While the episode may be called Lifedeath Part 2, in reality it should be titled Attack of the Bird Bitches as we get a nasty owl demon and alien bird woman causing chaos for two beloved X-Men.
This week we start off in the middle of a cosmic battle taking place between the Shi’ar and the Kree. The battle is led and dominated by the sassy Deathbird and Imperial Guard, with Ronan the Accuser and his soldiers fighting for the Kree. The Shi’ar make quick work, and just as Deathbird is about to claim victory (and presumably kill Ronan) she is interrupted by an imperial transmission sent by her sister, Empress Lilandra. The Empress has decided to announce to the entire empire that she is going to wed Professor X, who they have been rehabilitating. Charles makes his first appearance before the entire empire and in this series. Saying the Shi’ar people look less than thrilled about him being their new emperor is quite the understatement.
Later on, in the bizarre alien gardens with some Bojack Horseman looking creatures in the Shi’ar palace, Professor X and Lilandra take a stroll to discuss his concerns over how his Terran (Earth) heritage is a major issue. Lilandra is totally nonchalant about it and doesn’t give it much thought. He mentioned how he wants to go to Earth to visit and perhaps they can rule from there at times. While Lilandra is apprehensive, she says she is open to it.
We go back to Earth, where we find Storm and Forge still trapped with Adversary in Forge’s cabin. The bite from Adversary has infected Forge and seemingly is beginning to kill him. The evil hooting owl demon of Adversary continues to torment our poor storm in the background. Storm tries to escape the cabin, but realizes that Adversary has trapped her inside. Adversary starts to mess with Storm’s head making her more fearful and feeling shame over herself, trapping her in a coffin where visions of demonic X-Men teammates taunt her. However, with little energy left, Forge uses some Dr. Strange vodoo he learned, freeing Storm and teleporting Adversary somewhere far away in the desert. I mean, I know he was dying, but what took him so long to pull that card out? Forge then reveals that to save him there is a magic cacti in a cave that will cure his wound. Storm and Forge decide to ride together to the cave, because they L-O-V-E each other.
We travel across space to see Professor X and Lilandra presenting themselves in front of the imperial council and the good citizens of the Shi’ar to present their future matrimony. An advisor tells Lilandra that a wedding right now is not a good idea, mostly because the Shi’ar are quite bigoted and stuck up. Lilandara basically is like “whatever.” Roll in Deathbird who lands in front of them like a pigeon swooping down to eat garbage on a sidewalk, who is totally against this matrimony. She doesn’t like Professor X or his kind, claiming he comes from the “Milky Way ghetto.” As a resident of the Milky Way, I am deeply offended as should everyone else on Earth (or in the galaxy matter), but deep down inside…she’s kind of right. Therefore she calls on some ancient Shi’ar ritual that royals must prove they are loyal to the empire. The challenge Deathbird presents to prove Professor X’s worthiness is that he must wipe all his memories from Earth. Pigeon be gone and leave Charles alone.
In a Shi’ar temple Gladiator from the Imperial Guard and Professor X are chit chatting. Professor X reveals how he can’t just erase his memories and they need to coexist. Gladiator mentions how idealism is a sign of insanity. Lilandra walks in and interrupts Xavier and Gladiator. Professor X says that Deathbird has gone too far, which makes Lilandra question his love for her. She wants him to stay even if they have to erase their memories. Charles realizes that Lilandra is the only reason that he is still alive, and perhaps he owes it to her to make this sacrifice.
Back in the Milky Way ghetto, Storm and Forge arrive at the cave and start to walk through it to find the magical cactus. He feels guilty because he feels responsible that he put Storm in this precarious position. Storm however, realizes that being human for this time was actually a good thing as it made her feel like she could find her inner strength once again. Forge, weakened and still dying, flashes the light to show Storm that she has to go through a tight space in order to reach the cactus. Storm looks at the tight opening with fear as we know she is claustrophobic.
