The Gifted Ends the Season with a Huge Shift

Okay watch the finale before reading this because you need to see the intensity played out in front of your own eyes.

Quick Summary: The Struckers opt to protect their family blood or not no matter the cost as Lorna becomes like her blood in order to build a new world in the gripping and intense finale.

Family Is the Ultimate Power: This literally is what the show has been about- family whether blood related or not.  For the Struckers the episodes force them to have a complete turn around as they not only shoot at humans but let their children kill in order to save the rest of the family.  It was never about not letting Lauren and Andy use their powers or acting like mutants it was about when to use them.  You don't go blatantly kill people but when you are attacked and every member of your surrogate family is fighting to survive you do what you have to.   The Struckers realized that it was a war and in war horrible things happen and young people go off to fight that war. This completes the great arc that was started for Reed and Caitlin in the pilot.  They are now leading the mutants and it seems even with Andy going dark they still will.  Lauren and Andy's bond proved destructively powerful.  Got to believe that the Hellfire Club will want Lauren to join next season and will do whatever in their power to get her on board.  Marcos and Lorna losing each other was so sad breaking apart another family.  We started the season with Lorna and a male Strucker away from the Underground and we end that way.  Nice full circle.

Can You Feel the Thunderblink: Now it has only been a few short days since Dreamer's death so getting John and Clarice together already would seem icky and not right.  Luckily Blair Redford and Jamie Chung have such a nice chemistry and by golly just make it work.

The Conference: Using kids as shields shows your character but so does not caring that kids were used as shields.  


Every Character/Actor Has a Moment: With a large cast, major action and a plot to move along it would be understandable if someone got short shifted but not with these eps. A few to point out here.  Hayley Lovitt's Sage, Jeff Daniel Phillips' Fade and Jermaine Rivers's Shatter have special scenes esp Lovitt who has a few lines to get the audience to see why Sage goes dark.  That twist was perfect at the end because while we knew Polaris and Andy would turn bad we didn't expect Sage. 

Sharon Gless's return as Mama Strucker was perfect.  I would love to see her guest star again.  Check out Gless's other work as well from Burn Notice to Cagney and Lacey to the Trials of Rosie O'Neil.  The woman made the female lead drama role what it is.

Amy Acker and Stephen Moyer get some quality time putting humor in with the donuts scene to drama with Mama Strucker and Andy to kick-ass action stars.  Once again I say they have the hardest jobs because they have to be the humans and be on the side of reason.  Here they got to evolve the characters more and the season ended with some meaty material for next year for them to play off of.

Percy Hynes White and Natalie Alyn Lind have perfected the sibling chemistry and they also got a chance to showcase they frustration and despair as White reviled in this new Andy that has always been humming under the surface.  Lind, trying to save her brother as Lauren, had her conflicting emotions on her face.  She knew how hard this was for him but couldn't let him go all evil.

Sean Teale was so raw and pained as he tried to convince Lorna to do the right thing.  Emma Dumont showed the conflicting thoughts in Lorna's mind but made it understandable why she was feeling the power of her bloodline. All season long these two have been the best scene partners ramping up each character moment together.

Always Leave the Audience Wanting More: Where will the Underground call home?  Will it still take place in Atlanta?  This is a Civil War blooming here, will more join the Hellfire side?  What happens next to Jace? 

Small Nitpicks: One thing the show is going to have to be careful of next season is not missing out on golden opportunities.  Dreamer could have been made a hound and John could have had to fight to get her mind back.  Pulse could have been used by SS in the finale to stop the Mutants from fighting (but Lauren and Andy could have had to combine them and fight through it all).  The last scene was amazing but as an audience we knew it was coming (Sage reveal really saved it) but we needed some even bigger OMG moment.  With the leads being Acker and Moyer it would have been amazing if Reed found out (to himself) that some of his powers were coming back.  Or if Caitlin went to cry in the bathroom about Andy and then starts holding her head as a voice talks inside (because she is actually Emma Frost but doesn't realize it, I mean why the blonde hair if not for a big reveal later).  With having to wait so long to see it again the show needed something huge to have people talk and get others to start to watch. 

