It’s Go Time on The Gifted. In “oMens,” the Mutant Underground unites to take on the Inner Circle. Andy Strucker (Percy Hynes White) and Lorna Dane/Polaris (Emma Dumont) have come home, giving the MU more firepower. Reeva Payge (Grace Byers) is ready though. She’s sending out Jace Turner (Coby Bell) and the Purifiers to do her dirty work. Who will win? Who will live and who will die?
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7-15
The Struckers were highly affected by the 7-15 mutant attack. The kids were so scared that Reed (Stephen Moyer) decided to use his law degree in the fight against mutants. At the time his powers were dormant. Caitlin (Amy Acker) was nervous, but she knew that he needed to be a part of the fight. Reed felt it was the only way he could protect his family.
It kind of backfired because when Lauren’s (Natalie Alyn Lind) powers manifested, she had a hard time telling her parents. She believed Reed hated mutants so much, she was afraid he would arrest her too. Reed thinks she is afraid of the mutants. He tells her they can make a difference even after terrible things happen.
Caitlin overheard their conversation. She asks if he believes things happen for a reason. Reed says he thinks he has a role to play in the mutant situation to keep them all safe. He wishes he knew what it was.
Present
Lorna tells the Mutant Underground about Reeva’s plans. Marcos (Sean Teale) suggests that Andy and Lauren bring down the Inner Circle with their Fenris powers. Reed and Caitlin don’t like it, but Andy and Lauren believe they have been preparing for this exact moment to stop Reeva.
The Frost sisters (Skyler Samuels) inform Reeva that Andy and Lorna went back to the Mutant Underground. Reeva says they will move forward with their plans. Lorna was supposed to take out the power grid on their targets. They can use explosives to take out the power grid, but Andy was supposed to destroy the Sentinel Services building. That will take some rethinking. Reeva calls Benedict Ryan (Peter Gallagher) saying she has a job for the Purifiers.
Preparing for Battle
The MU is getting ready to leave for their attack on the Inner Circle. Reed is having more and more headaches. His powers are coming back and he doesn’t have full control of them yet. Andy asks if he’s okay and if he’s still taking his medicine. Reed admits that he quit. Andy tells Reed that he’s happy to be home. Reed says no matter what, Andy will always be his son.
John (Blair Redford), Marcos, and Lorna go through some old mutant files. Lorna starts to feel guilty saying all of the mutant deaths was her fault. Marcos and John assure her that it’s not, but Lorna feels really bad, especially about Clarice/Blink (Jamie Chung). Lorna apologizes and John makes her promise to fight. Marcos says its time to go, but John can sense trucks coming down the street. The Purifiers have arrived.
Trapped
The Purifiers surround the apartment building and close the gate to the parking garage. Benedict reminds Jace that he’s doing this for his daughter and all of the innocent people out there. The police were upset by Officer Wilson’s (Tom O’Keefe) death, so they will look the other way. This will allow the Purifiers to use any force necessary.
Lorna knows that Reeva sent the Purifiers. She must have taken things personally when Andy and Lorna left. John knows that Jace is taking things personal as well. The Struckers are watching from their window as well. Caitlin says she has guns in storage, so she and Reed leave to retrieve them. Reed is frustrated. He says he has an ability, but he can’t control it enough to keep his kids safe.
Andy suggests they use their Fenris powers to take the Purifiers, but Lauren says no. She asks if Andy really wants to kill people. Andy says he doesn’t like hurting people, but he did what he had to when he was in the Inner Circle. Lauren hears the apartment door open, but no one comes in. Fade (Jeff Daniel Phillips) and the Frosts appear and immediately put Andy and Lauren under their spell. When Caitlin and Reed return to their apartment, the place is torn apart and the kids are gone.
Escape
Esme calls Reeva to let her know that they have the Strucker kids. She voices her concern about using their powers on the Struckers. Too much mind control can make the kids have a stroke. Reeva doesn’t care. She only wants results. Reeva hangs up the phone and watches a rant from Benedict. He says another mutant attack is coming and the government isn’t doing anything to keep the people safe. Reeva agrees.
