The Gifted Recap: “eXtreme measures”

The Gifted took its first stumble this week with “eXtreme measures,” with an episode that stalls the momentum from the first part of the season.

Most of the problems can be credited to poor writing because the actors on the cast continue to rise above some of the generic dialogue. Unfortunately, “eXtreme measures,” poorly tries to explore the survival of mutants on the street who have to turn to the life of crime just to get by.

Marcos and Wes are the two mutants that are supposed to represent the criminal aspect of survival in “eXtreme measures,” which is the root of the problem. Both are presented as being “in the wrong,” when really only Marcos is. He’s an adult who decided to kill for the cartel before joining the Underground and is now working odd jobs to repay his debt.

His life of crime kept him alive but he was doing so at a very high cost for his morality. Wes, in the meantime, is discovered to have been robbing stores in order to coast by on the streets. How Reed could demonize him so quickly is ridiculous and hypocritical considering that he broke into a building last week. What do the Struckers think kids living on the streets do? His outrage seems misplaced and by the end of the episode, Wes has confessed to the Underground leadership about his past but they forgive him.

He’s gone by the hour’s end though, leaving Lauren just as friendless as she was before. Hopefully now she can jump back into the action with her brother rather than stuck on the sidelines.

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“eXtreme measures,” introduces the first rift in Marcos’ and Polaris’ relationship when she discovers he’s working for his ex, Carmen. The dialogue in those scenes is the most guilty of being poorly written and it make the direction of the plot pretty easy to guess. Marcos helps out Carmen so that he can get supplies and money for the group but seems to enjoy his return a little too much.

Polaris and Dreamer roll up just in time to see Carmen give him a kiss on the cheek before confronting him back at the Underground. Their fight has been done a million times on television, the “I did it for you!/You lied to me!” reasoning is probably the number one approach to drama between couples. Things are definitely about to get a lot harder for these soon-to-be parents before they get better.

The most exciting part of the night came from Dr. Campbell and Jace Turner, shockingly, with the former shaping up to be a great villainous foe. “eXtreme measures,” reveals that his program is funded by Trask Industries, the same group responsible for the Sentinels in X-Men: Days of Future’s Past.

The stakes keep getting higher and when the Hounds finally face off against the mutants, there is going to be a lot of bloodshed. Luckily, John tracks down Clarice in this episode and she ends up rejoining the fight after discovering her foster family has all been murdered.

Next week, Reed is traveling to meet up with his father, who used to work for Trask Industries. Looks like the show is finally going to give its first glimpse of Andreas and Andrea von Strucker, the villainous mutant twins that Lauren and Andy were presumed to be. Are the evil siblings supposed to be a glimpse at the kids’ future or what they have the potential to become?

Next: The Gifted Recap: “got your siX”

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