The Mutant Underground scored a win on the last episode of The Gifted. Polaris and Reed Strucker made their escape. Agent Jace Turner was not happy and is more determined to find the MU and destroy it.
John found his old friend Pulse had been brainwashed by Sentinel Services. Pulse was using his ability to hinder other mutant powers.
Clarice confronted John about her memory of the two of them together. John told her that it never happened, but Clarice is still having strong feelings.
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boXed in begins with a look at July 15. Four years ago, Agent Jace Turner (Coby Bell) had a pretty normal life. He spent that day with his family in the park. As his daughter plays on merry-go-round, Jace and his wife. Paula (Frances Turner) notice a spark coming from far away. There is a mutant rights march nearby. They hear sirens and decide to leave. The sparks get bigger each time. There is a flash of light that knocks Jace back. All he can hear is Paula screaming for their daughter.
Present day
Sentinel Services has a tracking device on the SUV that Caitlin (Amy Acker) took to escape. John/Thunderbird (Blair Redford) takes them to a place where they can ditch the SUV. While they are stopped, Reed (Stephen Moyer) thanks Marcos/Eclipse (Sean Teale) for saving him. He asks Caitlin why they didn’t get out of the country. Caitlin says she is not going anywhere without him.
John informs Lorna/Polaris (Emma Dumont) about Pulse (Zach Roerig). They believe that Sentinel Services is turning mutants against each other. That makes things very dangerous for all of them. John senses a drone approaching. Polaris and Eclipse will lead the drone away so John can get the Struckers to safety.
Polaris and Eclipse successfully lead the drone away and destroy it. John is immediately presented with a new problem upon arriving at HQ. There are a lot more people at the base. Shatter (Jermaine Rivers) tells John to see Sage (Hayley Lovitt). Reed is reunited with Andy (Percy Haynes White) and Lauren (Natalie Alyn Lind).
Sage tells John that Sentinel Services shut down every mutant safe house and suspected hideouts. They have to keep their people off the grid. John tells Sage to listen to the police scanners for anything strange.
Andy and Lauren update Caitlin on what’s been going on. Tex (Jeff Daniel Phillips) sees Reed and goes after him. The two start fighting. John stops the fight. Tex tells everyone that Reed was working for Sentinel Services.
Agent Turner sets up roadblocks to catch Polaris and Eclipse. His wife calls to check on him. He says he’s okay and promises to be home soon.
Lauren speaks up for her dad, saying that he was a mutant prosecutor until he found out about her powers. Tex says Reed had a tracker on his leg. Reed says he did that to get to his family, but realized he was wrong.
Caitlin says they can’t attack each other. Reed tells her to help Harry. He admits that Tex is telling the truth. Reed wants to work things out with Tex.
Harry’s gunshot won’t stop bleeding. The other mutants start watching what they are doing. Andy gets nervous and wants to leave. Caitlin says they need the others to trust them. Caitlin asks for their help to distract them.
Shatter asks Sonia/Dreamer (Elena Satine) to use her power to make Reed forget about HQ. She says she will if John says it’s okay. Clarice/Blink (Jamie Chung) hears their conversation and is curious about Dreamer’s power.
While Tex and Reed work out their issues, Sage tells John that there is something strange going on with the police. Their calls aren’t adding up. Reed tells them that he knows the protocols. He says Sentinel Services knows they are listening. Sentinel Services are searching for Polaris and Eclipse in one area and Atlanta PD are searching for the Mutant HQ.
Polaris and Eclipse breathe a sigh of relief after destroying the drone. They talk about their child. Polaris says she can feel the baby. She expresses her fear for having a mutant child, but Eclipse eases her mind by saying he can’t wait to be a father. As they hold hand, their Arora Borealis appears again. For a minute, they are really happy. And then they drive up on a road block. Turner is there waiting for them.
Polaris gets out of the car, disarms all of the men, and points a gun at Turner. She tells Eclipse that they are taking him with them. They take him to a warehouse and Polaris gives him a metal collar. She wants to find out what they did to Pulse. Eclipse says it’s too dangerous to hold Turner. Polaris tells him to imagine what life would be like if Sentinel Services had turn her against them.