Don't Go Playing Mind Games With My Heart- ep 11 Review

This is full of spoilers for The Gifted ep, 11 X3 be forewarned before you read and need to portal yourself out of there.

Quick Summary: The Frost Girls play the ultimate game of chess as they turn each of their pawns to their side to battle Trask for the Hellfire Club. 

The Seeds Planted Now Grow: This ep brought back little things from previous eps to make things connect even more as we head into the finale in two weeks.  There was Andy drawing Fenris again as he did in the pilot feeling back like he was then- lost.  In comes literally one of the Frost girls to play on his need to be useful and the hinting of the ability to turn to the dark side.  Even scarier was that he could hear them in his mind.  Lorna's time in the jail being hurt by humans came back as well as Esme told her of her real father and how she needed to protect the baby.  Lorna was high off the baby making her even more powerful, a fact that scared Marcos, and seems posed like Andy to go the way of her relatives.  Clarice was a loner at the beginning of the series and the flashback shows why.  After watching Dreamer die she is changed to the point where she is siding with telepaths and complementing Lauren in a way that may make her switch sides. 

See Why You Should Listen To Your Parents: Caitlin and Reed's predictions and worries all started to come true.  By not trying to figure out a peaceful solution and allowing Esme and her sisters back into the Underground the Mutants are now in much further distress.  The Struckers looked pose to lose their kids (at least one but most likely two).  Marcos will lose Lorna.  John will lose the goodness that was his heart.  And more Mutants will die or be pushed to join the evil Hellfire Club.  Leaving was a good idea- too bad it didn't work.  Two reasons:  first of all Trask, SS and the Hellfire Club all wants the Strucker kids and their great powers.  The Mutant Underground is in more danger with them there.  Pushing the war to another country could end it all together because the Strucker kids could keep the place safe and the government wouldn't allow any Trask or SS people there.  Secondly as humans Reed and Caitlin are on the outside looking in.  What happens when they in the Underground turn against them?

Once Again The Acting Gets Me Every Time:
-Skyler Samuels is so amazing as the triplets.  She makes them have individual nuances and puts humor and fun into a still creepy, crazy, evil performance.   This makes the sisters so actually enjoyable to watch.  Her talent has not only moved the plot along but did it in a way that engaged the viewer to want to go more Cuckoo.  The storyline could have failed if not in the hands of someone like Samuels.  Serious bravos here.
-Blair Redford did what is so hard- allow John to break down without it being cliche or over the top.  Instead he made it so real I felt emotional watching him. 
-Sean Teale does such great work in the small moments even when the camera just is on him a second.  He showed Marco's fear about Lorna, his sadness when the Struckers were leaving, his trying to convince the others not to listen to Esme and the viewer is glued to what he is doing.  We become Marcos because Teale lets us in, we begin feeling the same way.
-Emma Dumont gets to explore more of Lorna's layers here and what is truly memorizing is when she shows us how Lorna is almost becoming unhinged.  We have all loved Lorna from day one but now there is some fear there and also understanding.  Masterfully done.
-Kudos also to the Struckers who have formed such a great, noticeable family bond now.   Those little scenes with the kids or with Teale and the looks between each other...Stephen Moyer and Amy Acker provide such a fierce and worried at the same time front.  They have probably the most difficult parts to play because they are humans and parents who are worried for their children.  Each week they have to sing the same song but still make it new and engaging.  Not an easy task but that is why two gifted (pun intended), veteran actors where given the gig.

What is Next in This Game of Chess:
The Hellfire Club has money and power and evilness.  So does Trask Industries and even SS.  Meanwhile the Underground continues to have hardly any supplies, no control over any of this and are now being split apart by the Frost girls.  This doesn't sound good.  Marcos brought up and schooling and Andy mentioned it too which makes me think Caitlin's contribution is going to come into play in the finale.  Wes proved to be a good guy and important...which side will he go to if Lauren turns to the evil?  Has Jace gone far too over to ever be redeemed?  That scene with Esme and Caitlin in her first ep... they had a great connection will that come into play?  And what will happen to Marcos if he loses Lorna to evil? So much good stuff to chew on.

One last thing- the dual funerals was just what brilliant writing/direction looks like.  So meta too.

