Marvel Studios ‘X-Men '97’ Episode 8 Review - Bad Boy Bastion

Remember Bastion from the closing moments of the seventh episode of X-Men '97? He stirs up more trouble here, starting with declaring mutants as liars. Bastion simply uses the fact that Charles Xavier is alive to achieve this task. What's more, it's revealed that Bastion also planned the Genosha incident and has created a more powerful version of Sentinel. An army of this advanced breed attacks the X-Men because no episode can end without extended fight sequences. The moment you see an old lady in this episode, your Spidey sense tingles. Something tells you this woman would not remain gentle for long.

Such intuitive powers come naturally to you while watching a formulaic movie or show. All the episodes of X-Men '97 follow the same pattern: Lots of exposition followed by an action scene followed by a cliffhanger. The exposition part in this episode is dedicated to Bastion. We learn about his inventions. No, scratch that. His inventions are used as a setup for the fight sequences. That old woman I mentioned earlier says something about life imitating art. What X-Men '97 imitates is other uncreative superhero productions. It wants to be labeled as "adult" and "dark," but it's as juvenile as any other recent Marvel movie or show. The Marvel Humor might not be present in X-Men '97, though that doesn't automatically render the show "meaningful" or "mature."

That obviously doesn't mean the series is devoid of fun. Look how Logan makes you chuckle through lines like, "I have to talk to Hank about his taste in women." When a "Sentinel zombie" asks this hotheaded mutant, "Why delay the inevitable?" he replies, "Lady, I got six reasons." Bastion, too, seems to have a sense of humor (I guess). He hangs Magneto on an X-shaped wall, leading you to wonder if Magneto had been a part of the Justice League, would he have been hanged on a J-shaped or an L-shaped wall? Before you can think of an answer, the Sentinel zombies (this is what Jubilee calls them) attack the X-Men.

These Sentinel beings steal the drama from Roberto's public appearance as a mutant. Given how his mother doesn't take his side, this moment should have been heartbreaking and emotional. But it gets a blink-and-miss-like treatment. Spider-Man's cameo appearance looks as cheap as that of Captain America's (they come across as shiny objects that want to divert our attention away from the show's flaws). The episode ends with the arrival of Xavier, who says, "To me, my X-Men." I would have screamed with delight if this were a good show. However, given how disappointing the series has been from the beginning itself, I was just glad that the episode finally ended.