Caitlin and Reed ask John to track Lauren and Andy, but he only sees Clarice. He breaks through long enough to see the Frosts and Fade. Lorna says Reeva’s plan depends on the fall of Sentinel Services. She is probably using Andy and Lauren for that purpose. They have to get out of the building.
John says he can break through the Purifiers, giving everyone else a chance to get away. He knows Jace wants him. He can hold them long enough to help them get away. Everyone is worried about what the Purifiers will do to John. He says they can’t do anything worse than taking Clarice away from him.
John puts on his war paint and heads outside to face the Purifiers. As soon as Jace sees him, the Purifiers start shooting. John takes a few bullets, but he is able to throw around a few Purifiers to stop the bullets. When all of the Purifiers are solely focused on John, Marcos and the others get away. Jace turns their attention to the car speeding from the apartment building. As they drive away, John is able to run. Because John is on foot, Jace sends the Purifiers after him.
The Fall of Sentinel Services
Caitlin drives everyone else to the Sentinel Services building. Lorna says the Frosts are using the Morlock tunnels to get around. She knows where the entrances are and they head for a location near Sentinel Services. Reeds powers continue to manifest and he’s concerned that he can’t stop it.
The Frosts and their group are almost at Sentinel Services. Esme tells them to stop resisting. Lauren says the point was to help mutants, not force them to do things. The Frosts continue to use their powers to control them. Esme is concerned about the Struckers’ well being, but the other two sisters don’t care.
The Frosts and company get to the Sentinel Services building. They force Andy and Lauren to use their Fenris powers to destroy the building. As the building falls, Andy and Lauren’s noses start bleeding. Once the building falls, the Frosts let go of their hold on the Struckers.
Thunderbird
John runs to an alley where Erg (Michael Luwoye) finds him. The Purifiers are coming. Erg wants to help John even though he knows John hates him. John says he doesn’t want his help, but Erg won’t let him die. He says the man who murdered Blink is out there. Erg says John owes it to Blink to not let the Purifiers kill him too. He wants John to hit him so he can absorb the energy.
John stands up and starts hitting Erg. The Purifiers find them. Jace says Mr. Proudstar is done. John says his name is Thunderbird. Erg hits the Purifiers with the absorbed energy as Thunderbird runs towards Jace. Thunderbird beats up Jace and pulls a knife on him. Jace says he’s ready to be with his little girl and tells Thunderbird to kill him.
Haunting Past
Marcos and the others get out of the car and meet the Frosts as they are leaving the Sentinel Services building. The Frosts tell Lauren and Andy to kill their parents, Lorna and Marcos. Lorna steps up to Esme, reminding her of what the doctors in the lab did to her and her sisters. They forced them to use their powers to do stuff they hated doing. The Frosts are doing the same thing to Lauren and Andy.
Esme stops long enough for Marcos blasts the two sisters with his light, releasing Andy and Lauren. Esme tells Lorna to go to the tunnels to get away from the police. She won’t leave her sisters though. Once in the tunnels, Reed and Caitlin tend to their kids. Esme told Lorna that when the Frosts use their power on people, it can cause brain damage. Lauren and Andy feel bad about destroying the Sentinel Services building, but Caitlin and Reed say it’s not their fault. They weren’t in control of their powers. Reed and Caitlin say the kids saved them, giving them the chance to stop Reeva.
Lorna says they need to go. Marcos says they can take the kids to at the scrapyard with the Morlocks. Caitlin protests moving the kids and leaving them behind, but Reed says they might not get another chance to stop Reeva. As long as she’s out there, their kids aren’t safe.
Mutant vs. Mutant
Marcos, Lorna, Reed, and Caitlin go to the Inner Circle headquarters. Marcos warns them that if they encounter Reeva, they won’t be able to control their powers. Reed asks if their conflict will end if they stop Reeva. Lorna says without Reeva, the whole Inner Circle falls apart.
