Transcript

Taylor: Hello and welcome to another episode of Sisters Assembled. We are firmly pretty much smack dab in the middle of Season One of X-Men ‘97, and today we’re going to be breaking down all things Episode Four, which was kind of a mini two-parter and a little bit of a break from some of the formatting that we’ve had in the first three episodes. So definitely an interesting episode to break down and an interesting way to go about an episode so we will be talking all about it in this episode of Sisters Assembled. And like always, I’m going to let Katie kick it off with her initial reactions to Episode Four of X-Men ‘97.

Katie: This one was pretty weird for me, and you said about it being weird like inside the episode, almost being a two-parter, and I’m not sure how I felt about it, because on top of it being a two-parter, we really only dealt with four characters almost the entire time, which is not unusual. We’ve done that before, but I think coming off of what we just came off of from Episode Three, threw me off because I was expecting some fallout and instead, we went in totally different directions and that’s fine. I just was not sure what was happening the whole time.

Taylor: Yeah, I’m not going to lie, this one was not it for me. I didn’t dislike it but when you compare it to the first three episodes, it just does not stack up. I didn’t mind picking up on the Storm storyline, because that’s definitely been relegated to a B plot level for the last episode, especially where we only got a couple of minutes of her, you know, meeting up with Forge in that bar so I was totally good with making the pivot there. But I think my biggest qualm is if you’re going to do like a mini two-parter, the first section with Jubilee while cute and like now she has like a little boy toy, like, that’s fun and all, it felt like filler. And I was like, you actually have like, really intense storylines that I would much rather you spend this 10 or 15 minutes exploring, then Jubilee’s like Birthday Special. And I get that they’re very much harkening back to that 90s cartoon. They did that filler-type special stuff like I literally was just finishing up Season Four last week of the original episode or, sorry, the original series, and they had like a whole Christmas special because that’s what cartoons used to do. So I totally get like having this little side quest for her. At the same time, you’re coming off a Goblin Queen episode, so like, is this really the time to be doing side quests?

Katie: I agree, I also think part of it was I wasn’t prepared for a side quest. I was thinking, oh, we’re going to go back to the whole like, I’m going to call it the Mojoverse because he is a reoccurring character. I believe there are 2 or 3 episodes, maybe even 4, including him in the original series. So I was not against that because I thought we were all going to make an appearance. But then it was just Jubilee and Sunspot, so I was like, oh, okay, that’s fine. I’m not sure why we took that little trip. I’m actually not sure what we learned from it, other than Jubilee has been learning that she has more powers, which I am excited about because I feel like even the OG series kind of keeps her pretty on the B-team. She’s pretty much a B-team of 1, 90% of the time, which I do, I feel bad.

Taylor: She’s also a kid, though.

Katie: Right.

Taylor: She turned 18 today so I’m like, I get it. These people have had their powers, some of them probably longer than you’ve literally been alive so like, it’s kind of like it makes sense. But to your point, I think the one good thing that came out of our little side quest is now Jubilee is 18. She’s starting to learn her powers even more so maybe we’re going to get to see her, like, be, a true, she is a true X-Men, but like a combatant X-Men in the way that she was not able to be when she was 15, 16, 17, in the original series.

Katie: Yeah, and be more involved and I think that’s what is definitely important, I hope, is what the point of what we saw was, is to see her be more involved and be more of an active member of the team. Otherwise, if that isn’t the direction they go, then I’m going to be sad because I feel like that’s kind of why I was a little sad during the OG series involving her because I kept thinking like, when is Jubilee getting there? When are they going to let her be part of the team more? And I think I could be wrong, but I feel like age is a little more of a gray area in the OG series, and timing is a little bit of a gray area of when things take place, how much time goes between episodes, and certain events, and whatever. Because of that, I was not aware of how old Jubilee was until this exact moment. I knew she was young at the beginning, and I know they definitely mentioned her age at some point, but I don’t remember later in the seasons them saying anything. I think me not seeing her become an X-Man more was disappointing for me so I’m hoping that’s where we’re going with this. Otherwise, Mojo came back. Mojo made another appearance and his like, wacky TV world and I don’t know, knowing him, he’ll return because I actually kind of enjoy the psycho TV realm that he has built for himself.

Taylor: You like the Mojo episodes? They’re my least favorite.

Katie: I think they’re so off-kilter and I think it’s interesting, but then also hurts my brain at the same time, trying to understand his little universe in general. But I kind of enjoy it and I also have to say, the very first episode with him in it, where he purposely puts Jean and Wolverine together. I’m like, oh, Mojo, like I’m entertained by this.

Taylor: I don’t know, I just find his episodes to be like, they’re just side quests like there’s no better word for it. I’m very much like a plot-driven person. We’re 100-some episodes into this show in our podcast, so if you’ve listened to any of these, you know that I am focused on the plot and the narrative and character development, and like, those are the things that I like to talk about.

Katie: Okay but what did you say to me last week when I said something about the Goblin Queen storyline, you were like, well, remember, this is still technically a kid’s show. So now I’m going to say it back to you that this is still technically a kid’s show.

