The Gifted - Monsters - Review

Need a refresher? Read my recap of the last episode here.

How dare The Gifted start this episode off with a flashback to a happier Thunderblink!? I'm still in mourning. Although in this cozy scene between John and Clarice, she pontificates about a desire to portal between places... I'm hoping this is foreshadowing to the reveal Blink is alive and well in another dimension somewhere.

Present-tense John is not coping with Clarice's death at all. He instigates a fight with Urg, clearly hoping the Morlock will kill him or at least mortally wound him. John's constant ability to take the blame for everything puts him in suicidal territory. Of course he's going to blame himself for Clarice's death, Urg didn't need to say it out loud, we all know John was thinking it from the second Jace's gun went off.

Annette Brown/FOX

In the aftermath of the Morlock massacre, the remnants of the Underground are trying to evacuate the mutants who survived and find viable places for them to stay safe. Reed and Marcos also get in touch with Lorna who tells them Reeva's grand plan to attack government buildings. Reed just wants to get Andy out of her crosshairs and home safe. But it might not be so easy to convince him of that, the whole reason he joined the Inner Circle is because of Lorna. Remember when she tore the plane out of the sky? She set a dangerous precedent that a few innocent lives are a worthy sacrifice for a greater cause.

As for the Purifiers, nothing that happened in the tunnels has changed anything for them. They're intent on catching the mutants who killed a few of their guys, all except Jace! Do the writers realize how unlikable they've made his character? They're going to be hard-pressed to redeem him in the final hour. He's dismissed for thee day when he starts babbling nonsense about mutants having rights and children and not all being monsters, you know, the common sense everyone outside of this extremist hate group is already well-aware of.

Annette Brown/FOX

The Underground isn't faring much better. John has succumbed to a self-pity party that involves beating down a wall, as if that's going to tear a whole in the space-time continuum and bring Clarice back. He even gets violent with Marcos who finally snaps some sense in him and gets him to run! And Reed does something useful with his powers finally! He kills that one Purifier whose name I never remember (and don't care to remember). Sincerely, Reed, thank you.

John, Reed, and Marcos find a spot to regroup and hope to use John's abilities to track Caitlin and Lauren. The only problem is, every time he tries to track something he has visions of Clarice. But what if he's tracking Clarice in the netherworld of portals around them?

Steve Dietl/FOX

Besides, given Caitlin's recent ruthless/badass streak, she and Lauren might just be okay. Caitlin tricks Lauren into abandoning the other mutants so they'll slow the cops down long enough for them to escape. Damn, that's cold. I have to admit Caitlin's characterization has gotten pretty dark this season. There were a few times I expected her to turn Lauren into a full-fledged weapon of mass destruction. I find the glimmer of power trip in her eye a tad frightening but super intriguing.

The cops eventually catch up with Caitlin and Lauren before they can escape. Caitlin refuses to surrender, even willing to sacrifice herself for Lauren to escape. Lauren's powers return before it comes to that and the two of them decide to make a grand stand. Though they end up not having to when Reed and Marcos come to their rescue.

Annette Brown/FOX

Checking in on the status of Reeva's "Mutant Homeland" plan, it turns out she wants to use the Frost sister's gifts to brainwash people into supporting mutants. Considering the dire circumstances, Lorna outs herself as a traitor to Andy, willing him to realize how corrupt the Inner Circle is. She tells him about Reeva's connection to Benedict Ryan and the Morlock massacre and tries to convince him to return home. He asks to speak with Reed first before he makes his decision.

The reunited Struckers are privy to Reed's phone call with Andy in the cozy confines of the car. Andy resigns himself to his fate on the Inner Circle because he believes he is a monster. Reed points out, if Andy is a monster, than so is he, since he killed someone today. They finish the call unresolved, unsure of whether or not Andy will finally return. Caitlin has a few words of comfort though, "Maybe you had to join Andy in that darkness to help him."

Steve Dietl/FOX

Back at his hotel, Jace reviews old conspiracy videos tracking the Morlock movements. He zooms in on security camera footage and sees a little girl, proof Morlocks.. procreate? Obviously mutants have babies, Jace. I'm not buying the whole "he never considered there would be kids" angle. I think he always knew that, but just didn't care until he was faced with the truth head-on.

Jace confronts Ryan over what he saw in the Morlocks tunnel. But if you thought he might actually stop being a raging mutant-hater, then here's your lesson that a leopard doesn't change his spots. The second Ryan talks about Wilson's death (hey I remembered his name!) he appears to be all aboard the mutant-killing train again.

Finally, the Mutant Underground reunite! Even Andy comes back home and Lorna greets John with a comforting hug. The team is granted a night of peace before the storm, a literal storm in case you needed to get hit over the head with your symbolism. Oh and John hears Blink call out for him! Is it in his head? Or is Blink still alive somewhere out there? My vote (and hope) is on option two.

Reeva is pissed about Andy and Lorna's betrayal, but not as much as one might expect. Their real value was symbolic in the nature of their lineage, Andy's to the von Struckers and Lorna's to Magneto. But their betrayal has made them expendable. Reeva plans to storm the castle like a one-woman army, or one-woman-and-her-pet-triplets-army.

Annette Brown/FOX

Odds & Ends

- Andy literally looks like Draco Malfoy, angst not sold separately.

- Marcos is an excellent one-man support team this week. First he helps give Reed some perspective on his abilities and then he comforts John as he grieves Clarice. He makes him feel important, regardless of whether or not he can track, if he can still fight, if he's ready to be strong in the face of the incoming storm, then he has nothing to be ashamed of. He lets John know that none of this was his fault (even though John probably won't listen).

- I guess without Max around his two lackeys just dropped off the face of the earth or quit the Inner Circle? I think they shared maybe 2 words between them. Why didn't the writers just add Max since they didn't do anything with the others?

- "Rebecca died for a lie?" I'm not going to lie, I forgot Rebecca ever existed.

- I'm pretty disappointed we didn't get to see Lauren and Caitlin fully face-off with the cops. I was hoping for some kind of epic showdown.

The season two finale of The Gifted titled "oMens" premieres February 26th on FOX.