X-Men '97 Season One
May. 16th, 2024 10:29 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
andrasteIt is not an exaggeration to say that X-Men: The Animated Series set the course of my fandom life - of my life in general, really.
It's not just that it introduced me to my favourite fictional character and had me independently inventing the idea of slashfic at the age of fourteen. While I'm sure I'd have found fandom and fanfic eventually, it's because I came in via this particular route that I found CFAN and from there my first BFF who introduced me to the rest of my real life social circle (including, eventually, my second BFF). Not to mention that if I'd come into fandom by another path I might not have encountered any of the people who are reading this, or joined my current fandom Discord!
When I heard that they were reviving the series I was interested but I also had reservations. I wasn't sure the show needed a revival, and with David Hemblen sadly no longer available and Cedric Smith not returning I had misgivings about the recasts. I was also concerned about Charles being completely absent on account of being dead, or that they would tone down the Charles/Erik subtext. (I don't need them to be canon, but I also don't need Disney going No Homo about my forever OTP.) So I was interested but cautious.
Good news: the first season was terrific! I did not need to worry about any of these things! Especially not that last one, oh boy. (In hindsight I don't know why I thought anyone would even want to make more X-Men TAS without Charles/Erik subtext. It would be like cutting out Storm talking dramatically about the wind or Gambit speaking about himself in the third person.)
The recasts did bother me a little, because I am a person who hates recasts basically all the time. I really thought I'd miss Hemblen more than Smith, because while Smith did a perfectly good job he is of course not my definitive Xavier voice when Patrick Stewart is right there. But I don't know if it's that Matthew Waterson's impression of the original is better or what but it's Ross Marquand's performance that occasionally threw me. I got used to it as we went, though, so hopefully this will have stopped bothering me altogether next season.
The show isn't perfect - it had some clunky dialogue here and there (much like the original series) and they rushed through some things to get to the three-parter at the end. However, the good bits were very good, especially the finale that combined a couple of mediocre '90s comics stories into something wonderful.
I have to admit to tearing up a bit at a version of Fatal Attractions where Charles still feels forced to shatter Magneto's mind but then immediately turns around and puts it back together again. They were doing a great job of being slashy (does anyone still say 'slashy?') without being in the same room for the first 80% of the season but I was not disappointed by everything that happened once they managed to be in the same place again. "I have you, Magnus. I'll always have you, even if I'm pulled under, too. Together, we will resurface" <3 <3 <3.
On the subject of things I ship: if I had liked nothing else about this show, it would still have been worth it for this exchange between Charles and Lilandra:
"Your man speaks as if I am your pet. Hmmm. Not an entirely displeasing thought."
"Hush now, beloved. You may bark later."
Charles, I love you and every bone in your kinky body, but your timing needs work. Also you are both telepathic, maybe do not say these things out loud where your fiancée's subjects can hear you? They already don't want you to be Emperor, I'm not sure hearing about the petplay will help your case.
Obviously Charles/Lilandra is even more bound to tragedy than Charles/Erik because at least Erik cares about the same planet Charles does. At the end of the day she can't give up her Empire for him and he can't give up the X-Men for her, but at least they got to be happy for five minutes before people started suggesting mindwipes and the inevitable starcrossed breakup happened. (Which it needed to because oh no honey letting people take your memories is never a good idea, you should know better.)
Speaking of awkward conversations: I bet Logan is going to be just delighted that Magneto ripped the adamantium out of him, and since Erik is now in the same timezone as both Charles and Rogue they're not going to have much choice but to all work together. (Poor Charles is going to hate Ancient Egypt on multiple levels. All sand and no handrails!) It's not currently clear if Logan and Morph ended up with the rest of them, so my current theory is that they're somewhere else entirely - with or without Storm - which would give the show some time to work on wherever they're going with Logan/Morph. Not a pairing that ever entered my head before this show, but they're very cute together and frankly Logan needs to do something that isn't pining over Jean so I'm all in favour of this working out somehow. Also it would make all the worst fanboys melt down even harder than they already are about this show and I always enjoy that.
Speaking of people who are mad about things: I cannot believe the internet was upset about Gambit being 'dead' do they not know how the X-Men work? Even without the post-credits teaser I feel like we all knew this wasn't going to stick. Charles Xavier himself said it best: mutant heaven has revolving doors instead of pearly gates. I look forward to the inevitable scene where Rogue tearfully reminds Remy of who he really is.
One other caveat is that despite the this is very much the sixth season of an existing show only with better animation. I don't know how much sense it would even make to someone who didn't see the original version. But if you watched this version of the X-Men back in the day and have a Disney+ account, I strongly recommend checking it out.
It's not just that it introduced me to my favourite fictional character and had me independently inventing the idea of slashfic at the age of fourteen. While I'm sure I'd have found fandom and fanfic eventually, it's because I came in via this particular route that I found CFAN and from there my first BFF who introduced me to the rest of my real life social circle (including, eventually, my second BFF). Not to mention that if I'd come into fandom by another path I might not have encountered any of the people who are reading this, or joined my current fandom Discord!