Taylor: Which I totally recognize. I just my personal opinion is that I don’t like the Mojo episodes because they feel so kid showy because they are the side quest episodes. So immediately when we got pulled into the Mojoverse, I was like, oh my God, they brought this of all things back.  This was one thing I could have left in the 90s and I’m like, oh my God, here we go again. Luckily, they didn’t give him a full episode. That was my favorite part about the split. I was like, thank God I don’t have to deal with this B.S. for an entire episode at least it’s only going to be part of it. Jubilee gets her side quest, she gets her boyfriend thing, whatever that is. He kind of gets more comfortable with his powers so there’s a little bit of development there going on for Roberto so that part was cool. Then it like immediately went to Storm and I was like, oh, so now we’re going to get real plot too, great. I don’t know if that was something that they in the writer’s room were like, yeah, maybe we don’t need an entire episode dedicated to Mojo. We can learn from the 90s and move on from that. I was good with that part. But yeah, Mojo episodes are my absolute least favorite episodes.

Katie: No, I like them, but I will say I thought it was strange that we didn’t tie it further into the rest of the characters or anything. I was expecting, oh, I’m trying to remember the name of it. It’s one of the last few episodes in Season Five, and it’s like an alien technology thing and it’s like yellow. 

Taylor: Phalanx.

Katie: Yes.

Taylor: I’m literally watching those episodes right now.

Katie: Yes and I was thinking this was going to go kind of like that with the way that the video games kind of spewed out. I was thinking, okay, everybody in the house is going to end up involved in this in some way because it’s going to start with the people closest, obviously, and it’s going to spread. And then it didn’t so I think that is where it lost me. And then I also was like checking my watch because I was trying to exercise during it, we were multitasking during this episode. And I’m like, listen, I am 20 minutes into this exercise and I know there’s more to these episodes now so I couldn’t figure out, then they kiss and everything, which is also interesting. These writers clearly are like, everybody gets a romance now because everybody’s getting a romance.

Taylor: Can we just stop and have a romance side quest? Let’s talk about all the things that are going on romantically in this episode.

Katie: Oh, wait wait wait, before we do that, because this is involved in romance but I got to say, the Jean/Cyclops divorce, I was like, shut up. That is so funny, I cackled.

Taylor: Yeah, it was pretty good. I mean, Mojo episodes are not my favorite, but I will say his sense of humor is pretty spot on and I do find him someone who can make me chuckle. Yeah, that was funny.

Katie: No, that was so funny because it like, took me a second because I wasn’t looking up initially and then I looked up and I read it I was like, he really went there and I appreciate that.

Taylor: Yeah, he definitely did. But back to our we’re going to call it our Little Romance segment, and we’re going to leave Storm and Forge out of it because they’re going to get the bulk of this episode, so we’ll seamlessly move right into them. But first, we have Jubilee and Sunspot because they got the first half of the episode. And you know, we kind of saw the vibes happening in the I think the first episode when we first meet Roberto, I think he showed up a couple of times always at Jubilee’s side the last two episodes so clearly there have been some vibes, but we finally have kind of crossed over into some more full-on romance. I’m happy for the girl. The poor thing is sequestered with all of these older people. She basically has a bazillion parents, and the poor thing is like a teenager. She just needs to, like, live her teenage life and I’m all here for that.

Katie: I agree, but I also, it’s gonna sound horrible when I say it and maybe I’m broken, but I didn’t pick up the vibes and then suddenly she kissed him and I was like, oh, that’s what we’re doing.

Taylor: Girl, Episode One, you didn’t pick up the vibes?

Katie: I think it’s because I maybe did, but I think I was like, oh, he’s not sticking around because at the end of the episode he leaves, and then it was weird because in Episode Three, he was there and I was confused because they never really show him agreeing to return. I know he and Jubilee talk, but like, they never really show him being like, yeah or whatever. So then he’s just there and I’m confused about his involvement and then the next thing you know, he’s there again and I’m like, who is this man?

Taylor: Well, I don’t think he’s an X-Man. Like I don’t think he agreed to that at all.

Katie: No, no no no he’s not but I just think I was confused because like, he seems so adamant about leaving and I know she talked to him and I’m sure you could change your mind, but I think that happened not on screen. So then him just kind of showing up and being at the mansion, I was like, why are you here? I’m confused.

Taylor: See, I was picking up on the vibe, so I was like, okay, I see why he’s here. He’s a man with a goal.

Katie: Okay, listen, maybe I’m a little distracted by my favorite Cajun and Silver Fox over here and their little love triangle. So maybe that is the distraction.

Taylor: All right, let’s get into the love triangle. We have some very different vibes. We have some sweet little first love going on and then we have some real intense adult love triangle things going on. So let’s dive into it because Gambit is not a happy camper right now. Rogue looks like she wants to hide under a rock every time the whole group is together and it’s just a feast. It’s just a feast. The drama is amazing. 

Katie: Listen, I think this needs to turn into a reoccurring segment every episode and it’s Katie needs to check in on her fave love triangle.

Taylor: This is my favorite plotline.

