REVIEW: ‘X-Men ‘97’ Episode 4 — “Montendo/Lifedeath”

Jubilee (Holly Chou), Storm (Alison Sealy-Smith), and Gambit’s (A. J. LoCascio) crop top get the spotlight in X-Men ’97 Episode 4, “Montendo/Lifedeath.” Following the explosive nature of Episode 3, Episode 4 allows for more playfulness in the first half before transforming into something with more emotional weight. While the Storm-centered storyline is more poignant, the split between the two doesn’t allow for dissonance so much as it plays into the comic framework it’s built on. It’s a necessary breather, even if that doesn’t negate the grief and trauma Storm is working through.

The first storyline, however, revolves around Jubilee, who is turning 18. All she wants to do is go to the arcade to celebrate. But, much to her chagrin, her plans deflate due to Magneto (Matthew Waterson). He believes the team needs to prepare for any and all potential ensuing battles. She unleashes her teenage angst against Roberto (Gui Agustini). Roberto, who spends a lot of time at the X-Men mansion following Episode 1. Jubilee tries to alleviate her mood by playing video games, only for the two to be transported into a video game themselves.

This is all due to the work of the villain Mojo. Mojo is an alien TV producer looking to entertain and grow his intergalactic audience. Each level of the game is based on moments that Jubilee has experienced. She accepts the challenge even if the risk of dying in the game would also mean they die in real life. But considering the shift that comes with turning 18, she’s looking for any semblance of familiarity. There’s comfort even in fighting an evil Magneto rather than the newly reformed version of him who knows how Rouge (Lenore Zann) takes her coffee.

It’s not a high-stakes storyline, but it allows for several things. First, fans can see the entire expanse of Jubilee’s powers. There’s a joyful vibrancy to how the animatos capture them, expressive and eager in a manner that matches her personality. Secondly, it allows the animators to play with style and form as they indulge in ’90s game aesthetics and callbacks. Again, there’s an apparent reverence for the original series and the decade it’s set in, from the ensembles the characters do to the way the video game comes to life.

Jubilee’s growth and romance with Roberto might not be as critical as the revelation of Jean being a clone in Episode 3. However, X-Men ’97 Episode 4 remembers that a crucial feature of the team is tracking how they all deal with growing and developing their powers. Jubilee is young and embraces her powers. It makes sense that the biggest hurdle would be the lack of stability and the change that comes from growing older.

It proves a stark difference from the storyline Storm is facing. She, too, gets a hint of romance with Forge (Gil Birmingham). But her storyline more directly confronts grief. Specifically, grief over the powers she no longer has. It’s perhaps one of the main tethers to two stories that couldn’t, on paper, be more different. Both Jubilee and Storm demonstrate love and pride for their powers. Of course, Storm is devastated. She no longer possesses what, to her, made her who she is and the hero people see as a goddess.

Forge is trying to help get Storm’s powers back to absolve his guilt and atone for past wrongs. After suffering injuries in a war resulting in the loss of one of his arms and legs, he was desperate to find material to help him heal. This, in turn, led him to create blueprints that the government distorts. His designs become a means to control and neutralize mutants. His guilt is obvious, though he tries to appeal to Storm’s empathy anyway. She isn’t ready to forgive this misdoing despite his attempts to help and their mutual fondness.

Instead, the episode ends on another cliffhanger as the two face off against a monster who preys on misery. It’s an exciting development. Now we must see if the attack initiates the return of Storm’s powers. That or if she must deal with the threat without them. The entire story between Storm and Forge is engaging. This is peak melodrama from the animation that emboldens the story with visual romanticism through sunsets and moonlit skies to the writing that tips into gripping declarations. It’s what we want from these stories and characters.

X-Men ’97 Episode 4 might not have the full narrative heft of Episode 3, but it delivers two stories that in turn are playful and mournful. By highlighting Jubilee and Storm, the series turns the spotlight on two deserving characters who enrich the story and the team at its center by grounding it in two different types of realism. The fear of growing older and the fear of the unknown.

X-Men ’97 Episode 4 is available now on Disney+.