This was one of the best shows I have seen since Riverdale and Supergirl went on summer break!
The Gifted is a new story set in the X-Men universe, years after the X-Men have disappeared. Now, people who have gene mutations that give them gifts are being held in government facilities until they learn to “control their gifts”. Reed Strucker is one of the people who tries to be an attorney for mutants on trial. His family is fairly normal, but he and his wife are worried about their son Andy who might be being bullied at school.
When Andy and his sister Lauren go to a school dance, Lauren spends time with her boyfriend while Andy sits on the sidelines. But then the boys who have been tormenting him show up at the dance, and drag him off to the bathrooms. When spraying him with scalding shower water in the face, Andy loses it trying to free himself, and his powers are triggered. He tears the school apart, causing everyone to flee from the dance, and his sister having to use her shield powers to come and save him. Their whole family is now on the run from the government as they protect their two gifted children.
Can I please say how refreshing it is to see a family that actually cares about each other on a TV show? Like honestly, when the father heard that his children had the genetic mutation, he automatically thought “How can I protect them?” instead of “This will ruin my career”. The mother was also protective of her children when they show up on her doorstep as fugitives, immediately going with them to escape the agents that show up at their doorstep. Lauren and Andy may occasionally bicker about stupid things, but she never blamed her brother for her having to leave the school and town she probably loved. She was always protective of him, and willing to help him, like a true older sister should be. I just love this family so much!
Anyways, the storyline and action scenes were amazing. I just focused on the parts of the family in the episode, as they were my favorite, but there is also the side of the rogue mutants on the run who are trying to protect themselves. One of them is put into jail while helping a newly escaped mutant to get to the “safe house”, and her boyfriend is trying to break her out of the facility in order for them to both be safe and sound. This is by no means a boring storyline, but it is not out of the norm for TV shows. I didn’t dislike it, but it didn’t stand out to me as much as the loving family.
I would recommend the Gifted for anyone who is looking for a fresh action show to watch this season. It looks amazing, it is amazing, and airs on Fox on Monday nights.
Overall Episode Rating: 6/5