Katie: No, literally. First off though, they brought him back in that crop top and I said thank you. Thank you for that. I appreciate it. We were happy for the first five seconds of this episode. Then my guy is out here being like, I got you some sugar, and then Rogues like, oh well, I already got some. And then Magneto’s like, yeah, she takes three sugars. And I’m like, get out of here but also don’t, like fight, do something. But then they don’t and they get interrupted. I’m like, Jubilee, I don’t care it’s your birthday things were happening. 

Taylor: I know like girl, our favorite plot line was getting me A plot spot so I’m gonna need you to move your birthday down to B or C, like, not here, right now.

Katie: Yeah, like, who got the right coffee? Who was Rogue happier about that got the right coffee? I need to understand.

Taylor: But also that girl who literally never, ever, ever looks uncomfortable except for, like when she would like to physically contact another human being, looked so uncomfortable. She wanted the floor to open up and eat her because she straight-up knew what she was doing. She knows that Gambit knows what she’s doing, and Magneto knows, obviously, but just does not care. And it is just delicious.

Katie: I’m really glad you picked up on that, primarily because I never looked at Rogue once during that scene.

Taylor: There were quite a few other things competing for attention, I will agree.

Katie: There really were and so I’m really glad you looked at her and picked up on her being uncomfortable because I was distracted and I also was like, who got the coffee right? And then, you know, Gambit sits there he goes, I guess you’re taking orders. I’ll have the I don’t know if he’s said like a cappuccino or frappe, and then Magneto hits him with the actually, I give the orders and I was like, oh, okay, put him in his place but also Gambit fight.

Taylor: Yeah, there was some, posturing going on for sure, for sure. But it was an interesting interaction and again, like, honestly, this is the plot line that I wait for week after week.

Katie: No literally.

Taylor: Cool, Goblin Queen, cool Jean, and Scott, who were not in this episode at all, kind of hate each other now, like it’s super awkward. This plot line is the most dramatic thing happening right now in this show. Okay, not so much the last episode, but especially this episode in the first half, the most dramatic thing happening, but it’s also the one thread that has gone through every single episode thus far.

Katie: And you know why? Because this is going to be somehow, mark my words, this is going to be Magneto’s downfall, somewhere here. 

Taylor: Oh, it’s got to be.

Katie: Because you are fighting to get this team to trust you. And listen, he’s had some good points. He has sat there and fought by their side during the whole Goblin Queen thing. He has sat and gone through trial and he didn’t kill anybody. He is trying his best. But Gambit will be his undoing because you want this team to trust you, and the first thing you’re doing is going after someone else’s girl? That’s bold because you are about to have Gambit fighting, and he will take everybody else with it because they will pick him before they pick you, bro.

Taylor: Yeah, and not to mention like from a leadership and power dynamic standpoint.

Katie: Questionable at best.

Taylor: Yeah, like going for one of your team members that you are leading and sending forth into battle. That’s the first thing you do, that’s super questionable. And then every choice that you make that involves her from now on is going to be second-guessed by people once they fully understand the level of the situation because why did you put Rogue in that position? Or why did you send her forth or put her in the back? Are you protecting her? Are you doing this, that, or the other thing, like all of those things are going to come into question, or even the last episode when the Goblin Queen was having her meltdown and they were nowhere to be found. You’re the leader and she’s one of the strongest members of the team and you two were too busy gallivanting to actually go help with a serious mega threat. So yeah, there’s a lot on the line here, and it definitely calls his leadership into question. I don’t know that everybody has figured it out yet. Like obviously Gambit because that’s his girl is like, hello, you are encroaching on my relationship. Could you please step off, sir? He sees it because it’s affecting his relationship but I think everybody else is like so busy dealing with their own stuff. Obviously, the Jean/Scott/Wolverine love triangle is still going strong after all these years. That’s another love triangle we love to love. And then now Jubilee’s got her person that she’s all excited about, friend or more doesn’t matter, that’s her new person. Professor Xavier’s obviously gone and Storm is gone. I don’t know where Beast has been, honestly, he’s very much been a background character and Morph has figured it out, but Morph just finds it funny.

Katie: They are so funny. I mean, they will be on the screen for literally 10s and I don’t care. It is the funniest 10s of the entire episode between their expression or their one-liner that they give. I’m so thinking about the Danger Room one. 

Taylor: Oh my god, too good.

Katie: From the last episode. So much happened last episode, and I’m still thinking about when Morph was making jokes with Gambit about the fact or I should say to Gambit about the fact that Rogue and Magneto had the Danger Room booked for the next like 24 hours. So freaking funny.

Taylor: So good. They pulled a face this episode and I can’t even describe it to you but it was in the few minutes of screen time they got like you mentioned, and they just made this face and someone said something to them and their reaction was just so funny. I was like, Morph, why are you such a scene stealer? You did not get enough credit or enough real screentime or development in the first series so I wasn’t that attached to you, but now you are just such a lovable character in this series and I’m like, yes, Morph, do it again. Just literally be you because you’re awesome.

Katie: That’s exactly how I feel. As I said before in the OG series, Morph freaked me out. I don’t know what the vibe was. I don’t know if it was the animation around the face of who they usually present. I don’t know, but the vibe made me uncomfy, and also that uncomfortable laugh that they always used to do, which they aren’t super having them do at least for now. But now the writing, again 10s on screen and Morph is one of my faves, I don’t care.