Zooming out to the stars, Professor X is presented to the Shi’ar council to begin the process of wiping his memories in front of them all. As they go to the process, they ask him if he is ready to forget about his X-Men, which he is reluctant to say anything, and Deathbird swoops in to interrupt. You gotta hand it to Deathbird she is persistent in what she wants. Deathbird makes a case of how inferior he is, and how his “freak fluids” should not be mixing with any Shi’ar. The council starts to agree with Deathbird. Lilandra orders her sister to be arrested, but Deathbird goes in for a counterattack, which they all start to battle. Gladiator makes handy work with Deathbird’s henchmen, but she gets a good attack on Professor X before going after Lilandra. Professor X is over this nonsense, and uses his telepathic powers to put the council, Lilandra, Deathbird, and Gladiator in an astral plane classroom where he is going to teach them some lessons, because they have been some naughty pupils.
Back in the cave, Storm is crawling through the cave as the space gets tighter and tighter. She is starting to freak out but sees the magical cactus. However, Adversary makes an appearance again, having found her in the cave. The owly bitch keeps harassing her wanting to feed off from her misery. However, Storm has had it. She tells the demon NO. She starts to realize she has to find her inner strength if she wants to overcome this demon and regain her powers. She starts to renounce Adversary, which in turn starts to bring her powers back. She summons on her weather power, bringing in lightning to blast the demon bird into bits before emerging from the cage with her powers in full glory. She gets an amazing flight sequence showing how untapped her powers are now and the goddess she is. She even grows a full mane of hair. She rescues Forge (good thing she didn’t forget about him while flying around, that could have been bad) and takes him to the cabin where she gives him the magical cactus that quickly heals him. Forge wants to go on a trip with her, which she agrees to, but as they turn on the TV they discover that a mutant genocide has taken place in Genosha, leaving Forge in shock and Storm in tears.
We go back one last time to Shi’ar and Professor X’s classroom session, where he shuts Deatbird’s trap with an apple in her mouth for her annoying outbursts. He teaches them how the Shi’ar are not superior, rather they merely just colonized other empires and pushed their culture to be the dominant one. In reality there is no superior race and that diversity is necessary for civilizations to thrive. Just as it seems like they are taking in what he is saying positively, a globe on his desk starts spinning crazily, and blows up. His students are now skeletons where a massive Gambit emerges in the background and stands over him and turns into a skeleton himself. Professor X comes to the realization that Gambit has been killed. Professor X emerges from the astral plane in grief, shock and pain now knowing that his beloved (and everyone’s favorite) student is dead. He tells the Shi’ar that he is going home back to his X-Men, back to his Milky Way ghetto.
The last scene of the episode we get a shot of Bolivar Trask running from someone until he is blasted onto the ground. It’s revealed that he gave his DNA to access Mastermold and that he regrets what happened in Genosha. But a familiar voice reveals that it’s okay, because Genosha was just the beginning. And the one is saying it is Mister Sinister.
OUR REVIEW
Our rating: 3.5/5
After such a stupendous and intense episode last week, there was only one way to go, and that was down. But this episode was still a very good entry. Albeit it is a much quieter episode and smaller in scale as it only focuses on two X-Men in isolated storylines.
It was a welcome change to see what Professor X has been up to throughout all these episodes. It was refreshing to get his monologues and lessons on diversity, equality and what he has fought for his entire life. It makes you wonder, with the X-Men team in a little bit of shambles, how his return will impact them. Will it bring them back together? Calm Cyclops’ anger? Help Jean navigate her memories? Professor X holds a lot of power and it will be interesting to see how he changes the team dynamic.
Storm’s story is also complex going into how her fears were the root cause of her losing her power. It was all within herself. However, it would have been nice to see that part played up a little more beforehand. Storm really comes off as confident and proud of her powers before the Lifedeath storyline starts. Yes, she told Jean/Madeline she wondered what it would be like to be human, but that didn’t feel like a deep fear, just more how one wonders, as they do many things in their life’s of the “what if’s?” In a way this storyline doesn’t feel earned (along with them falling in love as it comes too quickly), but it still managed to be a good story that is engaging and rings true to so many aspects of real life.