X-Men `97's seventh episode deals with the sobering aftermath of Genosha with the X-Men rebuilding and Rogue on a mission of revenge! Re:cap - Lifedeath - Part 2; We have found Professor Xavier has recovered in the Sh’iar Empire and is about to marry Empress Lilandra! Her sister, Deathbird, wants him to give up all memories of Earth and the X-Men to marry Lilandra! Forge has been poisoned by The Adversary, Storm has to find the antidote in a cave, and she fights off her claustrophobia. Plus, The Adversary feeds off her fears, until Storm masters them, and comes into her full powers! She returns with Forge to his cabin and then hears the news of the attack on Genosha! Storm’s greatest moment followed by the most tragic X-Men time! Xavier schools Deathbird and the other Shi’ar leaders on the astral plane.
Then, he is struck by a psychic attack!, a vision of the death of mutants, the skeletal figure of Gambit towers over him. Gambit breathes fire that rips Xavier into a skeleton and he collapses in the Shi’ar palace! Lilandra rushes to him and Xavier says he has to return to Earth. He doesn’t care that he almost convinced the Shi’ar and says he will give up his affair with her. Xavier says, “It is time that I return to my X-Men”! A night street, we see the scientist, Bolivar Trask, running and saying that he gave his DNA to access Master Mold. He is blasted and falls. Trask wants to die after Genosha. This is interesting that the architect of mutant destruction has regret. These are parts that we never got in the comics. We see the nightmarish green glow as Trask is faced with the metallic voice and devilishly red eyes of Mr. Sinister!
“Bright Eyes” begins with a solemn opening with just a drum. It is directed by Emi-Emmett Yonemura who also directed episodes 3 and 5. The writing is by Charley Feldman and JB Ballard. Feldman co-wrote eps 3 and 4 and wrote ep. 6. Rain falls at dusk at a cemetary and we see the flowers and memorial for Gambit, Remy LeBeau, gasp!, what a crushing moment. His casket is brought in by Beast and Cyclops. It is quiet, but there is sniffing as the casket is set down by Kurt Wagner who is dressed as a priest. Kurt talks about how Gambit lived by the cards and luck. This is a powerful funeral that we don’t get in superhero live action television or films. Well done Adrian Hough. Nightcrawler has always been the heart of the team. Kurt says the sins of life of crime made him a hero. The casket is lowered.
The team is devasted especially Jubilee who kneels in tears angry at Rogue for not being there. Wolverine comforts her and says that Rogue has to deal with the loss on her own. Nightcrawler says he was there and Rogue is not just dealing with grief. Rogue flies, streaking across a desert, and smashes into a prison. Armed soldiers face her. Rogue smash! knocking down the soldiers. She tears apart two laser units, this is Rogue unleashed, unstoppable. At the control room is Thunderbolt Ross (Michael Patrick McGill), yup, he is used to taking on the Hulk, but this is a different story. Rogue tears though the roof saying her daddy told her it was easier breaking into prison! She slams Ross and wants to know where is Trask and Henry Gyrich. Rogue is pure vengeance.
At a control room, President Kelly (Ron Rubin) tries to tell Scott Summers to call off searches in Genosha, Scott angrily shuts down the hologram. Senator Robert Kelly was key to the Days of Future Past storyline, he became an ally to the X-Men in the premiere episode of X-Men: The Animated Series. Jean is there and says the team is ready. He says they are on their own and that Magneto and Madelyne warned them of such a danger to mutants. I really like that the consequences of such a massacre lasts more than a few episodes and that it is an arc that has been building with this season. The Blackbird lands at a medical camp. The ramp lowers and the X-Men take in the destruction, Blob carries a girder, there is the head of the Magneto statue. It is all washed with rusty, orangish color. Beast quotes Mister Rogers telling them to find helpers. Angel Salvadore brings a box of fruits to kids.
Cyclops says the Citadel has not been checked on because it is unstable so assigns it to Jean and himself. He tells the others to show Genosha that they are “here to stay.” In a puff of smoke, Amelia Voght (Donna Jay Fulks) appears, she was last seen in X-Men: The Animated Series, “The Phalanx Covenant - Part II” (1996). Amelia first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #300 (1993). She tells Beast of the injured that came to be treated at the camp. We see the Savage Land mutates, Brainchild helping a patient take a drink, Amphibius bringing in a stretcher with the wolf-like Lupo, and winged mutant Mimic coordinating the camp. She cries at all of the wounded and Trish Tilby is there with her cameraman.
Beast tells her that it is right that she is there to witness the death of the dream. Trish sends away the cameraman and talks a walk with Beast. A snowy cabin, Rogue lands, and then a familiar shield is thrown next to her! Rogue kicks it to her arm. On a mound is Captain America (Josh Keaton)! Cap was in the X-Men: The Animated Series episode, “Old Soldiers” (1997). She wants to know where is Henry Gyrich. He says Genosha is a sad time for everyone and shows her into the cabin. Cap activates a radio switch that lowers the floor down. He says that a secret UN division moved Gyrich. This cloak and dagger action just asks for mutants to go on all out war. Rogue notices OZT on some screens. Cap has found Gyrich is moved to Mexico and wants to bring in his team. Rogue says they should go immediately before Gyrich is moved again.
She says he stands with mutants and hands back Cap his shield. He says his hands are tied. This is not really in line with Captain America who will do what’s right no matter the consequences. Rogue throws his shield into the mountains, but it will fly back right? At the camp, Strong Guy (Adrian Hough) is hauling a platform of crates and gives one to Roberto saying there will be a war. Roberto asks Jubilee about it and she has her foster parents also worried about it. He is avoiding talking to his mom. She brings up what a call would be with the current situation. Roberto points out the aftermath when they don’t hide. A candle is lit for Callisto and Leech. The young mutant is before the memorial as Beast and Trish watch. She brings up fear and Beast questions Xavier saying asking for tolerence may have been a mistake.
The Morlock girl shapeshifts into a parrot and flies away. Beast stomps away. It is night when Rogue flies to a compound with armed guards that she says is a luxury resort. There are framed butterflies and beetles and Gyrich is studying a specimen. There are flashes of gunfire, laserfire?, outside. Gyrich is smug saying that he doesn’t know where is Trask. Rogue holds him against the wall, Gyrich mentions him, and she takes off her glove to grab his face! She tells him to stop fighting, her power glows, and Gyrich screams! A wall is thrown back by Jean’s telekinetic power. She says there is psychic echoes of the final thoughts of the mutants. She sees piles of rats and visions of Emma Frost and Sebastian Shaw before a roof falls. Cyclops apologizes to her for their relationship.
Jean gets a flash of contact, a possible telepath. Cyclops thinks it’s Madelyne. The news travels to the camp and Jubilee is excited about a possible survivor. The person is levitated out by Jean and it is Emma Frost in diamond form which amazes Beast. This is her Secondary Mutation that manifested during E is for Extinction in New X-Men #116 (2001). A tear falls from Cyclops’ visor. Then, they get a call from the Blackbird, it's Trask, he says he didn’t realize working with Mister Sinister would lead to a mutant massacre. The name refers to a cross title event that involved the Morlocks. He tells Cyclops that they should meet at the UN Peace Legion in Madripoor. A trap? Trask gives a code that the vending machine is “never out of diet.” Morph says they can’t trust Trask because he created Master Mold. "Bright Eyes" brings the dramatic aftermath in Genosha with Rogue relentlessly searching for Gyrich!
Five Sentinel Blasters out of Five!
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