Taylor: Yeah, I truly like I love them. I hope you know this episode, obviously, we spent so much time with Jubilee getting like a full half of her own episode and then we’ll get to Storm, of course. But like, give me a Morph-centered episode. I would love to see them not just for the 10s of screen time but as the comedic relief that they’ve gotten in the first four or so episodes. I would love to see more of them. Like, what are they doing? How are they interacting? Because truly, like, they are such an entertaining individual and member of the team. Also like, I think what’s really cool about them is the fact that they can also like, inherit the people’s powers that they take on the shape of. Truly don’t sleep on Morph because like, they could be anybody and take on anybody’s powers. So why would they not be considered an incredibly powerful mutant? And I think sometimes because they’re so funny, entertaining that can get lost but like, they’re also totally able to kick some booty.

Katie: Oh for sure. Listen, I could go on all day about Morph, but we have to finish our romance update. And that I’m going to start with Jean/not Jean and Scott’s divorce? We aren’t really sure. We are clearly, in disarray, the relationship is unknown. They didn’t even make an appearance in this episode. That is how unknown their relationship status is. It is just out there for our interpretation I guess.

Taylor: Yeah, it definitely is very crazy to me that they went from here’s an entire episode about your relationship, to you do not even get to show your face in the next one at all. And I get it like we are focusing on other characters and other storylines, but for them to not even appear was crazy. I do wonder if they’re taking some time together to try to rebuild their relationship because again, we don’t know how long Jean has been gone. She doesn’t know how long she’s been gone. We don’t know what she missed. They probably aren’t really married so like, do they need to get divorced? Unclear. So there’s a lot of questions and I think they need to just have a conversation.

Katie: I think he needs to divorce someone though.

Taylor: Yeah, he would have to divorce Madelyne, but for that, he’d have to find her so there’s like a lot. And I do think though, like, obviously this is coming back. The idea of Jean not knowing how long she’s been gone, we talked about this last episode. I really do think that we’re going to find that answer, whether it’s this season or next season. So this is a plot thread that we’re going to have to resume at some point. Am I a little sad that they decided at this moment to give us a half-filler episode with Jubilee’s section of the episode, and completely ignore the ramifications of the absolute bonkers craziness that was Episode 3ew? Yeah, not super into the timing on that one. You could have probably given me an Episode 6 or 7 half-side quest, and I would have been a little happier than coming off of the episode that we had last week, but it’s definitely something that we’re going to explore more. I want to see what’s happening. Clearly, they’re not in a good place, and I want the drama. Like this show has become a little bit of a soap opera, and I’m really, really into it.

Katie: Well, let’s get into it because TBD on Scott and Jean, right? We know Wolverine is going to try and make another pass, great. That is all we know about this but the soap opera let’s talk about Miss Storm because I know there were more important things that happened here. But she slapped the crap out of Forge. I gasped, I was like, oh my God.

Taylor: She totally did and she totally was like, I don’t even need my powers to destroy you, man and she did. It was an absolute power move from a queen and a goddess. It was wonderful. I mean, imagine the betrayal, which, by the way, this is like a ripped from the comics storyline. This whole idea of their romance, the fact that he helped build the technology that took away her powers, all of that is actually a storyline in the comics called Lifedeath. So, so much of that is ripped right from the comics, if you were curious, you can read summaries on it. The whole being whose name is currently escaping, the Adversary who comes in at the end also ripped right from the comics so that part is awesome as well. But yeah, she absolutely just went for it and I was into it.

Katie: Okay, wait, because you brought it up, that was all real?

Taylor: What was real?

Katie: The entire ending.

Taylor: Yes. Yeah, that was real.

Katie: Okay. Well, that was my big question coming out of it was I genuinely couldn’t figure out if what I was watching was happening or not. I wasn’t sure what was going on. So okay, it’s good to know because I was confused. Clearly, I spent a lot of time being confused. No, I really just wasn’t sure because she fell through a roof and I was like, how’d she get there? And then this weird bug thing shows up, and I just, it felt like one of those trippy episodes where so much is going on, but it’s not actually happening or like it is, but it’s not in our world. It felt like a Mojo episode, if I’m being honest, where it’s like, this is weird and it’s happening, and yes, the characters are living through it, but it’s not affecting our exact world or like them in this exact world. So that’s why I wasn’t sure. I was very confused on this random bug thing that showed up.

Taylor: Yeah, so I actually think it’s supposed to be more of an owl, not a bug. 

Katie: Really?

Taylor: That’s why she pointed out the owl at the beginning of the episode.

Katie: Let me look up a picture of this thing. What’s it called?

Taylor: Adversary. That’s not how it looks in the comics, from what I’ve seen, but I think that’s why she specifically pointed out the owl early in the episode so that it kind of like transforms into that ugly thing we saw at the end. But yes, Adversary is something that Forge actually fights, I think multiple times in the comics. So that is straight from the comics, and they do end up in another dimension or world or something or whatever together. I don’t know the difference between a dimension and a universe, we still have never figured that out, but they end up in the comics in a whole nother place, the two of them together. So I think there is a second part to this episode or the second part to the second part of this episode, and that’s likely where we’re going to end up in that part if I had to hazard a guess.