The Gifted Ep 10 exploited aka The Triple Threat

This review has major, huge, omg spoilers for ep 10, eXploited.  You need to be watching the show live before reading.  As always please don't sue, I don't own anything and don't make John break a table I own.

Quick Summary: Esme using her telepath prowess further divides the team sending the Struckers to confront Jace and Lorna and crew to do a risky save.  As this is happening Clarice, Sonya and the Strucker teens find themselves at the creepy hands of Dr. Campbell.

The Three Faces of Esme: Comic book peeps alerted me to the fact that Esme was going to have sisters/clones etc but it didn't distract from the wth is happening scene at the end.  Esme went full on terror enthusiast.  She didn't have to kill any of the officers and the ways she did were so blatantly cruel.  The scenes were a companion piece to Dr. Campbell literally ending the dream by shooting Dreamer/Sonya.  Neither character felt any remorse about the bloodshed they were invoking. This really concerns me because it seems Esme or at least one of the sisters is still around with the Underground till the end.   Why are they letting someone who gives mutants a bad rap and is a crazy killer around their headquarters???  Is she inside their heads?  Esme and the rest of her clan are so scary because their powers could take over the Strucker kids or Lorna and created huge havoc.  Skyler Samuels plays this villain with umpf.  She made us feel sympathetic for her at the episode's start and then let us see that true side by the end.  Bravo to her!  I am curious if Esme purposely got friendly with Caitlin and flattered her with the leader comment to first get her on the side of the Triple Threat.

The Death Revelations:  I thought Dreamer/Sonya was going to be killed in this ep but predicting correctly still didn't take away the horror and shock of that scene.  Elle Satire was brilliant in this ep.  The first scene with Jace where she goes from being flippant to complete remorse is a watershed moment.  Satire is so heartbreaking in it.  Then we learn that Sonya hid her gifts and worked at a woman's abuse shelter.  We now understand why she implanted that memory in Clarice to save Johnny and the rest of them- she used her gifts to take the bad memories of abuse from people.  Yes, she did this without consent but it wasn't to hurt or control them but rather to help them.  Sonya, it turned out, was a very good person.  Not only did she give up herself to save the Strucker kids last ep but in this one she purposely keeps telling Lauren and Andy not to do it.  Thus she keeps them on guard with Campbell and sets it up that when the bad doc is ready to kill he will turn on her not Clarice.

While I hated to see Dreamer die, her death will further impact the characters.  John has lost now his best friend and girlfriend to Dr. Campbell.  The always balanced John may become unhinged at this.  Lorna has lost her best friend and she already had so many new scars and fresh wounds from her prison stay.  Lauren and Andy watched her die...because of them.  That will haunt both of them.  (Kudos btw to Lind and White who were magnificent in this ep.)  Clarice had learned to trust Sonya and grieved her...will she be able to ever get into a ship with John knowing his past with Sonya who died for her? 

The death I was not expecting was Agent Weeks, whom I really liked.  Esme had him shoot himself which was so unnecessary and was a bloody brilliant surprise.  Turner had been starting to see the light but his partner in crime's death because of a telepath will haunt him further. 

Knock, Knock, Who's There: Not in a million years would Jace Turner think it was the Struckers.  This was such a majestic piece of writing because no one ever has characters do the smart thing and try to find a win-win solution.  It was Esme's idea but it was Caitlin and Reed's follow through that worked well.  Yes, everyone would have been in jail but that was better than being in the hands of Trask.  One breakout at a time.  Reed and Caitlin try to appeal to Jace's heart and the scene is so well shot with it looking like a regular visit among people.  Except one has a gun and the tension is palpable.   Moyer, Bell, and Frances Turner are wonderful together.  It is Amy Acker's last monologue that seals the fate of the characters. It is also a perfect guide on how to act without it making it look like acting- she crushes it ladys and gents. Acker's A game is always strong.

Notice plans where Caitlin is the MVP seem to go right (freeing Lorna and Reed, this one).  While everyone wants to watch explosions etc the Struckers represent the real world approach.  They also didn't think going after the Power Plant to get into Trask without thinking it through was a good idea.  Again they have been proven right. 

