The Gifted Roundtable: Got your siX

This week on The Gifted our friends at the Mutant Underground plan and execute a break-in at a court house in Louisiana. Meanwhile Jace and our creepy doctor friend make an alliance that can’t be good.

There was a theme centered around Father/Son relationships this week. Too subtle? Too overt? Just right? How do you feel about this one?
Karen: As is my wont, I’m gonna pull back the curtain a little. Besides the relationships mentioned overtly in this episode, there was a subtle reference to another – more sinister – connection to the X-Verse. I have to admit, it made the comic book fangirl in me *really* intrigued about where they might be going with the Struckers. Reed and Andy reconnect after their time apart, and talk about the normalcy their lives used to have. That was a nice touchstone. Then Marcos and Reed with fatherly advice to each other was great as well. It shows that Reed is starting to endear himself to the resistance.
Melissa: OK, I need a longer look behind the curtain. What reference? Who is the sinister connection? Is it Wes? I don’t trust that kid. He has another mind-altering power, which can only lead to no good. But yes, fathers and sons. Reed needed to be integrated into the mutant underground and he needed to reconnect with Angry Andy. We’ve already established Kaitlyn as Den Mother, so it makes sense that Reed would be cast in something of a paternal role. (I see John/Thunderbird as the patriarch of this particular group, though.)
Karen: Hey Melissa, If you *really* want a hint at the X-Men connection, you can google “Baron Von Strucker”. I’m about a gazillion percent sure he’s Reed’s father.
Melissa: OOOOH! Interesting. Just read up on the Strucker twins and their powers from the comic books; I see similarities. And if Reed is the son of Baron von Strucker, that would make Werner Strucker who appeared on S.H.I.E.L.D. his brother. Given that Disney is in talks to by 21st Century Fox, which would have a significant impact on the MCU, perhaps we’re seeing seeds planted that could bear fruit once Disney has ownership of The X-Men.
Rueben: I thought the father/son relationships were just right; and like the scene with Marcos and Reed talking. Even if they hadn’t shown Andy actually hearing his dad talk – while he was supposedly sleeping – I would’ve known he would hear what they were saying. Thanks, Karen, for the look behind the curtain, as I didn’t put two and two together on Baron Von Strucker until you mentioned it. That puts a whole new spin on things doesn’t it?
Cay: Andy hasn’t gotten much chance to really come to grips with his powers and I think some father-son mentoring is long overdue. I’d really like to see Reed win them all over and prove really useful to the cause.

Lorna’s back, and she’s started training some of the younger mutants. Cate’s not understanding her need to get ready for what’s coming next. Where do you think they’re headed there?
Karen: I want to see more than the ER nurse side of Cate, so I’m glad to see this friction with Lorna. It will bring some depth to her character. She’s going to have a rude awakening at some point – and Lorna will learn that sometimes temperance is key. My feeling is that they’re going to compromise down the line, but it won’t be an easy path.
Melissa: They’re two sides of the same coin – both want to protect the young people, to help them, but they’re going at it in different ways. Eventually I think we’ll see a compromise. Say, training with Lorna in the afternoons, game nights and family time in the evenings.
Rueben: You ladies said it best. They’re both gonna have to compromise at some point because you know that with Turner 2.0 – after his mind wipe – that he is going to be coming after the mutants even harder now. And, with Dr. Campbell getting him reinstated – and holding that over Turner’s head – things are going to come to a head FAST. Mama Bear is gonna have to put down the touchy feely attitude and pick her weapon of choice; and she’s gonna have to let her kids and the mutants defend themselves.
Cay: Lorna worries me. While I see her point in some ways, I feel like she’s too aggressive, too impulsive and she risks making the situation worse. I worry that she’ll get captured again or otherwise bring some badness down upon everyone.

Jace is grasping at straws in order to find his renegade mutants, and he reaches out to Dr. Campbell. This can only lead to trouble, amirite?
Karen: Okay, I’m so mixed on this, because I ADORE Garret Dillahunt, but man… Dr. Campbell is creeptastic. He’s trouble with a capital T. The “good” doctor will be digging into the Strucker family closet I presume, and that can only lead to heartbreak and shenanigans.
Melissa: Creeptastic for sure! What was he doing in the room when Jace flouted the law and ordered his people to tap phones without a warrant? He looked far too approving of Jace’s conduct for my peace of mind.
Rueben: OMG, yes!! Garret is great in these types of roles and just the look he gave Turner when Turner barked orders at his men – oh boy. This does not bode well for the Strucker twins especially

That trucker… he deserves a mutant purple heart. Cool under pressure 1000%. Any thoughts on him or his “wild ride”?
Karen: I kept wondering through the entire episode if he was gonna give everything away, and he never disappointed me. Even when the cop was fiddling with his flashlight, he was stonefaced. Then he almost looked delighted when his truck flew – courtesy of Lorna, Lauren, and the new guy, Wes.
Melissa: He was having fun, huh? The mutants need more allies like him.
Rueben: I was worried he was going to turn them in, but I’m glad he actually stuck with them. I have to wonder what connection he has to the mutants to help them. And, Melissa, you’re right – it looked like he really did like that wild little ride his 18-wheeler took when mutants used their powers to save their asses.
Cay: Yeah, that scene was stressful for me watching! Cool how they used mutant power teamwork to get the job done. I kept thinking how desperate Setinel Services must be if they’d risk such a hail of bullets at a truck of all things, in the middle of a residental street.

A few of the other story arcs were referenced, but not drawn on in the main plotlines. What are you most intrigued by this season?
Karen: I love the connection between Marcos and Lorna, even if they’re not completely “canon”. That Aurora Borealis scene was gorgeous. I don’t much care about the thought-implant storyline though. Unless it leads to something bigger, it seems like a waste of time.
Melissa: Yeah, the thought implant storyline needs to be over. I am curious about where Clarice is, though. I’m also curious about the comment that Lauren and Andy’s powers are stronger than most mutants at that age. Are going to discover some bombshell secret when Dr. Creeptastic finally digs into their genetic makeup?
Rueben: I agree, ladies, if the implant storyline isn’t going to lead somewhere – why is it even focused on? I, too, want to know where Clarice is. Who is she looking for? Will she rejoin the mutant underground or will she be picked up by Sentinel Services? As much as I fear for the Strucker twins (and the family in general), I am dreading the eventual showdown between them and Dr. Campbell.

VIP?
Karen: John Proudstar/Thunderbird didn’t have a huge part in the episode, although it seemed like he would from the opening – I still enjoyed his scenes though. He’s someone to watch. The Team of Marcos, Andy, and Reed was the VIP trio for me.
Melissa: My 18yo niece and I watch The Gifted together. We couldn’t remember John’s name at first, so we nicknamed him Super Hot. We still think he’s smokin’, but as his character develops, we’re finding ourselves more and more interested in his story, too. Agreed about Team VIP although I think Lorna, Lauren, and Wes were pretty great, too.
Rueben: I really liked the trio of Lorna, Lauren and Wes with the big rig. That was pretty cool (CGI-laden or not).
Cay: Hmm, yeah, I’m going with Super Hot :). He seems like one of the biggest thinkers of the group and has a lot of empathy. Makes him all the more attractive!

THE GIFTED airs 9/8c on FOX