They go cautiously go in and encounter Reeva’s strike team as they are loading explosives. A fight breaks out, keeping the mutant underground from getting to the elevator. Reed sees a way there and he and Caitlin make a run for it. Fade tries to stop them by choking out Reed, but Caitlin kills him.
Reed tells Caitlin that he’s going to confront Reeva alone. Caitlin starts to cry, knowing that he won’t be able to stand up to Reeva. Reed explains that he can’t control his powers anyway. If he just lets them out, the powers will eventually tear him apart. He can take out Reeva with him. He tells her to take care of their family. She tries to stop him, but he says its the only way. He kisses her, says he loves her and runs to the elevator. Caitlin cries as she watches the door close, telling Reed that she loves him too.
Face to Face
Reed enters the top floor and faces Reeva. She is disappointed that Reed is the one who came to her. They talk about why Reeva needs to stop her revolution, but Reeva is disappointed that Reed doesn’t understand. She says his grandparents understood what it took to create a homeland. She regrets that the von Strucker name won’t live on.
Reed’s power emerges so Reeva uses hers to stop him. He falls the ground, trying hard to move forward and burning anything he touches. Below, Marcos, Lorna, and Caitlin continue to fight the strike team, starting fires in the garage.
Reeva moves closer to Reed, but he continues to move. Reed pulls himself up, and Reeva stops. Reed says the power of the von Struckers is all hers. He implodes, taking out Reeva and the entire top floor of the Inner Circle. The building starts to collapse. Marcos, Lorna, and Caitlin run for safety. Caitlin knows that Reed is dead.
Picking Up The Pieces
Caitlin returns to her children and they can tell by the look on her face that their father is dead. Andy and Lauren narrate that they understand why Reed sacrificed himself. They will continue to fight for a better world and for him. They say a final goodbye as Lauren puts away the music box.
John allowed Erg to patch him up. Lorna and Marcos visit Dawn, promising they will all be together soon. Esme did something good, using her powers to control Benedict. He confessed to being the leader of the Purifiers. And Jace is alive and badly beaten in the hospital.
Erg tells the Mutant Underground that he heard the mutant uprising is still going on. The mutant groups are gathering, but need leadership. They heard about the Mutant Underground and Reed’s sacrifice. The Mutant Underground may be gone, but they will make a new one.
John feels a presence outside. They all follow him to see what it is. A purple portal opens up and Blink jumps out. She says something has happened. She needs them all to go with her. Blink opens her portal back up and leads the way.
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Thoughts
The Gifted Season 2 was just as exciting as the first. The inner conflict of the Mutant Underground was detrimental but effective. Jace Turner is turning out to be kind of annoying. I was hoping he would begin to see that violence is not the answer, but communication could work. Nope. He’s worse than he was in season one.
As for the Strucker family, I hate that Andy separated himself from his family, but it gave him a chance to grow up. He’s no longer this dumb kid with powers, but he still has a lot to learn about self-control. Lauren on the other hand, she got pretty dark there for a minute. I almost want to see the two of them explore that dark side. But we know that won’t happen now.
I honestly thought Caitlin would die, but I see now that the signs were all there. Reed has always been the primary protector of his family. His powers were always going to kill him. He picked the right time to let his power take over. It’s the ultimate sacrifice and one that ensures his family will continue their fight for peace. RIP Reed Strucker
I knew Blink was alive! But the real question is where, or when, has she been? And where is she taking the Mutant Underground? John becoming Thunderbird was quite surprising. When he put on the war paint, I thought it was going to be a cheesy fight and he would yell out a war cry. No. it was tasteful and exciting to watch. Not bad Blair Redford.
My only question about Lorna and Marcos is, can she be trusted? She left the Mutant Underground for greener pastures and did it again to the Inner Circle. I hope she stays with Marcos this time around.
Reeva was a formidable foe. I’m kind of upset that she’s dead. However, I don’t think she was coming up with these brilliant plans and the resources to carry them out by herself. I wish we had seen more of her back story. She came from such meager beginnings. That kind of rise to power has to have some help.
I’m sad that Reed is dead. But the show got so good there at the end of the season. I remain hopeful for a season 3.
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