The Gifted: Monsters - Feb 19

Let us start with the obvious: real life… well, sucks. However, it is also confusing, and messy, and then there is the financial angle…but the less is said about money and taxes and the like is better. Let us talk about ‘the Gifted’ instead.

This week we learned… well, actually, we learned that Netflix is done with Marvel – even JJ and ‘Punisher’ are cancelled, done, finished. Why that is happened is another story, Disney is likely to be involved, but after the SW fiasco, Disney isn’t likely to be openly involved in another mess, especially one that involves money, (yes, money, again), so odds are that we won’t hear about ‘the Defenders’ or any of their associates for a while now, at least until all the copyright and ownership kinks are smoothed out.

Secondly C&D is returning this spring, (AoS is returning this summer instead). The S2 trailer showed us…not just Ty and Dy, but also detective Mayhem, who returns a full-on vigilante with her own powers, and odds are? She is going a) to rock, and b) cause more friction between Ty and Dy. (That said? The chemistry between them is great, and was part of the reason as to why C&D S1 was a success to begin with).

Finally, on this week’s episode, ‘Monsters’, we learn…that the strength of ‘the Gifted’ lies in the actors and acting and the drama that they manifest in their characters, as the plot itself can be holey. The most obvious hole in ‘Monsters’ is the time skip: one moment Lauren and Caitlin are hiding in an abandoned building during the day, with no one in sight, the next moment it’s night and there are cops outside of it already. The cops, of course, are right there with SW’s storm canonic troopers – lousy shots and are scared off by some feeble return gunfire too. Reed and Marcos were able to free Caitlin and Lauren by burning a hole in the building’s back wall without any interference. Score one for the mutants.

The second point is for Ted. He is dead. Reed killed him. With his powers. Considering that Ted had been the closest thing that Jace had had in the Purifiers for a friend you would think that he would be genuinely affected by Ted’s death, but instead? No one in the Purifiers seem to realize that Ted is dead, and Jace is having his doubts regarding the Morlocks’ massacre. Of course, he is right to do that, as the Purifiers are being manipulated, or even managed by Reeva, who is THE mutant villain of the S2, but still…Ted is dead and no one cares about him, not even the other Purifiers. Poor Ted.

Of course, Clarice is also dead, and the Morlocks are gone, their leader has schooled John in the ways of leadership again. Mind you, John is not a villain, he is a genuine good guy, but he is a terrible leader and had spent almost the entirety of ‘Monsters’ doing nothing but mourning Clarice. This makes him sympathetic and a figure of pity on some level, but also? Something of an annoyance…and a failure as a leader. There is a good reason as to why this corner of Mutant Underground fell apart when Lorna left them for the Hellfire Club/Inner Circle, and John is a part of it.

Speaking of Secret Agent Lorna? Sigh. Her and Andy’s escape from the Inner Circle was something else. Basically, the two of them just up and left – Lorna because she was planning to do with Marcos a while by now, and Andy because he had a pep talk with his father. The actors do their best to liven the lackluster departure and the CGI nighttime storm setting helps, but somehow? It still feels ridiculous. Reeva even had the nerve to be surprised when she, Esme, and Esme’s sisters discovered Lorna and Andy’s escape. Seriously, just who did she think she is? Other than a fantastic manager and manipulator? Mesmero the mind-bending telepath?

Of course, the Mutant Underground itself isn’t much better, plot-wise: the way that Lauren, (well, her character) mourns Clarice? It is impressive, but it does not negate the fact that ever since S2 of ‘the Gifted’ began, Lauren and Clarice spent less than two or three full episodes and did not even properly interact with each other at all. ‘the Gifted’ is an amazing show, but it still has limitations, sadly…

Anything else? Andy is back with the Mutant Underground, ditto for Lorna, and John…either heard Clarice say his name or he’s began to hallucinate. Either way, he owns the most impressive tomahawk (Native American battle-axe) that I have seen ever since DW S2 episode ‘Comanche vs. Mongol’ – but that is another story. For now let’s just accept that the Mutant Underground gang is together again, (almost), Jace is having his issues, and Reeva is almost ready to initiate the final stage of her plan to take over America.

This is it for now; see you all next week!