Katie: I hear you. I looked up a picture, though, and I see it now. I see the owl. I think I honestly, was confused about if she was dreaming or not, so I really wasn’t paying enough attention to the shape of the thing. I think my brain filled in the blanks and said, it looks like a bug. It doesn’t. You’re correct. I see the owl. I see, I see the beak, I see the wings like I get it now, I do see it, so I’m on the same page as you. We will definitely be seeing more of this because this was only a part one, which I also thought was weird. Why this part one was shoved with a completely other. It was strange. It was just a strange choice in my opinion.

Taylor: Not to mention part two is not the next episode.

Katie: It’s not?

Taylor: No, I think I read somewhere it’s like Episode 6. If you look at the listing of episodes Lifedeath part two is listed as of like Episode 5 or 6.

Katie: I’m pretty sure the next episode is 5, Taylor.

Taylor: You’re right. So it’s either 6 or 7, but there’s definitely something in between where I was like, what?

Katie: Oh, you’re right, because it’s called Remember It and it’s going to probably be about Jean.

Taylor: Okay, here’s my thing and this is going to be a complaint for Marvel Animation overall, not just X-Men ‘97. They need to get their episode orders a little bit more locked down because I think we’ve seen this in What If? as well, that some things appear to be out of order and they don’t make sense. Obviously seeing the Gamora episode, did it even happen in Season Two? Yeah, the Gamora episode where she, like, kills Thanos, obviously that was changed because it was supposed to be in Season One, so they kind of did it differently but like having her show up in the season finale of Season One of What If? without ever getting her background. We’ve got the background of the however, many other characters didn’t make sense. This, like, why would you go from Goblin Queen to a half filler half Lifeddeath episode, back to the characters who are mostly affected by or most affected by the Goblin Queen episode, then back to Lifedeath part two. What’s the point here? Figure it out and do it in a more cohesive manner, please because even the original series, if we were, you know, watching a few episodes about the Phalanx, they were all together. If we were going to watch The Dark Phoenix Saga, they were all together. They at least put the same storyline in consecutive episodes so you weren’t switching back and forth.

Katie: I definitely am on the same page with you on that because I’m looking at it all now, just so we have it for reference. And you’re correct, obviously we all just saw Lifedeath part one at the back end of this episode. Then you have Remember It, which again I’m inferring is going to be about Jean. Then we have Lifeddeath part two, then we have a standalone I assume and then the last three episodes are all part of Tolerance is Extinction.

Taylor: So that’s Magneto’s downfall. 

Katie: Oh, yeah it is. I mean come on.

Taylor: Tolerance is Extinction?

Katie: Yeah, unless it’s the humans but we’ll see. Regardless, I agree with what you’re saying. I’m fully on the same page. We had that problem with What If? and actually it wasn’t just the Gamora episode. I feel like there was an issue in Season Two in general, with some of them just didn’t seem like they were in the right order. I feel like that was a conversation we had.

Taylor: Didn’t it have something to do is Strange?

Katie: I think so. I don’t fully remember, but I do feel like that was a conversation we had during that time. It has been like four months, so I’m not fully remembering. But yeah, I have to agree, especially if the next episode next week is regarding Jean trying to recover from everything that just happened. It’s like, why? Because I don’t need a break. I want to know what happens. That’s all we talked about last week was cannot wait for the next episode to see what goes down now because don’t forget, Episode Three ended with that really, really solemn scene between Scott and Jean just standing over a broken bed, very symbolic and I wanted more. So it is a little weird. It was a little bit of a weird choice. I’ll have to see how it plays out and by the end of this, maybe that will be a complaint we have is that they just were not ordered very well. But yeah, I don’t know. It’s weird. And now we’re not getting more of the weird owl bug thing until Episode 6 I guess. So, I don’t know.

Taylor: Honestly, I think that’s been really my only complaint other than having like a Mojo filler half episode just because I personally, Mojo’s not my guy, but like this kind of weird, haphazard, moving around, like you can do a really good job of having multiple plotlines happening at the same time without jumping between them. Exactly what they did last week with Storm at the end of the episode. Obviously, they were hinting, okay, so keep the Jean storyline going, keep hinting at how Storm’s storyline is developing, then give me Lifedeath one and two right next to one another because you’ve set this up in these tiny little vignette scenes at the end. So it just doesn’t make any sense to me why we’re hopping between storylines. I want a cohesive all right, great, we’re going to finish this. We know this is happening in the background, and that’s fine. Now we’re going to finish that. Then we’re going to go into the big finale, which deals with our leader, at least that’s what we’re positing, great, okay, cool, that’s a cohesive storyline. Not this flip-flopping. It’s also just hard to follow. Now I have to remember, well, where did we leave off with Jean and Scott? And like, how is this affecting the underlying plotline, which is our favorite love triangle? And then also you have Storm, is she going to get a little hint at the end of the episode about what’s happening with her and Forge like just give me one, wrap it up, and then give me the next one. It’s not that hard.