At HQ, Caitlin is running out of time and supplies to help Harry. She says they need more blood. Andy is O-negative and volunteers to give Harry a transfusion. Caitlin makes a line to see up the transfusion.
Reed, John and Sage come up with a plan to throw off Sentinel Services. Reed wants to be seen out in the open in a location far away from HQ. John says if he gets caught, they might make him give up their location. Reed says Tex can help him not get caught. John asks Tex to help. He’s hesitant, but says ok.
Polaris and Eclipse ask Turner about Pulse. He won’t talk. Instead he tells them about what happened on July 15. Eclipse feels bad Turner’s daughter. Polaris pulls him aside and says a lot of things change for everyone that day. They can’t let Sentinel Services turn mutants against mutants. They have another way to get the information they need. Eclipse calls Dreamer.
Caitlin doesn’t want Reed to go. Reed says they have nowhere to go. He needs the mutant underground to trust him if they are going to stay safe. Caitlin makes him promise to be home by dinner. She has to leave because Harry goes into shock. Caitlin has to remove the bullet ASAP.
Turner tries to reason with Polaris and Eclipse. He tells them things are going to get worse for them. Polaris says they will let him go if he tells them what they want to know. He won’t. She says they have another way. Dreamer and Blink arrive, but so does Sentinel Services.
Tex drops off Reed so he can be seen walking around town. Reed purposefully walks in front of the city cameras so the police will see him. Once they do see him, John texts him to get out of there. Reed goes to the place where he’s supposed to meet Tex and he’s not there. He can hear the sirens getting closer, so he runs. Reed runs into something. It’s Tex. He gets in the car and drives away.
Caitlin cuts into Harry’s abdomen to remove the bullet. She is able to get it out, but Harry starts bleeding more. Lauren uses her power to put pressure on the artery and Caitlin closes up. Harry calms down. The other mutants are watching them save Harry.
Sentinel Services surrounds the warehouse and are getting ready to move in. Polaris tells Dreamer to extract Turner’s memories. Blink watches her get into Turner’s mind. Eclipse watches as Sentinel Services moves in. Polaris uses her power to throw metal rods at them, pushing them back.
Sentinel Services shoots tear gas into the building to try and make the mutants come out. The mutants have to leave. Turner’s mind is scrambled with memories.
Dreamer draws what she saw in Turner’s head. The team try to piece together what it all means. Dreamer says that Turner new Pulse, but it wasn’t clear how. John saw a symbol on Pulse’s arm, but he is unsure of what it is. Reed recognizes the federal building in Baton Rouge. Some of the prosecuted mutants were taken there. John asks what happened to those people. Reed answers that they disappeared.
Reed joins his family for dinner. He says he can help the Mutant Underground with his knowledge about Sentinel Services. Caitlin says it’s too dangerous to travel anyway. Reed points out that Caitlin is saving their lives, they need her. The Mutant Underground can use the Struckers. And more importantly, they are together.
Dreamer draws more pictures from Turner’s memories. Blink asks her if she messed with her head. Dreamer admits she did it to save John. Dreamer says she can take it away if she wants. Blink tells Dreamer to stay away from her.
Agent Turner is taken home to his wife. He tells her that he’s fine. He asks for his daughter. His wife has to remind him that their daughter is dead.
Thoughts…
This is the slow down that I was expecting, but a lot did happen. I like that they aren’t leaving any loose ends. They could have easily thrown the Dreamer-Blink storyline aside, but it’s been addressed in every episode.
Now that the mutants trust the Struckers, the next issue to address is Lauren and Andy’s roles. Yes, they are kids, but they are old enough to make up their own minds about fighting back.
I do feel bad for Turner. He has to relive his daughter’s death. That could be more dangerous for him and the mutants.
In all, this episode addressed some smaller issues that needed to be resolved. I’m glad they did it quickly.
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News Editor, Senior Contributor, and Press Editor. Coordinate breaking news, trailers and press releases. I also contribute reviews, recaps and interviews. Creator of the Indigenerd Wire, a column dedicated to the Indigenous creatives in pop culture.
GGA's resident Indigenerd, a little bit rez, a little bit classy...with a love for all things Star Wars, zombies, science fiction, and Indigenous. My ultimate goal is to start my own podcast.
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