“Tolerance Is Extinction – Part 1” X-Men ’97 Ep. 8 Review

So, if you thought Genosha was a lot to handle, just wait. As Jean Grey says to Cable when she’s being Mother™, use a seat belt, please. This latest X-Men adventure is a bumpy ride from takeoff to Blackbird convertible landing — and Operation Zero Tolerance is merely in phase one.

Here’s your review of “Tolerance Is Extinction – Part 1,” the first episode of the season 1 finale of Marvel’s X-Men ’97.

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Family Dynamics

Having rescued the X-Men from Prime Bolivar in episode 7, Cable is now at the mansion with the team. With his knowledge of the future, he explains that Bastion’s 300-year evolutionary war actually created a utopia rather than a dystopia — well, for humans. He used the same Techno-Organic Virus that Mr. Sinister inflicted upon baby Nathan to create Prime Sentinels capable of reproduction. This apex species took the place of mutants as the planet’s reigning evolutionary step.

However, mutantkind wasn’t completely wiped out. Bastion used mutants as a super-powered labor force to keep his society in working order. Polaris and Rachel Summers, both exerting the very extent of their impressive powers, make brief cameos in this bleak vision of the future.

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X-Men Fake News

The team is at a loss on what to do. Rogue is in another room in a coma and Bastion’s plan seems foolproof. Sensational news reports are broadcast everywhere as footage surfaces of Professor X in space and Henry Gyrich’s murder. Cable’s time sliding ability can’t even fix things; every time he tries to undo the Genoshan genocide, time pulls him back.

Beast says that the mystics of Kamar-Taj (y’know, Doctor Strange’s homebase) told him about absolute points. As explored elsewhere in the MCU, absolute points are fixed events across all timelines. They happen no matter what. Looks like Genosha can’t be undone.

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Family Is a Choice

Jean Grey attempts to telepathically reach Rogue while Nightcrawler keeps the two company. Rogue shows no response, but Jean discusses her own troubles with memory, specifically the fraught connection she shared with Madelyne Pryor. Nightcrawler points out, “Memories are merely dim images echoing with emotion.” Well-said, fuzzy blue elf. After all, he did manage to connect with Rogue in spite of their conspiring mother, Mystique. Kurt reminds Jean, “Blood is blood. Family is a choice.”

Over at Bastion’s hideout, Sinister claims to be using Bastion for a wider pool of genetic guinea pigs. Probably true but it’s quickly become clear who’s really in charge here. Strung up with a power suppression collar, Magneto refuses to speak, though Val Cooper tries to break through with a too-little-too-late apology.

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The Secrets of Bastion

Cable, Cyclops, and Jean travel together to a location with a lead — which turns out to be Bastion’s childhood home. Boxes of memories fill the place, including a poster for a Stark Expo, though the house is eerily quiet until Jean senses another mind. It’s Bastion’s creepy old mother, of course.

Strangely, Bastion’s mother is fine with the X-Men breaking into her home. In fact, Bastion told him they would be coming to get her. Momentarily sidestepping the woman’s odd presence, Jean uses a childhood drawing to access Bastion’s past. Turns out his father was infected by a piece of future tech sent by Nimrod. When Sebastion’s parents conceived him, they combined human and bio-machinery tech along with mutant genes. Young Sebastion could hear machines.

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Overload Their Bandwidth

Back in the present, Val tells Bastion he should have informed them about Genosha, implying that she and the human governments were plotting against the mutants all along. Bastion then reveals his hateful plan to push humanity beyond their guilty tolerance of mutantkind, overloading their bandwidth for compassion. Gyrich made Xavier into a martyr and tides were turning, so Bastion dialed things up a few notches — after Genosha, humans would lean toward apathy once their emotions were overwhelmed. That’s when his human-Sentinel hybrids will swoop in.

