‘The Gifted 1×11: 3 X 1’ Review
The end of the last episode of The Gifted finally revealed Esme’s (Skyler Samuels) secret, then left us hanging until the return after the Christmas break. What her character(s) give us in this episode though, is the return of a club that could take the show to the next level.
Tensions are high at Mutant HQ, and Jace Turner (Coby Bell) is more determined than ever to capture the Mutants, especially after the apparent betrayal. Reed and Kate Strucker (Stephen Moyer and Amy Acker) decide that their family should leave the HQ, but Dr. Campbell (Garret Dillahunt) has plans to recapture the Strucker kids.
The Gifted starts at full speed this week with the revelation that Esme and her sisters are part of the Hellfire Club. This is interesting of course because it connects with the Struckers (Von Struckers) and their past. Not only that, but other mutants find they may be connected to the group too.
This episode is about Esme and her sisters using their manipulative powers to bring the mutants onto the side of the Hellfire Club. Fans of the X-Men of course will know this is a bad idea, but in the world of The Gifted, there is no X-Men to steer the new mutants onto the right path. The Hellfire Club could win out, with part of the reason being the evil that humanity does towards the mutants in their war against them.
To emphasise the wrongs that humans do, we get a glimpse into Blink’s (Jamie Chung) past and her experiences with the Purifiers. This pushes Blink to be on the side of joining The Hellfire Club’s side, because of the lack of positivity in the potential to have peace with humans.
With the Struckers deciding to move on from Mutant HQ, it comes as no surprise that they get attacked again by Sentinel Services. On a positive note though it does being the return of Wes (Danny Ramirez) to the show. With Dr. Campbell now able to send his mutants out onto the field though, it looks like the Mutants need help. Lucky for them the Hellfire Club are there to provide it huh?
The fact that Sentinel Services found the Strucker Family is just another manipulation by Esme of course, with the aim of pushing the mutants to join with the club. What this does reveal about the show though is that there is a big gap that needs filling, and that is the X-Men. Although the show is about the mutants surviving in a world without them, it does seem now that the show needs them. Even if it is just one, that would help push The Gifted on the right path.
While we don’t have the actual X-Men just yet, that doesn’t weaken the show too much. It just feels like as we are heading towards the end of the season, it would be a good time for the X-Men to have some influence. The Mutant Underground do have powers, but they lack a focus on what their aims should be. This will be latched onto by the Hellfire Club, and there is no doubt that some of the mutants will be happy to join to protect themselves.
The Gifted is a show that has managed to fit into the X-Men universe well, even if it lacks the actual X-Men. While there is that need for at least one X-Men to provide some guidance to the Mutant Underground, it can still survive without them. With a good boost of momentum from the Hellfire Club reveal, things are getting interesting, making this a must watch show.
***** 5/5
The Gifted is shown in the UK on Fox TV on Sundays at 9pm.
This show keeps wasting Amy Acker on random crap and my only hope is that Caitlin won’t survive season finale.