. So being conditioned to expect that from shows, the pacing of X97 gives us whiplash.
To your point, I agree with the 'we must make 10 episodes' thing. It's become a noose. You end up with shows that are rushed and maybe should have been 12, or 15, or 17 episodes. And you also end up with shows that should have been 6, or 9. What you almost never end up with is a show that feels 'just right' at 10 episodes. But it's a mentally satisfying number so ... guess we're stuck with it?
So I'm not entirely sure it's a thing where we're conditioned to expect slow pacing. I mean... I grew up watching Dragonball Z and that didn't make me feel like Batman: TAS was 'too fast.' Right? This show was just legitimately going too fast and trying to hit too many notes. I get why. You want that razzle dazzle to get people chatting and generate enough interest and hype to warrant more seasons. I'm still not the biggest fan of that approach though.
That being said, I'd be fine if seasons vary in length, though I don't expect them to ever do that. If you've got an idea for season 2 that only needs 6 episodes - do it in 6 episodes. If season 3 needs to be 14 episodes to be at its best, then do that.
@normdapito There's definitely two ways to look at it. Either this IS what people want - certainly possible - or the show is just really good in spite of these things to the point where no one cares enough for it to matter. Probably it's a mix of both. But there's definitely at least some segment of the audience that is more than happy to just see some major story beats get animated, and since they know all these stories by heart from the comics, they don't really need it redone with total fidelity. And that's fine. It can still be entertaining that way. It's just not what I would personally prefer. Even though, again, I love the show.
One of the things I like about decompressed storytelling is I feel like it allows for richer character development and helps those big moments land. This show still had a lot of that despite the breakneck speed. I think it could have had more and better if allowed more time/tried to fit less in, but I also think KD makes a good point - a lot of the people watching already have internalized a lot of the backstory, so the shorthand works. I mean after all, there are 76 episodes with these characters preceding these ten.
some segment of the audience that is more than happy to just see some major story beats get animated, and since they know all these stories by heart from the comics, they don't really need it redone with total fidelity. And that's fine. It can still be entertaining that way. It's just not what I would personally prefer. Even though, again, I love the show.
This was ultimately my biggest issue with the show. If you know the comic stories they're adapting, your brain probably filled in the blanks (whether they were missing character moments, missing exposition, or logical leaps). I'm still unsure about things like Bastion's motivation, Sinister's motivation, or, as you mentioned, Phoenix popping in for 25 seconds to solve the world's problems and then disappearing. It's almost like the writers' room got too excited while outlining. "Ohhh, we can go from A to B to C..." and forgot to fill in the details. It's a strange problem for a show to have. Usually shows are great, mediocre, or bad. This one was sometimes great, sometimes mediocre, and sometimes bad.
In one scene I would be blown away by Magneto's dialogue and in the next I would wonder how they completely skipped a key character interaction. Toward the end of the season, the UN somehow leaked video footage from space (???) that Charles Xavier was still alive. The X-Men saw this on live TV and didn't react to it at all. Uh, okay. Didn't Cyclops think Xavier was actually dead? Shouldn't they talk about how the world will react to their lie about his death?
I do hope we get a Wolverine and Morph arc in season two, wherever they may be.
What's left for them to do but kiss on screen?
Xavier was still alive and X-Men knew it. He wasn't dead. He went into space “for treatment.” They just weren't sure if he was coming back or not. The rest of the world thought he was dead. Bastion found a Shi'ar satellite, fixed it and got the broadcast, he talks about it with Sinister, after Trask situation. He probably released it to the UN too. Wolverine reacted by breaking the TV.
This show just needs more episodes (like 14), or an extra 10 minutes to each episode. But most likely Disney only allowed them to make 10 episodes\30 min and thats it.
Also, Black Panther in this animated universe is T'Chaka for some reason. And the showrunner couldn't comment on this decision because of a non-disclosure agreement or something. Seems like Disney really doesn't want to recast T'Challa in any universe...
Xavier was still alive and X-Men knew it. He wasn't dead. He went into space “for treatment.” They just weren't sure if he was coming back or not. The rest of the world thought he was dead. Bastion found a Shi'ar satellite, fixed it and got the broadcast, he talks about it with Sinister, after Trask situation. He probably released it to the UN too. Wolverine reacted by breaking the TV.
The situation required a hell of a lot more than that, IMO. Their father figure and mentor was returning unexpectedly and none of them said anything? Plus, as I mentioned, the humans would perceive the X-Men as having lied for political purposes.
I genuinely missed the Bastion/satellite thing, but the show moved so fast that I'm not accepting blame for it.
Latest Post: Marvel Legends MAXIMUM SERIES Our newest member: maryannexorn Recent Posts Unread Posts
