With the New Year upon us, that means some of our favorite shows are coming back! After an almost month-long hiatus, The Gifted returns! The previous episode “eXploited” gave us plenty of action, a death, and one hell of a cliffhanger as a new player emerged. The Strucker siblings were subjected to Doctor Campbell’s experiments, where they were forced to display their Fenris powers after he straight up killed Dreamer and threatened to do the same to Blink if they did not show off just what they can do. Thanks to an adamantium cell, they didn’t bring the building down, but showed Campbell just how strong the two of them are. Lucky for them, the Mutant Underground tried to stage a rescue. However, Marcos and John didn’t factor in that one of their own had a sinister agenda. Revealing that she was one of three telepathic triplets, Esme used her telepathic powers to force the Sentinel Services guards to turn on each other (and kill each other) to ensure that everyone could escape. While it’s good that many mutants were saved, the Mutant Underground surely doesn’t approve of the Stepford Cuckoos’ methods. Or do they????
Let’s take a look at a few highlights from this week’s episode “3 x 1:”
Flashbacks:
This week’s flashback focused on Blink before she was on the run and joined the Mutant Underground. Here, she was on a simple date to the movies (nice touch that the theater played “Xenomorph” instead of a movie in the Alien franchise). As they are getting ready to head to Blink’s car, they are surrounded by a group of anti-mutant people. Here we are introduced to The Purifiers. Comic book fans know them as an anti-mutant Christian fundamentalist terrorist group that was dedicated to the destruction of mutants, seeing them as Satanic. For the time being, they don’t seem as well armed as their comic book counterparts, but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t as dangerous. As they confront Blink and her date, they chase her out by firebombing her car. To her heartbreak, her date doesn’t stand up for her since he’s “not a mutant” and she’s forced to run and teleport off. Two Distinct Funerals:
The episode begins with the funerals for both Dreamer as well as the Sentinel Services. Marcos delivers the eulogy for Dreamer while Agent Jace gives the eulogy for his friend who was killed by Esme using her telepathic powers on him. Jace, who seemed to be becoming more neutral after last week’s visit from the Struckers, now he’s back to going full force against the Mutant Underground.
Introducing The Hellfire Club:
With the Stepford Cuckoos revealed last episode, it was a matter of time for their group from the comics, The Hellfire Club to come forward. In the comics, the secret society of 1 percenter mutants was a thorn in the X-Men’s side. However, on the show, it looks like they will be a little grayer. The Stepford Cuckoos report to someone, who is perturbed with them leaving so many bodies, but they tell him that they will bring the Mutant Underground on their side. They also reveal to Polaris that her father was a member of the Hellfire Club. Comic fans know that Polaris is the daughter of Magneto. However, it looks like the show will retcon her origin story and have her be the child of some as now mystery Hellfire club member.
The Cuckoos Divide The Mutant Underground:
Esme and her sisters come to the Mutant Underground with an alliance proposal against the Sentinel Services. Given recent history, they are seen by many as murdering mutant terrorists and the Mutand Underground is just a group of mutants who want to do the right thing. As the heirs to the X-Men, the Mutant Underground doesn’t want to break the rules against their enemies, no matter what. However, the Mutant Underground is split as to joining forces with the Cuckoos. Marcos seems more like the Professor Xavier of the group and doesn’t want to join with them. His girlfriend Polaris ironically is the Magneto of the group and realizes that this is a war and they need all the help they can get. Many background characters also have the same thoughts as well.
Sentinel Services Have a New Weapon:
We finally get to see what Campbell has really been working on with his imprisoned mutants. For most of the season, we thought he was simply turning mutants into “Hounds,” drug-addicted mutants who will do whatever they say and fight against other mutants. However, on the science ends, Campbell has been analyzing powers and finally figured out a way to combine the powers of two powerful mutants to use against the Mutant Underground. In their first trial run, they destroy a Mutant Underground safe house, the one that the Struckers were at when they decided to move on and head to Mexico. The two nameless mutants were able to rip the house apart piece by piece. It was only because of Laura’s pseudo-boyfriend Wes’ illusion powers were they able to hide in time for the rest of the Mutant Underground to come and rescue them. Andy was knocked out in the commotion but when he woke up, the Cuckoos managed to telepathically guide him and the rest of the Mutant Underground. So by default, the Mutant Underground is now in league with the Hellfire Club against Sentinel Services and Trask Industries.
We have two weeks until the explosive season finale that promises a showdown between the Mutant Underground and Sentinel Services!