Katie: Yeah, I actually you were saying about that being your complaint then. I think my complaint regarding this episode is Storm doesn’t do tiny spaces, and we saw her kind of look a little stressed going into that weird little container thing that Forge had built, but I don’t feel like she reacted enough for somebody who’s that claustrophobic. We’ve had full storylines follow her claustrophobia and how she’s unable to do certain things because of it, and it’s very debilitating for her. And she just was like, sigh, close my eyes, I’m fine. And I was like, whoa, whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa.

Taylor: I hear you, I do, I will say to play devil’s advocate, she is so desperate to get her powers back.

Katie: Yeah, which I could definitely agree with, but I just kind of thought she’d even just a one-liner of being like, I don’t know, this makes me nervous or I don’t really do small spaces or something. I just felt really weird because I wouldn’t say it if it wasn’t such a pivotal part of her character, but they drive it home that she is claustrophobic. It is a trauma response. She’s dealt with something as a child and that is what she is responding to. And so that just kind of I was like, I’m going to nitpick, this is annoying, but I’m intrigued about the machine because it didn’t work. But Forge is supposed to theoretically be able to build – that’s his power – anything that he can imagine for the most part. So I would think if he’s able to imagine a machine that works the way he needs it to work, shouldn’t it work, or am I confusing his abilities?

Taylor: No, I think you’re right. I will say though, in the comics, I did do a little bit of a summary on like, what is this Lifedeath storyline because apparently, it’s a pretty big line for the two of them, especially in their relationship. So I was like, okay, a lot of articles that I was reading were literally calling them iconic so here we go, check another iconic storyline of the X-Men animated series last night. And so I was like, all right, I got to understand, like, what is this Lifedeath thing? He doesn’t actually help her get her powers back until they’re in that other dimension, which is what I was trying to get at before. So wherever Adversary took them, I think that’s the place where he’s able to get her, her powers back. So that should be interesting. And I also, you know, I’m really curious about their relationship and how that’s going to end up working because to defeat Adversary in the comics, they actually sacrifice themselves. The entire X-Men team sacrifices themselves, and it’s another character who’s able to bring them back, but they don’t actually tell anyone that they’re back. So Forge thinks that he got Storm her powers back, and then she died not long after. And it’s not until he finds out without her telling him that she’s alive, that he even realizes that the woman he loves is still living. So that really kind of damages their relationship. So there’s a lot that really comes out of this, and there’s a lot that centers on their relationship with one another so it could be really interesting. I don’t know if they’re going to take it that far or if they’re just going to go, okay, Storm lost her powers. Now they’re going to go into this other dimension and fight Adversary, and then they’re going to beat him there, and she’s going to come back and be the absolute powered goddess we know her to be. Or if they’re going to play all the way out and the X-Men are actually going to sacrifice themselves and then be brought back to life secretly, which could set up a whole different plotline for Season Two. I’m not sure, but that is kind of a very 3000-level view of the trajectory of this storyline in the comics.

Katie: That’s interesting because I’m also not sure what direction they’ll go because nobody’s keeping tabs on Storm, that we know of. Not a single person knows where she is at this point because she left when nobody knew she was going to leave. And so nobody actually is like Storm is now in another dimension/universe/whatever you want to call it. And Forge is not with her, right? The ending shows Forge is not with her.

Taylor: I’m trying to remember now.

Katie: I just remember her being in the arms of the owl bug thing.

Taylor: Yes, I thought he had both of them in that. He had her in his arms, but I thought he took both of them with him to that, like super red space.

Katie: Okay, well, I ask to clarify, because if Forge is not with her, he could send an S.O.S. to the X-Men, therefore bringing them in. If he is, there is not a soul who knows they are not there on our regular plane of existence.

Taylor: Correct, you’re right.

Katie: So that’s kind of it’s like if it’s the first way I mentioned I could see the X-Men maybe being involved. If it’s the second way, I think this could be a solo Storm storyline. 

Taylor: Yes, I will just say to clarify, and I probably just didn’t explain this well, like they do, they are the only people who go into that dimension together and they spend like a year there together, alone. It’s where they really build their relationship, it’s during that time that he gets her her powers back and they really build a very special bond. So I think that might not necessarily be indicative of whether or not the X-Men will be involved and we’re going to go the full like sacrificial storyline just because either way, they do kind of end up in this other dimension alone. I think it’s when Adversary comes back into our dimension that the X-Men get involved, but I’m not 100% sure it’s a little bit confusing so that was kind of my understanding. But take that with a little bit of a grain of salt, because I might not totally have understood that correctly.

Katie: Whatttt? A comic storyline is slightly confusing to understand? Who would have thought?

Taylor: I know, maybe I should just like read the actual comic instead of the summary, but that’s so much time and then you have to find it. It’s challenging, and then you’re like, it’s led up to by other storylines, then you might as well go all the way back to the beginning and that’s hundreds of issues. And there’s like so many different versions of everybody and it’s just it’s daunting. It’s just a lot.

