'The Gifted' Season 1, Episode 3 'eXodus' Recap: Manipulated Escape Plans [SPOILERS]

This week’s episode of “The Gifted” is not slowing down. In the third episode, titled “eXodus,” Reed cuts a deal with the Sentinel Services, and Caitlin and the kids seek help from someone outside the compound. Meanwhile, Thunderbird begins to teach Blink how to control her powers because she is the only hope they have for an actual escape plan.
“The Gifted” season 1 episode 3 covers more mutant discrimination and a sudden shift in Andy’s character. The characters are desperately trying to find a way to bring back their loved ones—no matter how stupid and reckless it may be.

Polaris’ loyalty and Reed’s double-crossing

The episode opens with a flashback from three years ago. Marcos found his way to the Mutant Underground Headquarters and Polaris talks about how it’s a safe space for mutants on the run. This was the beginning of the two’s love story. Marcos was different from when he first came to the headquarters, afraid of his own powers. Polaris tries to get him to loosen up and accept who he was.
When Marcos makes an offhanded remark about how the x-genes seem like a punishment. Polaris tells him he should be proud of his abilities. When the two held hands something magical happens. Their powers combined were able to create an Aurora borealis effect. We see the two characters connect and we get a deeper understanding of their relationship, and why it’s a driving force in the plot of “The Gifted.”

The scene cuts to present day, with Polaris stuck in solitary confinement. Sentinel Services Agent Jace Turner visits the mutant giving her a plea deal. If she tells him where the headquarters is she and Marcos would have visitation rights to their baby. But Polaris refused and it looks like Reed would be his only source. Reed agreed to help Turner find the headquarters in exchange for his family’s safety. Unlike Reed, Polaris tries to escape on her own. She was successful enough to take down her cell door but was too weak from the shock collar to even take another step.

The Struckers’ Conflicting Plans

Caitlin and Reed Strucker have different plans for their family to reunite. While Reed agrees to betray Marcos’ trust for his family’s safety, Caitlin considers other options aside from hiding. An impatient Caitlin tries to convince Thunderbird and Marcos that they can ask help from mutant sympathizers. Not willing to listen, Thunderbird tells her it’s a bad idea even if there are people who are willing to help. They cannot risk Sentinel Services finding their headquarters. But the determined Caitlin takes her children and leaves the headquarters late at night. They seek refuge with her brother Danny, who she believes will help them with their situation.

Meanwhile, Turner places a tracker on Reed giving him instructions to implicitly follow and get in contact with Marcos, leading Sentinel Services to the mutant headquarters. He finds Tex, the bartender, who was going to take a mutant mother and daughter to the headquarters.
Reed has a heart because when the mother took the pain of his bullet wound away he realized he was putting other innocent mutants in jeopardy.  During the van ride to headquarters, Tex noticed the tracker on Reed’s ankle. Not willing to put anyone else in danger for his selfishness he jumps off giving Tex time to turn the van invisible and drive off, putting Reed once again in the hands of Sentinel Services.
While Reed’s initial plan to double-cross Marcos was scrapped out, Caitlin tries to convince her brother to reach out to his connections for her family’s ensured safety. But things start to go haywire when her nephew shares a photo of what Andy did to his trophy. This leads to having angry neighbors outside their door with guns ready to shoot the Strucker kids.

Blink Learns to Control Her Powers

Marcos tries to convince Thunderbird that Blink is the only escape plan they need. However, she still has no control of her powers and feels she has damaged them. Johnny tries to help her control her amazing portal abilities. But the training session was cut short to find the escaped Struckers.
Luckily for Caitlin, Marcos and Thunderbird were able to find her, just in time to escape from the angry mob ready to hurt her children. Her brother Danny tries to talk it out with them so she and the others could flee. But Andy has other ideas. Andy, unlike his sister Lauren, is angry and even willing to kill. It looks like he is able to control powers with his anger but it’s not without collateral damage. Andy breaks down the doors and tries to confront the mob himself. Before it gets any worse, Thunderbird and Marcos interfere to make sure there are no casualties. They were able to reach the car but had a trail of angry men behind them.

Afraid to lead them to their headquarters, Dream asks Blink to create a portal for Johnny and the others to go through. Unwilling at first, Dream manipulates Blink’s memories of Johnny to motivate her to control her powers. It was a successful escape but Johnny is not happy with the way Dream used her own memory to manipulate Blink’s motivations. Later, Thunderbird and Marcos escort Caitlin to meet with her brother one last time. This time he has key information about both Polaris and Reed. They’re both in a mutant detainment facility.
The Strucker Family and the Mutant Underground will have to draft another escape plan in “eXit strategy,” the fourth episode of “The Gifted,” Mondays at 9/8c on FOX.