Final Thoughts: The Mutant Underground has got to think things through better.  Esme and her other halves are not to be trusted peeps!  There are more and more enemies to fight...they need to find a better way to do so.  What did Dr. Campbell mean about those test results???   We'll find out in January.

The Gifted ep 9 OutfoXed Review

I do not own the show, the characters and of course there are spoilers ahead.

Quick Summary: Esme pushes forward her agenda sending our merry mutants to Trask Industries and a Power Plant.  As Jace launches an attack on them the Strucker parents worst fears come true.

To Fenris or not to Fenris: You can understand completely while the parents would never want their children in harm way and especially why they wouldn't want them using their Fenris like gifts.  Fenris were evil (and hinted at a bit creepy in their relationship with each other) with the ability to kill easily.  Unless John can get them to control (tame) the power the Strucker kids should never ever hold hands. 

Twists and Turns: Since the beginning Andy has been the one to display the more "could turn evil" side.  But in this ep it is Andy who realizes the consequences of their combined power if they use it.   He stops Lauren who wasn't thinking about the countless lives that would be lost if they saved themselves.  Up to this point Lauren has been the level headed one but since she met the other guy she has shown new (maybe not good) sides to her.  Andy meanwhile began to grow in this ep.  Caitlin stated at the beginning of OutfoXed
about her teenager years and then last week said about her experimentation days in college.  Caitlin changed as time went on and is a pillar of reason now.  Maybe Andy is truly his mother's son.

Another turn here- Caitlin took the lead in the parental relationship.  It was her call that Andy and Lauren learn the truth of their powers, that there would be no lies.  

The ending of the ep was a huge whoa.  First off Jace got the upper hand.  The use of the new, scarier spider things was unexpected and welcome!  Dreamer proved herself to be just on the side of good by sacrificing to save the Strucker kids.  Blink was a total heroine as well.  Thus the Dreamer/Thunderbird/Blink triangle is no longer so one sided.  Esme may have her own agenda...whether to help her family or other reasons (too soon to tell).  I totally didn't think our mutants would be captured and I was left wondering what now???  That is a wonderful place to be as a viewer because it keeps you on your toes.

Kudos: This was Brad Marques's first ever tv ep and he knocked it out of the ball park.  The script added more depth to the characters, provided new arcs for the characters and gave huge surprises.  Director Liz Frielander had the difficult task of taking some pilot like scenes and making them look brand new and even more scary.  The combo of Brad and Liz was perfection.

Amy Acker crushed her scenes throughout as Caitlin.  She showed how Caitlin was trying to process all this new information she was learning.  She reasoned why the truth was important and how their lives would have been different if they knew the kids were mutant along.  Then in the stunning last scene she is completely heart breaking as she loses her children.  This was her nightmare, her worry come true.  If this show was on the air before streaming services and cable, Acker could expect an Emmy nod.

Lorna had a real nightmare maybe provided by Esme or possibly her baby.  Once again Emma Dumont proved why she is a force to reckon with.  Then in the girls night scene with Elle Satire she got to show her comedic skills.  That was such a great scene.  Hats off to Satire who also rocked that part and then got to make us cry during Dreamer's sacrifice. 

Percy Hynes White and Natalie Alyn Lind have the best sibling chemistry around.  There are such good actors- I still marvel (pun intended) at them.  They both got to further push their character arcs and by doing so provided more layers to already complex kids.

Also Jamie Chung has got the humor down perfectly.  And Coby Bell got to be smart -evil this week with a bit of humor added in. 

Final Thoughts: How will this season end?  No clue and that makes me even more eXcited.

The Gifted: Xtremed Gene Vetting

I do not own The Gifted of course.  If I did I wouldn't be writing the blog I would be too busy you know making the show.  Spoilers galore you are forewarned.

Quick Summary: The Mutant Underground tries to help a traitor in their midst spearheaded by Caitlin while Reed meets with his dad and learns shocking secrets (worse than Wes conning people).

