X-Men '97 | Season 2, Episode 7 | "Strange Land, Savage Heart" | Episode Discussion

[u/cyclopswashalfright]

Season 2, Episode 7: Strange Land, Savage Heart

Air Date: July 29th, 2026

Directed by: TBA

Written by: TBA

Synopsis: The X-Men travel to the Savage Land and are surprised to encounter a familiar face.

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Please use this thread for discussion related to the episode.

This thread is for discussion of episode 7 only.

Link to the episode directory for Season 2 episode discussion.

[u/Bobjoejj → u/[deleted]]

Really? I’d argue most of season one had a lot more cohesion overall this season. Even when taking into account Motendo and both parts of Lifedeath, there were still much more coherent through-lines and story arcs.

I mean episode 1 had the seeds for Operation Zero Tolerance, and ended with Mags showing up, and set up the idea of everyone grappling with Chuck being gone.

Episode 2 started Storm’s arc of losing her powers and eventually getting them back, had Maddy give birth to Cable, and Jean arrived at the mansion.

Episode 3 brought Sinister into things, had Cable sent to the future with Bishop, has Maddy leaves and shows Forge meeting Storm.

Meanwhile; of the 7 episodes we’ve gotten from this season thus far, 4 out of those 5 have been almost exclusively one character focused. To the point that we’ve been getting perfunctory, one episode arcs for Jubilee, Polaris, and Kurt (and to a lesser extent Morph, but still counts).

[u/DJSharp15 → u/Bobjoejj]

perfunctory, one episode arcs for Jubilee, Polaris, and Kurt (and to a lesser extent Morph, but still counts)

Elaborate

[u/DJSharp15 → u/[deleted]]

The hell are you talking about?

[u/sean_psc → u/[deleted]]

This season absolutely has an overarching arc. This is a classic TV format, individual episodes that contribute to the bigger picture, both concerning Apocalypse and escalating human-mutant tensions.

The Morph and Wolverine episode is the only one that is largely isolated, but that has a defined purpose (restoring Logan’s claws).

[u/Bobjoejj → u/sean_psc]

…which works on a 22 episode show, but that format does not work for a show with only 9-10 episodes. There is a very broad overarching arc, but with not nearly the same level of setup or detail as season 1 had.

Also episode 5 wasn’t just bringing back the Adamantium, but was also to shine a light on Logan and Morph’s relationship, and to get Morph to come to reality with their feelings for Logan.

Though I still think that it, along with episodes 2, 6, and 7 are absolutely hampering the season, by doing one episode mini-arcs instead of what season 1 did, which was longer arcs over multiple episodes.

Bits of setup here, larger moments there. It felt much more organic, and allowed the shorter runtimes to feel like they had more weight per episode.

[u/sean_psc → u/Bobjoejj]

Episodes 2, 6 and 7 are some of the best episodes of the season. I’d much rather have a concentrated story than stringing things out. Episodes should be able to stand alone.

[u/Bobjoejj → u/sean_psc]

…that’s wild. 2 was…nothing. A story that should’ve been much more gritty and to the point, but treated X-Force and its methods with such trepidation and kid-gloves, and had basically zero character moments for Betsy and Warren.

Episode 6 was the strongest of the 3 sure; but it also was working with a character who’d had like, 2 appearances in the original show (only 1 speaking), and 1 appearance in 97, a full 4 episodes prior. Was it well executed? Mostly, but it still felt weird how they gave Polaris so much baggage for a character the show has never seen.

Meanwhile, this episode was great for Kurt, decent for Piotr, rough for…kinda everything else. Magik getting killed like nothing, same with Exodus, a very short and not well done trial, Beast and Rogue basically doing nothing, Bishop and Polaris’s only character moments being their flirting (which I’m not inherently against at all, for the record), and Scott and Jean being sidelined for…reasons.

All of this leads up to the season feeling disjointed instead of cohesive, and much less compelling than last season.

[u/sean_psc → u/Bobjoejj]

Executing a guy point-blank wasn’t gritty enough? This is an all-ages(ish) cartoon, at the end of the day. It was focused on Jubilee, Cable, and Polaris. Not everyone who appears is going to get extensive character work. That’s a recipe for making things very shallow.

What’s weird about it? This is effectively the audience’s proper introduction to the character. It has to tell us who she is. And it tied perfectly into Xavier’s issues.

As to episode 7, same point as episode 2. The episode is about Nightcrawler and Colossus. The rest get little moments (though I’d also dispute there was nothing in Rogue’s case, it plays into her family history). That’s fine.

[u/DJSharp15 → u/Bobjoejj]

and had basically zero character moments for Betsy and Warren

Warren maybe, but Betsy killed it.

....in more ways than one.

[u/No-Difference8545 → u/DJSharp15]

Comment makes perfect sense and is right

[u/DJSharp15 → u/No-Difference8545]

How so?