When I heard that they were reviving the series I was interested but I also had reservations. I wasn't sure the show needed a revival, and with David Hemblen sadly no longer available and Cedric Smith not returning I had misgivings about the recasts. I was also concerned about Charles being completely absent on account of being dead, or that they would tone down the Charles/Erik subtext. (I don't need them to be canon, but I also don't need Disney going No Homo about my forever OTP.) So I was interested but cautious.
Good news: the first season was terrific! I did not need to worry about any of these things! Especially not that last one, oh boy. (In hindsight I don't know why I thought anyone would even want to make more X-Men TAS without Charles/Erik subtext. It would be like cutting out Storm talking dramatically about the wind or Gambit speaking about himself in the third person.)
The recasts did bother me a little, because I am a person who hates recasts basically all the time. I really thought I'd miss Hemblen more than Smith, because while Smith did a perfectly good job he is of course not my definitive Xavier voice when Patrick Stewart is right there. But I don't know if it's that Matthew Waterson's impression of the original is better or what but it's Ross Marquand's performance that occasionally threw me. I got used to it as we went, though, so hopefully this will have stopped bothering me altogether next season.
The show isn't perfect - it had some clunky dialogue here and there (much like the original series) and they rushed through some things to get to the three-parter at the end. However, the good bits were very good, especially the finale that combined a couple of mediocre '90s comics stories into something wonderful.
I have to admit to tearing up a bit at a version of Fatal Attractions where Charles still feels forced to shatter Magneto's mind but then immediately turns around and puts it back together again. They were doing a great job of being slashy (does anyone still say 'slashy?') without being in the same room for the first 80% of the season but I was not disappointed by everything that happened once they managed to be in the same place again. "I have you, Magnus. I'll always have you, even if I'm pulled under, too. Together, we will resurface" <3 <3 <3.
On the subject of things I ship: if I had liked nothing else about this show, it would still have been worth it for this exchange between Charles and Lilandra:
"Your man speaks as if I am your pet. Hmmm. Not an entirely displeasing thought."
"Hush now, beloved. You may bark later."
Charles, I love you and every bone in your kinky body, but your timing needs work. Also you are both telepathic, maybe do not say these things out loud where your fiancée's subjects can hear you? They already don't want you to be Emperor, I'm not sure hearing about the petplay will help your case.
Obviously Charles/Lilandra is even more bound to tragedy than Charles/Erik because at least Erik cares about the same planet Charles does. At the end of the day she can't give up her Empire for him and he can't give up the X-Men for her, but at least they got to be happy for five minutes before people started suggesting mindwipes and the inevitable starcrossed breakup happened. (Which it needed to because oh no honey letting people take your memories is never a good idea, you should know better.)
Speaking of awkward conversations: I bet Logan is going to be just delighted that Magneto ripped the adamantium out of him, and since Erik is now in the same timezone as both Charles and Rogue they're not going to have much choice but to all work together. (Poor Charles is going to hate Ancient Egypt on multiple levels. All sand and no handrails!) It's not currently clear if Logan and Morph ended up with the rest of them, so my current theory is that they're somewhere else entirely - with or without Storm - which would give the show some time to work on wherever they're going with Logan/Morph. Not a pairing that ever entered my head before this show, but they're very cute together and frankly Logan needs to do something that isn't pining over Jean so I'm all in favour of this working out somehow. Also it would make all the worst fanboys melt down even harder than they already are about this show and I always enjoy that.
Speaking of people who are mad about things: I cannot believe the internet was upset about Gambit being 'dead' do they not know how the X-Men work? Even without the post-credits teaser I feel like we all knew this wasn't going to stick. Charles Xavier himself said it best: mutant heaven has revolving doors instead of pearly gates. I look forward to the inevitable scene where Rogue tearfully reminds Remy of who he really is.
One other caveat is that despite the this is very much the sixth season of an existing show only with better animation. I don't know how much sense it would even make to someone who didn't see the original version. But if you watched this version of the X-Men back in the day and have a Disney+ account, I strongly recommend checking it out.
(no subject)
Date: 2024-05-17 02:02 am (UTC)Also, CFAN shoutout! I'm pretty sure that's how I found your livejournal way back when.
(no subject)
Date: 2024-05-18 02:40 am (UTC)It is not an accident that this is the first pairing that made me go 'I think these two guys should kiss.'
Also, CFAN shoutout! I'm pretty sure that's how I found your livejournal way back when.
Truly a great introduction to internet fandom!
(no subject)
Date: 2024-05-17 07:03 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2024-05-23 12:55 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2024-05-23 03:31 pm (UTC)Still the handling of the aftermath was perfect, so I didn't mind too much that one episode when I was left pissed off lol
(no subject)
Date: 2024-05-19 04:37 am (UTC)its like a breath of fresh air after the 2010s movies — where they'd always get insane dramatic + homoerotic tension but stop short of really amending anything in their relationship.....at the end of the film they'd always have erik fly off into the sunset alone even though it would make much more sense for him to stick around for once LOL.
dark phoenix 2019 did end that trend, but with this show we actually get to see what happens next! excited to see what they get up to in season 2 👀 would be amazing if charles gets some kind of psuedo-futuristic ancient egyptian hoverchair