Last week Caitlin Strucker didn’t have much to do, but The Gifted proves that Amy Acker’s character isn’t just going to be a generic parent on the show.
“rX,” continues with the fast pace of the premiere and already starts to create the conflicts that will impact the rest of the season. So far, The Gifted has successfully managed to adapt the main themes of the X-Men comics about prejudice and persecution which makes the stakes incredibly high for the rest of the mutants.
It’s established quickly in, “rX,” that Reed Strucker was only shot by an immobilization dart to stop him from getting through the portal but nothing life-threatening. Unfortunately, it’s landed him in the hot seat with Sentinel Services and Agent Turner has no interest in playing ball. Sentinel Services doesn’t seem bothered that they’re withholding Reed from having a lawyer present, and they proceed to slap him with some ridiculous charges, such as terrorism, to try to force him into cooperating. When that doesn’t work, they drag in his mother (who is introduced in flashbacks), in a more aggressive attempt to get Reed to talk. Yet, this actually shows him that the organization has nothing on him, so Reed cuts a deal for his family to go free in exchange for the Mutant Underground.
Of course, this isn’t going to go over well once he finds out that Caitlin has firmly joined the mutant side of this Civil War fight. It’s showed in an opening flashback in “rX,” that at a family bowling outing they stood idly by as a young mutant child was ridiculed until she inadvertently uses her powers. Lauren is appalled, and the look of devastated terror explains why she was so afraid to reveal her true nature to her parents for so long. However, back in present day, Caitlin volunteers to get medicine for Blink, whose portals are drawing attention to the compound. Alongside Eclipse, she is forced to reckon with her ignorance of mutant persecution and how she was more than happy to stand by until it became her kid. After the two manage to steal the drugs from a nearby hospital and escape the police, they get back to the compound just in time.
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Throughout “rX,” Lauren and Andy end up staying behind because the former is able to close Blink’s portals with her powers. At New York Comic Con, it was revealed that Lauren’s powers aren’t actually creating shields but rearranging molecules. Since this is the first time she actually gets to flex her abilities, it seems like The Gifted will show that she’s just as powerful as her brother despite his showing in the pilot. Once their mom gets back to save the day, Proudstar notes that Blink was opening portals to the same road every time, and wonders if the place held some sort of significance to her. She evades the question, but the series is definitely going to explore her backstory at one point.
Of all the mutants in “rX,” Polaris is having the worst time still in prison. With a shock collar around her neck to prevent her from using her powers, she’s stuck in a jail cell with a lot of people who hate “Muties”. When she’s approached by a gang leader who tries to force her into grunt work, she sarcastically declines which gets her into a bit of a tiff. While she’s able to take a few hits to the face, it’s when the leader kicks her in the stomach to try to hurt her baby that finally sets her off. Now sporting her green hair, Polaris lets her powers loose to trap the leader against a fence while her goons continue to attack until she’s thrown into solitary. It will be such a terrific payoff when she finally gets to escape jail and let everyone know who they’re messing with.
Next: The Gifted Premiere Recap: “eXposed”
“rX,” manages to continue to up the stakes on the show while diving deeper into the complications of this world. Right now all the Strucker family wants is to reunite, but once both parents learn of the other’s choice of allies, will they ever get their happy ending? It doesn’t seem likely, but it only works to make viewers crave their reunion more than ever. However, in this time where prejudice and hate have become so mainstream, The Gifted is making some thought-provoking statements about the guilt of being a bystander when there’s something one can do to help.