This is a safe space for Gambit/Remy LeBeau fans, mainly because I, myself, love him with my whole heart. But X-Men ’97 just gave us a right fright over Gambit’s situation with the latest episode, titled “Remember It.” Talk about an ending to an episode!
**Spoilers for X-Men ’97 episode 5 “Remember It” lies ahead.**
Our team was separated into two worlds this week: Scott, Jean, Logan, and those left at Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters, and those who went with Magneto to Genosha. While Rogue and Gambit were seeing what a world accepting of mutants could look like, especially one that was a world entirely their own, we also saw a darkness looming over the entire team.
Genosha was not what as safe as they thought it was, and when Sentinels came to destroy their happiness, Gambit decided to have his hero moment. As the other mutants are scrambling to try to save each other, Magneto is maybe killed?! And then it forces Rogue to try to attack the Sentinels in her anger, and then Gambit has to throw a motorcycle at her to get her out of harm’s way, but then he attempts to take them down and gets stabbed?!!? WHAT IS GOING ON?
The end of the episode leaves us with Gambit stabbed by the Sentinels and then using his kinetic energy to blow them up. And while we know that the Sentinels were successful in ruining the peace of Genosha, we also do not know what this means for any of our beloved mutants. I cannot accept that Maggy and Gamby are maybe dead? What are we doing here?!
What about Gambit and Rogue?!
If the ending of this episode was not emotional enough, it was made ten times worse by the fact that Gambit died thinking that Rogue chose Magneto over him. Throughout the episode, we watched as Rogue went back and forth in her feelings. She was there with both Gambit and Magneto, and it meant us getting to spend time with both of the men who have stolen Rogue’s heart at one point or another.
When it comes to Gambit, it was sad watching him tell Nightcrawler that he was a scoundrel and too busy “sinning” for love—especially when we see him clearly upset over Rogue and Magneto and even more so when he talks with Rogue about the potential of her being the queen of Genosha.
But what hurts is the fact that Rogue does kiss Magneto at the party. She looks at him, realizing that Gambit was right about their feelings for each other, and is seemingly going to pick Gambit after all. But he doesn’t know any of this. The fight breaks out and makes it so that Gambit is just trying to save everyone, especially Rogue, from the Sentinels and seemingly dies without knowing how Rogue feels now.
The moment that really just broke me, though, came from Rogue’s final line of the episode.
Why do mutants want me to cry over this line?!
After Gambit uses his kinetic energy to stop the Sentinels, he is lying in the rubble and Rogue is left holding his body. Tears rushing down her face, her hand on Gambit’s cheek, Rogue cries, “Sugar, I can’t feel you.”
Now. Why is this a thing? If I had a nickel for every time a mutant said, “I can’t feel you,” about the person they love, I would have two nickels, but it is weird that it happened twice.
Was it necessary to make the screen cut to black and have Rogue say that? Did I need to feel that pain? Is that going to actually be the end of Magneto and Gambit?! Can I please get the next episode stat!!!???
(featured image: Disney+)
