X-Men '97 episode 6 review: A lot to digest in a small amount of time

While we're all still grieving over the deaths in X-Men '97 episode 5, "Remember It", the sixth episode brings us back to Storm and Forge's struggle against The Adversary.

Before I go any further, here's a nice little SPOILER WARNING FOR THOSE WHO HAVE NOT WATCHED "LIFEDEATH PART 2" YET - READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

The episode picks up from the dramatic cliffhanger of "Remember It", showing us little glimpses of it that are just enough to bring tears back into our poor eyes and quickly shifts focus to Storm and her quest to regain her mutant powers. Remember how she got zapped by that power-dampening bullet from the X-Cutioner? Las we saw her, she has been on a mission to fix it and her journey leads her to reconnect with Forge. Sparks fly (both romantically and literally), but attempts to restore her powers have failed... until now.

Storm faces off with the menacing figure called The Adversary in a cave while looking for a magical cactus that only grows in the pitch black in order to fight Forge's magical infection - courtesy of The Adversary biting him in episode 3. It turns out this creepy foe is actually a manifestation of her own doubts and fears - Storm finds herself facing her inner demons quite literally. This confrontation helps her realize that her power loss isn't just physical but also mental, a sort of block she'd put on herself. With this epiphany, she fully embraces her mutant identity, and her powers come flooding back in a visually stunning sequence... But it felt like this could have been prolonged a little. The pacing of this episode felt weirdly too fast, and Storm's self-discovery journey felt a little... undermined?

I understand that having Ororo overcome her own fears and her own inner demons in order to bring her powers back is an emotional touch to the series, but by having it solved so easily, her whole conundrum wasn't as big of a moment as I personally wanted it to be. I understand that the episodes in the series are pretty short and there's a lot to cover, but maybe stretch things out to where we have more than just 10 episodes to enjoy? I honestly found myself bored with how quickly she regained her powers. I understand she's an Omega-level mutant, but still - she got hit with a power-zapping ray. Make it actually mean something.

In a twist that'll make your head spin, Professor X, presumed dead, is revealed to be alive and kicking - literally, with the help of some Shi'ar tech that's got him walking again. He's been recovering with the help of the Shi'ar and surprise, surprise - he has some weird plans to marry Lilandra, the Shi'ar empress. But not everyone's throwing rice at this space wedding. Deathbird, Lilandra's sister, is super skeptical of Xavier's Earthling ways and demands a crazy loyalty test: erase his memories of Earth and the X-Men to prove his love. Yikes.

Professor X uses his mad psychic skills to quell a coup attempt by Deathbird and imparts a bit of Earth-style wisdom about peace and coexistence. But just when you think it's all about space politics and power restoration, Xavier gets a psychic vision of doom back on Earth - specifically the tragedy we see unfolding in Genosha in episode 5. This vision makes him realize he needs to return to Earth to help the X-Men, setting the stage for more epic adventures, including the upcoming 3-part finale.

I also felt his part was a little too rushed. If I'm being honest, this is probably my least favorite episode so far. It's entirely too much to digest in too little time, right after a huge blow to our emotions in the previous episode. I'm very glad Storm gained her powers back, but I felt it could have been a longer arc, not just a "hey, you can bring your own powers back by just choosing to feel better about yourself and the fact you're a mutant" moment.

So, as Storm regains her powers and Professor X plans a homecoming, episode 6 sets us up for some hopefully serious action in upcoming episodes. Expect reunions, battles, and more drama as our heroes brace for whatever comes next.

Don't forget to tune into Disney+ next Wednesday, April 24, to see what happens next.