Something that's missing in '97 vs. XTAS: Sublety
Besides a whole myriad of other probs...If you rewatch XTAS, they did also have episodic focuses on certain characters and minimal serialization (other than Phoenix Saga) However, what '97 lacks is subtle cues! Take for instance, Morph's return episode (and only having one episode to cover this too!) in "Courage" We all know Scott was responsible for deserting Morph in the season 1 and leaving him to die. in Morph's return, they have a welcome back party and Scott is awkward in welcoming him back. There's not enough time to dwell with speeches and such (producers knowing its a 22 min. episode) but there's a less is more of a few second interaction of Morph and Scott not knowing what to say to each other. Contrast this to...Wolverine not saying a word about Magneto what he did to him....No one except Lorna and Professor (and maybe Acolytes) reacting to Magneto's death. Gambit saying not one angry word or even a mention about Magneto with Rogue. He didnt even make a joke as Poccy ruling his body about Poccy doing a favor killing Mags for Remy. I know someone said we have to fill in the blanks, but I wished we didn't have to rely on that