Polaris revealed. More mutants appear. More comic book name drops. New revelations about an “incident” that rocked the world of humans and mutants in THE GIFTED second episode.
The new episode may connect the series to events in the X-Men cinematic universe. What does it mean for the future of the mutant race?
Here are the big moments and burning questions.
SPOILER ALERT!
If you haven’t seen this week’s episode stop reading now.
Seriously.
OK.
Here it comes.
In the premiere, the Strucker family (parents Reed and Caitlin) went on the run when their kids mutant powers manifested. Andy is telekinetic. Lauren created force fields. Reed is a lawyer is a lawyer who prosecutes mutant criminals and knows of the Mutant Underground – including Thunderbird, Sage, Polaris and a new mutant named Eclipse. The Underground have just rescued Blink. In this world no one knows where or what happened to the X-Men or the Brotherhood.
MLF
The action picks up with Reed captured by Sentinel Services, a government agency hunting mutants. In Jace Turner’s interrogation of Reed, the two name drop The Brotherhood and the M.L.F. while Turner attempts to discover information about the Mutant Underground.
The Brotherhood was a team led by Magneto (Michael Fassbender) in the films. The Mutant Liberation Front was a terrorist organization made of mutant soldiers. First appearing in NEW MUTANTS and co-created by Louise Simonson and Rob Liefeld, the group became major enemies of X-Force.
THE INCIDENT
Turner reveals his daughter died in “The July 15th Incident” referring to an energy surge. Is this the same incident revealed in the LOGAN film in which a mentally ill Professor Xavier may have killed the X-Men?
POLARIS
Polaris, Lorna Dane, was captured by Sentinel Services and is in jail. The mistress of Magnetism (daughter of Magneto in the comics) and is pregnant by her boyfriend Eclipse.
In jail Lorna takes a shower and reveals her true hair color, green just like in the comics. Lorna discovers at least two other mutants in jail (one is bald with possibly porcelain or metallic skin) and become a target of a bully who has Lorna beaten and kicks her in the stomach. The kick enrages Polaris and temporarily allows her to unleash her magnetism event with the mutant power zapping collar on her neck.
THE SCREAMER
In flashback the Struckers are bowling when they see a father with his teen daughter who appears to be shimmering in and out of phase. After verbal abuse, the girl utters a concussive scream with dangerous impact. Who is this girl? The power signature is similar to Siryn, daughter of Banshee. Theresa Cassidy appeared in X-MEN UNITED as a little girl. Banshee appeared in X-MEN FIRST CLASS. Is she Siryn or another mutant and will she return?
TWINS
Dr. Roderick Campbell (Garrett Dillahunt) learns of the two Strucker twins and goes into old newsreels for research on mutant twins of the past. He pulls up an old headline about an incident in Rio De Janeiro. Could this be Fenris? Andrea and Andreas Von Strucker are the mutant children of Baron Wolfgang Von Strucker (a Hydra leader/Captain America villain) with ties to Magneto. The Fenris Twins became X-Men villains during The Trial of Magneto storyline and later joined The Upstarts, rich mutants in a deadly chess game killing for sport.
DOCTOR AHAB?
In the comics Dr. Roderick “Rory” Campbell was an assistant to Dr. Moira MacTaggert. In comics Moira was a genetic researcher not a CIA agent as seen in the films. This research assistant became Ahab, a hunter of mutants as seen in the comic book version of X-Men Days of Future Past. Is Roderick set to become Rory and evolve into this relentless mutant villain?
THE GIFTED airs Mondays at 9pm on Fox.
By Editor