Recap: Rogue is Faced with an Impossible Decision as an Old Friend Returns in "X-Men '97" Season 2, Episode 8
Things are finally reaching their boiling point as we have reached the penultimate episode of X-Men '97 season two. After a few fun side quests, we are finally back to dealing with the problem of Apocalypse. Or, should I say the problem of Apocalypse has already been dealt with by his latest horseman? Which creates a whole new problem for the X-Men.
The latest episode kicks off with Rogue in a dream about the celebration in Genosha. She dances with Gambit and even makes skin-to-skin contact with him, which is normally impossible for her, given her powers. Eventually though, Gambit appears to her as a gray, seemingly undead version of himself as he tells her "some things be deeper than skin." Rogue wakes up from her nightmare in a panic.
Later, the X-Men play poker in the X-Corp headquarters. Their game is interrupted by a proximity alarm and they see an aircraft is approaching. After and initial panic, they receive a message from Cable and Jubilee, saying they're coming in for a landing.
X-Force arrives at X-Corp with the corpse of Apocalypse in tow. Cyclops and Jean get a brief reunion with their son, who is seemingly not in the mood to catch up. Jubilee shows Rogue the playing card they found with Apocalypse's body.
Inside, the X-Men and X-Force assess the situation. Cable tells Charles they need him to find Gambit for them. Charles agrees as long as he accepts that this is a rescue mission and Gambit is not just their latest target. Meanwhile, Rogue struggles to come to terms with the fact that Gambit might be alive again. Nightcrawler tries to help her accept it, but she expresses some fear for what this potential return means.
Some of the X-Men and X-Force head into what Beast introduces as Cerebra, the new and improved version of Cerebro. Charles uses it and quickly finds Gambit in New Orleans. However, Gambit sees that Charles is watching him and uses some kind of energy to blast him out of his mind and back to X-Corp. With that blast, we get a very quick flash of Apocalypse's face. Charles tells the team Gambit has gone home.
Members of the Assassins Guild, including Gambit's brother Bobby and his ex Bella Donna, meet in a church. They try to figure out who invited them there before Gambit arrives. He explains that he has been taken out of his grave as he telekinetically hold his charged tarot cards to their throats. As they plead with him, he tells them "death is evolution" and transforms them into his own undead army. He then looks up at a stained glass window with an image of a woman on it. It's clear she means something to him.
The X-Men and X-Force are en route to New Orleans in the latter's jet when Cyclops and Jean try again to reunite with Cable. He explains to them that finding Apocalypse dead was not how he pictured his destiny to destroy the villain himself. They ask him why he didn't tell them he met them when he was a boy. Which of course was in the future, which is now all of their past. Honestly, just try not to think too much about it.
The jet gets attacked by what Jean describes as "a swarm of black holes where minds and souls should be." Gambit's team of undead assassins attack the ship and get on board. In the ensuing fight, Rogue finds Gambit on the jet. She tries to use her powers to burn Apocalypse's influence out of him, as she has done for Archangel in the past. She is surprised though to learn that her touch has no effect on him. Just like in her dream, Gambit tells her some things are deeper than skin and he puts her to sleep. Nightcrawler shows up to try and stop Gambit from taking Rogue, but Gambit puts him under his influence, adding to his army.
As Gambit escapes, Cyclops gives Cable a pep talk to help Psylocke and Jean land their crashing jet. Back at the X-Mansion, the remaining team sees news of the crash on TV. Storm tells them the school will be safe with Colossus and orders the rest of them to get ready to head to New Orleans.
Rogue wakes up in a mansion and Nightcrawler, who now has glowing red eyes, summons her for dinner. She finds Gambit waiting for her in a dining room and she sits with him. He offers her an opportunity for them to finally be together, as he takes her hand, again showing that her powers have no effect on him. Rogue admits she is uncertain about this new version of him.
He explains that he learned about a woman who once broke Apocalypse's heart. She convinced him to give her a piece of his power and she left with it. He says she ran to New Orleans and that the locals know her as the X-Ternal. This is not only the woman Gambit saw in the stained glass window, but also a character who was hinted at earlier this season. When Kang abandoned his city to be destroyed by Apocalypse, he told Candra he could only be challenged by "a force that is external." Candra would go on to be that woman who took some of Apocalypse's power and become the X-Ternal. Now, Gambit tells Rogue his plan is to steal that power back from her and use it to make Rogue immortal, so they can be together forever.
The possessed Guild gathers in the bayou for a wedding and Gambit turns to see Rogue arrive, wearing a veil. Bella Donna summons the X-Ternal, who is surprised to see Gambit is the one who woke her. Gambit tells her he wants the gem that gives her Apocalypse's power and she refuses. When she approaches him though, he stabs and kills her. Rogue is distraught by Gambit's actions but still seems willing to accept his proposal. Before he can give her the gem though, the X-Men and X-Force arrive. While almost all of the team is there, Bishop and Polaris are notably absent.
The Guild attacks and a fight breaks out. Gambit takes his opportunity to force the gem on Rogue, rendering her unconscious. Charles psionically attacks Gambit, creating a fight inside his own mind. Charles eventually takes control of the fight and tries to free the real Gambit from this possessed body. An astral hand reaches out from Gambit's body as Gambit's real voice calls out to Charles for help.
Back out in the real world, Cable sees that Gambit is unconscious and orders X-Force to kill him. The X-Men resist but X-Force restrains them.
In Gambit's mind again, the spirit of Apocalypse emerges. Charles is shocked to see that he is still alive. Meanwhile, Cable takes aim at Gambit but the X-Men, with the help of Jubilee and Sunspot, manage to stop him.
Apocalypse reabsorbs Gambit's mind (soul? astral being? whatever we want to call it), until Rogue arrives inside his mind as well. She reaches out a hand for him and pulls him free from Apocalypse. Instead, Apocalypse is seemingly absorbed back into Gambit.
Charles orders the X-Men to retreat as Cable tries to get one last shot at Gambit. Jean gets in the way o his shot though and the X-Men escape with the help of Nightcrawler, who is back to himself again. A frustrated Cable is left knee deep in swamp water, watching the last remnants of Apocalypse get away yet again.
In X-Corp, Gambit is being tended to by Beast, Rogue and Charles. A monitor giving his readings shows the code XM-266. Of course, this is not just a number chosen at random. "Uncanny X-Men #266" is the comic in which Gambit made his debut. Charles warns that Apocalypse will not be contained for very long. Rogue tells the unconscious Gambit she won't lose him again.
In a warehouse somewhere, Cable tries to tell Archangel and Pyslocke, all that is left of X-Force, that they need to regroup. They are then surprised by X-Factor and Val Cooper. She hands Cable a tarot card and implies they're both after the same target. It looks like X-Force and X-Factor might be teaming up to hunt down Gambit in the upcoming season finale.
This is certainly not setting up for the ending I was expecting, but it is still very exciting. Multiple mutant teams seems to be coming for the X-Men to take out Gambit before Apocalypse can re-emerge. And you can bet the X-Men are not going to hand him over without a fight. The only question is, how much of a role will Apocalypse have to play himself?
X-Men '97 season two is now streaming on Disney+.