Not unlike the previous, ‘got your siX’ episode, this one –
‘eXtreme measures’ – is something of a filler episode, with one important
difference: in this episode, mutants and Sentinel Services are taking a break
from each other, and are worrying about something else. The result? A very
different episode from ‘siX’.
‘siX’ was a filler episode, but it still fit with the rest
of ‘The Gifted’ (at that point), as the mutants battled the Sentinels.
‘eXtreme’ does not do that – instead the Sentinels are beginning to bring-in
their a-game – brainwashed mutants of their own – to the battle, while the
mutants…deal with their internal problems. The Struckers are dealing with the
fact that their daughter’s new boyfriend had used his powers to rob jewelry
stores, (he can create various illusions), while Lorna isn’t handling the fact
that Marcos is working for Carmen once more, and Johnny went on a discovery
spiritual journey with Clarice/Blink to re-discovery her past. Or, to put it in
an alternative manner, the Struckers are dealing with a typical middle-class
problem in a refugee setting, while the main mutant fighters are involved in a
typical X-men social drama. Now what?
Well, the Sentinels managed to get their secret weapon
through by breaking some of the U.S. laws and using the secret weapon in
question on a U.S. official to show-off their villainy. Their former number one
villain, agent Jace, is already having second thoughts about this – his white
side is coming to the core; or rather, since he’s a man who sees most things,
if not everything, in black and white, what would his wife and (deceased)
daughter would think, he is beginning to realize that he is no longer a hero of
his/their own story anymore – and he doesn’t know where to go next.
…Will he be redeemed? It is anyone’s guess. Apparently, ‘The
Gifted’ is 13 episodes long, not 10, so sorry about that. Also, this means that
‘The Gifted’ S1 is only at its’ halfway point, so things are just getting
started.
Back to the redemption. AoS tried to do that Grant Ward and
failed badly; they tried to fix it finally by the final third of S4, and it was
so-so. Now, in the upcoming S5 they will be trying something new, apparently,
but will be enough? Who knows. Hopefully, ‘The Gifted’ will do a better job
with a redemption story arc than AoS did…or maybe they will not do it at
all…who knows?
…Anyhow, while Jace is beginning to realize that he just may
not be on the side of the angels at all, Marcos is returning to his roots by
working for Carmen and her organized crime family. This is one aspect that
could have been expanded here: the introduction fragment of how Marcos left
Carmen the first time around and joined Johnny and Lorna was sadly short here –
and now Marcos is coming back to Carmen, and Lorna is angry with him, so tough
break!
Lauren Strucker, meanwhile, had her own problems, as it was
discussed earlier – her new boyfriend, Wes, was a criminal, and-
And here would be a good time to discuss what in RL
differentiates a revolutionary from some sort of a double-agent/spy type of
character. The latter is a blackguard and a villain, because s/he is working
for their own personal interest, including betraying their comrades and
homeland for personal benefits at heart. A revolutionary, on the other hand, is
working for a greater good, for their country (usually), their cause. Yes, a
revolutionary will be willing to make a deal with a literal devil for that sort
of thing, let alone a common criminal; if the mutant underground of ‘The
Gifted’ was some sort of a revolutionary organization there wouldn’t be any
problem with Wes’ criminal past, provided that he stayed true to their cause,
(and Reed Strucker’s behavior is in line with that – in the past episodes he
had troubles fitting in himself, as he remembered in the second of this
episode), but right now, Lorna and Marcos and the rest aren’t revolutionaries –
they are more like refugees: so far their plan is to escape, with their people,
to Mexico, if anything.
No, seriously, so far the mutants are still on the defensive
from the Sentinel Services and the government, (so yes, this episode has also
shown that there are cracks appearing, but the mutants don’t know this yet),
and they aren’t doing anything to make the world of ‘The Gifted’ a different
place. The past episodes have shown that this wasn’t always the case in their
flashbacks, but now? This is how it goes – the mutants are still on the
defensive, the Sentinels – on the offensive. For now.
Getting back to Lauren and Wes, one cannot shake the feeling
that the scene where Wes confronts the Struckers at their meal was fudged: given
how it was staged, it is possible that Wes has lied to Lauren, Reed and co. and
just left for newer pastures, cutting his losses with the Struckers’ daughter.
It is one of those moments that can go either way; in this particular instance,
it will matter only if Wes returns to Lauren’s life, and if he does not – then no.
And the final strand of the plot is, of course, Johnny and Clarice’s
bonding journey, and the gradually widening rift between Johnny and Dreamer. Again,
this is basic X-men plot, where there is always some sort of a romantic ‘polyhedron’
and angst. Most viewers so far are rooting for Johnny and Blink, so this is
good news – for them. For those who like Dreamer better it is the opposite, and
for those who do not care either way, it does not matter – so there.
Yes, there we have it: a filler episode that shows that so
far a part of ‘The Gifted’s’ success comes from the main conflict – the mutants
vs. the Sentinel Services, and without it in place the pace slows down, some. That
said, the Sentinel Services are bringing their a-game – the brainwashed mutants
– so next week the pace could speed back up. See you then!
PS: Real life has stabilized, some, but I'm still remaining cautiously pessimistic, here.
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