Katie: Yeah, I don’t know. I think this should be interesting. I’m intrigued to see how Storm does get her powers back. I’m also intrigued to see her relationship with Forge because I feel like that was another thing that happened a little off-screen for us. Then you kind of come into it and you’re like, oh, there’s a vibe like this vibe I felt, and you definitely got it. Then obviously he tries to kiss her and he’s like, I love you and she slaps the crap out of him and I’m like, you go, girl. Then she gets kidnapped and I guess he might two into another dimension. So as usual, a great love story happening in another X-Men episode. But I’m excited to see the second half of this.  I’m sad it’s not next. But I’m also excited it’s not next because I think Jean’s storyline is next, which I’m waiting for the second half of.

Taylor: Yeah, this goes back to give me one full storyline at a time, that’d be great. Quickly going back to Storm’s love life. I am particularly invested in her love life of all people because we know who she very famously is married to in the comics. By the way, that’s T’Challa Black Panther.

Katie: Well, and divorced. Married and divorced.

Taylor: Yes, she has done neither of those things in the animated series thus far. And given that we’re in the medium of animation and we don’t have the unfortunate challenges that were posed by Chadwick’s passing because we don’t have to worry about recasting other than the voice, that is a storyline that I personally will riot if they do not bring up in it at least one of these three seasons that have been confirmed. That’s all I want. So that’s why I’m super, super invested because I’m like, cool Forge, that’s awesome. I don’t know, in what order they get together, whether he’s post-divorce or pre-T’Challa, unclear. But if they’re going to do this pre T’Challa I’m here for that. I hope it’s not something else because I really want to see that particular coupling on screen. It’s something we didn’t get in any of the 2000s live-action and up until they stopped making them a couple years ago. So let’s just please do that, thank you very much.

Katie: Funny that you say that. I actually saw it was definitely on Twitter and I can’t remember the source, so it could just as well be a rumor, but I’m just going to put it out there. There’s a lot of talk about there being Avengers crossing into the show, and that shouldn’t be shocking to anybody. We’ve seen a few. First off, I understand that Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver are like, a weird gray area. We’re going to patch them over. We’re going to pretend they’re not there for a hot second. They’re also Magneto’s children in the show, so we don’t even need to talk about it yet. Which also makes the Rogue thing weird, because I’m sure Wanda is like around her age, so little strange.

Taylor: I know. You were talking about that and I was like, dang, how old must Magneto be to have these full-grown children who are around the same age as his little friend?

Katie: Well, if you really want to math it, he was a kid during World War Two and it’s the 90s, so he’s like 60 probably. If he’s old enough to like, remember things that were happening during World War Two. Closer to probably 70.

Taylor: He ages exceptionally well. That’s all I’m going to say.

Katie: He does and this was all animation’s fault like Disney animation, what were you doing? But also you knew what you were doing.

Taylor: I know I was not feeling this way about the live-action Magneto in his older form. In his younger form, yes, Michael Fassbender hello. But like in his older form, I was like, old man, cool, that’s great. But animation was like an old man, what’s an old man? And I was like, I don’t know, silver fox, cool, great, thanks.

Katie: Yeah, they knew what they were doing. Anyway, putting Quicksilver and our fave Scarlet Witch over on their own team, we’ve only technically and correct me if I’m wrong seen one other Avenger, and that was Captain America having a good old time with Wolverine back during the war. Speaking of the war, they were also there. So we’ve seen it done. They have appeared before. I think it would be strange to pretend they don’t exist, although the only thing I’m going to say is if we just parallel it to the MCU for five seconds, we don’t really have a lot of heroes in the 90s yet. Keep that in mind. Our Avengers don’t start popping up until later, so if we are paralleling it to that, we could theoretically say the reason we aren’t seeing Avengers just yet was because the only one we saw was Cap during Cap’s prime time before he’s out of the ice.

Taylor: Well, and Carol Danvers, who is the other Avenger.

Katie: That’s why I said, yeah, that’s why I said, correct me if I’m wrong because I did not remember that. But yes, which is weird because she’s a weird thing because of Rogue and everything that happened to her.

Taylor: Yeah. Well, not to mention, like, let’s not forget, we don’t think that this is 616. I don’t think that we’re exploring 616 of the 90s. So you could almost say like, okay, maybe timing happens differently in this universe, and maybe there is an Avengers or maybe the Avengers form because of the X-Men. Like if they do sacrifice themselves, let’s say, okay, I’m going to pull together a few theories here.

Katie: We saw Spider-Man. Sorry, we saw Spider-Man. We saw his arm. We actually saw a couple, we saw Thor, and we saw them for like five seconds during the Phoenix storyline. There was like a flash of a couple of the Avengers.