During the meeting, Doctor Doom and Baron Zemo give their thoughts on the plan (via video call), yet Bastion assures them all his plan is deadly but discreet. Operation Zero Tolerance will allow them all to act today to save tomorrow, preventing human extinction. Bastion is preying upon humanity’s xenophobic fear — mutant laborers lead to them losing their jobs, so humans resorted to chat rooms, where Bastion found participants to turn them into his new Sentinels. Typical super-villain hate mongering.

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Mother Nature’s Favorite

In a twist of events, Bastion’s mother is a Sentinel. Roberto’s butler Ford is also a Sentinel. Trish Tilby visiting Beast at the mansion is, you guessed it, a Sentinel! All over, Bastion’s hidden-in-plain-sight Sentinels are being activated.

Beast has recalibrated Cerebro to track cyborg mental signatures like Trask’s, but Trish’s surprise attack stops him before making any progress. She slams down her Kate’s Coffee cup (a sly nod to Kitty Pryde’s upcoming stint in the comics as a barista). Morph tries shifting into Juggernaut to subdue Trish but she easily overpowers him along with Beast.

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Flight of the Wolverine

Meanwhile at the mall, Jubilee and Roberto flee from the Sentinels around them. Finally, Roberto fully uses his powers in a helpful way and transforms into his familiar solar form. He clumsily carries Jubilee away from their attackers.

At the mansion, Trish is joined by hordes of other activated Sentinels, and Wolverine and Nightcrawler do their best to defend comatose Rogue. Nightcrawler even gets a chance to brandish his swordplay skills and we get a fascinating look into what it’s like to teleport with him. But when even more reinforcements arrive, it seems the X-Men will be outnumbered.

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Don’t Screw with the Summers

All throughout their mission, Jean has been having tiny mom moments with Nathan. Could he slowly be warming up to her? Bastion’s mom is then joined by other activated Sentinel hybrids. The Summers trio makes a narrow escape to the Blackbird, protected by Jean’s TK.

When their jet is damaged, they’re forced to take their escape back onto the ground — in a Porsche! Apparently the future still has Porsches because Cable is impressed. The Summers family makes their getaway, working in tandem to fend off the Sentinels — Scott blasts, Cable targets, and Jean takes point telekinetically driving the car.

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Who Let the Dog Out?

Roberto and Jubilee crash into his mother’s fundraiser, and his appearance outs himself as a mutant. In the confusion, Bastion’s Sentinels trick the humans around them into thinking they’re trying to save mutants. Wanting to maintain order, but betraying her son’s trust, Roberto’s mother tells him to do what the men say and go with them.

At the same time, Bastion surveys the burning X-Mansion with his assistant Daria until Sinister calls to say that Val let Magneto out. He returns to his hideout to confront Val, telling her that her bleeding heart is futile, and she’s only fighting the future. Val says the worst thing about Genosha, even scarier than the death and destruction, was the feeling of déjà vu. We never really learn, do we?

And, above all else, Magneto was right. Genosha confirmed that he knows humanity better than Charles ever did.

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To Me, My X-Men

Finally freed, Magneto travels to Earth’s North Pole. Once there, he accesses the entire planet’s magnetic fields, sending rippling waves to shut down all Bastion’s Sentinels. Across the globe, we see various faces witnessing Magneto’s move — Spider-Man, Silver Samurai, and Omega Red all make cameos. Magneto’s chilling “enough” shows he will no longer be playing by Xavier’s rules.

Amid the mansion ruins, Wolverine says to Morph that Magneto has declared war. Suddenly a spaceship crash lands into the burning wreckage. Xavier has returned from Shi’ar space and he summons his X-Men — Storm, Beast, Jean, and Scott all hear the telepathic call. He hopes he’s not too late.

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For now, there’s a lull in Bastion’s grand plan. But we have a feeling Operation Zero Tolerance is only just getting started. Also, can’t Shi’ar travel tech land better than that?

What were your thoughts on episode 8 of X-Men ’97? Join the conversation with other Marvel fans over at Sideshow Social Network or in side.show/geekgroup, and don’t forget to Let Your Geek Sideshow!