Caitlin the Leader: Once again Caitlin was the one leading the charge within the Underground to help Chloe and also showing the compassion.  When Caitlin is making the decisions it seems things work out much easier.  She may not have any powers or gene repression but that doesn't make her any less powerful.  Her reactions and what she decides to do in the next upcoming episodes (after the big reveals) will be interesting.  Not only are her kids mutants but her husband was one.  Will this make her feel like the real outsider, even more than she is?  Could this lead her to a bad mistake?  I look forward to seeing Amy Acker crushing all this future scenes where Caitlin finds herself questioning everything she once knew.

Reed Can Be Red: From my Mentalist days did you know that Reed can mean red?  Could be important or not but given the twins destructiveness and Reed having mutantism in his blood...I think it means something.  I wonder now if Reed's missing screw knee healed quickly because his X gene is not fully suppressed.  I mean it can't be if Lauren and Andy have the great (yet horrifying Von Strucker powers).  The father tried to kill the gene and nearly killed his own son in the process but still Lauren and Andy have the powers.  Now the show seems to be saying Caitlin is only human but...all the other mutants fell for mutants.  Just saying.  She could stay non powerful but imagine the writers giving us the twist that she isn't.  I mean Acker's hair is blonde for a purpose and seeing Reed's relatives were blonde that would explain Lauren's hair color.  Hmmm.

Evil Connections: To have your hero family be connected to super villains is pretty bold and brave.  As the show continues to tell lessons this ep reminds us that history is full of horror and that tangibly is tied to the present and us in it.  Andy drew the wolf in the pilot...not just an easter egg for X Men fans but also a huge foreshadowing hint that yes, the twins would be here.  Bravo to Caitlin and Paul who play the murderous duo.  Although the flashback is short and they are total evil I would love to see more of them. 

Every Moment: This episode was full of secrets revealed and omg moments but what was amazing was that each character and thus their actor got to have something special to do.  Lorna's depression was tackled which gave both Emma Dumont and Sean Teale another chance to shine.  Jamie Chung and Elle Satire had a great scene together where they moved past the Beverly Hills 90120 part of their storyline to help a little girl.  Blair Redford got to show John's emotional side as he said goodbye to his friend Gus for the second time.  (I was truly shocked Pulse died).  Natalie Alyn Lind and Percy Hynes White got to send chills up our spines.  Stephen Moyer was wonderful with his father especially in that goodbye scene and then at the end with his family when he is telling them but can't find the words.  Amy Acker's Caitlin provided the reason and moral voice for the episode but also got to do a great scene with the new girl (which established the new character and revealed a bit about Mrs. Strucker).  The other amazing scenes were with Chloe from the humor with the needle to watching her go. 

Questions, Questions: How did Dad Strucker fight off Pulse?  Is it because the Struckers are so powerful?  The fireness reminded me of a cross between Havok and Marcos but unlike the latter he bleed real blood.  Otto was living in his own Underground that he made for himself and like Lauren he hid his powers. 

Is Campbell going to tun into the Cyborg now?

How will the Underground react to the news that Reed's family were villains?  Will this bring up old feelings for Lorna? 

How quick can two weeks pass?

 

   

The Gifted: Extreme Measures, Trust Issues

This is a review for ep 7 of The Gifted, Extreme Measures.  I do not own the show though if Caitlin would like to co-teach with me in real life that would be cool.

Quick Summary: Magic Mike...I mean Marcos is playing with fire when he works for Carmen.  Meanwhile John and Clarice grow closer as do youngins Lauren and  Wes.  Caitlin takes on an even greater leadership role and Reed finds Father Knows Best.  And  Agent Turner finds himself working with pure evil.

Honesty is the Best Policy: Every week there is a lesson to learn and this week was no different.  Honestly, being truthful was the mantra being honed in.  Marcos should have been honest with Lorna right away but she had to find out for herself.  In doing so he ruined (for the time being) their perfect, beautiful relationship.  Now while this is a bump they will overcome it wasn't needed.  The moment in the car feeling their baby he should have spilled the tea to quote the kids today.  Wes is dishonest as well and Reed's pep talk to him was perfect.  You can't blame others for your mistakes, you have to tell the truth and deal with the consequences. Wes and Marcos have some great parallels.  Both are deep down nice guys who committed crimes for others.  Yes, they can say that they had no choice but really they did.  They also end up telling the truth in the end of the hour though the lies come with consequences.