Taylor: I do remember Spider-Man, but I don’t remember the rest. But I’m going to go on a roll here with a theory. So let’s say, for example, we do follow this Adversary Lifedeath storyline to the comic, I’m going to call it the end. Obviously, the comic storyline doesn’t end, but where I stopped reading essentially when it came to Lifedeath, which is all right, cool, the X-Men have sacrificed themselves and they’ve kept the resurrection a secret. So let’s say this is the 90s, they’re dealing with all of these, you know, mutant relations issues. X-Men are gone. They’re probably the most high-profile mutants. Obviously, Charles Xavier is considered a martyr at this time and this is his team, these are his people. They’re dead, oh my gosh. Not only are they dead, but they have left a void in terms of controlling bad people and people who are doing the wrong thing. Well, what could step up in order to fill the void? Maybe inspired by the now and I’m using air quotes here that you can’t see dead X-Men, but the Avengers and obviously the X-Men aren’t going to die because we’ve got two more seasons, but that could be something that’s interesting, too. If the X-Men kind of exist more on the DL and are more of kind of like a secret, almost the way that SHIELD existed in the show, Agents of SHIELD, like after SHIELD had to go underground. Maybe that’s how the X-Men operate for the next couple of seasons, while the Avengers kind of step into more of that limelight role because though they’re not mutants, they are most of them enhanced individuals depending on the roster.

Katie: I like that theory because I think it makes sense and also we have a storyline that could paint that so I think it would work. I do think in a universe like this, if you’re going to bring in the Avengers, they have to have been for some reason, created. And what’s a bigger reason than the fact that mutants are all over the place and there’s this huge mute debate. I think for so long it’s always been seeing these two groups as separate, and we’re supposed to see like one universe has the Avengers, one universe has the X-Men, and we really don’t see much of the crossover. Even in the OG show, we really didn’t see a lot. I think that episode, the one with Carol and the one with Cap, are the only two which we really see Avengers involved, so I think it would be cool to kind of see the crossover. And I bring all of this up because you said about Black Panther and it’s like, well, what’s stopping us? It’s right there.

Taylor: It really is. And I mean, I know this is something that people have been talking about for the live-action, so I don’t know that they’re necessarily going to want to premiere first in animation just because it is such a big event. But there is an Avengers versus X-Men storyline where they do fight each other. So could that be something that we see down the road in live action? I don’t know, but could it also be something that we do see brought to life in this show? Very much so, because they don’t have any of the limitations of the lore that we’ve built to date, other than what they were putting out in the 90s, and they didn’t limit themselves at all in terms of who they were using, what they had on the board, who was dead, who wasn’t. They had all of that available to them, and they still do. So they could go ahead and adapt that storyline if they really wanted to.

Katie: That’s very true. I don’t know, I don’t forget that we’re looking at this as a playbook. So maybe they don’t really care because keep in mind, in the 90s they did the Phoenix storyline. They did the whole Dark Phoenix thing. We saw that play out on the big screen.

Taylor: How many times did we see Apocalypse?

Katie: Well, exactly. We’ve seen a lot of this play out before and if this is going to be like a playbook, we don’t care. I’d rather go into an X-Men movie not having to do hours of research to understand fully what’s going to be happening and be able to watch a 20 to 30-minute episode to maybe five about it and be like, cool, that was an amazing summary. I vaguely will know what’s going on, just enough to be like, yeah, I’m going to understand this and it’s going to be great. I’m going to enjoy myself.

Taylor: Yeah, totally. I mean, to your point, I would love a good blueprint and a little cheat sheet for some of these storylines, because I’m definitely way more familiar with a lot of the Avengers ones or the famous Avengers ones than I am with maybe the top three that we’ve already seen of the X-Men ones. I definitely didn’t even know this whole Lifedeath thing was a thing until I was like, looking at articles and then realizing, oh, this is apparently a really important storyline for them, cool. Would’ve never known, you know? So at least with the Avengers, I can pick out, okay, cool, this is the infinity Gantlet like, okay, I get that, or Civil War, obviously a lot of these things we’ve already seen, but when it comes to the X-Men, I am flying blind. So cheat sheets all day.

Katie: That’s how I feel, man. I am also flying very blind beyond just what I’ve watched in the show and have done a little bit of extra research on the side about, so I will take any little crumbs they are willing to give me. Honestly, with the way this show is, I would love to see them do the Avengers versus X-Men big fight because you know how long it’s going to take us to probably do that in live action? I am willing to let this hold me over, give it to me, build this up into it. Give us the whole thing, devote it all, and then I’ll watch it in live-action in ten years, great.

Taylor: Yeah, it could totally be fun and I would definitely love to see it. I think that is everything in this strange little two-part episode that sets up another episode later in the season. So we’re going to call it for X-Men ‘97, Episode Four. It’s been fun. Lots of great stuff still to come, so please make sure that you’re subscribing on your podcast platform of choice so that you get to follow us as we continue our X-Men coverage throughout the rest of the season. Also, make sure that you’re checking out the website because it is the hub for all things Sisters Assembled.

Katie: You can give us a follow on Twitter at SIsAssembledPod and Instagram and Threads at Sistes Assembled. You can also find our full episodes along with Sister Scoop news episodes on our YouTube, also at Sisters Assembled. So go ahead and give us a subscribe on there as well, and we will be going right into X-Men ‘97 Episode Five next week. Super excited, as we’ve predicted, we think we’re visiting the Jean Grey storyline once again, kind of getting some of the fallout from Episode Three’s Goblin Queen and, you know, the whole clone wars thing. So we are super excited. We love the show, and we hope you guys are too. As always, keep up with Marvel as Marvel just blew your mind, so let’s talk about it.