X-Men '97 has done everything right so far (except for this)

My friends, let us gather 'round and dive into the colorful, mutant-filled world of X-Men '97 and the emotional damaged it has caused worldwide.

This show burst onto the scene like Wolverine at an all-you-can-eat buffet, and let’s just say, it’s been mostly a thrill ride. We've been hit with a wave of nostalgia unlike anything we've experienced so far, made to feel like we're all kids sitting in front of the TV on a Saturday morning once again, and we've been reunited with some of our favorite X-Men characters in a warm embrace that has left us all eagerly waiting for more each passing week.

But even the coolest roller coasters have that one turn that rattles your teeth a bit too hard. Let’s talk about what’s been absolutely epic about the show, and that one little hiccup that has been gnawing at me for a few episodes now.

Oh, and of course, MAJOR SPOILERS INCOMING IF YOU'RE NOT CAUGHT UP WITH THE SHOW'S LATEST EPISODE (AS OF THIS WRITING), "BRIGHT EYES".

The good stuff: A mutant-sized win

First off, hats off to the creators for picking up where the beloved '90s series left off. That nostalgia hit us harder than Cyclops’ optic blast. The animation? Slicker than Nightcrawler bamfing in and out of a battle. And the voice acting? So on point, it's like Professor X got into our heads and read our wishlist.

We've seen cherished and new angles of our beloved X-Men and have been given a nice plate of villains that make us all check under our beds at night (or make sure our consoles are unplugged), so much relationship drama, and a plot that, for the most part, makes sense and is pretty fluid.

The storylines have been a buffet of deep cuts and fan favorites, with twists so wild they could make Mystique lose track of her original form. And let's not even start on the cameos - nearly every episode packs a surprise that leaves us geeking out for days and theorizing every single hour until the next episode pops out.

And here comes the “but”…

Now, not everything about X-men '97 is sunshine and rainbows. Hold onto your cerebro helmets, because here comes the storm cloud in our sunny day of mutant bliss. And speaking of Storm, yes, she's at the center of my little nitpick.

The pace could use a breather

First off, can someone please tell the folks steering this ship that it’s okay to take a breath? This show moves so fast, it feels like Quicksilver is in charge of the episode pacing. One second, you're in a deep, emotional moment with Jean Grey and Scott Summers, and the next, bam - you’re thrown three battles and a plot twist later without a moment to digest. A slower pace would let us really soak in all the mutant drama. There's so much inconsistency with the sectioning off of certain episodes that it really makes me miss the times where seasons had more than just ten episodes.

Episode 7 aired this week, which leaves us 3 more episodes before the season is over - and it'll end with a three-part finale. So much more of the content leading up to this highly anticipated conclusion could have been laid out more smoothly if there had been more episodes to fully flesh out themes, arcs, and make us viewers savor and care about what's going on when there isn't any action. Episodes 4 and 6, "Lifedeath Part 1" and "Lifedeath part 2," would have been so much more emotionally resonating if their pacing and plot-split were done a little smoother. In those two episodes alone, we were served three completely separate subplots, with one that is supposed to be a major one but turned out actually quite disappointing, interlaced in a way that just didn't click very well.

Speaking of disappointing...

Did Storm Just get… Stormed over?

And here’s my main point of contention: they did our queen Storm dirty.

Remember how the original series gave Storm those epic moments to shine? Well, X-Men '97 seemed like it was on track to give us a glorious Storm-centered arc. Except, oops, it got sandwiched between two episodes that felt more like fillers than an Angel food cake.

It started off promising, with Storm grappling with wondering what it'd be like to be human and the Universe giving her the ultimate lesson in "be careful what you wish for," which is meaty stuff that deserves the spotlight. But then, just as we’re getting into the heart of her struggles, the episode ends. In the first half of that same episode, the show zips off to a side quest about Jubilee and Sunspot being trapped in a video game console and then continues Storm's arc in a misplaced, barely connected episode that includes Professor X being alive and well and about to get hitched to a Shi'ar. Cool, but, huh?

In the ever-so-wise words of the immaculate Taylor Swift, "you need to calm down".

These episodes, while fun on their own, disrupted the flow and undercut the depth of Storm’s personal journey, even if "Lifedeath Part 2" brings us Professor X back from being presumed dead. It’s like being served a two-layer cake with the layers from different cakes. Sure, cake is cake, but we ordered chocolate, not chocolate with a side of lemon zest. It left me with my eyebrows raised in annoyance from being tugged left and right between plots that don't connect, don't share the same emotional value, and, quite frankly, completely undermined Storm finding it in herself to manifest her mutant powers from within after being zapped with a mutant power neutralizer. That was supposed to be an emotionally gripping moment, a moment where we all bow to our beloved weather goddess and cheer for her return. But instead, we were briefly served with a huge villain, The Adversary, and two 15-minute parts two weeks apart about she went on a personal quest to realize she's a bad bitch of Omega levels and only needed to believe in herself to bring her powers back.

The Adversary? With a whole 6 minutes of screen time divvied up between two episodes, this terrifying villain seems to have been just brushed aside as a plot tool to tell Storm's story. Storm's struggle? Undermined to the point of it being a "self pep-talk" kind of sub-plot.

Storm and her arc deserved so much better.

Don't get me wrong, X-Men '97 is an incredible series. So close to perfection, but these two little hiccups have left a stain in an otherwise pristine revival.

All in all, X-Men '97 is doing a smashing job of making us tune in with the zeal of Toad chasing a bug. But just a little tweak in pacing and giving Storm the majestic storyline she deserves would make this show not just good, but legendary.

So, dear creators, if you're listening - let's slow it down a notch, and give our weather-controlling, powerhouse of a heroine the full, uninterrupted spotlight she deserves. After all, it’s only fitting for a queen, right?

Don't forget to tune in to Disney+ next Wednesday, May 1st to catch the 8th episode in this kickass series, "Tolerance is Extinction Part 1".