What are you watching? (television thread)
- Thread starter Oburi
- Start date
Griffith
With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Yeah, I was naturally skeptical, the first episode feels very nostalgia-driven like something that could be mindlessly exploitative, but even all that material turned out to have a purpose and overall this was clearly made with a lot of authenticity and love for the comics.
I thought it was basically state-mandated for all parents with children under 13!? Yeah, they got me back with one of those $2 a month for three months deals and by the end of that my daughter had discovered Bluey and it was all over, so I subscribed to the $9 ad bundle with Hulu, which at least gives you some variety for your buck. The wife and I re-watched Buffy and it had the added bonus of keeping our daughter scared away from our bedroom and into bed at night.
nomad
"Bring the light of day"
Indeed. I'm in the same boat as you. I'm taken by surprise of how good they really made it. Back then they were loyal to the comics and I dare say one of the few that did specially back then. Now they seem to not only have the support but to also add a more mature take on it. Stuff that you couldn't do at FOX network back then. If you know the comics you know damn well where they are going... And I look forward to it.
Season 2 gladly has been already been written by the same showrunner. Despite his termination, I truly hope that he is brought back for more.
Griffith
With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
X-Men '97 - So, not surprisingly, they didn't just stick the landing with aplomb, like this was as epic as could be and more than I expected frankly, but then did a pirouette into a surprise encore routine that just so happened to fulfill my one lingering desire for this season while setting up season 2. Bravo.
I hope I'm not overselling it, it's still Saturday morning cartoon X-Men, that's part of the charm, but it's at about as high a level as you can do that without it becoming something else. It actually uses that to its advantage to touch or brush on events and themes much darker than it, or seemingly any mainstream X-Men adaptation, effectively could if it had to really deal with them outside this format where they can plumb the depths without getting bogged down in them. They can just hit the high notes and move on to the next thing without lingering too long. In no particular order here's some of the shit it meaningfully references, sometimes briefly so don't assume all of these are big spoilers (I'll still tag them since SOME technically are, but it's all things you've likely heard of if you're an X-Fan =):
Prejudice (duh)
Mojo
Master Mold
Sentinels
January 6th
The Shi'ar
The Phoenix Force
Goblin Queen
Mr. Sinister
Magneto was right
Terrorism
Slavery
Genocide
Forge
Adversary
Apocalypse
Nimrod
Cable
The Askani
Asteroid M
Genosha
Spider-Man '94
Marvel heroes
The future
The past
The Alpha (not Flight)
The Omega (Red)
There's one name I specifically didn't mention because it was the surprise of the season and very effectively tied it all together. I hope they can surprise me as much with whatever direction they turn next season as well.
I hope I'm not overselling it, it's still Saturday morning cartoon X-Men, that's part of the charm, but it's at about as high a level as you can do that without it becoming something else. It actually uses that to its advantage to touch or brush on events and themes much darker than it, or seemingly any mainstream X-Men adaptation, effectively could if it had to really deal with them outside this format where they can plumb the depths without getting bogged down in them. They can just hit the high notes and move on to the next thing without lingering too long. In no particular order here's some of the shit it meaningfully references, sometimes briefly so don't assume all of these are big spoilers (I'll still tag them since SOME technically are, but it's all things you've likely heard of if you're an X-Fan =):
Prejudice (duh)
Mojo
Master Mold
Sentinels
January 6th
The Shi'ar
The Phoenix Force
Goblin Queen
Mr. Sinister
Magneto was right
Terrorism
Slavery
Genocide
Forge
Adversary
Apocalypse
Nimrod
Cable
The Askani
Asteroid M
Genosha
Spider-Man '94
Marvel heroes
The future
The past
The Alpha (not Flight)
The Omega (Red)
There's one name I specifically didn't mention because it was the surprise of the season and very effectively tied it all together. I hope they can surprise me as much with whatever direction they turn next season as well.
Well one thing I apparently won't be watching is Scavengers Reign Season 2, since it just got canceled. This is a bummer... Season 1 was very promising, doing cool shit with sci-fi in a way that's just not done anymore. Check it out if you're at all interested in the genre.
Just finished X-Men '97. First off, I really appreciate that Griff and @nomad let us all know that this was worth checking out afterall, because I watched the trailer and it looked like nostalgia garbage. But the truth is, it’s nostalgia junk food!
This show feels like it came from the heart of a fan who really loved and understood the 1990s X-Men comics, and Disney/Marvel offered them a blank check for how to best digest some of that series' biggest milestones. It's kind of incredible just how many of the BIG DEAL story arcs they successfully crammed into 10 episodes. You can honestly watch this Saturday Morning version of X-Men and NOT have to read about a decade's worth of comics.
I did feel that it starts super strong but kind of lost steam toward the end. The cost of turning these massive story arcs into bite-sized ones was that it sacrificed a lot of the character development, team-building, and overall camaraderie that would naturally happen in the margins of the comics. Instead, a lot of that is supplanted with quippy dialogue each episode, and that tone overstayed its welcome in a Whedon-esque way, for me. My other gripe is that the voice actors got on my nerves quite a bit, in particular Rogue, who now sounds like a grandma instead of a smoky Southern belle. But it's also incredible how many of the actors sound spot-on from the original cartoon. Was that the RIGHT decision, though?
Anyway, I'm still amazed it's as good as it is, given that as @Griffith said, is essentially a modern Saturday Morning Cartoon that hits all the right notes for '90s X-Men. I do hope they can maintain this quality going forward, because I'd really like to see where they take things, and ultimately which arcs they'll embrace or discard.
Just finished X-Men '97. First off, I really appreciate that Griff and @nomad let us all know that this was worth checking out afterall, because I watched the trailer and it looked like nostalgia garbage. But the truth is, it’s nostalgia junk food!
This show feels like it came from the heart of a fan who really loved and understood the 1990s X-Men comics, and Disney/Marvel offered them a blank check for how to best digest some of that series' biggest milestones. It's kind of incredible just how many of the BIG DEAL story arcs they successfully crammed into 10 episodes. You can honestly watch this Saturday Morning version of X-Men and NOT have to read about a decade's worth of comics.
I did feel that it starts super strong but kind of lost steam toward the end. The cost of turning these massive story arcs into bite-sized ones was that it sacrificed a lot of the character development, team-building, and overall camaraderie that would naturally happen in the margins of the comics. Instead, a lot of that is supplanted with quippy dialogue each episode, and that tone overstayed its welcome in a Whedon-esque way, for me. My other gripe is that the voice actors got on my nerves quite a bit, in particular Rogue, who now sounds like a grandma instead of a smoky Southern belle. But it's also incredible how many of the actors sound spot-on from the original cartoon. Was that the RIGHT decision, though?
Anyway, I'm still amazed it's as good as it is, given that as @Griffith said, is essentially a modern Saturday Morning Cartoon that hits all the right notes for '90s X-Men. I do hope they can maintain this quality going forward, because I'd really like to see where they take things, and ultimately which arcs they'll embrace or discard.