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.