Reed doesn't hold back when he hears the name Trask.  The Underground finding out he is further connected to the bad guys could have proved a problem but he follows his own advice and is honest.  John withheld the truth from Clarice which made her leave and now he is stuck having feelings for two women...and this can only end badly.  So you know be honest.

Love So Shinning and New: This ep showcased all the stages of love.  There was Lauren and Wes who are in the crazy teenage stage.  It is a real stage, not calling them crazy. Lauren was just dating Jack like two weeks ago and now she is over him and into Wes, you can see why her parents are concerned. She doesn't know him only that he is his own Disney park amusement ride. John and Sonya are at the "we will always have feelings but one of us likes someone else stage".  John and Clarice meanwhile are experiencing hot damn what is this with a more mature angle.  Marcos and Lorna are going to be parents and fully in love but they still have their problems, trust being the major one.  Caitlin and Reed meanwhile have the crazy teenage stage, the hot damn feelings and fully in love with years of being together and working out their issues.  There is trust, commitment and the love that the rest of the gang is striving for.  Kudos to the show for not just displaying the younger love stages.  The lessons this show teaches...once again we learn what ship goals should be with Caitlin and Reed.

The Good, the Bad and the Real Evil: If you thought Jace was bad, the Doc shows how pure evil he is.  Using mutants to exterminate other mutants is twisted on so many levels.  Jace's brain is so screwed up right now as well but will he find a way back to the man he use to be?  Will it be in time to save his soul before he does something more horrible than we have seen?

Caitlin The Teacher: I was so getting an Xavier vibe from Caitlin teaching the kids.  Notice how Magneto's daughter is doing the training and preparing the young mutants to fight in the war and distrust humans while Caitlin is saying fight smartly and also keep learning?  Sounds very much like Magneto/Xavier.  They both had two vastly different approaches to solving the problems and Caitlin like Xavier wants the kids to find a place back in the world while Lorna does not.  This could set up a really interesting conflict and I would love to see more Emma Dumont and Amy Acker scenes together maybe even having talks about humanity and such.  Caitlin has become such an important part of the Underground because she has taken upon herself to take a leadership role from the moment she went to get to the medical supplies to save Clarice.  She is the nurse, the healer, the teacher, the one who is honest at all times.  When she doesn't like something she says it and this is so important to the narrative.  Because at anytime any of the other characters could turn evil to be honest but Caitlin is the most pure good character.  It doesn't mean she is always right, of course not, but she does things without malice.  Now the old Caitlin didn't do enough to help mutants, yes, we can all be guilty of that getting involved if it doesn't directly concern us but she doesn't want anyone getting hurt.  Even John and now Clarice have a reason for payback but Caitlin doesn't look to hurt the SS crew or Jace even after what they did to Reed and how they ruined her children's lives.  This is so important for not only the show but as a reminder that revenge and fighting are not always the solution.  The learning to fight scenes are cool but you need the knowledge to see the big picture.  If you don't you could end of becoming Jace, the bad Doc or the other SS members.

Character Scenes Versus Action: The show does a wonderful job with the action scenes but in this ep it was the character scenes especially the small ones that held the most impact. 
*  Sean Teale once again proved why he is going to be a force to recognize for years.  He does such a masterful job showing Marcos's disgust with himself and everything going on- he looks sick.  His best scene of the ep though was after he lit everything on fire.  Teale lets his body do the talking for him.
*  Jamie Chung gets to add another layer to Clarice as she breaks down learning the fate of the refugees.  Chung is heartbreaking and allows the tough facade to slowly crack until finally she needs to hold on to John.
*  Coby Bell continues to amaze as he flips from making the audience want to cry for Jace to then want to shake him and get him over to the mutant side.  It is a tightrope performance that he does with ease.
*  Stephen Moyer and Amy Acker get to prove why they are the leads.  Moyer has a great scene with Wes but it is their two parental scenes that are just perfection.  The acting is subtle but just as powerful as they both show the struggles parents face when rearing kids.  You have to teach them and protect them and sometimes that means being willing to lose them, too.  Moyer's face as he tries not to overact but feels lost and Acker's use of the infection of her voice and trying to calm him while calming herself is just...well masterful.  A+ acting here folks.

