The Gifted Roundtable: threat of eXtinction

The Gifted gave us a ton of Strucker family history in this episode. Sprinkled in was some Polaris and Eclipse finally working out their issues and a glimpse into just what Campbell is doing to the mutants that “work” for him.

Before you go any further we must mention – this is a recap – so it is basically one big spoiler. In this recap there are also links that will give you even more spoilers/backstory. Proceed at your own risk.

Reed’s father….surprised he was a mutant?
Roz: Yes and no. I guess we’re now playing fast and loose with X-Men canon, but I appreciate that the whole Strucker family is mutants. Perhaps we’ll see Reed get his powers back.
Rueben: Part of me was surprised, but given the focus on the 1952 siblings, I knew there had to be much more to that whole story and it’s connection to the Struckers so I agree with Roz – yes and no.
Cay: The gene had to come from somewhere right? Not typically a spontaneous mutation…in two kids! I really liked this storyline – gave us some very interesting background and helped humanize Reed. Kind of wish it would have been Caitlin to carry the gene, but it works better plot-wise for Reed, especially with his career.
Karen: Nope, nope, and nope. I’ve been talking about the Struckers canon since day one, so this was no surprise to me. The siblings at the start of the ep were “Fenris” as daddy explained. Check out the link if you want to learn more. You can crawl around from there to see some more family members. They’ve taken some liberties, but if you think of Any and Lauren as a modern-day Fenris, it’s pretty clear we’re doing a reboot of that villain in some way.

Are you sorry we only got to chat with him for part of one episode before….boom?
Roz: No, I think he provided just enough details to spur the rest of the season on. He had clear reason to potentially suppress Reed’s powers and to know that Campbell reversed that to amplify powers is good to know for how to fight more of those turned mutants.
Rueben: Yeah, I have to agree with Roz. He was the catalyst to piece things together. Although to have Raymond J. Barry in only one episode, well, that is a shame. But we need the connection between Dr. Campbell, Trask Industries and the Struckers.
Cay: It would have been nice for him to be able to be some kind of an ally/informant for the mutants, but he served his main purpose. His death also provides further motivation for Reed. I’d be interested to learn more about his research and what he treated Reed with, but we may or may not find out.
Karen: Nah, we don’t need to junk the show up with stray storylines. They need to streamline already. The whole Carmen thing still needs to ditch the fallout, and now we have the new refugees to tackle. Another thing to deal with would truly be too much. Good to get the info to move that plotline forward, but keeping him in the show isn’t necessary.

What do you think of the Strucker family legacy/tree?
Roz: Badass! The older generation looked awesome against Interpol.
Rueben: I have to admit to being a little scared given that Papa Strucker told Reed that his father and aunt were as dangerous as they were, and that Lauren and Andy could potentially be as bad – that is scary, don’t you think?
Cay: It certainly sets the stage for Andy and Lauren to wreak all kinds of havoc as not only are they “unexpected” mutants, they are apparently also very powerful ones.
Karen: I’ve been worried about Andy at the very least, he seems to be much more powerful when angry already. The fact that their mutant abilities complement each other is trouble with a capital T. If they work together, they can either be a force for good, or they can turn against the resistance and be a mighty foe.It wouldn’t take much. Andy already harbors resentment against his dad, and if Reed continues to overprotect Lauren… well, that’s just a recipe for disaster.

Now we know why Dr. Campbell is so interested in the Strucker kids. What’s his end game? Use them for their powers? Eradicate the X gene?
Roz: He probably wants to study them to see the whys and hows of their powers, but what he wants to do next, I’m very curious about that.
Rueben: I’m curious too, but also concerned. Given what he did to Chloe and Pulse – and that they both died – it doesn’t bode well for Lauren and Andy. You know that at some point Campbell is going to come face-to-face with them, and that showdown is going to be lethal.
Cay: Yeah Rueben, but if they hold hands, I suspect it will be lethal for Campbell and everyone else with him, not for the sibs!
Karen: He needs to study powerful mutants to construct the Sentinels, at least that’s my predictions. In the comics, the mutants usually died as well. This seems to be some kind of hybrid of Dr. Bolivar Trask and Stephen Lang. It may not end up being the Sentinels *exactly*, but he seems to want some kind of mutant hunter. Dr. Campbell is also known as “Ahab“, and he creates Hounds, but I think it may be a mix between the two.

Highlights? Quotes? Comments?
Roz: I don’t know why, but I’m glad we have a telepath to go with Dreamer. Though I half want Esme to be more powerful than she is right now.
Rueben: Yeah, I have to think that with the inclusion of Esme [and the fact that a recent article said that Skyler Samuels, the actress who plays Esme, will have a recurring role in the show] that there is much, much more of her to come.
As for a quote, I liked what Clarice said to Dreamer: “This is a war and we’re on the same side. That’s the only relationship we need.”
Cay: I got a kick out of Cate’s comment to the telepath not to read her memories about “experimentation in college”. I tweeted to Amy Acker that the line sent me back to a certain pivotal scene with her character and Shaw in the Person of Interest final season and she retweeted it, and then responded to someone else who asked about the line something like “I think we all know what she was talking about ;)”. Love her on this show, and in general!
Karen: I am DIGGING that we’re finally getting more Strucker lore. No Carmen in this ep, so BIG plus for me. Esme is AWESOME, and if they do anything to draw in her background, I will LOVE that.
Roz: Oh man, I didn’t connect Esme with that family, Karen! But why only use one of the Cuckoos? There’s seven!

THE GIFTED airs Monday 9/8c on FOX