THE GIFTED “OutfoX” Review

THE GIFTED: L-R: Sean Teale and Blair Redford in “outfoX.” Co. Cr: Eliza Morse/FOX

THE GIFTED EPISODE 9 “OUTFOX” REVIEW

BY EMMA CROW

After a brief hiatus, The Gifted managed to whip out a pretty compelling episode, but by golly, it has been a while.

This week, our mutant gang attempts to outfox Trask Industries/ Sentinel Services with a high-risk plan to free Trask’s mutant prisoners. The team has had some minor successes in the past, but will they finally get a major win for the good guys? Or will it be the Mutant Underground that gets outfoxed (I know; I’ll stop now).

The episode begins as we all expected, with a flashback. This one is however brief, and takes place a year ago. The strucker family is blissfully unaware of what the future holds. Lauren falls off a skateboard, but Andy grabs her hand just in time, but we all know now what clasped hands entail for these two. Super model winds blow at their faces as they feel the rush of power within. They quickly let go and apparently shrug the whole thing off like that was completely normal.

Back in the present, psychic new girl Esme makes a passionate plea to rally the Underground to storm Trask Industries and free the prisoners based on the information she gathered from one of the mutant experiment’s mind in the last episode.  She didn’t really get any useful information however, such as security details, but Esme doesn’t seem to care about like, logic. She continues to be sketchy all episode. She snoops on a private conversation between John and Dreamer in which he confides that he wants to move forward with the siege of Trask Industries plan put forth by Esme. She also snoops on Polaris as she has a vivid and horrifying nightmare about everyone she cares about being imprisoned by Trask including her baby.

The whole gang agrees that they need to help the mutant prisoners. Mutant computer girl does her thing and discovers a bar that Trask employees favor. Polaris and Dreamer head to the bar to extract information from a security guard. At first they just use feminine wiles, but Polaris gets fed up with his anti mutant hate speech and knocks him out cold with one punch to the face. Luckily, Dreamer is still able to use her ability on unconscious people, and they get the information they need.

While the main squad is getting stuff done, the Struckers are still reeling from recent family revelations. Reed is particularly slow to reveal the full extent of the truth, for some reason. He finally tells Caitlin that he was born a mutant (but not his kids) and then he finally tells her that the kids are possibly dangerous. Luckily, Caitlin is the brains of this duo and decides to be straight up with the children instead of keeping secrets. They talk with Lauren and Andy, who are understandably scared, but the four of them decide to test the kids and see if the clasped hands thing is true.

It works, of course. They have the same super destructive power that their grandparents wielded to create mass chaos and panic. The power feels good, which makes it all the more dangerous.

Back with the main squad, Esme, who has been sketchy all episode, suddenly comes up with a plan to attack Trusk Industries. The power center is next to the prison complex. They need Lauren and Andy to blow up the power center so that the rest of the Underground can attack the prison with the security out of power. Computer girl hacks into the security cameras so that Blink can create a portal into the power plant and also so that the Strucker parents can be the lookout for security officers as the Strucker kids, Blink, and Dreamer navigate the building in order to get to the power center. They run into a security guard, but Dreamer quickly disarms him with her mind smoke. The plan seems to be going according to plan until Sentinel Services shows up. Apparently that one security guard calling in sick tipped Agent Turner off that the mutants have decided to attack the power plant and not the prison complex.

He’s brought lots of backup and the Sentinel Services rolling robot thing from the pilot episode! These ones are new and improved apparently and impervious to Andy’s power. The Struckers (mostly Caitlin) scream at the group to get out, but its too late. Blink tries to create a portal, but she can’t and the robot gets her! No, not my favorite! Dreamer cries out like she has ever cared about her, but Blink tells them to leave her, so they do. Dreamer is caught as well, and then its down to the Struckers.

Marcos, John, and Polaris quickly realize that the mission has been compromised and run to help their friends. Esme, however, refuses to leave and screams and cries until John just picks her up and hauls her away. 

The Struckers believe that they have no choice but to clasp hands and do their thing, but Andy acts as the voice of reason (yes, you read that right, ANDY was the REASONABLE ONE of the two; what a plot twist) and says that they cannot use their super sibling power, because they would level the building and kill everyone in it. Maybe the Strucker duo won’t follow in their grandparents’ footsteps after all.

The Struckers are then surrounded by Sentinel Services and forced to surrender. The mutant collars are put on their necks, and the Strucker parents can only watch the security feeds in horror as their children are taken away in handcuffs. I’m going to be real with y’all. This scene got to me. I don’t always love the Struckers, but it was hard watching them get collared and taken away.

How will the gang rescue Blink, Dreamer, and the Strucker children? Will we find out what’s going on with Esme? Will we get some scenes with Blink and John together? Hopefully, next week’s mid-season finale will answer these questions and more.