Trask:
More foreshadowing in a huge way here.  Now if the Underground can stay honest and stick together maybe they can win this war but they also have to do more than training- they must learn from their mistakes and learn actual knowledge as well.  

The Gifted ep 6- Got Your SiX

I do not own the show and cannot absorb any light so...yeah not that Gifted.

Quick Summary: Lorna acts as mentor for Lauren and the other young mutants as the boys go breaking and entering and John makes alerting decisions.

ParentHood: Marcos and Reed have a good chat in the back of the truck about what being a father really means.  Scenes like this separate The Gifted from your average tv affair.  These character moments are not used mainly for plot but to show the audience more about them and give the actors a chance to make the characters feel real.  As the two fathers bond Lorna and Caitlin, the two moms, are at odds.  Full disclosure I am not a parent but I totally think like one in my role as a teacher.  So I can relate to Caitlin's concerns.  She should want to protect her children.  Until you have kids of your own you can't understand how hard is it.  I wonder if Lorna's views will change when her child grows.  Sean Teale and Stephen Moyer work so well together, I always enjoy when they have scenes like the ones tonight.  This is the first time we really have seen Emma Dumont and Amy Acker act opposite each other and both make their moments in this ep fantastic.  I hope we get much more Lorna/Caitlin interaction.

The Real Superheros: This ep does a great job of highlighting why the X Men left John in charge of that Underground station: he was already a hero as a Marine.  Military personal give their limbs, their lives, lose their families in order to take care of others, to protect them.  They do this many time even when they hated by they the people they are serving.  There is a great parallel written there by having John and Gus be mutants who served.  The world may hate them but they don't hate the world. John changes his mind about not fighting and the ep explores his guilt of leaving Pulse behind.

Lauren and Andy's Great Adventures: Lauren has always been sensible but between the new guy (who I don't completely trust) and finding a mentor in bad ass (sad with love btw) Lorna, she is changing.  She isn't hiding who she is anymore.  The lie was the church choir popular, normal girl.  The truth is a mutant with great power who is tired of being oppressed.  This storyline gives Natalie Alyn Lind a real chance to shine.   Andy has been unable to control his power but now he is learning to do so- he held it together in the truck.  Although the gift destroyed their quiet life he wasn't happy in that life and now that he is free to be himself he relishes it.  He is needed big time and he has found importance.  Percy Hynes White had some really nice scenes with Moyer.  They have a great father/son chemistry.

Breaking My Heart: Okay, Coby Bell totally brought me to tears again.  Jace the villain, I now feel for.  Losing his daughter twice is too much for anyone to bear.  Jamie Chung is equally impressive as Blink told off John- I felt her pain.  Blink has had great comedic scenes which Chung did fabulously and now with the more emotional ones she proves how versatile she is.

We Will Do It As A Team:  This is the theme for this ep.  Now they must all come together and be ready to fight if they want to win against S Services and the Bad Doctor.  Teamwork is what the military is all about- coming together as a family to achieve the common goal of rooting out evil and protecting the innocent.   Writer Melinda Hsu Taylor's script connects that opening screen with the whole heartbeat of the ep.  These new mutants are a new form of military fighting for all, being brave, risking everything and doing it as one.

Bringing the Wow Factor: There were some major important scenes in this ep so I will just bullet point them for brevity:
+ Caitlin worried about Skyler's blood pressure seems to be foreshadowing that medical issues could plague our mutants (which harkens back to the military)
+ Shatter telling Caitlin about the fate of the school kids was just heart wrenching.
+Marcos taking all the light in was an amazing scene and brought up foreshadowing that Andy's powers don't cause him pain.
+ Wes is an illusionist...could this be a nod to the possibility that he is faking his commitment to the Underground?
+Reed not having his ring was realistic and reminded the audience how much the Struckers have lost from jobs to possessions to friends and family
+ Marcos is in big trouble and I don't just mean with Carmen.
+ The scene where Lorna, Lauren and Wes save the boys is just movie level cool.